Archives

All Sounds of SaGa is a compilation OST, containing all the original tracks to SaGa 1-3 (or, in America, Final Fantasy Legend 1-3), as well as one arranged track of songs from the first SaGa. SaGa 1 and 2 were co-composed by Uematsu and Ito, and the less-impressive SaGa 3 was composed by Ryuji Sasai… Read More »

Note: this is the domestic release of the Seiken Densetsu 2 OSV. With exception to packaging, this is the exact same soundtrack. The domestic version is now much harder to find compared to the import release, which still has reprints circulating through most online stores. You’ve gotta love old-school Square. Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu… Read More »

The JDK Band series is a marvelous thing: Hard rock, crazy sound effects, and more! Oh, wait, that changed a little with JDK Band 3…Oh, wait, the last JDK Band was actually just synthesized music…I guess JDK Band 4 just isn’t good. The above statement is the sort of thing I’ve heard from some Falcom… Read More »

Vocal arranged albums generally aren’t as celebrated by game music fans as instrumental ones. I often feel the same way, which is why I found Feena / Shoko Minami to be so surprising. If a song is good enough, I find myself compelled to learn the lyrics no matter what language it’s in, and that’s… Read More »

Music From The Legend of Xanadu II is one of those odd soundtracks that sneaks up and takes you by surprise. Although I wouldn’t consider it one of Falcom’s best albums, it had the potential to be. It amazes me that very few people talk, or even know, about it. I’m not quite sure if… Read More »

Preprimer is a Falcom CD that contains “New Age” arrangements of classic tracks. These tracks are arranged by none other than the person who defined New Age Falcom, Michio Fujisawa. Her new age tracks are found on the Ys Perfect Collections, and they were so enjoyable that she got to create two CDs of this… Read More »

Perfect Collection Ys is, both in my opinion and in the opinion of many others, the definitive Falcom soundtrack. This soundtrack raised the bar and set the standard for all following Perfect Collections, Vocal tracks, and more. Disc 1 is the trademark “Special Arrange Version” found on any Perfect Collection. While many of these arranged… Read More »

Ys IV JDK Special is about the closest thing you can get to an Ys IV OST (there never was a “Music From Ys IV”). The sound quality is the same type of synth you’d hear in Music From Ys (or Ys II) Renewal, the difference being the way the synths are used in the… Read More »

First of all, I must point out that I have never played Ys IV nor heard any of the original music. I feel that this had a significant impact on how I viewed the music on this CD. Okay, now that I got that out of the way, Ys IV Perfect Collection! All three volumes… Read More »

I already have the full Ys V original soundtrack, so why did I pick up this album? Considering the first ten tracks come straight from the OST, one may think it a waste of money. I wouldn’t say that. Of course, some of the better themes have been selected, including the very popular “Field of… Read More »

Let me say this up front – Grandia, in my opinion, has the one of best soundtracks I’ve ever heard in a video game. I had high hopes for its arrangement as well, but it’s not exactly what I expected. Now, this isn’t to say that is a bad CD. Quite the opposite – it’s… Read More »

Grandia II: Povo is the second of two CD soundtracks containing the original music from Game Arts’ RPG masterpiece. Deus encompassed the majority of the music for the first, brighter half of the game, while Povo encompasses the rest, which has darker, moodier songs, various sadness-inspiring themes, and a few others. If you were to… Read More »

Before even touching on Breath of Fire IV‘s music, I’d like to talk about the production and packaging of this fine soundtrack. First of all, the publisher, “Suleputer,” might sound different to you. This company is actually Capcom’s new music division. Some interesting trivia, “Capcom” is short for “Capsule Computer”… So, the name “Suleputer” is… Read More »

Welcome to Dragon Quest IV on Electone! Only the most educated of video game soundtrack enthusiasts own or know about the Dragon Quest “on Electone” CDs. The “Electone” is basically a really nice synth keyboard. In other words, these soundtracks are high-quality synth versions of OST-type music. While the concept sounds great, the product has… Read More »

I first heard selections from this album on Dragon Quest Symphonic Suite Best Selection ~ Tenku, a compilation of the best arrangments from the Dragon Quest 4-6 orchestra albums. However, it was the selections from this fourth installment of the series that truly drew my attention. I instantly knew that I had to have this… Read More »

Look, we all know that Koichi Sugiyama’s orchestrated compositions for the Dragon Quest series are fantastic. We also know that every game in the series has had at least three prints of the Symphonic Suite. Dragon Quest III and IV each had more recordings and printings of the Symphonic Suite than the other titles, so… Read More »

Dragon Quest: The series that never fails to please the classical music enthusiast. The style to this Dragon Quest Symphonic Suite is standard to the series: Amazing symphonic music on disc 1, “Original Sound Story” music on disc 2. Dragon Quest V’s OSS disc leaves the music as one track…Filled with all kinds of extremely… Read More »

It’s not something I’m especially proud of, but I’ve not heard Dragon Quest music since the NES was the heavyweight gaming console. So at the time I picked up DQBS~Roto, I was for all intents and purposes, a DQ virgin. Within minutes, this sumptuous collection of Sugiyama’s early works made me deeply regret that absence.… Read More »

Assumptions are bad things. Evil things, even. One need look no further than televised coverage of the 2000 US Presidential Election for proof of that. They can shatter relationships, they can topple economies, and they can trigger wars. But perhaps worst of all, they can make CDs sound worse than they really are. Case in… Read More »

As you can see by the release date on this CD, Dragon Quest music goes way back. If I am not mistaken, the first Dragon Quest CDs were printed in late ’85 or early ’86. This soundtrack brings you live, concert hall music for Dragon Quest I and II, as well as an added extra,… Read More »

Piano CDs have always been known in the VGM community as some of the most refined, beautiful soundtracks out there. Always arranged in a beautiful style, Piano arrangements usually are a favorite in people’s sets. However, there are always exceptions to the rules. Dragon Quest is that exception. Now, I do not know about the… Read More »

Falcom Ending Collection is one of the more obscure Falcom CDs…Not seen much on auctions, impossible to buy through online stores (as are most Falcom CDs)…But there’s something unique about this little set. This soundtrack is a tribute to a special type of videogame music…Not a genre or style, but a type. That would be… Read More »

Shenmue’s OST consists of two things: dramatic “scene” music, and then background music with various moods. Now, the dramatic music can be expected as amazing (as it is…the theme songs are great): but few could expect the BGM to turn out as well as it did. People call this soundtrack a “movie score”…After all, most… Read More »

Treasure Hunter G was Square’s last game for the Super Famicom, and the Treasure Hunter G OST was Square’s last soundtrack printed with NTT Publishing. And, even though it was printed in 1996, it is still a hard find for online shoppers. To know why this is such a tragedy, read further. According to Ramza’s… Read More »

Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon, the game that didn’t make it to America…for a reason. Most people will let you know that the game was downright horrible. However, most people never finish the game and neglect to appreciate what could be some of the most creative musical work to come from Squaresoft. Ever since purchasing the SaGa… Read More »