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This CD is a collection of music from two different soundtracks. The first five tracks are from the now impossible-to-find Uncharted Waters soundtrack. The soundtrack had other songs not present, all in arranged form (this CD is entirely arranged music, no OST stuff here). The second part is the twelve tracks of the original Uncharted… Read More »

Junya Nakano is one of the most underrated composers out there. Until Final Fantasy X, he was a relative unknown in the game music industry. Amid loads of great talent at Square, his music was often lost in the mix. Yet during that time he composed a vastly different RPG score in Dewprism (sometimes presented… Read More »

Note: “Kefka’s Domain” is the domestic release of the Final Fantasy VI OST. 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. Some argue that the first RPG to really pull… Read More »

In Nobuo Uematsu‘s online diary at PlayOnline, he revealed that Final Fantasy IX‘s soundtrack would hold a total of about 160 tracks. However, later that month, information was released that the four-disc Final Fantasy IX OST would only contain approximately 110 tracks. What would happen to the rest of these tracks was anyone’s guess, though… Read More »

It seems that DigiCube has made a tradition in all Final Fantasy Piano Collections printed by them. Unlike the radical packaging of Final Fantasy IV–VI Piano Collections, VIII and IX have almost identical packaging. It comes in a regular CD case (the first print has a paper sleeve to put over the case), and the… Read More »

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 Vent, its arrangement album, as well; but it’s not exactly what I expected. Now, this isn’t to say that is a bad CD. Quite the opposite… 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 »