Ed's favorite video game soundtracks - part deux

First, a word from Mr. Jeff Goldblum:

And to think, I thought he'd hit bottom when he filmed that in 1999.

That's unkind. Everyone has their own ebbs and flows. It's not as embarrassing as when Chris Noth rejoined Law & Order after...what? A 10-year hiatus? And once he was back on his feet, he left again. And look at him now.

(erm...)

Side note: I liked his first season on Criminal Intent. He was partnered with that MILF, Anabella Sciorra, and things were crackling. And then she left....no doubt due to the crippling boredom that is a police procedural. I don't normally like Italian women, but dayum.

Back on track, now.

Oh, hey! I just heard this yesterday. It's a trance remix of "Eyes On Me"

I wouldn't recommend anyone look up the engrish-y lyrics if they hadn't played FFVIII. The song sounds a lot better if it's left unintelligible.

GRANDIA

From what I can ascertain, the first two Grandia games are the only ones worth playing. I haven't tried the later games myself, though with a title like Grandia Xtreme you can't really fault me for that.

Grandia is old-school in a similar sense to Dragon Warrior, though not as reliant on grinding and dungeon-crawling. The perspective is strictly an isometric overhead view, and the "dungeon" areas are expansive. It's a given that you will get lost, regardless of the onscreen compass or the extent of your own sense of direction. In one sense, it's quite unique because of all the treasure and gear that is honeycombed throughout the level. Since the plot of Grandia (especially the first) revolves around a great exploration into the unknown, I think the giant maps lend a sense of chartering territory. On the other hand, the battles can get tedious.

But that's a game review. I don't even know why I went on that tangent.

When discussing the soundtrack, you have to emphasize the exploration aspect. The first title is simplistic enough; you're a plucky JRPG hero on a great quest to discover new lands. The military is rather clumsily shoehorned in as the baddies. Armies are bad, don'cha know. Technically, it's a linear game, meaning once you cross into a continent there's no going back to old towns. This, of course, heightens the excitement somewhat. But it still falls upon the music to really convey the wonderment and adventure, because otherwise you're just moving a cursor across maps (there is no FF-style world map to poke around in).

Theme of Grandia - A leitmotif you'll be hearing a lot of while playing. It's not bad; I like the guitar strings at 3:18. Every Grandia game has an electric guitar someplace.

The bridge of the song contains the secondary theme of the game, a melancholy violin piece which plays during the pointed emotional scenes. The most notable is Sue's departure from the party. It's a great surprise when she leaves; she stowed away with Justin when he took the steamboat off the first continent, crosesd the End of the World with him, and is the designated healer. She's indispensable. But Sue is also just a little girl, and her health literally starts to deteriorate from the exhaustion of the adventure (a clever inversion of RPG tropes, I might add). Never fear, though, a MacGuffin appears to teleport Sue back to Parm. It can only be used once, meaning it would theoretically take Justin stright to Alent if he wished (and render the rest of the game moot). But Justin donates the last remain generator cube to power the ancient machine, and sends Sue home. It's handled very deftly. In fact, rather than mull over all the ways in which this scene is heartbreaking and cinematc, I'll post it:

Having spent at least 20 game hours away from Parm, hearing those bagpipes again sends a chill down my spine. I love the simple purity of this image. As narrative devices go, it's both heartrending and patently ridiculous. Almost Doctor Who-esque.

If I had to change anything, I would cut the music as soon as Sue disappears, leaving the transporter room deathly quiet for a few seconds. Because that's how it feels to watch Sue leave for good.

Prelude - And here's the bagpipes again. Thankfully, the cities in Grandia are just as dizzyingly massive as the dungeons. The camera circles the town like a buzzard, capturing the various movements of the townsfolk, the steaming grates, the rushing waterways. Basically, unzipping its pants and letting its 32-bit cock roll out onto the table. I used to eat this stuff up as a 90's-era gamer. I love crude, old-school psx graphics. Even speaking from a modern perspective, though, the effect holds up pretty well.

Town of Parm - The town theme to beat all town themes. Even back then, game developers likes to blow their entire budgets on the first half of their product, which is probably why the Parm arc is so memorable. Still, it wasn't 2010 yet, so the rest of the game is still excellent, though not quite as epic.

Lilly's Seagull Resteraunt - Justin's house and default inn for the opening act. Lilly is a retired pirate who now serves food for the locals. She has a low tolerance for bullshit, as Justin learns. I guarantee anyone who played this intentionally made Lilly angry so she would whack Justin over the head with that serving tray one more time.

Grandia is known for its 'dinner' sequences, in which the party members hash out the plants of their next quest while eating at a table. Grandia II handled this bit a lot better than the original, though it's still a memorable component.

Garlyle - The villain theme to beat all villain themes. The soundtrack was composed by Skywalker company, which explains its similarities to "Imperial March". The Garlyle Forces are a persistent army of pricks who are hoarding ancient technology for themselves, and even blockading the rest of humanity from learning about the new world (they have a flying machine, but neglect to tell people that the "End of the World" is a disproven myth). Naturally, their leader is a nutcase with his own agenda, which gives his subordinates a chance to defect. This redeems the Garlyle Forces, showing that they're not a monolithic oppressive force.

Village of Luc - Upon escaping the Garlyle base in a stolen locomotive, the party end sup marking in the middle of the Misty Forest, one of the more aggravating mazes to negotiate around. The crystalline, "ting!" musical sting is another Grandia staple, and shows up a lot more frequently in the sequel's songlist.

Aim For a New World - Ahh, the End of the World. Basically a gigantic fence built out of square bricks, built by an ancient civilization for the sole purpose of being twats. It's actually quite an annoying place to be, as you can't rotate the camera and obnoxious traps are placed everywhere, causing Justin to get smushed Looney Tunes-style beneath boulders. However, it's also game highlight since Justin is the first to scale the thing. This opens up the second half of the game, and a journey into the true unknown.

Assault - Plays onboard General Baal's airship, the Grandeur.

This is longer than I thought. Grandia II will have to wait for next time.