Archives

The year was 1995, and Sound Team JDK was at it yet again with another Special Box. Ten years later, it still cripples the test of time. Falcom Special Box ’95 contains drama tracks from The Legend of Xanadu II, some awesome orchestrations from The Legend of Heroes III, and arranged tracks from Ys IV… Read More »

Falcom Special Box ’97 was the last of Falcom’s well-known “boxes,” as they were running into financial troubles (and lack of inspiration) after 1997. Other than the revival of the special box (in the form of Falcom Special Box 2004), this was the end. Was it because Falcom didn’t have enough material to release another… Read More »

After taking a six year hiatus, Falcom’s “Special Box” series was renewed with Falcom Special Box 2004. Unfortunately for VGM fans, there wasn’t much to be found on this collection. Well, I ought to take that back. Technically, this box has more music than any one previous special box in Falcom history. The problem? The… Read More »

JDK Specials are on the lower end of Falcom arrangements, being somewhat close to an OST release. The Legend of Xanadu JDK Special, thus, is nothing to get too excited about as far as arrangements go. However, the sheer genius in composition is what makes all Legend of Xanadu music stand out. Take a listen… Read More »

Being a more-than-casual soundtrack enthusiast, I believe I know what it is that other soundtrack enthusiasts want. Furthermore, I know what common complaints are floating around about the state of videogame music, as well as the soundtracks that bring the music directly to us. One common complaint is that some games (in fact, many games)… Read More »

Most of you have likely never heard of Legend of Xanadu, sometimes known as Dragon Slayer VIII. This is partly due to it never being released outside of Japan. I, personally, have never played Legend of Xanadu, but what I do know is that only a small fraction of the game’s tracks were actually redbook… Read More »

Harvest Moon. Bokujou Monogatari in Japan. The Farm Story RPG. When playing Harvest Moon you know what to expect. Despite the differences between the titles, at the core the series is about a boy (or girl) on a farm, accompanied by dogs, cows, chickens, and buckets of charm. In much the same way you know… Read More »

Recently, Working Designs brought to America the second and third installments of the Growlanser RPG series, and combined them into one package, called Growlanser Generations. Additionally, in order to appease gamers who desired only to play the game, and not receive any of the typical extras found in most Working Designs products, the game was… Read More »

Nippon Ichi’s first venture into the American market came from the Atlus published Rhapsody, the so called “Musical Adventure.” It stood out very much at the time. In an era where the Final Fantasy inspired epics were becoming the norm, there was Rhapsody, the story of a girl who talks to puppets and has to… Read More »

I missed the “Shining Force” boat when I was a kid. When all the “underground” gamers were having a good time with their Sega Genesis in ’93, I was playin’ Secret of Mana and Legend of Zelda for Super Nintendo. I regret not having access to a Sega Genesis, or Sega Saturn, in my formative… Read More »

Despite the fact that many people derived little to no amusement from Suikoden IV, I am sure that all Suikofans will agree that the advent of Suikoden IV has at least one good quality, that being the official merchandise brought over with its release. Even though Japan has been blessed with official Suikoden merchandise from… Read More »

In late October 2003, I finally got the chance to try out one of the more obscure Super Famicom titles, being Tengai Makyou Zero (also known as Far East of Eden Zero). The game featured extraordinary graphics, an addictive battle system, a seemingly great story, and last but not least, an excellent soundtrack. It was… Read More »

Here is a completely obscure album that everyone needs some knowledge about. Allow me to provide you with such knowledge. “Tengai Makyou (Far East of Eden) ~ The Apocalypse IV” is probably one of the most zany and humorous RPGs ever made. That said, it never has come and probably never will come to the… Read More »

NIS America knows how to please its fans. With the release of Atelier Iris, they’re finally bringing this long overlooked series to American gamers. They’re also continuing the pleasing trend started with Phantom Brave of giving fantastic preorder bonuses. To commemorate this release, those who preordered were given the Atelier Iris ~Eternal Mana~ Bonus Sound… Read More »

Released as the seventh game in Gust‘s Atelier series, and the direct sequel to the first Atelier Iris, Atelier Iris ~Eternal Mana 2~ features music that is nearly the same sort of music found on the previous OST. The two go together so well that one may as well consider this “discs 3 and 4”… Read More »

The Legend of Heroes is probably Falcom’s most unique series to date. The first two titles in the series were actually a part of an older Dragon Slayer series, which has connections to Xanadu, Sorcerian, and virtually every other non-Ys game Falcom created. Then the third and fourth Legend of Heroes titles were released. Years… Read More »

This album is a privileged/promotional item that could only be receiverd by purchasing the first print edition of Legend of Heroes VI for PC. Why Falcom didn’t print this CD for everyone else to purchase is beyond me, because frankly, I think this is one ridiculously well-made arranged album. If you hadn’t yet read it,… Read More »

Ah yes, the Gagharv Trilogy. Legend of Heroes IV, V, and then III at the end: a powerhouse of Falcom music that cannot be denied. Or can it? Symphony Gagharv Trilogy is our testing ground. The album begins with five selections from Legend of Heroes IV: A Tear of Vermillion. Previously, the only arrangement we’d… Read More »

Wow, it’s oldschool Ys. If you can even locate this soundtrack, you ought to buy it for nostalgia’s sake. This is one of oldest Falcom CD releases; it might be their first with King Records, I’m not sure. Regardless of the soundtrack’s status as being old and rare (though the 1993 reprint isn’t too hard… Read More »

Ys Renewal, like its counterpart Ys II Renewal, is a slight improvement upon the original soundtrack for the first Ys game. In essence, it’s just a simple change of instruments and possibly a very minor rearrangement of the music so that it fits with the new set. This isn’t such a wonderful thing as all… Read More »

Among Ys games, Ys III is unique in that all three major console versions produced of it (SNES, Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16) somehow made it over to the states. As such, Ys III was the first Ys game for a great many people. For those that played the TG16 version of the game, they experienced what… Read More »

The Wanderers From Ys SAV is one of those unforgettable classic Falcom albums that offers something beyond what one may have expected. I’ll start by just coming forth and saying that I think this album surpasses almost any arrangement on Ys III’s Perfect Collection. There, I said it. Not that this album doesn’t have its… Read More »

Note: This soundtrack is only available through the Japanese Limited Edition game, which also came with an artbook. The reprint came alongside the Japanese Limited Edition PSP version of the game. I like to consider VGM albums as concept albums. While some don’t do this as well as others, no one can deny that a… Read More »

Ladies and gentlemen, it is time yet again to review the latest of Tenpei Sato’s arranged albums. If you’ve read my reviews of Mr. Sato’s first two arranged albums (Disgaea, La Pucelle), then you’re familiar with his arranging abilities. The Disgaea arrange album was the worst arrange album I’ve ever heard in my life, and… Read More »

Phantom Brave is the third entry in Nippon Ichi’s popular strategy RPG series, and quite frankly, its soundtrack is the best. What makes Phantom Brave so great is while it combines the strengths of the two games that came before it (the aggressiveness of Disgaea and the beauty of La Pucelle), it has a style… Read More »