Hitoshi Sakimoto

Game Music

Valkyria Chronicles Series Piano Album Coming in June

May 3, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

We’ve actually been sitting on this one for awhile, as we hadn’t found a good opening to publish our customary liner notes interview with Hitoshi Sakimoto regarding his work on Valkyria Chronicles 3 until this morning. He mentions the album in his commentary, although Basiscape has since formally announced the album. The “Piano Pieces” album will feature 10 tracks from the game arranged and performed by pianist Casey Ormond.

After hearing the guitar arrangements from the Valkyria Chronicles 3 album, I was thinking some other arrangement albums could be a really good idea. The fact that Basiscape is tackling the series as a whole may mean that the series is going to cool down for awhile? In any case, I’m really excited about this album, and am looking forward to its release at the end of June. I just wish there were more than 10 tracks! Here’s hoping that they’re long ones.

Are you surprised by the announcement of this album or the performer involved? Any votes for which themes you’d like to hear most? Mine’s the Valkyria Chronicles 2 main theme, hands down.
Featured, Game Music

Valkyria Chronicles 3 Exclusive Liner Notes From Hitoshi Sakimoto

May 3, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Valkyria Chronicles 3 Exclusive Liner Notes From Hitoshi Sakimoto Share this

It’s that time again. We came up with the fun idea when the first Valkyria Chronicles was released to hybridize our review and interview into an exclusive English liner notes article. We did this again when Valkyria Chronicles 2 was released, and given how much I loved that score, I was excited by the prospects of doing this once again for Valkyria Chronicles 3.

Basiscape Records once again comes to the rescue, publishing the 2-disc soundtrack for the game. We have our impressions along with Hitoshi Sakmoto’s commentary on some of our favorite tracks and the album overall, so don’t miss out!

Hit the jump for our exclusive liner notes article. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

A Gift to Japan: Basiscape’s ‘Oto Gift’ Charity Album (Review)

April 22, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

We’ve been hearing a lot about ways to help out the people in Japan who have suffered so greatly after the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami in March. There have been auctions, concerts, and albums among others, and Basiscape has joined the fray with a small album of original music to raise funds for the Red Cross in Japan.

What does the team have to offer in this online-only digital release? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

A Sakimoto to the Past: Soukyugurentai (Terra Diver) Soundtrack (Review)

April 13, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on A Sakimoto to the Past: Soukyugurentai (Terra Diver) Soundtrack (Review) Share this

My first experience with Hitoshi Sakimoto was back in the late 1990s with Final Fantasy Tactics. Yeah, I didn’t play Ogre Battle or Tactics Ogre, both of which were released before then, so let’s say to this day that I still have a lot of catching up to do. Through Basiscape Records, Sakimoto has made that task a lot easier by re-releasing the soundtrack to his 1996 arcade/Sega Saturn title Terra Diver (Soukyugurentai).

Get ready to take a trip back in time to when Sakimoto was mainly concerned with electronic soundtracks. To this day, Sakimoto still thinks of himself as an electronic composer despite the fact that many of his recent games have featured sweeping orchestral scores, so this is a rare treat to get another chance to hear some of his early game music.

Hit the jump for our review. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Basiscape to the Rescue: Opoona Soundtrack Is Finally Here (Review)

February 7, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Yeah, I know we posted our unboxing video some time ago, but with the busy holiday season and the OSVOSTOTY 2010 Awards, we got a little behind on posting this review! But it’s finally here. I know many of our readers were looking forward to the Opoona soundtrack as a nice Christmas gift from Basiscape Records, and it is indeed a treat to finally have soundtrack release at last.

I think most fans already know what’s in store for them: some early Basiscape goodness covering a lot of quirky electronic music and upbeat themes. Maybe you played Opoona and loved it, maybe you hated it, and maybe you didn’t play it at all, but regardless of what can be said about the game, the music is fantastic, and you should read our review to find out why! (more…)
Featured, Game Music

OSVchannel: Opoona Soundtrack Unboxing Video and Giveaway Contest

January 6, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this

Yeah, you already knew we were going to be doing this one. Unfortunately (or not) I was out of town for the holidays and didn’t get to unbox it for you when it arrived, but here we are. The packaging on this one is pretty snazzy despite being simple. I love the vibrant colors from this game, and still even swap out my Xenosaga III wallpaper for an Opoona one from time to time!

Oh, so you want to know about the giveaway contest that I mentioned in the video? Basiscape has been kind enough to send a copy specifically to give away to our readers, and all you have to do is either respond to this post on OSV or on our Facebook fan page with your favorite memory from Opoona. Maybe it was the first time you learned how to use your bon bon, or perhaps it was the dolphin ride. For me, it was finally getting to visit that island out in the middle of the water in the Intelligent Sea… I kept moving my camera around to try to get a better look at it from a distance, and wasn’t sure if it was a secret area or not! We’ll pick one person at random as the winner on January 13, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.

Let us know if you’re excited as us that this soundtrack has finally been released, and feel free to comment on the packaging as well!
Game Music, Reviews

The Boys Are Back In Town: Revisiting the Tactics Ogre Soundtrack (Review)

November 8, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 11 Comments Share this

As you probably know, we’re huge fans of Hitoshi Sakimoto. His long career in the videogame industry has resulted in many excellent soundtracks, and while his recent efforts have focused on more Western-style compositions and collaborations with the Basiscape team, his work at Squaresoft where he was often paired with Masaharu Iwata have long been fan favorites.

That brings us to Tactics Ogre. I remember when this game was released in North America. As the game was released around the same time as Final Fantasy Tactics on the original PlayStation, I found Tactics Ogre to be a bit dated, and didn’t dig in too deep, but from the brief time I played it, I did enjoy the music. This time, Sakimoto, Iwata, and the entire Basiscape team join up to breathe new life into this classic soundtrack with the PSP remake of Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together, and if you caught our unpacking video last week, you already know it contains some surprises.

Hit the jump for our review of the Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together Original Soundtrack! (more…)