Naoshi Mizuta

Game Music

GDC 2011: Mitsuto Suzuki Talks Freedom of Expression (Photo Gallery)

March 5, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on GDC 2011: Mitsuto Suzuki Talks Freedom of Expression (Photo Gallery) Share this

Square Enix composer and synthesizer operator Mitsuto Suzuki was on hand at GDC this week to talk about the differences in approach to two Final Fantasy titles, Four Warriors of Light and Final Fantasy XIII, both of which featured Suzuki as an arranger. While the technical content of the talk was light, Suzuki expressed his philosophy on music, asking the audience, “Is music bound by fixed concepts? Theory?,” and telling us that his goal is to be free of these kinds of limitations. It was interesting to see from the opening slide above, too, that Suzuki is really his own brand.

One of the best parts of the lecture was a live demonstration of Cyan, a Japanese live performance software that Suzuki tinkered around with for a good 15 minutes on stage, giving us a cool live performance of sorts. It contained bits of “Recall” from Neurovision among other original works.

We have a small gallery of some of the introductory slides after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Your Mitochondria Know About This: Parasite Eve’s Soundtrack Box (Review)

February 4, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I was never a huge fan of Parasite Eve as a game, but I loved the music. I can’t say I remember a whole lot about the first game outside the terribly over-the-top storytelling (the quote I’m referencing in this post’s title pretty much had me wanting to turn the game off about 5 minutes in) and the fantastic score by Yoko Shimomura, and I never got around to experiencing Parasite Eve II or its soundtrack composed by Naoshi Mizuta.

I suppose that’s what makes this box set special to me. It’s giving me the chance to catch up on the first and finally experience the second game’s soundtrack. Likely re-released on Square Enix’s record label to promote the upcoming The 3rd Birthday, there’s no better time than now to bring out the classics that inspired that excellent soundtrack.

But do the original soundtracks withstand the test of time? Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
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.
Game Music, Reviews

Happy Birthday, Final Fantasy XI: Memories of Dusk and Dawn (Review)

May 26, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I can’t believe it’s been 8 years since Final Fantasy XI was released. I remember picking the game up a local GameStop (also pretty new back then) on the first day the game was released and getting ready to delve into the massive world of Vana’diel… after the 8 or so hours it took to update the game out of the box. I only made it to level 15 or so (red mage rocks!), and gave up after about 60 hours when it came time to look for the items needed to unlock dual classes, but I still have fond memories of the game.

This album commemorates the 8th anniversary of the game with tracks voted on and selected by fans, and I have to say that the fans have a pretty good taste in music. However, I’m still slightly baffled as to why Square Enix decided to celebrate the 8th anniversary in this manner… perhaps with the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XIV, they’re not expecting FFXI to reach the 10 year mark?

Well, in any case, here’s your chance to catch up on the best of what the game and its many expansions has had to offer. Hit the jump for our review. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Kill With Cuteness: Final Fantasy Gaiden -Four Warriors of Light- Original Soundtrack (Review)

November 4, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Well, you saw our unwrapping video yesterday, and now we have our review of the album to go along with the official street date in Japan. Final Fantasy Gaiden -Four Warriors of Light- features Naoshi Mizuta, who most people know for his work on Final Fantasy XI, but don’t let that lead you down the path to thinking Four Warriors of Light sounds anything like Final Fantasy XI.

This soundtrack is distinctly retro, yet modern, if that makes any sense. I think we have arranger and synthesizer operator Mitsuto Suzuki to thank for the amazing quality sounds here, but Mizuta really shines with his upbeat themes for this lighthearted adventure.

See what I mean in our review of the Final Fantasy Gaiden -Four Warriors of Light- Original Soundtrack after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

OSVchannel: Go Retro As We Unwrap The The Final Fantasy Gaiden -Four Warriors of Light- Original Soundtrack

November 3, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Well, I admit I wasn’t staying on top of the game or the soundtrack for Final Fantasy Gaiden -Four Warriors of Light-, but the Square Enix Music Sampler CD Vol. 4 that we reviewed a few weeks ago changed that. I’ve been looking forward to Naoshi Mizuta’s retro soundtrack ever since, and the release date is right around the corner in Japan.

We got our hands on the soundtrack several days ahead of the Japanese release date, and I thought it’d be fun to go through the packaging and artwork on our OSVchannel on YouTube. To clear up the Japanese and US release dates that I was unsure about in the video, the game was released on 10/29/09 in Japan, while there is no US release date announced at this time. The soundtrack is due out on 11/04/09 in Japan, and it’s truly some great stuff. Probably my favorite from Mizuta yet.

Join us for our brief unwrapping adventure of the game’s soundtrack and tell us if you like this sort of content on OSV and whether or not you’ll be picking up the Final Fantasy Gaiden -Four Warriors of Light- Original Soundtrack when it’s released.