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Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission OST :: Review by Pricyber
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Album Title: | Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission Original Soundtrack |
| Record Label: | Avex | |
| Catalog No.: | AVCD-17388 (Copy Protected) | |
| Release Date: | February 18, 2004 | |
| Purchase: | Buy at CDJapan |
Overview
It has taken me a few hours to figure out how exactly I should introduce the Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission Original Soundtrack. There is a lot of history behind the release of this album but for the sake of confusion, I am going to leave much of it out. The only thing you need to know is there are two versions of the Final Fantasy X-2 game; an original version and an International version (which includes new features). Both the original version and the International version have received its own soundtrack, however, that is where the similarities have ended. The Final Fantasy X-2 Original Soundtrack only includes music for the original game and the Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission Original Soundtrack only includes the new music added to the International game. The International Soundtrack does NOT include any music that is featured on the Final Fantasy X-2 Original Soundtrack. That means if you want music from both versions of the games, you must purchase both soundtracks. Confused? I hope not but lets get going into the review.
Body
For most, the largest incentive to purchasing the International Soundtrack is the English versions of "real Emotion" and "1000 Words". When the original game was translated for release outside of Japan, developer Square Enix decided to use English vocals (sung by Jade from Sweatbox) instead of the Japanese lyrics sung by Koda Kumi. The English versions of the songs were not included in the Final Fantasy X-2 Original Soundtrack so it's nice that Square Enix is including them into this disc. The English version of "real Emotion" is full of energy in the same manner that the Japanese version is. In fact, it felt like Jade hit the same level and tone during her performance as Koda Kumi's. The "1000 Words" vocals, both in the FFX-2 mix and the orchestrated version, aren't as accurately matched to Kumi's but nonetheless provide remarkable results. My complaint with the orchestrated version of "1000 Words" is Jade seems to have trouble singing the slower parts of the song with the necessary emotion. She does wonders when the high notes come into play but her voice doesn't seem to adjust properly for the lower ones. "To You" is a marvelous piece to listen to. Mayuko Aoki, the voice actress for Yuna in the Japanese version of the game, sings the song with lots of brilliance and depth. It primarily uses piano though the chorus is filled with orchestrations of various instruments. The lyrics are performed in Japanese and the song is featured at the end of the International version of the game as Square Enix shows a collage of events from both Final Fantasy X and its sequel, X-2.
Moving on from the vocal tracks, the remaining six tracks on the disc are all in-game music. I was never a fan of the in-game music of Final Fantasy X-2 and sadly, I am not a fan of the in-game music of the International version either. But if you did happen to enjoy the music of the original, this will not disappoint as it carries the same jazzy concepts that the first tried to highlight. "Last Mission No. 1" and "Last Mission No. 2" are practically identical in concept as both use lots of saxophone and piano work. They are very upbeat, creating a 'funk' feel overall. The two pieces aren't horrible but it just doesn't feel like music that would be featured in a Final Fantasy game. "Creature Create" is a mix between jazz with piano and electronic music, which I find to be the most annoying combination of music genres ever. I can live with jazz but not electronica as well. "Last Mission No. 3" and "Flash Over" have more of a dedication to electronica. Since I am not into this genre, I have found both pieces of music to be very, very horrid. Final Fantasy music has always done its best to bring out emotion in any scene, whether it be sad, angry, humorous, or exciting. These two tracks do absolutely nothing to accomplish those feelings.
However, all is not lost as there is at least one in-game piece that I am particularly impressed with. "Seal of the Wind" makes you wonder how anyone could compose the trash that the other in-game tracks were. It's a very soothing piece, featuring piano work, acoustic guitar, and an excellent piece of violin work.
Summary
To sum up my experience with this soundtrack, it was more of a roller coaster ride than anything else. It started very strong with first three tracks, slid into the seventh level of Hell with the next five tracks, but quickly redeemed itself with the last two. I still recommend purchasing the soundtrack, as at least half the music tracks featured on the album are worthy of your ears. It's just a shame that the best tracks on this video game soundtrack are not the in-game music. This soundtrack is definitely "Suspended on Silver Wings" as without those lyrics, this soundtrack would have surely fallen.
