Kingdom Hearts 2
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Free Music Notes for Kingdom Hearts 2
Free Music Review: Wonderful video game soundtrack
Hit: 5 Stars
I only bought this because I wanted "Passion" and "Dearly Beloved," but I was delighted to find that pretty much the whole soundtrack is wonderful, too. I would definitely recommend it.
It has nearly all the background music from the different worlds, Gummi routes, and cutscenes, as well as the theme song and its remix, sung by Hikaru Utada (the Japanese version is called "Passion," and it sounds much more amazing than the English version, "Sanctuary." I don't think that "Sanctuary" is available, since as far as I know the soundtrack has not been released in North America). The Orchestra Instrumental Version of "Passion" is lovely.
I played KH2 and listened to its music before KH1, and I think that KH2 is far superior in almost every respect. KH2's soundtrack is more piano heavy, which is nice because piano music sounds much more authentic in video games than other types of synthetic instruments. KH2's gentler version of "Dearly Beloved" is more beautiful than KH1's, as is all the boss battle music. Other themes from the first game have also been slightly altered here, such as "Friends In My Heart" and "A Day in Agrabah." Some BGM tracks have been altered for story reasons, such as "Reviving Hollow Bastion" (same basic theme, but less ominous) and "Destiny Islands" at the end (much more gentle). Kairi's theme, however, sounded better on the KH1 soundtrack, as did the background music in Atlantica.
The Atlantica songs with lyrics are all in Japanese, and they have their pros and cons in comparison with the English versions. "Part of Your World" and "Under the Sea," which are from the Disney movie, sound better in English; however "Under the Sea" has grown on me because Sora's Japanese voice actor does such cute singing. I don't like either versions of the songs written for the game, though the melody of "Swim This Way" seems to be more suited to the Japanese language, and whoever does Flounder's voice in "A New Day is Dawning" sounds really cute.
I really like the themes for the Nobodies. The best background music is "Organization XIII," their sad piano theme; and "Sacred Moon," the hauntingly beautiful BGM for The World That Never Was.
Random notes: "Working Together," a Twilight Town BGM, has got to be the cutest battle music ever. :) Disc 2 also has the BGM to the secret movie (teaser trailer for the KH Birth by Sleep game). The KH version of Sephiroth's "One-Winged Angel" doesn't cover the whole original song, just the most heavily ominous part designed to throw you off your game when you're trying to fight him. *sweatdrop* "Bounce-O-Rama (Speed Up Ver.)" is the BGM for the Hunny Slider minigame (where you have to collect honey orbs as you zoom along on a honey pot). The slower version for the other Pooh minigames is not on this soundtrack.
DISC 1
1. Dearly Beloved
2. Passion -KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version
3. Passion ~opening version~
4. Lazy Afternoons
5. Sinister Sundown
6. The Escapade
7. Dive Into the Heart -Destati-
8. Fragments of Sorrow
9. Tension Rising
10. Kairi
11. Missing You
12. The 13th Struggle
13. Roxas
14. Sora
15. The Afternoon Streets
16. Working Together
17. Friends In My Heart
18. Magical Mystery
19. A Twinkle in the Sky
20. Reviving Hollow Bastion
21. Scherzo Di Notte
22. Laughter and Merriment
23. Desire for All That Is Lost
24. Organization XIII
25. Gearing Up
26. Shipmeisters' Shanty
27. Blast Off!
28. Asteroid Attack
29. Crossing the Finish Line
30. Waltz of the Damned
31. Dance of the Daring
32. Hesitation
33. Dance to the Death
34. Beauty and the Beast
35. The Home of Dragons
36. Fields of Honor
37. Apprehension
38. Vim and Vigor
39. Cloudchasers
40. Olympus Coliseum
41. The Underworld
42. What Lies Beneath
43. Villains of a Sort
44. Rowdy Rumble
45. Mickey Mouse Club March
46. A Walk in Andante
47. Monochrome Dreams
48. Old Friends, Old Rivals
49. Floating in Bliss
50. Winnie the Pooh
51. Bounce-O-Rama (Speed Up Ver.)
DISC 2
1. Isn't It Lovely?
2. Let's Sing and Dance!
3. Swim This Way
4. Part of Your World
5. Under the Sea
6. Ursula's Revenge
7. A New Day Is Dawning
8. Nights of the Cursed
9. He's a Pirate
10. The Corrupted
11. Hazardous Highway
12. A Day in Agrabah
13. Arabian Dream
14. This is Halloween
15. Spooks of Halloween Town
16. Adventures in the Savannah
17. Savannah Pride
18. The Encounter
19. Space Paranoids
20. Byte Bashing
21. Sinister Shadows
22. The 13th Dilemma
23. Showdown at Hollow Bastion
24. One-Winged Angel (from Final Fantasy VII)
25. Battleship Bravery
26. Sacred Moon
27. Deep Drive
28. Riku
29. Courage
30. Disappeared
31. A Fight to the Death
32. Darkness of the Unknown
33. Passion ~after the battle~
34. Fantasia alla marcia for piano, chorus and orchestra
35. Destiny Islands
36. Hand in Hand
37. Sunset Horizons
38. Dearly Beloved -Reprise-
Free Music Review: "A Scattered Dream That's Like a Far-Off Memory... A Far-Off Memory That's Like a Scattered Dream..."
Hit: 5 Stars
"I want to line the pieces up -- yours and mine."
Help line them up by listening to the original soundtrack for Kingdom Hearts II. This is the complete soundtrack for the game Kingdom Hearts II on two discs. It features a wide variety of music, from characters themes, to battle themes, to the game's featured vocal tune "Passion."
== The Tunes ==
Overall, Shiro Amano has done it again with a fantastic soundtrack that both works well with the game and for listening outside the game. The various pieces evoke everything from intensity to tenderness and are rarely boring or uninteresting.
One of my favorite pieces on the disc is "Sora," the bright and joyful theme for the game's hero. Featured in the game upon Sora's awakening and a couple other key moments, this theme is just the right fit and is reused wonderfully in the game's ending credits piece, "Fantasia alla marcia for piano, chorus and orchestra." As for that piece, it's a marvelous tune that rivals and possibly betters the quality of the original games "March Caprice for Piano and Orchestra."
Kingdom Hearts II contains many battle themes for a variety of battles. If the music for the Final Fantasy series has one failing, it's that the battle themes are generally mostly the same throughout the game, with one theme for normal battles, one for boss battles, perhaps a "challenge" theme and special music for the final battle(s.) The variety of opponents and settings in Kingdom Hearts II cries out for more and Amano has delivered wonderfully. Perhaps the best is "The 13th Struggle," the piece generally used for battles with Organization XIII. Other strong contenders include "Rowdy Rumble" and "He's a Pirate" (composed by Badelt, Zanelli and Zimmer and ported over wonderfully from "Pirates of the Caribbean.")
Gummi missions were seriously upgraded in Kingdom Hearts II and there are many mission-specific tunes. These include "Skychasers" and "Battleship Bravery" and all are fun to listen to.
Of course, it wouldn't be Kingdom Hearts without Disney music. Perhaps the best is "Beauty and the Beast," a wonderful instrumental version, that is short by very sweet. There are also a few "Little Mermaid" tunes (both from the film and created for the game.) *Yes*, these are in Japanese, but I actually found hearing some of these tunes in Japanese rather fun, and generally you can sing the English words along in your head. (Additionally, I found Flounder's Japanese voice very cute.) Finally, "Monochrome Dreams" has an interesting whimsical style that greatly captures the nostalgic world of "Steamboat Willie."
There's a lot on this disc to cover, but I'll just hit on a few other key tunes. "Roxas" manages to be both tender and sad and wonderfully evokes the spirit and tragedy (but ultimate hope) of this character. "Showdown at Hollow Bastion" is a wonderful epic theme for the moment in the game it defines. And "Organization XIII" / "The XIII Order" suits this group perfectly and is used to great effect throughout the game. Finally, "Passion" is a reasonably suitable vocal piece for the game (and yes, it's again in Japanese (mostly), the English version is known as "Sanctuary.")
== The Verdict ==
The Kingdom Hearts II soundtrack contains some interesting new takes on tunes from the first game, but mainly excels at exciting new themes. With close to 90 tracks, there's themes for every taste and tunes likely to appeal to all tastes. No fan of the game should be without this soundtrack and it's possible it may even create some new fans of the series.
Free Music Review: Indescribable!
Hit: 5 Stars
Following after the amazing sounds feautured in KH1, the original soundtrack for KH2 captures the hearts of even those who have not even heard of the game.
Each world, and certain main characters, have their own theme songs. Kairi keeps her original - representing her hopeful, cheery attitude. Riku and Roxas both have more serious, darker themes that portrays their pain, confusion, and struggles amazingly. Sora, being the determined spirit he is, holds a faster, more battle-like, beautifully orchestrated theme that reappears in a section of Kingdom Hearts 2's ending theme, "Fantasia alla marcia", to help add a more plot-focused song to review the events of the game. You might hear familiar tunes in this sequel, for each world's theme has been remixed and changed to fit the mood of the world. Atlantica changed it's theme completely, so that instead of hearing the annoying, elevator-like music of "Under the Sea", Haley Joel Osmont (Sora) and the other stars of this world actually sing along with it. They also sing "Part Of Your World", and two other unique songs ("Swim this way" and "A New Day is Dawning") that were not heard in the movie. Atlantica's new theme, "Isn't it Lovely?", is, in my opinion, beautiful, and a little more soft and gentle, fitting the more serious plot excellently.
The first game of the Kingdom Hearts series had a main theme for the entire game, "Hikari" or "Simple and Clean" which had three versions similar to the sequel, the opening Planitb remix which featured a techno-like, faster version; the orchestrated version, which reappears in KH2; and the ending slower and original version played during the solemn ending. Utada Hikaru proves herself once more with a more matured, darker theme for the top-selling game's sequel. The song, "Passion" or also known as "Sanctuary" to some after watching the MTV preview of the English version(See kh-vids.net), also shares the three versions. The first intro version is also fast-beat and rockier than the ending and the orchestrated. The orchestrated version has about the same stunning quality as "Hikari"'s, making the menu trailer (which appears after leaving the controller alone for a minute or two) a bit more fun and interesting. And last, but certainly not least, the "Passion -After the Battle-" ending theme is a bit more atmospheric, put into more softer, quieter words. Hikaru does an excellent job in proving her emotions, as well as the game's, with her beautiful singing voice. The pianoist, whoever that was, also exceeded the expectations in his/her part. The song, in it's three breathtaking versions, is by far the strongest reason to buy the soundtrack. The other battle music, remixed or original, dramatic songs, and world and character themes complete the discs, yet "Passion" really previews the darker points of the game and puts just about anyone into it's mood.
Overall, this soundtrack is not a childish, average-gaming-type-sounding CD, yet each song captivates the matured, darker, more modern qualities in the game, and deserves a thousand out of 5 stars. BUY IT!!! YOU WILL NOT, I reapeat, NOT REGRET IT!!! I've observed EVERY song and each is beyond expectations. Square Enix has outdone itself once again!
Free Music Review: One of the best soundtracks ever!
Hit: 5 Stars
Although Amazon gave you the tracks from the first disc, they did'nt give you the tracks for the 2nd disc. Luckly, I'll show you them. Enjoy ^^
Disc 1
1. Dearly Beloved
2. Passion (Orchestral Ver.)
3. Passion ~Opening Version~
4. Lazy Afternoons
5. Sinister Sundown
6. The Escapade
7. Dive Into the Heart -Destati-
8. Fragments of Sorrow
9. Tension Rising
10. Kairi
11. Missing You
12. The 13th Struggle
13. Roxas
14. Sora
15. The Afternoon Street
16. Working Together
17. Friends in my Heart
18. Magical Mystery
19. A Twinkle in the Sky
20. Hollow Bastion
21. Scherzo Di Notte
22. Laughter and Merriment
23. Desire for All That Lost
24. Organization XIII
25. Gearing Up
26. Shipmeisters' Rhapsody
27. Blast Off!
28. Asteroid Away!
29. Crossing the Finish Line
30. Waltz of the Damned
31. Dance of the Daring
32. Hesitation
33. Dance to the Death
34. Beauty and the Beast
35. The Home of Dragons
36. Fields of Honor
37. Apprehension
38. Vim and Vigor
39. Cloudchasers
40. Olympus Coliseum
41. The Underworld
42. What Lies Beneath
43. Villains of a Sort
44. Rowdy Rumble
45. Mickey Mouse Club March
46. A Walk in Andante
47. Monochrome Dreams
48. Old Friends, Old Rivals
49. Floating in Bliss
50. Winnie the Pooh
51. Bounce-O-Rama (Speed up ver.)
Disc 2
1. Isn't It Lovely?
2. Let's Sing and Dance!
3. Swim This Way
4. Part of Your World
5. Under the Sea
6. Ursula's Revenge
7. A New Day is Dawning
8. Nights of the Cursed
9. He's a Pirate
10. The Corrupted
11. Hazardous Highway
12. A Day in Agrabah
13. Arabian Dream
14. This is Halloween
15. Spooks of Halloween Town
16. Adventures in the Savannah
17. Savannah Pride
18. Confrontation
19. Space Paranoids
20. Byte Bashing
21. Sinister Shadows
22. The 13th Dilemma
23. Showdown at Hollow Bastion
24. One-Winged Angel
25. Battleship Bravery
26. Sacred Moon
27. Deep Drive
28. Riku
29. Courage
30. Disappeared
31. A Fight to the Death
32. Darkness of the Unknown
33. Passion ~After the Battle~
34. Fantasia alla marcia for piano, chorus and orchestra
35. Destiny Islands
36. Hand in Hand
37. Dark Horizons
38. Dearly Beloved -Reprise-
Free Music Review: Wonderful Music
Hit: 5 Stars
This Soundtrack is absolutely wonderful. The downside to it is it's still in Japanese. I don't have any clue as to when the English version is going to come out. It may not ever come out in English considering it was rated as the best videogame soundtrack in the nation with 33% of the vote! But there are only a few tracks sung in Japanese. I will list the track number and the name of the songs that are sung in Japanese. Disc 1 Track 03: Passion ~opening version~, Disc 2 Track 03: Swim this Way, Track 04: Part of Your World, Track 05: Under the Sea, Track 06: Ursula's Revenge, Track 07: A New Day is Dawning, and finally Track 33: Passion ~after the battle~. Just as a side note Track 24: One-Winged Angel is not in Japanese it is actually chanted in Latan, just if you were wondering.
Another side note to be aware of is that if you are wondering how to find out if this soundtrack is in Japanese or English the English version's opening theme song is labeled Sanctuary. Where as the Japanese version is called Passion.
Something else to be aware of is that if you put these CD's in your computer to rip them to your hard drive you must rip the second disc first. If you rip the first disc to your library first then when you go to rip the second disc it will copy over the first 38 tracks of the first disc. I don't know why this happens but it does. Then after you have ripped the first disc you must go change all the names of the songs to what they really are, because the computer doesn't reconize the song titles or the artists or even the genre so must change that to what you want as well. For the artists name I just put Various Artists in all the artist spaces and for the genre I put Original Soundtrack. Before you can rip the first disc you must create a new folder in your music folders that is labeled Kingdom Hearts Vol. 2 Discs 1 and 2. After you have done this you must open the folder you just created and create 2 sub-folders and label them Disc 1 and then another folder named Disc 2. When you rip the music tell your computer that you want the music ripped into the Disc 2 folder. After you are all done with all of that you must also go change the .wma file names as well. You can now repeat this process for Disc 1.
This sounds like a lot of hard work, but it's not, it's just time consuming.
But overall this soundtrack is absolutly awesome! The price may be a little high but it is well worth it!!! I mean come on you get 89 songs spread over 2 CD's!!!
Well hope this review helps.