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  #1  
Old Dec 24, 2019, 06:53 AM
LiquidAcid LiquidAcid is offline
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Default Best releases of 2019

And here it is, on time for Christmas. Well, at least in my timezone. I decided to keep things bit simpler compared to 2018. There is a top 5, the good (in no particular order), the rest and the unknown (things I still plan to listen). In general I had the impression that 2019 was a bit lacking in terms of soundtracks, and in particular VGM.

Here is the 2018 thread for reference. Maybe I can find some time to update that one in the coming days. Still had a lot of unlistened albums when I last posted there.


The Top 5:

SQEX-20063 | Xenogears 20th Anniversary Concert -The Beginning and the End-
The BluRay release that almost didn't happen. I'm glad it did, just for the encore alone.

SQEX-10727~9 | Chrono Orchestra Arrangement Box
Has one of the the best arrangement of Schala's theme. The only downside is the length and the price. However I can't complain about quality here.

SQEX-10714 | Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World of Tres- Album
Gave us a glimpse of what might come with a potential KH3 soundtrack release -- should it ever happen.

SQEX-10704~5 | Piano Collections Final Fantasy XIV
My surprise album, as I could never get into the music for XIV. Just too much material and no real emotional attachment. The piano collections felt like it boiled down this massive thing onto two discs, while still keeping things coherent.

SQEX-20060 | Bra★Bra Final Fantasy VII: Brass de Bravo with Siena Wind Orchestra
We could already hear some of the arragements in 2018 on the CD release, but seeing the orchestra playing really adds so much depth. Also Cait Sith's Theme is simply hilarious.


The Good:

SQEX-10721~2 | Oni no Naku Kuni Original Soundtrack
Not on the same level as Another Eden, but still enjoyable.

SRCL-9996 | Wild Arms: Million Memories Original Soundtrack
I expected to see Naruke a bit more on this album, but not complaining. The other composers also do a good job. Overall length is OK as well.

KECH-8081~2 | Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout Original Soundtrack
Ryza slims things down by going back to two discs, but improves production quality by use of a lot of live instrumentation.

KECH-8078~80 | Atelier Lulua ~The Scion of Arland~ Original Soundtrack
Pretty standard Atelier, with a lot of arranges of tracks from other games. I can't complain since Ken Nakagawa returns, who still remains my favorite ex-Gust Sound Team composer.

CNVG-0001 | Symphonic Tale: The Rune of Beginning (Music from Suikoden II)
I can't help to compare this one with the JAGMO box from 2018.

NCRS-0024~5 | Libra of precatus Original Soundtrack
Took me a while to get into this. Not a fan of Sakamoto's tracks but Ito and Fujioka make up for it. Some of the tracks feel reminiscent of early Hamauzu.

N/A | Anno 1800 Original Game Soundtrack
Never left my playlist after I added it in April. Surprised myself since I never really cared for any of the Anno music before.

NMP-0002 | Suite Ihatovo Story for Piano Solo
Recommendation by Teioh. I guess he sometimes also gives good ones


The Rest:

KECH-8074~6 | Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists ~Ateliers of the New World~ Original Soundtrack
Forgettable. Feels more like a best-of-album.

INTIP-008~9 | Dragon Marked For Death Original Soundtrack
Tiring. Didn't manage to finish...

N/A | LoveR Original Soundtrack
Constant deja-vu/hear effect. Iwadare-san, please score some RPG again. Or make some original work album with Reiko Tsuchiya again.

SQEX-10700 | Left Alive Original Soundtrack
Cannot tie in with the Front Mission series. AFAIK the game also failed to live up to expectations.

N/A | A Plague Tale: Innocence Original Soundtrack
Heavy. Can imagine for this to work inside the game, but not as stand-alone.

N/A | Control Original Game Soundtrack
Same feelings as with Quantum Break. Still makes me want to play the game.

SQEX-10730 | Square Enix Acoustic Arrangements
I guess it's just not my cup of tea. Feeling more at home with these jazz arrangement albums SQEX has been releasing lately.



The Unknown:

KBCI-0008~13B | Kirby Star Allies: The Original Soundtrack
Never cared much for Kirby music, but this one looks huge. Hopefully doesn't turn out like BOTW...

SRIN-1162 | Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Original Soundtrack
Now here's another one that might move to the top 5 list.

030116NM | Fantasy Worlds / Benyamin Nuss
Interesting tracklist.

CPCA-10461~5 | Devil May Cry 5 Original Soundtrack
Another 5-disc album. I think I might just skim over it, given that I haven't any connection to the series.

SQEX-10706~7 | Final Fantasy Brave Exvius Original Soundtrack Vol. 2
I never found Exvius as exciting as some other people, but hey -- there must be a reason why there's a second volume now.

COCX-40805~6 | Princess Connect! Reive Original Soundtrack
Pretty big case of composers, however I might maybe just listen to the tracks by Yasunori Nishiki.

BWL-HAC-ANVYA-JPN | Fire Emblem: Three Houses Sound Selection
I keep hearing that Three Houses is apparantly the best Fire Emblem ever released. Fact?

SRIN-1161 | Soulcalibur VI Original Soundtrack
Another series which I never cared for, and another big (4 discs) release this year.

SQEX-20069 | Shadowbringers: Final Fantasy XIV Original Soundtrack
See my comment about the piano collections.

CPCA-10467~9 | Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Original Soundtrack
MH is like FF14, too much stuff coming out. However I've heard good things about the game. Might give this one a try.

N/A | Code Vein Original Sound Track
I have been pretty disappointed with GE3, the album felt rushed and unfinished. Now that Code Vein has also received the enclosure bonus treatment, I'm beginning to see a pattern...

SMRC-1041 | Indivisible Original Game Soundtrack
Might be just me, but hasn't it been quite a while since we have last seen a full game soundtrack by Kikuta?

VICL-65275~7 | Persona Super Live P-Sound Street 2019 ~Q-ban Theater e Youkoso~
To be totally honest, I don't have any idea how that one ended up in my list.

SQEX-20071 | Octopath Traveler Break, Boost and Beyond Live!
I love the OST for Octopath Traveler (see the 2018 thread), but I couldn't care less for Break and Boost. IMO it doesn't add anything to the music. I hope maybe the live does.

VICL-65296~8 | Another Eden Original Soundtrack 3 Complete Edition
Recycling of leftover material?


What do you think about 2019? Let us know your list of best VGM releases in 2019!
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  #2  
Old Dec 24, 2019, 06:46 PM
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Aifread Aifread is offline
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Guess I'll have to go with R4 20th Anniversary since it's the only 2019 release I bought. JRPG scores from the past decade or so have sounded boring and same-y to me, save for the NieR games and SMTIV.
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Old Dec 25, 2019, 09:15 AM
LiquidAcid LiquidAcid is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Aifread View Post
Guess I'll have to go with R4 20th Anniversary since it's the only 2019 release I bought. JRPG scores from the past decade or so have sounded boring and same-y to me, save for the NieR games and SMTIV.
No need to restrict yourself to stuff you bought. I only own two items from my top 5 at the moment. Might get the other three in the future.
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Old Dec 25, 2019, 06:43 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LiquidAcid View Post
No need to restrict yourself to stuff you bought. I only own two items from my top 5 at the moment. Might get the other three in the future.
The thing is nothing from this year was even on my radar. My collecting generally goes through phases rather than by what came out that year. This year was a lot of Mega Drive and shmup soundtracks, last year was a lot of PS1 and Dreamcast.
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  #5  
Old Dec 25, 2019, 09:45 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LiquidAcid View Post
In general I had the impression that 2019 was a bit lacking in terms of soundtracks, and in particular VGM.
Agreed. There was plenty of good VGM this year but so many games haven't received soundtrack releases. Not a good year in my opinion.
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  #6  
Old Dec 26, 2019, 10:59 PM
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I'm enjoying the Deamon X machina soundtrack, but I haven't gotten around to buying the CD yet
From what I've heard so far it has good variety and production value in most tracks and if you like Metal music from games I'd recommend it.

The only other recent release I've bought was the Zuntata Ninja Saviors/Warriors remake album and there's a good enough amount of content with the original ost included.

I don't have enough this year to make a top five out of...
I'm kind of falling behind with all of the recent Square Enix albums
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  #7  
Old Dec 27, 2019, 02:52 AM
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personally I like the music in Left Alive even if mainly cutscene music + spotted-by-enemy music + wanzer battle music
I regret there is no real ost release (I'd have bought it)

no way to buy an expensive jap limited edition just for an incomplete ost (note that buying jap or euro game is the same, there is only english dub -> curious when the game story happens in "ukraine" where all words are written in russian)


about the game: it is mainly hated, I admit it has flaws but it's playable if you think about ways to progress in the streets (I'm at chapter 13, chapter 14 being last one -> I've seen the ending on youtube and one could say "all that for that", I miss long endings)
my main concern about the game is that there is no auto-aim so you can waste a lot of ammo before killing an enemy :/


as for lulua and ryza, music (like the games) has no interest
no idea about GE3 and Code Vein (sad to read I could be disappointed :/)

Last edited by Phonograph; Dec 27, 2019 at 03:02 AM.
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  #8  
Old Dec 27, 2019, 10:37 AM
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VGM artists favorite releases of 2019: https://www.4gamer.net/games/296/G029627/20191211031/

I excluded artists that picked their own release as their favorite (there were quite a few).

Yoshino Aoki: Space Channel 5 20th Anniversary "GyunGyun Selection"
Takeshi Abo: SNK ARCADE SOUND DIGITAL COLLECTION Vol.9
Mariam Abounnasr: SQUARE ENIX ACOUSTIC ARRANGEMENTS
Ikeda Minorock: SNK ARCADE SOUND DIGITAL COLLECTION Vol.9
Keisuke Ito: DAOKO × Dragalia Lost
Takahiro Eguchi: Noita Official Soundtrack vol.1
Tomoya Ohtani: Space Channel 5 20th Anniversary "GyunGyun Selection"
Shinji Orito: Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout Original Soundtrack
Hiroyuki Kawada: Prepared Wave / Motohiro Kawashima
Hiroki Kikuta: SQUARE ENIX ACOUSTIC ARRANGEMENTS
Yoshimi Kudo: Gris Original Game Soundtrack
Hirokazu Koshio: DOLLS' FRONTLINE O.S.T
Yuko Komiyama: Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu VOCAL TRACKS -Pawapuro 25th Anniversary Edition-
Go Sato: PSIKYO ARCADE SOUND DIGITAL COLLECTION Vol.4
So Sato: DEEMO Piano Collection
Denji Sano: R4 -THE 20TH ANNIV. SOUNDS-
Tetsuya Shibata: Dragon Quest Ukulele Collection
Yu Shimoda: SAMURAI SPIRITS ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Ryo Shirasawa: SNK ARCADE SOUND DIGITAL COLLECTION Vol.5
Yuki Sugiura: FINAL FANTASY VII ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK REVIVAL DISC
Seiji Momoi: Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu VOCAL TRACKS -Pawapuro 25th Anniversary Edition-
Masaru Setsumaru: SNK ARCADE SOUND DIGITAL COLLECTION Vol.4
Masafumi Takada: Gears 5 Original Soundtrack
Fumihisa Tanaka: DEATH STRANDING: Timefall
Kumi Tanioka: FINAL FANTASY XIV Orchestral Arrangement Album Vol. 2
Shunsuke Tsuchiya: Dragon Quest Ukulele Collection
Shohei Tsuchiya: APE OUT
Norio Nakagata: NJBP Concert Archives 1 ~ANCIENT FESTIVAL~ + ALICE GEAR AEGIS ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK Vol.2
Koichi Namiki: THE WORKS III / JUN SENOUE
Tsutomu Narita: Oni no Naku Kuni Original Soundtrack
Yasunori Nishiki: GRANBLUE FANTASY ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKS Chaos
hally: Lovely Planet 2: April Skies Original Soundtrack
Chikayo Fukuda: ONE PIECE WORLD SEEKER ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Hiroyuki Fujita: Touken Ranbu Ensoukai Encore Kouen ~2018 Tokyo EDITION~ + MONSTER HUNTER WORLD: ICEBORNE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Ryo Furukawa: SQUARE ENIX ACOUSTIC ARRANGEMENTS
Soshi Hosoi: NJBP Concert Archives 1 ~ANCIENT FESTIVAL~
Shinji Hosoe: My Friend Pedro OST
Daisuke Matsumoto: ALICE GEAR AEGIS ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK Vol.2
Noriko Murakami: Alchemy of Sounds ~Atelier Arranged Tracks~
Raito: NJBP Concert Archives 1 ~ANCIENT FESTIVAL~
Rikako Watanabe: Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout Original Soundtrack
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  #9  
Old Dec 27, 2019, 03:07 PM
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Ace Combat 7
Ibuki 192
Princess Connect Re:Dive
Oni no Naku Kuni
Soul Calibur 6
Children of the Sea
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  #10  
Old Dec 28, 2019, 03:46 AM
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The Top 5:


1. Fuukan no Grasesta SOUND COLLECTION
In 2017 I named Amayui Castle Meister one of my favorites and Fuukan no Grasesta fortunately is of similar quality. An epic 2 disc RPG soundtrack with some particularly great battle and map themes.

2. TAMAYURA MIRAI ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
A pleasant surprise to see Takepon Maki back in business. This should've been released 15 years ago and feels strangely nostalgic. Reminds me of early Atelier or the Studio e.go! RPGs from the 00s.

3. AoNatsuLine Vocal Collection & Original Soundtrack "Our Songs"
This was consistently calm and relaxing BGM and stands out among the stock music from other VNs this year.

4. SUITE IHATOVO STORY FOR PIANO SOLO
I hoped for a concert recording, but a newly recorded release of the piano collection is good enough for making it my top arrange album of this year.

5. Libra of precatus Original Soundtrack
Another quality noisycroak release, not as memorable as Bungo to Alchemist, but still an amazing effort. Glad I had my copy signed by all three composers.

The Good:

Fire Emblem: Three Houses Sound Selection
A pretty good soundtrack that leaves me hopeful for more. I suspect there will be a complete soundtrack coming out, but if it's as large as the former soundtracks, it will be difficult to fully appreciate the music.

FIRE EMBLEM PREMIUM ARRANGE
I really didn't like this on my first listen, but after giving it a second chance, it's my second favorite arrange album this year.

Symphonic Tale: The Rune of Beginning
A solid arrange album and a commendable Kickstarter production. I would love to see more of this in 2020. Looking forward to Project "G"..

The Rest:

Just some of the disappointments for me without any further comment:
  • Chrono Orchestra Arrangement Box
  • Princess Connect! Re: Drive Original Soundtrack
  • Indivisible Original Game Soundtrack
  • Dragon Marked For Death Original Soundtrack
  • See you at the other side of the moon Original Sound Track
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  #11  
Old Jan 7, 2020, 03:10 PM
Jodo Kast Jodo Kast is offline
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My top 5, not in order are:

BLIND SPOT III BLSP-0003
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Original Soundtrack N/A
DARIUS THE OMNIBUS II -Gunzou- ZTTL-3005
OCTOPATH TRAVELER Arrangements -Break & Boost- SQEX-10703
Sekaiju no MeiQ CROSS Original Soundtrack UMA-1119~20

I have yet to listen to (or play) Daemon X Machina. But that is a priority.
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