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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 »

When I popped in Phantom Kingdom for the first time, I was seriously wondering where Tenpei Sato was going to go. He had already done everything possible, and I could not foresee him doing anything better than Phantom Brave. Let me tell you, I was surprised to find out that Tenpei Sato didn’t compose Phantom… Read More »

Ah, Cross Gate. Chances are, more likely than not, that you’ve never heard of this Online RPG. This is, in part, because it was only released in Japan. The rest of it, however, is solely due to unpopularity. Not very many people played this game at all. Whether that’s for good reason or not is… Read More »

Note: according to the CD’s packaging, disc two’s tracks are listed as if they continued from disc one (that is, they are tracks 21-43 instead of another 1-23). For the sake of consistency with the site rather than with the soundtrack itself, we have chosen to list the numbers as they would appear when sticking… Read More »

Here’s an album that needs to live up to two different standards. First, since it is an arrangement of music from Phantasy Star Online, it needs to prove itself worthy of arranging such fine music. Secondly, since it is second in the “Premium Arrange” series (first being Dark Chronicle), it ought to have the sort… Read More »

Phantasy Star Online, one of the first console-based Online RPGs to really hold its own over the years, took an unsuccessful turn for the worse with Episode III, a card-based battler that even the most ardent PSO fans agree shouldn’t have happened. Fortunately, the series recovered with Ep. IV “Blue Burst”, and will probably continue… Read More »

Note: according to the CD’s packaging, disc two’s tracks are listed as if they continued from disc one (that is, they are tracks 26-50 instead of another 1-25). For the sake of consistency with the site rather than with the soundtrack itself, we have chosen to list the numbers as they would appear when sticking… Read More »

Note: Observant readers will note that, according to the pictures of the package provided, track 3 of disc 1 says “Magical Autumn ~ ” followed by some Korean text. It turns out, the Korean text also says “Magical Autumn”, so we decided not to be redundant in our tracklist. I feel very privileged to be… Read More »

If you haven’t heard by now, World of Warcraft is sweet. The MMORPG based on Blizzard’s popular RTS series earned acclaim and numerous awards from critics and magazines across the board. It stands out as single best MMORPG and simply one of the best games of the year, period. I can personally vouch for the… Read More »

I was one of the many to be very disappointed when Mitsuda was not announced as Xenosaga Episode II‘s music composer. I had never heard of Yuki Kajiura before, so I was unsure of what she would do. Well, between this and the .hack//SIGN soundtracks, I now know what to expect from her. Her style… Read More »

After printing six (seven including Eternal Blue Prelude) of these half-music half-drama albums, it is determined that two more would be printed for the side-series game “Magic School Lunar!”, the Sega Saturn remake of the original “Walking School Lunar” for Sega’s hand-held Game Gear. The game would never see an “Original Soundtrack” release, so instead,… Read More »

Of the many Lunar CDs released in Japan, the majority of them were released in the dreaded “half-drama” format: pleasant for Japanese listeners, and torturous for all us non-Japanese-speaking people! This is the first of four in the “Lunatic Festa” series, which recaps, in audio drama format, the events of Lunar: Silver Star Story. The… Read More »

The vast majority of the Japanese Lunar soundtracks are long out of print, and hence, they usually come with quite the price tag. If you were to say to yourself, “man, I really like Lunar, but I don’t have $500, so maybe I should only pick out one or two soundtracks on Yahoo! Japan Auctions”,… Read More »

When I heard Magical Antique for the first time, I fell in love with it. It had everything I wanted to hear: great chords, great instrumentation, catchy themes, and some variety. Most people would classify this OST as “cute,” and I’d have to agree with them. But that better not stop you from listening to… Read More »

Xenogears and piano. In the world of game music, there are few more obvious combinations, and yet there had been no piano album based on Mitsuda’s excellent score for the game, until now. OneUp Studios, in collaboration with a talented group of young arrangers, have finally combined these two powerful musical forces to create Xenogears… Read More »

When a gamer sees the name Ys, probably the most common thought is “How do I pronounce that?” If you don’t have that reaction, you’re probably already familiar with the series. In that case, you’re more likely to think “Ys has such great music.” Ys VI was my maiden voyage into the Ys universe, and… Read More »

Released simultaneously with Falcom Vocal Collection I, this second Vocal Collection contains the latter recordings from 1989 to 1991. With varied sources such as the Sorcerian Perfect Collections, Falcom Special Box ’91, and Rie Sugimoto’s Krelia album, this two disc collection contains a number of vocal performances from virtually every early Falcom game you can… Read More »

I’ve always admired Sound Team JDK’s vocals because they have always been uniquely different and catchy. Compared to other game vocals, Sound Team JDK has no rivals and they take no prisoners when they make their vocal tracks. Their vocals are produced with such a level of quality that they put other game vocals to… Read More »

What happens when you mix some of the most powerfully epic music with the best synthesizers to date and a little Japanese boy (I think it’s a boy, anyway) speaking Engrish? You get Symphonic Fantasy “White Witch”, a completely new and wonderful arranged album for The Legend of Heroes III, first in the Gagharv trilogy.… Read More »

VM Japan has one of the most remarkable soundtracks ever created by the masterminds Nihon Falcom and their amazing Sound Team JDK. Unique, modern and stylistic, it is a grand achievement of our Japanese friends. But first, some background. In the late 90s, Falcom brought about a tactical simulation named Vantage Master. Featuring hex based… Read More »

2005: a big year for us RPG fans – the first time in over a decade that we’ve seen an Ys game (or any Falcom game) on American shores. Ys VI was ported to the PS2 by Konami, and aside from adding a few bits and pieces, left the game intact from its original 2003… Read More »

Before I begin my review, I must give a note regarding different versions of this CD release. The regular print of this album only has the first disc with its nine vocal tracks. People who picked up the limited edition within the first few weeks of its release also received a second disc containing instrumental… Read More »

I am not a very big fan of a growing trend in the video game industry that involves using fully orchestrated music for video game albums-whether it involves a studio or licensing live orchestras. The reason artists choose to use professional orchestras is that it supposedly makes for a more “movie-like” and less “video-game” like… Read More »