Xenogears/Saga Soundtrack Questions

[Cyn]

Just a quick question. I love Yasunori Mitsuda's work especially on Chrono Cross, but I'm wondering if I should get the Xenogears and Xenosaga soundtracks. I've never played either game, but love Mitsuda. I know there's a big thread about him, but I'd like some distilled thoughts on those two soundtracks in particular, as well as whereabouts I might find the following three, since I haven't come across them on eBay...
Chrono Cross: Piano Soundtrack
Radical Dreamers: Soundtrack
Time & Space - A tribute to Yasunori Mitsuda (the creator's site says it's out of print, but some seller on the web has to have ONE!)

Thanks in advance

[Silent Warrior]

Xenosaga is... well, I have yet to hear anything more grand from a videogame. If the game can live up to the music is another problem. But not for us. If we say that... Final Fantasy... uh... 9 is Star Wars, Xenosaga would be... The Two Towers. Unnerstand? Good. I have yet to listen to Xenogears. I've yet to buy those soundtracks as well... *Beats myself for being too lazy to go to Amazon*

[Sefie1999AD]

Well, IMHO Star Wars beats the crap out LotR movies, including The Two Towers, and so does Final Fantasy IX's music beat the crap out of Xenosaga OST.

I think Xenosaga soundtrack has one major problem. It's grand, yes, it uses orchestral music. But that's too bombastic for the game. It doesn't suit the game at all. That's why, most of the game has the music muted, because the music takes the player's attention too much away from the actual gameplay. It's like you once said, Silent Warrior, the music can either be blending or competitive; it can either work as a background music to improve ambience or it can try to "compete" with the game, making the player pay more attention into the music than into the game. Xenosaga's music sure is competitive. Here's some stuff that Xenosaga players have said about the game's music:

Contrary to normal RPG standards, a lot of locations in the game don't have BGM, or have a very understated background score. While this is in keeping with the atmosphere, sometimes it gets a little boring. The battle score is quite good, but there's only one score used throughout the entire game, for both peon and boss fights, and it gets tedious rather quickly.

The problem lies in many of the gameplay-oriented scenes. Many places such as ships and towns do not have background music. They only have sound effects. I did not find this to be too much of a problem, though it definitely held back the game from being more effective. Memorable pieces of music attached to locales can really enhance the game for the player.
There is also only one type of battle music throughout the entire game up until the final battle. This definitely was a problem. Some of the fights were of such epic scope they demanded different music. But when you heard the same music as encountering the peon masses of enemies, you lose something.

Music 4/10
I was expecting to heard celtic, choir pieces throughout the game like Xenogears. Instead there was nothing. Sometimes one of two seconds of the main theme ''kokoro'' flows thru, but most of the story unfolds like a TV show with very little BGM. Again, the designers probably made a conscious choice NOT to have BGM, but it is a bit of a let down with Mitsuda-san as the composer and no music to be heard.

The Bad

Of course, every game has its downside, and though the big ''flaws'' you've probably heard about already from other reviews are mostly untrue (in my opinion), a few other very minor gripes can certainly be made.

First of all, the game's soundtrack, while exceptionally good (perhaps one of the best soundtracks any game has ever known), isn't used as well as it could be. Many of the game's best themes are played only once, and others are repeated far too often. Regular and boss battles use the same battle theme (though it's an extremely good one that never gets old, thankfully), with the only change occurring during the game's final struggle. And many dungeons are completely musicless, relying solely on atmospheric sound effects -- definitely done on purpose, and certainly not terrible, but whether or not it successfully heightens the atmosphere or just misses an opportunity remains to be decided.

For other stuff, I don't think there's a Chrono Cross piano soundtrack. Radical Dreamers OST does exist, but I'm not sure if it's sold anywhere anymore.

[Cyn]

>>For other stuff, I don't think there's a Chrono Cross piano soundtrack.

Thanks for all those reviews, Sephiroth1999AD, although I would swear on my girlfriend's cat's life (hey, it doesn't do anything except get fatter) that there was a Chrono Cross piano soundtrack.

Also, I'm in agreement in the Star Wars versus Lord of the Rings debate as far as music goes. I only have Fellowships' soundtrack, but it is weak compared to John Williams' Star Wars scores. The movies, on the other hand, is a little different, particularly when it comes to the prequels. I'm not one of the prequel bashers, I just think they needed someone to rewrite much of Lucas' dialogue, and also a different director, as it seems Lucas can't coax good performances out of good actors such as Portman, MacGregor, and (allegedly) Christiansen.

Anyway, it sounds like from a soundtrack standpoint, Xenosaga's is definitely worth my time. Someone mentioned a celtic slant to Xenogear's score. Is that comparable to, say, the Caribbean-tinged Chrono Cross soundtrack?

[Sefie1999AD]

Originally posted by Cyn
Anyway, it sounds like from a soundtrack standpoint, Xenosaga's is definitely worth my time. Someone mentioned a celtic slant to Xenogear's score. Is that comparable to, say, the Caribbean-tinged Chrono Cross soundtrack?

As a soundtrack, Xenosaga soundtrack's definitely worth it, if you like powerful and orchestral songs. Xenogears's soundtrack is even more Celtic in its style than Chrono Cross's, although IMHO CC OST is slightly better than Xenogears OST.

[Cyn]

All right, I took the dive and bought online both Xenosaga and Xenogears' soundtracks ($15 and $14 respectively, from gkWorld) as well as a Xenogears arranged CD called "Creid" on eBay.

Thanks for helping me decide, and if anyone has any info on that Chrono Cross piano collection, please post some info, as well as anything about the Mitsuda tribute.
Oh yeah, also the Radical Dreamers soundtrack.

Thanks!

[crono_logical]

I personally didn't like the tribute album except maybe 2 or 3 tracks. The remixes are all slower paced (much slower in some cases), and generally didn't stand out much to me. Track 15 (The Fighting Priest) seems to be the only track I like over the original. Track 2 (CC intro remix) isn't that bad either, otherwise the rest seem either average or bleh to me. But since it's only a 70MB or so download, yo could always get it to see what you think of it anyway

[-N-]

Xenogears - excellent buy. I have all the mp3s... but it's a bit to late to offer them to you.
Xenogears Creid - Oh thank God you bought it.
Xenosaga - haven't heard it yet. Waiting for the game.
CC Piano - doesn't exist.
Radical Dreamers - I would suggest downloading it.
Time and Space - if you find it, tell me where!

[Bulldog]

Originally posted by Cyn
Thanks for helping me decide, and if anyone has any info on that Chrono Cross piano collection, please post some info, as well as anything about the Mitsuda tribute.
Oh yeah, also the Radical Dreamers soundtrack.

Chrono Cross Piano...Sure you're not mistaking it with the Piano Arrangement?

Time & Space will probably be reprinted, since people are nagging them to reprint.

[Cyn]

>>Chrono Cross Piano...Sure you're not mistaking it with the Piano Arrangement?

Piano Arrangement? Is that a CD or just sheet music they sold for it, like they did with some of the FFs?

[Bulldog]

it's a book containing sheet music.

[Cyn]

>>it's a book containing sheet music.

Aw, crap. That's probably what I heard about a year or so ago.

[Khaeos Drao-Kin]

The Xenosaga soundtrack is definitely worth it, as I bought it myself as soon as I completed the game. I have yet to get the XG OST.

Just make sure you get the 2-disc XS OST. I've heard of some of my friends getting only one lately...

[crono_logical]

repost time

The XS soundtrack is much better if you'v played the game, from what I can gather from the few hours worth of cutscene I downloaded - it fits in brilliantly with those Still, most of the tracks I find I can't listen to them on their own though outside said cutscenes, with the exception of a few in addition to what I previously mentioned when I listened to the OST blindly, as it were.

No I don't care if I spoiled the game for myself like that because I'm not ever going to buy it nor a PS2 nor TV to go with it nor have the time to play it with all the other things I've got lying to do