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So, this is slightly disturbing. Quite sad... the main theme for Final Fantasy XIII will be a song performed, but also written by Leona Lewis. 100% not Nobuo Uematsu.

Here's a link to the song, and some articles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q0_mNC5FQ8
http://www.finalfantasyunion.com/news/fina...ement--701.html
http://www.finalfantasyunion.com/news/squa...ition--704.html

Thoughts?

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*Sigh*....Times are tough

I was going to argue with you about this being sad and disturbing, but I actually agree with that. This seems like one of those big Hollywood deals, some sleezy deal to market the game.

Then again, maybe not. I mean, how many fans would Square gain by using Leona Lewis? Is there some untapped RPG audience in b rate pop stars? Maybe this is a good thing, maybe it fits the story. Who knows? Maybe Square has lost its mind.

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Praise Be To Helix!

I guess they did want to drag in some more fans... just kind of sad that we won't be hearing a nice new original Square piece as the main theme.
But apparently someone has said that it fits the game. We'll have to wait and see.

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*Sigh*....Times are tough

My immediate thought is that this is the kind of song that cannot be distinguished from any other pop song of its kind out there. If you didn't say it was Leona Lewis (who the f is Leona Lewis anyway?) then I wouldn't know it was her, I'd probably say Rihanna or someone. Actually I think you could ask any teenage girl to sing it and she would sound pretty similar. It sounds quite nice to begin with but then in comes the heavy ruinous beat that I think should be another definition of the word 'claptrap'.

Both of your theories are pretty similar to mine: this is a song to bring in more fans, particularly teenage girls. It's a cynical theory but it makes sense.

I don't know how the song could relate to the game when the point of it is so vague; as far as I understand, she misses someone but is trying to forget about them. Maybe there'll be a major separation between lovers A and B in the game.

This post has been edited by sweetdude on 27th November 2009 03:46

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

This only proves my point. Final Fantasy is dead, and Enix killed it.

I absolutely lost all interest in the games that came after X. Not a single one was good. XI is a MMO, XII sucks, and now this? Some pop song? Do they even believe that works? By appealing to new fans they are betraying old ones.

I'm absolutely sorry, but I am not even considering purchasing this game. After XII, I lost all trust in the FF saga.

And Enix did it. I'm sorry if it's a bit off-topic, but it was the last drop!

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Snooping as usual, I see?

I don't like the song. And I doubt the lyrics have any connection with the game itself. If it does, then I don't think I'll like the game. Sorry, Square-Enix, you have just lost a costumer.

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You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one...

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After XII, I lost all trust in the FF saga.

Ouch, I didn't think XII was that bad!

All I can say is that I hope the main theme is barely used. For instance, I can't even remember hearing Kiss Me Goodbye from FFXII in-game. I think it played over the credits, and that was it. Hopefully the same here?

Do we know who is doing the soundtrack for this game?

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Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

All right, choice made on FF13. I'd been kind of meh before, a sort of "12 wasn't as terrible as I thought, maybe I'll wait and see how 13 rolls out..." but this one deserves a special layer of hell all to itself for whoever thought this would be a spiffing idea. I hate Leona Lewis so much that on her involvement alone I do think this one is going in the Dead to Me category... And so is the rest of the series.

Hey guys, how come they're not making any more Final Fantasy games? Why'd they stop on 12. And skip from 10 to 12? Was there a Japanese only one I missed?

If you ask me to describe Leona Lewis, you'll get something like "A talentless whore who deserved a damn sight more than a slap for how crap a singer she is and for what she did to a damn good song the [expletive] [expletive] deserves [expletive] machetes inserted up her [expletive] for the [expletive] being such a, well, [expletive] because I really, really hate the [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] dog [expletive] taco tea kettle [expletive] [expletive] [expletive]."

Who went full retard on this one anyway? How many of us actually know who she is, other than me with my aforementioned pathological hatred of her that may or may not result in me being on the front page of The Sun sometime next year with the headline "Loopy Loony Lacerates Leona Lewis"?

This is just the same old generic [expletive] from a Maria Carey wannabe who couldn't sing to save herself. She has a voice, yes, but it should be classed as an inhumane sonic weapon rather than a musical voice. She's meant to be involved like this to lure new fans? On XBox? You want new fans on XBox you want music XBox players actually listen to. She ain't it. She's the music they hate. Protip, try someone like Linkin Park if you want XBoxers happy with the music. It'd still be crap but at least A) Most people know who they are and I just want to wound them a little bit.

Apologies for that rant but I really hate that woman. Seriously. The only thing worse would have been Amy Winehouse and don't get me started on her for [expletive] sake...

This post has been edited by Del S on 27th November 2009 18:58

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"Only the dead have seen the end of their quotes being misattributed to Plato."
-George Santayana

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..."
-Abraham Lincoln, prior to the discovery of Irony.

I think you guys just like to find something to complain about. You're not going to play the game because of the theme song? Really? I have a feeling you'll either play it, or you were never going to play it at all. To base your choice on the theme song is ridiculous. It may feel like a betrayal to the FF faithful but the ultimate point of creating a game is for it to sell. And if some Leona Lewis crap song is going to help it sell and recruit more fans to FF then I'm all for it.

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Sabin: Kefka! Wait!
Kefka: Wait he says! Do I look like a waiter?

Quote (Bum Rush Blitzer @ 28th November 2009 02:06)

I think you guys just like to find something to complain about.  You're not going to play the game because of the theme song?  Really?  I have a feeling you'll either play it, or you were never going to play it at all.  To base your choice on the theme song is ridiculous.  It may feel like a betrayal to the FF faithful but the ultimate point of creating a game is for it to sell.  And if some Leona Lewis crap song is going to help it sell and recruit more fans to FF then I'm all for it.

That's true, but you're forgetting that there's bags of other stuff that is bringing this game down in fans' estimations. Perhaps this is the straw that's broken the camel's back for a lot of fans? Although it's more like a jagged rock than a straw.

Do you not agree that a lot of the news surrounding the game is quite... intimidating? That doesn't mean it's surely going to be a bad game, it's just that a lot of the information we get points that way, and I can say with no hesitation that there'll be better games to buy instead when it comes out.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

I'm still going to give it a go, I mean thank goodness for mute buttons you know.

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*Sigh*....Times are tough

Quote (sweetdude @ 27th November 2009 21:48)

That's true, but you're forgetting that there's bags of other stuff that is bringing this game down in fans' estimations. Perhaps this is the straw that's broken the camel's back for a lot of fans? Although it's more like a jagged rock than a straw.

Do you not agree that a lot of the news surrounding the game is quite... intimidating? That doesn't mean it's surely going to be a bad game, it's just that a lot of the information we get points that way, and I can say with no hesitation that there'll be better games to buy instead when it comes out.

I can't think of anything that jumps out and says that this will be bad. Now, I'll say I haven't been paying too much attention to it, but none of the news posted on here has been very bad.

For starters, I still believe it is way too early to pass judgment on it yet. We have not yet seen the finished product. And I don't think that this as the theme song is that proverbial straw. It's not that bad, and she's not that bad either.

Now, let me just clarify: not her fan. I am very selective when it comes to music. I am a fan of classic music (my definition: any music ranging from JS Bach to Bob Dylan, any music of artistic and enduring value). My personal opinion of the song is that it does not have music uniqueness or value.

I would also say that this doesn't appear to fit with the Final Fantasy style, or any fantasy setting whatsoever. Nevertheless, I think we should allow them benefit of the doubt, because it could turn out well. And Square has made great games in the past, this could be one as well.

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Praise Be To Helix!

Hey fellas, it's a song. Not an entire game. It's like walking out of a movie theater because you don't like the song in the opening credits. In fact, it's almost *exactly* like that. I can't believe some of you are reacting so strongly to this nonsense.

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

C'mon there's no smoke without fire. I'm going to avoid disappointment and naivety the easy way. And cliché proverbs are still cool. About the 'walking out of the cinema' scenario, it's more like seeing an advert for a film with a really cheesy pop song as it's theme. You can't tell me that the song wouldn't affect your perception of what the film will be like.

BlitzSage, for me the downers have been that return of outdated old-timey battles rather than the brilliant FFXII system, the fact that summons turn into motorbikes, both this song and the other music in the trailers, and most of the voice acting. These reasons stack. Now, that doesn't mean I'm 100% sure it will be bad, it's just that little seems to be indicating otherwise aside from the graphics, and that's never a good enough reason. I like FF, but there are a lot of games I'd rather play, and I don't see any reason to change my mind and play this instead.

Having said all that I'm totally prepared to eat my words and enjoy this immensely.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

Quote (sweetdude @ 28th November 2009 13:33)

You can't tell me that the song wouldn't affect your perception of what the film will be like.

Yes, but if the film is made by one of the all time great filmmakers, I'm going to still stick around, or I'll at least wait till reviews come out.

In gaming, Square has become one of the all time great developers, making some of the greatest games ever. You may be right, the smoking gun is probably in their hands. But I'm just saying that we should give them the change first to explain themselves.

Who knows, this game may be vastly different than every other FF game, but it could still be good. I think we put too much pressure on them, because they created FFIV, FFVI, CT, and FFVII. We expect those games every time they make a new title. It could actually turn out to be one of the better ones, because we just don't know yet.

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return of outdated old-timey battles rather than the brilliant FFXII system

Now, I wouldn't say that, not if I were an RPG fan (which I am, so I won't say it). It's more like a classic system that may not be the best system, but some of the greatest games of all time have used that system (all the games mentioned above, Pokemon, etc). I personally was kind of excited by that news.

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Praise Be To Helix!

Quote (sweetdude @ 28th November 2009 12:33)

C'mon there's no smoke without fire. I'm going to avoid disappointment and naivety the easy way.

This is why I try to keep an attitude of cautious optimism about games like FF XIII. It's too easy to develop an opinion by drawing conclusions from early peeks at a game; I'll decide whether I like it or not after I've actually played it, thanks. If I was the internet fiend I am today back in 1996 and 1997, and FF VII had the level of internet hype that FF XIII did, I would probably find the character designs of Cait Sith, Yuffie, and Red XIII completely silly and ruining the fine tradition of games like FF IV and FF VI. Now it's the most successful Square game of all time and has created new legions of Final Fantasy fans. In that hypothetical situation, if I hadn't been patient, I may have decided to hate FF VII before it came out, as many of you seem to be doing now with FF XIII. Not best course of action.

And for all of those people who are complaining it isn't like FF XII or some other favorite game, it might help to know that this is a new generation of Final Fantasy designers. Most of the directors and designers were lower-level event planners and story writers for the 1990s Final Fantasy games. One of FF XIII's directors, Toshiro Tsuchida, is one of the head honchos behind Square's Front Mission games. There is pretty much no one from the ex-Quest team that designed FF Tactics, Vagrant Story, and FF XII. It's only logical that FF XIII be considerably different from FF XII and other games in the series. So why is everyone complaining that it's so different and that Square is trying to do something different? It shouldn't be a surprise if you do a little bit of research.

And I know I'm way late on this reply, but oh for the love of Pete:

Quote

This only proves my point. Final Fantasy is dead, and Enix killed it.

Enix didn't have anything to do with Final Fantasy XIII. If anything, Square killed themselves by forcing themselves into a merger after they lost so much money from The Spirits Within. Everyone, and I mean everyone, that assumes that Enix is "running Square into the ground" or that Enix's influence changed the nature of Square's properties for the worse is foolishly attributing a completely unrelated cause to the fact that their tastes aren't being matched any longer. Stop whining and keep playing older games if you don't have an open mind about new games. I've seen so many complaints in that vein that I'm about ready to choke a bitch. Figuratively.

Jeez, I didn't really mean to rant like that, but I guess I did anyway. It probably reads like drivel, but I've had a few drinks and I don't much feel like editing. Have a nice day, everyone.

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Quote

"A talentless whore who deserved a damn sight more than a slap for how crap a singer she is and for what she did to a damn good song the [expletive] [expletive] deserves [expletive] machetes inserted up her [expletive] for the [expletive] being such a, well, [expletive] because I really, really hate the [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] [expletive] dog [expletive] taco tea kettle [expletive] [expletive] [expletive]."

Wizard swears?

Quote

Hey fellas, it's a song. Not an entire game. It's like walking out of a movie theater because you don't like the song in the opening credits. In fact, it's almost *exactly* like that. I can't believe some of you are reacting so strongly to this nonsense.

Laz is right... I'm pretty sure it'll only play during the ending credits. You know, once we've beaten the game and we need to go use the bathroom quickly before that sneaky little post-credits scene comes on.

Quote

This only proves my point. Final Fantasy is dead, and Enix killed it.

No, George Bush killed it. But don't worry, it's only fake dead, like Elvis.

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Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

I bet the song will be in the opening sequence or a huge cutscene in the beginning of the game, where they pan the "camera" back and you see the entire world of Pulse. Most likely it'll be a longish scene that you cannot skip through. Chances are they paid a decent fee for the song and will force you to listen to it. Not the entire thing but a decent chunk.

I have to agree I don't like most of what I've seen so far of the game. I'll defnitely buy and play it but I don't think I'll be waiting outside of GameStop at midnight or anything like that.

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Sabin: Kefka! Wait!
Kefka: Wait he says! Do I look like a waiter?

Quote (Bum Rush Blitzer @ 1st December 2009 20:00)

I bet the song will be in the opening sequence or a huge cutscene in the beginning of the game, where they pan the "camera" back and you see the entire world of Pulse. Most likely it'll be a longish scene that you cannot skip through. Chances are they paid a decent fee for the song and will force you to listen to it. Not the entire thing but a decent chunk.

I have to agree I don't like most of what I've seen so far of the game. I'll defnitely buy and play it but I don't think I'll be waiting outside of GameStop at midnight or anything like that.

Please don't scare us/ give us nightmares Bum Rush..

Listened to the song and have to admit that the song- originally/ isn't too bad
but with Final Fantasy ?

It's kind of strange and it gives out terrible nightmares of X-2 with a girly- pop feeling..

Reckon that SE is using this to try and make Final Fantasy games seem cooler within American/ European society if they ever use FF13 game-clips in the music videos more fans who don't usually play games are likely to see the game and pick the game up with from the store and get into the Final Fantasy series..

More Fans equal more money...





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Currently playing Chrono Trigger !!
Currently looking forward to Don't Know.

I heard enough after the first 30 seconds. Whoever this Leona Lewis is, yeah, she sucks. Hard.

Was this a marketing decision? I wonder. I understand that a company can never have too many customers, but seriously? This? If that's the case, then that SE thinks this is the kind of music that gamers at large are into either means I'm in the minority, or SE is a wee bit out o' touch : / .

This post has been edited by Galsic on 2nd December 2009 10:18

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Console RPG Cliches

The beginning of the song is horrible... But the chorus picks up a bit.

I'm sure they'll use it in commercials for the game. It's going to be a bad depiction of FF. You see Lightning, she launches a huge combo, kicking the crap out of some monster, then you see Snow throwing big haymakers (and you're like "Hell Yeah!"), the Leona Lewis song starts, you see Sazh crying, then they show Pulse, and you see the Shiva twins turn into the bike and Snow rides off into the sunset(and you're suddenly like "WTF is this crap?!?"). And then everyone laughs at you for being excited about FF13.

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Sabin: Kefka! Wait!
Kefka: Wait he says! Do I look like a waiter?

Quote (Galsic @ 2nd December 2009 06:06)

I heard enough after the first 30 seconds. Whoever this Leona Lewis is, yeah, she sucks. Hard.

I really don't know what you're talking about. I don't see any difference between her and Mariah Carey or Beyonce. All of them sound the same to me, and so does every new song they do. In my opinion, this is just another bland song just like every other. Not even unique enough to point out and say, "Oh, Mariah's so much better." How? What makes her better? Nothing, she does the same stupid songs.

But honestly, who would not play a game after hearing a certain song in that game? It's not even a bad song, it's just bland. I think people have expectations that are too high for this game, and they're looking for an excuse.

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Praise Be To Helix!

Quote (BlitzSage @ 2nd December 2009 23:36)

But honestly, who would not play a game after hearing a certain song in that game? It's not even a bad song, it's just bland. I think people have expectations that are too high for this game, and they're looking for an excuse.

Yo, what's up?

Now, it's not the song itself, but how it's used that could drive me to abandon gameplay. The FF music has never been as huge a thing to me as it is to others, but by and large, it fits. It works. It doesn't make me want to mute it. Older FF games of course had the music and sound effects only, meaning in the past, the musical choice was the driving force of a scene even more. I'm by no means one of the Musicheads of the world, nor am I the kind of person who can reasonably discuss music without exposing that I generally have no idea what I'm talking about, but I know what I like, I know what I know, and I'll tell you what I know.

Music is a powerful tool in any narrative. If you use the wrong music and get soundtrack dissonance it can kill the scene. If that scene is critical to the plot and ruined by that, it can impact the whole game. And hearing one narmy or out of place song can lead to that song or scene being picked out and picked on by critics.

I'm not predicting it, and I hope it's just the end theme and is weak against a swift mute button, but if they do elect to weave it into the game's soundtrack it could have unforeseen consequences on the quality. Even just as a muted end theme will be like muting and dulling the ending.

The reason I really am concerned this song may impact the quality of the game to me. I play for a story, and often, music is, as I say, a powerful part of it. I can give an example of a song that made a game for me. Max Payne 2, Late Goodbye by Poets of the Fall.

Yes, MP2 can be accused of overusing Late Goodbye considering how short a game it is compared to the average Final Fantasy, perhaps, but first and foremost, it was a good song. Second, it fit the game's plot well, being written for it rather than simply picked out of an upcoming album. Third, the way it was used in the game itseld with short snippets hummed along to, whistled, or even sang to in the shower by some NPC's helped build up to its use in the end credits underlining it as the leitmotif by giving you the full thing, and making the ending all the more powerful for being recognisable and being so fitting to the ending. That, to me, is a game that used it's ending credits theme powerfully.

I don't see this song as being able to have that kind of power, most certainly for me. It's too bland, too generic, too off the shelf, and too out of place with what the indications are. If you weave My Hands into the game like Late Goodbye was with MP2, then you're making the scenes it appears in bland, and you're reducing the impact of the ending and the game as a whole. It'll give the impression of a build-up to nothing.

If it's not weaved in, it's just bland end music. Off the shelf, lack of effort, just a cheap little shot with little impact, little reason, little point. The end theme should try to feel like part of your game, part of that reward for your hard efforts and to enhance your enjoyment of the story you saw and the game you played, and My Hands at the end will be to me a huge let-down even without my other reasons for disliking the choice. The game might very well have built up its story well without the help of the Off the Shelf song, and then it'll slip in and end it all with a whimper.

I know I rant a bit, and I know it might not make any sense, but that's what music really does for me in a game or film. An end theme is meant to be an icon of the work, that audio flag to rally the emotions of the viewer and evoke nostalgia for what they saw. My Hands is a poor song, and likely will be a poor icon. And a poor icon can only diminish the strength of what it represents.

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"Only the dead have seen the end of their quotes being misattributed to Plato."
-George Santayana

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here..."
-Abraham Lincoln, prior to the discovery of Irony.

As usual, I can see both of the poles in this argument; I feel like I skew a bit closer to the "just shut up and play the friggin' game" camp. I say that because since the era of lyrical music in Final Fantasy games, I haven't really cared about any of them, nor did I really think that they added anything specifically to the games per se.

With that in mind, I think it explains why, to me, sticking Leona Lewis into this game isn't necessarily any better, worse, or different than any number of J-pop stars who, in my mind, are just as interchangeable as any Western Top 40 artist.

Further, I feel like this has some analogues to other "turning points" in the series. I can remember people being upset that the series was going 3D, going to Sony, using Nomura's art as the face for the games, losing Uematsu, losing Sakaguchi, and so on, and so forth. It's a shame that these things cause some people to walk away from something, but in each case, it seems that just as many fans fans have ended up coming in than going out, so who's to say that all of these decisions and changes are as apocalyptic as some people make them sound?

With regards to blaming this on Enix, well, that makes even less sense to me personally. Why is it Enix' fault? Is it just because they're there now? I haven't seen any names connected to this game that are connected more closely to Enix than they are Square. What's the connection that you draw?

Bottom line is that if you want to play the game, play the game; if you don't, for whatever reason, feel free. I don't feel it's worth some massive diatribe, though, because it doesn't change anything, you know?

OK, second bottom line: buy it from AmaCoN!

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Quote (Rangers51 @ 3rd December 2009 00:00)

OK, second bottom line: buy it from AmaCoN!

Digging the subtle advertising =D

I must say, after playing Final Fantasy XII I was taught a very valuable lesson, and that's not to condemn a game franchise for changing.
Before that I was definately against all things new, but after getting into it I really loved XII. So, I'm thinking that SquareEnix may just have created another new epically awesome game for me, and if they have, I think I'll be able to put aside my muscial discriminations.



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*Sigh*....Times are tough

Having not played any of the games past FFVI, I really can't comment on how the series has changed.

I can say, however, as a musician, that the lyrics are not very well-written.

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EGG TOSS
YOU CARRY
EAT A BAG
LEMON-DY
HEAD SAUCE
JIM CARREY
IN A BEAR
HEAVEN PEE
DAFFY-ROTH
- brentalfloss

At least we're not getting a soundtrack made up entirely of Leona Lewis' songs. I'm sure we'll still enjoy an otherwise typical, epic FF soundtrack.

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Sabin: Kefka! Wait!
Kefka: Wait he says! Do I look like a waiter?

all i got to say is oh no!! final fantasy the spirits within lol. anyways, ive lost interest of the ff series since 8. ive never really been a fan of these lets make it a present day ff game. it seems theres cars and planes and all these other machine to help you travel but your still walking all over the place. i dont know, maybe its just me

I'm upset over the whole thing for many small and big reasons.

I'm tired of everything we import from Japan being changed in any way other than the language. Everyone who plays games from Japan or watches anime likes them just the way they are, we really don't want anything else added to them. I mean, if we could all speak Japanese then we wouldn't want America do have any part in it. Which brings me to the other part.

Most Final Fantasy players like to keep the game exactly the way it was intended to be. The music is a very important aspect of the game for me and for a lot of people. I like that fact that the songs picked and made for Final Fantasy aren't what we would hear normally in America, it makes me feel like I'm branching gout even if I'm not, and it makes me feel special, I can't really explain the feeling I get, but the music that was originally picked for this game makes me feel so special.

Leona Lewis didn't even make the song for this game. This song just does'nt have the Final Fantasy feel to it, it's a nice song, but it's not for Final Fantasy. I'm not bashing Leona Lewis, and I'm no supporting her either...

This is just the way I feel in my heart, everytime I think about what they did to the game I just don't feel right. I'm going to play the game no matter what, mostly because I pre-ordered it one year ago. Believe me when I say this, but don't judge me: If I get the chance to buy a Japanese copy of the game I will. For many more reasons than the song. I've been learning the Japanese language for years now, and I like collecting the original games, but the fact that they changed the song really helps.

I love the song Sayuri Sugawara sings, not because it's Japanese, but because it really captures the magical feeling I get when I think of Final Fantasy. Honesty for the first few moments I listened to "My Hands" I thought it was gonna work, but then I heard the chorus, and the music and the tempo didn't fit for me. Honestly if Leona made a song just for the game, and it was a song that fit the feeling people get when they play the game, I would not be so upset right now.

All of you who really want to make a change in the game, don't give up. I really think we can do it. The petitions might not do anything, but sign them anyway.

(A note for Square Enix members)
I know for a FACT that if you send a letter of concern to Square Enix, they will read it, and they will take it seriously. I would post up the response I got after I sent my heart-filled letter of concern, but I don't know if I am allowed to do that. I think that if all those who care write them a letter we can actually make the change before it gets here, or at least have Square Enix sell either one game where you can choose the music or two versions with either song on them. I know it sounds crazy but I know if we just voice our concern we can do this.

For those of you who get upset just because it's a song in English or somethign like that, There are actually songs that aren't in Japanese that did the Final Fantasy series justice, this has happened before.

Eyes on Me in Final Fantasy 8

Forgot the name of the song in Final Fantasy 12

The english versions of the Kingdom Heart songs

I'm sure there are more. I just feel that, unlike the other songs, this one does not fit Final Fantasy 13 or the whole series for that matter.

Also, if you plan on writing a letter to Square, maybe this'll help:

Using this song to attract more customers will not help. No one will decide to buy a game because of the music, no matter how important music really is to a game, however, as you can see from the controversy over the issue, the music selection can definitely keep people from purchasing the game. One song in the game won't create a new fan base. Final Fantasy's fan base in North America and Europe is already so huge, there is no need to make unnecessary change. If you want to increase the fan base for Final Fantasy, all there is to do is more advertising, and if you use us fans you already have, it won't cost as much as not using the fans. Remember, the number one advertisement for any product or service in the world is W.O.M. (Word of Mouth) and a lot of Final Fantasy fans can go out there and support the hell out of this game just as easily as they can kill it. It's up to the higher-ups of Square Enix to make this simple decision. You can even give options for which song we want to here in the game, but please do something.

That isn't what I wrote in my letter, but It would have been a good add-on. There is a word limit on the website so be concise and don't be rash, choose your words carefully and don't come off as biast or negative in any way. A voice of concern is not a voice of hatred or anger.

(You might have to edit the letter a couple times to fit under the word limit, but I feel that it's worth it.)