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Nobuo Uematsu won't be working on the Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Thread starter Edge_Maverick
- Start date
TreasureHunterG
Banned
WTF. Hype went down.
NinjaCoachZ
Member
Last I heard it was Winter? I'm guessing it'll be December around the Playstation Experience.
They won't use the original version of the soundtrack, but I can guarantee they will use the same compositions. Simply rearranged with either real instruments or synth. Every SE remake has simply rearranged the tracks. They've never chucked out an entire soundtrack.
Same themes, different arrangements. What did you expect? They're not going to use the original 1997 PSX-synth versions.
ArkhamFantasy
Member
Wait, are you saying you want the PS1 audio in this?
Oh yeah, good old Square banning composer names when they go freelance...
Chrono Trigger SNES:
Chrono Trigger PS1:
Wow.
Motherfuckers.
This was going to be my joke post!
Although...by the time the remake is released in
That's fine. Uematsu has never been a good arranger anyway. Square has a lot of talented arrangers in their sound team so I am not worried at all.
edit: reading through some of the reactions in this thread is hilarious. Do you really think Square will compose a completely new soundtrack just because Uematsu isn't involved? They'll do what they've always done with these remakes/remasters: Keep the core soundtrack intact and rearrange them. Keeping Uematsu out of this is good since to my knowledge he has never arranged or orchestrated any of his compositions himself. There are better persons for this kind of job.
Uematsu composed the new original tracks of Advent Children, but all re-arranged tracks from the original game were arranged by others. The AC Version of OWA was arranged by Kenichiro Fukui for example.
Not every great composer is a great arranger. FF has a ton of arrangement albums and none of them were arranged/orchestrated by Uematsu himself.
edit: reading through some of the reactions in this thread is hilarious. Do you really think Square will compose a completely new soundtrack just because Uematsu isn't involved? They'll do what they've always done with these remakes/remasters: Keep the core soundtrack intact and rearrange them. Keeping Uematsu out of this is good since to my knowledge he has never arranged or orchestrated any of his compositions himself. There are better persons for this kind of job.
Bummer. He did the composition/arrangements for Advent Children -and he did an epic job in my opinion- so I was expecting him to return for the remake
Oh well, I bet others can do a great job too, like Ishimoto, or the composer who did some of the G-Bike arrangements:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyW6w-mKTQ0
So, I'm really ok if the remake sounds a bit like that heh
Uematsu composed the new original tracks of Advent Children, but all re-arranged tracks from the original game were arranged by others. The AC Version of OWA was arranged by Kenichiro Fukui for example.
Not every great composer is a great arranger. FF has a ton of arrangement albums and none of them were arranged/orchestrated by Uematsu himself.
Talk about overreacting.
Shadow Ranger
Member
Kinda sad, but then again I wouldn't expect brand new compositions, just new, modern used arrangements.
If I'm honest, VII has a dated OST that just needs (and has) plenty of updated arrangements. VIII aged much better (also preferred that OST) than VII, personally.
Whatever the case, some tracks will be better, some won't. Expect to see plenty of purists complain and plenty of others be perfectly indifferent (just like X HD, then).
I for one would be satisfied if they use the AC renditions of the battle/boss themes but maybe tone it down just a notch. They can keep OWA as is from AC though as it's perfect.
If I'm honest, VII has a dated OST that just needs (and has) plenty of updated arrangements. VIII aged much better (also preferred that OST) than VII, personally.
Whatever the case, some tracks will be better, some won't. Expect to see plenty of purists complain and plenty of others be perfectly indifferent (just like X HD, then).
I for one would be satisfied if they use the AC renditions of the battle/boss themes but maybe tone it down just a notch. They can keep OWA as is from AC though as it's perfect.
legacyzero
Banned
FUCK
APZonerunner
Member
Smart money is on Takeharu Ishimoto, I think - he did Crisis Core, Before Crisis and Last Order in the FF7 world, in all those cases working heavily with Uematsu's themes. In this, he has a history of working with Nomura on the compilation, also. Beyond that work on FF7, he's tended to be Square's go-to guy for arrangement work - for Dissidia, for the menus etc in Theatrhythm, and so on and so forth. He's still in-house at Square, of course, and just got done with Type-0 HD and is currently doing Dissidia Arcade.
I'd place the second place outside runner as Tsuyoshi Sekito; he also has a history with FF7 having worked on Advent Children and the like alongside Uematsu, but he doesn't do as much work horse game work as Ishimoto and isn't in-house at Square.
It won't be Shimomura; I've seen people suggesting that a lot but I imagine it's deeply unlikely, since she's of a size/fame herself that taking up a job that'll primarily be arrangement rather than composition is, for lack of a better word, a bit 'below' her. She's also said in interviews in the past she finds working with the themes/work of others very difficult. Hamauzu does have the 7 experience - he did Dirge - but arguably his sound failed to fit that universe, and he would probably have to be offered a huge sack of money to do it now, as well, with his own label and all that - which I imagine is why he only returned for a few tracks each on 13-2 and LR. As far as Mizuta goes, I think he's great, but has no history with the FF7 brand and is also fairly consistently working on FF14.
I really think Ishimoto is the smart bet - and I'd be okay with that. Crisis Core had him demonstrate he has a really strong understanding and feel for the world and tone of FF7, and I think he could do a great job. His one weakness is he really likes to go for cheesy, hefty guitar too often (Type-0 suffers this as well), but Type-0 also proves that if he's given a good orchestrator he can produce some really stellar work. Indeed, he'd be my pick to score FF15, to be honest. His Crisis Core work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTIWd_LJyvM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo0_K52BZr0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEpoiiehuXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZt1lBWr_zM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpsDpKFuGPY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0XxYKa5i-k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMN6AoNlL9M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mJeyz7E6hQ
I'd place the second place outside runner as Tsuyoshi Sekito; he also has a history with FF7 having worked on Advent Children and the like alongside Uematsu, but he doesn't do as much work horse game work as Ishimoto and isn't in-house at Square.
It won't be Shimomura; I've seen people suggesting that a lot but I imagine it's deeply unlikely, since she's of a size/fame herself that taking up a job that'll primarily be arrangement rather than composition is, for lack of a better word, a bit 'below' her. She's also said in interviews in the past she finds working with the themes/work of others very difficult. Hamauzu does have the 7 experience - he did Dirge - but arguably his sound failed to fit that universe, and he would probably have to be offered a huge sack of money to do it now, as well, with his own label and all that - which I imagine is why he only returned for a few tracks each on 13-2 and LR. As far as Mizuta goes, I think he's great, but has no history with the FF7 brand and is also fairly consistently working on FF14.
I really think Ishimoto is the smart bet - and I'd be okay with that. Crisis Core had him demonstrate he has a really strong understanding and feel for the world and tone of FF7, and I think he could do a great job. His one weakness is he really likes to go for cheesy, hefty guitar too often (Type-0 suffers this as well), but Type-0 also proves that if he's given a good orchestrator he can produce some really stellar work. Indeed, he'd be my pick to score FF15, to be honest. His Crisis Core work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTIWd_LJyvM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo0_K52BZr0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEpoiiehuXQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZt1lBWr_zM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpsDpKFuGPY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0XxYKa5i-k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMN6AoNlL9M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mJeyz7E6hQ
Digital-Hero
Member
Oh yeah, good old Square banning composer names when they go freelance...
Chrono Trigger SNES:
Chrono Trigger PS1:
Jeez. I need to play the PS1 game again btw.
QuantumZebra
Member
C'mon, let's not let FFXV opinion drip into this game too
I can't fathom Square screwing up FFVII.
These are wonderful, but their arrangement of "You Can Hear the Cries of the Planet" doesn't quite capture the eeriness of the original imo.
Front Mission Gun Hazard too. Not to mention to help from him on The Chocobo Dungeon game too. He was the one who hired him as well.
Then you have the concert series stuff both in Germany and the Distant Worlds concerts, FFX remastered, and the piano arrangement albums too.
I want the same story beats, the same locations with the same layouts, the same character designs, the same music with the same instrumentation, the same gameplay, the same script. Now of course, when I put it like that, it makes a remake sound entirely pointless. But here's the key: the changes I want are entirely technical. And we can pretend all day that technical aspects don't really matter, but then I have a bridge to sell you. Graphics and sound hugely matter in a sprawling, cinematic, story-based game. FF7's ambitions outpaced the technical realities of the day. That much is clear to see.
Let's be very clear: the number one reason by far that so many people wanted a remake is that FF7 is woefully outdated technically, NOT because people want a "new take" or "new spin" on an old game. We don't want fancy, funky new arrangements of the old songs; we just want live instrumentation. We don't want new designs of Cloud and Tifa, just new character models that mirror original concept art. We don't want new locations, just the old locations fully rendered in 3D.
And I know I'm not speaking for everyone. But I do know I'm speaking for the majority of people who have been clamoring for this remake for over a decade. One day games are going to reach a point of technical sophistication where the idea of remaking them will provoke the same outrage displayed when a classic movie gets remade, rather than the joy and elation we saw at Sony's E3 conference. But until then, let's be clear exactly what it is most gamers want out of a remake. We don't want a whole new experience. We want the same experience with modern graphics and sound, and possibly a few modern conveniences.
Of course, game remakes are rarely so conservative. And so, realistically, I'm fine with FF7 Remake being its own thing. I have enjoyed plenty of things that don't live up to my own personal requirements (MGS V for example), and I will approach FF7 Remake with an open mind as well, even if it is completely different from the original.
HerroRygar
Member
Oh yeah, good old Square banning composer names when they go freelance...
Chrono Trigger SNES:
Chrono Trigger PS1:
Hooooly shit, I did not know that.
They should let Jonne Valtonen or Roger Wanamo arrange it! Only half-serious here, since they are mainly known for their classical concert arrangements, but it would be interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t12_s41pon4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t12_s41pon4
An Ishimoto/Hamauzu tag-team for arrangement would be great. The own label for Hamauzu isn't really a big deal though, as he's still working hard on SE projects. While founding Monomusik he worked on XIII-2, LR, FFXHD, and now TWoFF. Not to mention the Final Symphony I and II concerts, the Final Symphony album, and the XIII Piano arrange album he worked on since departing the company.
Re: Shimomura, a good way to phrase it is to say that it's not really her skillset. She's not very good at arrangement and re-orchestration as her main focus, imo. Her skillset is better suited towards composition.
Orchestration and arrangement are really fucking tough skills to learn and are extremely tedious, detail-oriented jobs that are tough to be good at, which is why orchestrators are frequently used for almost all projects.
Honestly though, Ishimoto hasn't really done a ton of arrangement work (for remasters/medium transfers, not his stuff in own games/compositions) that I can remember, and mostly sticks to composition. You'd be better off looking at someone like Hamauzu and Nakano who've proven their skill sets with regards to arrangements.
Composer, Arranger, and Orchestrator skillsets all involve some really really different abilities.
Of all the big names, I'd rather it not be Shimomura. A lot of the compositions in FFVII don't sound like something she would do, and thus I don't think she could handle the arrangements as effectively.
Not a big fan of Shimomura's arrangements, anyway. I like her original stuff much more.
Not a big fan of Shimomura's arrangements, anyway. I like her original stuff much more.
He'd be my pick, too. His work on XIII-2 and LR was outstanding. Caius' Theme is the only FF villain theme which rivals OWA imo.
(You can thank Miyano's orchestration for that one just as much tbqh)
Yeah, Caius' Theme immediately comes to mind when I think of FF music. It succeeds OWA, imo. They're totally different types of tracks, though. Caius' theme is a character theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8vXYBEvSow
I wish he'd work on something and take creative ownership of it. He's always a side composer or working on other games that aren't as well known. Seems more like a composer by committee kinda guy.
Altered Juice
Member
Probably going to remix the tracks. I really enjoyed the songs he composed for xiv (1.0)
No doubt about it, she's amazing. Her work on the Credits Theme is equally great.
On that note, do you know what was the extent of her work on the Ni No Kuni OST?
He's had to hold FFXI on his shoulders alone for the past 10 years. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time to spearhead other projects I guess. The real shame is that he and Suzuki have been relegated to mobile games lately. :/
KZXcellent
Member
Takeharu Ishimoto is my pick.
That I don't. But what I could offer is, when people hire her, generally it's because they want her touch/arrangement, as opposed to simply making sure stuff is playable by live musicians.
Slayer-33
Liverpool-2
Omg those are awesome, specially the ones on top
Well, you better jump ship now. This won't end well for you.
eye cum negotiator
Banned
I suppose you're ok with settling for less.
NoKisum
Member
But I wasn't joking. =/
I've heard some orchestral-esque remixes coming out of OC Remix. Plus, I remember fans praising when Capcom reached out for remixing Street Fighter II. Can't the same be done here? Make the big fans of FF7 feel involved and make the game feel like a love letter to all the long time fans.
Having the same composer rearrange their own music is incredibly important, in my opinion, especially when translating it to actual orchestral recording from an old Playstation game.
Look at the rearranged score of Halo in 343's Anniversary edition, for example. It definitely lost something in the arrangement with how they handled the voices at times, as well as obscuring some of the good musical cues.
It's not hopeless obviously, but a lot can go wrong.
Look at the rearranged score of Halo in 343's Anniversary edition, for example. It definitely lost something in the arrangement with how they handled the voices at times, as well as obscuring some of the good musical cues.
It's not hopeless obviously, but a lot can go wrong.
Meccanical
Member
Uematsu isn't really all that great nowadays, in my opinion.
You know, he Uematsu could rearrange the music and you would probably still not like it just because it isn't one hundred percent the same or how you personally imagined it should sound.
Just a thought.
I already love his rearrangements that he's already done, so not really in my case.
But I'm sure those people would be out there. But that's a different argument to be had.
edit: He's also not infallible, so there's also a chance he wouldn't do the best job to my liking, as well. But I'd much rather have the original artist remake their own work for a remade game.
Its gonna be Ishimoto! I'm putting all my cards on it! I would not mind of both Yoko and he did parts of the soundtrack
Personally speaking, i don't understand why anyone would think Uematsu would do that soundtrack, he's been away from the company for years, and hasn't worked on FF7 for like 20. He's never going back. That's like expecting Sakaguchi to just randomly come back for some reason. They are happy being independent
Personally speaking, i don't understand why anyone would think Uematsu would do that soundtrack, he's been away from the company for years, and hasn't worked on FF7 for like 20. He's never going back. That's like expecting Sakaguchi to just randomly come back for some reason. They are happy being independent
DiipuSurotu
Banned
What are you talking about. He did the soundtrack for the latest mainline numbered FF.
Oyashrio-Sama
Member
That sucks... Norbert Uhmatsan's is my favorite game composer.