Ishimoto

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

  

  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 OSVchannel: Dissidia 012 FINAL FANTASY Original Soundtrack Unboxing Video

  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?

• Game Music, Reviews

  Subarashiki Kono Sekai + The World Ends with You: Remixes and English Tracks (Review)

  November 10, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this Subarashiki Kono Sekai + The World Ends with You: Remixes and English Tracks (Review)

  

  The World Ends With You is one of those games that you either love or hate. The eclectic music selection is one of its distinguishing features, and we appreciated the creative approach in our review of the game’s soundtrack. Square Enix seems set on championing the game’s music, as they’ve recently posted the Subarashiki Kono Sekai + The World Ends with You album to the Square Enix Store, containing remixes and English-exclusive tracks.

  If you don’t recall, Takeharu Ishimoto handled the game’s music, and he also takes care of the majority of the arrangements along with some backup from Mitsuto Suzuki and Hirosato Noda. I have to admit that the arrangements are pretty hit or miss, but the ones that hit are definitely great additions to the Subarashiki Kono Sekai universe.

  Read our impressions of the Subarashiki Kono Sekai + The World Ends with You album after the jump. (more…)

• Game Music, Reviews

  The World Ends With You: Come on and do the peace! (review)

  June 24, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this The World Ends With You: Come on and do the peace! (review)

  

  Can a game have too much style? Well, when the highly-stylized Subarashiki Kono Sekai was announced in Japan, most gamers dismissed it as a Japanese-tailored title that would never make its way to the United States. We were subsequently shocked when it quickly made its way here as The World Ends With You. Even more, with the recent addition of game music to the new Square Enix Store, I was further surprised to see them championing the game’s soundtrack in the US.

  The music is composed by Square Enix’s Takeharu Ishimoto with a variety of artists performing on the album. From hip-hop, to electronica, to pop, to straight-up experimental, Ishimoto demonstrates his versatility while maintaining a high level of quality. The album features mainly vocal tracks that are (and I keep saying this) surprisingly in English for the most part. I haven’t seen such an eclectic collection of music outside the Dance Dance Revolution franchise!

  Read full impressions of this experiment in gaming and audio after the jump. (more…)

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