shadow of colossus is very good.
Kingdom hearts 2 also.
Drag-on dragoon 2 was great with is orchestral music.

Somewhat biased opinions here because I wasn't exactly up-to-date with most new releases for 2005.

For me, it was Musashiden II: Blademaster Original Sound Track hands down. I find myself listening to "Jungle Journey" or "Holy War" every now and then. I guess what really appealed to me was the cohesiveness of the soundtrack, as well as the maturity of Nakano's and Hamauzu's work in Musashiden II. Hamauzu certainly surprised me with "A New Hope." I had initially believed it to be a Nakano composition, though in hindsight it's a little bit too melodic. :P

The other standout soundtrack for me in 2005 was the grand orchestral epic, Wander and the Colossus ~Roar of the Earth~ Original Soundtrack. It's a great in-game and as a stand alone soundtrack, though I must admit the soundtrack is best appreciated with game context because of how well the game's scenes go with the music to evoke a strong sense of attachment to the game's characters. And nothing beats a rousing tune when you successfully clamber atop a gargantuan colossus and attempt to deal a few finishing blows.

Special mentions for near death experience, Shadow Hearts Arrangetracks and Shadow Hearts: From the New World Original Soundtrack. Truly a breath of fresh air in 2005 with Hirota's signature edgy and creative stylings. Got to love those battle themes, too. Kudos to the We Love Katamari soundtrack, too. It's not quite as good as the original but manages to be one of the more outstanding soundtracks last year.

I haven't had a chance to listen to much of Drag-on-Dragoon 2 and Phantasy Star Online Episode 4 but what tracks I did listen to were very good and unique.

Absolutely:
Wander and the Colossus
Musashiden II (Samurai Legend Musashi)
Sonic Rush
Xenosaga II Gamerip

The Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song OST had a few winners but overall was very lackluster, like the game itself. They could have done better. I'm going to give Oath of Felghana another lookover. I'm waiting to check out Advent Children until I can actually watch the film. :)

Also, this wasn't exactly an album release of 2005, but the game rip for Xenosaga II that I found floating on an FTP was absolutely phenomenal. Shinji Hosoe is a genius. I have been listening to Second Miltia regularly for 5 months now.

PC Gaming: Star Wars: Republic Commando

(I'm talking about the stuff done by Jesse Harlin, not John Williams. The use of synth is solid and the 6(?) man choir is fantastic. Whats the best part about the score - it's used as a small plot point in the new Republic Commando novelization!)

Console Gaming: The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction

(I was actually surprised by not how good the music was to Hulk but how effective in game. I'm not a big Bill Brown fan and havent heard much of his outside of Rainbow Six but this was pretty good)

Yes, the Integral package came out in Dec-05, thus it gets my vote for the best thing this millennium has to offer thus far.

SotC was nice too. Got a lot better after playing the game.

Shadows of the colossus : Fantastic soundtrack! I love it...

World of Warcraft : Great too ! Jason Hayes is a very good composer.

Shadow of the Colossus.

Genji = I loved it , the repurcussions and the composition rocked.

Killer7 = Variation in tracks are always welcome.

Shadow Of The Collosus......by far!
It's one of those soundtracks that I immediately bought after I heard a few snippets of it when I played the game.

It's an extraordinary soundtrack, which should be owned every VGM fan (and moviescore fans too)!!

Other fave's:
--Hanjuku Hero 4 (although only about half of it is new material)
--Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (not really a VGM OST, but like Kaleb said....it's a sequel to a game and it's written by VGM composers so I guess it's relevant enough)

There must be more, but I can't come up with any.
I would've mentioned Kingdom Hearts II, but that OST was officially released in 2006!

Mega Man X 1, 2, or the later games in the series?

I'd *love* to hear a MMX 1 retread, myself :)

Well, that's a nutbuster. Thanks for crushing my hopes and dreams, dude :)

WHUDDUP, TAPPY!!!

I really liked Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Old classic tunes performed in a great way, with a heavier sound. Couldn't get better!
(and One Winged Angel FFVII:AC Edition just rocks)

Oz, Mushihimesama, Enthusia, Rommancing Saga MS, MD Katamari and Drag-on-Dragoon 2 were my favorites.

Shadow of the Colossus has an awesome soundtrack. I have never heard of Kow Otani before, but from now on, I will definitely look for his work!

I cannot share the general hype regarding Drakengard 2 soundtrack, though, it is way too powerful, chaotic and messy in my opinion.

Heh... I like Drakengard 2 because it's "too powerful", and it's nowhere near as "chaotic and messy" as the first one. :)

I'm with love with the soundtrack of Medievil Resurection.
Kameo element of power is not bad too.

I can't say what the "best" soundtrack of 2005 is, since I haven't listened to everything.

But my favourite soundtrack would have to be Shadow of the Colossus (AKA Wander and the Colossus ~Roar of the Earth~ Original Soundtrack). My only gripe with the soundtrack is that the battle themes were so good that they should've been looped twice.

FF AC
Kingdom Hearts II OST

I luv that Destati. I wish there would be KH symphonic suite someday

AAAAAAAAAAAAMEN Brotha! Possibly the best track ever arranged by the Uematsu himself (with a lil' help from his black mage buddies of course).

The 2005 was a good year by albums such as:

1. Tales of Legendia OST
2. Wander and the Colossus OST
3. Riviera ~The Promised Land~ Full Arrange Soundtrack
4. Atelier Iris ETERNAL MANA Arranged Tracks
5. Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song OST

:savepoint: Shadow of the Colossus
:savepoint: FF: Advent Children
:savepoint: Kameo: Elements of Power

These three I had most on my playlist last year. There are some other soundtracks I really like but most of them have a lot of filler shit. :singalong:

+ Perfect Dark Zero OST.
+ Namco X Capcom OST.
+ Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children OST.

Tales of Legendia ("March" is awesome)
Wild arms 4
Shadow of the colossus

On the top of my head, I'd say the Tales of Legendia Original Soundtrack, the Wander and the Colossus ~Roar of the Earth~ Original Soundtrack, and the Ar Tonelico Sekai no Owari de Shi Tsudukeru Shoujo Original Soundtrack.

Koh Otani, who I recognized from his anime works, surprised me with his first foray in VGM, composing an epic score that rivals some of his top anime soundtracks. Looking forward to more of his VGM stuff in the future.

Overall, though, a pretty good year, but certainly not the greatest. 2006, on the other hand, looks very promising.