SQEX-10241: FINAL FANTASY IV & THE AFTER YEARS Sounds Plus

[Zanasea]

In the WiiWare version of the game, Junya Nakano was the arranger but he also composed some new pieces. I suppose they used the same soundtrack for the PSP version.

[Zanasea]

Just added a translation but I'm really confused by "想像主". Maybe someone could find a better translation.

[darkthunder84]

WHAT THE HELL?!!!

I just tried to purchase this (the day it was released), from PlayAsia, and supposedly its completely out of stock! I've been reading that it completely sold out within about an hour, so nobody really had a fair chance to buy it

And, heres what REALLY irritates me (putting it mildly), there are already 2 copies up on eBay for around $400 USD!!!

AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I hope NOBODY gives in to those unscrupulous eBay sellers and actually pays them that much for it. People shouldn't be allowed to do this!

SIGH...

[Carl]

That's been happening for years with CAVE albums (or any other bundled enclosure album) so your situation isn't anything new...

Yeah it's frustrating at first, but later you just accept that it's a natural side effect of trading on items of a limited nature.

[darkthunder84]

I really wish that the vast majority of VGM would be released as lossless downloads (in addition to limited CD release of the same quality) -

Then this kind of blatant money grubbing couldn't happen!

Surely companies are aware that this goes on and how much money they are potentially losing.

I probably sound like a noob and all this has been discussed intensively here already.

I just really wanted that "Mysterious Girl" music! lol

[Carl]

I had the same conversation about 10 years ago with similar thoughts, but in reality, not much of anything has changed on the supply-side of the vgm landscape during that time.

[Arcubalis]

Yeah, I've been bugging the SQEX sound staff for a release of the "Mysterious Girl" theme for a couple years. Nice to see they actually finally did it, but sucks that they're making it so limited. I'm told there are no plans to include a CD with the US release, and that it was only sold to Square Enix Members in Japan.

[darkthunder84]

You know, I actually wouldn't mind paying $400 for that package IF it was direct from SQEX AND they would donate a significant portion of that to the disaster relief.

But to just give in to some random *&$$(%&##@ on eBay... I couldn't do it!! lol (Maybe if I won some money at the casino.... at least then I'm not really paying for it)

But oh god... Mysterious Girl!!!! *Comtemplates caving in* NO!!!! I mustn't...... give.... in!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! !!!!!!!

[darkthunder84]

The sad thing is though.... If I didn't pay $400 to grab it now, someone else will get it and then sell it for $4000 later down the track.....

lol I'm starting to wish I'd never played THE AFTER YEARS!!!

[Alcahest]

Oh there is a hidden track! (19th, not mentionned in the booklet), it's an arrangement of "Troian Beauty" as featured in the PSP version.

..but I most certainly hope these aren't the last Junya Nakano tracks at Square.

[Phonograph]

Originally Posted by Zanasea

Just added a translation but I'm really confused by "想像主". Maybe someone could find a better translation.

the game calls him The Creator (maybe because 想像主 has the same reading as 創造主)

[Phonograph]

ah and track 18 should be The Dreadful Fight

[Jormungand]

I finished The After Years on PSP! And it was terrible! However!

I have always loved Junya Nakano, and I love him a little more after hearing the handful of new music he composed for (mostly) the last chapter of the game. The Mysterious Girl battle is absolutely the highlight, but Epilogue II just really sealed the deal. Listen carefully. Hear that bass? Yep, that's the same bass line from the second half of "Final Fantasy V Main Theme". With the FFIV main theme on top. Nakano, your karma score just went way up.

Anyway, Nobuo Uematsu should be credited in some capacity to Epilogue II and Finale. However, Nakano certainly isn't merely an "arranger" for these two tracks. They are similar to Nakano's work on FFX that used Uematsu melodies.

[Phonograph]

what track(s) is(are) from the ds version? afaik there is none

[Zanasea]

Tracks 14 to 19 are from the FFIV DS soundtrack. Track 19 is "Troia", by the way.

[Phonograph]

isn't it simply the arranged version you find in the psp version?
I find ds tracks are used in the psp ver, doesn't it make of them psp tracks?

I think it'll be better to put FFIV Complete Collection in the products field
after all, it's generally the way to fill in that for enclosures

[zierts]

A Japanese player was nice enough to record the music of the original mobile version that was called FF4 The After: Tsuki no Kikan. Here it is (see it here in action). Junya Nakano's new compositions are all present already. But the music for the game sounds different across releases, especially the tracks reused from the original FF4.


Nakano's new compositions:

• Mobile version: Another music recording from a Foma phone implies that the game probably used a unique sound driver making the music identical on all phone models. Never saw an album release.
• WiiWare version: Revamped with a new sound driver, probably by Hirosato Noda and Tomohiro Kamiya. The version released on this album here.
• PSP version: Uses lower-quality recordings of the WiiWare version tracks.
• 3D remake: Again revamped with a new sound driver (with Hirosato Noda as synthesizer operator, and Hikaru Taniyama and Akihiro Minami as audio programmers). Sounds closest to the WiiWare version, better in parts (track 2), worse in others (track 6). Never saw an album release.

Reused tracks from FF4:

• Mobile version: A mixture of arrangements/ports from the SNES (e.g. (note the missing intros in "Theme of Love", "Welcome to Our Town!" and "Rydia") and GBA versions (note the harpsichord in "Fanfare 2") and some slightly rearranged tracks (note the organ in "Golbeza Clad in the Dark"), all tracks of which sound different from any other version (again, possibly using a unique mobile sound driver). Never saw an album release.
• WiiWare version: Mostly an arrangement/port of the mobile version, but revamped with a new sound driver that makes it sound closer to the DS version. Some tracks were changed to be based on the DS version (e.g. "Castle Damcyan"). Never saw an album release.
• PSP version: Uses recordings of the DS version arrangements, probably sourced from this CD release with the sound quality lowered slightly.
• 3D remake: Uses the DS version arrangements just like the PSP version, but probably sourced directly with the same sound quality.

Originally Posted by Jormungand

The Mysterious Girl battle is absolutely the highlight, but Epilogue II just really sealed the deal. Listen carefully. Hear that bass? Yep, that's the same bass line from the second half of "Final Fantasy V Main Theme". With the FFIV main theme on top. Nakano, your karma score just went way up.

That was pretty wild. This is the only instance in the whole series where another entry's main theme is used, isn't it? It's an odd choice and I'm not sure how I feel about it... The music itself is fine, though.

Originally Posted by Phonograph

the game calls him The Creator (maybe because 想像主 has the same reading as 創造主)

Spoiler:

The final boss says:
いわば私の創造物だ。
クリスタルもマイナデスもそして、この真月も。
それゆえ私は、こう呼ばれる。
創造主…
クリエイターと…！！

So, yeah, they just used the wrong kanji input when the track list was created. It happens sometimes. It was meant to be "The Creator". (or, if you want to acknowledge the typo: "The Imaginator")