Final Fantasy Tactics Original Sound Track

The greatest strategy game for the aging Playstation is complete with everything from an engulfing storyline, great character development, colourful graphics, addictive gameplay and above all, one of the most brilliant and spectacular soundtracks ever created for a video game. Final Fantasy Tactics is composed by two composers, the exceptionally skilled Hitoshi Sakimoto and the creative Masaharu Iwata. Some people may think that two composers will bog down a soundtrack, but in this case, the two composition styles are mixed together with creative themes and counterthemes so that an untrained ear would not be able to tell the difference. Although I think the whole soundtrack would have been a greater success with just Mr. Sakimoto, it would have lacked some of the brilliance that Mr. Iwata creates.

The two discs themselves are very contrasting, the first containing the beautiful melodies, the orchestral magic and the heart of the soundtrack. The second, equally powerful disc includes the darker pieces, the dramatic battle pieces and many beautiful compositional gems near the end of the disc. The main theme used in the game can be heard in the first track "Bland Log", which after a short introduction with strings and harp, comes in with such magic, the first time I heard the piece, I reset my PS so I could hear it again. The composition is very wonderful and suites the game's war theme very well. It is well composed and catches everyone's attention. One of the variations on this theme is one of my favourite tracks "Random Waltz," which is a very beautiful battle theme. It is one of the battle themes in the game which is not a heart-pumping piece, but more a peaceful piece highlighting the natural environment where many of the battles take place. These pieces are perhaps my favourite pieces on the soundtrack and they include the mentioned "Random Waltz," "Desert Land" and "Antidote," which is also a favourite of mine.

The other fast paced battle pieces are also very excellent, containing very good melodies and variations. The hightlight of the battle themes is of course the final battle theme "Ultema The Perfect Body" which is great from beginning to end, creating wonderful harmonies and melodies along the way. Since most of the soundtrack consists of battle pieces, the battle themes are varied and all are excellent in composition and quality.

Speaking of quality, the sampling on this soundtrack is some of the best the PS has ever seen. This game is one of the greatest sounding games in the world, only second to the ethical soundtrack of Chrono Cross. It's obvious that the sound programming team worked very hard to make the classical instruments sound as realistic as possible.

The other pieces in the game are character themes, event themes and FMV themes. The FMV themes (the movies) are very excellent, including the fast paced "P.R. Movie" and the magical composition (only one and a half minutes!!) of the "Epilogue Movie."

The character themes in this game are very well composed and portray the moods and personalities of the characters very well indeed. Ramza's Theme, the "Hero's Theme" is very well composed. "Alma's Theme" is a joyful portrait of the spirited princess and "Delita's Theme" comtains a bit of reminiscence and at the same time, a premonition. My favourite character theme by far is "Ovelia's Theme" which is used in many other tracks as well. It is a happy theme and the variation in the middle of the theme is very excellent. It is one of the most memorable themes in any game. It is recycled in "Ovelia's Worries" where it takes a darker feeling.

The soundtrack ends with the "Staff Credits" which is a collage of some of the game's most prominent themes, of course highlighted by the magnificent main theme, which can carry a whole symphony all by itself. Sometimes, I wish this soundtrack had an arranged piano and orchestral release, which I would gobble up in a second. These two composers are very excellent and it is a shame there is no plans for a sequel to one of the most beautiful, touching, dramatic and orchestral games the world has ever seen.

Rating this music CD is a difficult task. Why? Because one has to try to be formal and restrained and not clutter the text with superlatives! I could go "awesome!" and "incredible!" and "second to none!" all day, and still not properly convey just how much I love this game's music! I own several original soundtrack CDs, as well as dozens of computer games with the music on disc, but they all pale in the glory of Final Fantasy Tactics.

The music's order is very faithful to the game, and most of the tracks are cycled through twice, so that you get a good feel for the songs before they end. The longer ones (if you can call two minutes long) are only cycled once, but that is more than adequate. The instruments do sound very realistic, too. This game's music begs for an orchestral arrangement. The CDs' engineering is the only real downfall. Much like Final Fantasy VI, the sound level is recorded just a tad too high, resulting in some mild signal-level distortion at times. But it's not very bad, definitely not as bad as FF6.

Okay, now what about the music? Well, in a word, *superb*! All the scores for the game are brilliantly composed, and the music fits the mood 98 percent of the time. The game's main focus is combat, and as such the soundtrack is saturated with adrenaline-pumping battle marches. The game's plot is rife with treason and deception, as well as demonic possession and "darker dealings," so there is an abundance of dark and sinister music as well. And where there is darkness and evil, there is heroism and hope. Again, the music captures these moods, and in grand fashion. My personal favorite is Alazlam's music, "Brave Story." It is a very relaxing and thought provoking work.

It should be noted that the two discs seem to contrast quite a bit. I call disc one "The Light CD" and disc two "The Dark CD." The music of the second disc bears a much darker tone than that of the first. Most people, like myself, will probably listen to the first disc a lot more, because the dark CD's music is so gloomy and fearful that it can get somewhat depressing.

Final Fantasy Tactics OST is excellent in every conceivable way. Its only blemish is in the engineering, with the signal level being too high. I hope and pray that an orchestra will one day indulge in this masterpiece. That is the only way it could ever get better.

Hoooo-boy!!! This soundtrack is a truly wonderful experience; when it comes to game music, Square just can't be stopped. This entire CD is in just one style - symphonic. It's not a real orchestral performance, but who cares! They pushed the Playstation to the max when doing the music for this game.

When listening, you will actually be able to pick out many of the instruments that are mimicked if you have even a half-decent stereo system. The attention to detail is truly astounding. For example, on track 34, you are able to hear the French horn accompaniment. It's really quite amazing! Also noticeable in other tracks are trumpets, chimes, strings, and bells. What a treat!

The two discs are fairly different in the music itself. The first disc is, without a doubt, epic - with sweeping, broad tracks of symphonic might! The second disc is more dark, morose, and gripping. It has haunting melodies, giving the sense of danger and subtle conflict. An overriding theme is present throughout disc 2. As full of feeling as the music is, the drama in the game itself will no doubt be fantastic.

Even though Tactics is not a part of the actual Final Fantasy RPG series and was not composed by Nobuo Uematsu, the Prelude theme actually makes a brief appearance. One of the first songs on the first CD contains many bars of "The Prelude", and any person who has heard anything from Final Fantasy will automatically recognize it.

No review for a Square soundtrack is complete without a discussion of the CD packaging. They are getting fairly impressive now - FF Tactics includes a box to hold the double CD set in, as well as a poster! The poster has drawings of all the teams available - 18 in all. In the CD case is the liner notes, and a nifty little bonus - a miniature trading card (?) of a Moogle (Moglie)! Very cool!

You don't have to be a Square fan to get this soundtrack - anyone who likes even a spot of orchestral music will love this CD. You may want to hold off getting this CD until you play the game - but I guarantee, even if you do get it now you will love it just the same.