v166. Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure (3DS) - Theme of Rhythm Thief
Europe has had this game for a while, but North Americans have just gotten their mitts on this game, Sega's Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure. Sporting a hugely diverse repertoire of music, this handheld rhythm game unfortunately had the misfortune of releasing right around the time period of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, a much more hyped game of the same genre. Though Rhythm Thief has much more variety in its gameplay (including odes to past Sega franchises like Samba de Amigo and Space Channel 5), a new IP just can't compete with the Final Fantasy brand. Regardless, Rhythm Thief's main theme is a jaunty jazzy ditty that infects the mind and urges listeners to dance along with its remarkable (for lack of a better term) rhythm.
v167. Lost Odyssey (360) - Neverending Journey
Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Final Fantasy, left Square Enix to create his own development studio. The creation was Mistwalker. Their latest game, The Last Story on Nintendo Wii, is due out later this month. One of their earliest projects was Lost Odyssey, a much more mature take on the RPG franchise than their first effort, Blue Dragon. Nobuo Uematsu's Neverending Journey starts off with flutes and guitar, very unobtrusive, and perfect for a slow ride across the plains. At 1:39 the theme surrenders its soft approach and takes a wild turn with a hard rock focus. This combination of the styles of folk and rock is masterfully done, and it is pure Uematsu magic.
v168. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2) - To a Vast World
I must admit that I have not played much of the Dragon Quest series, despite owning IV, V, VI, VIII, and IX. Much like the Western world, Final Fantasy was the RPG series that dominated much of my playing time. However, with the grander marketing push being displayed at least in North America by Nintendo, I could not help but give Dragon Quest some attention. A lot of people bought Dragon Quest VIII merely because it came packaged with the demo for Final Fantasy XII. I got it because I dug the cel-shaded art style and fell in love with the soundtrack. This piece, To a Vast World, sets the soul tingling with its soft soothing strings, wonderful woodwinds, and bold brass.
v169. Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals (DS) - Battle #2 (Arranged)
The remake of 1995's Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals for the Super Nintendo, Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals forgoes its turn-based RPG roots and goes totally action-RPG. The game reminded me of the Ys series in the combat was real-time, there were puzzles to solve, and there was leveling up stats, abilities, and learning new moves. The piece I have chosen from the game is actually from the arranged soundtrack. This version of Battle #2 starts off with a trumpet melody and rocking beat and accompaniment. If I ever do another installment of Most Overlooked Nintendo DS Games, Curse of Sinistrals will definitely make the list.
v170. God Hand (PS2) - Credits
What can you say about lyrics that read, "Dragon kick your ass into the Milky Way?" Oh, and you can't use the words "awesome", "kickass", or any synonyms of those two words. On lyrics alone, God Hand's ending credits make it to my favorite VGMs. God Hand was a PS2 exclusive with the goal of brawling baddies in a 3D space through martial arts and fisticuffs. There were over 100 individual moves to unleash on your foes. Sadly, God Hand was the final game developed by Clover Studios. Word of their disbandment came literally days after the game's release in North America. Talk about a ball-busta'. However, the company's spirit lives on somewhat in Platinum Games, the folks behind Bayonetta and the upcoming Metal Gear Rising.
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That is this week's fill of video game music. Next week the tune-age continues with themes from Uncharted 3, Dead Rising, and much more! If you still can't get enough VGMs, check out my VGM Database. It has every VGM I have ever highlighted here on SuperPhillip Central.
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