Dragon Quest

Game Music

Sugiyama Obsession: One Woman’s Extreme Love Of Dragon Quest Music

September 21, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 13 Comments Share this

So, when contributor Tim van Ingen posted his impressions from the Dragon Quest IX live concert in Japan a few weeks ago, OSV got a pretty significant wave of reply comments. Among them was this one, from Brittany Rodiger. Full quote:

“I really Love Koichi Sugiyama’s music his symphonic melody’s are Like Classical to me even when his Town Themes Have a Jazzy Big Band tune With Trumpets and Trombones in it it calms me down And I Have his Jazzy rhythms inside of me even when I hear them it’s like he’s being a big Jeark but when I also Listen to his Love themes he’d saying that he wants to make a girl Happy because he cares about her and he Loves her I’ve actually met Him in 2007 And I Miss him so Much became he was so nice to me when he walked right up to me and because he was very Kindhearted man even if he’s 78 years old I don’t want him to Die I really miss him so much and I’ll always Love him and his music forever and ever”

The lack of punctuation and general grammatical awkwardness could be due to poor schooling, or perhaps she was just too excited to take a breath in virtual space. Look, we all get excited about Sugiyama around here. The man is a legend, even if he has some wacky political views. But sometimes it’s good to chill out, just a bit.

To witness Brittany’s full love of Sugiyama, check out the above video, where she claims she met Sugiyama. One of those photos looks a little… off… to me. Photoshop? Maybe. But she insists that they’ve met, and she’s so happy to proclaim it that she makes the statement in nearly every one of her 34 replies to comments for this video.

It’s really so over-the-top, that I have to wonder if she’s serious, or if this is some elaborate ruse to make the fanboys and fangirls out there.

Is this a joke or the ultimate act of fandom? You be the judge!
Game Music

Dragon Quest IX In Concert: Impressions Straight From Japan!

September 5, 2009 | Tim van Ingen | 7 Comments Share this

[Editor’s Note: I’ve been asking Tim for concert reports from Japan for quite some time now, and he’s finally come through in a big way. He was at the August 29 performance of music from Dragon Quest IX, which was conducted by Koichi Sugiyama himself. Through Tim’s lengthy write-up, you’ll get a feel for what was performed and how it was received. I always love hearing the details about these shows I know I’ll never get to attend, and I hope you enjoy his review as well!]

First, let me start off by saying that I am not too familiar with the Dragon Quest series. Despite being a huge JRPG fan, the Dragon Quest series has never really quite cut it for me gameplay-wise, and as such, I know little about its musical history.

Of course I am aware of Mr. Kouichi Sugiyama and his place in the VGM industry, but I know little of his actual music (except for the Dragon Quest “Overture” and level up jingle) so I went into this concert as a relative layman. I had only played Dragon Quest VIII before which, despite not managing to please me in the gameplay department, had an enjoyable soundtrack which would eventually turn into a great orchestral album (note: the Japanese edition of the game was completely midi, whereas the US localization used the orchestral version).

That said, I try to attend any and all game music concerts that come to the Kansai area, just to show my appreciation, because most concerts take place only in Tokyo. To prepare for this particular one, I decided to pick up the game, which was fun, and despite the fact that I did not manage to finish it in time for the concert, I had heard most of the songs (there aren’t that many to begin with), so I think I was well enough prepared.

With that, the day began. Read our report from the Dragon Quest IX concert after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Dragon Quest IX Trailer, Featuring Loads of Never-Before-Heard Music!

June 24, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 4 Comments Share this

In case you haven’t seen it yet, there’s a new trailer out for Dragon Quest IX: Protectors of the Starry Sky. The game is hitting Japanese store shelves on July 11 (it’s sure to cause lots of missed work, and maybe a street riot or two), with an OST release coming August 5.

Until now, we had heard precious little from the game’s audio: mostly just the “Overture.” But now there’s plenty more to listen to. So suck up the game’s audio, and visuals, and gameplay elments, in this sweet seven minute trailer. Thanks to our friends at Destructoid for the heads-up.
Game Music

A Dragon Quest Best Dance Mix Approaches: Interview with Electronic Artist Dragonfly

March 24, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

I think many of you are still scratching your heads about this one. After the mixed reaction that people had to the Final Fantasy Remix album (which I happened to enjoy), here we are with a remix album from the “other” RPG titan. The music appears to be more traditional this time around, although I’ve only heard two clips from the albums’ 10 tracks. You can check out the samples on the album’s official website.

It was announced that electronic artist dragonfly would be handling the remixes for this album, and we’ve been fortunate enough to catch up with him to ask how this project came about and how he created the music. We also talk about the possibility of another Dragon Quest Best Dance Mix album, and what he has planned for the future.

Gather up some puff puffs and read our interview with dragonfly after the jump. (more…)