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Ys III: Oath in Felghana is Back for the PSP With a JDK Band Bonus CD

January 22, 2010 | Justin Pfeiffer | 5 Comments Share this

Heads up Ys fans. Ys III remake for Windows, The Oath in Felghana, is being ported to PSP in Japan on April 22, 2010 and first-print editions will include a bonus CD called Ys: The Oath in Felghana jdk Special. Despite the nostalgic “jdk Special” title, a term that was formerly reserved for Sound Team jdk in-house arrangement albums and should bring back Soundboard II memories to old Falcom fans, this disc is set to include themes chosen and arranged by JDK Band. The bonus CD is being included with the first pressings of both the regular edition and the limited edition, with the limited edition to include a Felghana drama CD as well.

In addition to this news, Falcom has announced that the PSP version of Felghana will (in Falcom remake tradition) feature an option to choose 3 different BGM types: Felghana original (Windows), PC-8801, and X68000. Now you can play the game in two different styles of chip tunes! Actually, the PC-8801 version and the X68000 version weren’t all that different, aside from the stronger drum sampling in the X68000 version, so it would’ve been nice to get something more interesting like the PC Engine Super CD version, but I suppose that’s asking too much. Normally I would say, “Get over to Falcom’s page and reserve it right now!” but as of today, Falcom has yet to list it on their order page. They are instead referring to Japanese electronic store, Sofmap, as SofMap is running a promotion to include two different Felghana telephone cards with the order. Unfortunately SofMap doesn’t appear to ship internationally, so keep an eye on Falcom’s order page or seek it elsewhere.

Are you looking forward to playing Felghana on the PSP? What’s your favorite version of Ys III’s soundtrack?
Anime, Reviews

10 Years of Makoto Shinkai & Tenmon: Promise Project (Review)

January 22, 2010 | Patrick Gann | 5 Comments Share this

Makoto Shinkai is an artist and anime director who some have called “the new Miyazaki.” His anime films, and short films, have left a lasting impression on Japan in the last ten years. Also, a bit of trivia: Shinkai was a graphic designer for Falcom during the time they developed Ys & Ys II Eternal.

In the same way that Miyazaki and Hisaishi are an inseparable team, it seems Shinkai found his star music composer: Tenmon (full name Atsushi Shirakawa). Tenmon actually worked with Falcom as well, years before Shinkai joined Falcom. Tenmon is responsible for many soundtracks in the Brandish series, apparently. But you’d never guess that when comparing those soundtracks to the anime soundtracks written for Shinkai’s work.

Now, put together the instantly-memorable visuals from Shinkai with Tenmon’s beautiful, new-age-ish orchestral work, and leave Hiroaki Yura and the members of Australia’s Eminence Symphony Orchestra to do their own “best of” image album. What do you get? Something beautiful, that’s what you get.

For more on my thoughts about this wonderful, out-of-left-field project from the Eminence Orchestra, just keep reading… after the jump! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Ys SEVEN Original Soundtrack: Kicking 7 Shades of… (Review)

December 9, 2009 | Wes Chung | 7 Comments Share this

In 1987, Nihon Falcom released a simple action-RPG with genre-defining music called Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished. 22 years, over ten games, and almost a googolplex of arranged CDs later, the franchise continues to adhere to these two elements. From rock-synth and memorable MIDI ditties to full orchestral arrangements, Ys will likely be remembered far more for its music than any other aspect, so we won’t open this review with any sort of query or cliff-hanger.

Ys SEVEN’s soundtrack is great, and after the jump we’ll tell you why. (more…)
Game Music

Ys SEVEN Soundtrack Announced: Come to the Land of Fertility!

October 8, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

It appears as though a 2-disc soundtrack has been announced for Ys SEVEN. Justin had coverage from the most recent JDK Band Live event which featured some music from the game, and he was quite impressed with what he heard. I’ve since listened to the promotional albums that have been released featuring music from the game and have also liked what I’ve heard, so it’s great to know when we’ll be able to hear the soundtrack in its entirety.

There are certainly some interesting track names here, including the one I mentioned in the post title, “Land of Fertility” as well as “Primitive Deep Leaves,” “Road to Solitary Death,” and “A Sunbaked Throb.” Likely literal translations of the Japanese track titles that makes little sense in English, but they’re still quite amusing. All the music will be composed by legendary Falcom Sound Team JDK, including Akiko Nagano on violin, Masaru Teramae on guitar, Atsushi Enomoto on bass, and Norisuke Yoshikawa on drums.

Are you looking forward to checking out the Ys SEVEN soundtrack? Any thoughts as to why they’re calling it Ys SEVEN instead of Ys VII?

[via VGMdb]
Game Music

Falcom’s Forgotten Fantasy: Faxanadu’s “Password Theme” for Three Guitars

September 23, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Oh, Faxanadu. I wish Falcom would give this game more love, as it was truly an amazing game with some awesome music. I certainly have a lot of memories about how difficult it was, the key guy who said “Nello!,” and the Lakitu-looking things that dropped bread when you killed them. I even remember having one of those “Wouldn’t it be cool if they made [classic game title here] 64?” discussions with some friends when the Nintendo 64 was around, and always saying Actraiser and Faxanadu.

Anyway, this guy has recorded himself on guitar three times over performing the password theme from the game. Awesome track, great arrangement, and trippy video! Really beautiful, which I never would have expected given that this song plays when you die.

Do you think the music from Faxanadu deserves more attention from Falcom? What do you think of this performance?

[via Nobuooo]
Game Music

Catch a Glimpse of Ys SEVEN – Falcom JDK Band Live Summer Festival 2009

September 15, 2009 | Justin Pfeiffer | 7 Comments Share this

[Editor’s note: Here we are again with an amazing concert writeup from Justin Pfeiffer, one of our correspondents from Japan. He previously brought you some lengthy impressions from EXTRA – Hyper Game Music Event 2008, and now has impressions from Falcom’s JDK Band Live Summer Festival 2009. It’s a great read, so check it out!]

Ys SEVEN is almost upon us. Have you preordered your copy? (If not, get to falcom.com now!) The best action-RPG series ever continues on the PSP and Falcom’s JDK Band was alive this summer to kick off Ys I&II Chronicles and Ys SEVEN. I was on the scene with some of my Falcom maniacs in Japan to get our fix of JDK Band rockage.

Check out OSV’s concert report and take a peek into Falcom mania in Japan after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

The Economizer Part Deux: Soundtrack Deals You Shouldn’t Miss

June 9, 2009 | Patrick Gann | 3 Comments Share this

Alright folks, I have two absolute “steals” in terms of good deals that you’ll want to check out.

The first one caught our attention via board member “Crash” at Soundtrack Central. Nihon Falcom regularly has special clearance sales, and this week’s sale is a big, big deal. For 980 yen (that’s about $10), you get the import game Ys: The Oath In Felghana, alongside an eight disc soundtrack set which includes music from all previous forms of Ys III. Now, if you live in North America (or anywhere outside of Japan), they’re charging a hefty shipping fee (over $30). But, considering everything that comes in the box (and it is one heavy box), it’s probably worth the price. The bad news is that this deal ends in only a few days (June 11), so act fast! Check out this thread for all the details on how to special order from Falcom.

Also, GameMusic.com is clearing out the vast majority of their inventory with one awesome clearance sale. Plenty of Square Enix soundtracks are going for $15 or less (some are as few as $8). This is a good chance for you to help fill out your own personal collection. The caveat on the site is that they do not plan to restock after this stuff is gone, so again, act fast.

Also, thanks to contributor Carl for the photo of the Felghana box set.