Basiscape Records

Game Music

Contest Reminder: Win The Opoona Soundtrack From Basiscape Records!

January 11, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

There are two more days to enter our Opoona giveaway contest. In our unboxing video last week, we showed you an additional copy that Basiscape Records sent us to give away to our readers, and all you have to do to enter is respond to this post, the original contest post, or respond on our Facebook fan page with your favorite Opoona moment. Maybe it was hearing a particular track, or perhaps a specific event from the game.

We’re accepting entries up through 11:59 PST on Thursday, January 13, 2011. At that time, we’ll select a winner at random to receive a sealed copy of the soundtrack. Good luck, and thanks once again to Basiscape Records for making this giveaway possible.
Featured, Game Music

OSVchannel: Opoona Soundtrack Unboxing Video and Giveaway Contest

January 6, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 7 Comments Share this

Yeah, you already knew we were going to be doing this one. Unfortunately (or not) I was out of town for the holidays and didn’t get to unbox it for you when it arrived, but here we are. The packaging on this one is pretty snazzy despite being simple. I love the vibrant colors from this game, and still even swap out my Xenosaga III wallpaper for an Opoona one from time to time!

Oh, so you want to know about the giveaway contest that I mentioned in the video? Basiscape has been kind enough to send a copy specifically to give away to our readers, and all you have to do is either respond to this post on OSV or on our Facebook fan page with your favorite memory from Opoona. Maybe it was the first time you learned how to use your bon bon, or perhaps it was the dolphin ride. For me, it was finally getting to visit that island out in the middle of the water in the Intelligent Sea… I kept moving my camera around to try to get a better look at it from a distance, and wasn’t sure if it was a secret area or not! We’ll pick one person at random as the winner on January 13, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.

Let us know if you’re excited as us that this soundtrack has finally been released, and feel free to comment on the packaging as well!
Featured, Game Music

Valkyria Chronicles 2 Exclusive Liner Notes From Hitoshi Sakimoto

September 9, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments Share this

Well, as I always say, “Better late than never.” We know that while Valkyria Chronicles 2 was just released at the end of August in the United States, the game’s soundtrack (from Basiscape Records) was released all the way back in January of this year. Our review and exclusive liner notes article from the first Valkyria Chronicles was a big hit, so we thought it would be fun to follow it up with Hitoshi Sakimoto’s thoughts on the sequel.

Yes, I realize that we already published this review, but Sakimoto’s comments make a lot more sense in the context of my review, so if you’re simply interested in his comments, just jump to the boxed portions of the article after the jump! (more…)
Game Music

Basiscape Makes Dreams Come True: Opoona Soundtrack Coming in 2010

April 18, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 6 Comments Share this

While Opoona wasn’t the greatest game, it definitely had one of my favorite soundtracks of recent years. Composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto and the whole team over at Basiscape, it combined electronic, pop, experimental, and orchestral into a fun and majestic soundscape. To be honest, the only reason I even picked up Opoona was due to the fact that the Basiscape team was handling the music, and it ended up being, hands down, the best aspect of the game.

I’ve been bugging Sakimoto about a soundtrack release for since the game was released, and now it’s finally here. Interestingly, this announcement was made via Basiscape’s Twitter account, along with the release of Terra Driver. We’ll be sure to provide coverage of the release when it’s available, and we may be bringing you a certain blast from the past about Sakimoto’s work on the game in the near future. Now I’m just wondering how many discs it will be, as the score is pretty massive as I recall.

Are you surprised by this announcement? Will you be picking up the soundtrack when it’s released?

[via Basiscape’s Twitter, thanks Demetri!]
Game Music, Reviews

Basiscape Rocks Japanese Style With Oboromuramasa Soundtrack (Review)

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

I’ve been personally looking forward to this one for a long time. Muramasa was released last year, and it was starting to look as though it would suffer the same fate as Opoona without an official soundtrack release. However, December 2009 marked the formation of Basiscape Records, an in-house record label that made Basiscape soundtrack releases all but assured. We already looked at their first release, Kumatanchi, but I know a lot of people want to know more about the 3-disc soundtrack for Muramasa.

It’s definitely an interesting score, relying mainly on traditional Japanese instruments such as the shamisen and the shakuhachi, but the team at Basiscape has done a lot more than just rehash traditional Japanese music, and have injected their own unique styles and embellishments into the mix. Interestingly, to go along with the split stories in the game (there are two playable characters with different stories), many of the songs feature both an “A” and “B” version, providing a variation on each key theme, with the “A” version usually being more abstract and the “B” version being more rockin’.

Well, I’m getting ahead of myself. Read our review of Basiscape’s latest team effort after the jump! (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Basiscape Records Debut: Kumatanchi Original Soundtrack (Review)

January 15, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

While most people jumped on the Murasmasa soundtrack as a source of excitement at the announcement of Basiscape’s in-house record label, Basiscape Records, their debut release (BSPE-1001) is actually the Kumatanchi soundtrack for the DS. You’re probably with me in having no idea what this is (it was only released in Japan as far as I know), but it’s a Vanillaware title whose soundtrack you’ll definitely want to avoid judging by its cover (or its first track for that matter).

What’s here is an hour of music by Kimihiro Abe and Mitsuhiro Kaneda that is playful, quirky, and whimsical. It has a distinctly “gamey” sound with moments that will have you thinking of Secret of Mana, and others that will remind you of Basiscape’s own amazing score for Opoona. In fact, based on the style of music featured on the Kumatanchi soundtrack, I get the feeling that Abe and Kaneda were likely responsible for some of my favorite tracks from Opoona.

Find out what I mean, and if the Kumatanchi soundtrack is worth your time in our review of Basiscape Records’ first album release after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

3-Disc Muramasa Soundtrack Coming Soon Courtesy of Basiscape Records

November 11, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

Well, it’s not Opoona, but it’s a good sign from Basiscape. I was starting to worry that there wouldn’t be a soundtrack release for Muramasa, as it definitely deserves one. The soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment to the stunning traditional Japanese visuals, and it would have been a shame if the music had gone unreleased.

As I mentioned, the soundtrack will feature three discs of music, which I’m pretty certain doesn’t cover all the music in the game, but hey, it’s better than nothing. Even more, the release marks the debut of Basiscape Records, which will see Muramasa The Demon Blade Original Soundtrack as well as Kumatanchi Original Soundtrack both released on December 16, 2009. I hope having their own record label paves the way for a future Opoona soundtrack release, but in the meantime, look forward to both of these, as they should be something really special.

[via VGMdb]