Perfect Collection Ys

 

Review by · February 3, 2001

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 CDs are done solely by Ryo Yonemitsu, this is not the case in Perfect Collection Ys. The arrangement for these tracks is listed as “Sound Team JDK”…Whether or not Yonemitsu was involved, I’m not sure. Either way, it sounds just right. Classical guitar, electric guitar, nice steady drum beats, piano and flute every now and then, and high-quality synth make these arranged tracks something worthwhile. One of the best tracks to show this is Palace of Destruction (though the one on disc 2 is quite impressive as well…I’ll get to that then). Every track comes alive from its original, low-synth “Music from Ys” counterpart.

Then comes disc 2, a hodge-podge of styles and even some tracks from Ys II (tracks 1, 3, and 6 actually…and I still wonder why they put them here if they made an Ys II Perfect Collection with plenty of room on the disc for it). Speaking of room on discs, I was quite surprised to find that each disc is about 40 minutes in length…It almost would fit entirely on one disc! That was definitely a letdown for me personally. Quality vs. quantity is one thing, but this is pretty short…right, back to disc 2. The first track on disc 2 is from Ys II, it’s a male vocal of “Alone Battle”. The background music here is cool, but I personally cannot stand Japanese male vocals, ESPECIALLY cheesy ones. I rate this track as the single-worst track on Ys Perfect Collection…Possibly on any Ys CD (though I have yet to hear all of Provincialism Ys). Next are two “Super Arrange Version” tracks. Super Arrange Versions are always awesome, and I recommend them to anyone. These tracks are no exception.

Tracks 4-6 are Fujisawa’s standard “New Age” tracks. Friendly, relaxing, enjoyable, these tracks are great to listen to when sittin’ down on a couch and relaxing. However, don’t listen too long. Next is a highly emotional piece, one of my favorite Falcom Vocals of all time, “Endless History”. I think this is the…either 3rd or 4th time this track is sampled on RPGFan, but there’s a one-minute segment that hasn’t been sampled yet so here it is! So, sitting down on the couch listening to new age, then you get a little pumped up from Endless History. Well here comes the rockin’ grand finale!

JDK Band is some of the coolest J-Rock I know of. Most videogame music never gets this type of arrangement…But Falcom knew from the start that this would be good. Palace of Destruction starts with few instruments, then builds up into a very loud and fast song. The last track is also very loud and standard JDK Band, but I still prefer Palace of Destruction to it.

This soundtrack is somewhat hard to find; but due to its popularity within VGM circles, asking around message boards and keeping an eye out on eBay usually allows for a person to find it within a few months. Be sure to keep an eye out for the limited picture-disc edition!

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Patrick Gann

Patrick Gann

Therapist by day and gamer by night, Patrick has been offering semi-coherent ramblings about game music to RPGFan since its beginnings. From symphonic arrangements to rock bands to old-school synth OSTs, Patrick keeps the VGM pumping in his home, to the amusement and/or annoyance of his large family of humans and guinea pigs.