Richie Branson's Letter To SquareSoft Makes Us Applaud

I'm really not into hip-hop but when the message resonates, it hits home.

And this will resonate for a great many older gamers out there, especially those who frequently visit PSXE.

This is a "Letter to Squaresoft" on Richie Branson's Nerd Cool album, and it aptly describes the old-school fan's feeling; i.e., that the greatness has been permanently left behind and in truth, none of us really want to call the company Square Enix. We prefer to remember it as it was, when Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger and other titles kept us transfixed and mesmerized.

Take it away, Richie.

Sorta makes you want to cry, doesn't it? As much fun as I'm having with Final Fantasy XIII-2, I know in my heart of hearts it isn't Final Fantasy. It's a great game and one I got hooked on, but it needed a different title...it just isn't among the FF franchise, as far as I'm concerned. And as for why we never got another Chrono, I'll never know. That's just ridiculous.

Thanks to Matt B. for the tip!

Tags: squaresoft, square enix, richie branson, squaresoft games

3/3/2012 10:11:55 AM Ben Dutka

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Comments (49 posts)

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TheAgingHipster
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 10:37:15 AM
Reply

HA! Alright, I have to go buy this album immediately. This guy has earned my support.

Is there any way we can send this to Squeenix's board of directors or lead creative developers? Their fan failures have been immortalized in music. Surely that will tell them something?

8 up, 1 down

Oxvial
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 11:00:53 AM
Reply

Not a hip hop fan but this was great.

9 up, 0 down

shadowscorpio
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 11:01:21 AM
Reply

Very nice. Good to actually hear it vocalized.

5 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 11:41:32 AM
Reply

Good on him!

BTW, I love that bad-ass neck chain too.

5 up, 1 down

Riku994
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 11:42:01 AM
Reply

I may have shed manly tears.

3 up, 0 down

Nas Is Like
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 11:57:32 AM
Reply

Wow, that was really good. I am impressed with everything about the song, especially the message behind it.

I recognize the sample in his song too, it's from FF VII.

EDIT: Also, I don't get why someone of you don't like hip-hop. I take it you're basing your opinions off of the mainstream s***, not the really good stuff that doesn't get much radio play.

Last edited by Nas Is Like on 3/3/2012 11:59:29 AM

5 up, 5 down

cLoudou
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 11:59:51 AM

pretty sure that's from Chrono Trigger.

2 up, 0 down

Zemus101
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 12:01:58 PM

Yup, definitely Chrono Trigger

1 up, 0 down

Nas Is Like
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 12:04:29 PM

Is it? I swear I heard it in FF VII before.

0 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 12:25:17 PM

I'm sorry, but I've heard all sorts of hip-hop and it all sounds pretty much the same to me. No offense or anything.

7 up, 5 down

Fabi
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 12:35:47 PM

Damn Ben, really? That's like saying all rock music sounds the same. I can understand you not liking it. But to say that is all sounds the same? There are certain genres of music I don't care for, but I can clearly tell the artists don't sound the same. Eazy-E sounds NOTHING like Brother Ali. Biggie sounds nothing like K'Naan. Arrested Development sounds nothing like KRS-ONE.

And about the song, it's not the worse thing I've ever heard, but it's pretty bad, at least musically.

Last edited by Fabi on 3/3/2012 12:43:48 PM

8 up, 3 down

Oxvial
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 12:52:45 PM

Problem for me is that mainstream hip hop sound and image is repellent to me because of the focus on women body's,money and gansta street culture.That isn't my thing.

Of course there must have some cool stuff but all the fans I know like the popular stuff, share some bands if U have time I would give it another chance.

10 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 1:10:54 PM

It just means Ben is not into the genre, nothing more than that. It's always like that before you "understand" a genre.

I hear the "it all sounds the same" accusations *all* the time about the music I like, genres within the electronica bag. And there's no use in trying to explain - you either "get it" or you don't. And when you don't it all sounds the same.

I'm no better by the way. Country, for instance, is all one big stinking smear of clichés to me. I'm sure those who are into the genre will object. I'm sure there are both creativity and cleverness to be found underneath *some* of those cowboy hats. They just drown in the noise. I don't care enough to even *want* to find them.

Last edited by Beamboom on 3/3/2012 1:17:08 PM

4 up, 0 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 3:12:19 PM

Whatever. I just don't consider people talking in rhythm to be anything musically special.

6 up, 10 down

Fabi
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 3:40:53 PM

Wow, Ben. It's about way more than just talking. No other genre can tell a story the way Hip-Hop can. Hip-Hop can do and it can be whatever the artist wants it to be. INCLUDING singing and NOT using a beat. Just like K'naan and K-OS. Their music is so much more than just talking and your usual Hip-Hop sounds.

Anyway, Oxvial, the best place to start is with the RhymeSayers Entertainment label. They are the biggest and best indie Hip-Hop label.

Their main draw is Atmosphere. Pretty much everyone I know who has ever heard Atmosphere, loves them. They have been offered crazy major deals, but they are so much better off in RSE.

Check out one of their most recent videos, it touches on spousal abuse. It's called The Last To Say

"As far back as he cares to remember,
He used to see his old man lose the temper
And mama's pretty face would catch it all,
On a regular basis the nest would fall.

But he was always safe from dad's rage,
Cause mama sacrificed in his place
Two-dozen years of the blood, sweat, tears,
Avoid the mirror, losing her hair from the fear

She never left him, stayed inside
He beat her ass up until the day that he died
In fact, the biggest beating was the day that he died
Cause now it's too late for her to make a new life"

Now if you can't appreciate that, even on just a creative level, then I dunno what to say Ben.

Last edited by Fabi on 3/3/2012 3:41:24 PM

7 up, 2 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 4:11:50 PM

I'm not big on it either Ben, but someone sat down and wrote all of that from the music to the lyrics. Somebody's soul is in there if you are willing to look for it.

1 up, 2 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 4:14:22 PM

I'm sorry. I've read, seen and heard too much of the masters in all art forms to be impressed by that. I apologize if I offend, but it's a far cry from Mozart and Tolstoy.

Let's drop this, all right? It won't go anywhere good.

5 up, 6 down

Oxvial
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 4:45:53 PM

Thanks Fabi I'm on their YT channel gonna have my time hearing what they have.

1 up, 0 down

Fabi
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 7:51:31 PM

Got it Ben. I was a bit annoyed by it, but I know this is a gaming site, not a music site so it's dropped.

Oxvial, awesome, hope you enjoy.

3 up, 1 down

laxpro2001
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 9:34:28 PM

@Fabi
What do you mean no other genre can tell a story like hip-hop? Did you ever hear of Tommy by the Who? What about American Idiot by Green Day (a little more relevant to us youth) or take one glance at Coheed & Cambria which basically gives you a whole novel to work with.

Rock can tell great stories, some relevant, some true, some just entertaining.

The problem with hip hop and (C)rap is that it doesn't actually have "music." There are no musical instruments being played and the "singers" don't even have good voices. It's better classified as rhythmic poetry than music. Rapping is a lyrical styling. It can enhance music but stand-alone is not music. There are plenty of great bands that use rapping as their lyric styling of choice but actually do it to music they create with musical instruments... not stuff they sample.

7 up, 2 down

Fabi
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 9:59:32 PM

Laxpro just from your comments, it sounds like you're ignorant about Hip-Hop music. I actually listen to more rock and a lot of music from the 60's & 70's than I do Hip-Hop music. And I speak three languages, and listen to music from all of those languages. So my opinion comes from actually sitting down and listening to all these genres throughout the years. I can tell you have no idea about Hip-Hop, simply because sampling is only one part of Hip-Hop. There are a ton of artists who actually create their beats from scratch. Who actually use instruments to create them and some that even perform live on stage with their band.

But anyway, let's stick to Squenix sucking.

4 up, 3 down

Beamboom
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 3:04:21 AM

Oh god my eyes hurt from some of the arguments in this thread. And to call it "(c)rap" really says it all. Ignorance is bliss.
Wonder how some would react had I called JRPGs for "JunkRPGs". Pretty disrespectful, yes?

Let's keep this a games site. At least there most of us got some perspective.

Last edited by Beamboom on 3/4/2012 3:09:15 AM

1 up, 2 down

aaronisbla
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 8:20:34 AM

@ Fabi, i had no idea you were into hip hop, i see you're just like me when it comes to music. Love hip hop, its a damn good musical genre. But i also a lot of rock. Wish there were more who could enjoy both genres without slanted views one may have for either kind of music.

Rock and Hip Hop are more similar in my opinion than most people know

@ laxpro: one simply has to look no further than Jimmy Fallon's house band, The Roots, to see a hip hop group that *gasp* plays its own instruments and they aren't the only ones.

the quality of a person's voice is mostly subjective, which is why you're neither right nor wrong when you claim the 'singers' voice is bad, but something tells me you haven't truly heard good hip hop when you say what you say.

Last edited by aaronisbla on 3/4/2012 8:27:16 AM

6 up, 1 down

Mdash0009
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 9:54:08 AM

It's from Chrono Trigger, the Secret of the Forest. It usually plays in insignificant forests. It was weird cuz I was just listening to it before i came here and heard it.

3 up, 0 down

Fabi
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 10:32:33 AM

Hell yeah Aaron, I grew up on 90's Hip-Hop. I was lucky enough to have a brother who had a Columbia House membership and he received the Hip-Hip album of the month every month. This was during the early 90's, so you can imagine all the great stuff he was getting. Illmatic, Southernplayalistik, Midnight Marauders, Ready To Die, East 1999 etc...

Give me your PSN so I can add you.

0 up, 0 down

aaronisbla
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 3:54:12 PM

@Fabi, my screen name is my psn name: aaronisbla. whats yours?

Damn, as a kid, i wished i knew someone with that membership haha. Thankfully, my older brother got a lot of music to listen to so id just listen to his stuff. All of those albums you mentioned are classic examples of hip hop done right in my opinion.

Im not really sure how some can listen to a genre of music and claim they all sound the same, thats ridiculous in my honest opinion, not trying to start an argument, just how i feel. Country music isn't something i can get down with but it would be ignorant to say that Taylor Swift sounds just like Lady Antebellum simply because 'i don't really dig country'

Last edited by aaronisbla on 3/4/2012 3:58:51 PM

1 up, 1 down

Palpatations911
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 5:04:18 PM

Rap is pop music. Just look at the sales charts. Most gamers are not in to pop culture and therefore do not find interest in rap music.

0 up, 0 down

Nas Is Like
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 6:57:15 PM

laxpro just managed to make himself look so damn stupid. I did not think it was possible to reach that level of stupidity.

2 up, 2 down

Underdog15
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 11:06:29 PM

Telling stories is just one of many possible goals in any form of art, music or otherwise.

It's definitely not the measurable for defining music or any other form of art.

Trying to say which genre of music is better based on which one tells a better story, (a subjective argument to begin with), is probably the worst measurable of all to go by... If a story were the goal, every other artistic medium out there would be better for many reasons.

As for me, I'm not a fan of rap simply because I find the medium is restricted in terms of compository freedom. It has too many rules. It combines poetry rhyming schemes with restrictive rhythms, and while you -CAN- include melodies, harmonies, counters, etc. etc. etc., it can only be found in the back up or the back ground, and it absolutely is not necessary to be determined by professionals of the genre as "good" or "well done".

So, for me, while cool to listen to, and while it may have a catchy beat or memorable chorus, it has far too many restrictions placed on itself for me to consider it any sort of superior genre.

If you are to go with well established rules of music, it is certainly a weak genre. However, it is also established enough that in and of itself, it can be appreciated for it's various complexities. And finally, because of it's quarter century of establishment (true establishment), trying to compare it with other genres in regards to which is better is no longer capable of being 100% accurate. True, it has thinned out the criteria necessary to be defined as music, but it has established itself enough that we must recognize the thinner definition. And as we advance further into the world of art, it becomes increasingly necessary to evaluate "music" within their own genres almost to the same point we cannot compare movies with a painting.

So for me to say what I think about hip hop or rap, while it may have objective observations, like I previously mentioned, it becomes incomparable to the point that my opinion is entirely subjective based solely on preference.

But only because the blurred lines of "music" can no longer be strictly defined and observed without being broken down to deeper levels of genre.

Last edited by Underdog15 on 3/4/2012 11:11:18 PM

1 up, 0 down

Zemus101
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 12:01:37 PM
Reply

It's funny, this video/song actually made me hopeful for the future. With all this excellent Squresoft product out there, proven stuff, there's always hope that Square will make a return to form. They just need to find the right group of people that can create something special.

It could just simply start with another Chrono game, a Mana game, etc. Then who knows, maybe a proper Final Fantasy that we could all say "THIS is FF".

Probably not gonna happen anytime soon though. Ah well, I'll be keeping my eyes open.

0 up, 0 down

Ludakriss
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 12:04:17 PM
Reply

H..wow. That really blew my mind. Everytime I got involved in any of the RPG debacles in PSX it had it's ups and downs.

Mainly ups. You guys are intelligent but it was always lengthy. This guy. Couple o minutes and to the point.

Groovy track, man. All the best to him, you know?

Now if only Square(something) hears this...

0 up, 0 down

Beamboom
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 12:04:40 PM
Reply

Haha this was really good!

0 up, 0 down

cLoudou
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 12:07:49 PM
Reply

Almost agree with everything said except that maybe they can make a game like Elder Scrolls part. I would rather they not.

0 up, 1 down

Drake_RB3
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 1:28:47 PM
Reply

Guess Hironobu Sakaguchi knew when to leave Square Enix and start his own company, Mistwalker. Although his two great recent games have been exclusive to 360 and Wii.

But at least The Last Story is finally coming to the US in June (albeit for the Wii) with music by the master Nobuo Uematsu.

0 up, 0 down

Pandacastro
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 1:43:47 PM

It sucks that hes making iphone games now.

0 up, 0 down

shadowscorpio
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 6:55:29 PM

Right but if I were him , I would would make game s for the PS3 as well . Fluster the new new Square -enix a bit.

1 up, 0 down

Drake_RB3
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 7:38:27 PM

Should have mentioned Xenogears in the song too.

1 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 2:34:47 PM
Reply

I think we can all have a bromance around this song because we all feel the same way about Squaresoft. Unfortunately I just don't think there's any possible way to get through to SE or return to the glory days. They are dead set on driving their franchises, and themselves, right into the ground.

3 up, 0 down

shadowscorpio
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 6:52:53 PM

Right Rwgardless of the style of music that is used to express the message, the messafge is still being portrayed. It just happened to be hip hop this time . It could be Black metal next time or country or Classical. The main thing we should all be all focused on is the message that is being conveyed.

1 up, 0 down

goldentinny
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 1:23:58 AM

You're right, because at the end of the day SE today is made up of different people with different goals. I think they may as well write their own obituary at this point because everything since Advent Children has reaked of desperation. I don't need Square to come back, but I do wish I could get excited about games the way I used to. It's happening a lot less often now.

1 up, 0 down

shadowscorpio
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 11:01:52 AM

@ golden

Level 5 is the nbew SE for me. I find myself getting more and more excited with what they've been releasing on the PS3. Ni No Kuni is a day one purchase for me.

1 up, 0 down

Ludakriss
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 11:40:40 AM

@shadowscorpio

I'd have to agree with you on pretty much every game by Level 5 apart from Whit Knight Chronicles. Yeah, the game and I just didn't click.

0 up, 0 down

Amnesiac
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 3:16:38 PM
Reply

I like this song. He says what I've been saying for years Enix was the worst thing to ever happen to Squaresoft.
My opinion isn't 100% biased either, I own Soulblazer which is still one of my favorite games of all time.

0 up, 0 down

YashaZz
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 5:39:50 PM
Reply

Bestial beat, and great track overall. I guess I finally understand how the fans of FF feel now...

0 up, 0 down

VampDeLeon
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 6:43:24 PM
Reply

I'm glad to hear Kefka getting a mention as an epic villain.

2 up, 0 down

Underdog15
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 11:19:14 PM

Probably the deepest imagined villain. Entirely based on the philosophy of Kafka. (Surprised more people never realized that... Kefka = Kafka's philosophy of the mad man.)

In a nutshell, madmen or insane people, are only insane because they have a higher knowledge than we do. They have been truly enlightened and it causes them to do things that most people would consider "insane". It goes much deeper than that, but that's the short version.

For Kefka, he was enlightened with magic. A power he was born with and understood that the rest of the world thought was extinct. Note also that Terra is his antithesis... and she starts with no memory or knowledge of who she is or why she is the way she is. So she is un-enlightened, and therefore, not insane. But remember her second encounter with Trioch when she morphs and flies away going bat-shit crazy?

Yeah.... she was enlightened.

That game really digs into Kafka's philosophy.

Last edited by Underdog15 on 3/4/2012 11:21:55 PM

0 up, 0 down

Rogueagent01
Saturday, March 03, 2012 @ 10:15:57 PM
Reply

That song was perfect! I love the mention of Front Mission within all the other heavy hitters. Front Mission(s) always felt under appreciated to me, with the exception of "Evolved" as it is a completely different genre and where SE decided to spit on the fans.

0 up, 0 down

___________
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 2:01:28 AM
Reply

ive just learned to accept that as time goes on, things have to evolve.
for better or worse.
as the saying goes, resistance is futile!

1 up, 1 down

aaronisbla
Sunday, March 04, 2012 @ 8:17:17 AM
Reply

i really like this guy's message, even if the song isn't all that great from a lyrical stand point. Its pretty basic but props due for the love of gaming lol

3 up, 0 down

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Richie Branson's Letter To SquareSoft Makes Us Applaud

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