Sakuraba

• Anime, Game Music, Reviews

  When Anime and Game Music Collide: Get The Message Or Get Lost! (Review)

  January 7, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 8 Comments Share this When Anime and Game Music Collide: Get The Message Or Get Lost! (Review)

  

  Whoever came up with this idea is a genius. How about taking a group of accomplished game composers and pairing them with talented anime vocalists and seeing what they come up with? That’s exactly what Message is, and it has yielded wondrous results. I was excited when it was announced, and completely satisfied after hearing it.

  While I admit I’m not too familiar with anime vocalists, I’m sure you know most of the game composers involved, including Motoi Sakuraba, Kenji Ito, Shinji Hosoe, Yoko Shimomura, and Norihiko Hibino, just to name a few.  As far as style goes, classical, experimental, cinematic, pop, and retro are just a few of the adjectives you can use to describe Message.

  Read about what you’re missing after the jump. (more…)

• Game Music, Reviews

  Rediscover Motoi Sakuraba With The Infinite Undiscovery Original Soundtrack (Review)

  December 19, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this Rediscover Motoi Sakuraba With The Infinite Undiscovery Original Soundtrack (Review)

  

  Alright, so maybe I was picking on Motoi Sakuraba a bit in our review of Valkyrie Profile and the stab we took at the game’s Norse mythology theme in our Yggdra Union review. I’ve actually been a fan of his for years, but with few exceptions, the large quantity of material he’s been putting out over the past couple years haven’t done it for me. While many of us are familiar with his multi-disc, progressive rock approach, I think Infinite Discovery shows signs that he is perhaps mellowing out a bit.

  Infinite Undiscovery is one of two of Square Enix’s recent Xbox 360 titles, and I was worried that Sakuraba’s 3-disc soundtrack was going to be more of the same. However, you’ll be surprised to hear there is little to no rock music here, as the score clearly focuses on orchestral and even cinematic styles. Needless to say, I was surprised and impressed by many of the pieces on the album, and am glad that the Square Enix North America store decided to stock an album that I may have otherwise passed up.

  Hit the jump for complete impressions of the Infinite Undiscovery Original Soundtrack. (more…)

• Game Music, Reviews

  The Way To My Heart: Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 3 From TGS 2008 (Review)

  November 6, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this The Way To My Heart: Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 3 From TGS 2008 (Review)

  

  Call me behind the times, but I never realized Square Enix had put out so many music samplers and promo discs at their various events over the years. The annual Square Enix Party events and recent Tokyo Game Shows have each featured their own unique collections of music given to attendees as a preview of upcoming soundtrack releases from Square Enix.

  So, what did they have in store for fans at the Tokyo Game Show this year? The Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 3 of course, featuring music from both released and unreleased titles from the Square Enix catalogue. While the packaging isn’t as elaborate as the Square Enix Party 2007 CD (awesome!), the collection of six tunes do get me excited about a couple of Square Enix’s upcoming albums.

  Hit the jump for impressions of Square Enix’s snazzy sampler. (more…)

• Game Music

  Review: Tales 10th Anniversary Soundtrack Volume 1 Celebrates Birthday in Style

  September 8, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this Review: Tales 10th Anniversary Soundtrack Volume 1 Celebrates Birthday in Style

  

  Tales of Vesperia was just released on the Xbox 360, and those who picked up the “Special Edition” got their hands on quite a snazzy package including a sleek metal casing, an art section in the instruction manual, and a commemorative audio disc that celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Tales series. Titled Tales 10th Anniversary Soundtrack Volume 1, if features selections from across the Tales series, including Tales of Vesperia, Phantasia, Destiny, Symphonia and Abyss.

  Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji Tamura are responsible for the music here, and if you recall, I wasn’t overly thrilled with Sakuraba’s work on Valkyrie Profile. I think some of the music here suffers from the same problem with a lack of new ideas, but there are a handful of fresh tracks, and even some that I must have missed from their respective 2 to 4-disc original soundtracks. In any event, it’s cool to see Namco Bandai Games taking notice of the music in the series.

  Hit the jump to find out if this CD is worth the extra ten dollars you’ll be dishing out for the Special Edition. (more…)

• Game Music, Reviews

  Valkyrie Profile: Odin’s 9 Strong Songs These Are Not (Review)

  July 9, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this Valkyrie Profile: Odin’s 9 Strong Songs These Are Not (Review)

  

  Some may not be familiar with the Norse legend detailing how Odin came to be such a badass. Well, firstly, he traded one of his eyes for a chance to drink from the Well of Wisdom. Next, he hung upside down from the world tree, pierced by his own spear, where he learned the nine strong songs and the eighteen runes.

  I really don’t know what any of this means, but given that Valkyrie Profile is based on Norse mythology, I wanted to point out that Motoi Sakuraba likely didn’t undergo such intense training before creating the 75 not-so-strong songs found on the Valkyrie Profile –LENNETH- Original Soundtrack.

  Does this mean the soundtrack sucks? Well, that’s for you to find out after the jump! (more…)

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