Final Fantasy XIII

Game Music

Final Fantasy XIII Limited Collector’s Edition: Music Included… in Europe

January 25, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Square Enix has announced that Europe will get a collector’s edition for Final Fantasy XIII when it’s released in March. It will feature a hardback art book, exclusive art prints, a collectible decal, and of course, the reason we’re telling you about this, a soundtrack disc.

While we already know that the game’s official soundtrack is will be released on 4 discs, this “Original Sound Selection” disc, as they’re calling it, will only come as a single disc with tracks hand-picked by composer Masashi Hamauzu. It will also contain liner notes from Hamauzu on the selected tracks. Still a pretty cool bonus if you ask me, and I hope the US gets a similar package. I’m kind of surprised they’re including this given that there’s a full soundtrack release due out this month. Perhaps the Original Sound Selection disc will encourage people to seek out the complete soundtrack?

Are you looking forward to the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack release his week? If it comes to the US, will you be picking up the FFXIII Limited Collector’s Edition in March?

Hit the jump for the official press release. (more…)
Game Music

Masashi Hamauzu Resigns From Square Enix

January 20, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

While the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack is due out in just one week in Japan, it’s been reported by numerous sources that long-time Square Enix composer Masashi Hamauzu has left the building, following in the footsteps of Junya Nakano who just left a short time ago. I can’t say I’m overly surprised, as Hamauzu is extremely talented and will likely be in high demand after his work on Final Fantasy XIII, but I am taken aback by the timing. I figured he’d at least wait until the game was released outside of Japan. He’s going out with a bang, however, having scored the biggest title of his life.

So what does this mean for him and for Square Enix? First it means that we’ll hopefully be hearing a lot more of Masashi Hamauzu in the future. Second, with this announcement, that leaves composers Naoshi Mizuta, Kumi Tanioka, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Takeharu Ishimoto to handle all of Square Enix’s music. Perhaps we’ll see more outsourcing in the future, although Square Enix has a history of bringing back its former composers in a freelance capacity.

Are you surprised by this news? Are you looking forward to the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack and whatever Masashi Hamauzu will be working on next?

[SEMO via Siliconera]
Game Music

FINAL FANTASY XIII: Soundtrack Trailer

January 7, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | 4 Comments Share this FINAL FANTASY XIII: Soundtrack Trailer

In case you weren’t aware, soundtracks to Final Fantasy games are popular. Well, Square Enix is not only aware of this, but they are aware to the point of releasing a trailer for the soundtrack to Final Fantasy XIII – as in, separate from the game. The four (or five) disc set promises to be epic and you can be sure that OSV will have extended coverage of Final Fantasy XIII.

Check out the trailer after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

Final Fantasy XIII Gets More Vocal: Main Theme By Leona Lewis

November 18, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 67 Comments Share this

I thought it was already determined that Sayuri Sugawara was going to be responsible for the vocal themes for Final Fantasy XIII, but Square Enix apparently had something else in mind… at least for the West. They’ve recently announced that the Western release will feature a main theme titled “My Hands” by multi-platinum selling singer and songwriter Leona Lewis.

Funny enough, I had no idea who Leona Lewis was by name. I read in Square Enix’s press release that she was responsible for “Bleeding Love,” but I had no idea what that was until I checked it out on YouTube and recognized it immediately. Shows how much I keep up with pop music in the States!

Anyway, it’s unprecedented that Square Enix is replacing their Japanese theme song entirely in this way, and even more so that they’re not having a song created specifically for Final Fantasy XIII, and are rather going the route of anime and plugging already-existing material into the game. I have to say that this is a huge disappointment.

Oh, I guess they also announced the game’s release date for March 9, 2010 if you care about that sort of thing. Are you surprised by this announcement? Will you be taking a peek into Leona Lewis’s new album, ECHO, which features “My Hands” that’s out this week?

Read the official press release from Square Enix after the jump. (more…)
Doujin, Game Music

False Advertisement: Aspiring Composer Uses Final Fantasy XIII and Kingdom Hearts III To Promote His Music

November 3, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 8 Comments Share this

There’s this kid, named Max, who’s posting videos all over YouTube that combine his own original music with footage and concept art from big-name Square Enix titles. He has some logos made up for himself, one says “Max Enix,” and another says “Max Sounds.” He’ll title his videos Final Fantasy XIII Soundtrack and Kingdom Hearts 3 Soundtrack. In the description, he (sometimes) admits the music he wrote is fanmade.

So here’s what’s really pissing me off about this guy. It’s not that his music is bad. The trouble is, actually, that he sounds like a truly talented composer! He really sounds good! So when you’re a good musician, the last thing you want to do is get yourself in legal trouble. And he’s just itching to do that, especially when his composition style is close to that of Masashi Hamauzu, composer for Final Fantasy XIII. That, and some of his “compositions” are actually arrangements of real Square Enix themes. He also claims he’s developing an indie game called “Final Fantasy Aether.” I think that’s strike three. Come up with some original ideas to match the music, please!

Check out his work on YouTube by checking his profile (max05233157). And encourage him to find someone that can help market his music appropriately–because this 17-year-old prodigy has a shot at doing something worthwhile. But as it stands, he doesn’t have a chance of making a good impression, not while he’s running around like an idiot claiming to write music for the most anticipated RPG of this console generation.
Game Music

5-Disc Final Fantasy XIII Limited Edition Soundtrack Announced

October 22, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

The announcement we’ve all been waiting for. We talked about the game’s music in our review of the music featured in the demo earlier this year, and again when we reviewed the Square Enix Music Sampler Volume 4 CD, but now we have a massive 5-disc soundtrack to look forward to, courtesy of Masashi Hamauzu.

It turns out that only the limited edition will feature 5 discs, whereas the standard edition will contain 4. What’s on the fifth disc? Probably not much that any of us care about, as it’s planned to be a drama album. Still, the packaging looks pretty snazzy, and I can imagine it’ll be awesome if past limited edition releases are any indication. Also, the game will feature two vocal themes featuring the voice of Sayuri Sugawara. The albums are both due out on January 27, 2009, with the limited edition costing about $50 and the regular edition costing around $40. Start saving!

Are you at all surprised by the size of the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack? Will you be picking this one up in January?

[via VGMdb]
Game Music, Reviews

Sample Square Enix’s Upcoming Wares: Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 4 (Review)

October 16, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

We posted the track list for Square Enix’s latest sampler disc from TGS, Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol . 4 a couple weeks ago. We now have the disc in-hand, and thought we’d tell you our impressions of what Square Enix has to offer for the rest of 2009 and beyond.

There’s a lot of great stuff here, from Four Warriors of Light, to a sample from Love SQ, to music from Final Fantasy XIII. It’s a generous tease, but it still leaves me wanting some of these releases more sooner than later.

Hit the jump to find out which samples have me really excited in our review of the Sampler CD Vol. 4. (more…)