Suikoden II‘s complete original game soundtrack spans four discs (that’s four times the size that the game comes in). While there are plenty of “remake” tracks from the original Suikoden, there is also plenty of new music to keep Suikoden fans coming back for more.
I would have to say that, above all other things, the flaw of this soundtrack is quantity vs quality (not sound quality…the soundtrack excels with synth usage); especially if you haven’t played the game. For those who have (and this sort of philosophy works for many games), every track brings back a nostalgia of different scenes where that music played. If you haven’t played the game, a lot of tracks will just feel like “filler” music, a complaint heard many times when comparing this soundtrack to the first game’s soundtrack.
There are a pretty significant amount of vocal tracks throughout the game (lyrical or otherwise), and each one is enjoyable. Along with those vocals, other “performed” tracks such as the opening are some of the best things Konami has put out for RPG music. The sound quality has been improved from the first, plenty of old songs have been redone to near perfection, and you are left with one very, VERY large soundtrack.
Unlike the first Suikoden OGS, Konami made what I thought to be a proper choice in having all of the “cheesy mini-tracks” in BEFORE the staff roll music. Most of this type of music is found on vol. 2 disc 1 (tracks 6-20 seem to be the brunt of such songs). The next three tracks are all vocals in Portuguese, a tradition started with the only vocal on the first Suikoden. “Due Fiumi” later became “Currents” on Orrizonte and SuikoGaiden OST 1, and the lyrics were changed to English (though the lyrics don’t translate to the same meaning). Of all the discs, most of the “filler” music is on vol. 1 disc 2, many of those tracks are not outstanding by any means.
The only difference between the special edition and regular editions is a light-blue case that slips over the two regular cases, which have packaging the EXACT same for both regular and limited editions. So, if you spend your time hunting down the limited edition, know that all you’re getting is an extra paper-sleeve. For those of you willing to settle for the regular editions, Play-Asia sells Vol.1 and Vol.2 for $33 each.