Unpacking

Featured, Game Music

OSVchannel: Unboxing the Seiken Densetsu Music Complete Book

September 12, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

We’ve just got our hands on one of the most anticipated releases of the year, and given how glorious the packaging is on this one, we just had to record an unboxing video. We flip through the entire book which contains 19 discs of music along with a special 20th anniversary DVD containing the orchestral performance, composer interviews, and a behind-the-scenes making-of video. The book also comes with complete credits for each title, liner notes, and tons of artwork.

The book drops in Japan on September 14, so enjoy this unboxing video two days early and let us know what you think of the set. It’s still available for pre-order from CD Japan and Play-Asia if you’re interested in snagging one after watching the video. Oh, and let us know if you like the new over-the-shoulder video format better than the head-on!

How do you think the Seiken Densetsu Book compares to the SaGa Premium Box from last year? Do you think this set is worth the 21,000 Yen asking price?
Game Music

OSVchannel: Parasite Eve I & II Original Soundtrack Box Unboxing Video

January 25, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I know it was only about a month ago that we unboxed Square Enix’s The 3rd Birthday soundtrack for you, but to commemorate the release of the game in Japan, Square Enix has decided to also reissue the first two Parasite Eve soundtracks which were still stuck in the Digicube void. Not only has Square Enix released the two soundtracks in their original and separate 2-disc forms (also shown in the video), but more importantly, Square Enix has bundled the two soundtracks together with some fancy packaging in what they’re calling the Parasite Eve I & II Original Soundtrack Box.

A box for just two soundtracks? Yes, but they’ve done a pretty nice job bringing the two together with some nice packaging and rather… unique artwork selections. See what I mean in the above video, and let us know what you think of Square Enix’s decision to release the soundtrack in these different formats. Which one will you be picking up?

Watch for more Parasite Eve coverage in the coming weeks here on OSV.
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!
Featured, Game Music

OSVchannel: The 3rd Birthday Original Soundtrack Unboxing Video

December 21, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Okay, so I caved and did it anyway. I figured you’d all want an advance look at exactly what you’ll be getting when you pick up The 3rd Birthday Original Soundtrack on December 22, 2010 in Japan. By now you’ve likely read our review and know that we were impressed with what we heard, but you’ll be interested to see a packaging style similar to that of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together which we reviewed and unboxed last month.

In addition to checking out the packaging in the video, we also have the unique “Joy to the World” arrangement performed by members of the Square Enix sound team playing in the background. Let it act as a preview of some of the strangeness that you’ll hear on the album (although I admit it’s the strangest of the bunch).

Let us know what you think of the packaging, “Joy to the World,” and the soundtrack overall as it ships to your homes this week!
Featured, Game Music

OSVchannel: Super Mario All Stars Limited Edition Unboxing Video

December 14, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on OSVchannel: Super Mario All Stars Limited Edition Unboxing Video Share this

Here we are with another OSVchannel special. This is yet another item that I hadn’t planned on unboxing for you guys, but after opening it, I was so impressed with the packaging and some of the surprises within the commemorative booklet that I thought you may be interested to see inside. From the snazzy wrapping paper that Nintendo sent it out in to the packaging and bonuses that are included, it’s an all around nice collection to look upon at the very least.

For those who don’t know what this is all about, this past Sunday Nintendo released the Super Mario All Stars Limited Edition collection for the Wii to celebrate Mario’s 25th anniversary. What’s here is essentially the Super Mario All Stars game from the SNES ported over to a Wii disc with an additional DVD case housing a soundtrack CD and the aforementioned commemorative booklet. We’ll have more coverage of the album in the coming days, but in the meantime, feel free to check out the above video and pick up the game in a store near you for $29.99.

What do you think of Nintendo’s approach to the All Stars Limited Edition? At the reduced price and with the packed-in bonuses, is it worth it to you?
Featured, Game Music

OSVchannel: Granado Espada Renaissance Soundtrack Volume 3 Unboxing Video

November 30, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments Share this

Continuing our series of unboxing videos, this time we’re looking at the highly anticipated Granado Espada Renaissance Original Soundtrack Volume 3 album that was released back in August. Yeah, it took us that long for us to get our hands on it. Apparently it’s not for sale (just like the original Volume 1 album), and the only way to get it is to purchase in-game items in Korea (and maybe Japan?) to get a copy of the limited edition set.

We have Reinassaince Set A here, but there’s also alternate packaging for purchasing Renaissance Set B in the game. These are limited pressings, with 500-1000 copies produced for each. Not sure if it’s 500 each, or if one of the sets has 1000 and the other 500, but in any case, they didn’t make a whole lot of these. I recommend heading over to VGMdb to check out the differences between Set A and Set B. And watch for our review coming soon!

Anyway, enjoy the video, and let us know what you think of the packaging. The magnet is pretty nifty. Which set would you prefer?
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…)