Opinion Fest 2008: Best Soundtrack

Though the majority of the focus on games is on graphics (especially now in the HD era), any hardcore RPGamer knows that a good RPG is nothing without a good soundtrack to back it up. Legendary soundtracks like Uematsu’s Final Fantasy VI or Mitsuda’s Chrono Cross remain brilliant masterpieces even after a decade.

The winners of this award have crafted not only soundtracks that added to the game’s experience in positive ways, but also have delivered musical works that speak volumes on their own.

Honorable Mention: Persona 4 – Shouji Meguro – PlayStation 2

Persona 4 is not Meguro’s best work, but it does represent a memorable set of tracks that not only managed to recapture the nostalgia of his earlier works, but also managed to retain the modern feeling the P3’s soundtrack had, without the heavy emphasis on Japanese R&B.

3rd: Infinite Undiscovery – Motoi Sakuraba – Xbox 360

Sakuraba’s work in IU is some of his highest quality to date, and nearly every piece that makes up the soundtrack is grand and atmospheric. Occassionally epic and consistently catchy, the only faults of this soundtrack for me were the desert themes, which became irritating incredibly quickly. Otherwise, IU is a stunning achievement of musical excellence.

2nd: Tales of Vesperia – Motoi Sakuraba – Xbox 360

I don’t know why, but Tales of soundtracks are usually Sakuraba’s weakest offerings. And while ToV’s soundtrack never consistently hits the grandiosity that IU’s achieves, Sakuraba manages what I felt was an incredibly complete, very complimentary soundtrack. Indeed, nearly every track is well composed and adds to the atmosphere of the game, while some pieces are hands-down gorgeous (my favorite being On the Far Side of Mirage). Altogether, Sakuraba’s work on ToV is easily his best in the series, and an overall wonderful collection of music.

1st: Lost Odyssey – Nobuo Uematsu – Xbox 360

I admit that Uematsu has been hit and miss with me for the last few years. Blue Dragon’s soundtrack, for example, was occasionally incredible and occasionally awful. I honestly thought that we would never again hear a complete OST as complete as Final Fantasy VI’s.
Then I played Lost Odyssey and was absolutely floored. Not only does Uematsu’s work with Lost Odyssey exude quality at every turn, he manages to recapture an overall sound that I thought had been lost forever.

Always complimentary to the game’s settings and events, Lost Odyssey is not only a joy to listen to, but often emotionally stirring.

There is no doubt in my mind that Lost Odyssey’s soundtrack blows everything else this year out of the water. I only hope we don’t have to wait another decade to hear another masterpiece like this.

As a side, let me say that it is a crying shame that Nintendo and Monolith’s Soma Bringer didn’t ever see North American shores, as Mitsuda’s soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission. Despite being a DS title (with all the sub-par sound capabilities that go with it), the soundtrack is absolutely wonderful, and easily would have made the top three.