Mike Salbato
Legacy Sessions: GAME Generation 5 Debuts, Features Live PSone & N64 Music
You know, if you're into music from Final Fantasy VII & IX, Chrono Cross, Grandia, and more.
01.22.15 - 3:57 AM

Does the idea of an album of newly-arranged music from the likes of the PlayStation Final Fantasy titles, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Metal Gear Solid, and more sound appealing to you? And what if new arrangements were handled by Casey Ormond, whose previous credits include Piano Collections: Final Fantasy XII?

If you're still uninterested, then I think we need to sit down and have a chat. Otherwise, you should check out Legacy Sessions: GAME Generation 5, which contains such music, all performed live with professional musicians, many of which are seen below in these photos from some of the album's recording sessions:

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Casey Ormond offered the following thoughts on the album:

"My goal as an arranger is to do more than just stir up nostalgia," reflects lead arranger Casey Ormond. "Instead, I focus on experimenting with and combining iconic themes to spark the listeners' imagination, creating new thematic and musical narratives. This is a method that I have refined through my piano works--Piano Collections FINAL FANTASY XII and Valkyria Chronicles Piano Pieces--and I hope that you enjoy discovering and rediscovering the classic music of the fifth generation of consoles!"

Legacy Sessions: GAME Generation 5 was produced by Demetri Potiris, whose previous credits include working with not only the Eminence Symphony Orchestra, but Hitoshi Sakimoto's (Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, and much more) sound studio, Basiscape. Joining Casey Ormond on arrangement duty are Tristan Coelho, guitar duo With Ether, and the lead orchestrator from SEGA's Valkyria Chronicles series, Nicole Brady.

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Now, I know what you're thinking: What songs are on it and where can I listen? Well, for starters, here's GAME Generation 5's track list:

1) Final Fantasy VII
2) The Curse of Monkey Island & Grim Fandango
3) Super Mario 64 & The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
4) Pokémon (Blue, Red, Yellow)
5) Super Mario 64
6) Chrono Cross
7) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
8) Silent Hill
9) Final Fantasy Tactics
10) Final Fantasy IX
11) Metal Gear Solid
12) Grandia (ft. With Ether)

The album is available on Loudr, along with iTunes and Amazon. And since all of those digital storefronts offer previews, you can get a taste of the music at your store of choice.

Look for an RPGFan Music review soon, once the Music staff has recovered from their upcoming weekend event.

Finally, while Game Generation 5 focuses on the 32-bit era of gaming, producer Demetri Potiris has plans to bring this concept to the 16-bit and 8-bit generations in the future, giving me hope and excitement of a potential Chrono Trigger arrangement.




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