Whatever hapenned to the "Best Game OST of the year" thread?

I remember about two three years ago, we used to have this thread as the year was about to come to an end. Everybody pitched in their opinions and shared their reviews. The good thing about it was they were all positive thoughts and we didn't see people bashing at each other or at game music composers' hard works. It was not the place where we "nominated" our favorite albums. Most of us called out at least three OSTs and the list kept getting longer. It was a big signature of our General Game Music Discussion box, not blended in to the big general nomination thread of Gamingforce. I like this thread very much because obviously I don't (and cannot) play and listen to all of the games that were out every year. The thread reinforces and updates my knowledge and I usually found many of my favorite game OSTs by reading the thread. I'm sure I'm not the only one. I wonder where have it gone these years!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I'm quite sure I remember someone making a thread for this last year, but yeah, it is usually created around this time. I guess we can go ahead and use this one.

I've seen a few people say that this year has been a down year as far as quality VGM releases are concerned, but I disagree completely. They couldn't be more wrong from where I sit. There was a lot of great stuff to go around. I'm gonna do it a bit differently and separate my favorites by the month they were released this time:

January

> Battle Gear 4 + Battle Gear 4 Tuned Original Soundtrack <
THE first great album released this year. I've always loved the Battle Gear albums and this one has quickly become my favorite of them all. 11 months later, I'm still rockin' out to this one.

> Wild Arms the Vth Vanguard Original Score Vol. 1 <
No Michiko? No problem! Noriyasu Agematsu and Masato Koda a fine job at picking up the slack and scoring this game. Wild Arms XF turned out pretty good as well.

> Ryu ga Gotoku & Ryu ga Gotoku 2 Original Sound Track <
These games are known as "Yakuza" in North America, but regardless of what continent you live on, you can't help but enjoy this album. Featuring a cast of 7 composers, including Hidenori Shoji and Norihiko Hibino, this album completey knocked my socks off.

February

> Wild Arms the Vth Vanguard Original Score Vol. 2 <
Personally, I thought the first volume had more quality tracks but this one isn't too shabby either.

March

> Sekaiju no MeiQ Original Soundtrack <
I'm gonna keep this short and sweet: this is old school Yuzo Koshiro, what more do you need to know?

> Akumajo Dracula Gallery of Labyrinth Original Soundtrack <
How can anyone call it a down year when you get an album with old school Yuzo Koshiro one day... then, 2 days later, you get this album in which he works alongside Michiru Yamane? I just can't see it.

> ARMODYNE <
In the few years since Mitsuda went freelance, he's put out some great stuff, and I feel that ARMODYNE is best of that bunch so far. It heightens my want for that Chrono Cross arrange album even more.

> Seiken Densetsu Heroes of Mana Original Soundtrack <
Yoko Shimomura returns for her second foray into the Seiken Densetsu series. This one didn't blow my mind like Legend of Mana but it has some very inspiring stuff, nonetheless. If we can't get Kikuta back on this series, I'd be quite alright with some more Shimomura

May

> Elvandia Story Original Soundtrack <
When I saw Norihiko Hibino's name stamped to this soundtrack, it automatically peaked my interests. I ended up enjoying more than I thought I would. The music has sort of a Pirates of the Caribbean feel to it, whch isn't bad. Couple that with 2 great compositions from Noriyuki Iwadare and you have yourself a very nice album.

> Mana-Khemia Original Soundtrack <
Team Gust hits us yet again with another superb release. I thought I was going to enjoy Ar Tonelico II's soundtrack more than this, but I was wrong. Now that the smoke has cleared, I think Mana-Khemia's soundtrack ended up being the stronger of the two overall.

June

> Yuzo Koshiro Best Collection Vol. 1 <
Getting a copy of the Actraiser OST (without having to shell out big bucks) and finally get the music for The Story of Thor on CD is enough for me to add this one to the list.

July

> Super Hang-On 20th Anniversary Collection <
These Sound Shock series albums Wave Master has been publishing have all been great. The arranges on this album are killer.

> Minna no Golf ~World BGM Tours~ <
The Minna no Golf series has always had some great music, so it was a pleasant surprised to finally see it getting some recognition and receive the OST treatment. Just listening to this one makes me want to get up and shoot a round right now.

> Trusty Bell ~Chopin's Dream~ Original Score <
I hadn't bought a soundtrack by Sakuraba in quite awhile, so I thought I'd go ahead and pick this one up. After one playthrough, I'm glad I did.

August

> Yuzo Koshiro Best Collection Vol. 2 <
Never having owned the OST for Bare Knuckle 2, I can't praise Five Records enough for putting out this compilation. Bare Knuckle 1-3 + Revenge of Shinobi = ME VERY HAPPY!

> Minna no Golf 5 Original Soundtrack <
More fun from the fairway. I'm eagerly awaiting the Minna no Golf Portable 1 and 2 collection coming out next month.

September

> Bladestorm The Hundred Years' War Original Soundtrack <
Jamie Christopherson's work on the Shin Onimusha soundtrack was enough to convince me to buy this score and it did not disappoint.

> Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 Original Soundtrack <
For those that enjoyed the soundtrack for Maximum Tune 2, you're gonna have a field day with this one. Yuzo Koshiro kicks it up a notch with this sequel.

October

> Ar tonelico II ~Sekai ni Hibiku Shoujotachi no Metafalica~ Original Soundtrack <
The main thing I'm looking for when the soundtrack for a game's sequel comes out is consistency. This album is in no way better than it's predecessor but is consistent throughout.

> Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Original Soundtrack <
After not being very impressed with Takeharu Ishimoto's work on It's a Wonderful World, I didn't have very high hopes for this one. This guy really flipped the script on me for this because I love it. Sweet new tracks and pretty nice renditions of old ones warrant this as a good purchase for me. not really looking forward to the cell phone/anime soundtrack for Before Crisis/Last Order, but this guy will definitely be on my radar in the future.

November

> Ace Combat 6 Original Soundtrack <
This soundtrack took a step back after the exceptional score for The Belkan War, but like Ar Tonelico II's soundtrack, it stayed consistent and on par (no Minna no Golf pun intended :P).

> Final Fantasy Tactics A2 The Sealed Grimoire Original Soundtrack <
After being disappointed with the OSTs for A.S.H. and Odin Sphere, I almost left this one for dead. However, Sakimoto bounced back nicely here. I sure hope it's a sign of things to come.

December

> Shin Sangokumusou 5 Original Sound Track <
Yasumasa Sato did a damn good impersonation of MASA on the Shin Sangokumusou BB soundtrack but there's nothing like the original. MASA returns and does yet another masterful job. Welcome back, man, welcome back!



HONORABLE MENTIONS

Out Run 20th Anniversary Box
Riviera The Promised Land Perfect Audio Collection Plus
Senko no Ronde -Carpe Diem- Soundtracks Vol.2
Ys Origin Original Sound Track
Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete Box
Ridge Racer 7 Direct Audio
Burn My Dread - Persona 3 Reincarnation
Persona 3 Fes Original Soundtrack
FolksSoul Original Soundtrack
Wild Arms XF Original Soundtrack
Rockman ZX Advent Soundtrack -ZXA TUNES-
Sekaiju no MeiQ Super Arrange Version
AFTER BURNER 20th Anniversary Box
Guilty Gear 2 Overture Original Soundtrack Vol. 1
Sengoku Basara 2 Heroes Original Soundtrack

So yeah, there have been a lot of great albums released this year, and next year is looking pretty bright with stuff like No More Heroes, Lumines II, Minna no Golf Portable 1 and 2 and the second volume of Guilty Gear 2 Overture... and that's all in the first month. It's a great time to be fan of game music.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by bishop743

I've seen a few people say that this year has been a down year as far as quality VGM releases are concerned,

Yup. Terrible year. I think there's quite a few good releases in the bunch, but very little that gets me excited to any degree and I wouldn't venture into "great" territory at any point. And then there's junk like Crisis Core, Seiken 4, Sonic and the Seven Rings, Orochi Musou and Wonderful World (hmm, two Ishimoto soundtracks...fancy that...WITH a third coming!) that just make me feel dirty as a VGM fan (and the long-awaited Rockman Rock Arrange was just an outright insult, further padded by SYMPHONIC Guilty Gear music...crap rock + tolerable orchestra I wouldn't normally pay any attention to without the words "Guilty Gear" slapped on it still equals out in the negative range). The ultimate irony is I paid almost no attention to US VGM composers this year and Contra 4's music is hands down the best soundtrack I heard this year. And it's definitely been a good year for retro VGM...Wonder Boy, Super Hang-On (w/ awesome arranges), After Burner/Outrun (overkill, but still awesome releases) Yuzo (the collections AND Sekaijuu, which is retro in sort of a modern and awesome way) and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. So props to Battle Gear 4, the new bunch of Atelier team soundtracks (even if they add very little to the established formula and I'm getting slightly burnt out on these guys), and a number of tracks from Ys Origin/YO Super Arrange, Shin San 5 (boo...no Yasumasa Sato) and Wild Arms 5.

The doujins this year, on the other hand, have been amazing. Really, what more can you ask for than Megalomania, Rock Buster, tons of Chrono Trigger, Highspeed Romancing Saga and Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man (hint: buy a copy here MySpace.com - Powerglove ( NEW ALBUM / SHIRTS OUT NOW! ) - ARLINGTON, Massachusetts - Metal / Other / Experimental - www.myspace.com/vgmetal )

So yeah...Mark me down for an overall lackluster year that has me fairly pessimistic for the next year.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.