2,000 posts!



Thanks to everyone who has kept the rumble going!

hope im not late cause i havent been on lately. anyway, Phantasy Star IV.

Elemental Master, Bomb Man.

Nope, not too late. :D The new winners are Elemental Master (5-2) and Concrete Man (4-3), despite a late rally by its competitor. Next up…


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Round 3, Fight 4

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl4vA4Wd07Q)
by Masato Nakamura (1992)

vs.

Devilish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrxRUDAoUVI)
by Hitoshi Sakimoto (1992)


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 4

Mega Man 5 – Wily Fight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kozTMLFSgIU)
by Mari Yamaguchi (1992)

vs.

Mega Man 2 – Wily Stage 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fFRCUQLqKk#t=00m09s)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)


My votes are for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (hardest choice on the Genesis so far) and Mega Man 2 – Wily Stage 1. I may change that first vote. We'll see.

Also, the Composers Rumble (http://forums.ffshrine.org/groups/vgm-rumble-group-procrastination-station/) is up on the group page. More stuff coming soon. :D :D :D

Wily Stage 1. It's a Classic!

Devilish

Mega Man 2 – Wily Stage 1

Devilish

Mega Man 2 – Wily Stage 1

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

I can't seem to find where Uncharted Waters 2: New Horizons lost. I saw it win 5-4 to Gunstar Heroes, then there is no instance of "uncharted" in any following page.

Pulseman beat Uncharted Waters 2 on page 80, jakob.

I can't seem to find where Uncharted Waters 2: New Horizons lost. I saw it win 5-4 to Gunstar Heroes, then there is no instance of "uncharted" in any following page.

It faced off (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/official-video-game-music-rumble-66118/40.html#post1593030) against Pulseman a week ago. Remember you re-uploaded it for the fight and voted for it? You might be having trouble zeroing in on the post if you're using the search function, which has always been buggy.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Mega Man 2 – Wily Stage 1

It faced off (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/official-video-game-music-rumble-66118/40.html#post1593030) against Pulseman a week ago. Remember you re-uploaded it for the fight and voted for it? You might be having trouble zeroing in on the post if you're using the search function, which has always been buggy.

Oh, I just went through the last few pages. I guess I stopped too soon.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Mega Man II

Hope everyone�s having a good holiday break and relaxing a little bit. :D The winners this time around are Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (4-2) and Mega Man 2 � Wily Stage 1 (6-0). Next up�


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Round 3, Fight 5

The Ooze (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAVwFk8tD4I)
by Howard Drossin (1995)

vs.

Rocket Knight Adventures (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaD5_qhWTLw)
by Masanori Oouchi, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Masanori Adachi, Aki Hata, and Michiru Yamane (1993)


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 5

Mega Man X6 � Blaze Heatnix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0yZtgyqHXM)
by Naoto Tanaka (2001)

vs.

Mega Man 3 � Top Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc-12guILlE)
by Yasuaki Fujita (1990)


My votes are for Ooze and Blaze Heatnix.

Side-note: A brand new (non-TAS) world record was set for Rocket Knight Adventures (video here (http://speeddemosarchive.com/RocketKnightAdventures.html)) just last week. If you're a fan of the game, it's pretty impressive to watch.

The Ooze, Mega Man X6.

Rocket Knight Adventures

Blaze Heatnix

Oooooh tight one, but I think I'll go with The Ooze

Mega Man 3 – Top Man

The Ooze

Mega Man X6 – Blaze Heatnix

We'll give this a little longer because of the forum outage.

Let�s get the ball rolling on the next fight. The Ooze (4-1) and Blaze Heatnix (4-1) won that last one. Next up�


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Round 3, Fight 6

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B206F2DB8C977E0B)
by Mieko Ishikawa and J.D.K. Sound Team (1991)

vs.

Ristar (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT-_5lgJYx4)
by Tomoko Sasaki (1995)


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 6

Mega Man 5 � Proto Man Fortress (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juyogUMglZg)
by Mari Yamaguchi (1992)

vs.

Mega Man 2 � Air Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bRMItAZPTs)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)


My votes are for Ristar and Air Man. However, I have to point out the importance of Ys III as a technical achievement. Keep in mind what the Genesis was working with (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/official-video-game-music-rumble-66118/30.html#post1490785) and just listen to how clear and gorgeous the voices are in that soundtrack. It's incredible. In that regard, Ristar isn't even in the same league.

Ristar

Mega Man 5 – Proto Man Fortress

Proto Man Fortress

Ristar

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys

Mega Man 5 – Proto Man Fortress

Ys III, Mega Man 5.

Well, it's been four days. But the Shrine has only been up for the equivalent of two of those days. So I guess I'll let this run a little longer, since the Genesis fight is close.

By the way, if you're interested, there's a lot of stuff happening on the group page (http://forums.ffshrine.org/groups/vgm-rumble-group-procrastination-station/).

Ristar (3-2) and Proto Man Fortress (4-1) are moving on. Next up, we�ve got�


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Round 3, Fight 7

Streets of Rage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m8mnn_Ni5s)
by Yuzo Koshiro (1991)

vs.

Sonic the Hedgehog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayrDtB6b7R4)
by Masato Nakamura (1991)


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 7

Mega Man � Fire Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIHh0no7pVs)
by Manami Matsumae and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1987)

vs.

Mega Man 4 � Dive Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw05pmSIz5I)
By Minae Fujii and Yasuaki Fujita (1991)


My votes are for Sonic the Hedgehog and Fire Man.

Dive Man

Streets of Rage

Mega Man 4 - Dive Man

Sonic The Hedgehog

Streets of Rage

Mega Man 4 - Dive Man

Sonic the Hedgehog

Mega Man 4 – Dive Man

Man those two Mega Man themes are disappointing... and somehow we left out Blizzard Man from Megaman VI YouTube - Megaman VI Music: Blizzard Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQKiHZVLFAk). I consider this a personal failure and take personal responsibility for allowing this travesty to occur.

I guess I still have to vote so Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man 4.

The winners this time around are Sonic the Hedgehog (4-2) and Dive Man (5-1). And now for the last fight of Round 3 for the Genesis�


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Round 3, Fight 8

Ecco the Dolphin (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F6E0DF3851FA132C)
by Andr�s Magyari, Brian Coburn, and Spencer Nilsen (1992)

vs.

Landstalker (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MvZ8b1fOAI)
by Motoaki Takenouchi (1992)


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 8

Mega Man 6 � Flame Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdWeTin2mho)
by Yuko Takehara (1993)

vs.

Mega Man X � Armored Armadillo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5QUTlgZ3Y)
by Setsuo Yamamoto, Makoto Tomozawa, Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara, and Toshihiko Horiyama (1993)


My votes are for Landstalker and Flame Man.

Landstalker and Flame Man.

A shame those two tracks went at it in the Mega Man rumble.

Ecco, Flame Man.

Landstalker

Armored Armadillo

Landstalker

Armored Armadillo

Ecco the Dolphin

Mega Man 6 – Flame Man

It might just be me, but I feel like Flame Man's theme is missing some of the "fire" that should be in a fire based level. It sounds like it should be in a Pokemon game.

It might just be me, but I feel like Flame Man's theme is missing some of the "fire" that should be in a fire based level. It sounds like it should be in a Pokemon game.

To me it sounded like a water level all the way, wonder why I voted the Armadillo?

Yay, I have stable internet again.

Ecco the Dolphin
Mega Man X – Armored Armadillo

Welcome back Shad! :D I agree with wolfmaster913 that Flame Man is an odd choice for a fire stage, although it does have some similarities to the old Fire Man theme. To me, it sounds like sky stage music�sorta like the NES TaleSpin soundtrack. But I may be alone there.

Anyway, this time around the winners are Landstalker (4-3) and Flame Man (4-3). Next up�


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Quarterfinals, Fight 1

Ristar (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT-_5lgJYx4)
by Tomoko Sasaki () (1995)
Fun fact: Ristar was created out of scrapped ideas from the development of the original Sonic the Hedgehog.

vs.

Elemental Master (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLSo2HXObDg)
by Toshiharu Yamanishi (1990)
Fun Fact: The composer also worked on several Thunder Force games, Technosoft�s flagship series.


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 9

Mega Man 6 � Mr. X Stages (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhJ7Ss-puVY)
by Yuko Takehara (1993)

vs.

Mega Man 9 � Hornet Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OMF8Yknu3w)
by Ippo Yamada, Yu Shimoda, Ryo Kawakami, and Hiroki Isogai (2008)


My votes are for Elemental Master and Mr. X Stages.

Hornet Man

0:36 - 0:40 of Mr.X Stages sounds out of tune, I think they tried to modulate from Major to Minor but certainly failed IMO.

EDIT: Oh, BTW, Welcome Back Shad & Happy New Year everyone!

Ristar

Elemental Master

Hornet Man

Elemental Master, Mega Man 6.

Elemental Master

Hornet Man

Elemental Master

Mega Man 6 – Mr. X Stages

We've got a tie (our first in a while) between Mega Man 9 - Hornet Man and Mega Man 6 - Mr. X Stages. Anyone want to break that?

It's OK for someone who's already voted to break the tie, right?

Hornet Man

Traditionally, it has to be a new voter breaking the tie. And I think that's a good way to do it. That way, the winner is the one with the consensus vote. I'll give this a day, and I bet we'll be able to get a tie-breaker.

I haven't voted, sooooooooooo

Hornet Man

Thanks to jakob for the tie-breaker! So Elemental Master (5-1) is the first Genesis soundtrack to move on to the semifinals. Our other winner is Hornet Man (4-3). Next up�


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Quarterfinals, Fight 2

Landstalker (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MvZ8b1fOAI)
by Motoaki Takenouchi () (1992)
Fun fact: There are a lot of sexual references and overtones that had to be removed from the game before it shipped to America. Read more here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landstalker:_The_Treasures_of_King_Nole). Presumably, this was also true of the ridiculously titled sequel Lady Stalker.

vs.

Sonic the Hedgehog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayrDtB6b7R4)
by Masato Nakamura () (1991)
Fun Fact: The opening �SEGA!� (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1zdPhVrbh8 ) chant took up 1/8 of the four-megabit game cartridge.


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 10

Mega Man 3 � Shadow Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuYG5qOsDGU)
by Yasuaki Fujita (1990)

vs.

Mega Man X � Spark Mandrill (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYdSLaVu9p4)
by Setsuo Yamamoto, Makoto Tomozawa, Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara, and Toshihiko Horiyama (1993)


My votes are for Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow Man.

You wound me Jakob.

Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man X

Shadow Man is a great composition...


Spark Mandrill =D

Landstalker

Spark Mandrill

Sonic the Hedgehog

Mega Man X – Spark Mandrill

Sonic the Hedgehog

Mega Man X – Spark Mandrill

Sonic The Hedgehog

Ultima_Tales posted some big news (Thread 84538) if you missed it. Who knew Yasunori Mitsuda had a Twitter page?

Landstalker

Mega Man 3 – Shadow Man

It might surprise you, but many people you wouldn't expect have twitter accounts. I've been following Akira Yamaoka and Mitsuda for some months now.

@Smarty: I never even thought to look. I see Nobuo�s got one, too. I�ll have to check around, although Google Translate�s results are pretty mixed. :-\

Well, Sonic the Hedgehog (5-2) and Spark Mandrill (5-2) are our two newest winners. We�re now at the halfway point for the Genesis quarterfinals. Next up�


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Quarterfinals, Fight 3

Pulseman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk9LZTkHSJ0)
by Junichi Masuda ( ) (1994)
Fun Fact: Many of the staff members who worked on Pulseman later worked on the Pok�mon series and included lots of references to Pulseman in those games. More info here ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulseman).

vs.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl4vA4Wd07Q)
by Masato Nakamura () (1992)
Fun fact: This game and Sonic CD were developed simultaneously and initially were supposed to be the same game for different platforms.


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 11

Mega Man 6 � Knight Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OTi1k4v8Yg)
by Yuko Takehara (1993)

vs.

Mega Man X5 � X vs. Zero (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eFI0UFfAJE)
by Naoto Tanaka, Naoya Kamisaka, and Takuya Miyawaki (2000)


My votes are for Pulseman and X vs. Zero.

X vs. Zero!

I'm about to finish MMX4 today. X5 is neXt! =D

EDIT: BTW Knightman is a pretty good song!

Pulseman, Mega Man 6.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Pulseman

Mega Man X5 – X vs. Zero

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Mega Man 6 – Knight Man

The Mega Man vote was tough. Two very different pieces... Knight Man only won my vote because the other sounds like a Castlevania remix and less original.

The Mega Man vote was tough. Two very different pieces... Knight Man only won my vote because the other sounds like a Castlevania remix and less original.

Yeah indeed it can be a kinda tough one, Knight Man is a great composition.

What I don't understand is how you link it to castlevania, Sure I'll agree if you said that it's similar to Curse of Darkness, but MMX5 is way older.

Pulseman

Knight Man

Pulseman

Mega Man 6 – Knight Man

Yeah indeed it can be a kinda tough one, Knight Man is a great composition.

What I don't understand is how you link it to castlevania, Sure I'll agree if you said that it's similar to Curse of Darkness, but MMX5 is way older.

I guess saying less original wasn't quite the best way to word it, but I have been listening to the soundtrack for Symphony of the Night a lot and X Vs. Zero just kinda fits in too well for my taste.

I guess saying less original wasn't quite the best way to word it, but I have been listening to the soundtrack for Symphony of the Night a lot and X Vs. Zero just kinda fits in too well for my taste.

Well I think that I know where you're coming from, Prologue of SOTN has the guitar riffing & a melody that it's a tiny little bit close to a Mega Man mood, but still I disagree.

But thx for bringing it up, I haven't realized that. xD

Interesting results! Pulseman (5-2) and Knight Man (4-3) are the winners. Next up is the last fight of the Genesis quarterfinals. As usual, after this fight we�ll take a (brief) break from Mega Man until the Genesis rumble is finished.


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Quarterfinals, Fight 4

Streets of Rage 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-64UQoUURA)
by Yuzo Koshiro () and Motohiro Kawashima () (1992)
Fun Fact: The stage 4-1 music, �Under Logic,� (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO14WFh1k-I ) bears a striking resemblance to The Shamen�s �Move Any Mountain.� (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzbUPISS6gw )

vs.

The Ooze (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAVwFk8tD4I)
by Howard Drossin () (1995)
Fun Fact: ScrewAttack did a video review (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/video-game-screwattack/48157) of The Ooze last year, calling it one of the most overlooked titles for the Genesis.


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 12

Mega Man X � Password Screen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od4r0OirYfU)
by Setsuo Yamamoto, Makoto Tomozawa, Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara, and Toshihiko Horiyama (1993)

vs.

Mega Man 2 � Wood Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1nhkCByv-E)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)


My votes are for The Ooze and Password Screen (both really difficult decisions).

Streets of Rage 2

Wood Man

Streets of Rage 2 and Mega Man X

The Ooze

Mega Man 2 – Wood Man

The Ooze

Mega Man X – Password Screen

Password Screen

And with that, The Ooze (3-2) and Password Screen (4-2) move on. Now for the Genesis semifinals!


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Semifinals, Fight 1

Elemental Master (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLSo2HXObDg)
by Toshiharu Yamanishi (1990)
- Fun Fact: This composer also worked on several Thunder Force games, Technosoft�s flagship series.
- Previously beat: Strider, Jewel Master, Phantasy Star IV, Ristar
- Description: Relative to our other semifinalists, Elemental Master has definitely flown under the radar since its initial release in 1990. It�s difficult to say why, because the reviews that are available are glowing. Perhaps Technosoft, which also released Blast Wind, Feedback, Thunder Force I-VI, and the shmup/RTS hybrid Herzog Zwei, marketed its other titles more substantially (I haven�t been able to find a commercial or ad for this one). Perhaps there were too many other shmups at the time. Whatever the reason, fans of the genre are cheating themselves by not checking this one out. From the stylish cover art ( ) to the memorable opening (which this reviewer ( http://www.honestgamers.com/reviews/3622/Elemental-Master.html) had some fun with), players can see immediately that this is a quality product. In particular, the music is outstanding. The title screen begins with a fanfare and explosion and drops into a grooving bass line to start the opening cinematics. From there on out, the game avoids the stereotypical techno music commonly heard in shmups and instead gives us something more progressive-rock-oriented, with strong themes and technical flourish in the compositions.

vs.

Sonic the Hedgehog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayrDtB6b7R4)
by Masato Nakamura () (1991)
- Fun Fact: The opening �SEGA!� (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1zdPhVrbh8 ) chant took up 1/8 of the four-megabit game cartridge.
- Previously beat: Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster�s Hidden Treasure, Dynamite Headdy, Streets of Rage, Landstalker
- Description: The above link opens with the song that started off the Sonic series and also proved the Genesis�s technical dominance over the NES as the 16-bit era began. When the high-pitched string shows up in the first repetition of the melody, adding a fifth instrument to the mix, a world of possibility opened up with it. In the second and third songs, a darker mood is set with clever manipulations of the synths playing the melodies, although banging melodic percussion in the second sections balances things out. Listen along and you�ll hear both funky and relaxing tunes, too, all of which were expertly edited to minimize buzz. Beyond the clarity of the sounds, though, what�s most surprising is how little else Nakamura did: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is about it. What a legacy, but it�s a shame he didn�t extend his career beyond the early nineties. Think of what he could have done with more sophisticated technology.


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The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Semifinals, Fight 2

Pulseman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk9LZTkHSJ0)
by Junichi Masuda ( ) (1994)
- Fun Fact: Many of the staff members who worked on Pulseman later worked on the Pok�mon series and included lots of references to Pulseman in those games. More info here ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulseman).
- Previously beat: Thunder Force II, Gley Lancer, Uncharted Waters: New Horizons, Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Description: Well, I think it�s safe to say that Pulseman has the most messed up storyline among the final four, and maybe even in the whole rumble. It�s about a scientist who has sex with his computer, thus producing a half-human, half-robot being named Pulseman. The scientist then goes crazy (wouldn�t you?) and Pulseman must stop his father from destroying the world. Mega Man, this is not�although you can imagine the awkwardness between Roll and Dr. Light if this were true in that story, too, considering how often Mega Man is away. Anyway, the soundtrack is by Masuda, who did much of Pokemon�s music, and he brought the same energy and fun here. The music is noisy, rocking, and great at establishing moods for each level. In particular, "Stereo Protect," the first song is the video, has to be one of the best songs on the console.

vs.

The Ooze (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAVwFk8tD4I)
by Howard Drossin () (1995)
- Fun Fact: ScrewAttack did a video review (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/video-game-screwattack/48157) of The Ooze last year, calling it one of the most overlooked titles for the Genesis.
- Previously beat: Herzog Zwei, Vectorman, Rocket Knight Adventures, Streets of Rage 2
- Description: Here�s another transformation story, although this time it�s the scientist himself who becomes a new creature. I can remember the first time I heard this soundtrack on Garudoh�s channel, back in 2008, because I immediately loved the militaristic, percussion-heavy opener, and the way the second song tomahawk-chops its way into your head. This is a heavy soundtrack with a lot of details to relish�little feints, synthy riffs drawing from a number of influences, moments of grace, and even uplifting themes�all through Drossin�s buzzy rock aesthetic. Within about a year, he created the music for this, Comix Zone, Sonic 3 and Knuckles, and Knuckles Chaotix. Pretty impressive.


My votes are for Sonic the Hedgehog and The Ooze.

Elemental Master

Pulseman

Love both of these to bits. Sonic is nice too, but I've never really been able to get into the Ooze all that much.

Sonic the Hedgehog, Pulseman.

Elemental Master

Pulseman

Maybe it's because I have no real nostalgia associated with Sonic, but I think the soundtrack's pretty overrated. Above average certainly, but I wouldn't place it this high.

Sonic The Hedgehog

Maybe it's because I have no real nostalgia associated with Sonic, but I think the soundtrack's pretty overrated. Above average certainly, but I wouldn't place it this high.

Really? That's interesting to hear. Although I didn't play it as a kid, I really like "Spring Yard Zone" (besides the other tracks). I do think it's one of the best soundtracks for the Genesis. But certainly there's some room to debate what an alternate top four could be. Ristar and Streets of Rage 2 certainly could be here, too.

Welcome!

Okay folks. It all comes down to this. Both are great soundtracks, and both beat a lot of other great soundtracks to get here. But who is the winner?


The Genesis Soundtracks Rumble

Final Round

Pulseman (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=67611DA781EE3F43)
by Junichi Masuda (1994)

vs.

Sonic the Hedgehog (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=43622D6769FCEDB1)
by Masato Nakamura (1991)


The above links go to the full soundtracks. My vote is for Sonic the Hedgehog because I feel like it's more ambitious. There are a lot of moods and styles attempted in the soundtrack. The reverse argument of that might be that Pulseman is more unified, but I like more of the songs on Sonic, too.

Pulseman, no doubt about it. I can't think of any besides Alien Soldier and Comix Zone that I liked more.

These are the finals? Kind of underwhelmed, I must admit.

But yeah, Pulseman.

Pulseman; I LOVE that intro.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog

Would have been even better had it been Sonic 2...

These are the finals? Kind of underwhelmed, I must admit.





Would have been even better had it been Sonic 2...


I agree 100% with both of these comments. As soon as I figure out whether I like pulseman or not, I will edit in a vote. For now, I leave my lament: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFSF6RhFJak


edit: pulseman just seems to be really substandard themes with some okay rhythms obscured in a bunch of noise. I'll take Sonic the Hedgehog even though I much prefer the second and third iterations.

What did Monster lose to?

Master of Monsters lost to Jewel Master, which in turn lost to Elemental Master. So much master....

Need Moar votes. :/

Pulseman

I gotta go with Sonic the Hedgehog, even though I feel that there's probably 6 or 7 soundtracks better than it from the genesis era. This is certainly a case of the game overshadowing the soundtrack. I'm just not a big fan of the Pulseman soundtrack.

And the winner of the Genesis Soundtracks battle is�



Sonic the Hedgehog (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=43622D6769FCEDB1)!
by Masato Nakamura (1991)

The first stage opens with the song that started off the Sonic series and also proved the Genesis�s technical dominance over the NES as the 16-bit era began. When the high-pitched string shows up in the first repetition of the melody, adding a fifth instrument to the mix, a world of possibility opened up with it. In the second and third songs, a darker mood is set with clever manipulations of the synths playing the melodies, although banging melodic percussion in the second sections balances things out. Listen along and you�ll hear both funky and relaxing tunes, too, all of which were expertly edited to minimize buzz. Beyond the clarity of the sounds, though, what�s most surprising is how little else Nakamura did: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is about it. What a legacy, but it�s a shame he didn�t extend his career beyond the early nineties. Think of what he could have done with more sophisticated technology.

Fun fact: The opening �SEGA!� (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1zdPhVrbh8 ) chant took up 1/8 of the four-megabit game cartridge.

Record: 7-0, 7-1, 4-2, 5-2, 3-2, 5-4

Well, that was another great battle. Thanks to all of you who voted! I hope you enjoyed it.

We�ll continue with Mega Man and vote on the next battle very soon.

Just a reminder: if you have an idea for a theme that you�d like to do, post it on our group page (http://forums.ffshrine.org/group.php?groupid=20), where you can also see and make suggestions on the themes we�ve already worked on.

Bonus pictures:

These are the finals? Kind of underwhelmed, I must admit.


Would have been even better had it been Sonic 2...


I agree 100% with both of these comments. I'll take Sonic the Hedgehog even though I much prefer the second and third iterations.


I gotta go with Sonic the Hedgehog, even though I feel that there's probably 6 or 7 soundtracks better than it from the genesis era. This is certainly a case of the game overshadowing the soundtrack.

Interesting reactions. This was an unusual rumble in that, from the second round on, most of the fights ended in one- or two-vote victories. There were almost no blow-outs. It seems there just weren't any clear-cut favorites. Sonic 2, for example, was mentioned above. But it didn't make it into the semifinals. Sonic 3 didn't even pass the second round.

By Round 3, every soundtrack was a strong competitor, which is a good thing. No doubt, some other soundtracks could have made a strong claim to be in the finals (that's always the case). It's just unfortunate that people felt disappointed by the last match-up.

Interesting reactions. This was an unusual rumble in that, from the second round on, most of the fights ended in one- or two-vote victories. There were almost no blow-outs. It seems there just weren't any clear-cut favorites. Sonic 2, for example, was mentioned above. But it didn't make it into the semifinals. Sonic 3 didn't even pass the second round.

By Round 3, every soundtrack was a strong competitor, which is a good thing. No doubt, some other soundtracks could have made a strong claim to be in the finals (that's always the case). It's just unfortunate that people felt disappointed by the last match-up.


IMO this happened mainly because not many of us around here are fond to the Genesis music...

I retired myself from this rumble because I couldn't bring myself an objective judgment regarding each soundtrack... I dislike the Genesis soundchip.... xD

Interesting reactions. This was an unusual rumble in that, from the second round on, most of the fights ended in one- or two-vote victories. There were almost no blow-outs. It seems there just weren't any clear-cut favorites. Sonic 2, for example, was mentioned above. But it didn't make it into the semifinals. Sonic 3 didn't even pass the second round.

By Round 3, every soundtrack was a strong competitor, which is a good thing. No doubt, some other soundtracks could have made a strong claim to be in the finals (that's always the case). It's just unfortunate that people felt disappointed by the last match-up.

Well, that's definitely bound to happen as we have such a small sample of fans voting in this thread. We've had some other rumbles end very unpredictably as well, for the same reason I wager. It was fun, anyway!

I never had a Genesis, and aside from playing Sonic at Toys R Us as a kid I was completely unfamiliar with every game. I was pretty surprised that the soundtracks which struck me most tended to lose out in the first or second round, but I think this and the generally close voting might have something to do with musical styles. The Genesis soundchip really isn't that great, and it prompted a lot of composers to get really experimental. You have in the final the quintessential normal Genesis soundtrack in Sonic and one of its best experimental soundtracks in Pulseman, and a 5-4 vote between them.

Here are my top picks, seven because that's how many really stood out to me above the rest. Maybe you'll see that experimental trend running through most of them.

1. Alien Soldier (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jEzZ-Z5e7I&feature=bf_next&list=PLE6D18B95C5BD56CF&index=4) ---Linked to start on track 4 because the first three aren't actually from the game and sound completely different.
2. Comix Zone (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmfkMETAsL8)
3. Pulseman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk9LZTkHSJ0)
4. Mortal Kombat II (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=4ADA393AAF7766E2)
5. Vectorman (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7AF61D06709B9D9A) --- I know I voted it over MK2. It's a tough call, and I've since changed my mind.
6. Altered Beast (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7AF61D06709B9D9A)
7. Ecco the Dolphin (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F6E0DF3851FA132C)

I also never had a Genesis. My vote was based entirely on which sounded the best to me between the two I was voting between.

As far as the final two, I think they were both worthy. I couldn't find too many I liked better and I think that Pulseman was in fact the soundtrack that I did like the best out of all nominated.

Pulseman was definitely one of my favorites going in. Before the rumble started, I didn't know if it would go anywhere. So it was fun seeing it in the finals.

Otherwise, my top picks were something like...

Ristar
Sonic the Hedgehog
Devilish
Ys III
Elemental Master
The Ooze
Master of Monsters
Shining Force

Here's my top Genesis picks, I suppose (in no particular order)

Elemental Master
Streets of Rage 2
Golden Axe 2
Splatterhouse 2/3
Master of Monsters
Sub-Terrania
Comix Zone
Vectorman

Sorry to everyone. I'm behind schedule, and I know it. Because the school semester just began, I've only been on the Shrine for a few minutes a day. I also just saw that there have been a lot of comments on the group page, which means that when I click the "new group messages" button every time I log in and it tells me "no new group messages," it's lying. :-\

I'll be on the ball soon. Hold tight.

It's alright Arthur, you know we're patient people :)

we try to be;)

I DEMAND INSTANT GRATIFICATION.

This is pretty much entirely off topic, but I just felt the compelling urge to point out that Ryuji Sasai's battle themes in Final Fantasy Mystic Quest are (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZOQ8sLO-vU) freakin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUGDp39srk0) awesome. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8AFiu_SBN4)

Thanks for your patience! I've had a really productive week, although I've also lost hours and hours nurturing my newfound obsession with the Metal Gear series. I've now played or watched Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, and Metal Gear Solid 1, 2, 3, and 4. Gotta fill in the holes with Portable Ops and Peace Walker next.

Instant gratification, huh? This (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1342889/Russell-Brand-posts-picture-barefaced-Katy-Perry-Twitter.html) is the best I've got at the moment. :-[

And now let's get the ball rolling. By the way, all of the threads on the group page are now updated. Definitely check those out and add to the discussion if possible. :D


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 13

Mega Man X5 � Grizzly Slash (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwPuibHZNeE)
by Naoto Tanaka, Naoya Kamisaka, and Takuya Miyawaki (2000)

vs.

Mega Man 5 � Wily Fortress (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5YIJ_-WlNM)
by Mari Yamaguchi (1992)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Deciding the Next Rumble Rumble

For the below vote, it�s better to put several down so that I know which theme would appeal to the largest number of people. As always, majority rules.

A note: Suikoden has been hanging around for over a year now, so it may be time to get it going. But that's the group's decision.

As usual, more details about each rumble can be found here ( http://forums.ffshrine.org/group.php?groupid=20). Choose one or more�


1) The Best of Suikoden � 32 songs

2) The Best of the PS2 � 64 soundtracks

3) The Best of the PS1 � 64 soundtracks

4) The Composers Rumble � 64 composers

5) The Best of Hitoshi Sakimoto � 16 soundtracks

6) None (we'd focus on the Mega Man rumble and do 2 fights at a time instead of 1)


I�m happy with whatever we do, so I�m only going to vote for a Mega Man song: Grizzly Slash.

Grizzly Slash

Best of the PS2

Best of the PS1

Grizzly Slash

Suikoden

Best of PS1

Best of Hitoshi Sakimoto

Composers Rumble

Best of PS2


In THAT order of Priority, we can't keep pushing Suikoden back, we can't keep Stocking Rumbles IMO

Grizzly Slash

Suikoden

Best of PS1

Best of Hitoshi Sakimoto

Composers Rumble

Best of PS2


In THAT order of Priority, we can't keep pushing Suikoden back, we can't keep Stocking Rumbles IMO

I agree with this list. :)

Mega Man 5 – Wily Fortress


Suikoden

Best of PS1

Best of Hitoshi Sakimoto

Composers Rumble

Best of PS2

Mega Man 5;

That looks like an awful lineup of rumbles for a guy who has never heard of Suikoden or Sakimoto and never owned a PS1 or PS2. Judging by the attention they have received, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in this category.

I vote for Sakimoto since it is the shortest.

Link, Link, Link...We've got some people you need to meet.

http://kouppa-networklive.com/wp-content/themes/Theme/eGamer/timthumb.php?src=http://kouppa-networklive.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/characters1000.jpeg&h=250&w=250&zc=1

I found this picture with you standing right next to them. They're worth knowing. :D

Hi folks,

Well, we've got an interesting situation that hasn't happened before.

Suikoden has the most first-place votes with 3.

But there's also a three-way tie between PS1, PS2, and Sakimoto for most total votes with 4.

First place votes

Suik ***
PS1 *
PS2 *
Com
HS *

Total votes

Suik ***
PS1 ****
PS2 ****
Com ***
HS ****

So here's the question: Did those who voted for Suikoden plus the other soundtracks feel they'd be just as happy doing any of the rumbles now? (If so, we'll use the random number generator to get a winner.)

Or do you have a preference? (And if so, what's the theme you'd like to do most?)

I think the sentiment is that most would rather wait for some of those other rumbles, but I don't want to interpret comments and end up doing it wrong.

This, I suppose, was always a danger with the multiple-voting system. But usually there's a clear winner regardless of how you analyze the votes. :-\

My votes are full on Suikoden right now, because of what I've already stated, it's a rumble that keeps slipping through our hands & that rumble was ready looong before the rest & there were some recent rumbles that were completed without Suikoden Getting a chance to enter (Mitsuda's Rumble for example).


I made that list, because it's the way that I thought it would be fair. Console Rumbles tend to get pretty long, that's why I made PS1 as secondary.

Sakimoto is another Rumble that won't take long to finish. That's why I put it on the 3rd place.

Since I asumed that when we finish Sakimoto's rumble PS1 would still be going, that's why I placed Composers as 4th place, because it will be more interesting that having 2 console Rumbles at the same time, hence the reason PS2 in the last place.

Of course this is just a suggestion. Some people seemed to like it this way.

I've set the list in order of priority, taking account of that, Suikoden would be the next Rumble that will accompany Mega Man.

I would agree that the rumble we have been sitting on the longest should probably break the tie. It seems like the first place vote should have a little more weight than the other I think.

Unless you want to do Zelda; I'm pretty sure everybody would be on board with that. ;)

not everyone is a zelda fan, link...im sure not one of them.

Ok, so the Suikoden, Composers, and Megaman rumbles really interest me, PS1 does a little bit, and PS2 and Sakimoto really don't at all. I second the notion that we should always try to avoid two simultaneous system rumbles, and I'd prefer Sakimoto and PS2 not run side by side either. Taking that into consideration, I think it would serve me best in the long run to actually vote for PS2 here.
Of course, I also really really really love Suikoden. It's my favorite game series and among my favorite soundtrack series.

So on second thought, I'm narrowing my vote down to Suikoden or PS2, no preference between the two. Does that help?

So on second thought, I'm narrowing my vote down to Suikoden or PS2, no preference between the two. Does that help?

It does. :D

So I've removed topopoz's votes for everything except Suikoden and Shad's votes for everything except Suikoden and PS2.

That means we have a tie between Suikoden and PS2 with three votes.

Now, the dominant idea about how to break the tie has been this:


We can't keep pushing Suikoden back, we can't keep Stocking Rumbles IMO


My votes are full on Suikoden right now, because of what I've already stated, it's a rumble that keeps slipping through our hands & that rumble was ready looong before the rest & there were some recent rumbles that were completed without Suikoden Getting a chance to enter (Mitsuda's Rumble for example).


I would agree that the rumble we have been sitting on the longest should probably break the tie. It seems like the first place vote should have a little more weight than the other I think.

I'm in line with that thinking. Plus it makes my life easier because Suikoden's ready to go, whereas I still have to find all 64 soundtrack links for the PS2 rumble, which could take days.

So here's the question: Is it fair to go forward with Suikoden and to consider one of the Playstation rumbles the next one up?

Let's give this a day or so, and then we'll get moving (whatever the decision).

Sure, let's do Suikoden. We can start PS2 after we finish Mega Man.

Suikoden it is! And Szczepan (who was a big cheerleader for the rumble) is nowhere to be found. :-( Anybody know how to contact him?

Well, we�ve got a win for Grizzly Slash (4-2) and some more Mega Man soundtracks to pit against each other while I get organized and check links. In two days, we'll do a final check, then get going. For those interested, we've also got an open floor for song suggestions in the PS1 (http://forums.ffshrine.org/groups/vgm-rumble-group-procrastination-station/best-ps1-97/) and PS2 (http://forums.ffshrine.org/groups/vgm-rumble-group-procrastination-station/best-ps2-77/) threads and an interesting discussion about if we should do a 128-song rumble sometime in the future in the Suggest Future Themes (http://forums.ffshrine.org/groups/vgm-rumble-group-procrastination-station/suggest-future-rumble-themes-here-100/) thread.


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 14

Mega Man 3 � Title (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiQgYfyUdDs)
by Yasuaki Fujita (1990)

vs.

Mega Man X � Stage Select (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3qXM8CN47c)
by Setsuo Yamamoto, Makoto Tomozawa, Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara, and Toshihiko Horiyama (1993)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 15

Mega Man X2 � Bubble Crab (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg2Lc3v7_D0)
by Yuki Iwai (1994)

vs.

Mega Man 2 � Bubble Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljSAvJj61aw)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)


My votes are for Mega Man 3 � Title and Mega Man 2 � Bubble Man.

Mega Man 3

Mega Man X2 – Bubble Crab

MM3 - Title

MM2 - Bubble Man

Mega Man 3 – Title
Both are pretty bad, but Mega Man X2 – Bubble Crab

We've got a tie between Bubble Man and Bubble Crab. Anyone want to break it?

not everyone is a zelda fan, link...im sure not one of them.

That was a joke -.-.

What horrendous luck with Mega Man X going against Mega Man III in the first round. I think that Stage Select in X is probably the best track in the rumble and universes ahead of any other stage select theme in the series. It is too bad it came up against the ultra popular Mega Man III in the first round; that title screen theme is a contender for the championship. VERY disappointing and sad to see it bow out in the first round. I think it would have wiped the floor with either of the entries in the other fight this round.

Not a Ninja Gaiden III type of tragedy, but disheartening none the less.

I guess I HAVE to vote for one of the other songs so...

Mega Man X, Mega Man 2

I'll throw in another vote for megaman 2 just to REALLY break the tie

Thanks to everybody who voted! Mega Man 3�s Title (4-1) and 2�s Bubble Man (4-2) are moving on, and it�s a traveshamockery all over again. :D Next up, the end of Round 1 and the penultimate draft of the Suikoden song list.


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 16

Mega Man X6 � Commander Yammark (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYeWo_9v38g)
by Naoto Tanaka (2001)

vs.

Mega Man 9 � Galaxy Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdDbbzuq1vY)
by Ippo Yamada, Yu Shimoda, Ryo Kawakami, and Hiroki Isogai (2008)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the list for the Suikoden rumble. Let me know if you see any changes that should be made. All links should now work.

Suikoden - Beautiful Golden City (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCME4Wxvj4k&feature=PlayList&p=C198C746BE4AF8BD&index=4), Distant Mountain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47qlL8fvMcE&feature=PlayList&p=C198C746BE4AF8BD&index=10), Eternal Flow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNeOCMKU2V8&feature=PlayList&p=C198C746BE4AF8BD&index=17), Forgotten Days (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOBwvbNz3Dk&feature=PlayList&p=C198C746BE4AF8BD&index=38), Tropical Bath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsM4qvixObg), Rising Tide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2n6d5B0W2I)

Suikoden II - Opening (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW4d2R9vEXQ), Reminiscence (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSSEcgooY-I), Nahala Yam Koong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_2oW4lmpSY), Two Rivers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJW7RvqW-bU), Imprisoned Town (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6exvhdhIE8), Amid the Silence (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80WuZ3I-YrQ), The Outskirts of Tinto (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-PAyboXBaM), Gothic Neclord (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXuJ2cHx7Aw)

Suikoden III � Exceeding Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z_hCwrNcLs), Noisy Wind (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g71-GUCeAOA), Searching for a Hero (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD5gB9I8_2o)

Suikoden IV � Base 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9-gE_LQ_S8&feature=PlayList&p=8413742A11DD3017&index=37), La Mer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc7evTrULxk)

Suikoden V � Wind of Phantom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmawYXFQws8), Sealed Room (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6L6DJKnPFE), A Nap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_INhaBXTOF4), Town on a River (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FBQoL9bsZg), Warmth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud_khrsxV6E), Crossing the Mountain River (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E2CX0rOvhs), The Deep Forest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOeF14fo03A), Traces... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL6M6yjAiOg), Into a World of Illusions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxBL-Djs2Js)

Suikoden Tactics � Studying the Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w60XTL_yS0), Once Upon a Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me1FyhP2PXo)

Suikoden Tierkreis - Citro Plains (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orw0aXZc-vQ), Mining Village (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Haj-wxLqY)


I think we did a great job with this one. It's time to get excited. :D

As for Mega Man, my vote is for Commander Yammark. This one took me by surprise when we were putting the rumble together. Rep for topopoz for the suggestion. :zillayay: I dig it.

Commander Yammark

This one took me by surprise when we were putting the rumble together. Rep for topopoz for the suggestion. :zillayay: I dig it.

Thx Buddy! :D

Commander Yammark

Mega Man X6 – Commander Yammark

Less than enthused about either of these.

Mega Man 9.

Mega Man 9 – Galaxy Man

I've only been on for a few minutes at a time over the last two days. The rumbles will be forthcoming very soon. In the meantime: ScrewAttack's Top 10 Robot Masters (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-10-screwattack/710329)

If anyone is fan of Hitoshi Sakimoto, this thread (Thread 82098) tells of a project to send him a birthday gift from the fans.

While we're on the topic of unrelated topics, this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa-U5udF1LM) amazes and delights me. Anyone familiar with the original, wait for about the 45 second mark. :D

Suikoden is one of my favorite series�equal to Mario, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, and Mega Man. And I�m not alone (http://www.suikosource.com/). There seems to be a relatively small, but lifelong devoted contingent of fans for the game. No doubt part of the reason for that enthusiasm is that Suikoden is much less popular than those other franchises, engendering the protective, insider-culture pride that nerds are so good at. But regardless, this series deserves the love it gets.

Much of the games will seem familiar. You�re a band of rebels, many of whom have ties to the Empire that they must sever as the game goes on, who eventually confront a well-meaning but warped antagonist whose death reveals some evil manipulative force that's been influencing him the whole time. Along the way, a secret power is transferred from one character to the next, marking your protagonist as the destined one.

It's the execution of those RPG conventions that make it fun all over again.


http://history.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/upfiles/2009-06/19/the_108_heroes_of_the_water_margin_shui_hu_zhuan26 cd61327858e1d7b6ea.jpg

The series is famous for having 108 characters per game. It seems likely that people assume the whole game is one long fetch-quest because of that. And to some extent, you will be revisiting locations just to pick up someone (if you're a completist). But, unlike so many other games, the non-protagonists are still fully formed characters. Each has an individual motivation for participating in the army. Each has a background that can be explored. Each is at odds with themselves over the right course of action. And each has a storyline that extends well beyond the game. If a problem can be resolved by simply having one character shoot another, then it wasn't a very complex or interesting problem.

That brings us to Reason #1 why people get fanatical about the Suikoden series: the games are all inter-connected. Unlike Final Fantasy, they all take place within a massive world (unofficial map ()) and different characters are revisited in every game as their lives continue to be shaped by the burdens of ongoing war. Of course, this is something other games, like Metal Gear, are well known for. But not on this scale. Hundreds of characters, with their own stakes in the conflict, are controlled with expert clarity. This is not the story of a hero beating a bad guy as a symbol for a community. This is the story of a community, of a nation's worth of people working in-story together, forming connections in-story together, fighting for a cause for different reasons, and then leaving each other and carrying that bond with them. That's something you don't normally see in a video game, and especially not back in 1995.

It's amazing to realize that the first game came out only a year into the Playstation's lifespan. Though they stuck with sprites, clearly they were experimenting to see what was possible. Within the typical party-based battles, the camera follows the action, swooping in to a close-up when you hit the enemy for extra damage and trailing over the battlefield with dynamic angles similar to how football games are filmed now. The games do something even more dramatic for one-on-battles during key scenes, circling the fighters as if they were on a turntable and revealing the setting sun, or a distant mountain, in the background. Some of the best moments in the series take place during these one-on-one fights, where the nature of the battle changes as a way to accentuate the gravity of the situation. But the games don't stop there. A third battle mechanic--full-on army warfare--takes place in every iteration, joining you simultaneously with all of the side characters you've recruited, allowing them to not only fight but interact with the enemies as you move them around as if on a chessboard. Again, this type of game mechanic goes way back--but combined with the other types of fighting, it takes on a new scale. There are so many variables in how the mini-dramas within the game can play out that it's difficult not to want to replay each game as soon as it's done.

That variability extends to every other aspect of the game, too. The side-quests include an Iron-Chef-like cooking competition; window and sound effect customization; collecting vases, statues, and artwork for your sauna; collecting paints for in-house artists and music for in-house singers; participating in plays in your castle�s theater; reading letters from your allies; reading books in your library; getting dirt on other characters through a detective; fishing and climbing games for rare items; whack-a-mole; gambling; a memory card game; customizing your weapons; and expanding your castle to include more. It seems like there's always more.

I�ve never met someone who played a Suikoden game and didn�t like it. There's too much brightness, variety, and fun. The character portraits over the dialogue are beautifully painted, the backgrounds are richly detailed, the scope of everything that happens is dramatic and presented in such a way that it feels important. And then there's the music, which is, after all, what we're focused on.

If nothing else, the music has sustained the series and done the grunt work of depicting the characters with immediacy, freeing the writers from constantly resorting to exposition. Miki Higashino established the principles of what this world sounded like with a focus on orchestral music for important scenes and mostly melody-driven Japanese-, French-, and Indian-inspired music for settings and characters--although there are examples of many other genres and influences, too. She left the series after the second game (later collaborating with Yasunori Mitsuda on the Tsukiyo ni Saraba soundtrack), but there have been many other big names attached since: Michiru Yamane, Norikazu Miura, Yoshino Aoki, and Masaharu Iwata to name just a few. They've all done their part in using Higashino's leitmotifs as connecting threads back to the original game, making the world feel unified as new characters are introduced. We'll be listening to the greatest of their compositions moving forward, so I'll let those selections do the talking for me.

For now, if you're interested, here are video walkthroughs of the main games: 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJu8Nxdevt4&p=234047608DCD589B), 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx_-3BFzWoY), 3 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7992ABE06EFBEAF4), 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akbp0bzMmA4&feature=PlayList&p=6326E8902F6B5462), 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGJ5xigKs6w).

Also, for those of you who are already fans, you may not have heard that Konami is about to release a 25-CD box set (http://www.awesomevideogamenews.com/2010/11/konami-to-celebrate-suikoden%E2%80%99s-15-year-anniversary/) of Suikoden music (!).

thats only if it gets enough preorders. its not comin out till the end of the year.

Yeah, I saw that. Has there been any confirmation that they didn't reach the pre-order goal?

EDIT: Here's (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.konamistyle.jp/item/70220&ei=KcpWTfihNdHpgQf3lYioDQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBkQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhttp://www.konamistyle.jp/item/70220%26hl%3Den%26prmd%3Divns) the listing on Konami's site, translated by Google.

not yet.

its not a full track listin. just some songs as to whats on the 25-disc box set.

It was an easy win for Commander Yammark (4-2). And now...


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 2, Fight 1

Mega Man 2 � Wily Stage 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fFRCUQLqKk#t=00m09s)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)

vs.

Mega Man 6 � Flame Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdWeTin2mho)
by Yuko Takehara (1993)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 1

Suikoden II � Amid the Silence (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80WuZ3I-YrQ)
by Miki Higashino and Keiko Fukami (1998)

vs.

Suikoden V � The Deep Forest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOeF14fo03A)
by Norikazu Miura (2006)


My votes are for Wily Stage 1 and The Deep Forest.

Mega Man 2 – Wily Stage 1

The Deep Forest

Really tough calls in both cases. I'm going to have to go with
Mega Man 2 – Wily Stage 1
Suikoden V – The Deep Forest


Edit: You might want to repost your big Suikoden write-up since it wound up at the very bottom of the page.

You might want to repost your big Suikoden write-up since it wound up at the very bottom of the page.

Thanks for catching that. :D I'll re-post it in a spoiler here for those who are interested.

Suikoden is one of my favorite series—equal to Mario, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, and Mega Man. And I’m not alone (http://www.suikosource.com/). There seems to be a relatively small, but lifelong devoted contingent of fans for the game. No doubt part of the reason for that enthusiasm is that Suikoden is much less popular than those other franchises, engendering the protective, insider-culture pride that nerds are so good at. But regardless, this series deserves the love it gets.

Much of the games will seem familiar. You’re a band of rebels, many of whom have ties to the Empire that they must sever as the game goes on, who eventually confront a well-meaning but warped antagonist whose death reveals some evil manipulative force that's been influencing him the whole time. Along the way, a secret power is transferred from one character to the next, marking your protagonist as the destined one.

It's the execution of those RPG conventions that makes it fun all over again.


http://history.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/upfiles/2009-06/19/the_108_heroes_of_the_water_margin_shui_hu_zhuan26 cd61327858e1d7b6ea.jpg

The series is famous for having 108 characters per game. It seems likely that people assume the whole game is one long fetch-quest because of that. And to some extent, you will be revisiting locations just to pick up someone (if you're a completist). But, unlike so many other games, the non-protagonists are still fully formed characters. Each has an individual motivation for participating in the army. Each has a background that can be explored. Each is at odds with themselves over the right course of action. And each has a storyline that extends well beyond the game. If a problem can be resolved by simply having one character shoot another, then it wasn't a very complex or interesting problem.

That brings us to Reason #1 why people get fanatical about the Suikoden series: the games are all inter-connected. Unlike Final Fantasy, they all take place within a massive world (unofficial map ()) and different characters are revisited in every game as their lives continue to be shaped by the burdens of ongoing war. Of course, this is something other games, like Metal Gear, are well known for. But not on this scale. Hundreds of characters, with their own stakes in the conflict, are controlled with expert clarity. This is not the story of a hero beating a bad guy as a symbol for a community. This is the story of a community, of a nation's worth of people working in-story together, forming connections in-story together, fighting for a cause for different reasons, and then leaving each other and carrying that bond with them. That's something you don't normally see in a video game, and especially not back in 1995.

It's amazing to realize that the first game came out only a year into the Playstation's lifespan. Though they stuck with sprites, clearly they were experimenting to see what was possible. Within the typical party-based battles, the camera follows the action, swooping in to a close-up when you hit the enemy for extra damage and trailing over the battlefield with dynamic angles similar to how football games are filmed now. The games do something even more dramatic for one-on-battles during key scenes, circling the fighters as if they were on a turntable and revealing the setting sun, or a distant mountain, in the background. Some of the best moments in the series take place during these one-on-one fights, where the nature of the battle changes as a way to accentuate the gravity of the situation. But the games don't stop there. A third battle mechanic--full-on army warfare--takes place in every iteration, joining you simultaneously with all of the side characters you've recruited, allowing them to not only fight but interact with the enemies as you move them around as if on a chessboard. Again, this type of game mechanic goes way back--but combined with the other types of fighting, it takes on a new scale. There are so many variables in how the mini-dramas within the game can play out that it's difficult not to want to replay each game as soon as it's done.

That variability extends to every other aspect of the game, too. The side-quests include an Iron-Chef-like cooking competition; window and sound effect customization; collecting vases, statues, and artwork for your sauna; collecting paints for in-house artists and music for in-house singers; participating in plays in your castle’s theater; reading letters from your allies; reading books in your library; getting dirt on other characters through a detective; fishing and climbing games for rare items; whack-a-mole; gambling; a memory card game; customizing your weapons; and expanding your castle to include more. It seems like there's always more.

I’ve never met someone who played a Suikoden game and didn’t like it. There's too much brightness, variety, and fun. The character portraits over the dialogue are beautifully painted, the backgrounds are richly detailed, the scope of everything that happens is dramatic and presented in such a way that it feels important. And then there's the music, which is, after all, what we're focused on.

If nothing else, the music has sustained the series and done the grunt work of depicting the characters with immediacy, freeing the writers from constantly resorting to exposition. Miki Higashino established the principles of what this world sounded like with a focus on orchestral music for important scenes and mostly melody-driven Japanese-, French-, and Indian-inspired music for settings and characters--although there are examples of many other genres and influences, too. She left the series after the second game (later collaborating with Yasunori Mitsuda on the Tsukiyo ni Saraba soundtrack), but there have been many other big names attached since: Michiru Yamane, Norikazu Miura, Yoshino Aoki, and Masaharu Iwata to name just a few. They've all done their part in using Higashino's leitmotifs as connecting threads back to the original game, making the world feel unified as new characters are introduced. We'll be listening to the greatest of their compositions moving forward, so I'll let those selections do the talking for me.

For now, if you're interested, here are video walkthroughs of the main games: 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJu8Nxdevt4&p=234047608DCD589B), 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx_-3BFzWoY), 3 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7992ABE06EFBEAF4), 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akbp0bzMmA4&feature=PlayList&p=6326E8902F6B5462), 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGJ5xigKs6w).

Also, for those of you who are already fans, you may not have heard that Konami is about to release a 25-CD box set (http://www.awesomevideogamenews.com/2010/11/konami-to-celebrate-suikoden%E2%80%99s-15-year-anniversary/) of Suikoden music (!).

Just started playing Suikoden I again, almost a year to the day since I last played it, which was when I finished my Master's thesis. Still fun, and I bet you could speedrun it in 8 hours. I can't believe no one has already. One thing I forgot to mention in my write-up above is that there's no grinding in the games. Your levels increase relative to the difficulty of the enemy. So if you defeat a Level 10 boss with a Level 1 character, it's not like you receive 1000 exp and that character goes to, say, Level 3. That character would then skip all the way to Level 8 or 9. That makes things much faster-paced and much more fun, because you can focus on which characters and which strategy to use in the fights instead of who's leveled up. An extreme example of this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDxkw-R1m08).

Nice write up on Suikoden. I've mentioned before; I had never heard of Suikoden until this rumble so it was quite informative (disclaimer: since I have never played a game in the series, I'll be voting only on merit).

My votes:

Mega Man 6, Suikoden II.

Yeah, I voted against everybody. Resist the power!

Flameman

Suikoden II - Amid The Silence

I LOVED THE FIRST SUIKODEN!

It was on my "to do" list for a long time, but couldn't get my hands & the energy to play it for a long time. Until recently.
And it was one of the best RPG experiences ever.

I wish to play Suiko II, but I currently don't own a Playstation Console.

By the way, if you're one of the more avid fans of the series, I recommend checking out a game called Exit Fate (http://site.scfworks.com/?page_id=3). A friend of mine made it over the course of a couple years, and it's pretty impressive for a 1-man project. It's an obvious tribute to the Suikoden series, but with plenty of original content. I haven't played the final release myself, only an earlier, less polished version of it, but it seems to have gotten pretty good reviews.

The Deep Forest

Nice write up on Suikoden. I've mentioned before; I had never heard of Suikoden until this rumble so it was quite informative.

Glad to hear it! I only discovered Suikoden because my friend bought me the first game for my birthday way back in 1996 or so. I had just gotten all of the gold skulltulas in Ocarina of Time, and he thought I'd like the challenge of 108 characters. Because I got it as a gift, I sorta feel obligated to share it with others, too.

By the way, my avatar is the protagonist from Suikoden I in case people didn't know. :D Jansengirl asked me about that a few weeks ago.


I LOVED THE FIRST SUIKODEN!

It was on my "to do" list for a long time, but couldn't get my hands & the energy to play it for a long time. Until recently. And it was one of the best RPG experiences ever.

I wish to play Suiko II, but I currently don't own a Playstation Console.

I hope you get to play it sometime soon! It has everything there is to love in the first game, plus more. The cooking competition sidequest is tons of fun by itself, and the story makes a more ambitious attempt at character depth. I see a lot of people debating if II or III is the best game in the series, and it seems like most people agree it's II (although I'll always be obsessed with the first one because of nostalgia).


By the way, if you're one of the more avid fans of the series, I recommend checking out a game called Exit Fate (http://site.scfworks.com/?page_id=3). A friend of mine made it over the course of a couple years, and it's pretty impressive for a 1-man project. It's an obvious tribute to the Suikoden series, but with plenty of original content. I haven't played the final release myself, only an earlier, less polished version of it, but it seems to have gotten pretty good reviews.

Looks awesome! I'll check it out soon.

Another item of note: the group page (http://forums.ffshrine.org/groups/vgm-rumble-group-procrastination-station/) is once again packed full of updates, thanks to efforts by Smarty, Link006, Shad, and others. I threw some recommended songs at all of the current threads, but there's still a need for suggestions in the prospective PS1, PS2, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Composers, and Sakimoto rumbles. If you haven't checked it out in a month or two, there's lots of cool stuff going on over there.

:zillawalk:

First winners are Wily Stage 1 (3-2) and The Deep Forest (4-2). Next up�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 2, Fight 2

Mega Man 9 � Concrete Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwQ9iCqtpUk)
by Ippo Yamada, Yu Shimoda, Ryo Kawakami, and Hiroki Isogai (2008)

vs.

Mega Man 2 � Bubble Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljSAvJj61aw)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 2

Suikoden V � Warmth (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud_khrsxV6E)
by Norikazu Miura (2006)

vs.

Suikoden V � Crossing the Mountain River (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E2CX0rOvhs)
by Norikazu Miura (2006)


My votes are for Bubble Man and Warmth.

Bubble Man

Warmth

Side note: Arthur, are you gonna need help with the rest of the PS2 games I didn't provide links for? Like I said I'm not too familiar with those games, but I'd be glad to help if you need me to.

Bubble Man

Crossing the Mountain River

Mega Man 9 – Concrete Man - No contest here.
Suikoden V – Crossing the Mountain River - Probably my favorite Suikoden V track.

I completely agree Shad: Mega Man 9 for sure.

Tough vote in the other one; Crossing the Mountain River by a HAIR.

Mega Man 9 – Concrete Man

Suikoden V – Crossing the Mountain River

We've got a tie between Concrete Man and Bubble Man. The next vote to break it will determine the winner.

A coin toss gave the win to Concrete Man (4-3). Our other winner was Crossing the Mountain River (4-2). Next up�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 2, Fight 3

Mega Man 6 � Knight Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OTi1k4v8Yg)
by Yuko Takehara (1993)

vs.

Mega Man 9 � Hornet Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OMF8Yknu3w)
by Ippo Yamada, Yu Shimoda, Ryo Kawakami, and Hiroki Isogai (2008)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 3

Suikoden V � Town on a River (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FBQoL9bsZg)
by Norikazu Miura (2006)

vs.

Suikoden II � The Outskirts of Tinto (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-PAyboXBaM)
by Miki Higashino and Keiko Fukami (1998)


My votes are for Knight Man and Town on a River.

Town on a River

Knight Man

Side note: Arthur, are you gonna need help with the rest of the PS2 games I didn't provide links for? Like I said I'm not too familiar with those games, but I'd be glad to help if you need me to.

Sorry! My attention got caught up with updating the rumble. I added links for about a dozen of the PS2 games. And I'll continue adding links slowly over time. But if anyone happens to have suggestions, all help is certainly welcome. :D I'd love to have anyone's suggestions to help ensure the rumbles are fun for everybody.

Mega Man 6, Suikoden V.

Mega Man 6 – Knight Man

Suikoden II – The Outskirts of Tinto --- This is an example of the quintessential sound Miki made inseparable from the series.

Mega Man 6 – Knight Man

Suikoden II – The Outskirts of Tinto

Side-note: My sister got me this for my birthday...



:D :D :D

Nintendo Classically Trained T-Shirt (http://www.80stees.com/products/Classically_Trained_Nintendo_t-shirt.asp)

Happy birthday Arthur! :) Nice present!

Today is your birthday?

http://pressthepsbutton.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/suikoden.gif?w=408&h=323&h=323



Now just imagine the cake with the suikoden shape! =D

Yay February. My family's got four to celebrate this weekend and two more earlier in the month. A happy one to you as well!

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes! My wife and I went out to a good dinner, and then drained a really nice bottle of bourbon (http://www.woodfordreserve.com/) for Manhattans. Plus, Radiohead released their new album. It was a good day. :D

@Shad: Four this weekend!? Wow. Three of my friends here have their birthdays within a month of each other, but that's nothing. You've got a pretty intense weekend coming up. Have fun!

Great present!

Knight Man (5-0) and Town on a River (3-2) win it this time. Next up�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 2, Fight 4

Mega Man X5 � Grizzly Slash (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwPuibHZNeE)
by Naoto Tanaka, Naoya Kamisaka, and Takuya Miyawaki (2000)

vs.

Mega Man X � Password Screen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od4r0OirYfU)
by Setsuo Yamamoto, Makoto Tomozawa, Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara, and Toshihiko Horiyama (1993)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 4

Suikoden V � Traces of the Sindar Civilization (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL6M6yjAiOg)
by Norikazu Miura (2006)

vs.

Suikoden � Forgotten Days (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOBwvbNz3Dk&feature=PlayList&p=C198C746BE4AF8BD&index=38)
by Miki Higashino, Tappi Iwase, Hiroshi Tamawari, Hirofumi Taniguchi, and Mayuko Kageshita (1995)


My votes are for Password Screen and Forgotten Days.

Traces Of The Sindar Civilization

Grizzly Slash

Forgotten Days

Grizzly Slash

Forgotten Days

Mega Man X – Password Screen

Suikoden V – Traces of the Sindar Civilization by a hair

Mega Man X and Suikoden

Link, Specify which Suikoden you vote. xD

I think he means Suikoden 1.

Yeah, I guess you're right xD

Grizzly Slash and Forgotten Days

The first 2 Suikoden Games are amazing I remember the first time I played them I was hooked. The OST's for all of them are ace although number 2 will always be my favorite.

I think he means Suikoden 1.

Correct. Arthur did not denote the game as "Suikoden 1" in the listing. I have no knowledge of the games so I defer to that.

The Sindar theme, by the way, it one of the reoccurring songs of the series. It first appeared in Suikoden III as Midwinter Land ~ Sindar Ruins Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TNXESH2t5Q).

a more apporiate title for that is Arctic Area.

The Sindar theme, by the way, it one of the reoccurring songs of the series. It first appeared in Suikoden III as Midwinter Land ~ Sindar Ruins Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TNXESH2t5Q).

Another interesting note is that the Sindar are first mentioned in Suikoden II when you visit one of the ruins, although they aren't picked up as a substantial idea until later games. Another example of the narrative strands stretching across multiple games. They're an ancient, possibly extinct civilization that had surprisingly advanced technology--some of which still confuses the games' present-day scientists. I wonder if the inspiration for them was the Antikythera mechanism (http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110109.html)?


a more apporiate title for that is Arctic Area.

I've seen that name used, too, particularly on RPGMusicDotOrg's YouTube channel. But vgmdb.net (http://vgmdb.net/album/678) says it's supposed to be "Midwinter Land."

Grizzly Slash

Forgotten Days

Welcome to Baby Boink! Suikoden II's got a lot of songs in the rumble, so you'll see it before too long. This time, it�s Grizzly Slash by a hair (4-3) and Forgotten Days (6-2). Next up�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 2, Fight 5

Mega Man 2 � Metal Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AREhaZ6O2Yo)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)

vs.

Mega Man X6 � Commander Yammark (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYeWo_9v38g)
by Naoto Tanaka (2001)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 5

Suikoden Tactics � Studying the Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w60XTL_yS0)
by Norikazu Miura (2005)

vs.

Suikoden V � A Nap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_INhaBXTOF4)
by Norikazu Miura (2006)


My votes are for Metal Man and A Nap. Hate to go against Commander Yammark, but his competitor's song is too good and Metal Man himself is an MJ-posing () bad ()ass () .

Commander Yammark - I got to admit that I'm not a fan of MM2 music at all...

A Nap

Hah, I didn't see A Nap ever making it past the first round, but Suikoden Tactics doesn't provide much competition on any front.
On the other hand, it's a shame that such solid Mega Man songs have to square off already, but such is the fate of music rumbles.

Mega Man X6 – Commander Yammark

Suikoden V – A Nap

Metal Man

A Nap

Totally unrelated: I've been waiting for the Catherine soundtrack anxiously for several months now and I finally got something other than the music in the trailers! Those who preordered the soundtrack got 1 track to listen to, a remix of Chopin's revolutionary etude (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAMSUmt_SFM&feature=relmfu) to be precise. Meguro said he'd be rearranging classical pieces for the nightmare sections of the game, but I really didn't expect to hear Chopin in there. It sounds awesome, imo and you guys should definitely check it out. Speaking of which, which version do you think is best? Meguro's or Sakuraba's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGuTEskGP8g)?

A Nap

Mega Man 2 – Metal Man

Suikoden V – A Nap

Mega Man 2, Suikoden Tactics

Not a fan of MM2 music? Wha-wha-what? :D I�d probably be less enthusiastic if I didn�t have so many childhood memories associated with it.

As for Meguro vs. Sakuraba, I�d go with Sakuraba. The guy is so over-the-top sometimes (and that piece is no exception), but I still love it. He�s a fascinating composer to follow. Lots of weird re-interpretations of his songs and self-references to his own music, too.

On the subject of classical music in video games, I remember the first time I heard Satie in Mother 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcfV4HvPE5Q), I got so excited. Well, as excited as you can get listening to the Gymnopedie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atejQh9cXWI). Not exactly marathon-running music.

Anyway, on to business. Metal Man (4-2) and A Nap (6-1) are moving on. And next up, we�ve got�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 2, Fight 6

Mega Man X6 � Blaze Heatnix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0yZtgyqHXM)
by Naoto Tanaka (2001)

vs.

Mega Man 2 � Flash Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fMHqEGL-q8)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 6

Suikoden IV � Base 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9-gE_LQ_S8)
by Masahiko Kimura, Michiru Yamane, and Norikazu Miura (2004)

vs.

Suikoden � Distant Mountain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47qlL8fvMcE)
by Miki Higashino, Tappi Iwase, Hiroshi Tamawari, Hirofumi Taniguchi, and Mayuko Kageshita (1995)


My votes are for Flash Man and Distant Mountain--two of my favorite songs from these series.

Blaze Heatnix \m/

Distant Mountain

Flash Man

Base 2

Mega Man 2 and Suikoden.

Mega Man 2 – Flash Man

Suikoden – Distant Mountain

On the subject of classical music in video games, I remember the first time I heard Satie in Mother 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcfV4HvPE5Q), I got so excited. Well, as excited as you can get listening to the Gymnopedie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atejQh9cXWI). Not exactly marathon-running music.

Weird story: I'd never heard that before clicking your link about an hour ago, and then in a completely unrelated instance just now (I was searching images of a couple of 20th century physicists I'd been reading about) I stumbled upon this picture on google, which was rather unrelated to my search but intriguing enough to click on:



Guess what was playing on the webpage.

Mega Man 2 – Flash Man

Suikoden – Distant Mountain

even though my vote wont make much difference...Base 2

@Shad: Weird. I actually came across Satie in a strange way, too. My wife was playing some of his music on the piano, and I swore it was from an old Garfield made-for-TV movie called Garfield: His Nine Lives (http://www.youtube.com/user/deliciouscrusties#g/c/97305A3A094B1C28). Turns out it wasn’t; it was just similar. But I fell in love with it for nostalgia’s sake and then on its own merits after that.

*By the way, if you’re bored, you should check out that link. I have zero interest in Garfield usually, but that special was done with an interesting concept. Each life represents a different period of human history and is animated in significantly different styles. At the end of every story, Garfield dies and moves on to the next era. It’s considerably darker than anything else that character has been associated with, and some of the music is fantastic. As a kid, I would cry at Part 6 just because of how moving the music was.

But back to business: The winners this time are Flash Man (5-1) and Distant Mountain (5-2). Next up…


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 2, Fight 7

Mega Man 3 – Title (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiQgYfyUdDs)
by Yasuaki Fujita (1990)

vs.

Mega Man 5 – Proto Man Fortress (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juyogUMglZg)
by Mari Yamaguchi (1992)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 7

Suikoden V – Sealed Room (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6L6DJKnPFE)
by Norikazu Miura (2006)

vs.

Suikoden – Tropical Bath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsM4qvixObg)
by Miki Higashino, Tappi Iwase, Hiroshi Tamawari, Hirofumi Taniguchi, and Mayuko Kageshita (1995)


Two relaxing themes for Suikoden. My votes are for Title and Sealed Room.

Title

Sealed Room

Sealed Room

Title

Tropical Bath!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tropical Bath is the main theme of Suikoden 1 and unquestionably the greatest song in the series. (Ok well, it's the best rendition of a frequently visited melody that could certainly vie for "main theme" standing.)

I will vote on Megaman later.

Mega Man 3 and Suikoden... V

This (Thread 86488) jazz arrangement of Suikoden music just got posted. I'm not sure it'd be my cup of tea. But if anyone downloads it and likes it, let us know!

EDIT: Here's (http://vgmdb.net/album/9447) its listing on vgmdb.net. Weird track titles...

There's an infiltrated Castlevania Track on that playlist xD.

Mega Man 3 – Title

eeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh *rounds around in circles* I frikin' love Sealed Room........... but Tropical Bath is good too :( Ehehhhh............ Sealed Room....

So this time it�s Title (5-0) and Sealed Room (5-2). No worries for Suikoden I fans, though; there are plenty of other tracks on the way. Next up�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Round 2, Fight 8

Mega Man 4 � Dive Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw05pmSIz5I)
By Minae Fujii and Yasuaki Fujita (1991)

vs.

Mega Man X � Spark Mandrill (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYdSLaVu9p4)
by Setsuo Yamamoto, Makoto Tomozawa, Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara, and Toshihiko Horiyama (1993)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 8

Suikoden II � Opening (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW4d2R9vEXQ)
by Miki Higashino and Keiko Fukami (1998)

vs.

Suikoden Tactics � Once Upon a Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me1FyhP2PXo)
by Norikazu Miura (2005)


My votes are for Spark Mandrill and Opening.

Spark Mandrill

Once Upon a Time

Once Upon A Time

Spark Mandrill

Once Upon a Time

Mega Man X and Suikoden II.

All righty. With our newest winners, Spark Mandrill (4-0) and Once Upon a Time (3-2), we are moving into the Mega Man quarterfinals. Next up�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Quarterfinals, Fight 1

Mega Man 9 � Concrete Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwQ9iCqtpUk)
by Ippo Yamada, Yu Shimoda, Ryo Kawakami, and Hiroki Isogai (2008)

vs.

Mega Man 3 � Title (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiQgYfyUdDs)
by Yasuaki Fujita (1990)


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 9

Suikoden V � Into a World of Illusions (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxBL-Djs2Js)
by Norikazu Miura (2006)

vs.

Suikoden � Beautiful Golden City (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCME4Wxvj4k&feature=PlayList&p=C198C746BE4AF8BD&index=4)
by Miki Higashino, Tappi Iwase, Hiroshi Tamawari, Hirofumi Taniguchi, and Mayuko Kageshita (1995)


My votes are for Title and Beautiful Golden City. Two of the founding themes in the Suikoden rumble--both debuting in Suikoden I. In the second game in the series, if you used your Suikoden I save file, you could actually travel to Gregminster (the "beautiful golden city"), recruit the hero from the first game, and hear "Beautiful Golden City" as you walked around town. Another nice touch was that at the end of Suikoden I, when you return to Gregminster, you hear a distant, wind-swept version of the theme.

Mega Man 3 and Suikoden.

Title

Beautiful Golden City - What's interesting that this song was composed by Tappy Iwase, of Metal Gear Fame.

Hrrrrrrmmmmmmm Mega Man 9 – Concrete Man by a narrow margin......

Suikoden V – Into a World of Illusions

Into A World Of Illusions

i perfer suikoden iv's version, but suikoden v's isnt that bad.

Title

Beautiful Golden City

Greetings from another state. Looks like Title (4-1) and Beautiful Golden City (4-2) are moving on. And next up, we�ve got�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Quarterfinals, Fight 2

Mega Man X5 � Grizzly Slash (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwPuibHZNeE)
by Naoto Tanaka, Naoya Kamisaka, and Takuya Miyawaki (2000)

vs.

Mega Man 2 � Flash Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fMHqEGL-q8)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)


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The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 10

Suikoden III � Exceeding Love (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z_hCwrNcLs)
by Michiru Yamane, Takashi Yoshida, and Masahiko Kimura (2002)

vs.

Suikoden Tierkreis � Mining Village (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Haj-wxLqY)
by Yoshino Aoki, Norikazu Miura, Masaharu Iwata, Kaori Kamuro, and Hiroaki Tomuno (2008)


My votes are for Flash Man and Exceeding Love.

Exceeding Love

Grizzly Slash

Mining Village - The artists of Suikoden are great, the covers of every OST are just awesome... And frankly I don't know why I voted this over Exceeding Love. xD

Mega Man 2, Suikoden Tierkreis.

Flash Man

Exceeding Love

Mega Man 2 – Flash Man

Suikoden III – Exceeding Love <---- I just fell for this song... ~<3

Hey Arthur, I hope you don't mind but I know you've been following the FFSIdol stuff and I thought maybe you wouldn't mind if I plugged it in here :) We need contestants and judges, and since everyone in this thread likes music I was hoping some of you would like to join in on the fun :) Spread the word and check it out :) Thread 86846

It looks like Flash Man (4-1) and Exceeding Love (4-2) won while I was on vacation. We�ll see them in the upcoming rounds. Next up�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Quarterfinals, Fight 3

Mega Man X � Spark Mandrill (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYdSLaVu9p4)
by Setsuo Yamamoto, Makoto Tomozawa, Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara, and Toshihiko Horiyama (1993)

vs.

Mega Man 6 � Knight Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OTi1k4v8Yg)
by Yuko Takehara (1993)


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The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 11

Suikoden II � Nahala Yam Koong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_2oW4lmpSY)
by Miki Higashino and Keiko Fukami (1998)

vs.

Suikoden IV � La Mer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fc7evTrULxk)
by Masahiko Kimura, Michiru Yamane, and Norikazu Miura (2004)


My votes are for Spark Mandrill and Nahala Yam Koong.

Knight Man

La Mer

Spark Mandrill

La Mer - Some Tango & Latin influences on this song. It's quite an amazing piece.

REALLY tough choice for Mega Man. I nominated both I think. I give a SLIGHT edge to Mega Man X. Really wish they could have met later in the rumble.

I go with Suikoden IV in the other rumble.

La Mer

Spark Mandrill (3-1) and La Mer (4-1) are the latest winners, and that means we are at the final fight of the Mega Man quarterfinals. As usual, we�ll soon be switching over to focus on Mega Man until that rumble is finished. That will begin right after these guys�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Quarterfinals, Fight 4

Mega Man 2 � Metal Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AREhaZ6O2Yo)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)

vs.

Mega Man 2 � Wily Stage 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fFRCUQLqKk#t=00m09s)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)


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The Suikoden Songs Rumble

Round 1, Fight 12

Suikoden II � Reminiscence (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSSEcgooY-I)
by Miki Higashino and Keiko Fukami (1998)

vs.

Suikoden � Rising Tide (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2n6d5B0W2I)
by Miki Higashino, Tappi Iwase, Hiroshi Tamawari, Hirofumi Taniguchi, and Mayuko Kageshita (1995)


My votes are for Wily Stage 1 and Rising Tide.

Metal Man - By a hair

Rising Tide - By a molecule.

I go with Mega Man 2... uh erm.... Metal Man and Suikoden II. Really wouldn't be close on the second one except for the vocals that come in the middle of the song; really threw me off.

Reminded me very much of the Day[9] Trumpet Dance: Have a watch; you'll see what I mean. : p

YouTube - Day[9] Daily #205 - Trumpets! (Full story) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utaWZT5N-tQ)

Reminded me very much of the Day[9] Trumpet Dance: Have a watch; you'll see what I mean. : p

:D

We're going to let this run another day. I guess people are busy, maybe with midterms?

Edit: I hope our people in Japan are safe. Let us know if you're out there.

I guess we'll wait another day and see if any more voters show up.

In the meantime...vintage video games with realistic sounds (http://thechive.com/2011/03/11/vintage-video-games-with-next-gen-sound-effects-video/). The Mega Man ones are especially awesome.

im not gonna vote for the suikoden rumble this time...havent played much of suikoden and have never played suikoden ii before.

That makes sense. We've still got 3 other regulars who haven't voted, though, which is why I'm delaying it a little longer--thinking maybe people just haven't gotten a chance yet. If no one votes by tomorrow, we'll move on.

So it�s Metal Man (2-1) and Rising Tide (2-1), meaning that Wily Stage 1, which was in the top four of our very first rumble, is out. It should also be noted that Reminiscence plays an important part in the Suikoden series as one of the main recurring themes. This version isn�t my favorite, but it�s still a very nice track. Too bad it didn't get a lot of attention. Anyway, on to the Mega Man semifinals�


The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Semifinals, Fight 1

Mega Man 2 � Metal Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AREhaZ6O2Yo)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)
- Previously beat: Mega Man 9 � We�re the Robots, Mega Man X6 � Commander Yammark, Mega Man 2 � Wily Stage 1
- Description: An essential part of the Mega Man 2 soundtrack and a big reason for its success, this song�s twisting and branching second melodic line perfectly crystallized the game�s biomechanical theme while maintaining the rock/metal aesthetic of the first game�s music.
- Bonus: The Minibosses� Mega Man 2 medley ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuxfQjJ-3DM)

vs.

Mega Man X � Spark Mandrill (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYdSLaVu9p4)
by Setsuo Yamamoto, Makoto Tomozawa, Yuki Iwai, Yuko Takehara, and Toshihiko Horiyama (1993)
- Previously beat: Mega Man 3 � Shadow Man, Mega Man 4 � Dive Man, Mega Man 6 � Knight Man
- Description: Keiji Inafune is a big reason why the X games were as good as they were despite being released as the original series� formula grew stale. Mega Man X allowed for new storylines and musical approaches while still continuing the legacy of personality-inflected, melodic, rock-based music from the early games�using the SPC-700 soundchip to achieve greater fidelity for guitar sounds, as heard here.
- Bonus: On piano ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p07vt_IFvks)


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The Mega Man Songs Rumble

Semifinals, Fight 2

Mega Man 3 � Title (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiQgYfyUdDs)
by Yasuaki Fujita (1990)
- Previously beat: Mega Man X � Stage Select, Mega Man 5 � Proto Man Fortress, Mega Man 9 � Concrete Man
- Description: If Mega Man 3 hadn�t raised the bar even higher than its predecessor, it�s likely we wouldn�t be talking about Mega Man today. While 2 was a success, its development was marred by doubts and ultimatums from the higher-ups, and there was clearly some creative tension left over during the next game�s production. Funny that players knew they were in for something good right from the beginning, as soon as the Capcom copyrights popped up and the music started.
- Bonus: With lyrics ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL30lU26egw)

vs.

Mega Man 2 � Flash Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fMHqEGL-q8)
by Takashi Tateishi, Manami Matsumae, and Yoshihiro Sakaguchi (1988)
- Previously beat: Mega Man 3 � Wily Stage 1, Mega Man X6 � Blaze Heatnix, Mega Man X5 � Grizzly Slash
- Description: The thumping bass line of Flash Man�s theme song is definitely near the top of my list for best songs on the NES. When the song switches gears into the second section, it�s hard not to get up and dance�a perfect theme for a nightclub-inspired sliding stage.
- Bonus: The Advantage�s cover ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8Gt4tOUd-g)


My votes are for Metal Man and Flash Man. Geez, listen to how poorly recorded Brentalfloss's original covers were. :-\ Almost three years ago now.

Spark Mandrill

Title


Not a fan of MM2

I go with Mega Man X and Mega Man 3.

I think it is quite appropriate that there are two songs from games not named Mega Man 2 that could form the championship match. Mega Man 2 has a great soundtrack, but the esteem it is held in compared to other games in the series is unwarranted.