OST Ratings

[Random Consonant]

oh hey something that I am willing to hype

NieR
Imperession of OST: it is fucking amazing
Final Rating: 10/10

[SnowFire]

Best Song Standalone: The Dark Colossus Destroys All?  Repose?  Emil / Karma?  Shadowlord?  Any of it?
Worst Song Standalone: You're funny.

In-context: No Nier.

Overall Impression of OST: Someone get Emi Evans a recording contract, now.  As a random bit of praise, a lot of video game soundtracks don't quite appreciate the importance of percussion - Yuki Kaijura & a few others do, to be sure.  But dang if Nier's perc doesn't drive some of its more high tension pieces relentlessly forward.  It's great, I'm on the edge of my seat and I'm not even playing the game.
Final Rating: 10/10

[Grefter]

a lot of video game soundtracks don't quite appreciate the importance of percussion

Someone get this man a compilation of combat tracks!  Prepare to be sick of video game percussion forever.

[SnowFire]

I didn't say "VG music uses no percussion."  I said they often use it badly or blandly.

[Niu]

Persona 4

Best Song Standalone: A tie between Heaven and The Almighty
Worst Song Standalone: Omen.

Best Song In Context: I want to say I'll Face Myself - Battle.... but in the end I have to say The Almighty. The way how they music work, it really fits the giant disco eye with town beneath our foot in a shiny sky.
Worst Song In Context: The Genesis. You don't use a track that lacks tension or impact for over half of the track as a last boss theme. It makes the fight boring.

Overall Impression of OST: I am not a big fan of pop tunes, and most of the track actually are either pretty forgettable to me or kinda just there. Yet, everything feels top-notch when it is being forgettable to me.
Final Rating: 6/10.


NieR

Best Song Standalone: Song of Ancients/Fate, the drums, those drums. It is absolutely, allow me to quote Mitsuru, BRILLIANT!! Those drums really brought out the aged taste this track is aiming for. Combine it with Emi Evans' vocal... what a heavenly bliss!!
Honorable mentions are Incomplete Stone and Temple of Flowing sand.
Worst Song Standalone: Can't think of any

Best Song In Context: Shadowlord, I still feel weird that I actually feel this track makes more sense in a bullet hell context than its intentional context.
Worst Song In Context: Can't think of any

Overall Impression of OST: It sinned by not including Kaine/Rain of Light in game
Final Rating: 10/10
Now everyone go listen to Kaine/Rain of Light
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5BQsQ1xAEc

And let me hype Emi Evans some more while I can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyf6iWC-WLA

[Cmdr_King]

Breath of Fire IV: 6 Raters, 6.8 average rating.

Chrono Cross

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:

[jsh357]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: Time's Scar.  I have played this song for people who don't even like video game music and they've asked me what it is and complimented it.  It's just a fantastic opening track in every respect that sets the tone of the game perfectly.
Worst Song Standalone: Gale.  I love pre-Xenosaga Mitsuda, but man, he just couldn't handle battle themes half the time.  Not his style, I guess.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Home Aruni / Another Aruni - You can substitute basically any alternate town track here.  One of the soundtrack's biggest strengths in context is making the two worlds feel different.
Worst Song In Context: Gale.  Man, it's not even that bad a song.  It just gets repetitive fast.

Overall Impression of OST: While I rag on Gale a lot, the truth is I love this soundtrack.  It's my second favorite of all (after Nier).  Mitsuda was very successful in experimenting with the celtic sound and fusing it with minimalism.  While I don't like the game at all for various reasons, I never had complaints about its music, and I listen to it regularly.
Final Rating: 10/10

[superaielman]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: People seized with life
Worst Song Standalone: GALE. GALE. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Dream of the shore of another world
Worst Song In Context: See worst standalone song.

Overall Impression of OST: Pretty enough outside of game, but terrible implimentation in game. Namely, you hear the worst track the most, that's never good.
Final Rating: 5/10.

[Talaysen]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: Radical Dreamers ~ Unstolen Jewel

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Dream of the Shore Near Another World

Final Rating: 10/10

[Luther Lansfeld]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: People seized with life
Worst Song Standalone: GALE. GALE. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Overall Impression of OST: Pretty enough outside of game, but terrible implimentation in game. Namely, you hear the worst track the most, that's never good.
Final Rating: 5/10.

[Dark Holy Elf]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: Dream of the Shore Near Another World. Out of this and Prisoners of Fate, I find this one more listenable outside the game. Both beautiful.
Worst Song Standalone: Gale. Ugh, yeah, what everyone else said.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Prisoners of Fate/People Seized with Life/etc. So yeah the scene where you meet Miguel is, objectively, just more Chrono Cross plot nonsense which should have no impact. This track sold me on the entire scene and made the boss fight the most memorable in the game.
Worst Song In Context: Radical Dreamers, or whatever the name of that Nikki rock concert track is called. God that sequence is annoying.

Overall Impression of OST: I'm a pretty big fan of Mitsuda on average, but this feels like one of his weaker entries to be perfectly honest. Yeah, there are some beautiful tracks mixed in there (the two I've cited, Time's Scar, Frozen Flame, etc.), and a few other good pieces (Termina, Optimism, etc.). But too many of the tracks you hear too often are just unimpressive: the battle theme, the boss theme (is okay, but boss themes are usually great), most of the dungeon themes.
Final Rating: 5/10

[Random Consonant]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: People seized with life
Worst Song Standalone: GALE. GALE. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Overall Impression of OST: Pretty enough outside of game, but terrible implimentation in game. Namely, you hear the worst track the most, that's never good.
Final Rating: 5/10.

Works for me.

[Grefter]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: Dream of the Shore Near Another World.
Worst Song Standalone: Radical Dreamers.  You guys couldn't be more wrong about this.  Gale isn't nearly as bad as you think it is compared to this travesty.  You just hate Gale because its run into the ground. By itself its fine.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Prisoners of Fate/People Seized with Life/etc. What elf said because I copy pasted this to post it.
Worst Song In Context: Radical Dreamers, because fuck that sequence.  Gale hurts after a while, but there isn't much wrong with it other than hearing the same ton of it too often and it being mixed up too high which really hurts it in context, but not as much as out and out fucking sucking and being repeated roughly a billion times in a 10 second period then looping indefinitely maintained through combat for a 20 minute sequence.  The only non-boss fight music that plays in combat other than Gale and is more annoying in context than Gale.  GOOD JOB.

Overall Impression of OST: 7/10  It is eclectic and strange soundtrack that is all over the place.  Pretty much a perfect match for the game.  It is just different in ways that most other RPGs from the time, only thing really more out there is BoF3.

[NotMiki]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: Dream of the Shore.  Honestly, it's hard to pick out a best song, because the elements that make this one good are fully present in a lot of the soundtrack.
Worst Song Standalone: Gale.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): People imprisoned by destiny.  Honorable mention to Dragon God.
Worst Song In Context: Gale. Sorry, Gref it is YOU that is wrong.

Overall Impression of OST: Consistent quality except for the one song you hear the most of. I don't think I agree, Gref, that it is particularly eclectic.  I think this is what a lot of video games would sound like if their composers had the chops.  To me it really hearkens back to SNES games.

Final Rating: 8/10.

[Grefter]

Some of it is in instrument choice.

Lets make a track that has super loud strings, kettle drum and piano synth.  That will go over well and not be grating as fuck?  Most played track in the game!

It is just weird, the whole album has some pretty diverse instrument choices and it stylistically is pretty unusual for an RPG soundtrack of the time.

[NotMiki]

Re: Gale, I have no idea what was going on there.  It's an outlier and I don't know what to make of it.

[Cmdr_King]

Worth noting that Gale is carryover from Radical Dreamers ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fQGVlceiGY ), where from what I've read it's the main battle theme... except THAT game is basically a VN structured like an RPG and there's like half a dozen fights per playthrough or something.

NieR

Best Song Standalone: Song of the Ancients -Fate-
Worst Song Standalone: Blu-Bird.  It's kinda perfect for epic danmaku boss showdown with ancient guardian (or is it Weiss?  Can't remember) but does nothing for me without the context.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): There might be some I'm not quite remembering, but one big standout for me was The Ultimate Weapon.  Totally and completely sold me on that genre change to Resident Evil.
Worst Song In Context: ... yeah I don't think the game has one of these.  Soundtrack is about as important as freaking dialog in this game.

Overall Impression of OST: So based off just playing the game I was thinking 8-9/10.  It's damned good but not quite top tier.  But listening to it in isolation there is so much nuance going on.  For example, all of the town themes?  Incorporate the basic tune of Song of the Ancients.  Because Song of the Ancients is the theme of Popola and Devola... ie the ones overseeing and maintaining these towns and ensuring they continue to exist.  Everywhere you go, they're watching over you.
Final Rating: 10/10.  No combo breaker today.

[Sierra]

NieR

Best Song Standalone: Song of the Ancients ~ Fate. Doesn't quite win in the next category because the betrayers just don't live that long. Honorable mention to Gods Bound By Rules because it's great and no one mentions it.
Worst Song Standalone: Hills of Radiant Winds. I just heard it way too much in-game.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Shadowlord. This is a good way to do cutscene to battle transitions. Subdued tension building music -> HIT THOSE FUCKING DRUMS, ALL THE DRUMS
Worst Song In Context: Blu-Bird. Just doesn't do it for me.

Overall Impression of OST: Oh hey there was another ten out there.
Final Rating: 10/10

~

Chrono Cross

I have no comment in-context because I haven't played CC.

Best Song Standalone: Radical Dreamers - Unstolen Jewel is the acoustic guitar + Mitose track, yes? That is pretty great.
Worst Song Standalone: Those "band warming up" snippets at the end of disc two that don't go anywhere.

Overall Impression of OST: Occasionally fillery but the good songs are so good man.
Final Rating: 7/10

[SnowFire]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: Uh.  Sure, Dream of the Shore of Another World.  Hard to pick between that & Radical Dreamers, Unstolen Jewel.
Worst Song Standalone: The Splendily Surprising Grand Magic Troupe.  Bleh.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Sure "Prisoners of Fate/People Seized with Life/etc."  I rather liked the context use of the special Chrono Cross song in Life A Distant Promise, too.
Worst Song In Context: Gale.  I'm not on the total Gale hate-train - it'd be okay as a random piece on the soundtrack - just not the most played one.

Overall Impression of OST: At one point I'd be tempted to have made Chrono Cross my favorite soundtrack of all time.  I've cooled on that some since, but there's no denying that this is a soundtrack with multiple (!) 10/10 tracks when most soundtracks struggle to have just 1.  And even when the soundtrack is more blah / subdued, it fits the entire mood of the game like a glove.  So...  how much is it worth punishing the soundtrack for some filler town/dungeon pieces?  Not much, IMHO.  I just created a slightly shorter version of the CC soundtrack, and bam.  Aside from the 3 tracks mentioned above as worthy of calling out, there's also Scars Left By Time, Star Stealing Girl, Time of the Dreamwatch, Forest of Illusion, Boss theme, Chronomantic, Burning Orphange, and various others.

Final Rating: 8.5/10
(I don't normally give .5s, but CC is a 9-10 for stand-alone listening, but a ~7-8 in-game depending on how much the worse tracks are held against it, and that's a notable split.)

[Cmdr_King]

NieR- 8 voters, 10/10, no math required.

As a warning, the 'new game' week is probably going to be increasingly obscure.  Sorta running out of relatively commonly played games.

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk

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:

[Cmdr_King]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: Radical Dreamers -The Unstolen Jewel-
Worst Song Standalone: In the Time of Disorder.  Hello non-song on the OST.  Dishonorable mention to Gale obviously.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Prisoners of Fate.  I remember reading a translation of the linear notes in the OST.  Mitsuda described playing the game, getting to Miguel, and having to set the controller down when the song came on, actually fighting him was just too sad.  I think he spoke for a lot of players there.
Worst Song In Context: Mm.  Oh, Dilemma.  It's the song played for the monster battle thinger.  Silly place to stick the song.

Overall Impression of OST: While opportunity played a factor here, I would like to note this is one of two OSTs I actually, physically own.  I loves me some mitsuda to start with, and while CT, XG, and XS1 all have arguments over CT which I expect to come up whenever I get to CT, the range he gets to show off in Chrono Cross really sells me on it.  I just listen to it and smile like all the time.
Final Rating: 10/10

[Ranmilia]

oh hey this topic exists and did things I listen to

Persona 4

Best Song Standalone:  The Almighty.  You know it's good when Meguro needs to break out his own sax solo for the live version.
Worst Song Standalone:  Ehhh... Backside of the TV?  That or one of the first two dungeon themes.

Best Song In Context:  Heartbeat, Heartbreak.  Really sells the wandering around school/town part of the game.
Worst Song In Context:  Castle and/or Sauna.  Really fails to sell the dungeon crawl part of the game.  Even sadder since all the later dungeon themes are great.

Overall Impression of OST: Mostly top notch and well crafted, especially some of the core tracks that you'll be hearing for dozens of hours.  If these were bad, the game as a whole would significantly suffer.  But they're great!  Sadly, there are a few glaring stinkers, mostly in the early dungeon crawls and the true final boss.
Final Rating: 8/10



Breath of Fire 4

Best Song Standalone: How Long Will the Rain Last?  I think.  A LOT of songs here are the best.  Man it's been too long since I listened to this, I need to redownload it.
Worst Song Standalone: Pabu Pabu Puka Puka.

Best Song In Context:  Truth and Dreams, like Jim said.  Honorable mention to Pavane for the Dead Princess.
Worst Song In Context:  Nonono.  Actually Pabu Puka but everything about that place sucks so eh.

Overall Impression of OST:  Extremely solid and stylistically creative.  Comes out about the same as P4's, I think, but swingier - more incredible tracks and a few more lame ones.  Props for taking a lot of risks though.  Raging Emperor's Banquet deserves some mention for being really complex.
Final Rating: 8/10



Nier

Best Song Standalone:  All of them?  I guess the one I find myself listening to standalone the most is The Wretched Automatons, so sure, that.
Worst Song Standalone:  Blu-Bird I guess.  It's not a bad song, but a little too harsh on the ears compared to the rest of the OST, so I often hit skip when it comes up.

Best Song In Context: Shadowlord.
Worst Song In Context:  Hills of Radiant Wind.  Takes a great driving track and relegates it to muted background noise.  I mean I guess something had to be there.

Overall Impression of OST:  Masterpiece status.
Final Rating: 10/10

[SnowFire]

CK's attempt to bait Sopko seems to have failed.

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk

Best Song Standalone: Tasogare?  I like it, best version of that theme, which seemed to be used for Nio from what little I recall of the Tallychu-stream.  Sad but moving, good stuff for a quest to undo some seeming tragedy.
Worst Song Standalone:  Among the vocals, Yoi no Hoshi.  That one seems to grate me for whatever reason, despite being the same tune as Tasogare.  Except somehow worse & annoying.  Among the regular soundtrack, the FJ Pana Specials.  Ugh so saccharine.

No Ayesha so no in-context.

Overall Impression of OST: This is a really big soundtrack, so I'm probably missing some good callouts.  Anyway, it's Gust.  This one seems a tad below average in memorability for Gust, but Gust does good soundtracks, so it's still pretty solid.  Lots of good what-I-presume-to-be-dungeony themes (Invitation Flower ~ Autumn is pretty good among those?  No idea if it even is a dungeon, of course.). Yesterday's Opponents are Today's Ingredients is pretty good for a regular battle tune, I like it a lot, and MARIA is certainly a different kind of final battle theme.  EDIT: And sure, I liked it when I heard the soundtrack, but I'll echo Tallychu's in-chat hype of Just a Coffin and an Automaton.  It's kinda short & simple yet awesome anyway.  Very dramatic and interesting.

Final Rating: 7/10

[DjinnAndTonic]

Chrono Cross

Best Song Standalone: Dream of the Shore Near Another World.
Worst Song Standalone: Radical Dreamers.  You guys couldn't be more wrong about this.  Gale isn't nearly as bad as you think it is compared to this travesty.  You just hate Gale because its run into the ground. By itself its fine.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): Prisoners of Fate/People Seized with Life/etc. What elf said because I copy pasted this to post it.
Worst Song In Context: Radical Dreamers, because fuck that sequence.  Gale hurts after a while, but there isn't much wrong with it other than hearing the same ton of it too often and it being mixed up too high which really hurts it in context, but not as much as out and out fucking sucking and being repeated roughly a billion times in a 10 second period then looping indefinitely maintained through combat for a 20 minute sequence.  The only non-boss fight music that plays in combat other than Gale and is more annoying in context than Gale.  GOOD JOB.

Overall Impression of OST: 7/10  It is eclectic and strange soundtrack that is all over the place.  Pretty much a perfect match for the game.  It is just different in ways that most other RPGs from the time, only thing really more out there is BoF3.

Actually, for once, my thoughts mirror Grefter's completely. I actually kinda like Gale and got super-happy when I played the game Radical Dreamers and it came up as battle music (looong after I had played CC obviously). It suited RD pretty well. Meanwhile, I fucking loathe Nikki's endless looping cheese rock.

I would probably rate it 8/10, because it gets some extra points from me just for Time's Scar being one of the best uses of a violin ever.

[Cmdr_King]

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk

Best Song Standalone: Altair.  it just tickles me for reasons I'm not entirely sure of.
Worst Song Standalone: FJ: Pana Special.  It's kinda hilarious the first time you see it in-game but that's about all it has going for it.

Best Song In Context (ie, song used the best in-game): I'm torn between Maria and Tasogare/Dusk.  It's been a while since a Final Boss had the sort of atmosphere Maria provides, but on the other hand, Dusk kicking up during the game always made me perk up because it meant something cool was happening.
Worst Song In Context: Blue Smoke.  I get the idea, but it just doesn't fit Keith for me.

Overall Impression of OST: Heh.  Gust seemed like they were in a slump after At2, with MK2 and Rorona being pretty tame and At3 only having one or two real standouts.  This feels like some of their best work meanwhile.
Final Rating: 8/10.