Naoshi Mizuta

Game Music, Reviews

Fifth Time’s The Charm? FFXI: Seekers of Adoulin OST (Review)

July 10, 2013 | Richard McDonald | 3 Comments Share this

Seekers of Adoulin is the latest expansion for the long-running MMORPG Final Fantasy XI; the music, as with the four previous expansions, is composed by Naoshi Mizuta. I have to admit, Naoshi Mizuta is relatively unknown to me. Looking though his discography, I realize that I’ve not played any games where he is the sole composer (Street Fighter Alpha, Parasite Eve II, etc) and he hasn’t stood out for me when collaborating with Final Fantasy veterans Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu. So this review will be based entirely on the soundtrack, without any context of how the music worked in the game.

More, after the jump. (more…)
Doujin, Game Music

5 Quick Questions: Land Of Vana’Diel (August 2012)

August 1, 2012 | Audun Sorlie | 1 Comment Share this

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Game Music, Reviews

FINAL FANTASY XI Vana♪Con Anniversary 11.11.11 (Review)

March 26, 2012 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on FINAL FANTASY XI Vana♪Con Anniversary 11.11.11 (Review) Share this

Izumi Tsukushi and Akio Shiraishi told us there would be several music releases over the course of 2012 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy. We’ve already reviewed the first PIANO OPERA album, but this DVD recording celebrating the anniversary of Final Fantasy XI was actually the first release in this celebration.

Recorded on November 11, 2011 at the Vana Con event in Japan, this is a live recording of the one-off concert that took place to commemorate nine years of Final Fantasy XI.

Hit the jump for our review. (more…)
Featured, Game Music, Reviews

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Original Soundtrack: A Palace of Pleasure (Review)

December 23, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 17 Comments Share this

Square Enix has been really good lately about throwing convention out the window. Actually, I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not as people would argue that the Final Fantasy VII spin-offs hurt the series more than helped it, and after watching a trailer for Final Fantasy X-2 where Yuna jumped in slow motion while firing dual pistols, I didn’t come within 10 feet of the game. Despite these things, I’m kind of excited about Final Fantasy XIII-2, in part because they’re ignoring convention.

Featuring music by Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mizuta, Mitsuto Suzuki, and a few others, is the Final Fantasy XIII-2 soundtrack diluted and unmemorable or a successful experiment?

Find out in our review after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Finally Complete: Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack –Plus- (Review)

November 11, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 4 Comments Share this

We joked with Izumi Tsukushi and Akio Shiraishi about completing the circle for Final Fantasy XI, as there were several tracks from the final Abyssea expansion and other add-ons that had never been released. We were wondering if a final complete box was on the way, but instead, Square Enix has decided to augment the Premium Box with subsequent releases, of which –PLUS- should be the last.

The album contains 12 tracks from the aforementioned expansions as well as a second disc dedicated entirely to music from the PlayOnline gaming portal that Square Enix used for Final Fantasy XI and Tetra Master.

Check out our review of the two-disc collection after the jump. (more…)
Game Music, Reviews

Naoshi Mizuta’s Fantasy Fulfilled: Final Fantasy Legends (Review)

August 29, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I would say the chances of Final Fantasy Legends coming out in the US are pretty slim, but then again I thought we’d never get The After Years. For those who are unfamiliar, the game was an episodic Final Fantasy spin-off released in Japan on mobile phones with music composed by Naoshi Mizuta.

Square Enix was kind enough to release the game’s soundtrack via iTunes in Japan after the final episode had been released. Do the 90+ minutes of RPG music by Mizuta strike that nostalgic chord, or do they fall flat?

Hit the jump for our review! (more…)
Featured, Game Music

Square Enix Composer Series: Naoshi Mizuta Talks FFXI and Parasite Eve

April 12, 2011 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Square Enix Composer Series: Naoshi Mizuta Talks FFXI and Parasite Eve Share this

Next up in our series of interviews with Square Enix composers is Naoshi Mizuta, who is mainly known for his work on Final Fantasy XI. While XI dominates our discussion, we also touch on his work on the Four Warriors of Light, one of my favorite works of his, and the recently re-released Parasite Eve 2 soundtrack, which Mizuta has interesting things to say about.

Looking forward to more Final Fantasy XI CD releases? How about an arrange album? Find out what Naoshi Mizuta and Square Enix have in store for fans in our interview after the jump. (more…)