Compiling a list of promising RPG music releases for the year as a staff and covering those works is all well and good, but it is simply not enough for some of us. Some of us, myself included, felt the need to get personal and make our own lists, for a variety of reasons. It allows us the freedom to spotlight music that otherwise might be overlooked, and describe it in a way that's more individualized. Sometimes those types of reactions can tell you the most about music, really. You can see a great range of motivations going through our personal lists — from reviewers who are just discovering beautiful OSTs from the SNES area to seasoned reviewers seeing some album release dreams come true — and I can't think of a better way to sift through this year's music than going along for that journey. And in this case, you know the music is going to be good along the way. There's something here for everyone!

Intro by Hilary Andreff