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I’ve experienced this soundtrack in so many different ways, and I’m still learning how to appreciate it. It doesn’t (often) come naturally. I first experienced this music in its original form by importing the soundtrack a decade ago. That same music, track for track, makes up the first two discs of this six disc set.… Read More »

This album, likely to be the final bit of (published) original music for Square Enix’s long-running MMORPG, picks up some of Naoshi Mizuta’s fantastic work in the late stages of the MMO’s life, and it also catalogs some forgotten music from a composer I miss dearly. The first disc is the FFXI “the rest” side.… Read More »

I’ll admit, I’ve been on a bit of a Persona 4 kick lately. Between the currently-airing anime, the upcoming fighting game, and the Playstation Vita port, it’s a great time to be a Persona fan. This brand new arrange album, Never More -Reincarnation: PERSONA4-, is the delicious cherry on top of a Shin Megami Tensei… Read More »

In the world of Western RPGs, 2011 has two top contenders for best music: Deus Ex Human Revolution and Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. In the land of the rising sun, a latecomer just cut any possible competitors down to size. No one should have doubted that Final Fantasy XIII-2‘s soundtrack had a shot at greatness.… Read More »

Does Square Enix release a Final Fantasy IV soundtrack for every rerelease of the game? A question we best not consider here perhaps, but we can examine if this soundtrack is worth buying, particularly if you have all the others. For the FFIV fanatics (a legion if the numerous iterations of the game are any… Read More »

I’ve never been apprehensive about listening to a soundtrack before. With video game music in particular, I always relish the thought of reliving my time with a game through its music, so tied to memory as our ears are. What nightmare thoughts might surface while listening to the soundtrack of the indelible Dark Souls? Fortunately,… Read More »

Shinji Hosoe and sanodg (Nobuyoshi Sano) may not be household names among video game music aficionados, but their work as both composers and arrangers is pretty extensive. I first heard about these gentlemen in much the same way other RPG enthusiasts did: Hosoe through his music for Xenosaga II and Sano through his music for… Read More »

I was excited to listen to the Dissidia 012 soundtrack; not only is it a Final Fantasy work, but Takeharu Ishimoto composes all of the original pieces for the game and guides a team of arrangers to tackle tracks from games past. Though he is relatively new to being an official composer for Square Enix,… Read More »

When I first saw the title “Unchain Blades Rexx,” I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It looked like a cheesy band name with every stupid emo or pseudo-punk cliché in it. I later learned that Unchain Blades Rexx is a dungeon-crawl RPG led by the staff from Lunar and Grandia. Given how good… Read More »

Michael McCann may not be the most prolific composer, but gamers will remember him most recently for his well-received Splinter Cell: Double Agent soundtrack back in 2006. Still, fans had a sample of what they were in for with Deus Ex: Human Revolution‘s music back when the game’s first CG trailer released back at E3… Read More »

For those who’ve read my review of the Devil Survivor 2 OST, the special tracks album is much the same. The seven track arranged album boasts longer pieces, which detract only slightly from the original songs. For instance, track 7 adds a stronger beat, making the piece more rock sounding while leaving much of the… Read More »

Takami Asano composed a fantastic, guitarlicious soundtrack for the original Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor. Kenji Ito signed on for the second game, who opted to follow in Asano’s footsteps in terms of instruments. Yes, for those of you who’ve said, “Man, I love Legend of Zelda‘s music, but there’s just not enough electric guitar,”… Read More »

J-Pop idols may be dime-a-dozen, much like any country’s pop stars. But, get the right composers, performers, and producers involved, and you’ll occasionally make something with enough appeal to make it worth talking about. The Crest of Knights album from vocalist Ayane that I’m reviewing is actually more a “triple” than a single. There are… Read More »

Supergiant Games’ first game, Bastion, was highly regarded for a number of reasons. One reason that comes up almost every time the game is mentioned is the audio—in particular, the engrossing verbal narration provided by Logan Cunningham. What doesn’t get mentioned nearly as frequently—but should—is the game’s outstanding soundtrack. Sitting down to listen to Bastion… Read More »

Before the release of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, prospective players and fans of the original knew one thing: it looked gorgeous. From both a technical and an artistic standpoint, it was clear that CDProjekt RED was out to impress. The release of the game confirmed that it was more than able to stand… Read More »

Mark Morgan composed the Planescape: Torment soundtrack after leaving the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the Fallout franchise. While similar in tone to the first two Fallouts (a heady mix of humor and darkness), Torment features a rather different setting. Indeed, Sigil, the City of Doors, is unlike anything else. An amalgamation of fantasy flavors, Sigil houses… Read More »

When I discovered the NES RPG “Rainbow Silkroad” and its accompanying soundtrack, I thought I’d found the most obscure JRPG, and accompanying ridiculous/fun soundtrack, I would ever find. Recently, though, I found a rival in the form of an early PSX JRPG called “PAL.” No, not the European digital media regional encoding standard. PAL’s subtitle… Read More »

Before even delving into the content of this album, I have to point to my favorite trend happening in game music: breaking down the invisible barriers. Japanese games from a Japanese composer getting a piano solo arranged collection. Wouldn’t you expect the performer to be Japanese? Or, even if the performer isn’t Japanese, the arranger(s)… Read More »

Square Enix. Masters of … sucking my wallet dry by repackaging some of their best work. Two years ago, Square Enix released a 20th anniversary box set of music for the SaGa series (20 CDs plus one DVD). This time, they’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Seiken Densetsu (or “Mana”) series. Since the series… Read More »

On a few occasions in the past, I have described the original Fallout as the most coherently designed package I’ve ever seen. Everything about it works together, from the incredibly detailed backstory to the many factions warring for control to the retro-futuristic technology. Even the game’s manual feels right! And its soundtrack is no exception.… Read More »

Chiptune arrangements of contemporary game music are fairly popular these days. The amalgamation of new and old evokes an emulated sense of nostalgia while paying tribute to cherished pieces of music. It also speaks volumes for the amount of depth that can be found in melodies composed with an 8-bit sound chip. SQ Chips, the… Read More »

Does anyone remember the game Tail Concerto on Playstation? I do, and I found it to be a cute, charming, and fun game. Solatorobo for DS is its spiritual successor and exudes all those same qualities. It is also a more intense game than its breezy cartoon style implies and Chikayo Fukuda’s (.hack//) epic and… Read More »

Motoi Sakuraba is well-known for two things: composing music for the Tales series and having a penchant for sticking to a very rigid musical formula. Tales of Xillia‘s soundtrack, like its predecessors, was created in Sakuraba’s signature style and does little to distinguish itself from his other works. The music itself is certainly inoffensive; it… Read More »

The Last Story will be the first Uematsu composition I’ve heard wherein he isn’t linked to Square in some way. Logically, no difference in quality should be expected, since Uematsu seemed to do much of his own work without direction. However, since Final Fantasy isn’t involved in some way, will he take a different approach?… Read More »

Nobuo Uematsu’s third major project with Mistwalker is a Wii-exclusive RPG that, as of this soundtrack review’s post date, shows no signs of being localized. And, based on the music alone, I’d say that’s a damn shame. We’ve heard a lot of Final Fantasy soundtracks get synth upgrades over the years (examples: FF3 and FF4… Read More »