Song of the Week - Qualification: Suikoden I - Theme of Sadness ~ Guitar Version

Genso Suikoden Original Game Soundtrack - Theme of Sadness ~ Guitar Version
Nominator: KyleDunamis

Should this track be eligible for Song of the Week voting? Continue debate here, now with a poll to conveniently compress your opinion!

(for people just joining us, the previous debate starts here)

I've set the poll to expire in a week under the optimistic assumption that we'll get enough nominators so that his track won't actually appear in next week's voting batch.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I voted yes, if I shouldn't have, just move my vote to "abstain" or something.

Btw, Should I lose, I did have that backup nom, so you can instantly replace the Suikoden track with that if I DO go next week.

For the purposes of having the backup nom more prominantly placed, here it is again:

Artist: Motoaki Takenouchi
Album/Game Title: Shining Force II Gamerip
Track Title: Dying Wishes
Disc Number: N/A
Track Number: 19
Catalog Number: N/A
Year: 1993
Additional Information: The track is called "A Hole in my Heart" in the japanese sound test.
Source(s): VGZ Tag

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Hrmmm....Suikoden, Suikoden...I've heard of that somewhere. *looks at avatar slot* Oh right...

I have to say, it IS fairly popular, but not TOO popular that it's overcrowded by rabid fanboys...It's not something I'm worried about skewed voting in other words. No Suikoden track has ever made it to the BSE top 16 and only a handful have ever done well in the contest (Main Theme, Theme of Moonlit Night and Reminiscense) (though an arranged track won a SOTW contest early on) Most people don't know who the composers are for the games anyway, so you're not going to see a run of Miki Higashino/Norikazu Miura fanboys the same way you'd see a herd of Uematsu/Mitsuda fanboys.

Suikoden...Known, but not OVER-known.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Suikoden has always seemed like a second-tier RPG to me; known to many but not nearly as mainstream or popular as others in the genre.

I've gone through the PSF set for Suikoden and Suikoden II looking for tracks like "Beautiful Golden City," so I'm vaguely familiar with the music, though as I said before I'm not sure how much currency the tunes have among VGM enthusiasts.

Add to that the previously nominated Suikotunes, which may or may not grandfather this one in, and you're pretty much back to square one. I guess that adds up to an abstention/don't care from me.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Because my brother, the scarily obsessed Suiko-fanatic, was unable to identify one of the most commonly used town themes from Suikoden II, mistaking it for a track from Mario RPG, I'm going to say that the game is likely known for its deep storylines and integrated character development rather than any of its music.

It's a yes for me. Of course, if I should nominate a track somewhere way down the line (because there's one I really adore), I don't wanna hear no guff.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I do have a question, should this track lose...Would ALL Suikoden tracks be barred from nomination or just Theme of Sadness? Or just all Suikoden 1 tracks?

Also, would be nice if some of the people who are voting "no" would grace us with some commentary.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

My opinion on Suikoden is that while the music does not reach the heights of the likes of FF in terms of popularity, it still has a very large fanbase, partly as a result of the game itself. Besides, we've already had an arranged track from one of the earlier Suikoden games so I don't think it's unreasonable to say that the early Suikoden games had their chance to shine.

However, I think nominations from Suikoden Tactics should be fine. For one, it's quite new and I don't think it has the same large fanbase as the original game's soundtrack. I'm not so sure about Suikoden IV and V but I'm quite certain the first three Suikoden games' soundtracks are well recognized.

How ya doing, buddy?

I agree with Elorin. Though the Suikoden soundtracks are not uber-popular, there have been a fair share of tracks in various contests here. I feel the first few titles are too well-known for SotW. Suikoden Tactics would be indeed be ok, though, as would Suikoden IV, I suppose.

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Originally Posted by GoldfishX

I do have a question, should this track lose...Would ALL Suikoden tracks be barred from nomination or just Theme of Sadness? Or just all Suikoden 1 tracks?

Also, would be nice if some of the people who are voting "no" would grace us with some commentary.

Most definately all, since, as I said in the other thread, Theme of Sadness seems to be one of S1's lesser known tracks.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Just copy-pasting a comment from Zaggart over at STC so that I don't forget it:

Originally Posted by Zaggart

If a track from TFII is eligible, then a track from Suikoden I should be alright.

I'll probably add more here if we get more comments.

Double Post:

Originally Posted by KyleDunamis

I voted yes, if I shouldn't have, just move my vote to "abstain" or something.

Hey, it's your track; you have the right to support it.

Originally Posted by GoldfishX

I do have a question, should this track lose...Would ALL Suikoden tracks be barred from nomination or just Theme of Sadness? Or just all Suikoden 1 tracks?

If this nomination affects anything, I'd say it should only affect Suikoden I.

Would Theme of Sadness make the rest of the OST ineligible? I honestly don't know. The poll looks pretty close so far; it might be better not to risk another nomination.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by KyleDunamis

Most definately all, since, as I said in the other thread, Theme of Sadness seems to be one of S1's lesser known tracks.

That IS something I'm surprised at, considering...

Spoiler:

it plays after Hero McDohl just lays out his own father and as he's dying, he's telling his henchman to join the Liberation Army. Very moving scene, actually, since it was well known the two would have to fight eventually and the game had already proven it wasn't afraid to kill people the hero was close to.

I personally remember it extremely well. Much moreso than many other moments of the original game. On its' own...Eh, not a GREAT accomplishment (I'd probably be able to name a dozen or so tracks on the S1 OST I'd prefer), but definitely quality material.

But I also agree...I rarely see any mention of the actual theme. It's not like its' Aeris' Theme and being played in VGM concerts across the US...

On the note of the series...I would say the popularity of the series has drastically declined in recent years (largely due to a drop-off in quality of several games...at least in the eyes of the series' fans), so I don't think Suikoden IV, Tactics and the recently released V should be subject to a potential series ban.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

On the one hand, I'm familiar with the piece, but on the other, I'm familiar with 4 pieces in the current week that made it through unchallenged, so that's not a great barometer. Hmm...

I'll abstain....courteously.

How ya doing, buddy?

I look at any Playstation 1 rpg as suspect for SotW. That's the platform that catapulted the genre and the most sought after sort of ost once music sharing started to really take off.

Or at least that's my perception of the situation and their popularity. I haven't really been for the sort when they've popped up here and there, but nobody else has seemed to be too worried about it.

I know the first Suikoden very well, it is a very usual album to find on ftps. It's probably not uber popular, just very common.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I've never played a Suikoden game before and if I remember correctly, I don't really know anything about the Suikoden soundtracks, except those tracks which participated in the Best Song Contest 2004/2005. All in all I don't see any problem with this track, so why shouldn't it be eligible? Voted for yes, obviously.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Yeah, let it in. More "minor" tunes from otherwise popular games, I don't have a problem with, whether it be Suikoden, or something like Final Fantasy V. Don't care as long as it's not a popular track.

FELIPE NO

Thinking about equivalency here. Would I let, say, an Eternal Arcadia track in? The answer is yes, because even though I know the sountrack well, many others don't. When the tables are turned (I've enjoyed a few Suikoden tracks from the BSE contests, but never heard the album before), then I have to go along with it as a viable candidate.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Damn, you all need to get on that, the first Suikoden has some pretty decent stuff.

*brings Distant Mountain up in the playlist*

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Oh, forgot to close this up with a post.

Theme of Sadness is eligible etc.

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