Love SQ

• Featured, Game Music

  Square Enix Composer Series: Mitsuto Suzuki Talks The 3rd Birthday and Career

  March 29, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this Square Enix Composer Series: Mitsuto Suzuki Talks The 3rd Birthday and Career

  

  We recently had the pleasure of visiting the Square Enix Japan offices where we were able to speak with a number of staff composers as well as some who have since moved on. Aside from seeing the impressive internal sound studio where Square Enix produces all of its music, we had some interesting conversations with the composers, and we’ve selected our time with Mitsuto Suzki to start off our series.

  In the interview we touch on everything from Suzuki’s former status as an arranger and synthesizer operator to now a composer with the release of The 3rd Birthday. We get additional details on how he was approached to work on the game as well as the logistics of his solo work released under the Square Enix label and the SQ series.

  Hit the jump for our interview. (more…)

• Game Music

  UPDATE: 4-Disc FFXIII Soundtrack Not Enough, Plus Chill SQ

  March 31, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 11 Comments Share this UPDATE: 4-Disc FFXIII Soundtrack Not Enough, Plus Chill SQ

  

  Yes, if the newly added entries on VGMdb are legit, Square Enix has two new albums slated for a May 26, 2010 release. The first is the interestingly titled Final Fantasy XIII Original Soundtrack -PLUS-, which would seemingly expand upon the amazing 4-disc soundtrack that was released in January. Some have already taken notice that this naming convention, “-PLUS-,” is similar to the Final Fantasy IX Original Sound -PLUS- album that featured many of that game’s cutscene tracks. Will this one be similar?

  Also listed is Chill SQ, which we can only guess is a follow-up to Love SQ, which we reviewed last year. From the name, we figure it will focus on relaxing chillout music rather than the upbeat arrangements we heard in Love SQ. Whatever it is, I’m looking forward to finding out more about it!

  What do you make of these new releases? Are you looking forward to one over the other?

  UPDATE: So, is this an April Fool’s joke or not? We’ve been on a wild goose hunt all morning thanks to Cedille’s shenanigans, but these look to  be real releases. Check out Square Enix’s official FFXIII -PLUS- website and Cedille’s comments for more information.

• Game Music, Reviews

  In Loving Memory of Squaresoft: Love SQ (Review)

  December 7, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this In Loving Memory of Squaresoft: Love SQ (Review)

  

  While it was released early on iTunes in North America, we finally have our hands on the physical Love SQ album from Japan. In case you’ve forgotten, Love SQ is an album that pays tribute to some classic Square Enix franchises through 10 unique arrangements from 10 diverse artists. From big band swing to electronic to chip, it’s all here.

  While there are only ten tracks, they total almost an entire hour of listening, and the production values get quite high… but also quite low when it comes to a few of the arrangements. I’m sure you’re wondering which franchises Square Enix has decided to pay tribute to, and while I’m sorry to say it’s half Final Fantasy, there’s still some great stuff here.

  Read on for our full review of Square Enix’s Love SQ album. (more…)

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

  

  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…)

• Game Music

  Preview Square Enix’s Upcoming Games: Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 4 From TGS09

  September 28, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this Preview Square Enix’s Upcoming Games: Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 4 From TGS09

  
  Photo ©2005 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

  We took a look at the Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 3 last year after TGS, and this year’s volume looks like it’s breaking even more ground with music from Four Warriors of Light -Final Fantasy Gaiden-, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, the Piano Collections Kingdom Hearts 2nd Album CD (all extremely long titles), and Final Fantasy XIII. There are also some bonuses here that don’t really show off what’s coming from Square Enix, but are rather a nice little treat for fans including a TGS 2007 trailer track from Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess and music from The World Ends With You.

  As usual, however, if you weren’t in Japan for TGS, you’re likely going to have a difficult time finding this one. The Sampler discs are typically given away with every purchase at the Square Enix Music Store, and seemingly disappear after the show. It’s a shame, too, because this one looks like it’s a pretty awesome collection of tunes.

  Watch for our review of the disc in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, hit the jump to see the full track listing. (more…)

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