Archives

Well, this is what it all adds up to. This is the soundtrack to Black/Matrix, an underground hit in Japan that was released on Saturn, PlayStation, and then improved for a Dreamcast re-release. Disc one is really good because it’s arranged… it’s basically all the same tracks on the original disc, in a different order.… Read More »

With the classic score to Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night), Michiru Yamane seemed to have launched herself into the premiere rank of game music composers. Having pushed the envelope of sophistication for action adventure scores, I had high hopes she would do no less for the traditional RPG genre… Read More »

I’m not quite sure how Square does it. They seem to be able to make us buy soundtracks that are just compilations of songs from previously released soundtracks. Oh wait, that’s right, they succeed because they pick some of the best tracks from an extensive selection of great tracks and put THOSE into the compilation… Read More »

I’d never played the game, but something drew me to this soundtrack. I didn’t know what to expect at first; there are a lot of mediocre RPG soundtracks out there, and I was afraid this would prove to be yet another. Thankfully, I was wrong. Tamamayu Monogatari (Jade Cocoon in the US) is different from… Read More »

While Americans only knew of this game as a Super Nintendo game, Lagoon was originally a Japanese PC game. This soundtrack features five live-band arranged tracks (bass, guitar, keyboard, drums), and the rest is X68000 original stuff. And while I was disappointed with the arrange, I was in for a big surprise with the original…… Read More »

Note: Seiken Densetsu was released as Final Fantasy Adventure in the United States even though it is actually the first game in the Secret of Mana series. This CD is a combination of the Seiken Densetsu Original Sound Version and its arranged counterpart, Seiken Densetsu ~ Let Thoughts Ride on Knowledge, both of which were… Read More »

This was the first Tokimeki soundtrack I ever owned, I bought it on a whim after hearing from people that the music was good stuff. I expected nothing less than that from Konami, of course. On a first listen, I said to myself “there’s nothing special about this”. And if you only listen to it… Read More »

Let me start out by saying that I’ve never played any of the Tokimeki Memorial games. Let me also state that I’ve born a great antipathy towards the series ever since I realized that the soundtracks are legion and take up most of the shelf at my used-game music store. That means there are fewer… Read More »

Tokimeki Memorial Piano Collection 1 is quite possibly the best piano arranged album ever created. I’ve listened to that CD so many times, I’m surprised the disc hadn’t been scratched to pieces. The only flaw was that it was too little and too short. I wanted more, MORE I TELL YOU! To my delight, not… Read More »

The Tokimeki Sound Collections (there are four of them) are essentially this: songs from the original version, extended, and arranged with some higher quality instrumentation. This first Sound Collection, released long before the other three came out, features character themes. There is a lot of synth used on these albums, but there is some good… Read More »

Tokimeki Memorial is probably one of the most beloved of the dating sims today. With cute and loveable characters, and some fantastic gameplay elements, it pulls in all those in who dare to play it. As for the music, it’s nothing short of fantastic; the melodies are happy, bouncy, full of energy and excitement, and… Read More »

Between the two Tokimeki SCs I’ve heard (the first being the other one), I like this one much more. The synths used are better, the live instruments have better solos…it’s just a pretty great album all in all. This Sound Collection seems to cover some of the common BGM themes from the game, and there… Read More »

I love Tokimeki Memorial! I’ve never played the game, nor seen the anime, yet I have this inexplicable love for the game. I think a lot of it is due to the wonderful music the series has produced. With over 100 game music and drama albums, you’d think I’d be sick of it by now,… Read More »

Being a fan of the Lufia (Estpolis) games and their music, I was excited to learn that a soundtrack containing music from both games existed. However, my initial excitement was rather short-lived as I soon became aware of the fact that the album was among the more rare and difficult ones to find. Recently I… Read More »

Phantasy Star Online is one of those soundtracks that has me so confused. On one hand, I love it to death. There are so many good tracks, not to mention the bonus material is almost worth the album alone. However, there are a few pieces that are so uninteresting and mediocre compared to the rest,… Read More »

The Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack breaks all sorts of traditional Final Fantasy soundtrack “rules.” For starters, this soundtrack is not solely composed by Uematsu. Masashi Hamauzu (SaGa Frontier 2, Chocobo’s Dungeon composer) played a major part in the composition of this soundtrack, and Junya Nakano (Dewprism/Threads of Fate, Another Mind composer) also wrote plenty… Read More »

This fine little single from singer RIKKI features the theme song from Final Fantasy X, a vocal version of Aerith’s Theme from Final Fantasy VII, as well as some more fun stuff. In my review of the Final Fantasy X OST, I mentioned that the single’s “Suteki da ne” features different violin solo work. Well,… Read More »

Sony’s PS2 RPG Dark Cloud was a game that did not focus on complex characters. Instead, the title’s main draw was its engrossing gameplay. This changed the focus of the music as well. In the absence of emotional characters or storylines, the music focused on helping immerse the player into the game environment. The Dark… Read More »

…WOW, am I ever impressed with this CD! WOW WOW WOW! Romancing SaGa: La Romance is the last Square soundtrack I purchased in recent months, and one of the last I’ll purchase for awhile. But man am I glad I got this CD before I decided to take a break from collecting. Wow wow wow.… Read More »

To Heart has a great soundtrack itself. With its fun, bouncy sound, it’s a wonderful pick-me-up for anyone. So, having grown to love the CD, I began longing for something more, something complex and different, something that would show to me the true measure of the melodies within this soundtrack. One afternoon, as I was… Read More »

This single contains the full version of the opening and ending themes from from the PSX game. Considering how good these songs are, it’s great to finally hear the entire songs as they were meant to be heard. “Feeling Heart” is longer than the game OST version, and has a slightly fuller sound to it.… Read More »

It’s not very often that you find an album like To Heart. On appearance alone, it may seem a little too bouncy, just a tad too happy for the average game music fan, but this dating sim soundtrack is quite a refreshing change of pace from most other OST’s. Although a bit mellow and subdued… Read More »

Dragon Quest‘s music CDs were fought over by the publishers Apollon and Sony Records… now they’re all being reprinted by SPE Visual. But, Enix saved any drama CDs as their own publishing job. And man, did they ever do a good job. This Drama CD is the first in a long line of DQ Dramas…DQ… Read More »

Dragon Quest has drama CDs for every game (except for VII…at least, as of the time that this review was written), as well as one for Torneko’s Adventure. After having heard one (the first one), what would be the point of having any more? If you don’t know Japanese, it’s basically the same thing right?… Read More »

Editor’s note: the SPE reprint (in 2000) has all the exact same music, but different packaging and a slightly different title (“Super Famicom Edition” was removed). This recording was done with the London Philharmonic. The 2009 reprint is also the same material, but sports a different front cover. It’s Koichi Sugiyama. It’s Dragon Quest music.… Read More »