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| Patrick Gann |
Making room for the new 2010 models! Today's update includes Grandia Online, Genso Suikoden Arrange, Pia-com, Memories Off, and much much more!
01.28.10 - 9:02 PM
The idea was to sound like a car dealership commercial. I hope the effect of the humor was not lost upon you.
So here's what happened. I had this stockpile of great soundtrack reviews (some old, some new) that I was going to spread out over time. Rainy days reviews and all that.
But when I keep rainy day reviews on hand, I get less work done. Everyone gets less work done.
Combine that with the ridiculously huge January 2010 soundtracks pile (Final Fantasy XIII OST, Ar tonelico III OST and hymmnos albums, Kingdom Hearts Piano Collection Field&Battle, etc) -- you get the idea. We had to make room!
So today's update is a pretty big pile of stuff we want you to read. And not just read it, enjoy it! There are audio samples to check out as well!
Let's do this in alphabetical order. First up, "Selections from Final Fantasy XII OST." It's a compilation disc from now-defunct Tofu Records, released in America only. The review comes from reader Jonathan Cook. Cheers to Jonathan for hunting down this semi-rare FF album and adding it to our pile of FF soundtrack reviews! I wonder how many others of this type are lurking out there...
Next: Damian Thomas, our resident Genso Suikoden nut, reviews a new arranged soundtrack that only came out at the end of 2009. It's the Genso Suikoden Arrange Collection Vol.1 ~Vocal & Piano~. Twelve all-new arrangements for each of the five games in the series, plus Tierkreis. Expect a review for Vol.2 (Celtic and Asian) soon after its March 2010 release.
Okay, here comes a big one. New music from Noriyuki Iwadare! This is the Grandia Online Perfect Sound Library, an official two disc release from TWO FIVE Records. It was released on Christmas day, 2009. I reviewed this one. Enjoy it.
No ridiculously-large soundtracks update is complete without a pile of graphic adventure soundtracks. Hence, we have four soundtracks from the Memories Off series. Neal Chandran covers two OSTs (a standard OST and a bonus soundtrack) for the latest title, Memories Off 6. I hit up the bonus "encore" soundtrack for Memories Off #5, as well as the full soundtrack for the "made-for-girls" game Your Memories Off ~Girl's Style~. Takeshi Abo, you officially own our souls. Do as you wish with them.
NEXT! Reader and well-known VGM fan and community member on the 'net "avatar!" offers reviews for two of the rarest soundtrack releases known to man. We're talking about the two volume "Origin Soundtrack Series" set. Volume 1 is so rare, it's said that it was only published as a holiday gift to members of the company's staff. You'll pay hundreds of dollars to get your hands on it. Volume two is less rare, but still rare enough. On these two albums, you'll find the only officially-published soundtracks for a number of early titles in the Ultima series, among other games. Very cool! Thanks, avatar!
Last, but certainly not least, is "Pia-com I" -- a new project from pianist Keita Egusa, published by Nobuo Uematsu's Dog Ear Records label. I really hope this soundtrack series continues for a long time, because it's a great idea. These are advanced-level piano arrangements for very, very old games. NES games, MSX games, arcade games from the 1980s. Yeah, it's great. Among the music found on this disc, you'll hear arrangements from Final Fantasy II and Mother. You can't beat that.
Okay, that's today's massive update in a nutshell. Click the link below to check it all out. In a few days, stop by again for some Ar tonelico III goodness, to be followed up by a comprehensive wall o' text dedicated to the Final Fantasy XIII soundtrack.
