Archives

Consider that the Megami Tensei (Goddess Reincarnation) series has not caught on for US players, publishers or audiences. Not much of an introduction between the game and its music in this review. To sum up, the battle music style differs from other Japanese RPG soundtracks you have listened before, whether it be good or bad.… Read More »

Masashi Hamauzu finally seems to have acquired a long-deserved series association, this being his second score for a SaGa game. You’d never guess though, as he makes no allusions to any of his themes from SaGa Frontier 2 and separates this new UNLIMITED SaGa score from the former with an entirely different palette of sound.… Read More »

As of today, I have owned approximately 175 videogame soundtracks. That’s meager compared to the collection of a few other people; to others, that is a ridiculous amount of money spent. Indeed, it was. Of the 175 I’ve owned, I now have held onto only four (all the others were sold for college, car money,… Read More »

Why hello there! Glad to see you’re interested enough in the music of Dragon Quest VII to actually read the review of the Original Sound Version side. Remember, this is the review for Disc 2 of the DQVII Symphonic Suite, that’s why all the tracks have a “2” in front of them. For coverage of… Read More »

I’ll be perfectly honest with you, up until The Black Mages‘ release, I have been totally appalled by the arranged albums Square normally releases for their Final Fantasy games. It seems that we can always count on a piano collection that seems more mandatory than anything else, or something that has little purpose other than… Read More »

Another Suikoden album, you cry incredulously as you shake your fist to the heavens or rebuke hell (depending on whether you enjoy or dislike the series’ music.) That’s right, this series which has only spawned three games and two gaidens already counts its soundtracks in the double digits, even without the name Falcom attached to… Read More »

Like so many of the game soundtracks I review, I’ve never played Grandia. Despite all the praises I’d heard and my own intent to eventually sit down with the game, I never found the chance. And after listening to this CD, I sorely regret not making the time. There is no doubt in my mind… Read More »

I feel somewhat unqualified writing a review for a soundtrack for this series: while I am quite knowledgeable of the composer’s other works, I have absolutely no experience playing any games from the Ogre Battle series. This limits my understanding of and appreciation for the music. However, I wonder if I could like this album… Read More »

Zwei!!’s OST was the first original soundtrack that had come out of Falcom in years. The music itself broke the mold of what the company’s composing team, Sound Team JDK, was known for, and looked to be the beginning of a new era in Falcom’s music. The only thing that could top that would have… Read More »

Koichi Sugiyama, one of the greatest names in the videogame music industry, started his career way before game music even existed. He had done music for TV commercials, some movies (one of which I am aware of is Godzilla) and anime (Magic Knight Rayearth is but one of them). His first known project as a… Read More »

Yasunori Mitsuda and Hitoshi Sakimoto. Not many can think of a better team of collaborators for a project. Now, throw the acclaimed Breath of Fire series into the mix. Surely it can be said there’s magic at work. Mitsuda, who is renowned for his work on Chrono Cross and Xenogears; Sakimoto, who left unforgettable tracks… Read More »

In my eyes, despite being incomplete, Phantasy Star Online’s OST was a truly a masterpiece. It’s originality and unique sound along with how it complimented the game’s environment and accentuated its atmosphere was masterful. And although I’d spent well over 100 hours playing the game itself, I could still pull out the disc and listen… Read More »

*Note: I suggest anyone reading this review first check out either http://remix.overclocked.org or www.vgmix.com and expose themselves to the wonderful remixes therein. I was not a huge fan of KFSS Studios’ first work, Project Majestic Mix: A Tribute to Nobuo Uematsu. Most of it felt too low quality, as if all the tracks could have… Read More »

It was only a matter of time before Yasunori Mitsuda received his own Tribute. In the eyes of many, he is considered the greatest game music composer of all time. Not only does his work enhance and transcend the settings of the games, but reaches out and touches the hearts of those who behold it,… Read More »

The Legend of Dragon Slayers is one of the three or four most obscure Falcom albums out there (Sound Fantasy Romancia and All Over Xanadu are two others that come to mind). Released under Polystar (as they didn’t start printing with King Records until ’89, I believe), music composed by the “Falcom Music Staff” rather… Read More »

JDK Band 1: One of the best arranged albums you can possibly find. Excellent combination of variety in styles and memorable songs. Highly recommended. JDK Band 3: One of the best game music vocal albums released, second only to Sakura Wars 2 Vocal Collection. Hated by some for the departure in style from JDK Band… Read More »

This CD contains the full soundtracks from the two Game Boy Advance Dracula games Circle of the Moon and Concerto of the Midnight Sun (the latter one apparently to be called Harmony of Dissonance upon its forthcoming release in the West). For a while, it seemed like Konami wasn’t going to release a soundtrack for… Read More »

Suikoden has always been a game about the unification of cultures in order to triumph over threat. Although there may not be any immediate danger in need of conquering, the same principle of diversified culture joined together is present in the musical score of the game, as well. In fact, you could say that the… Read More »

Leaf is my favorite dating sim developer. Granted, I’ve never played a dating sim in my life, but I just can’t help but be enchanted by the wonderful artwork and excellent music that the company creates for its games, not to mention I’ve actually watched the To Heart anime and am thoroughly taken by it.… Read More »

I absolutely love in-game vocals. Actually, let me state that more correctly; I absolutely love GOOD in-game vocals. It just so happens that “Leaf” makes it a habit of producing great vocal songs for their games, and Leaf Vocal Collection is a compilation of some of their best. I was first introduced to the company’s… Read More »

I was surfing around on Yahoo Japan, checking out some of the game soundtracks up for auction when I stumbled across this CD. It wasn’t so much the name that caught my attention as the picture. It was To Heart, and in my mind, I already knew it had to be good. Despite never having… Read More »

Sakura Taisen Teigeki Kayou Zenshuu (Complete Songs Collection) is the first ever CD of the endless lineup of Sakura Taisen CDs. It consists of 9 character songs, plus the trademark opening and ending songs. The character songs in question are the ones that can be heard during each character’s ending, and are of course sung… Read More »

Jouki Chikuonkan (Steam Gramophone) is the second Sakura Taisen related CD ever released, and the soundtrack of the original Saturn game. For those not familiar with Sakura Taisen, it is a series set in a fictional neo-retro 1920s Japan, therefore the music offers pretty good examples of Tanaka’s traditional Japanese style music. Overall, the tracks… Read More »

Sakura Taisen 2 Kayou Zenshuu (Songs Collection) is the first vocal CD based on Sakura Taisen 2. Each of the eight heroines has her own vocal song, based off her character theme you’ve been hearing during the game. The game gave you a little taste of these songs in each girl’s ending, and here’s the… Read More »

Sakura Taisen 2 (or Sakura Wars 2) is the second installment of Red Company/Overworks’ popular dating simulation-strategy hybrid. The actual game already is a truly outstanding example of distinctly Japanese games, and its soundtrack managed to impress me in a similar way as the game. While being wonderfully lighthearted and romantic at some points, it… Read More »