Final Fantasy XI [ENHANCED] [SOUNDTRACK] [IMPORT]

Game Music

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 5, 2002)
• Original Release Date: December 24, 2002
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Enhanced, Soundtrack, Import
• ASIN: B000065VP8
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,766 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Original soundtrack, regular edition. This album contains all of the game's soundtracks. The grand-scaled score for the game's opening movie is one of the most beautiful tracks in the series. 2 CDs featuring 51 trcks. 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Definite Improvement Over The Previous Disappointments, August 14, 2002

By	Alex Owens (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

When I first listened to the Final Fantasy X Soundtrack, I had hoped for the best. Unfortunately, I didn't get that. When I listened to the Final Fantasy XI Soundtrack, I have to admit that I really perhaps get the best.

Nobuo Uematsu teams up with two new composers, Naoshi Mizuda and Kumi Tanioka to develop the soundtrack for Final Fantasy XI. And you can tell that this time the Final Fantasy music crew means business as the opening theme turns out to be the prelude of all Final Fantasies...and more. First, a fanfare type of music sounds out, then a chorus after. With this, I had confidence that I found a product better.

Also, the new battle theme is a major improvement. Composed by Naoshi Mizuda, the battle theme is perhaps one of the best in my opinion. The new battle theme matches up with the style of Final Fantasy VIII with the symphonic style.

Overall, it is simply a great CD, and those who had hoped the Final Fantasy XI soundtrack to be a major improvement should get it without a doubt. Although doesn't really have the best songs, it certainly doesn't have the worst songs, just good, and very good songs. In conclusion, four stars is given to the new Final Fantasy XI soundtrack.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic. Rock on, Mr. Mizuta!, August 23, 2005

By	C. Sawyer - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Okay, it's time to defend this soundtrack. I hear a lot of people saying how bad of a musician Naoshi Mizuta is, and how his music is uninspired and blah blah blah. People buy this soundtrack thinking they're going to get highly emotional music similar to what they're used to hearing in the past Final Fantasy games, but what they find is a collection of music whose purpose is only to provide atmosphere. This means that instead of story-driven music, you get music inspired by scenery, and many people are turned off by this and instantly think "this music is bad," mostly because we expect to be taken on an emotional journey with our music, but instead we're taken on a journey through an imaginary land.

Final Fantasy XI is an MMORPG, and unlike the past Final Fantasies, it has a different kind of plot; a plot that has no lead characters, no character or NPC development and just includes the bare essentials needed to get the player on their way in the world. The player takes an active role in molding his or her adventure, just like every MMORPG. It's a very different concept from what someone would normally find in a Final Fantasy game.

In the notes included with the soundtrack for the Rise of the Zilart expansion, Naoshi Mizuta clearly states the goal of his music for this particular game: to convey the ideas of earth, nature, wood, water, etc. He accomplished his goal beautifully. There're a few tracks such as Buccaneers that leave you wondering if Mr. Mizuta recorded those songs deaf, but for the most part each song has an earthly feel to it that fits the MMORPG genre perfectly, not to mention the depth of most of these songs is amazing.

That said, the person who buys this OST shouldn't expect to find many sweeping emotional themes in this score (they're there, but they're done by the other two composers, they're in short supply and you won't find the level of emotion you'd find in other Final Fantasies), simply because it's impossible to have very emotional music accompanying a very unemotional video game. They should expect to find very atmospheric music influenced a great deal by minimalist art music and popular music; music that's repetitious, sometimes is very aggressive, but most of the time is very easy to listen to, and music that is artistic and fits each scene in FFXI wonderfully.

I hope this review can help other people understand this man's style, because he writes truly magnificent music.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Music, October 29, 2003

By A Customer

The music on this CD is wonderful. I don't care what any of the other reviewers giving it negative feedback say---this is a CD worth having. This soundtrack is beautiful and is just as good-if not better- than any other FF soundtrack out there.