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Listen To The New Final Fantasy XIII Theme Song, Read About The Story

By Spencer . November 13, 2009 . 10:01am

Final Fantasy XIII will have a different theme song a North America. Square Enix chose “My Hands” from UK pop artist Lenoa Lewis and she’s all smiles about the decision, according to a record executive. "When Square Enix approached Leona about including her song, ‘My Hands,’ in Final Fantasy XIII, she was honored to be partnered with such an iconic and groundbreaking video game series," said Tom Corson, EVP/GM, RCA Music Group.

 

Listen up, this is the game’s theme song.

 

 

And here’s the story, summarized by Square Enix. Lightning, the protagonist, Snow, Sazh, Vanille and Hope are chosen to be l’Cie.

 

Cocoon — a utopia in the sky.
Its inhabitants believed their world a paradise.
Under the Sanctum’s rule, Cocoon had long known peace and prosperity.
Mankind was blessed by its protectors, the benevolent fal’Cie, and believed that tranquil days would continue forever.
Their tranquility was shattered with the discovery of one hostile fal’Cie.
The moment that fal’Cie from Pulse — the feared and detested lowerworld — awoke from its slumber, peace on Cocoon came to an end.
Fal’Cie curse humans, turning them into magic-wielding servants.
They become l’Cie — chosen of the fal’Cie.
Those branded with the mark of a l’Cie carry the burden of either fulfilling their Focus or facing a fate harsher than death itself.
A prayer for redemption.
A wish to protect the world.
A promise to challenge destiny.
After thirteen days of fates intertwined, the battle begins.

 

Does the song fit the story?


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  • UnleashTheCasey

    NO! NOOOO!

    I *must* have a song I can’t understand! And I GOTTA buy the game in a language I can’t read! This is a travesty.

    • nyoron

      lol you mad

      • UnleashTheCasey

        Damn skippy. How dare they try to cater to half of the gaming world and their fanbase by making it English…….THEY must cater ONLY the 0.0002% who hate anything cohesive. I mean, if they don’t, the game will fail, obviously.

        • MisterNiwa

          I dont like this song, i really dont like it.

          Ill buy the game in a language i can barely talk and not even read a little bit.

          • UnleashTheCasey

            And like that lame Jpop song actually fits Bayonetta…

            Oh, zing! Seriously though….Bayonetta’s awesome. Give her swedish polka as her theme song, and she’ll by godamn make that polka into something worth…well, polking about!

          • MisterNiwa

            How comes u talk about Bayonetta nao? 8(
            Even though i like MiChi – Somethings Missing, it doesnt really fit to Bayonetta.

            Fly me to the Moon fits badass to Bayonetta.

          • Aoshi00

            It was after listening to Fly me to the Moon in Bayonetta’s intro I decided to order the soundtrack I kid you not. I really like MiChi’s song used in the commercial too (and who’s that incredible looking lady in the ad, I know it’s been touched up, but still), I wish I could hear the full version of it instead of just 15 seconds.

          • http://several-hours-into-the-game.blogspot.com/ Nika

            Agreed, Fly me to the Moon makes an awesome battle theme, I was truly surprised when I heard it for the first time though.

  • Eddie

    I think eventually it will grow on people. Utada Hikaru wrote the theme to Kingdom Hearts 2 and she wrote the song in English first. Which was sanctuary i think. And then she wrote it in Japanese which was passion i think…. But i didn’t like sanctuary and i liked passion….. In fact i hated sanctuary but eventually i just got use to it. Its kinda like the whole shin megami tensei difital devil saga 1 situation. (thats a long name to type) Both opening songs were good but I like the English song better.

    • UnleashTheCasey

      Actually, it was the other way around. Way other way around. XD

      Passion was written first. But, for the original Kingdom Hearts, she wrote Simple & Clean first.

      • MisterNiwa

        Both english versions dont fit the game.

        Kingdom Hearts is not about ‘Simple and clean is the way that you’re making me feel tonight’.

        ABSOLUTELY NOT.

        • Saturnus

          Oh please. Like any of those JPop songs used by RPGs had any relevance to the plot of their games either.

          I kinda see the link between the song and the plot summary… Everyone coming together [to save the world]. Can’t say I’m in love with it, but that’s cause I’m not in love with Leona Lewis’ music in general. It would’ve been fine if they used any western artist imo, I just don’t like this song.

          It’s okay, but if there is a cool intro to the game how can they use a ballad? :( Maybe they’ll remix it like they did to Simple and Clean.

          I see now problem in this, sure I looove JRPGs but that doesn’t mean I love hearing Japanese in all my games. :|

          • Hraesvelgr

            The theme song for Tales of the Abyss, Karma, fit pretty well with the game’s plot, but I do agree that most don’t have much to do with their respective game’s plot. At least not in a strikingly obvious sense, I guess.

  • nyoron

    Well having listened to both songs for the first time just now I have to say that just based on how it sounds I think Kimi ga iru kara is more like what I would consider a FF song than My Hands. I like the piano they use in the background of that one more than the beats of this one.

    I think an English version of the Japanese song would have been better but Square knows what they’re doing I suppose.

    • Eddie

      Believe me I get what you are saying, I remember whenever a game came out in japan and then over here the opening theme and voice actors were always better to me. But now’a-days its different. Although there was one game I particularly remember wishing it stayed like the original and that was xenosaga 3, with the blood at the end it was kinda awkward. But yeah I understand what you are saying…

    • http://pt-pt.facebook.com/people/Lyh-Scully/613703032 Lyh Scully

      markting wise i guess soo , but seriously what does this song contribute to the story? kimi ga iru kara is more fitting , cause snow and lighting will be there for serah , but still we dont know the final outcome , so wait is all that can be done

  • kazalt

    FFXIII has finally broken me. I want this game now.

  • Silentg

    I think this song is a brilliant western choice, the song itself is soulful and emotional and i think by the end of FFXIII this song will truly hit home.

  • Chow

    What does the Japanese song sound like so we can compare?

  • Kaoro

    Never heard a Leona Lewis song before – kinda liking it :)

    I think it’s great SE is using a popular Western artist. Anything for more notoriety!

    I was expecting them to announce some sort of limited edition of the game. Give me a steel case at least SE!

    • Hraesvelgr

      Sadly, Square Enix rarely does any sort of “limited editions” in the western world. Not even for games as massive as this (though they could still announced one)!

      • Kaoro

        Actually for FFXII they released a steel case in America, I have that one. Oh well there’s still time to announce one!

        • Hraesvelgr

          Oh yeah, I forgot about that one. Hm, weird.

  • UnleashTheCasey

    Okay… All nonsense and arguing aside, in all seriousness, I’d much rather have this over some generically lame J-Pop song. You’ve heard one lame Jpop song, you’ve heard em all… Also….wasn’t the original story of the game touted as something like….Lightning was destined to DESTROY the world? Now they changed it to the generic save the world fare… Man. =_=

    • Hraesvelgr

      Let’s be realistic here, that’s what the story was going to be in the long run anyway.

      • UnleashTheCasey

        I know…. I knew…. But, still though…I really WOULD like to see a Final Fantasy game for a chance where you’re….well, basically, you’re a Lelouch. Questionable motives at best. Very, very sketchy methods of attaining those motives.

    • BK0000

      Both songs are bad. I wish they had hired some English singer to sing English versions of the game’s songs, like they did with Final Fantasy X-2. I’d rather have an English version of the song written for the game than some song they chose at random.

  • cowcow

    BOTH songs are to appeal to the mass majority in either country to garner more potential sales.

  • Saturnus

    Also does anyone else really dislike the cover art they have up on PlayAsia? I hope they change it for N. America… FF titles were always ‘Final Fantasy [w/e #]‘ and then the really cool watercolor-esque logo.

    Now it’s that-ish, plus some decent artwork of Lightning on a horse. No, please.

  • thaKingRocka

    sometimes, it’s difficult to resist playing games that will obviously be in the canon of greats according to so many. however, the last few final fantasy releases have been relatively easy to ignore. i was wondering if i would be able to ignore this one in all its next-gen glory. the character designs and general atmosphere had really put me off, but my resolve faltered a bit until just now. having heard this song, i feel it will be easy to say, “no thank you.”

  • Jirin

    I’m fine with them picking an english song, but it’d be nice if they didn’t go with just a bland pop artist. They’re fighting doing anything stylized and being as generic and middle of the road as possible.

    No, I’m not saying they should just go for some obscure niche demographic. I’m saying they should take risks. Make stylistic choices and stick to them. If you think of all the great games, songs, movies, whatever, in history, they’re not the ones that just pandered to a middle of the road audience. They’re the ones that took stylistic risks and did something new and unique, and won over their audience.

    This selection of songs is safe. Not everybody’s going to like it, but nobody will be too bothered by it either, and it just may win over some extra bucks from people who don’t like RPGs and won’t end up liking the game very much anyway.

    It’s a bunt. Square Enix have become very good bunters: They release games that aren’t anything great or memorable, but are good enough they’re sure to sell X number of copies.

  • http://twitter.com/matty_125 matty

    I haven’t heard of this artist before, but it’s actually not bad. Then again, I’m not a huge enough fan of FF to know if it fits or not, but the song is good.

    Still, they should have ran with Bon Jovi and just add “Livin’ on a Prayer” somewhere, in my opinion.

    • UnleashTheCasey

      No way. Wanted Dead Or Alive would’ve worked MUUUUCH better for FFXIII…Cause, you know…they ARE wanted dead or alive…. And Sazh fights like a cowboy…and Lightning rides on a steel horse. Or Snow. However you wanna interpret that.

      IT ALL FITS!

  • RaptorFB

    Watch/listen once, press start, begin game. Problem solved. If song plays again during game, oh well, its not like it’ll the battle theme.

  • badmoogle

    I don’t like either versions.The only FF song that i can honestly say that i liked was Suteki da ne.In fact now that i’m thinking about it Suteki must have happened by mistake.

  • http://www.younganimal.com/berserk Mr_Qoo

    Maybe I’m the only one. I happen to enjoy both songs outside of all this “video game harmony” talk. Now, I wouldn’t say either one is that much better for Final Fantasy XIII. I’d prefer if neither were used. Does anyone else get a Vision of Escaflowne feel from Kimi Ga Iru Kara [君がいるから]? Interesting how much controversy this is brewing. I’d understand if it was over a composer of a game, but this…?

    • Aoshi00

      Yeah, the chorus in the beginning of “Kimi ga Iru kara” totally reminded me of the epic Escaflowne theme the first time I saw the TGS 09 trailer. It’s a little surprising they chose the English pop song as the trailer dubbed in English on PSN was using the Jpn theme, guess that was preliminary. I was expecting them to use the originals like X (Suteki da ne) / Crisis Core (Ayaka’s Why), or just fill in the song w/ Eng lyrics, like they did w/ IX (both the Jpn/Eng version of “Melodies of Life” were sung by the amazing Shiratori Emiko, though her English is certainly not as natural as her Japanese), or X-2′s intro and insert songs. Personally I’ve grown accustomed to the Jpn theme song since I’ve watched the trailer a dozen of times, so I already identify that as the theme of FFXIII. “My Hands” on the other hand sounds a bit like one of those celebrity fundraisers they do for disaster relief.. like “let’s join hands we can overcome this”, lol.. As for lyrics actually having anything to do w/ the game/anime show, it’s rare nowadays since it’s all about cross promotion, games promoting a new singer, or a famous song promoting a game. If people want actual content related lyrics, go watch the 80′s anime, those songs are the themes of the show in every sense of the world, embodying the passion of the characters.

      • http://www.facebook.com/henson88 Hendra Susanto

        Leona Lewis is actually very big in UK and quite so in US, so maybe this is Square’s strategy to win the market there. And I actually like her voice. This song is from her new album, but it’s quite weird to listen to it as a game soundtrack. It would be much better if they compose a new song / translate the Japanese song and let her sing it.

        If they really want to use her songs, the much better choice would be “Brave”, “I Got U”, “Stone Hearts” (there’s lyrics about hand grenades which symbolize war) or “Lost Then Found” (fits perfectly IMO for any game endings), you can search Youtube for those songs and have your say. But maybe she’s got her own plans to release the songs above as singles, so it wouldn’t do if they appear as video game soundtrack first.

        so far the best video game soundtrack in terms of suitability with the game mood and theme would be Karma (Tales of Abyss)

        btw, what is the Japanese soundtrack for FF XIII?

        • Aoshi00

          I’m actually not big or familiar w/ pop singers, and I’m not against the idea of using a famous Western singer promoting the game either, as I said most anime do that w/ their opening and closing songs, as long as the song sounds nice. I liked Lost Odyssey’s English theme “What You are” sung by Sheena Easton and composed by Uematsu, though the initial reaction from most fans was “eww, cheesy Eng. ballad in a Jpn RPG”. At least we should be thankful Square Enix didn’t pick Lady Gaga or Pussy Cat Dolls (no offense to their fans)I’m not sure what you mean by Jpn soundtrack, you mean who composed it? It’s by Hamauzu Masashi, one of the composers who did the soundtrack for FF X, and Sigma Harmonic (great soundtrack but crappy game), that’s why I’m quite excited about it and pre-ordered the LE OST. They said it will be printed in limited qty and alrdy discontinued taking new orders at this moment.

        • http://www.siliconera.com Spencer

          Good point. FF has room to grow in Europe and it seems like Square Enix is trying to expand their market there.

          The soundtrack? Do you mean the theme song? It’s here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAxZi4d9rOQ

          • http://www.facebook.com/henson88 Hendra Susanto

            sorry, i meant theme song, typo, lol. it would be disastrous to pick Lady Gaga or PCD, this is a FF game, an RPG, not a game where you dance with the music.

            btw, have you guys heard Paramore’s brand new eyes album? It just struck me that every one of their songs will fit FF theme easily.

      • http://pt-pt.facebook.com/people/Lyh-Scully/613703032 Lyh Scully

        at the risck of getting flamed again , can i agree with you ? :P
        I would so not mind yoko kanno on this XD !
        anyway ive listened to both songs lots of times by now …. in terms of fitting i still prefer japanese one , blames 30 times she saw the TGStrailer .
        i think leona is a good artist , but its not my type , there its my opinion the rest of you guys can have yours …. ( is scared to comment here now)

    • http://www.siliconera.com Spencer

      Whoa. Now that you mention the Escaflowne song sounds similar. I had to listen to it again, but I see what you mean.

      I’m surprised this hasn’t been said before!

      • http://www.younganimal.com/berserk Mr_Qoo

        Yeah, Escaflowne was really big with me around 97. So as soon as I heard the theme it clicked.

        @Aoshi: You’re right, the Bayonetta OST is great. I noticed they opened up a huge list of “jukebox” options for the game after beating it. I may still buy the OST just to have, because I really enjoyed it. It’s kind of silly to turn on the game just to listen to the songs.

  • Tokyo Guy

    It’s funny-this is hardly the first time Square has used an English singer for their games; Xenogears and The Bouncer come to mind. People seem to be getting a bit angry simply because Square chose to remove a song in a language no one will understand and replace it with one they will.Not to incite a riot, but if the purists truly find this objectionable, then the use of English voice acting as well should be protested, as well as English localization.

    I seem to remember games like Final Fantasy IX having English-language versions of their original Japanese theme songs, but at the same time sung by the original singers who arguably can’t do so well in English be it a pronunciation issue or a rhythm/beat issue with the music itself.

    Personally I don’t find this song special in the slightest, but then again I haven’t cared for any FF-related songs since the aforementioned Final Fantasy IX.

    • Pichi

      I think the problem is that “My Hands” was not made for FFXIII while the other song is. I’m sure that if it was another artist that was just singing the English version of the Japanese song, you would not get this uproar.

      • Tokyo Guy

        Hmm…well that is a good point as well. Honestly when I saw that Square was taking a song ALREADY made the first thought that crossed my mind was “shameless licensing cash-in”.

        Though does anyone else feel that since Uematsu left Square the FF series has been really hit-and-miss with the music?

    • Ereek

      I seem to remember games like Final Fantasy IX having English-language versions of their original Japanese theme songs, but at the same time sung by the original singers who arguably can’t do so well in English be it a pronunciation issue or a rhythm/beat issue with the music itself.Emiko Shiratori actually sings quite often in English, it’s more that it didn’t fit the beat. She has sung in English at two or three Olympic opening ceremonies. You’re actually thinking of the X-2 singer, who did a fairly bad job and they had to replace her with an English vocalist.

      • Tokyo Guy

        Ah yes! Thanks for the correction.

    • http://pt-pt.facebook.com/people/Lyh-Scully/613703032 Lyh Scully

      like more have said , the problem is not that is in english , ive loved all both versions of FF songs english or japanese , the fact remains this song wasant written for FF 13 , im sure if leona lewis did and english version of the theme it would be great as she got a good voice .
      However this song was taken from an already existing album , in melodic terms its ok but the lyrics are not … ( again internet is free just expressing opinion :P)

  • thebanditking

    Yuck. I don’t like it, though its not enough to make me buy the JP version. After all its just one song and I would be unable to read or understand a single line fo dialog for what is likely a 50+ hour game. I would have prefered a new orchestrated track instead but who knows maybe this song will only show up in the credits, I certainly hope they would not ruin the games opening with this.

    on as side note how does this even releate to the game? Lightning is not a girly girl. Though this song and the opening lyrics would work well as a Kindom Hearts Organization 13 theme, especially the “put on my make up” line. ZING! j/k

  • lucy1986

    I’m usually the type of person who likes games to be closest to the original but you know what, I like this song. It’s powerful, tragic and amazingly sung. It may sound like quite a few other songs but the japanese one sounds like hundreds of others.
    I’m not a huge Leona Lewis fan but it’s undeniable that she does outstanding power ballads and I think that this suits the epic nature of FFXIII perfectly.

  • http://several-hours-into-the-game.blogspot.com/ Nika

    Hmm, I don’t really like the song, and I think it really doesn’t fit the game. What bothers me most though, is her face. But that has nothing to do with the entire discussion.

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