The whopping four disc soundtrack to Final Fantasy XIII was released in Japan last week. The series is well known for exceptional scores, which is probably why such a lavish collection was possible. The OST boasts 85 total tracks with some fancy packaging to boot. For more details you can check out the official website of the soundtrack here.
Bleak Harvest was nice enough to provide me with a link to download the OST and I figured it was only fair to perpetuate his kindness by linking to it here on the site. I highly recommend giving it a listen since this will be the most complete soundtrack the game will receive. The one bundled with the PAL special edition certainly pales in comparison.
For the sake of completion I have included both the Japanese and English tracklisting which can be found below. Enjoy and if anyone wants to stick a mirror in the comments be my guest!
Composer: Masashi Hamauzu
Japanese release date: January 27th
Discs: 4
Download link: here
Tracklisting:
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I really feel bad constantly writing about such expensive shit. I know times are tough, especially with a long year of must-own games stretching out in front of us… But this Odin figure may be the last piece of Final Fantasy XIII memorabilia this year, with an estimated release of sometime in July. By that time, most of you will have already bought the game and decided if it’s uber-lame or not. Anyway, the going price on Amiami is 15,550 yen which is a discounted price believe it or not. That translates to roughly $170 USD.
Surprisingly enough, I was able to find the figure on Kidnemo for $159.99 which is less than the price in Japan — that is a rarity.
In addition to being able to transform between Odin and Odin’s gestalt mode, the blades can be used by the Play Arts Lightning figure. How is that for cohesion? I assume she can also ride on the gestalt horsey but since I don’t know the joint capabilities of these figures it’s hard to say for sure. A better question may be can Lightning even stand while holding those blades?
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In more Square Enix blunder news, a video of the tech demo for an aborted action title has been leaked to the public. The game which has been codenamed “Fortress” is said to be a continuation on the events of Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, taking place some time after the later.
The leak comes directly from staff members of the now defunct Swedish developer of the title, GRIN. Apparently Square Enix reclaimed the outsourced project after being none too thrilled with GRIN’s work. Shortly after GRIN filed bankruptcy, partially due to not being paid for the 6 months they put into Fortress. This seems like a dick move since I kind of dig the video. I daresay it makes me think of Final Fantasy XII meets Demon’s Souls *drool* Also the concept art is kinda cool.
The project was handed off to another unknown developer and is reportedly still in development. Fortress is said to be for PS3, Xbox, and PC.
A massive action game set in Ivalice sounds like a recipe for success. I am definitely curious about what will come of all this, but I still feel kinda bad about what happened to GRIN.
In an interview with Isamu Kamikokuryou, art directer of Final Fantasy XIII, it was revealed that a substantial amount of content was removed from the game. When discussing the cut material, Kamikokuryo explained that the decision was made due to concerns over “volume”, aka the sheer size of the game.
Why would size be a concern I wonder?
Oh, that’s right, it’s because the game is also being ported to a less powerful game system in America! Before continuing I wish to issue a formal apology to all of Japan, we fucked up your game, you deserve better.
If you are among the fans who imported the game and are wondering what you’re missing out on, here is a list of contents that were cut:
- Lightning’s House with an exterior which is described as “park-like”
- Levraut Store (?????) had an interior which was NORA’s secret base
- In addition to Nautilus being an amusement park, there was also a Zoo
- and more adding up to roughly ANOTHER FULL GAME
More details should come out when the article is officially published, presumably in Dengeki magazine.
I am especially interested in the contents concerning the rebel group, NORA. I really felt that they were under developed yet strangely emphasized throughout the game.
I suppose there are two different ways that we still may see this content. The first being DLC perhaps, although this seems unlikely. The second possibility is an “International” edition of the game which should be released in about a year or so in Japan. These are generally released with additional contents. It should also be noted that America has never received a translation of an International version of any Final Fantasy, contrary to the name.
For obvious reasons I am disappointed and my bitterness towards aforementioned rival gaming-system has increased dramatically. Hopefully this will turn Square Enix off from any similar dealings with Microsoft.
The most recent Final Fantasy release has felt like a long time coming, with layer upon layer of hype building to the December 17th release in Japan. Between the hype and the esteemed lineage of the series the obvious question is does the game live up to both? That’s a dumb question – anyway, here are my thoughts:
STRAIGHT AS AN ARROW
One of the main differences with the game and most Final Fantasies or RPGs in general is a striking linearity early on. Many maps from the game are essentially a straight line. While mildly disappointed at first, I found that this kept me motivated to progress in the story. When games become too open, I generally dick around a lot. While a balance may be optimal I think this is the creators’ way of pushing the player forward to become more involved with the story.
The game does open up at about the 20 hour mark in which hunts become available. Hunts will have you running all over Gran Pulse, an enormous plain-lands similar to the Calm Lands in Final Fantasy X, but with way more monsters. There are an insane number of hunts to tackle and they can be quite difficult.
The greatest freedom allowed to the player comes in the form of character customization. Again, at about the 20 hour mark, every character will have access to all 6 roles of the Crystarium system. To explain this simply, imagine that you’re playing Final Fantasy X and every character starts in the middle of each other character’s sphere grid.
This system requires some thought, however, since it’s better to be an expert at a few roles than a master of none. While the player only controls their party leader, allies must be maintained just as meticulously. Depending on how far you are in the story, there is a cap as to how far you can progress along the grid. This leaves the player the option of developing other roles, or saving up their CP for when the next level is unlocked.
Another aspect of the game which allows for some variance is the weapon/accessory system. I think this may be one of the more unique and fun elements of the game. Basically there are two types of items you can fuse to your equipment. One attaches an EXP bonus, the other grants substantial EXP. By maximizing the EXP bonus on the item early on, you can really pile on the EXP and get a bunch of levels. The bonus usually only lasts one level unless the amount of EXP carries over into the next level then the bonus just goes down slightly. It sounds complicated but once you master it the system is a lot of fun.
MAGIK TACTICS
One thing I am surprised no one has really discussed is the difficulty level in the game. Final Fantasy XIII reminds me a bit of a MegaTen game in that battles can be long, intense, and a single mistake can result in a game over. Also, the Optima change system, which allows you to essentially change roles mid-battle is eerily similar to switching personae in the Persona series only you create formations. A formation tells your allies what role to assume when the leader changes his or her role.
Certain roles and formations are more effective at certain times in battle. For instance, after the party receives a devastating strike from some manner of behemoth (there are about 30 varieties), you would want to switch your team to a more defensive formation. This would entail healing, boosting (or enhancing as the game calls it) and maybe even tanking (that’s the defender’s job).
Likewise when the enemy is vulnerable (or close to “breaking”), this is when an all-out offensive formation is necessary. This entails physical offense (attacker) and magical offense (blaster). While this formula may sound elementary and easy to follow, any deviance can be dangerous.
A player may chose to spend more time in an offensive formation to try and end the battle as quick as possible, resulting in better loot. This is a gamble and depending on your party’s abilities, you may end up some gunk stuck to the bottom of a behemoth paw.
The only element that somewhat takes away from this is an “auto-battle” option for your party leader. This would make your leader use whatever ability is best for the situation. I suppose this is good since battles are in active-time, but it essentially turns your leader into one of your allies, following the game’s AI. You don’t even need to know what elements enemies are weak to since auto-battle just auto-exploits them.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS GRIPES
No game is perfect and I certainly don’t want you to believe I think Final Fantasy XIII is. There are some aspects of the game that disappoint me:
- You cannot steal from enemies.
- Money is only found in chests or from selling items.
- The only items worth selling are weapons/accessories that have been leveled up
- Only the party leader can summon, meaning if you settle on a leader, you will only ever see the same summon.
- NO MOOGLES
- NO LIMIT BREAKS
STORY
The Final Fantasy series is known for very dramatic, at times complex stories. Without getting into too much detail I will try to explain some things that work in the story and some that don’t:
All six party members will be available to the player fairly early on, although you will switch between different parties frequently. I found that it felt a little rushed how quickly everyone was unlocked. I prefer when characters are added as you progress in the story since this offers more focused character development.
An aspect of story that Square Enix succeeds in with just about every title is creating a world. This may sound like a necessity for any game, but the attention to detail and minor elements is what sets their games apart. They truly create a culture for their games, one with unique terms, taboos, religions, governments, and so on. These fabricated elements which also appear in Final Fantasy XIII somehow straddle the unbelievable and familiar, a balance which I found quite impressive.
Another common element Square wields in their bag of tricks is tugging at the old heart strings. There are quite a few times in the story where you’ll really feel for the characters, even enemies. I think this is a sign of a successful and well-planned story.
CONCLUSIONS
Being open-minded will help enjoy Final Fantasy XIII. If you’re straining to find every aspect you consider uniquely “Final Fantasy” or uniquely “RPG,” than you’re probably going to be disappointed.
If you can get past that and experience the game as something different and progressive then you will discover a truly fun, beautiful game come March 9th.
*** Special thanks to Foxes who helped me immensely and ultimately convinced me to import this sucka.
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My name is Roy and this is my blog about games that I enjoy. My favorite games are RPGs, but there are a few wild cards from time to time. I use my elementary knowledge of Japanese language and culture to translate info on upcoming games in Japan. When time (and publishers!) permit I also preview games and write reviews.
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White Knight Chronicles
by Level Five
Hours Played: 35-40
Recent Accomplishment:
Georama Level: 7
Clan Level: 7
Trying to make some of the higher level job parts, they take a lot of rare elements which has be questing my ass off. Should be able to reincarnate my character soon!