Farore said:
I just watched the intro and I think people is over reacting... the tune is not bad and this is no different than ToS...
For those worried about the music: if you liked ToS OST, you'll like this... it's typical Sakuraba/Tamura style + old/new/remixed tunes.
One really strong point about the soundtrack: BATTLE THEMES. They are
really good... the new ones are excellent and the remixes of the old ones are better than the originals
...
There weren't a lot of JGAF impressions... and the only bad one was Bebpo's...
I don't think it's that the tune is bad, per se. It's just that it didn't "go" with the animated sequences, or it didn't fit the tone or mood I wanted to feel while watching the scenes. This has more to do with timing and trying to retrofit new music to a set clip. It really changes how I interpret the scenes.
Here's my "interpretations" based on the music for the intro:
The original song didn't match perfectly and the voice is kind of grating, but I liked the nicely aligned parts. For example, when the drums roll while quickly panning down from the sky, when a scene change or new action begins with a new sentence, or when the voice slows but remains strong for "quieter" scenes.. little things like that. Plus, since it was upbeat and generally faster in tempo, it gave the intro more energy, making it seem shorter. The steady-but-fast beating at the end was like a heart beating in anticipation of a big adventure/racing after the slew of "action" that took place in the scenes prior. It makes me want to see what happens next.
For the English intro, on the other hand, stretches out the whole intro. The start of the music matched well I think, building up to the title. I think the crescendo for the more action-filled scenes following was good, but then there was a big dissonance with the softer music when Marta's crystal shatters. The part that disappointed me most was the last 30 seconds where the music stays quiet to "die", aligning itself with already-quiet scenes. I really didn't like how it dragged what I thought I should be anticipating down. It makes me feel like the game is already over.
I think I like this english intro's music better than ToS's though.
I have middling hopes for this game still, and I wonder if after they finish the remaining 4 OVAs for Tales of Symphonia, if they will add in another 4 episodes to cover this game as well (or at least allude to it).
