Archives

I was at Kinokuniya, looking for soundtracks in the Final Fantasy section, and I found Potion. Hadn’t ever heard of it, and it looked as if it wasn’t anything new. However, something told me to buy this soundtrack, so I did. And there was much relaxin’. Subtitled “Relaxin’ with Final Fantasy”, Final Fantasy Potion is… Read More »

Known as Final Fantasy USA in Japan, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was one of two games to not fit in the main Final Fantasy series. And, because it is not in the main series, the composer is most definitely not Nobuo Uematsu. Ryuji Sasai first become known for composing the music for SaGa 3 (or,… Read More »

I got Super Mario RPG the day after I got all my wisdom teeth out. While I was sucking my food through a straw, I got a chance to play this rather offbeat child of Square and Nintendo. Everything about it made me smile, and not just because I was on happy painkillers; bright colors,… Read More »

I remember first getting this album, not quite knowing what to expect, having heard that it was quite different from the more typical RPG-fare out there at the time. And upon first listen I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, but after awhile it grew on me, A LOT. I have a hard… Read More »

After falling in love with Parasite Eve’s soundtrack I could not wait to get my hands on the sequel’s. I’m not sure if it was my high expectations for this album that left me dry, or the fact that Yoko Shimomura was not composing this time around. Whatever the case, I have to admit that… Read More »

Matsueda has been with Square since its early SNES days, debuting on Front Mission. Since, Matsueda has made a name for herself composing jazzy/techno/fusion tracks for some of Square’s less “epic” games. Racing Lagoon was called by Square themselves a “Driving RPG”…A genre-bender that no one saw coming. Basically, it’s a driving game with a… Read More »

Ito’s second solo project with Square (his first being the Seiken Densetsu OST) features some great synthesized music. This soundtrack features music and sound samples that will set the tone for the next two Romancing SaGas, so it is almost a historic soundtrack in itself. For early Super Famicom, I believe Ito sucked dry the… Read More »

The second of three Super Famicom SaGa’s to never hit American shores, this soundtrack is held in high regards by many Ito fans for its more dramatic themes, as well as the lighter pieces. It uses the two trademark Uematsu tracks from the original SaGa for Gameboy, it has a 6 minute prologue, an 8… Read More »

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 »

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 »