Ha, glad to see so many people who have flocked to the series over the years, Suikoden (other than IV) is truly the best RPG series around in terms of characters and story.
I remember my introduction to the series, it was back in mid 2000...
I was trading games in to Funcoland (god, I miss this store) with my brother, we had a large number of games (that we ironically enough, ended up buying almost everyone back when we realized how many great NES, Genesis, and N64 and even Playstation games we got rid of) to trade in. We ended up getting about $120 in store credit, which we were initially going to use to buy a Dreamcast (good thing we didn't bother, as the Dreamcast was brought down to less than $100 mere months after that). We split the credit evenly, $60 a piece. I'm looking around, trying to find what I should get, but I'm stumbling. I pick up Tomorrow Never Dies (horrid game) and some expensive game I can't recall. I'm debating about it.
All of a sudden, this magical Funcoland employee suggests to me Suikoden II. He tells me if I like RPG games, then Suikoden II is up my ally. I'm still debating at this point. He practically urges me to get it. Could this mysterious but wonderful employee have actually been an avid fan of the series just trying finally get someone else to get it? Was he thinking "man, can I just get this one kid to buy the game, convert another one to this amazing series?"
Well, I'll never know, as Funcoland is no longer around. But, to this day, I'll remember that moment, as that was the most defining moment of my entire gaming puberty. I was finally given a game with so much depth and such an incredible story that I ended up finding my new favorite genre (platforming previously). On another note, I'm lying, as Lufia II, which I found in 1999, was actually the game that made me love RPG's. Or maybe Mario RPG in 1998.
Anyway, I'll end this overexagerrated post on a good note. Suikoden I and II are both worth every penny. I may have not had to overpay for any as I bought them all when they came out after II, but don't be afraid. Join the dark side.
It's bed time.