I've been curious about this for a while. I have the FFXII soundtrack CDs, and disc 1, track 19 (Rabanastre Downtown) sounds quite a bit different from the version of the song that I heard while playing the actual game. Was a different version included in the American version of the game, or is there another explanation?

I have both versions of the game and they are the same, except for text and voices. Anyway I noticed that too.

I guess, like other OST songs maybe longer or even slightly different. I know Chrono Trigger and Xenogears had longer versions to songs as well as unreleased tracks.

I haven't heard all the music from the OST so can't comment on all of it, but that song is quite different for sure. But there is a US compilation to the OST, are any different from the Japanese?

http://www.amazon.com/Selections-Final-Fantasy-Hitoshi-Sakimoto/dp/tracks/B000IU3YA0/ref=dp_tracks_all_1/103-0935292-5356648?ie=UTF8&qid=1176935649&sr=1-2#disc_1

Anyway to answer your question that song in game is the same in the Japanese version, it's just oddly very different on the CD...dunno why.

The music and voice acting had to be compressed to fit onto the game disc, which is why some of the music sounds different on the OST and some of the voices are echoey.

The music and voice acting had to be compressed to fit onto the game disc, which is why some of the music sounds different on the OST and some of the voices are echoey.

Yeah, but the composite [streaming] music is compressed w/ Pro Logic II lossy encoding but only sounds lower quality and not different and that is only in the movies.

I don't think that song is streamed, I am pretty sure it's using the PS2 internal sound chip and could be ripped into a raw PSF2 file.

Not that I recall the exact differences but pretty sure the arrangement and even mixing is different on the OST. I don't think it is do to compression since that song isn't compressed it's raw midi.

I haven't looked at the code and I am "guessing" at this - but that song loops forever which midi will do...there's no fade [in game] on that song.

Since there is no PSF2 rip yet we don't know for certain...I am making an educated guess :) You maybe right Yatta2006..

I was wrong the PSF2 set is ripped. I suggest you download it and have a listen, there maybe some text info on what songs are missing do to streaming.

If that song is in the set, it will be the in game version and will be different.

Final Fantasy XII (PSF2): http://www.noderunner.net/~llin/psf/packs/FFXII_psf2.rar

PSF2 Player: http://www.neillcorlett.com/