Hitoshi Sakimoto

Game Music

Dragon’s Crown Original Soundtrack Now Out on iTunes

April 1, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Dragon’s Crown Original Soundtrack Now Out on iTunes Share this

The soundtrack to the gorgeous PS3 adventure game Dragon’s Crown is now available for purchase on iTunes.

Composed entirely by Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy Tactics, Odin Sphere) and published via his own Basiscape Records, the soundtrack to Dragon’s Crown has been long sought-after by fans of the series and of Sakimoto’s other musical works, featuring melody-heavy and whimsical tracks. The iTunes release also includes 2 new piano arrangement bonus tracks.

We reviewed the soundtrack a few months ago, in case there was any doubt about its quality. (Which there shouldn’t be!) Out on iTunes for $29.99, the 3-disk soundtrack should prove to be a worthy investment into your game music library.
Game Music, Reviews

Dragon’s Crown Original Soundtrack (Review)

December 5, 2015 | Sebastian Urrea | Comments Off on Dragon’s Crown Original Soundtrack (Review) Share this

Dragon’s Crown Original Soundtrack

Basiscape Records has just released the soundtrack to the PS3 game Dragon’s Crown, much to the delight of the game’s many fans. Dragon’s Crown features music composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, and the soundtrack release has been some time in coming given that the game was originally released back in 2013. Though the game has had its share of controversy, it has a strong fan base and they are excited to finally see the music get an official release.

So how does this offering from Sakimoto hold up? Check out the review after the break.

(more…)
Game Music, Music Production

Scarlet Moon Artists – Bringing the Composer to YOU!

June 4, 2014 | Brenna Wilkes | 1 Comment Share this

Have you ever wanted a place where you could go and pick from a pool of video game composers to find someone to create your game’s soundtrack? Well, that’s what our friends over at Scarlet Moon Productions decided to make available.

Scarlet Moon Artists is a group of talented game and media composers from around the globe who have come together to offer their services to game developers of any caliber in order to broaden their musical reach. And it’s a fantastic lineup of composers to be sure, spanning decades of experience. The group currently consists of:

Vince DiCola & Kenny Meriedeth (Rocky IV, Saturday Morning RPG, Transformers: The Movie)
Shinji Hosoe (Mega Man Network Transmission, Ridge Racer series, Tekken Tag Tournament 2)
Hiroki Kikuta (Koudelka, Secret of Mana, Soul Calibur V)
Osamu Kubota (Beatmania, Granado Espada)
Justin Lassen (Herbert the Misanthropic Fly, Otomedius Excllent, Synaethesia)
Goomin Nam (Bar Oasis series, Monarch: Heroes of a New Age, TalesWeaver)
Dale North (Dragon Fantasy Book II, OverClocked ReMix contributions, Silent Horror)
Jinbae Park (PangYa Portable, Ragnarok Online, Ridge Racer 7)
Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII, Gradius V, Valkyria Chronicles series)

So if you’re looking for a splash of musical excellence in a game you’re working on, why not check out Scarlet Moon Artists and see what they can do for you!
Featured, Game Music, Interviews

OSV/RPGFan Team Interview: VGO Guests

November 14, 2012 | Patrick Gann | Comments Off on OSV/RPGFan Team Interview: VGO Guests Share this OSV/RPGFan Team Interview: VGO Guests

[Left to right: Dennis Rubinshteyn, Patrick Gann, Noriyuki Iwadare, Damian Thomas, Hiroko Miyaji]

The four guest composers at the VGO show in Boston on October 7, 2012, each managed to squeeze into their busy schedules some time with myself and some of my old friends from RPGFan. Above you’ll find a photo we took with Noriyuki Iwadare and his own guest, Ms. Hiroko Miyaji (wife of the late Takeshi Miyaji, creator of Grandia).

Before you read the interview, try taking this pop quiz. For one of these composers, we ask about all the action one of their earliest work has seen in the “SQ” arrangement series. For another, they are surprised to learn we know what the game Esper Dream is. For yet another, we find out a peer composer they really admire and respect of late is Michiko Naruke. And finally, one of these composers talks about his partnership with a particular game designer who used to work for Square Enix and is now with Level-5. Can you match up these four composers properly *before* reading the interview?

After the jump, check out our short but informative interviews with each of the four guest composers. And be sure to check out RPGFan for their questions and respective answers from each of these VGM luminaries! (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Standing On Their Own Feet: VGO Live At Symphony Hall

October 13, 2012 | Patrick Gann | Comments Off on Standing On Their Own Feet: VGO Live At Symphony Hall Share this

[rehearsal photo courtesy Damian Thomas]

We’ve been ceaselessly promoting the VGO in the past month. Full disclosure: VGO founder Shota Nakama is technically an OSV member, as he has provided many translation services for us over the years. But he is much more than a translator. He’s a guitarist, an arranger, an organizer and producer.

So when the Video Game Orchestra put on their first no-strings-attached show (no Distant Worlds, no association with a convention, no “film and game music in the same concert”), we at OSV were all on board to see it succeed.

And this past weekend, that’s exactly what I saw.

Next week, we’ll have our interview with the four guest composers at the show (Noriyuki Iwadare, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Yoko Shimomura, Kinuyo Yamashita). But for now, after the jump, I’d like to give you my detailed report of the concert, as well as some strange and wonderful encounters I had with industry veterans and fans alike. (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Original SoundCAST: Episode #016 (All Things VGO!)

September 25, 2012 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Original SoundCAST: Episode #016 (All Things VGO!) Share this

For today’s Original SoundCAST, we have Brenna as host and Patrick as sidekick as we interview the founder and operator for the Video Game Orchestra in Boston, Shota Nakama.

We ask Nakama-san about his interest game music, how it originated, etc. We get more details about the coming show in October, the special guests, the set list, and even a special request from Shota for the fans regarding a planned “Sakimoto Medley.” We also talk shop re: musical performance and building talent, the sights and sounds of Boston, our mutual love for Audun Sorlie, and plans for MAGFest 11 (VGO will be there, but in a “band plus chamber music” form — not the full orchestra).

Download: Original SoundCAST Episode #016

Intro music: “Polywrath” from Danimal Cannon’s Roots
Outro music: “Time’s Scar” from Chrono Cross (Yasunori Mitsuda)
Game Music

VGO Boston ~Live At Symphony Hall~ Exclusive Giveaway!!

September 24, 2012 | Patrick Gann | Comments Off on VGO Boston ~Live At Symphony Hall~ Exclusive Giveaway!! Share this

Alright people, we’ve been telling you every last detail we can squeeze out of VGO founder and concert organizer Shota Nakama at every turn of the way. We even have a special episode of Original SoundCast going up tomorrow with more details on the October 7 show, the guests, MAGFest 11 plans, and more.

But today, I have something EXTRA special. Two VIP tickets (great seats plus access to the meet-and-greet with Shimomura, Sakimoto, Iwadare and Yamashita), courtesy of OSV, to anyone who would be able to attend the show on Sunday, October 7 2012 in Boston.

To enter: email me ([email protected] with subject line “VGO Boston Tix!” telling me what, if you got the chance, you’d want to say in person to these four special guests and to the Video Game Orchestra and its founder Shota Nakama. The winner will, of course, get that chance. We’ll be giving both tickets to the winner, who is free to bring a friend or give the ticket to another VGM fan. Please, NO re-selling! These tickets combined are worth $200, making them the most valuable giveaway OSV has done to date.

Start sending those emails, and good luck! We’ll announce the winner on Friday, so the window of opportunity to win is tight!

Meanwhile, you’ll also want to check out the latest announcements at the VGO Kickstarter, which includes the setlist for the show and the expected tracklist for the CD.