Tales music... especially veperia....

[navydude]

Is it me or do the Tales of games need a major overhaul in the music area.... I mean, Sakuraba's music ALL SOUNDS THE SAME and I don't think he did Legendia and you can actually tell lol... Legendia is the best music in the series I think ( Even though the game sucked  ) I think if Namco wanted to attract a larger fan-base with tales games in the U.S., they should make memorales tales soundtracks like the memorable FF soundtracks we're used to. Vesperia was ABSOUTELY AWESOME and I know tales just picked up thousands of new tales fans because of this game even tho the storyline was same old same old... Whatever though I WANT BETTER MUSIC IN MY TALES GAME!!!! 

[pedrocasilva]

I haven't played Vesperia, but yeah, Sakuraba is... seem'ish.

Taking a queue from some other thread and theme debated already today to a certain extent... Tales of Legendia actually has a good OST as a redeeming feature, it's not sakuraba and doesn't really sound like most RPG's, in a good way.

Anyway... Sakuraba is not a bad composer per see, it's just that Tales games don't seem personal for him, take a look at Baten Kaitos Origins for instance, who is regarded as his most personal work (at least back when it came out) with even her daughter singing in latin some songs, with lyrics written by his wife and stuff... And I'll bet you'll be blown away by how inspired by comparison it sounds.

[Joseph]

One could argue that all Nobuo Uematsu or Hitoshi Sakimoto music sounds the same.

[Cless]

What do you mean "especially vesperia"? I think you mean "especially Eternia" or "especially Rebirth." Those two by far have the most forgettable soundtracks in the series. I found Vesperia to easily have one of the better "Sakuraba" soundtracks in the series. Probably because they replaced Shinji Tamura with with Hibiki Aoyama.

But again, Sakuraba isn't wholly responsible for the Tales soundtracks he's involved with anyway. And somehow, I suspect they have a set of guidelines on the styles used.

If there's anything I could wish, it would be that they'd start letting Sakuraba compose Star Ocean-like town themes for the games (though I really like the Dahngrest, Yormgen, and Myorzo themes). I don't have much issue with the atmospheric dungeon themes they use in Tales, as much awesome as some Valkyrie Profile-like rock would be.

One could argue that all Nobuo Uematsu or Hitoshi Sakimoto music sounds the same.

Pretty much any composer, really. Nearly all of them have a distinct sound. Sugiyama, Mitsuda, Kikuta, and many others...

[Joseph]

Pretty much any composer, really. Nearly all of them have a distinct sound. Sugiyama, Mitsuda, Kikuta, and many others...

Exactly. I'm sick of hearing people say "it all sounds the same" when they really want to say "I don't like this composer's style."

[ForceCube]

I like Sakuraba's work on Tales... or should I say, I'm used to it and don't want it to change.

And I'd rather have a consistently average composer than someone like Shoji Meguro, who's extremely hit-or-miss (and he never hits [or misses] twice in a row, for whatever reason - after he screws up, he always delivers a masterpiece, and vice versa).

Anyone notice the first post is an example of everything I said on the other thread? >_________>

[wicked ryoko]

I personally loved most of his work in Tales of the Abyss.  While some of his battle themes sound similar, the same thing can be said with Uematsu's battle music in Final Fantasy, but it's become a trade mark in the series, so who cares?

[Cyllya]

I think part of the reason Tales music is seeming bland lately is that most of the recent games (not ToL) are a heck of a lot larger than they used to be (number of locations, events, etc) and the amount of music compositions has grown but not as much. So half the dungeon musics end up in three different dungeons, whereas ToP gave each dungeon its own music. Even that little mountain path that had only four or five screens.

There were only like five pieces of music in ToL that I liked. (Two of them were different versions of the same piece.) I can't sympathize with the fuss. Even ToA and the oft-bashed ToS soundtrack had more than that I liked. >_>

Hmm, I can't recall anything I cared much for in ToV though. Maybe it's because I like Shinji Tamura.

[navydude]

      Ok, to say Uematsu, the pioneer imo of videgame music, music's sounds the same is not true at all. His music ranges from rock and roll to classical and all u get from sakuaba is that rock techno stuff... Wen i firsted played super smash bros brawl and heard the beginning cinema music I said to myself who did this cuz it sounds really good... I thought that the person who did it may rival uematsu until i found out it was uematsu lol... anyway, sakuraba can't come close to uematsu imo and FF games have certain theme music recycled like the way suikoden games recycle their music...

                 Maybe if he made a common theme like ff or dragon quest and all other popular rpg and even super mario has i'd like him more as an artist. Baiten kaitos did have a really good soundtrack but I think he needs to get more emotionally attached to these tales games too. These Tales games ARE his baby and he needs to put just alittle more effort in the soundtracks.. I saw the beginning of ToS: DoTNW and wow, the intro to the english version sounds like a mixture between SO2, TOTA, TOP, TOV, VP2, Golden sun etc... I can keep going on and on lol... Anyway, yes cless I did like alot of vesperia's soundtrack especially the fight music between yuri and flynn but it didnt really blow me away and in my older years lol, I just dislike playing games with mediocre storylines and mediocre music... I just wish I'd get a tales game that makes me think about it after I'm done playing (xenogears but not that serious its tales after all lol) or if not that, lets me remember its music... I remember I was about to take back skies of arcadia when i first played it because of its gameplay but the music and the storyline kept me enthralled... thats exactly what i need again in a tales game... I need my tales rpg fix and lately, they haven't been cutting it...   
                   

                 

[Joseph]

Ok, sakuaba doesnt just use rock dudw    he aslo does classic liek nordopolca and meltokyo castle lol and imo uesmatu is no pinoeer  he dint get gud until ff3j lol and koji kondo n sugiyama dorf him in pioneering imo 

[stahn_irving]

I personally love Sakuraba's music it has this old school dreamlike flare to it i cant really explain other than that and at first was the main reason behind not getting tales of legendia due to Sakuraba not being apart of its soundtrack the tales series has its own flavor which is why i love it and really there are quite a few songs in legendia that sound alot like orchestrated versions of Sakuraba's music to me anyway.

[Nae]

I just like the battle theme myself.

[FSLink]

I saw the beginning of ToS: DoTNW and wow, the intro to the english version sounds like a mixture between SO2, TOTA, TOP, TOV, VP2, Golden sun etc...

Pretty sure he had nothing to do with the English track for the opening. >_>
Sakuraba is all right, but I'm just tired of seeing his work in Tales games. XD...his Vesperia one was better at least...and his battle themes are consistently pretty decent throughout the games.

[UraRenge]

I honestly think his music for the Tales games peaked at Destiny 2, and he hasn't music for the series since that was as altogether good.  It took a lot of the best themes from Destiny, and gave us the best battle themes in the series, unlike that godawful 2nd Abyss battle theme.

[Kevassa]

I honestly think his music for the Tales games peaked at Destiny 2, and he hasn't music for the series since that was as altogether good.  It took a lot of the best themes from Destiny, and gave us the best battle themes in the series, unlike that godawful 2nd Abyss battle theme.

Well, I cant agree with you on that. Tales of Destiny 2 soundtrack was good, and I appreciate the music it has, but it isnt that it went on a bad way, actually I think they improved a lot.

Tales of Rebirth is a good example, they tried to not use as much drum abusal as in Tales of Destiny 2, and I *do* like Abyss´s second battle theme, it was much more upbeat than the first one.
I dont see anything special in Tales of Destiny 2 soundtrack that wasnt on the ones after it (I mean as a whole, not each one, cause ToS soundtrack... DX)

[Cless]

I honestly think his music for the Tales games peaked at Destiny 2, and he hasn't music for the series since that was as altogether good.  It took a lot of the best themes from Destiny, and gave us the best battle themes in the series, unlike that godawful 2nd Abyss battle theme.

While I would definitely put the ToD2 OST in the top 3 (w/Sakuraba involvement), I strongly disagree with your assessment of the second Abyss battle theme (if you mean The edge of a decision). It is by far my favorite regular battle theme in the series. I don't hear anything to dislike about it.