Who will replace Sugiyama?

Matsuo's tracks in FFXII aren't all that great. I haven't heard any of his other works.

I don't think anyone could replace Sugiyama. His sound is simply too ingrained in the games. Let's hope he lives a long life...

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Mr. Maul

Well, he did orchestrate and partly compose the Opening and Ending themes, though I agree that his original tracks weren't all that interesting upon first impressions.

Is there any proof that he helped with composing those pieces? They sounded strictly Sakimoto to me (with Matsuo's orchestrations).

I concur that Uematsu would be a bad choice to take over the DQ legacy. He doesn't have nearly the training needed to pull it off. In addition, his recent music has felt very tired to me (basically anything FFIX and after).

Quote:

(Uematsu) explicitly said that when composing he always develops the melody first and then builds the song around that.

That's part of the problem right there. Most composers understand that there's more to music than melody. That's part of the reason why Sakimoto's FFXII score worked so well and why Sugiyama's work is so textured. All Uematsu has working for him are pretty melodies and lately, he's seemed all melodied out.

There's nowhere I can't reach.