Archives

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 »

At first glance/listen, this F.F. MIX soundtrack was something I was about to place under the “for collectors only” category. However, after some careful consideration, I have decided that it warrants a purchase for most Final Fantasy fans: as long as the price is low enough. Final Fantasy Mix is a little “collection” disc of… Read More »

If I were to use one word to describe what I think of this soundtrack, it would be: phenomenal. Even then, that doesn’t suit how epic this soundtrack is. Taking a different approach with the release of the musical score of Grandia II, the best songs have been split between the two CDs that make… Read More »

Beyond the Beyond was one of the first RPGs to reach the American PlayStation console. I, and most RPG fans, will agree that this is likely one of the worst RPGs ever created, give or take a few other bad ones out there. So, why bother buying the OGS (Original Game Soundtrack) to such a… Read More »

This is the soundtrack to the Dreamcast game Climax Landers, known in America as Time Stalkers. From what I’m told by friends who have played through the game, there aren’t any tracks missing from this OST, making it essentially complete. I believe that this soundtrack is by all means a good one, and any fan… Read More »

This single, along with the Vocal From Ys and Surround Theater Sorcerian, was recently reprinted in the Falcom Millenium series under the name The Vocal from Ys +. However, the real REVIEW of the single is found here, so you’ve come to the right place. I assume the inspiration for this CD came from the… Read More »

There is quite a lot to say about Falcom Special Box ’89, a special little package of CDs. Before hitting the music, I feel there is a need to clarify all these prints of the Box. This set has three prints. The first print, depicted in the front cover art on this page, is an… Read More »

RPGFan’s policy on reviewing the instrumental FF singles is that we normally do not do it because they are usually obscure, unheard of, and consist of music found on the complete OST that the single is released under. Final Fantasy‘s singles as of now include Final Fantasy IV Minimum Album, Final Fantasy V 5+1, Final… Read More »

If you’ve heard Shimomura’s music, then you probably realize how good it is. This is one of Shimomura’s earlier compositions (she had worked for Capcom prior to Square, but Live A Live is her first soundtrack for the JRPG giant). Live A Live, like most other games Shimomura does the music to, wasn’t as highly… Read More »

This is DEFINITELY the most obscure CD I’ve ever owned and probably will ever own in my entire life. I bought this CD on a complete whim while searching eBay, and I was in for a surprise after receiving it. This music is tons of synth fun! For some history on Maten Densetsu (Legend of… Read More »

Being a big anime fan, I am always on the hunt for anime merchandise. And, as a good big brother, I’m always looking out for things my little sister would like. Well, my little sister is obsessed with Sailor Moon. She discovered ROMs on her own (I’m so proud of her…not that I condone such… Read More »

If you’ve ever really gotten into Sorcerian, you know that it’s an alright game for its time. And, while I feel it did not get the attention it deserved musically, the music does stand out. If you’re hardcore Falcom, you know what I mean. If not, come to a magical Sengoku-ish time-period, or perhaps a… Read More »

Readers of my Valkyrie Profile OST review surely know that I hold its music in the highest possible regard. Motoi Sakuraba’s compositions in Valkyrie Profile are nothing short of pure musical genius, and he does justice to them perfectly in the Valkyrie Profile Arrange Album. Like Sakuraba’s previous work in the Star Ocean: The Second… Read More »

I’ll say this right off: Symphony Ys is the first Falcom CD I bought. I also will say that I have never been too impressed with what I’ve heard of Falcom music…until I heard sample from this CD and a couple other orchestral ones. I love orchestral music. It’s almost all I listened to in… Read More »

After 4 straight SaGa games with Kenji Ito as the composer, Ito takes a chair and relaxes so Hamauzu can put his stuff to the test. How do things work out? Different, but also extremely well-done. This sound works extremely well with the fast-past, high-energy songs that still require relatively light instrumentation. The “techno” tracks… Read More »

Edit (added August 10, 2010): the Square Enix reprint includes separate packaging and a bonus 25th track recorded in Milan during the Piano Collections Final Fantasy XIII recording. It is a different version of track 5. …If your main attraction to SaGa Frontier 2‘s OST was the use of piano, then this soundtrack is for… Read More »

Yoko Shimomura is, in my mind and in the mind of many others, one of Squaresoft’s “three composing giants” (the other two being Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda…And some consider Sakimoto one, but he hasn’t done enough work with Square yet). Anyway, this being Shimomura’s latest work, it is simply amazing. The synth quality, the… Read More »

Anyone who knows anything about Sakimoto knows that he’s good at what he does. Knowing this, everyone expected the Vagrant Story soundtrack to be good well ahead of time. Were expectations met? Yes, yes, and…yes! Sakimoto’s style retains itself from Final Fantasy Tactics, except that since he had to write music for “dungeons” (which didn’t… Read More »