FROM SOFTWARE

Game Music, Reviews

Sakuraba with Soul: Dark Souls Original Soundtrack (Review)

September 30, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

The true Dark Souls starts next week, and you may or may not have heard by now that Demon’s Souls composer Shinsuke Kida did not work on Dark Souls. As it turns out, Motoi Sakuraba is responsible for the game’s soundtrack, and he’s brought along our favorite vocalist Emi Evans along for the ride.

So, does Sakuraba bring his progressive rock stylings to the mix, or does he follow in Shinsuke Kida’s epic orchestral footsteps? Is it worth your money to pick up the limited edition version of the game just to get your hands on the soundtrack?

Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Hear Your Music in 3D: 3D Dot Game Hero Music Samples Online

October 21, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Hear Your Music in 3D: 3D Dot Game Hero Music Samples Online Share this

Don’t know what 3D Dot Game Hero is? Well, I don’t blame you, as it’s only out in Japan as of this moment, but I highly recommend doing a Google search to find out more about this game. To put it in a single sentence, it’s a retro RPG developed by From Software that uses a unique “3D pixel” style and looks, plays, and sounds a whole lot like The Legend of Zelda.

I’m generally a fan of From Software RPGs (looking at you, King’s Field!), so I’d be excited about this game without the awesome visual style, but this certainly adds to my sick desire to see this game come to the States. While we don’t know who’s writing the music, From Software has posted 4 music samples to the official Japanese website for streaming. It sounds like we have a main theme of sorts, a dungeon theme (which is awesome), and a couple rockin’ tracks that remind me a whole lot of Ys. Feel free to tell me if that comparison is crazy.

Are you impressed with the game’s visual style and matching retro soundtrack? Are you with me in hoping that they bring this game to the West?

[via STC]
Game Music

Anime Expo 2009: Demon’s Souls Game and Music Details

July 7, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

The fantasy RPG Demon’s Souls for the PS3 is yet another title I haven’t been following very closely, but I quickly realized this was a mistake at the Atlus Demon’s Souls panel at Anime Expo this weekend. The game not only looks amazing, but some of the online elements unique and absolutely intriguing. The gameplay and visual style are also right down my alley, and the Gothic fantasy music heard throughout the trailer immediatley caught my attention.

The funniest thing happened right at the beginning of the panel. After watching the trailer, I leaned over to Dale and said, “This kind of looks like a third-person King’s Field.” Little did I know how close I was to the mark with that comment.

Find out more about the game, it’s influences, and who will be handling the fully orchestrated score after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

GEM Impact and The Outer Rim Take on the Ninjas: Ninja Blade Original Soundtrack (Reviews)

February 18, 2009 | Tommy Ciulla | 5 Comments Share this

I’m an honest guy, so let me just tell you something right up front before we get into this album – up until recently, I wasn’t a huge Norihiko Hibino fan. I was familiar with his work on the Zone of the Enders and Metal Gear Solid series and appreciated whatever music of his I had heard in-game, but until I had the pleasure of checking out The Outer Rim album I was merely a spectator to his work. As I listened to the spacious jazz of The Outer Rim my curiosity was piqued and I became more eager to learn more about Hibino and his musician friends at GEM Impact.

A couple of weeks ago I heard the Ninja Blade Main Theme and was completely floored. Where had I been while Hibino and the GEM Impact team were making such great music? As I thought about it, songs like “Yell ‘Dead Cell'” and “Twilight Sniping” from MGS2 came rushing back to the forefront of my memory and I realized that I had been here all along, and as such I had lots of music to search out and enjoy. And the first album up? The Ninja Blade Original Soundtrack, composed by Hibino and the rest of the GEM Impact team. And, believe you me, this is an excellent soundtrack.

Join me after the jump as I pull my head out of the sand and take a closer look at the Ninja Blade Original Soundtrack. (more…)
Game Music

Ask Hibino: American Ninjas and Crazy Japanese People

January 29, 2009 | Norihiko Hibino | 4 Comments Share this

[Editor’s Note: I guess we were overly ambitious with our once monthly plans for Ask Hibino, but we wanted to let you know we didn’t forget! This time, it’s more like “Hibino Tells,” as Hibino-san talks about GEM Impact’s work on Ninja Blade, including some behind-the-scenes details and anecdotes about the creation of the soundtrack. Be sure to check it out!]

Hello! Sorry that it’s been so long since I’ve written the “Ask Hibino” feature. GEM Impact has been quite busy, but I am happy to say that our current project, Ninja Blade, has be released in Japan today (January 29th). I thought this would be a good time to talk about the background behind Ninja Blade and the behind-the-scenes details of our work on the title.

Read the details after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 01/2009: King’s Field original besttrack

January 5, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments Share this

Oops, off to a bad start for the New Year. Completely forgot about Soundtrack of the Month! Well, sorry to those of you who expect consistency out of a group of unorganized slackers. I figured I’d pull out one of my favorite albums this month, and it’s an obscure one. Interestingly, I’ve always been a fan of this cult hit series, and when a soundtrack was released, I was unable to import it because I didn’t have a credit card (I was 16 years old)! Fortunately, Carl Larson came to my rescue and bought it for me after I mailed him cash. Good times!

So, the music. Koji Endo at Soundkids is credited as the composer, and he’s even still around as a jazz guitarist and film composer. You’d never know it, as the music for King’s Field is all new age and Baroque in approach, but it’s damn good. Another interesting story is that this is the first album I ever reviewed! If you’re feeling particularly bored, you can head over to Chudah’s Corner and read my first review which won me second place in a review-writing contest.

But if you have to pick one, I recommend reading my new-and-improved Soundtrack of the Month write-up after the jump! (more…)