Epic Dance!

#dressclassydancecheezy

Another very epic ensemble stood up to the task to arrange and perform fine Final Fantasy music. This tense track from FF VIII accompanies the brave resistance forces in the game, and this ensemble surely was brave enough to take on this song!

Now, initially, after the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 Hideo Kojima agreed to the call of his young Koji Pro team which wanted to do a game with cyborg ninja Raiden as the main protagonist.  You may know the story, but the team had major problems developing the mix of action and stealth the team was pursuing so Kojima decided to trust the Metal Gear legacy to the renowned japanese game studio Platinum Games. The original story of the game was set between MGS2 and MGS4 and was then shifted to a post MGS4 era for more creative freedom Platinum Games asked for.

As a matter of fact, Raiden’s character and the other elements revolving around him  is a middle-ground between by Platinum Games vision and the Koji Pro one.  This is not a final judgement but Raiden’s new personality, as seen in the game’s demo is flamboyant, cynical and a little bit condescending. Raiden of course might have a history as child soldier. We know Raiden’s character in MGS2 as rookie, melancholic, irritated and in MGS4 as matured, still melancholic and more or less as a tortured soul.

This appears to me to be a lack of consistency which I come to expect from a mainline Metal Gear title, that is if the game even is a canon title.

Enjoy!

click to enlarge!

Trying to put 2012 into words appropiately and worthy of the good experiences I had is a hard task to achieve. Last year, I made a collage in tribute to 2011 and I will do it again for this year. Sometimes pictures can represent moments better than words are able to.

I feel obligated though to leave some comments on some of the most outstanding moments.

Journey was one of the best gaming experiences I had in 2012, and by far the best 2012 game for me. Final Fantasy VI which I played for the first time, left the impression of one of the best Final Fantasy titles I’ve played. Ace Attorney Investigations was an so awesomely told story combined, Lang Zi would say: “Please bring the second game in english to the west”.

I’d love to give credit to these games in particular, but I would feel bad not to mention all the other great experiences like the hard-breaking Breaking Bad with one hell of a character development, movies like Skyfall with a struggling Bond, Cloud Atlas, a tale of interwoven stories or simply the journey of dwarfs and an Hobbit. Or maybe it’s just been the sound of music of Pokémon Black and White, when you fight against a GYM leader and a remix of a well known theme kicks in the battle reaches its climax.

Or moments as powerful and emotional like the story of two brothers, with one ultimate wish. Space. It’s the first image in the collage, shows the Mutta Nanba and Hibito Nanba in their early days. The anime Uchuu Kyoudai is however so much more but a sience fiction story. It’s about dreams, friendship, success, failure, wishes, knowledge, hope etc. Uchuu Kyoudai probably stands out as the most remarkable media experience of 2012. And it is still ongoing.

For every great moment I want to thank the creators of all these stories and I’ll keep seeking to inspire others with hope on this journey.

Also recently, other companies impressed with nice CGI like Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 trailer by Mercury Steam and the Mists of Pandaria trailer by Blizzard.

But nevertheless, it seems to me, after the Final Fantasy Versus XIII trailer, Square Enix is trying to reclaim the CGI Throne in the Game of Cutscenes with its newest trailer for Final Fantasy XIV : A Realm Reborn.

What makes those trailers good for me is the narrative and the audiovisual poetry.

In this Final Fantasy XIV trailer we have this threatening meteor approaching the planet. The trailer kicks off with a gregorian chant, later turning into a song sung by a woman, with the sound of a lullaby accompanied by harpy sounds; almost unfitting the battle that starts to unfold between two armies on the ground.

But once the a sword launched from the core of the meteor, the meteor itself starts to crumble the lullaby takes a step back to introduce a dramatic female choir, Liberi Fatali Style. Slowly, the meteor reveals its core, a giant Bahamut is unchained from its shelter. The choir stops and a metal- rock style tune delivers a powerful attitude for the Bahamut. And then the lullaby returns and is sung along the rock instrumental while Bahamut causes havoc around the area. Partly choirs start to support the main voice as a wise mage tries to protect the main hero party that finds itself amidst the battleground. But the protective shield shatters under the gravity of the dragons energy, and about 3/4 of the trailer, the song reaches is symbolical trailer and highest note (a known characteristic of composing) as Bahamut stretches his wings, ensuring a dramatic moment of danger and goosebumps. The song reaches its outro verse remaining mezzo forte while mages try to magically capture the dragon and fades into choir and lullaby as the Bahamut unleashes his final magic flare, leaving the trailer fade to white.