Kenji Ito

Game Music, Reviews

Prepare to Rock: SaGa 3 Shadow or Light Soundtrack (Review)

January 12, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Prepare to Rock: SaGa 3 Shadow or Light Soundtrack (Review) Share this

It was some time ago that we reviewed the SaGa 2: Goddess of Destiny remake soundtrack. If you recall, it was released around the same time as the enormous SaGa Premium Box, making it somewhat redundant with just a modest increase in sound quality and a single arrangement by artist muZik. For that reason, when the SaGa 3 remake soundtrack was announced, I didn’t think much of it.

However, when I learned that Ryuji Sasai was personally on board to work on arrangements of his music, including an additional bonus track the end, I changed my tune. Sasai is joined by Kenji Ito to arrange the entire soundtrack from SaGa 3 on the Game Boy, and there are even more surprises within.

Hit the jump to find out if the SaGa 3 remake soundtrack is actually worth your time and money. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Culdcept II Soundtrack Gains a Level: Culdcept II OST Deluxe (Review)

June 11, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Culdcept II Soundtrack Gains a Level: Culdcept II OST Deluxe (Review) Share this

What’s with Japan and their insistence on confusing fans around the globe by not releasing the first game in a series, then releasing the second game without the “2?” Just as with the Final Fantasy and King’s Field series (and others), Culdcept shares this problem. While the first game came out in Japan on the Sega Saturn and PlayStation (and was later ported to the DS as Culdcept DS), the first title in the series to reach the US was Culdcept II which they decided to call simply Culdcept. Confused yet?

While Culdcept II received an official soundtrack release back in 2001, 5pb Records put out this Culdcept II Original Soundtrack Deluxe album, breaking up previously lumped together tracks into their individual parts as well as tossing in unreleased tracks and remixes from both Culdcept II and Culdcept Saga, an Xbox 360 title that was released in the US in 2008. I know it’s kind of complicated, but there’s some good music here from Kenji Ito, so let’s jump in!

Hit the jump for our review of the Culdcept II Original Soundtrack Deluxe album. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Extra EXTRA: Hyper Game Music Event 2007 The Live Album Vol. 1 (Review)

May 7, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Man, where is EXTRA 2010 already? If you don’t know what the EXTRA – Hyper Game Music Event series is, you should! It’s only one of the most amazing gatherings of videogame music composers in Japan, where they perform live in front of thousands of fans. We reviewed the EXTRA –official compilation- album just last month, and Justin provided extensive coverage from the 2008 event. In 2009 the series was swallowed up by Video Games Live, and I have no idea what’s going on for 2010.

This album, however, is a partial archive of the 2007 event. You notice from the title, it was released as Volume 1, and while Volume 2 and a live DVD were planned, they never materialized, likely due to copyright issues. We do, however, have this fragment of history, featuring 7 different sets spanning 2 discs. They’ve captured some of the best performances of the evening, as well as some of the most… well, strange.

Find out what made the cut in our Hyper Game Music Event 2007 EXTRA The Live Album Vol. 1 review (whew, that’s a long one) after the jump! (more…)
Indie Music, Japanese

Dog Ear Records Announces 10 Short Stories in English

March 11, 2010 | Audun Sorlie | 1 Comment Share this

With the release of 10 Stories on March 10th, Dog Ear Records are going all out to give fans something special celebrating Uematsu’s anniversary in the game music world. First off is the album itself launching in 3 different forms, an English version, the original Japanese version, and a KARAOKE version all to be released on iTunes Music Store. The album is about having fun in life and based on compositions Uematsu did earlier in his life.

Secondly Dog Ear are holding a special event with guest artists performing. The event, named Inu-mimi Family Meeting vol.4 will be held at the Shibuya Duo music Exchange in Tokyo on March 13th 2010. You can expect names like Kenji Ito (Romancing SaGa composer) and Akiko Hasegawa (voice actress from THE IDOLM@STER) as well as the man himself, Nobuo Uematsu to perform at the event. Don’t be too sad if you can’t go, cause the entire event will be streamed on NicoNico Douga for those too far away!

For more info on both these events visit Dog Ear Records and NicoNico Douga.
Game Music, Reviews

A Most Unnecessary Soundtrack Release: SaGa 2 Hihou Densetsu Goddess of Destiny Original Soundtrack (Review)

October 9, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Alright, maybe that’s a little too harsh. Square Enix was kind enough to release a soundtrack CD for their SaGa 2 remake on the DS, which I have to applaud them for. The game was originally released on the Game Boy in 1991 (and again in 1998), so in terms of Square Enix remake cycles, this series has been long overdue. The main thing that makes this album redundant, however, is the fact that Square Enix just released the insanely massive SaGa 20th Anniversary Premium Box last month, which contained the original SaGa 2 soundtrack, and honestly, this version isn’t drastically different.

No, I’m not saying it sounds like Game Boy music. But it doesn’t necessarily sound like the best that the DS has to offer, either. This is an album that wants to sound like game music, and it has some fun in the process. While the original game was scored by Kenji Ito and Nobuo Uematsu, Ito alone tackles the remake, which I’m sure had hopes built high for a lot of people out there. There are, however, a couple bonuses and surprises for hardcore fans who are looking to pick this up.

Hit the jump for our full review of the SaGa 2 Hihou Densetsu Goddess of Destiny Original Soundtrack. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Biggest Game Music Box Set Ever: SaGa Series 20th Anniversary Original Soundtrack -PREMIUM BOX- (Review)

September 21, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 8 Comments Share this

Well, you saw us unpack this beast last month, which was a 7-minute task in itself. It’s taken us quite some time to listen to the 500+ songs featured on the 21-disc collection, but we’ve done it, and we’re here to tell you about the experience.

If this collection taught me one thing, it’s that the SaGa series is pretty damn huge. Bigger than I had ever realized. Also, it features music from some of the most famous Square Enix composers in history, including Nobuo Uematsu, Kenji Ito, and Masashi Hamauzu, which I think some tend to forget. This is a truly impressive collection of music, and I’ve been looking forward to telling you about it ever since I got my hands on the thing.

Let’s get to it on our review of the SaGa Premium Box after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

OSVchannel: Unpacking the 21-Disc Behemoth That is the SaGa Premium Box

August 25, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

So, it’s finally here. We mentioned this massive 20 CD + 1 DVD SaGa collection some months ago, and even talked to Square Enix’s Music Licensing Division Manager and Promotions Manager about the set, but we now have it in our hands a full day ahead of the Japanese release. I thought some of you out there who are considering purchasing the box, or have already placed your orders may be interested in checking out what’s inside, so we’ve gone ahead and done just that.

This thing is massive. And the “assembly required” thing I mention in the video? It will take you a good half-hour, and I still don’t know if I put it together correctly. When it’s done, however, it’s quite a stunning sight to behold. Oh, and the music is awesome too! I’ve been digging the Gameboy SaGa titles (they were my most anticipated soundtracks of the set), and am looking forward to digging into the rest of the material in the coming days. Watch for our review!

Is this unpacking video at all entertaining to you? If it’s something you find interesting, we can pursue stuff like this more often in the future. Anyway, I can’t imagine Square Enix is making very many of these, so get one while you can!