OST Ratings

[Sierra]

Valkyria Chronicles

Overall Impression of OST:  More or less stock Sakimoto really.  Nothing super memorable in it: had to pull up an OST to find much really, but I guess I didn't find anything objectionable either.
Final Rating: 5/10

Because that was basically exactly my response and I have no memory for individual tracks in this case.

[SnowFire]

Best Song Standalone: Main Theme.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Defensive Fight, aka enemy-turn movement.  That piece put me on edge nicely, great tension track.  Honorable mention: the first 30 seconds of Valkyria's Awakening (= Selvaria battle).  Shame the track doesn't do anything interesting after that, but it's a good holy-shit-evil-choir start at least.

Blahest song: Most of the non-battle tracks. 

Overall Impression of OST: This is a technically competent Sakimoto soundtrack that never is jarring or bad, and is pretty enough at times.  Yet it's also not one I particularly want to listen to a lot, as it doesn't have many standout tracks of high quality.  It remixes the Main Theme a hell of a lot, which is something that can be done well, but in soundtrack form, it's all too same-y here.  Additionally, Sakimoto is crazily ripping off a lot of his work on FF12 in parts of the soundtrack.  Except he showed a lot more breadth in FF12 and it has a number of pretty neat tracks, while VC just gets "uh a lot of pretty remixes of the Main Theme I guess."  So yeah, if I feel like Sakimoto, I'll just listen to FF12 over this.

Final Rating: 5/10

[Cmdr_King]

Xenogears: 9 raters, 6.8 average rating.

Grandia II

Best Song Standalone:
Worst Song Standalone:

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game):
Worst Song In Context:

Overall Impression of OST:
Final Rating:

[Talaysen]

Valkyria Chronicles

Best Song Standalone: Beautiful Gallia

Final Rating: 5/10

Grandia II

Best Song Standalone: Fight!! Ver 4 ~ Last Battle

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Ryudo Awakens ~ Prayer of the People

Final Rating: 7/10

[Dark Holy Elf]

Grandia II

Best Song Standalone: Fight v4.
Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Fight v4. Now that's an epic final battle music.

Honourable mention for having quite a good normal battle theme, those are worth a lot in my eyes.

Overall Impression of OST: Pretty good battle tracks though it's mostly the above two which stand out for me. Environment and scene themes... nope, all a blur now. I remember kinda liking some of the latter but not really the former.
Final Rating: 4/10. See Trails. Nothing really wrong with this OST, but not enough right either.

[Sierra]

Grandia II

Best Song Standalone: Fight v4.
Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Purification of Darkness ~ Battle with the Parts. Because Melfice was the best fight in the game.

Overall Impression of OST: Iwadare's style typically comes across as just a lot of synthetic mush to me, of which Grandia II is a sterling example. Outside of the aforementioned battle themes, I don't really like anything here (but they are excellent battle themes, at least).
Final Rating: 3/10

[Dunefar]

Grandia II

Best Song Standalone: Fight, ver 2. About the only song that I listened to after finishing the game.
Worst Song Standalone: No real vote.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Nada.
Worst Song In Context: Nada.

Overall Impression of OST: Eminently forgettable. For all its other flaws, Grandia 1 had a more memorable OST. Grandia 2's is just there.
Final Rating: 2/10

[Cmdr_King]

Best Song Standalone: Fight!! Version 4
Worst Song Standalone: Fight!! Version 2.  It's just kinda jumbled and blah for a big chunk, although the back half is neat.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game):  Despair and Hope.  Also really enjoy Granas Sanctuary, something about it really sells the idea that even Ryudo has to just shut up a minute and show a bit of respect.
Worst Song In Context:  The ones hidden within the darkness.  Bland dungeon theme used for way too many dungeons.

Overall Impression of OST:  Another case where I'm really familiar with the game itself, so even so-so tracks can make a good impression because I remember where they're used in the game.  I really like both vocals as well.
Final Rating: 6/10 I think.  Fittingly the score I gave Trails, seeing as Trails is sorta to Grandia/Lunar as Zeboyd is to Phantasy Star IV.

[SnowFire]

Tallychu is right as usual.

Best Song Standalone: Awakening Ryudo - Prayers of the People.  A Deus was pretty good, too.
Worst Song Standalone: The Ones Hidden Within The Darkness 1 / 2 / 3.  Sort of okay in context, no point outside of it.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Fight!! ver. 1 & ver. 4.  What everyone else said, both the regular battle & final battle themes are great.
Worst Song In Context: TOHWTD123 again.  Okay they fit a dungeon but they're also overplayed to hell.

Overall Impression of OST: This is a damn fine OST.  Crappy dungeon music by & large, but the town music was fun and appropriate, most of the event music was on the mark, and the vocal work was quite nice.
Final Rating: 7/10

[superaielman]

Valkyria Chronicles

Best Song In Context: Desparate Battle. I really liked the battle theme.
Overall Impression of OST:  I enjoyed the hell out of it in game, but almost nothing of it sticks with me.

Final Rating: 6.5/10


Grandia 2

Best Song Standalone: Melfice's battle theme I always really dug. Zera's battle theme is good too.
Overall impression of OST: Grandia OSTs range from meh to blah, and this one is no different. Not a ton worth caring about other than a few of the battle themes.

4/10

[Cmdr_King]

Valkyria Chronicles: 5 raters, 5.3 average rating.

Final Fantasy XIII

Best Song Standalone:
Worst Song Standalone:

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game):
Worst Song In Context:

Overall Impression of OST:
Final Rating:

[superaielman]

Final Fantasy XIII

Best Song Standalone: Saber's Edge
Worst Song Standalone:  Blinded by Light. I have absolutely no desire to listen to it out of game.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Saber's Edge
Worst Song In Context: Blanking.

Overall Impression of OST: Like DQ8, it's very pretty but only a few tracks really stick with me.  Saber's Edge, Sunlit Waterscape. The ones I remember I really love! The one exception is blinded by light, which I'm not much of a fan of. That's really bad, considering it's the battle theme.

Final Rating: 6/10.

[Cmdr_King]

Final Fantasy XIII

Best Song Standalone: Blinded by Light.  It loses a little after playing the game because it's used so often but... yeah.  There's a reason it was teh first revealed song, and it's a big part of why I was originally excited for the game.
Worst Song Standalone:  Desperate struggle.  Short loop, just kinda meanders.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Fighting Fate.  It works.
Worst Song In Context: Sunleth Waterscape.  I kinda dig it but it makes no sense as a dungeon theme, even allowing for what's going on in the surrounding plot.

Overall Impression of OST:  'salright.  It's got a lot of character but the weaknesses of FFXIII itself mean it rarely gets a chance to shine.
Final Rating: 6/10.

[Talaysen]

Final Fantasy XIII

Best Song Standalone: Blinded by Light

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Saber's Edge

Final Rating: 8/10

[Dark Holy Elf]

Final Fantasy XIII

Best Song Standalone: Blinded by Light, sure. Honourable mentions to Saber's Edge, Sunleth Waterscape, Fighting Fate... a few others.
Worst Song Standalone: The C13 battle theme, I don't remember its name. Not really all that great in-game either, though at least tolerable there.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Saber's Edge probably. I like how it gets considerably more grand and majestic a bit over two minutes in... which means you won't hear it for the wussier bosses but etches the melody into my memory for the dramatic C7 scenes (and Aster Protoflorian). I'll also mention Eden Under Siege for getting me really pumped to tangle with the various threats in C12, and Archylite Steppe for bringing that area to life so well.

Final Rating: 8.5/10. It's not really a game where I care about the filler too much (though a quick speed-listen of some of them shows they're decently composed on average at least), but the better tracks just lend a certain majesty to the events where they play.

[jsh357]

Final Fantasy XIII

Best Song Standalone: Will To Fight - Love, love, love the buried vocals section in this.  Brilliant electronica track.
Worst Song Standalone: The chocobo song.  Ugh.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): The Archelyte Steppe.  Man, the first time stepping out in that area, it was just heavenly to hear. 
Worst Song In Context: The vocal versions of the title screen theme.  It just sounds weird to me when it's playing in cutscenes and stuff.  Sorry, can't think of the track names at the time.

Overall Impression of OST: It's good music, I'm not gonna deny that, but like the atmosphere of the game, it just doesn't feel like Final Fantasy anymore and I miss it having grown up with the games. 

Final Rating: 6.5/10

[Cmdr_King]

Grandia II- 7 raters, 4.7 average rating.

Valkyrie Profile

Best Song Standalone:
Worst Song Standalone:

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game):
Worst Song In Context:

Overall Impression of OST:
Final Rating:

[Sierra]

Valkyrie Profile

Best Song Standalone: The First Unison.
Worst Song Standalone: Unstable Equilibrium. Arianrhod Labyrinth? Listening to it out of context is like playing it in context. Snooooze.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Behave Irrationally. Soon-to-be-einherjar: "Oh god, I'm dead. What was that all about, anyway? Life, I mean. I don't know what to--" Lenneth: "Shut the fuck up and get in the van."
Worst Song In Context: A Tense Atmosphere. Just boring, and from recollection mostly tied to inter-chapter Asgard einherjar scenes, so double boring.

Overall Impression of OST: While there are some songs here I could unequivocally call good as songs, a fair amount of VP1 music is squarely in guilty pleasure territory. Badsynth + jazz drumming and awkward time signatures, the Sakuraba experience. However, it absolutely fits the game, which is often very flashy-sparkly, propulsive when it needs to be (which is usually) and emotive when the game calls for it (which is arguably not often enough). I own a physical copy of this OST, so obviously I'm not inclined to object to the cheese (nor am I likely entitled to do since this OST is neighbors with the likes of Queen and Rush in my collection). And anyway it's hard for me to fault any soundtrack that contains track titles like Eternal Engine of Linguistic Massacre.
Final Rating: 8/10.

[DjinnAndTonic]

Fell really far behind, quick catch-up ratings:

Wild ARMs XF: 9, consistently good background listening, and feels like an upgrade in general on the WA musical motiffs.
Wild ARMs 3: 8, I found it a little more grating than XF's tracks, but still very good.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: 7, the good stuff is Falcom good, but there's a surprising number of snoozer tracks. They aren't -bad-, but it's a letdown.
Xenogears: 9, I could prolly justify this on Small of Two Pieces love alone, but there's a number of other tracks in this I like.
Valkyria Chronicles: 5, yeah, very forgettable. I recall enjoying the battle themes, but I couldn't really remember any off the top of my head.
Grandia II: 10, I really love all Grandia music, and G2 has the best of the bunch.
*Final Fantasy XIII: 7, Blinded By Light gets it this high. The other ambient tracks are kinda snoozers to me. Needs more DO YOU THINK YOU CAN RIIIIDE THIS CHOCOBO?
*Valkyrie Profile: 9, Sakuraba at his best (for probably the only time?)

[Dark Holy Elf]

Valkyrie Profile

Best Song Standalone: The First Unison.
Worst Song Standalone: Unstable Equilibrium. Arianrhod Labyrinth? Listening to it out of context is like playing it in context. Snooooze.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Behave Irrationally. Soon-to-be-einherjar: "Oh god, I'm dead. What was that all about, anyway? Life, I mean. I don't know what to--" Lenneth: "Shut the fuck up and get in the van."
Worst Song In Context: A Tense Atmosphere. Just boring, and from recollection mostly tied to inter-chapter Asgard einherjar scenes, so double boring.

I second all of these picks. I also generally like most of the boss themes (as usual, hard to screw up boss themes for me) though Bloodbane/Fenrir/Genevieve's definitely less than the rest, and a number of other dungeon themes (Distortions in the Void of Despair, Eternal Hydrogen Anxieties, To the Last Drop of my Blood, Hard Chain Reaction), and Through a Thin Haze (plays in a bunch of cutscenes, perfectly fits the somber mood the game often aims for).

Overall Impression of OST: I'm not as anti-Sakuraba as some I guess, he generally makes for memorable tunes which is something I appreciate. Anyway I think this game having unique, memorable tracks for almost every dungeon was great, and there's some great stuff in cutscenes too. And the regular battle theme + victory theme + Turn Over a New Leaf (i.e. the tracks which play a lot) are all solid, which helps. There's no real A++ composition here but overall a soundtrack I am quite happy with and I do think it's a big part of the reason I like Valkyrie Profile; I think a lot of its writing could have fallen flat with weak music.
Final Rating: 9/10.

If I scored on out-of-game value rather than in-game it would probably be a bit lower, but in-game is what matters to me.

[SnowFire]

Final Fantasy 13

Best Song Standalone: Blinded by Light.  Honorable mention: The Sunleth Waterscape, The Archylte Steppe, The Promise (opening).
Worst Song Standalone: PSICOM.  Short generic tension track.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Blinded by Light.  Honorable mention: Dust to Dust (Oerba music), Saber's Edge (boss).
Worst Song In Context: Nothing comes to mind, so I'll just hate on Taejin's Tower unfairly.  (Fitting track for a rando-puzzle dungeon, just wow is this excuse for a rando puzzle dungeon bad in-game.)

Overall Impression of OST: Probably Hamauzu's best work.  Writing one of the greatest Final Fantasy battle themes ever helps FF13's case, but really, all the variants of the main theme of FF13 - which is a solid third of the soundtrack or so - all end up masterfully done and distinctive in their own way - it's very easy to tell the character or dramatic notes that are being striven for.  Heck, all of the songs mentioned above except for Saber's Edge is a variation on The Promise, yet each succeeds magnificently at what they're up to, as do random other tracks like No Way To Live / Serah's Theme / Primarch Dysley.  Hamauzu also gets credit for single-handedly bailing out the Oerba scene.  The scriptwriter apparently forgot that it's sad that Our Heroines are returning to find everyone they knew gone and their home a ruin, but at least the musical score remembered.

Final Rating: 8.5/10

[SnowFire]

Valkyrie Profile

Best Song Standalone: The First Unison.
Worst Song Standalone: Climax of the Tower, or Shiver.  Just not good.  Honorable mention: Heads Magic, Tails Curse, which feels like it loops after 20 seconds.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): The First Unison...  but I'll also give credit to the various short recurring themes which were weirdly good that Elf already noted, i.e. recruitment / battle victory / etc.  So Turn Over a New Leaf, Battle with God Syndrome, The Key to Singing the Praises of Victory, and even The Counterfeit Self & Blameless Thoughts are all pretty good.  (Why don't more games have awesome battle victory themes.)
Worst Song In Context: Nothing stands out, although see worst song standalones for songs that aren't good anyway.

Overall Impression of OST: I'm not on the Sakuraba hate train like some, but I don't consider this one of his better works...  although Elf does have a point, it's certainly very solid in-game, and I do like how for the most part each dungeon gets its own identity.  The Name of His People is Fear, Eternal Hydrogen Anxieties, & Distortions in the Void of Despair are all solid.  Unfortunately, I don't really find this an interesting soundtrack to listen to outside of game, and some of the dungeon themes are just kinda meh.
Final Rating: 6/10

[Cmdr_King]

Final Fantasy XIII: 7 raters, 7.2 average rating.

Fire Emblem: Awakening

Best Song Standalone:
Worst Song Standalone:

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game):
Worst Song In Context:

Overall Impression of OST:
Final Rating:

[Talaysen]

Valkyrie Profile

Final Rating: 7/10

[Cmdr_King]

Valkyrie Profile

Best Song Standalone: Take a flight I suppose?  Seems right.
Worst Song Standalone: There's one dungeon theme I really don't like.  The one for Tombs of Amawhatever I think?

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game):  Behave Irrationally.
Worst Song In Context: Nothing comes to mind.

Overall Impression of OST: Sakuraba's best work pretty easily.  Like VP itself, pretty much every track had some real love put into it, which especially stands out looking at it in 2013, after a good five or so years of autopilot Sakuraba to compare it to.
Final Rating: 8/10.

Fire Emblem: Awakening

Best Song Standalone:  Id -Purpose-
Worst Song Standalone:  Nothing's really actively bad.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game):  Id -Purpose-
Worst Song In Context: Monstrosity, in that I don't even remember this playing.

Overall Impression of OST:  Aside from the one standout, just an average little OST, typical of Fire Emblem aside from the 3DS itself being way better for sound than any other Nintendo handheld.
Final Rating: 6/10