When the first clips from the Final Fantasy XIII-2 soundtrack hit the internet, there was a crazed mix of outrage, disbelief, and genuine curiosity at composer Masashi Hamauzu's use of lyrics in the game's background music. I wrote a review of the soundtrack, praising it for its unique use of human vocals to compliment the atmosphere and tone the designers tried to create with XIII-2.

The most infamous clip is the Lake Bresha Rap, called so for its use in-game at the Bresha Ruins. Now it seems Square has done away with the rap for its overseas release.

Below is a recording of the song as it appears in-game. Those of you who have played the game's demo may have noticed that there was no rapping going on in the background. When I heard this, I thought perhaps it had been removed for purposes of the demo, but now we're learning that it's simply been axed. Was this for the best?

http://www.youtube.com/embed/HuRYlUekfO4