XSEED

Game Music, Reviews

First Steps Towards Falcom: Ys I & II Chronicles Musical Selections (Review)

March 23, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on First Steps Towards Falcom: Ys I & II Chronicles Musical Selections (Review) Share this

Ever since XSEED picked up publishing rights to Nihon Falcom’s wares, we’ve been getting a slew of Ys titles on the PSP. We loved Ys SEVEN last year, and I think Oath of Felghana is a favorite for a lot of fans out there. Most recent, however, was the release of Ys I & II Chronicles, remakes of the first two games in the series with a killer arranged soundtrack.

The single disc release comes with the Premium Edition of the game in the United States, and features a “selection” of tracks from the bigger 2-disc official soundtrack release that came out in Japan in 2009. Yeah, I know it sucks to get only half of the music, but if you look at the Japanese Ys I & II Chronicles Original Sound Track mini album, it only featured 8 tracks, so be happy that you’re getting a full disc of music here!

Are the arrangements any good? Hit the jump to find out. (more…)
Game Music

E3 2010: Ivy the Kiwi? Impressions and Music Details

June 21, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on E3 2010: Ivy the Kiwi? Impressions and Music Details Share this

We met Yuji Naka a few days ago and asked him about his thoughts on game music, but his main purpose at E3 was to promote his upcoming game, Ivy the Kiwi?, which is due out this summer from XSEED. While we got our first hands-on with the game at E3, we also learned who is responsible for the game’s music and whether or not there will be a soundtrack release in the future.

With the game set to release on the Wii and DS in just a matter of months, it’s time to find out what Sonic creator Yuji Naka has in store for us this time around. Hit the jump for our impressions. (more…)
Game Music

E3 2010: Yuji Naka Reveals His Favorite Game Soundtracks

June 19, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

We’re of course huge fans of Yuji Naka. His work on Sonic the Hedgehog is legendary, and even his last project, Let’s Tap, had an amazing soundtrack and very unique gameplay mechanics. For this reason, we’re greatly looking forward to his next title, Ivy the Kiwi?, which is due out on Wii and the DS this year. While our coverage of Ivy the Kiwi? will be coming in the next couple days, we did want to share what Yuji Naka had to say when we asked him about the music in his games.

Oh, and we also find out what his favorite soundtrack is from the game’s he’s worked on. Join us for our brief chat after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

North American Ys SEVEN Limited Edition Includes Soundtrack CD

June 11, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on North American Ys SEVEN Limited Edition Includes Soundtrack CD Share this

But then again, the complete soundtrack for Ys SEVEN has already been released in Japan, and is probably worth checking out. XSEED has announced that they will be releasing a Ys SEVEN Limited Edition version which will contain the game, a soundtrack disc containing over 20 tracks from the game, a 60-page art book, and a nifty cloth map of the Ys universe. The Limited Edition will set you back $49.99, which seems like a fair price to pay.

I’m greatly appreciative of XSEED’s efforts in bringing over these soundtrack discs and making them even snazzier than their Japanese counterparts (the Japanese Ys SEVEN Mini Soundtrack only contained 7 tracks). We saw the same thing with the Fragile Moonlight Tracks album a few months back. While 20 tracks is less than half of the music featured on the 2-disc soundtrack that Wes reviewed earlier this year, it’s still a nice bonus, and I’d love to get my hands on that cloth map.

Are you looking forward to Ys SEVEN? Will you be picking up the standard edition or limited edition?
Game Music, Reviews

Moonlight Tracks: A Quiet Voice in the Wind (Review)

March 24, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Well, Fragile Dreams is finally out in the United States. When Namco Bandai released the game in Japan, I never thought I’d see it make its way over here, but we have XSEED to thank once again for taking a risk with this beautiful title. Last month we mentioned that XSEED was also bringing over the Moonlight Tracks pre-order bonus CD, which surprised me even further. While you can be entirely unfun along with Patrick and note that the full 2-disc soundtrack is available from TEAM Entertainment in Japan, I still appreciate these bonuses, and hope XSEED continues spoiling their fans.

So, what is Moonlight Tracks, anyway? The pre-order disc actually contains 12 songs from the game, including two vocal themes. The music is rather varied, offering a wide selection of what Fragile Dreams has to offer. The score, composed entirely by Riei Saito, is mainly atmospheric orchestral and piano music, and sounds simply great. Hopefully you picked up the CD when you picked up the game!

Find out what the disc has to offer in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

My Favorite Online Game, Now Offline: Ragnarok DS (Game Review)

March 6, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

I’ve endlessly gushed about Ragnarok Online. It was my first MMORPG, and probably will be my last. I loved that game, from the amazing Secret of Mana-esque graphics, to the Norse mythology-based universe, to the amazing pop and trance soundtrack provided by soundTeMP. I played the game since the alpha testing phase in the United States, so needless to say, I’m more than just a little attached to the game.

For that reason, when Ragnarok DS was announced, I was ecstatic. I don’t really have time for never-ending MMOs anymore, so the thought of having some of my favorite RO elements on the go was extremely attractive to me. We heard a taste of the music last month in the launch trailer, and even though it provided MIDI-fied versions of the original game’s music, they were great even in that form. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Is the game any good? A number of reviews that are already out there say no, so what’s the deal?

Find out in our review of Ragnarok DS! (more…)
Game Music

Fragile’s US Pre-Order Bonus Is 20% Better Than Japan’s

February 13, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

XSEED made my day yesterday when they announced that fans who pre-order Fragile in the United States will be receiving a bonus CD titled MOONLIGHT TRACKS. I never thought we’d get this game, much less a bonus soundtrack disc. Japan also received a pre-order a similar pre-order bonus titled MOONLIGHT TRAX, and I have to admit that I like their trendy album title a little better.

So where does this 20% business come into play? Well, apparently XSEED is saying the MOONLIGHT TRACKS disc features 12 selections from the game, whereas Japan’s MOONLIGHT TRAX featured only 10 (for those of you who aren’t good at math, that’s 20% more music!). So not only are we getting the CD, but we’re getting 2 additional tracks. How’s that for taking care of their fans in the US? If there’s one saving grace for the Japanese release at this point, it’s that the cover art was a whole lot classier.

The game is out in March on the Wii, and I couldn’t be more excited for it. Watch for our coverage next month!

Are you surprised that XSEED has decided to release this CD in the US? Will you be picking it up?