FINAL FANTASY XIII Composers Announced (Hamauzu / Shimomura)
 

FF13
Director: Motomu Toriyama
Character designer: Tetsuya Nomura
Art director: Isamu Kamikokuryo
Main programmer: Kazumi Kobayashi
Movie director: Eiji Fujii
Main theme: Nobuo Uematsu, SMILE PLEASE Co., LTD.
Composer: Masashi Hamauzu
Producer: Yoshinori Kitase

FFヴェルサス(Versus) 13
Director & Character designer: Tetsuya Nomura
Movie director: Takeshi Nozue
Composer: Yoko Shimomura
Producer: Shinji Hashimoto

I'm excited because with future-themed games, hopefully I'll hear more electronica from both of them.

Shimomura ??... Oh yeah I heard it was the same team that did KH2, so her presence is not a real surprise.

Thanks for this, Kaleb.

A little more information if anyone needs it, merely to clarify that these are two separate games that form a three-piece compilation:

This is, quite simply, excellent news. I'm curious to Yoko Shimomura's works, but CANNOT WAIT for Hamauzu's.

Hmm, action-packed Shimomura...Here's hoping to see her in her kickass-Legend of Mana form again.

This is good to hear. I've always been curious about what those two could create together.

(Technically, they won't be collaborating. They are working on two separate yet related projects.)

A little clip of the music, by the way:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOJ3UL2peA

While I'm still hoping for a FF6 styled new gen FF with Amano designs, sci-fi themed FFs with Hamauzu and Shimomura as composers most likely means we'll get to hear more electronica from them. Which is terrific since I do like their eletronic works very much. More notably, I don't remember Shimomura doing a full-fledged eletronic soundtrack since Parasite Eve so this will be highly anticipated. And as with Goldfish, I think we might get to hear more rock from her. I am crossing my fingers that Hamauzu won't be too cinematic with the score. FF7: DoC was a bit too much for me. Another gripe: where's Nakano?!?!?

I was really hoping Amano would be doing character designs this time around. Guess he's either doing background or monster designs. Or *gasp* the title logo. I'm a bit curious about the spin-off thingy. The collection of FF7 must have been extremely well recieved, with fans clamouring for more. Wonder who will will be composing for the FF13 mobile game, if there's any new material.

Can't quite form concrete opinions about the music from the clip Mr. Maul posted. A bit muffled but it sounds alright in any case. Quite likely a Hamauzu piece or arrangement. And the clip's female character looks a bit too much like a cross between FF7's male lead and FF12's female lead. A bit disappointing. Also have this feeling the FF13 action spin-off will have lots and lots of Devil May Cry/Viewtiful Joe styled jumping...

I guess Sakimoto's XII music wasn't a big hit with the powers that be, eh?

I really wish that Uematsu would come back and do a whole FF. Squeenix should be able to offer him enough cash money to make it happen. At least they're sticking with relatively big names, rather than more obscure people.

Shimomura has my blessing, since she;s easily one of my favorite composers and I've enjoyed virtually all of her material. On the basis of the disappointing Dirge of Cerberus, though, I can't say I'm very enthusiastic about Hamauzu. Then again, I was never a huge fan of his pre-Dirge, but that meandering and themeless void doesn;t instill me with confidence.

Call me old-fashioned, but a Final Fantasy score needs to be big and bold, with coloful themes and sweeping orcestrations. Uematsu had the sound down to a science, but none of Hamauzu's work has convinced me that he is even capable of something like that.

Then again, I would have doubted Shimomura before she coughed up "Lengen of Mana" and "Kingdom Hearts." So who knows? It could turn out all right. But if I switch on my PS3 and hear droning industrial sound design or seven hours of piano solos, I won't be surprised.

Hamauzu is capable of being sweeping and daring, but it's just not his style. He is more interested in experimentation with harmony, melody, variations, etc. A lot of his work is very subtle, but he can be bombastic -- some pieces from Umlimited SaGa, for example. But his work on FFX and SaGa Frontier II is his own style, which is what I hope he sticks to.

awesome news but i've got a question
 

this is great news I'm a huge fan of both these composers but whats up with nakano I would have loved to see another collaboration with hamauzu

Shimomura? Interesting pick...she's mainly done lighter stuff, she can be very evocative, but always very light.
Hamauzu? WOOHOO!!! I hope he sticks to his more colorful style. Still this is exciting, if not surprising news. Sakimoto...lol...

The song they played in the FFXIII trailer was really good at the Sony conference. Sounds as high quality as his Unlimited SaGa works.

Huzzah! Unlimited SaGa has quickly become one of my favorite OSTs.

And if it's anything like Unlimited Saga, I will be very, very disappointed. While I'm not a big fan of Sakimoto either, he at least always delivered good work when it came to Final Fantasy projects.
Hamauzu already had chance to proof himself with Dirge of Cerberus, and while this might have convinced Square Enix managment, it didn't convince me.

Yoko Shimomura on the other side, is good news. She's the only composer I see capable of not only replacing Uematsu but also his style.

Will the Junya Nakano be the sub composer?I don't think that Hamauzu will make the whole stuff.That's intesting It is still FFX music stuff,but this time Hamauzu is the leader composer not Uematsu:)

Shimomura only has one style. Xylophones and violins. Of course, I'm not saying she isn't awesome.

If it turns out anything like Unlimited Saga, I will be elated. I love the Unlimited Saga soundtrack, it is one of my favorites.

Violins in videogames... Mmm.

My thoughts exactly.

Unlimited SaGa had some great moments (the last battle), but its sound is simply not right for Final Fantasy, and neither is the other sort of aural experimentation evident in DoC.

Final Fantasy is like James Bond--there are certain traditions that should be adhered to. Innovation is possible, but go too far, and trouble ensues.

One could say that such an attitude could stifle innovation and encourage stagnation.

I was referring to the sound quality. Don't take me so fucking literally, geez. It sounds a bit like Dirge which I DON'T really like, but I still have hopes for this one.

I'm expecting Hamauzu's style to be like FFX, which would be perfect.

I don't think his work will be anything like Final Fantasy X. His outstanding works for me were things like Sight of Spira, Besaid Island and People of the North Pole, nothing scify. Of course I can't conclude anything from the theme of the game being somewhat modern. Even in FF VII or FFVIII, which were quite futuristic as well, there were a lot of locations that called for appropriate imaginative music.

Regarding Shimomura, I just find most of her works to be somewhat momentary. Very compelling while onstage, but virtually no "aftertrilling". That's why I'd rather listen to her works as a coherent album to catch some musical impressions while doing something else.

They probably pick from their stable of composers based on the nature of the game. Sakimoto does the medieval stuff well.

If Hamauzu does work like FFX, I will have nothing to complain about. I'm looking forward to hearing their work.

I think that it is about time that Final Fantasy received a new flare in it's music. Uematsu is a talented composer but he has his limits. I have no doubt that Hitoshi Sakimoto's soundtrack for FFXII will be excellent and brings something new to the series. Hamauzu and Shimomura styles i feel will work very well with each other.

Uematsu was overworked in FF9, though don't get me wrong, i loved that soundtrack. He had a few good tracks in FF10, but they were often repetitive.

As long as Shimomura doesn't use MIDI quality sound that she used in KH2 (I'm sorry but that sound quality was dissapointing), I'll be happy. Hamauzu will no doubt want to use live sound in the soundtrack

Shimomura wasn't the one who used that sound quality. It was the synth guy.

A lot of Hamauzu's magic (or anti-magic to some people) is his close role with Ryo Yamazaki, the synthesizer operator for Dirge of Cerberus, UNLIMITED: SaGa, Musashiden II, and some of FFX. His synth is unbelievably realistic, especially in DoC, and they have a special bond (read this to learn more). I'm sure there will be numerous live performances too, likely involving an orchestrator, though Shiro Hamaguchi is away right now.

As for Yoko Shimomura, I'm curious as to what synthesizer operator will work with her. None of her works have really shone in terms of synth quality, though I prefer Yamazaki's synth for Kingdom Hearts far more than Takeharu Ishimoto's for Kingdom Hearts II. Given Ishimoto has been officially upgraded to a composer, though, I think it'd be wise to anticipate Yasuhiro Yamanaka (Code Age Commanders, Front Mission 5) or Mitsuto Suzuki (a newcomer).

I don't get all the Unlimited SaGa hate here. I found it vibrant and full of energy, in a time when a lot of OSTs seem to be painted with just one color.

I find it really interesting discussing composers' dependence on synth operators, as that does seem to be the norm for Japanese game composers. Over on this side of the world, it's the composer himself that has to account for everything regarding the quality of sound. Life would be much easier to just write the music and let someone else make it pretty. But I digress...

I'm pretty certain that Hamauzu's guy doesn't even use synths anymore, at least for his orchestral sounds. Those are pretty clearly full sample libraries. Whether they're commercial (VSL, EWQL, etc.) or privately sampled is the question I have. You can do some amazing stuff with programming on those though, I've heard some stuff from even string quartets that sounds close to lifelike. In DoC, there's also several live instruments mixed into some of the more mellow tracks, which certainly helps a great deal.

I'd actually love for Yamazaki to work with Shimomura again. In fact, if it would not be too much of a burden, I think it woud be great if he worked with BOTH Hamauzu and Shimomura. It would at least provide a consistent sound canvas to the PS3 elements of the FFXIII compilation.

Oh, and I've also captured the music from the trailer. As such, though, it's pretty low-quality, but there's enough there to enjoy the Hamauzu-ness. :)

The few really great tracks of FF X included stuff by Hamauzu, so this could be good news.

This game music will bomb for sure. Hamauzu eh? Personally I always compare his works toward the amazing Saga Frontier 2 OST (Ok, it sounds not fair, but that I always do, because I think it's his masterpiece.) Unlimited Saga is fine, but DoC falls my expectation. I hope he will bring his classical style to this game.

Listen to the damn trailer music. It's Hamauzu awesomeness damnit.

I am speechless by this music in the trailer. It sounds a little like the style of SaGa Frontier II. I can't wait to hear more :D!

By this do you mean it will bomb (bad) or it will be "the bomb" (good)?

Just had a listen to the trailer mp3. Couldn't really make out the music too well from earlier clips. I must say the music is pretty good. It's impactful and catchy, and doesn't quite have the same cinematic trappings of FF7: DoC but does sound anime-like. If the rest of the soundtrack is anything like this mp3 I don't think I'll be too disappointed with the final product.

Does anyone else think the beginning of the music sounds like Ikaruga - Chapter 1 - Ideal (from 0:12 to 0:24)?

Personally I don't think this track will appear anywhere in the game, as it seems perfectly cut for just this trailer. The melodic violin passage represents the constant action that went on, while the calmdown part shows a beautiful picture of the forest. Back to action again, the trailer showed the main character confronting a kind of huge monster machine...

Hamauzu?
Shimomura?

I'm sold on both soundtracks. I just hope we won't have to wait too long for them!

I can't wait to hear FFXIII. Hamuazu's stella deus classical style should prove to be very impressive on this game.

Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata scored Stella Deus, not Masashi Hamauzu.

I just want to know, who was the genius that came up with the name "Final Fantasy Versus XIII"? Shouldn't it be "Final Fantasy XIII Versus"? And it takes too long to write out. "FFvs13"? That's not an abbreviation, that's an abomination.

Because versus means "opposed to" in latin or something and I guess it means Final Fantasy is against the number 13! :lolsign:

How does Omega Weapon work with SE if he doesn't know Stella Deus was scored by Sakimoto?

I'm pleased and looking forward to it! I never really got into FXII's score at all as a whole piece so I'm hoping for something with a bit more structure and tune to it.

Si

Are you kidding me? Dude, play Parasite Eve--you'll hear a whole new side of Shimomura. She can do dark and haunting better than just about any other RPG composer I've heard, save for Yoshitaka Hirota. And she has a helluva way with techno beats. If you can't track down a copy of PE, at least listen to "Under the Progress" and "Ultimate Being" from its soundtrack. I can provide them if need be. You won't believe it's the same composer.

Unless you were kidding. My sarcasm/satire detector isn't working today, so I may well have just made an ass of myself. If so...well, laugh, I deserve it.

I did enjoy a good part of the FFXII OST, but the problem I think a lot of people had with Sakimoto's work is that he tends to do very layed music, and most VGM tracks are composed around a melody, which he didn't seem to do much. It usually provides for a 'deeper' feel in the mood of the song, and alllows for unique complexity, but given that FFXIII looks to be very action-based (Especially Versus), I think a strong emphasis (Though not exclusive) on Melody in the tracks should be important, and I'm especially pleased to hear about this.

Also, Wikipedia used to have a list, but it seems to have vanished, so can anyone post what track Hamauzu composed from Final Fantasy X? I know his works from Unlimited Saga and Shimomura from Kingdom Hearts, but I want to see exactly which songs it was from FFX that Hamauzu composed. Thanks if you can find me that. The google does nothing for me right now >_>

Just ripped the latest trailer music for FFXIII
Final Fantasy XIII Trailer Music ~EXTENDED~.mp3

Was sounding kinda Uematsu-ish before the violins came in. I like how they're rotating through different composers. Gives each title a fresh sound.

Sounds good. Shimomura's piece for Versus XIII is promising, too:
Gametrailers.com - Final Fantasy Versus XIII - Dengeki Special Edition Trailer

It sounds a bit too much like kingdom hearts though

Additional Spam:
I agree with CelticWhisper...Shiomura sounded extremely different in her PE compositions. I love the intro song.

Love the new extended trailer track from FF13. While like many I am bit skeptical about the game, I want to hear more music tracks ASAP.

Also loving the song from Versus. Very KH-esque.

Thing I love about Shimomura that each game she is different and is shows she's versatile. Compare Parasite Eve with Legend of Mana, then the KH series, then the various Mario RPGs she did...

Someone should rip the music from the Versus trailer. That is an incredible piece of music.

After I saw the newly released FFXIII and FFVersusXIII trailers, I was at once excited and disappointed. It's a progression of FF into the next gen but in a greater sense it remains a regression when compared to FFXII.

Matsuno Yasuno's FFXII is when Final Fantasy grew up--boldly evident in it's art direction, but most conspicuously in it's narrative. It was a narrative flushed with florid, even occasionally literate, dialogue, a story arc concerned with political intrigue and worldly repercussions rather than the vanity of a girl-boy-girl love triangle, and a manner of characterization and direction that placed greater value in nuances of expressiveness rather than the gauche, teenage bravado and superficiality of Tidus, Cloud, Squall, or any of their similar spawn. A Final Fantasy without Matsuno (FF Tactics, Vagrant Story, or FFXII) is akin to a Jerry Bruckheimer production but with a Dawson's Creek ethos slathered in, very thickly.

While FFXII eschewed the teenage melodrama and ungainly storytelling of recent and past Final Fantasies, it also melded the best in western and Japanese RPGs and did away with long outmoded mainstays and annoyances in both: no more random battles or time wasting end-battle EXP/gil summary screens; seamless integration of exploration and battle modes creating an amplified sense of immersion; a choice to micro- or macro-manage battles allowing for leisurely or frantic fighting via the Gambit system; the creative synthesis of single player RPG and MMORPG mechanics; a 3D camera control allowing for full view of Ivalice's grandeur, again adding to the immense sense of immersion; a strong female lead (Ashe is inarguably the lead) who is neither feeble nor whiny nor a submissive stereotype; locales (especially the metropolises) that felt alive with the denizens and not a static contrivance of NPCs. The innovations, evolution, and discarded conventions are considerable. FFXII is not without its faults, even though it's one of only six games to get a perfect rating in Famitsu (not that Famitsu still holds value for everyone), but it does represent the first time Final Fantasy can be considered entertainment for more than mostly kids and teenagers. Along with games like FF Tactics, Ico, Bioshock, and Half Life 2, FFXII is one of those rare times where a video game has a story to tell that won't make you blush too much. It's not on par with finer cinema or literature, very far from it, but at least it displays an ambition to get there someday.

Those who dislike FFXII are likely to enjoy FFXIII. It's a return to the maturity level before Matsuo came in; a return to the cliches of a vapid but sullen hero with an elemental name (Lightning meet Cloud) and a farcically huge sword, zippered sportswear and asexual garments, and--because of the staff involved--a story that might rival FF7-10 in it's attempt to perfectly mirror a Ben Affleck summer blockbuster with inconsequential love interest and inconsequential ass kicking of inconsequential baddies who are equally as vapid as the hero and his love interest.

And yet inspite all that, I am completely hyped for FFXIII. FFXII's art director, Kamikokuyrou Isamu, is XIII's art director and as the trailer's have revealed, Isamu's breathtaking baroque aesthetic seems to have tempered the plastic, futuristic-sacharinity and over-simplicity of everything that Nomura Tetsuya touches--ostensibly the character designs are still very Nomura. The worlds the trailer briefly unveils looks like something I wish to immerse myself in. The music sounds as captivating, though not as ornate, as Sakimoto's FFXII score. So while my expectations for the direction, story, dialogue, and voice acting remain low, the art direction, music, and gameplay adequately retains my considerable interest and excitement.

As for FFVersusXIII, the music in the trailer while competent does sound a bit like a poor man's opera--watered down for an audience that doesn't know of Bellini or Puccini. The game itself looks dreadfully Nomura. If FFXII is an indictment of the maturity level of previous Final Fantasies and FFXIII a tearing down of the maturity level FFXII had achieved, FFVersusXIII looks to abolish all adult ambitions by winning the hearts of the demographic not quite old enough to get a driver's license--or those who enjoyed Kingdom Hearts. I don't know if I have the patience for a main character more sullen than a Prozac-popper on Medicare and so exceedingly self-absorbed he wears all black cause he thinks it's slimming.

Yes, for some reason I feel I've seen this argument before. :roll:

Anyways, I agree for the most part that the Final Fantasy XIII thematic seems to wipe out any of the displays of maturity on behalf of FFXII. I am not surprised that the Final Fantasy series is taking this direction but I am very disappointed. I just want something new and it seems that SQUARE-ENIX must appease the FFVII fanboi's above all else.

Are you totally sure that the composer of the Versus track is Y. Shimomura? The voice and the overall style reminds me to Yuki Kajiura.

(EDIT: And I'm sorry if the sentences aren't correct, I'm losing the little touch with the english that I had)

Yoko Shimomura has already been confirmed as the composer. Perhaps there's a slim chance that Yuki was involved with the trailer music, but I'm not betting on it.

Additional Spam:
OK, after actually listening to it, it's totally Shimomura and sounds very little like Kajiura. Shimomura is no stranger to new types of vocals. Maybe you've never heard "Song of Mana" or "Somnia Memorias"?

I agree with the maturity level thing, but how can you determine how the characters personalities will be.

Either way FFXII was a very unique game. I doubt we will ever see anything like that in a Final Fantasy again, or at least a while.

The thing is, is while we grow up, we forget that we were once the younger generation buying and loving the style of these games.

The games shouldn't have to adjust to us, or our lives... I started playing Final Fantasy around 7 years old or so. I think of Final Fantasy being aimed ages 12-18.

I could be totally wrong. I just grew up playing these games at such a young age. I don't imagine them changing now and being mature or grown up as much as FFXII was.