Granado Espada

Game Music

Granado Espada: Return to Orpesia Live Event Coverage + Gallery

November 2, 2012 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Granado Espada: Return to Orpesia Live Event Coverage + Gallery Share this

I doubt you knew about this. Hell, we didn’t even know about it until the day before it happened. As it turns out, Granado Espada is getting a big update in the near future, and to promote some of the upcoming changes, an event was held in Japan that included some commentary, a live voice acting session with artwork displayed on screens situated around the stage, and a concert headed Osamu Kubota.

Osamu Kubota handled piano and was the emcee for the evening with the new chamber group, GaQdan (recently featured on Hitoshi Sakimoto’s Crimson Shroud soundtrack), founded by artist TaQ, at his back. It was a great evening of music from the amazing Granado Espada soundtrack, including new songs you may not have heard before.

Hit the jump for a quick report and set list. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

It’s Here: Granado Espada Renaissance OST Volume 3 (Review)

December 6, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this

Finally, the day we’ve all been waiting for! Well, at least some of us. The original Granado Espada soundtrack is one of my favorites of all time as you can probably tell from our Soundtrack of the Month article, but I admit I was a bit disappointed by the licensed music featured on Volume 2. Hanbit and IMC Games have fortunately corrected this with the release of the Granado Espada Renaissance Special Limited Edition Original Soundtrack Volume 3 (yes, quite a mouthful).

You saw our unboxing video last week and already know that there are two variations in the packaging, but join us as we dig into the 3-disc collection. Is it worth the wait, and will you be able to get your hands on it? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
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

A Blast From The Past: Granado Espada Sound Department Interview

October 5, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Before you get too excited, this is not an interview with the game’s team of composers. We’ve already featured interviews with Osamu Kubota, S.F.A., and TaQ about the game, but this interview focuses on the actual sound team in Korea who coordinated the project. At the time this interview was conducted, I had listened, reviewedh, and had fallen in love with the Granado Espada soundtrack, and there were whispers that a Volume 2 album was in the works. We all know how that turned out.

With Volume 3 on the horizon, and Granado Espada being our Soundtrack of the Month, I thought it would be a good time to get this interview back online. I admit the team was rather vague on most points, but there are still a few interesting tidbits tucked away within. Oh, and in case you have no idea what “Sword of the New World” is, it’s the name that Granado Espada was released under in the West.

Hit the jump for a blast from the past! (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Soundtrack of the Month 10/2010: Granado Espada OST Volume 1

October 1, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 5 Comments Share this

This one has certainly been a long time coming. Granado Espada Original Sound Track Volume 1 is an interesting release for a number of reasons, and is quite special to me in that it was the first album I reviewed for Music4Games. I admit I’m using some of that writeup as my basis for this review, but it’s crazy how much has happened since 2006 that I’ve been able to expound upon!

What has happened, you ask? Well, just here on OSV, we’ve interviewed composer Osamu Kubota on two separate occasions about his work on the title, introduced fans to Korean composer Sevin, founding member of S.F.A. and former member of soundTeMP, talked to TaQ about his sole contribution to the game, uncovered the fact that all soundTeMP tracks on this album were actually written by Jinbae “ESTi” Park, and even reviewed the Granada Espada Original Sound Track Volume 2 digital release from Streamline Records. Yeah, a lot of stuff, and what better time to have Granado Espada as our soundtrack of the month than with the announcement that a proper Volume 3 is now on its way!

Hit the jump to find out why you need to hunt this one down. (more…)
Film, Game Music

GDC 2010: Osamu Kubota’s Past and Philosophy on Videogame Music

June 3, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

Remember when I told you there was more to come from our busy time at GDC 2010 this past March? Well, this is the last of it! Sorry that it’s taken so long, but I think it will be worth the wait. We talked to Osamu Kubota a couple years back, where, yes, we ran that fateful photo of him wearing lipstick. When we saw him at GDC, however, he was without the lipstick, and looked rather professional.

This time we sit down for a chat about his work on Granado Espada, his interactions with IMC Games director Kim Hakkyu, his philosophy on music in games, his history with a J-pop band in the 1980s, and what his plans are for the rest of 2010. He has a lot of interesting things to say, so join us in our interview with Osamu Kubota after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

Greetings From Korea: Interview With S.F.A Founder Sevin

October 16, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 9 Comments Share this

I can’t tell you how excited I am to introduce you to S.F.A. Most of you know by now that I am obsessed with game music from Korea, especially when it comes to the Ragnarok Online and Granado Espada soundtracks. While the biographies in the Granado Espada booklet listed S.F.A as a group comprised of former soundTeMP members, little did we know that Sevin, the founder and principal producer of S.F.A was actually one of the founding members of soundTeMP.

While we touch on the topic of soundTeMP in this first international interview with Sevin, our primary focus is on S.F.A, including details about its members, its goals, and its approach to game scoring. We discuss specific tracks from the Granado Espada soundtrack and talk about what’s next for S.F.A, so join us for this exclusive interview with the very passionate Sevin.

Read the full interview after the jump. (more…)