I really love the atmospheric style of the FREE music but I like the approach of each area having it's own music more.
Changing the music based on where you are in the story is a very clever idea but there are problems. For example, I really like FREE 1 but you can only hear it early in the game, then never again. On the other side we have FREE 7, wich is the only thing you'll hear for days later in the story. Being stuck with something and having no chance to hear certain tunes ever again is actually a pretty flawed system if you think about it.

Having music based on the area you're in ensures you don't have to listen to something for days everywhere and you can easily go back to your favorite music by just going to its area. It's also just a regconition thing. I'm sure everyone that played Shenmue II a couple of times will instantly have vivid images of the area when for example the South Carmain Music plays. Having different music at night also greatly enhances the mood. Shenmue very rarely changes the music after the nighttime sequence and pausing the current FREE music just to go back to it again afterwards is just wasted potential of the soundtrack.

I'm clearly for the Shenmue II style here, the reasons I stated above make it obvious why. But they could expand it by having story based music playing in every area at key points in the story to heighten the tension. Shenmue II actually kinda does that too already, when you're looking for Ren at Pigeon Park.

Great post.

I've always found that strange, myself. The most optimal way of maximizing the amount of conversations you get is by making the day you say goodbye to Tom New year's day. That way, all of Ryo's friends will be in one place, outside the Yamanose shrine.

But even then, you have to choose between dashing for the bus and calling Nozomi, speaking to your friends or family, or just some random npc you like. But the point is that you can only really pick one path because you're pressed for time.

It is the elegantly titled "Total Network Ranking". ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPVGSz1ThcE&index=77&list=PLC774B2F232D2DD98

Different arrangements of that tune can be heard a few times in Shenmue I as well. There's a traditional Japanese version of it in one of the sushi places, and you hear it a wee bit towards the end of the cutscene where the old woman asks Ryo to find the Yamamoto house.

Wow, thank you so much! You sure do know your stuff, keep it up =D>