Chrono Trigger

Game Music, Reviews

In Loving Memory of Squaresoft: Love SQ (Review)

December 7, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

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

Square Enix Loves The US: Love SQ Album Hits US iTunes Store Early

November 23, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

Yeah, it’s not often that the US gets something from Square Enix before Japan does (and it could possibly be a mistake), but blogger Tatsuhiko Miyagawa noticed that Square Enix’s upcoming arrangement project, Love SQ, is available on the US iTunes Store at this very moment. From what I can gather, the street date was supposed to be November 25, 2009, so consider it an early present from Square Enix!

The album itself features 10 electronic arrangements from classic Square Enix franchises including Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, and Romancing SaGa, and Legend of Mana. We previewed one of the tracks on the Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 4 a few months ago, and were quite impressed with what we heard, so go check out the samples and pick it up early!

[Thanks Jacob!]
Doujin, Game Music

Some Chrono Fan Arrangements Worth Checking Out (Video + MP3 Links!)

November 4, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 3 Comments Share this

We rounded up some interesting Chrono series arrangements we’ve found on the Internet recently. First up, the video above mashes up an arrangement of Chrono Trigger‘s Undersea Palace with Marc Aurel’s song “Running.” Oh, and it also features nature documentary footage from the BBC (I think there’s some Planet Earth in there… if anyone can identify the footage, leave a comment!). Among all the remixes and AMVs to be found in the world, this is definitely one worth checking out. NEXT! (more…)
Game Music

Feels Like A Dream: Symphonic Fantasies Report

September 17, 2009 | Audun Sorlie | 9 Comments Share this

Cologne is quickly turning into the western Mecca of game music events. Over the last few years, events such as Leipzig Symphonic Game Music Concert, Symphonic Shades and now Symphonic Fantasies have centered game music fans’ attention on the old German city.

Symphonic Fantasies is the second event in Thomas Böcker’s Symphonic series, with the first being last year’s amazing Symphonic Shades. Similar to Shades, which was a tribute to the work of Chris Hülsbeck, Fantasies is a tribute to the music of some of Square Enix’s most well known franchises. While the Leipzig events were under the Symphonic banner, starting with Shades it started to have a more themed setting. With Shades being one of the best live events I have experienced, expectations for Fantasies was sky high, and the global attention to the event was unlike any concert before it.

So, did it live up to the expectations? Keep on reading to find out! (more…)
Game Music

Namco Bandai Composer Plagiarizes Music From Chrono Trigger, Lufia II, and Warcraft II

August 27, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 8 Comments Share this

I actually think this is kind of old news, but interesting nonetheless. I sort of missed the big hubbub until a post about the topic resurfaced on Soundtrack Central, but apparently Namco Bandai composer Kennosuke Suemura recently “borrowed” the melodies from “Battle with Magus” from Chrono Trigger and “The One Who Will Save The Earth” from Lufia II for his recent Super Robot Taisen series soundtrack.

Worse, this isn’t the first time this has happened. The same composer was supposedly involved in a similar incident involving music from Warcraft II when working on a previous title in the series. Namco Bandai has since released a formal apology and paid a settlement to resolve the issue, but it’s kind of funny that the composer went after Square Enix and Blizzard Entertainment, two of the most vigilant companies when it comes to cracking down on unauthorized use of their property.

What do you think? The series has always been known for combining elements from all kinds of different games, but did Suemura go too far this time?

[via Soundtrack Central]
Game Music, Reviews

Chrono Trigger at its Best: The Bad Dudes Present CHRONOTORIOUS (Review)

August 12, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 9 Comments Share this

It just struck me that CHRONOTORIOUS is technically the third album to come out of OneUp Studios that focuses on the music of Yasunori Mitsuda. His work is certainly deserving of this attention, and Chrono Trigger truly is my favorite Mitsuda soundtrack to date, so I’m not complaining. You won’t be complaining either, as CHRONOTORIOUS hits the spot.

This album is different from Time & Space and Xenogears Light in a lot of ways. This is a Bad Dudes project to the core, with some rough-and-tumble arrangements of some of the best tracks from Chrono Trigger, including my favorites: “Undersea Palace” and “Magus Theme.” And wow, the “Magus Theme” remix here is the first I’ve heard that actually does justice to the original.

But I’m getting ahead of myself! Find out what we think in our review of CHRONOTORIOUS after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

A Bad Production Worth Getting: CHRONOTORIOUS Revealed

August 3, 2009 | Audun Sorlie | 5 Comments Share this

Mustin and the Bad Dudes have finally revealed the details on their upcoming project, CHRONOTORIOUS! With big names onboard like Mustin, Danimal Cannon, Ailsean and even OSV’s Tim Sheehy and our own little punching bag, Dhsu, you can be sure this will be an album to look out for! They are planning on pressing a limited number of CDs, which will contain 5 extra bonus track, and as a pre-order bonus, you get a poster as well. If the prototype CD artwork above is any indication, this should be a nice bonus. An iTunes release will follow a few weeks later, though without the 5 bonus tracks.

Bad Dudes released Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – Resurrection last year, with a varied style of music, and this release seems to follow in the same spirit. Personally I am very excited for the Bladiator piano track and the ever so awesome Ailsean doing “Frog’s Theme.”

The CD will be released August 18th, so mark your calendars! You can check out the samples for each track over at the Bad Dudes website.