Super Smash Bros. Brawl Storyline Penned By Final Fantasy VII Writer

In the latest "Iwata Asks" column, Super Smash Bros. Brawl lead Masahiro Sakurai tells the Nintendo president more about the game's single player storyline. He also reveals that the man behind the "Subspace Emissary" plot is none other than Kazushige Nojima, scenario writer for Final Fantasy VII. Nojima, also responsible for the scenarios behind games such as Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X, didn't exactly have the deepest plot in mind when Sakurai approached him about the project.

Nojima's story, if you can call it that, went like this, says Sakurai "Some of the characters are on a bus on the way to the stadium. Samus is there. Donkey Kong is there and Snake is watching the bus from afar." Yeah. Two buses. That's why Nojima gets paid the big bucks, folks.

Fortunately, that idea has since changed to something with a more serious tone. More laughter filled interviewing awaits you.

Iwata Asks, Vol. 4: The Subspace Emissary [Wii.com]

Voices Of The Lifestream

Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream is a massive labor of love. It's a 45 track musical tribute to Final Fantasy VII, featuring the work of 42 different remixers and spanning almost ever genre of music imaginable. Produced by Andrew Aversa, Voices is the 9th album release from OverClocked ReMix, in my opinion on of the internet's best sources for video game music. The music is broken up into 4 discs, each with a theme matching a Final Fantasy VII universe release: Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus, Advent Children, and Last Order. The album's web page lets you download individual tracks or the whole shebang in a giant 2.32GB torrent. I've downloaded a couple of songs while the torrent is running, and what I've heard so far of the compilation is truly amazing. It always amazes me how some of the best musicians I know wind up remixing video game music. Hit the link below to listen for yourself!

Final Fantasy VII: Voices of the Lifestream, An OverClocked ReMix Album [OCRemix]

To celebrate ten years of Final Fantasy VII and stir longings for a FFVII remake, Square Enix held a Final Fantasy VII 10th Anniversary Gallery in Tokyo. The exhibition is on display until September 2nd in the Spiral Garden and features original art and illustrations for Final Fantasy VII and its spin-offs. Sony Computer Entertainment honcho Kaz Hirai was also in appearance and wrote an English note on the message board (above), which reads:

Congratulations on 10 fantastic years! The best is yet to come