Takeharu Ishimoto

Game Music, Japanese

Dissidia – Final Fantasy Arcade Soundtrack Coming in April

March 7, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Dissidia – Final Fantasy Arcade Soundtrack Coming in April Share this

Fans of the Final Fantasy spin-off Dissidia fighting game will be getting the soundtrack to both versions of the arcade game, according to Square Enix’s website, on April 27th.

The Dissidia Final Fantasy Arcade Soundtrack album will feature original compositions from the brawling game, as well as a slew of arranged pieces from several Final Fantasy games, all done by Takeharu Ishimoto, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Keiji Kawamori (Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy). The soundtrack will be on sale on Square Enix’s store, Amazon Japan and the Sony music shop, all for around 2,800 yen ($24.65 USD). You can also pre-order on YesAsia.

Check out the Dissidia website for more information.
Game Music, Reviews

Hearts of Hearts: Kingdom Hearts 3D OST (Review)

November 13, 2012 | Haroon Piracha | Comments Off on Hearts of Hearts: Kingdom Hearts 3D OST (Review) Share this

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance has been a highly anticipated game by many Kingdom Hearts enthusiasts such as myself. Aside from being a game for the Nintendo 3DS, I thought that this game was a continuation of Kingdom Hearts 2 due to its name. The game is actually said to be a prequel to Kingdom Hearts 3 with its gameplay and plot previewing the next installment. Its soundtrack is the first in the Kingdom Hearts series to be a collaboration between composers. I was excited by the idea of a collaboration; it gives soundtrack multiple approaches to the same idea or the same theme for the game, much like Mass Effect, God of War, or Final Fantasy X have done. So how did Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance OST cope with three composers? Find out after the jump! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Beginning a New and Excitingly Different Story: Final Fantasy Type-0 (Review)

October 27, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this

While Final Fantasy Type-0 is out in just days in Japan (October 27), there’s still no word on a release date outside of Japan. I’m pretty sure it will come, however, as Square Enix has stated that they’re hoping to turn Type-0 into a franchise of its own.

With music by Takeharu Ishimoto, fans have wanted to hear more from the game, and we have been able to listen to the preview disc and unbox the limited edition soundtrack for you. We now have the three-disc soundtrack here in its entirety along with the limited edition DVD.

Find out if it’s a worthy addition to the Final Fantasy franchise in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Square Enix’s United States of Odaiba Trio: SFX, SQ Chips, and Type-0 (Review)

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

We mentioned a few weeks back that Square Enix was preparing a trio of albums to commemorate Fuji TV’s 2011 United States of Odaiba event. These included previews of the upcoming SQ Chips album and Final Fantasy Type-0 soundtrack as well as a sound effects collection CD. I was excited for all three, and the 500 Yen asking price made them an affordable treat for anyone who could make it out to the event.

So what do they offer? While you’ll be able to enjoy SQ Chips and Final Fantasy Type-0 in their entirety in a matter of months, the Square Enix Sound Effect Collection is a release that is unique to the event.

Are they worth you putting in the effort to track them down? Find out after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

Square Enix, The United States of Odaiba, And You

June 28, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Want to hear a preview of Takeharu Ishimoto’s Final Fantasy Type-0 soundtrack, or perhaps Square Enix’s upcoming SQ Chips album? How about a CD full of Square Enix sound effects? And what if these were available for 500 Yen apiece? I suppose the price doesn’t really matter as none of us will likely be able to get our hands on the treats that Square Enix has in store for attendees of the annual United States of Odaiba event starting in July, but hey, one can dream, right?

As it turns out, Square Enix will be out in force at this year’s United States of Odaiba event from July 16 through August 31. Not only will Final Fantasy Type-0 and Dragon Quest Heroes be playable at the event held annually by Fuji TV on the man-made island of Odaiba, but Square Enix will be selling merchandise, with the three CDs mentioned above being sold exclusively at the event. Let’s hope they bring the albums to their Comic Con merchandise store, although we all know the chances of that happening are slim.

So, are you thoroughly jealous? Which of the three albums are you most looking forward? I’m actually most excited about the SQUARE ENIX SOUND EFFECT COLLECTION album the other two will see full releases at a later time (and yes, I know we’ve been dicks about sound effect collections in the past… but this is different…!).

And yes, if you didn’t know, there’s a miniature Statue of Liberty on Odaiba for some reason.

[via VGMdb and Andriasang]
Game Music, Reviews

Uemats-Who? Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Tests if the Dial Goes Past 11 (Review)

March 2, 2011 | Wes Chung | 1 Comment Share this

Oh, hey, look: ANOTHER Final Fantasy soundtrack. What’s on offer this time? Battle themes, world themes, melodramatic moment themes, menu themes, and that obligatory choral end-boss world-in-crisis disasterpiece. Ho-hum.

I’ve made it clear in the past that I am over Final Fantasy music for the most part, so if you read the above with some shred of sincerity, you are absolutely forgiven. But then comes the question: why would I review not only a Final Fantasy soundtrack but one that is inevitably going to be a rehash of old themes? Why would I almost beg Jayson to give me this review just so that I could get my grubby little paws on the music a week or two before release?

…Because there’s always a chance this album would be the rare, beautiful butterfly for which my eager pins have been waiting. Want to see me mutilate the latest from the world’s most enduring series of game music? You know what to do. (more…)
Featured, Game Music

OSVchannel: Dissidia 012 FINAL FANTASY Original Soundtrack Unboxing Video

March 1, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Here we go again! The release of the Dissidia 012 Duodecism Final Fantasy soundtrack is on the horizon, and fans looking to pick up the soundtrack on March 2 have a lot to consider. There are two versions of the soundtrack being released, just as with the first Dissidia game, with drastic differences between the regular and limited editions. Not only is there an extra DVD that comes with the limited edition, but the fancy display case is quite a site to behold.

Well, we hope this unboxing video helps you decide which one to pre-order and pick it up if you’re on the market for this soundtrack. Both sets are nice, but of course the limited edition takes the cake. Wes will provide his review of the soundtrack itself tomorrow, but in the mean time, feel free to gape at the lovely limited edition, and get your pre-orders in for whichever set you prefer ahead of the release this week. It’s available from CD Japan (Limited Edition, Regular Edition) and Play-Asia (Limited Edition, Regular Edition).

What do you think of the packaging? Which one will you be picking up?