Did they really confirm this?Well between this and the "real time battle system" this remake is turning out to be a hot mess.
Fuck me. This sucks. The last time someone arranged a masterpiece that shit from FFX-HD happened.
Falk
My point was that they shouldn't make an orchestrated soundtrack because games love being Hollywood and 95% of the soundtracks that do, end up being generic and non-memorable i.e. everything classic Uematsu isnt. I haven't played any recent FF titles or remasters, so I don't really have any idea of how they are. I have, however, played recent SE published titles (mostly Eidos) and Absolution's soundtrack pales in comparison to Blood Money.
Did they really confirm this?
Not yet. People are taking the director, his expertise, and what he said about not having the same battle system, then connecting the dots.
I hope those dots dont connect in reality.
I have complete faith in the OST though, because there really hasnt ever been a bad FF soundtrack.
You need to calm down on this whole "rabble rabble nostalgia rabble rabble" angle you love to push.
Man, it really takes something else to reduce Final Fantasy VII of all games to something like that.
Make Hamauzu arrange it.
Falk
My point was that they shouldn't make an orchestrated soundtrack because games love being Hollywood and 95% of the soundtracks that do, end up being generic and non-memorable i.e. everything classic Uematsu isnt. I haven't played any recent FF titles or remasters, so I don't really have any idea of how they are. I have, however, played recent SE published titles (mostly Eidos) and Absolution's soundtrack pales in comparison to Blood Money.
You guys should listen to Pontus Hultgren's arrangements. I've listened to a lot of re-arrangements, but his ones feel like the best ones that can still fit in the game. He keeps the essence of the originals and adds a few light touches.
Holding my Thoughts in My Heart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzrwHrfTPJw
Bombing Mission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wt4EnfvfJc
Ahead on Our Way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh98X9FtiKU
I really want something close to his work.
On this subject. While I fully expect the battle system to be somewhat more active, they'd be hard pressed to go full on action RPG for a few reasons. The world's too big, the story too long, threw cast too diverse.
It's very difficult to make action RPGs that have the same scale as a turn based rpg. In action RPGs most environments and encounters are very carefully crafted to make certain that the player is seeing new situations frequently. The same level of crafting in a game the size and scope of FFVII would be a massive undertaking.
You guys should listen to Pontus Hultgren's arrangements. I've listened to a lot of re-arrangements, but his ones feel like the best ones that can still fit in the game. He keeps the essence of the originals and adds a few light touches.
Holding my Thoughts in My Heart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzrwHrfTPJw
Bombing Mission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wt4EnfvfJc
Ahead on Our Way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh98X9FtiKU
I really want something close to his work.
Did he do the arranged music for Final Fantasy Origins? I really loved the soundtrack in that game.
Here comes another falk tl;dr.
(Prefacing this with another disclaimer that I am not discussing FFVIIr's development workings at all, but drawing from my own existing experiences with other projects that already are released as commercial games, interspersed with my own opinions. Sorry, too many people have quoted me out of context that I pretty much need to drop these disclaimers, heh)
Well yeah, I think we can all agree that for the case of an updated arrangement for use in a game in the same context, e.g. as boss music keeping the feel the same feel/genre is paramount.
You're probably referring to the AC version of Still More Fighting, where the beginning riff isn't identical, and then it goes into techno. The intention of the music there is completely different. AC isn't supposed to be a spruced up version of Final Fantasy 7. The arrangement there isn't supposed to be a 1:1 faithful-to-original.
Another example that's been brought up in this thread is orchestrated Man with the Machine Gun. I think a lot of people simply are getting confused between 'arrangement' and 'orchestration' as I mentioned previously in the thread. The two aren't synonymous. The whole point of an orchestration, is to make the music playable by an orchestra in a live concert setting. Obviously it's not going to sound like the original, and obviously the intention for that was never to be used in a game, nor is it supposed to function as a 'HD version' or 'modern version' of the track.
Square Enix has had multiple HD remakes in multiple franchises, of which the soundtracks were touched up to varying degrees. You don't see the genres jump that much (even in the context of the 'controversial' FFX-HD music remaster, which I think the rearrangements are stellar, but that's another topic altogether).
If anything, the feel of the tracks for games that are meant to be the an updated version of the game are kept intact. These projects generally get overseen by the original composers as well. We had Yoko Shimomura signing off on every single track in the KH collections.
Also diving a little deeper into the nostalgia factor (Sorry, it does need to be said), the original tracks simply resonate a different way with different people. I'll just use myself as an example. There's an tinny, lo-fi quality to the chime synths used in Anxious Heart that I associate with the desolation of the scenes that use that track in the original FF7. Other people might not pick up on that. Some people might simply like the formant-y, chuggy, disjointed sound of the electric guitars of the PSX sound chip belting out Still More Fighting. You're simply not going to get that effect with real guitars.
There's a difference between keeping the feel of a track and paying utmost respect to the original when updating their sounds, and fulfilling every attachment that every single fan has ever had with the original. The former is and should always be a priority. The latter is a practical impossibility.
All that being said, FF7r really is on a remake scale that's unprecedented for Square Enix. At this point, anyone from the outside looking in really doesn't have enough information to make a call on what fits and what doesn't. For all you know, even updated versions of the tracks, faithfully recreated 1:1 with modern techniques, might not fit the overall aesthetic, since the original game is really a very charming cross between hyper-gritty and super-deformed aesthetic inherent to that early 3D era in gaming.
I think that all the assertions that the music is going to be shit just because, or that they aren't going to fit, or that Square Enix are 'going to screw it up', are really rather premature.
I just hope they let us choose between original or remastered music, like in one of the FFIV remaster.
As long as they're keeping all the old music and simply rearranging them, we should be fine, and it seems to be par for the course with a remake. Junya Nakano did a really nice job rearranging the soundtrack of FFIV to sound fresh, but faithful to the original, and Takeharu Ishimoto did great work with Dissidia and Crisis Core.
And as far as original composers go, Masashi Hamauzu is pretty amazing too. XIII had a great soundtrack and he filled Uematsu's gaps on FFX very nicely.
I wouldn't have any objections to this at all.
Here comes another falk tl;dr.
(Prefacing this with another disclaimer that I am not discussing FFVIIr's development workings at all, but drawing from my own existing experiences with other projects that already are released as commercial games, interspersed with my own opinions. Sorry, too many people have quoted me out of context that I pretty much need to drop these disclaimers, heh)
Well yeah, I think we can all agree that for the case of an updated arrangement for use in a game in the same context, e.g. as boss music keeping the feel the same feel/genre is paramount.
You're probably referring to the AC version of Still More Fighting, where the beginning riff isn't identical, and then it goes into techno. The intention of the music there is completely different. AC isn't supposed to be a spruced up version of Final Fantasy 7. The arrangement there isn't supposed to be a 1:1 faithful-to-original.
Another example that's been brought up in this thread is orchestrated Man with the Machine Gun. I think a lot of people simply are getting confused between 'arrangement' and 'orchestration' as I mentioned previously in the thread. The two aren't synonymous. The whole point of an orchestration, is to make the music playable by an orchestra in a live concert setting. Obviously it's not going to sound like the original, and obviously the intention for that was never to be used in a game, nor is it supposed to function as a 'HD version' or 'modern version' of the track.
Square Enix has had multiple HD remakes in multiple franchises, of which the soundtracks were touched up to varying degrees. You don't see the genres jump that much (even in the context of the 'controversial' FFX-HD music remaster, which I think the rearrangements are stellar, but that's another topic altogether).
If anything, the feel of the tracks for games that are meant to be the an updated version of the game are kept intact. These projects generally get overseen by the original composers as well. We had Yoko Shimomura signing off on every single track in the KH collections.
Also diving a little deeper into the nostalgia factor (Sorry, it does need to be said), the original tracks simply resonate a different way with different people. I'll just use myself as an example. There's an tinny, lo-fi quality to the chime synths used in Anxious Heart that I associate with the desolation of the scenes that use that track in the original FF7. Other people might not pick up on that. Some people might simply like the formant-y, chuggy, disjointed sound of the electric guitars of the PSX sound chip belting out Still More Fighting. You're simply not going to get that effect with real guitars.
There's a difference between keeping the feel of a track and paying utmost respect to the original when updating their sounds, and fulfilling every attachment that every single fan has ever had with the original. The former is and should always be a priority. The latter is a practical impossibility.
All that being said, FF7r really is on a remake scale that's unprecedented for Square Enix. At this point, anyone from the outside looking in really doesn't have enough information to make a call on what fits and what doesn't. For all you know, even updated versions of the tracks, faithfully recreated 1:1 with modern techniques, might not fit the overall aesthetic, since the original game is really a very charming cross between hyper-gritty and super-deformed aesthetic inherent to that early 3D era in gaming.
I think that all the assertions that the music is going to be shit just because, or that they aren't going to fit, or that Square Enix are 'going to screw it up', are really rather premature.
To be honest even I thought that they might get him on boat for a big "The legend is back!" promo campaign and I am aware (and happy) that this will be a radical new take on the original.I thought this was clear? Some people need to come back to reality. This come wont be like the original anymore.
Another disaster like FFX HD's remixes incoming.
"If we're remastering the soundtrack, we might as well change it dramatically than conservatively, right?" Uematsu said.
My god, the upgraded FFX soundtrack is so good. Maybe it's just my imagination, but the Vita ver seemed to have a low quality feel to it (to fit on the card?), but listening to the tracks on youtube ... I especially like the new Besaid track people are so up in arms about.
If only Yuna and Tidus' faces weren't such a step down from the original ...
My god, the upgraded FFX soundtrack is so good. Maybe it's just my imagination, but the Vita ver seemed to have a low quality feel to it (to fit on the card?), but listening to the tracks on youtube ... I especially like the new Besaid track people are so up in arms about.
You guys should listen to Pontus Hultgren's arrangements. I've listened to a lot of re-arrangements, but his ones feel like the best ones that can still fit in the game. He keeps the essence of the originals and adds a few light touches.
Holding my Thoughts in My Heart:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzrwHrfTPJw
Bombing Mission:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wt4EnfvfJc
Ahead on Our Way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh98X9FtiKU
I really want something close to his work.
Why? It's the worst way to play the game. Unless you have other option.Jeez. I need to play the PS1 game again btw.
"Why would he be?"
I don't know, maybe because he said he wanted to.
https://twitter.com/Nova_Crystallis/status/642754069896015872
I don't understand this need from some people for Squeenix to adhere to the original as most as possible. Particularly soundtrack-wise, this game needs new arrangements. Technically it never sounded good. I really wouldn't mind if they took chances and had something like this for Farm Boy, for example.
If you want the original game, the original is available for you to play.
That is the conceit of this remake.Nostalgia?
I don't think it's as big a deal as people make it to be (Square has many more composers who are totally apt for the job), it's just that I understand why people would be reticent to having someone else work on the score for their childhood defining game.Doesn't mean he needs to be involved. The score was finished 20 something years ago.
I hear Cloud will be voiced by Keifer Sutherland also
But just take a listen to these 18 remastered tracks by a fan.
He's down a great job of keeping the feel of the old arrangements.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh98X9FtiKU&list=PLxAX2CW8tcpq9Sg-wrwSyQh_5gs-mMcOv&index=9
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.
Which rearrangements do you mean? I don't think Uematsu has ever rearranged his own music himself except for the Dear Friends album of FFV.