Genso Suikoden

Game Music

Anyone Excited About Genso Suikoden: The Woven Web of a Century?

December 20, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Genso Suikoden is the best game franchise of all time. That’s why it’s such a shame that they keep teasing us with spin-offs instead of continuing the main series. Still, I’m a sucker for anything Genso Suikoden, making me incredibly excited about the upcoming PSP title, The Woven Web of a Century. We’re naturally interested in the game’s soundtrack, which will be sold separately as well as included with several limited edition version of the game, and it’s already been revealed that it will feature a theme song by Chiaki Ishikawa.

The soundtrack will feature three discs, with one dedicated to a drama performance. If you recall, Tierkreis for the DS sported four discs as well as an additional two in the EXTRA soundtrack release, so it’ll be interesting to see how much music is released for The Woven Web of a Century. Also interesting is the fact that Konami is including a costume of hero McDohl for use in Frontier Gate for those who pre-order that game’s soundtrack… all the Suikoden love could just make me burst right now!

Are you looking forward to Genso Suikoden: The Woven Web of a Century and its soundtrack? Does the Suikoden tie-in for Frontier Gate surprise you?

[via Siliconera and VGMdb]
Featured, Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 04/2011: Genso Suikoden Original Soundtrack

April 1, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

Maybe you didn’t notice, but we actually skipped March’s Soundtrack of the Month. With that in mind, I thought I’d do a special one for April. As many of you know, the Genso Suikoden franchise is my favorite game franchise ever, with the first game in the series being my favorite game of all time. Needless to say, the game’s soundtrack composed primarily by Miki Higashino and others at Konami is a huge influence on my love for the game.

Two discs, 58 tracks, and some of the most memorable themes the videogame industry as to offer, and chances are a lot of people out there haven’t even delved into the franchise’s rich musical heritage!

Hit the jump to find out why this one’s so special. (more…)
Game Music

Celebrate 15 Years of Suikoden with New Arrangement Albums!

October 19, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

And it’s about time! It’s been way too long since Konami has created an arrangement album from the musical gold mine that is the Suikoden series. With the recent release of Suikoden Tierkreis, it looks like they’ll have some new material to arrange, and in fact, it’s been so long since they’ve put out an album that even new takes on music from Genso Suikoden V will be something entirely new.

So, what’s the album all about? It’s called the Genso Suikoden Arrange Collection Vol. 1 ~Vocal & Piano~, and it’s Interesting in two ways: first, that it’s titled “Volume 1,” suggesting more albums are on the way, and two, that both vocal and piano arrangement albums already exist for the Suikoden series. You won’t find me complaining about more Suikoden music, but I hope Konami gets back into the experimental style of some of the past Genso Suikoden arrangement albums.

It’s due out on December 18, 2009 in Japan, and here’s a list of tracks that will be featured along with their respective games, courtesy of VGMdb:

Vocal Arrange:
Genso Suikoden: Mysterious Forest
Genso Suikoden II: Reminiscence
Genso Suikoden III: Searching for a Hero of Long Ago
Genso Suikoden IV: Seaside Spring
Genso Suikoden V: A Moment of Calm
Genso Suikoden Tierkreis: *TBA*

Piano Arrange:
Genso Suikoden: Into a World of Illusion
Genso Suikoden II: Her Sigh
Genso Suikoden III: Midwinter Land
Genso Suikoden IV: Finale: Remembering the Blue of the Sea
Genso Suikoden V: To Peaceful Days
Genso Suikoden Tierkreis: Home of the Porpos

Are you looking forward to hearing this and more arrangement albums from the Suikoden universe in 2010? Any tracks that you think still need to be arranged?
Game Music

Konami’s Unannounced Goods: Soundtrack and Digital Artbook With Every Copy of Suikoden Tierkreis

March 10, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Konami’s Unannounced Goods: Soundtrack and Digital Artbook With Every Copy of Suikoden Tierkreis Share this

I told you there was more. While Konami hasn’t officially put the word out (I think we’re seeing a trend here), fans who pick up the game next week will be receiving an additional disc containing snippets from the soundtrack along with a digital artbook. We’ve seen similar gifts for past Suikoden releases, and the fact that I hadn’t heard anything until now had me wondering what was up.

So, is it as cool as the physical artbook and arrange CD that was shipped with Suikoden V? Well, it’s a different approach for sure. While I miss being able to put the disc in my CD player (the files are in mp3 format), they did an excellent job picking out and spotlighting some of the best tracks from the full-length 3-disc soundtrack.

Find out what you’ll be treated to after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Biggest DS Soundtrack Ever: Genso Suikoden Tierkreis Original Soundtrack (Review)

February 25, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

It’s been a crazy couple of months for Suikoden fans. First there was the promo-only soundtrack, and then a confirmed stand-alone release. Then we were able to speak with Konami’s Norikazu Miura about the game’s soundtrack, and now it’s been announced that there will be another album released in Japan titled Genso Suikoden Tierkreis Extra Soundtrack featuring additional music from the game as well as arranged music by Elements Garden. And that’s not even all of it, as we already have more coverage planned for the coming weeks, but I would have nothing less for my favorite game series of all time.

We finally got our hands on the game’s 3-disc soundtrack which hit Japan last week. Is it everything we had hoped for? Did the outside contributions from composers like Masaharu Iwata and Yoshino Aoki (two composers that I’m quite fond of) make a difference? Well, I don’t want to spoil it, so you’re going to have to read the review.

Take a glimpse at what you’ll be listening to on your DS next month after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Genso Suikoden Tierkreis Soundtrack Announced… A Troubling Trend From Konami

October 10, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

Have I ever mentioned how much I love VGMdb? I was browsing the release calendar as I often do, and happened across this new listing for the Genso Suikoden Tierkreis soundtrack, which we we found out last month will be scored by Norikazu Miura. Well, he’s not the only one on board, as Yoshino Aoki (who we talked about in our Breath of Fire III review) and Basiscape’s Masaharu Iwata are also credited as contributors to the score. I’m particularly curious about Iwata’s involvement.

So, what’s this troubling trend that I mentioned to grab your attention? Well, just like the upcoming Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia soundtrack, this album is apparently being released as a part of a special edition set that comes with the game, an art book, bookmarks, drama albums, and other goodies. While the soundtrack will definitely make an awesome bonus, I’m already hesitant about shelling out over $100 USD for a Japanese copy of the game to get the soundtrack. Can we get some separate soundtrack releases, Konami?

How will this trend impact your ability to secure some of these sure-to-be-awesome soundtracks? What are your thoughts regarding the involvement of Yoshino Aoki and Masaharu Iwata?

[via VGMdb]
Game Music

Genso Suikoden Tierkreis: Greatest Game Series Moves to DS, Norikazu Miura Handles Score

August 24, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

Anyone who knows me is well aware that I am completely obsessed with the Genso Suikoden series, with the first installment being my favorite game of all time. It’s been a couple years since fans were graced with a new Suikoden title, and Suikoden V on the PS2 was an amazing experience that left many hungry for more.

Well, here it is. Konami has announced that Genso Suikoden Tierkreis is nearly 50% complete and will be released on the Nintendo DS. The plot sounds amazing, although some of the gameplay elements sound like a backslide to the terribleness that was Suikoden IV. Composer Norikazu Mirua has stated on his blog that he is involved with the title, which is good news for those who enjoyed his music in Suikoden IV, Suikoden V, and Suikoden Tactics. I know I’m excited! We’ll let you know when more details regarding the soundtrack become available.

Any hardcore Suikoden fans out there who have been waiting for a Suikoden game regardless of the platform it’s released on? Have you been following Miura’s work, and is he an acceptable replacement for original Suikoden composer Miki Higashino?

[via Due Fiumi, thanks Chris!]