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In the states, video game music doesn’t essentially hold the same sway over the gaming public as it does in Japan. Sure, there are those select few that will import soundtracks no matter what the cost, the average American gamer prefers to wait until someone decides to release a domestic version. The one exception to the rule however seems to be anything from the Final Fantasy series. In fact, the FF soundtrack franchise actually surpasses the game series in sheer volume with the amount of releases quickly closing in on 40 releases. As you can imagine, the release of FF XI in Japan also heralded the release of a new soundtrack. These days, the OST releases are nearly simultaneous with the game launch and in many cases are launched earlier, probably in effort to generate even more hype and desire for the newest entry into the series. One other trick Square has mastered is the use of limited edition versions, and FF XI is no exception to the rule. With past releases, Square has used everything from hard plastic cases (FF IX) to clear plastic covers (FF X.) This time around, it’s artistic packaging coupled with a limited edition DVD. In many ways, FF XI is a reflection of the previous titles in the series, especially those from the early Nintendo days. The songs have a definite upbeat feel to them and are not nearly as dark as the last few games have been. In fact, the tracks in this collection have an almost European flavor to them and a few tracks even have seemingly been influenced by works such as FF: Celtic Moon. Chrono Trigger also appears to have been influential in the song writing process. Acoustic guitars can be heard on several tracks on the first disc. The now classic ‘crystal theme’ is well represented on the soundtrack, especially on the first track where it gives way to an amazing opera style piece that bears striking similarities to ‘Aria Di Mezzo Carattere’ (from FF VI) as well as Liberai Fatali (FF VIII.) However, the track stands on its own quite well and will almost assuredly become regarded as one of Uematsu’s finest compositions. Many long time fans also know of Uematus’s love of foreign languages and this CD is no exception as our title track is sang in Esperanto. Sadly however, there have been a few changes. The famous battle music is completely different to what we are all so familiar with. That’s not to say that the new music isn’t good, in fact it’s great, but why ruin a good thing? Additionally, we’ve all seen the screen shots that Square has been releasing for months and all fans know that chocobos' play a relevant part in the game. However, there’s no track at all representing that certain theme that’s as familiar as the crystal theme. As with Final Fantasy X, composer Nobuo Uematsu has employed the skills of two additional musicians. The one major difference however is that Naoshi Mizuta, and Kumi Tanioka actually have composed more of the tracks that Uematsu, who only wrote nine of the 50+ tracks. Although he did serve as producer for the soundtrack, one has to wonder if rumors of his departure from the series are indeed true. The liner notes may hold the answer, however, since they are in Japanese, this gaijin cannot make heads or tails of them. Yet, there may be a reason on Nobuo’s limited work on this soundtrack. To begin with, Square is already hard to work preparing Final Fantasy XII to be released in the next year. Taking into consideration that Uematsu has written well over 100 tracks for each of the last two installments into the series, it may be that Square decided to give him a much-deserved vacation. Also, Square as already announced that FF XI will be an ongoing series, with the company planning to release upgrade discs every few month. Perhaps it was wiser to hand the song writing reigns over to Kumi and Naoshi as opposed to attempt to handle all the writing himself. Whatever the case, the FF XI as amazing as previous soundtracks, perhaps even rivaling some in many ways. The limited edition version comes packaged with a bonus DVD, however it’s a region 2 disc and playable only on DVD players of this type or players have been ‘adjusted’ to accommodate region coding. Regardless of what format you choose, the music of FF XI is sure to not only appease but inspire you as well. -mike-
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