60°

Lightning Returns Soundtrack Will Have Remixes

Square Enix has announced on their official music blog that Lightning Returns will be having remixes for its soundtrack. To compose few remixes, they have already hired a Japanese band, Language. It's still unknown will there be more bands/artists to remix songs for the soundtrack but it's possible.

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squareportal.net
RmanX10004431d ago

At least we can be thankful of that. The XIII Saga has an amazing soundtrack.

Pozzle4430d ago (Edited 4430d ago )

This is only my opinion, but I personally can't remember a single song from FFXIII (except for the Chocobo song with lyrics). The songs weren't bad, they were just...not really memorable imo.

I missed Nobuo Uematsu's music tbh. Since he left, the music in the FF series has been pretty hit and miss.

trenso14427d ago

really not even the song that plays in oerba in from the first XIII that ones my favorite

Capt-FuzzyPants4430d ago

Yeah the soundtrack is pretty awesome. I don't really agree with Pozzle. I can recall 1 or 2 songs from the game that are pretty good. Nascent Requiem is pretty good. But Serahs Theme is the one that comes to mind when I think of the music of FF 13.

-Gespenst-4430d ago

I think the XIII soundtracks are more of a musician / songwriter / composer's soundtrack, because they're some of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, and super memorable. Masashi Hamauzu is definitely an acquired taste, and you shouldn't write him off just because his music doesn't immediately gratify you. You should perhaps listen to a lot of other music before you come to it. It's more complex and rich with emotion than you probably realise or understand.

Pozzle4429d ago

I'm not saying it's bad music altogether or even that it's badly composed. But a well composed soundtrack doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be memorable or suit a particular game/movie/etc scene. And that was really my problem with it. It was just...background music. It never really made me want to replay a scene. It never really made me want to cry, or smile, or laugh. I remember playing FFX and never wanting to leave Zanarkand because I adored "Someday the Dream Will End" or wandering around FFVII's map for longer than necessary because I wanted to hear the whole map theme, or re-playing the battle with Ultimecia in FFVIII because the music that accompanied it was so epic, etc...

Whether someone likes Masashi Hamauzu or Nobuo Uematsu more is down to personal opinion, but I think Uematsu has more of a knack at creating tunes that stick with the player and enhance the scene that they're in (well, for the most part). Not that he's the only composer who can do this, of course. But apart from a few tracks in FFXIII, I never felt like it was an overly good or memorable soundtrack for a video game. It would be interesting to see what another composer would have done with the game.

-Gespenst-4429d ago

Yeah, well I sort of agree that maybe his songs didn't cohere with the game quite as well as Uematsu's stuff did, but it's still excellent music in its own right. I listen to the soundtracks often, as well as numerous others by him, its really amazing stuff. Sometimes I think it works with the overall feel of the game pretty well too.

vishmarx4431d ago

agreed .soundtrack was definitly upto ff standards(the old ones)

DragonKnight4430d ago

No it wasn't. Snow's Theme and the O'erba theme are the only two memorable tracks/good tracks in FFXIII. The Old FF games have music done by Uematsu, thus automatically superior.

AsheXII4430d ago

Memorable doesn't equal to quality. Lame jingles are memorable, its hard to get them off our heads. But they are not good music.

FFXIII had a sublime and ethereal soundtrack, was well composed, original and elegant.

torchic4430d ago (Edited 4430d ago )

what? the Oereba theme was my favourite, along with the boss battle theme with Orphan. the only one that sucked was the Mah'habara soundtrack.

Final Fantasy XIII had an expert soundtrack, put into a game that isn't popular to hate on and people would think similar.

DragonKnight4430d ago

"Memorable doesn't equal to quality."

For the Final Fantasy series it does. The soundtracks of the older games were so loved and memorable that people can have whole discussions about one track alone. FFVIII's Eyes on Me was so loved it was played in Japanese stores. FFXIII tried to replicate some themes reminiscent of FFX but failed to and the result is FFXIII contains the least memorable soundtrack of the entire series (with FF3 being the exception).

And I mean, comparing FFXIII's soundtrack to the work of the Legendary Nobuo Uematsu should already say enough to destroy the idea that FFXIII's soundtrack is as good as, say, FFVIII's soundtrack or FFIX's soundtrack which is Uematsu's favourite.

@torchic: The O'erba theme is a great theme. I wasn't putting it down. That theme, and Snow's Theme (best character theme in the entire main series) are probably the most memorable.

torchic4430d ago

yeah it looks like I read your comment wrong, my apologies :)

helghast1024430d ago

"The Old FF games have music done by Uematsu, thus automatically superior."

I really can't stand you Uematsu fanboys, what's next, you'll tell me that The Last Story has a better soundtrack than FFXIII?

He's a fantastic composer, but for gods sake shut up, he is not the be all end all.

DragonKnight4430d ago (Edited 4430d ago )

Considering the man is responsible for probably the most memorable music in the entire JRPG genre, there is good reason to be fans. He's not the only great composer though. You have Motoi Sakuraba, Masashi Hamauzu did some of my favourite FFX tracks, Yoko Shimomura was excellent in KH and Somnus.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4430d ago
DEATHxTHExKIDx4430d ago

kool I hope they include the OST in XIII-3 as well.

arronax-14430d ago

Um, are you talking about Lighting Returns (which is pretty much the same) or selling the soundtracks like how they did with XIII-2 Limited Edition?

DEATHxTHExKIDx4430d ago

Yea like with the XIII-2 limited edition it was great.

Unlimax4430d ago (Edited 4430d ago )

Sorry .. WHAT !?

*Flips the table* (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

DON'T EVER EVER , EVER tell me you want a 3rd game for XIII , EVER ಠ_ಠ !!!
Stop giving Square-enix ideas .. you will piss off alot of people if you meant that.

* Caps with anger ಠДಠ *

DragonKnight4430d ago

....

There's uh... already a 3rd game. It's Lightning Returns. -_-'

DEATHxTHExKIDx4430d ago

Lighting returns or XIII-3 either way this game is happening deal with it.

Chaos_Raiden4430d ago (Edited 4430d ago )

As much as I like Nobuo Uematsu's music contribution to Final Fantasy series, I think there are other people who should also show their musical talents in the series, like Masashi Hamauzu or Yoko Shimomura. I like his BGM compositions for Final Fantasy X, XIII and XIII-2, since they are well-composed and memorable to my ears. Unfortunately, his composition for FFXIII's Japanese theme song is weak, with a singer whose voice that I dislike for being unmemorable. When it comes to vocal songs, I feel that Nobuo Uematsu is way better in doing vocal songs by hiring the appropriate singers for the song, such as Faye Wong and Angela Aki.

Yoko Shimomura's works are stellar, especially her work 'Somnus' for Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Kingdom Hearts games.

With that being said, I also feel that Square Enix should have employed an all-star composers team for the FFXIII games, with Masashi Hamauzu, Nobuo Uematsu, and Yoko Shimomura. Three different composers, three different musical styles. Not only that will make fans happy, that will also clearly shows that there is a variety of musical styles for players to embrace and enjoy. A good example is Final Fantasy X's soundtrack, with three different composers.

People's musical tastes should not be insulted, as not everyone shares the same likes and dislikes. If you like the music, fine. If you dislike the music, don't go and insult someone else's liking for that particular music.

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160°

It Shouldn't Take Expedition 33's Success to Remind Square Enix That Turn-Based Still Sells

TNS: Expedition 33 was the wake-up call Square Enix needed, telling it turn-based RPGs are still popular, but that shouldn't have been the case.

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thenerdstash.com
Relientk7721h ago

True, but if it does get it through their thick skulls, then that works.

Although, the Dragon Quest 1 + 2 HD remakes will be turn-based and (the worst kept secret) Final Fantasy IX remake should be turn-based I would imagine. Let's see if any newer games go turn-based too.

thorstein17h ago(Edited 17h ago)

DQIII HD Remake was turned based and very successful. Then there was a really obscure turn based game came Balder's Gate 3. I heard it might have done well.

Profchaos14h ago

I wouldn't be shocked if they switched ff to the vii remake combat system

PapaBop10h ago

It won't get through to them though, despite E33's success, they still won't risk going fully turn based for their big budget projects simply because they are still in the mindset that it needs to be action combat to appeal to the mainstream audience. I hope I'm wrong but don't underestimate just how stubborn Japanese execs can be

barom2h ago

Ya'll are hyping up Expedition 33 too much. Reminder that FF XVI sold 3 million in a week and it took Expedition 33 approximately a month to get to that (33 days to reach 3.3 million).

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DivineHand12520h ago

While it is true that Sqaure Enix has moved away from turn based games compared to how they were in the past, there is a good reason for it.

Older gamers will know this but during the ps2 era, we were flooded with turned based games from Japanese studios and this created a form of fatigue back then going into the next generation.

When Square released FF13, they received heavy criticism for making the game turned based like every other FF game and not doing enough to innovate. This is why they made FF15, FF7 Remake and FF16 have real time combat. It gave the series a fresh spin and has brought in new fans to the series.

I personally would be happy with either turned based FF or the real-time combat version we see today.

Shane Kim19h ago

Remake and Rebirth have "turn based" if you set it in the settings.

Lexreborn217h ago

Dang wish I saw your post before I made mine because we definitely feel the same way lol

Profchaos14h ago(Edited 14h ago)

Yeah hit the nail on the head but its like ww2 games we get hundreds of them then a decade of nothing and people start missing them i think we're going to start seeing them return

Claire, dragon quest even yakuza have seen turn based return

andy8520h ago

Only need to look at their own game DQ 11 approaching 10 million to show there's a market. And that's not as big of a name as FF

Tacoboto20h ago

Another article about Expedition 33 and Square Enix and turn-based games? This is starting to sound like propaganda.

The game didn't sell because it's a turn-based game; it sold and is enjoyed because it's a really freaking good game that released completed at a good price without gamer drama attached to it. No Mtx, no wait-until-it's-patched, minimal bloat, a self-contained story, no multiplatform BS. Just a solid original game that absolutely nails what it intended to do.

Redemption-6419h ago

I was just about to say the same thing.

anast18h ago

This comment should have a 100 upvotes, at least.

CrimsonWing6919h ago

Maybe try actually listening to the fans who have supported the series for decades. This habit of ignoring your core audience just to chase people who were never interested in Final Fantasy in the first place makes no sense. And when that approach fails, doubling down on it is beyond baffling.

The battle system has never been the main reason non-FF or non-JRPG players stayed away. Gutting the series’ identity to chase a broader market doesn’t attract new players. It just alienates the loyal ones.

Keep going down this road and we’ll end up with Final Fantasy Fortnite abomination or a F2P Battle Royale game.. Oh wait…

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170°

Final Fantasy IX 25th Anniversary Lottery Announced

Do not miss the Final Fantasy IX lottery commemorating its 25th anniversary and see the new merch release by Square Enix.

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gamersocialclub.ca
jznrpg19d ago

It would be nice if they had the lottery in other parts of the world as well.

CrimsonWing6919d ago

I’m hoping Xbox Showcase will be where the Remake gets announced… freaking all this stuff with FF9’s anniversary and still nothing on the Remake…

50°

Square Enix Sales Drop but Profits Grow as it Aims to Shift from Quantity to Quality

Square Enix announced its financial results and the continued strategy for the Medium-Term Business Plan that will span two more years.

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simulationdaily.com
franwex43d ago

If Capcom managed to turn things around, I’m hoping that Square can too!