Megalosaro
Banned
This is the third topic I've made on what I consider a look at the careers of some of my favorite composers. This thread is going to be a bit different though, as it's going to focus on a series rather than a specific composer.
Part 1 - Hitoshi Sakimoto
Part 2 - Koichi Sugiyama
The series I'm going to be focusing on is the SaGa series. Always a controversial series due to it's esoteric game design, and divisive plots, the series' music has always been consistently assounding.
Makai Toushi SaGa: Uematsu Lays the Ground Work
In the late 80s, the gameboy suddenly became a hit after the release of Tetris. Wanting to take advantage of this, Square's president Misashi Miyamoto wanted the company to make a game for the system. Akitoshi Kawazu was appointed to direct the project, which he decided would be an RPG, due to the popular of the genre thanks to games like Dragon Quest and Square's own Final Fantasy. When deciding who the composer would be, he picked Nobuo Uematsu.
Let's be honest here, Uematsu really needs no introduction. He's one of the most famous video game composers of all time, and for good reason. His work popularized the medium, and now his works tour the world.
At the time though, Uematsu struggled with Final Fantasy Legend's composition. He was unfamiliar with the gameboy's limitations. In the end, he composed 16 tracks for the game. While he would ultimately only work on two titles in the franchise, a few of his songs would be later re-used for later games in the franchise. The two most notable examples are the following:
Prologue
This piece would be used again for both SaGa 2 and 3.
Wipe Away Your Tears
Wipe Away Your Tears is one of the most iconic pieces in the franchise. It would resurface in many of the later games.
Other noteworthy pieces are:
Main Theme
Furious Battle
Forbidden Tower
Enter Kenji Ito
SaGa proved to be a decent success, so Square decided to make a follow up, which would be released in 1990. Uematsu returned as composer, but this time another composer was brought in to help him with his efforts. That composer was Kenji Ito
Kenji Ito is something of a musical prodigy. He first began learning music at the age of four, and first began composing at the age of 10. Upon graduating college, a professor advised him to seek employment in the gaming industry. He applied to several companies before landing a gig at Square in 1990.
His first project was SaGa 2. Stylistically, he and Uematsu tried to match the style of Uematsu's work on SaGa 1. In the end, 19 pieces were composed for the game.
Searching for the Secret Treasure
Theme of a Hero
Theme of a New God
Save the World
SaGa 3: The Black Sheep Emerges
SaGa 2's release came and went, and it was decided that another sequel would be made. However, unlike SaGa 1 and 2, production was not overseen by Akitoshi Kawazu. Instead, SaGa 3 was created by Square's Osaka development team. A fellow by the name of Chihiro Fujioka was chosen as the director. A composer in his own right, he brought in his friend and frequent collaborator Ryuji Sasai to serve as the main composer for SaGa 3. In the end, Ryuji Sasai composed 16 tracks for the game, and Fujioka contributed 4 pieces.
http://videogam.in/pages/files/Chihiro_Fujioka/profile_Chihiro_Fujioka.png
http://videogam.in/pages/files/Chihiro_Fujioka/profile_Chihiro_Fujioka.png
Ryuji Sasai
While they re-used a few pieces that had become iconic, such as the opening theme and Eat the Meat, Sasai and Fujioka's soundtrack has a very distinct style from the other two games that had come before.
Fight!
Theme of Another Dimension
Setting off into the Future
SaGa 3 would be Osaka team's only contribution to the franchise. Later, they would move on to other Square Enix classics such as Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and Treasure of Rudra. Today, Fujioka works for Nintendo primarily as a game designer, where he designs games such as Mario and Luigi Partners in Time. Ryuji Sasai left the gaming industry after working on Bushido Blade 2. He currently plays in a Queen cover band.
SaGa Goes to Consoles - The Kenji Ito Era
In 1992, SaGa made made the jump to consoles. Three games were made for the SNES, under the name of Romancing SaGa. With Uematsu fully commited now to his work on Final Fantasy series, Kenji Ito was put in charge of composition duties for the SNES SaGas.
Romancing SaGa - Gray
Romancing SaGa - The Conflict
Romancing SaGa 2 - Battle 2
Romancing SaGa - Coup de Grace
Romancing SaGa - Palace
Romancing SaGa 2 - Seven Heroes Battle
Romancing SaGa 2 - Last Battle
Romancing SaGa 2 - Imperial Capitol Avalon
Romancing SaGa 3 - Field
Romancing SaGa 3 - Battle 2
Romancing SaGa 3 - Katharina's Theme
Given free reign, Ito was able to give the Romancing SaGa series a distinct sound that helped give the series an identity separate from Final Fantasy. High energy. Heavy bass and percussion. Ito's score provided the series with an intense feeling.
When the franchise made the jump to playstation with SaGa Frontier, he continued his work. SaGa Frontier returned to the franchise's roots, mixing science fiction with fantasy. Because of this, SaGa Frontier's soundtrack is one of the most diverse in style.
SaGa Frontier - Nakajima Factory
SaGa Frontier - Battle 1
SaGa Frontier - Fight! Alkaizer!
SaGa Frontier - Sunset Town
SaGa Frontier - Koorong
SaGa Frontier would be Kenji Ito's last main series SaGa title, though he would later come back to work on the PS2 remake of Romancing SaGa, entitled RS: Minstrel's Song. In 2001, he left Square to work freelance.
The Masashi Hamauzu Era
For reasons unknown to me, Kenji Ito was not chosen to work on SaGa Frontier's follow up. Instead, Masahi Hamauzu was selected.
Hamauzu joined Square in 1996 upon impressing Uematsu with his resume. His first game he worked on was Front Mission: Gun Hazard, which he worked together with Uematsu and Yasnori Mitsuda on. In 1997, he assisted Uematsu with Final Fantasy VII by arranging Joesph Haydn's "The Creation", which plays in game when President Shinra watches the Sector 7 plate fall. He also provided bass vocals for One Winged Angel.
In 1998, Hamauzu began work on SaGa Frontier II. At first he tried mimicking Kenji Ito's style, but instead decided to focus on his own style. The result is a sort of romantic dreamy tone that meshes well with the game's pastoral scenery.
SaGa Frontier 2 - Rosenkranz
SaGa Frontier 2 - Feldschlacht III
SaGa Frontier 2 - Variation
Hamauzu made extensive use of leitmotif on his work, composing several variations of each theme. Furthermore, on a curious note, every piece composed for the game was titled in German.
Not long after SaGa Frontier 2 was released, the Playstation 2 was released. Akitoshi Kawazu decided to make a game for the system, envisioning an RPG that would harken back to the table top era. The result would be Unlimited Saga. The game would proof to be the most controversial title in the series. Despite this, it's soundtrack was well received. Once again, Hamauzu returned to compose for the game.
The Seven Travelers
Unlimited SaGa Overture
Battle Theme 1
Laura's Theme
To date, Unlimited Saga is the most recent original title in the franchise. After working Unlimited Saga, Hamauzu went on to compose for Final Fantasy XIII and it's sequels. He will also be contributing to Super Smash Bros 4.
The Remake Era
while Unlimited SaGa is the most recent original game, a few remakes have come out. Perhaps the most noteworthy, musically, Romancing SaGa: Minstrel's Song. The soundtrack was rebuilt from the ground up. While the SFC soundtrack was used as a base, many songs were arranged to the point of being unrecognizable. Kenji Ito arranged the tracks himself, though Tsuyoshi Sekito assisted him in the effort.
Prelude of Battle
Believing my Justice
Decisive Battle! Saruin
Absolute Freedom - Gray
SaGa 2 and 3 were also remade, though not nearly as heavily as Romancing SaGa.
The Future?
Recently Kawazu has been hinting that there is going to be a new SaGa announced soon. If that's the case, the mystery is who will compose? Will Ito resume the task of providing the games their soundtracks, or will Hamauzu step back in? What do you guys think?
Part 1 - Hitoshi Sakimoto
Part 2 - Koichi Sugiyama
The series I'm going to be focusing on is the SaGa series. Always a controversial series due to it's esoteric game design, and divisive plots, the series' music has always been consistently assounding.
Makai Toushi SaGa: Uematsu Lays the Ground Work
In the late 80s, the gameboy suddenly became a hit after the release of Tetris. Wanting to take advantage of this, Square's president Misashi Miyamoto wanted the company to make a game for the system. Akitoshi Kawazu was appointed to direct the project, which he decided would be an RPG, due to the popular of the genre thanks to games like Dragon Quest and Square's own Final Fantasy. When deciding who the composer would be, he picked Nobuo Uematsu.
Let's be honest here, Uematsu really needs no introduction. He's one of the most famous video game composers of all time, and for good reason. His work popularized the medium, and now his works tour the world.
At the time though, Uematsu struggled with Final Fantasy Legend's composition. He was unfamiliar with the gameboy's limitations. In the end, he composed 16 tracks for the game. While he would ultimately only work on two titles in the franchise, a few of his songs would be later re-used for later games in the franchise. The two most notable examples are the following:
Prologue
This piece would be used again for both SaGa 2 and 3.
Wipe Away Your Tears
Wipe Away Your Tears is one of the most iconic pieces in the franchise. It would resurface in many of the later games.
Other noteworthy pieces are:
Main Theme
Furious Battle
Forbidden Tower
Enter Kenji Ito
SaGa proved to be a decent success, so Square decided to make a follow up, which would be released in 1990. Uematsu returned as composer, but this time another composer was brought in to help him with his efforts. That composer was Kenji Ito
Kenji Ito is something of a musical prodigy. He first began learning music at the age of four, and first began composing at the age of 10. Upon graduating college, a professor advised him to seek employment in the gaming industry. He applied to several companies before landing a gig at Square in 1990.
His first project was SaGa 2. Stylistically, he and Uematsu tried to match the style of Uematsu's work on SaGa 1. In the end, 19 pieces were composed for the game.
Searching for the Secret Treasure
Theme of a Hero
Theme of a New God
Save the World
SaGa 3: The Black Sheep Emerges
SaGa 2's release came and went, and it was decided that another sequel would be made. However, unlike SaGa 1 and 2, production was not overseen by Akitoshi Kawazu. Instead, SaGa 3 was created by Square's Osaka development team. A fellow by the name of Chihiro Fujioka was chosen as the director. A composer in his own right, he brought in his friend and frequent collaborator Ryuji Sasai to serve as the main composer for SaGa 3. In the end, Ryuji Sasai composed 16 tracks for the game, and Fujioka contributed 4 pieces.
http://videogam.in/pages/files/Chihiro_Fujioka/profile_Chihiro_Fujioka.png
http://videogam.in/pages/files/Chihiro_Fujioka/profile_Chihiro_Fujioka.png
Ryuji Sasai
While they re-used a few pieces that had become iconic, such as the opening theme and Eat the Meat, Sasai and Fujioka's soundtrack has a very distinct style from the other two games that had come before.
Fight!
Theme of Another Dimension
Setting off into the Future
SaGa 3 would be Osaka team's only contribution to the franchise. Later, they would move on to other Square Enix classics such as Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and Treasure of Rudra. Today, Fujioka works for Nintendo primarily as a game designer, where he designs games such as Mario and Luigi Partners in Time. Ryuji Sasai left the gaming industry after working on Bushido Blade 2. He currently plays in a Queen cover band.
SaGa Goes to Consoles - The Kenji Ito Era
In 1992, SaGa made made the jump to consoles. Three games were made for the SNES, under the name of Romancing SaGa. With Uematsu fully commited now to his work on Final Fantasy series, Kenji Ito was put in charge of composition duties for the SNES SaGas.
Romancing SaGa - Gray
Romancing SaGa - The Conflict
Romancing SaGa 2 - Battle 2
Romancing SaGa - Coup de Grace
Romancing SaGa - Palace
Romancing SaGa 2 - Seven Heroes Battle
Romancing SaGa 2 - Last Battle
Romancing SaGa 2 - Imperial Capitol Avalon
Romancing SaGa 3 - Field
Romancing SaGa 3 - Battle 2
Romancing SaGa 3 - Katharina's Theme
Given free reign, Ito was able to give the Romancing SaGa series a distinct sound that helped give the series an identity separate from Final Fantasy. High energy. Heavy bass and percussion. Ito's score provided the series with an intense feeling.
When the franchise made the jump to playstation with SaGa Frontier, he continued his work. SaGa Frontier returned to the franchise's roots, mixing science fiction with fantasy. Because of this, SaGa Frontier's soundtrack is one of the most diverse in style.
SaGa Frontier - Nakajima Factory
SaGa Frontier - Battle 1
SaGa Frontier - Fight! Alkaizer!
SaGa Frontier - Sunset Town
SaGa Frontier - Koorong
SaGa Frontier would be Kenji Ito's last main series SaGa title, though he would later come back to work on the PS2 remake of Romancing SaGa, entitled RS: Minstrel's Song. In 2001, he left Square to work freelance.
The Masashi Hamauzu Era
For reasons unknown to me, Kenji Ito was not chosen to work on SaGa Frontier's follow up. Instead, Masahi Hamauzu was selected.
Hamauzu joined Square in 1996 upon impressing Uematsu with his resume. His first game he worked on was Front Mission: Gun Hazard, which he worked together with Uematsu and Yasnori Mitsuda on. In 1997, he assisted Uematsu with Final Fantasy VII by arranging Joesph Haydn's "The Creation", which plays in game when President Shinra watches the Sector 7 plate fall. He also provided bass vocals for One Winged Angel.
In 1998, Hamauzu began work on SaGa Frontier II. At first he tried mimicking Kenji Ito's style, but instead decided to focus on his own style. The result is a sort of romantic dreamy tone that meshes well with the game's pastoral scenery.
SaGa Frontier 2 - Rosenkranz
SaGa Frontier 2 - Feldschlacht III
SaGa Frontier 2 - Variation
Hamauzu made extensive use of leitmotif on his work, composing several variations of each theme. Furthermore, on a curious note, every piece composed for the game was titled in German.
Not long after SaGa Frontier 2 was released, the Playstation 2 was released. Akitoshi Kawazu decided to make a game for the system, envisioning an RPG that would harken back to the table top era. The result would be Unlimited Saga. The game would proof to be the most controversial title in the series. Despite this, it's soundtrack was well received. Once again, Hamauzu returned to compose for the game.
The Seven Travelers
Unlimited SaGa Overture
Battle Theme 1
Laura's Theme
To date, Unlimited Saga is the most recent original title in the franchise. After working Unlimited Saga, Hamauzu went on to compose for Final Fantasy XIII and it's sequels. He will also be contributing to Super Smash Bros 4.
The Remake Era
while Unlimited SaGa is the most recent original game, a few remakes have come out. Perhaps the most noteworthy, musically, Romancing SaGa: Minstrel's Song. The soundtrack was rebuilt from the ground up. While the SFC soundtrack was used as a base, many songs were arranged to the point of being unrecognizable. Kenji Ito arranged the tracks himself, though Tsuyoshi Sekito assisted him in the effort.
Prelude of Battle
Believing my Justice
Decisive Battle! Saruin
Absolute Freedom - Gray
SaGa 2 and 3 were also remade, though not nearly as heavily as Romancing SaGa.
The Future?
Recently Kawazu has been hinting that there is going to be a new SaGa announced soon. If that's the case, the mystery is who will compose? Will Ito resume the task of providing the games their soundtracks, or will Hamauzu step back in? What do you guys think?
