The poll system is up and running so here we go with your top eight soundtracks of 2008.  Why eight?  Well five seems too few, ten maybe a bit much for one year, and yeah, it is 2008 (though not for much longer!)  If you don't feel there are eight that qualify, fewer is fine.

Answers should be game soundtrack albums released in 2008, original soundtracks or arranged.

About the poll system: The poll system is set to auto-complete any soundtracks in STC's database, but you are entirely free to vote for soundtracks not covered on the site.  Please enter only the titles - after submitting your votes you can elaborate on your picks in a normal forum post.

And if it's not obvious, click the "Answer Poll" link next to "Post Reply" to submit your answers

1. Soma Bringer Original Soundtrack
2. Death Smiles Original Soundtrack
3. Technictix Remix Vol. 2
4. Technictix Remix Vol. 1
5. Sekaiju no MeiQ 2 Original Soundtrack
6. Sekaiju no MeiQ 2 Super Arrange Version
7. Live Music by Piano and Strings: Sekaiju no MeiQ I & II Super Arrange Version
8. Rockman 9 Original Soundtrack

Here's my list. I held off on putting up DoDonPachi Daiffukatsu on that list, which would ultimately have made it, but I'll wait until next year. After all, it was released as a special pre-release at some sort of convention. Besides January is when it'll be available to the lucky ones able to get it.

I also held off on putting original works, where Message and Forest of Glass would definitely have been on that list.

EDIT: Edited the list with after learning arranges were allowed. So yeah, as you can tell, I'm a big fan of the Supersweep remix albums and Etrian Odyssey music!

Runners up: BlazBlue Original Soundtrack, Inazuma Eleven Original Soundtrack

1. Super Mario Galaxy OST Platinum Version - Galaxy deserves all the praise that's it's gotten.  The Platinum Version, of course, is a near-complete representation of this wonderful score.  The quality of the music is entirely consistent throughout; from soaring epics like Egg Planet and Wind Garden, the sweet and tender Chico/The Wish and Rosetta's Comet Observatory theme, to the potent ferocity of Battle for the Grand Star, Galaxy makes for a variety-rich and satisfying listening experience, both in and out of the game.  This one should very well go down as VGM's finest.

2. Metal Gear Solid 4 Original Soundtrack - Although this one ranks a few notches below MGS3, I can't argue that MGS4 is by far the most cinematically pleasing of the series.  Gregson-Williams has clearly come to fully understand the Metal Gear music universe at this point, and here, he turns in his very best work yet.  The rest of the Konami sound team and GEM Impact created several terrific contributions as well.  From big action pieces like Gekko, Desperate Chase, and Mobs Alive, hard hitting battle themes like Raging Raven and Infinite Loop, themes of lament Love Theme and Old Snake, to the sleekly-cool like White Blood and Midnight Shadow, MGS4's musical wicker burns bright.   The exclusion of the Metal Gear Solid Main Theme is missed, but the triple-stacked emotional affair that is Father And Son, Here's To You, and Metal Gear Saga closes this series in such a pitch-perfect way that its absence can easily be forgiven.

3. Gears of War 2 The Soundtrack - Gears 2 is like the equivalent of a really tasty junk-food movie score: it's unabashedly loud, yet thematically memorable and cohesive.  Where Gears 1's Kevin Riepl took a more intimate, focused approach with his orchestrations, Jablonsky takes the full-bore action route, with a more modern Hollywood blockbuster palette worthy of a Bruckheimer production.  At times valiant, many times frenetic, the feel of the soundtrack captures the battle for Jaciento perfectly.  Big, sweeping performances from the Skywalker Symphonic Orchestra and Chorus result in an epic, often otherworldly feel, and the score's reliance on its two central themes (Hope Runs Deep and the Locust' theme) keeps the entire thing melodically grounded from start to finish. 

4. Rhythm Tengoku Complete Music Collection - This one would've easily ranked number one if not for its questionable presentation.  Don't get me wrong; the first disc of this three-disc set is a joy: the entirety of the first Rhythm Tengoku score, fully enhanced and remastered.  The result is a crisp, new imagining of the classic RT tunes.  (There are some who will lament that they didn't go with the original GBA synth, but there are rips available which should satisfy those folks.)  We also get full versions of a number of the featured vocal tracks, which, for the Tengoku diehard, is worth the price of admission alone.  But then we get to the second and third discs, the ones that house the sequel, Rhythm Tengoku Gold.  On first impression, it would seem that the score remained untouched, with instrumentation that sounds exactly the same as that of the DS's original --  and that would've been fine, but a closer listen results in a baffling conclusion: there is a massive inconsistency with the sound engineering throughout.  There are some songs that are at least on par if not a bit clearer in fidelity than the in-game sound test -- but then there are others that sound horribly compressed, resulting in a bass-heavy, yet extremely muddy sound.  It's in these cases that the available game rips actually sound better than what's presented on disc, which is absolutely inexcusable.  Being that Rhythm Tengoku Gold ended up being my most listened VGM score of 2008, my anticipation and eventual disappointment couldn't be greater for this release.

5. Guilty Gear 2 Overture Original Soundtrack Vol. 2
6. Soma Bringer Original Soundtrack
7. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon ~Labyrinth of Forgotten Time~ OST
8. Rockman 9 Original Soundtrack

Well, lookit that - I've somehow managed three entries with "Gear" in the title. :)  And I know you said it's acceptable, but I hesitated to put any film-related soundtracks for this poll. (Even though I've got a few choice ones.)  Seeing as how this is situated in the Game Music forum, I thought I'd keep to the theme - and save the film scores for another time.

are we NOT doing arrange albums in this poll...?

Actually this poll was meant for OSTs and arranged albums to be together   You can re-submit your answers and edit your entries if you like!

Gonna post my picks soon, once I recover from jet lag and sleep deprivation.

Oh, well, if that's the case, it makes my list a WHOLE lot tougher to put together.

EDIT: Actually, it kinda made it easier...

1. Rockman 9 Original Soundtrack
2. Knights of Nightmare Original Soundtrack
3. Tatsunoko vs Capcom (Gamerip)
4. BlazBlue Original Soundtrack
5. Sekaiju no MeiQ 2 Original Soundtrack
6. Guilty Gear 2 Overture Original Soundtrack Vol. 2
7. Raiden IV Original Soundtrack
8. Zwei!! 2 Original Soundtrack

Yeah, I'm pretty happy with that overall. This was a pretty good year overall, as I had a few that got ranked out and others I haven't given full attention to enough (Death Smiles, Nights: Journey of Dreams, Soma Bringer). Rockman 9 and Tatsunoko vs Capcom represent amazing return to forms for their respective series and are both miracles in their own right. Knights has a disc with 39 amazing battle themes and was a (near) total surprise. Raiden IV was old-school shooting goodness. Haven't torn into BlazBlue too much yet, but I'm comfortable where it is from what I've heard. Think it'll end up ahead of Overture Vol. 2 on the list though. Sekaiju 2 and Zwei 2 represent the classy melodic side of RPG soundtracks and both see a lot of playtime.

Ranked out (but still worthy!): JDK Band Spring 2008, Inazuma Eleven, Soma Bringer, Omega Five Original Soundtrack, Zwei!! Original Soundtrack 2008, Death Smiles. Still need to check out the new Power Pro Music Stadium. Kind of want to check out the Kunio Kun Sound Collection, but for 5040 yen, I think I'll stick with the rip I have.

Extremely special mentions: Phantasy Star 1st Series Complete Collection and Sorcerian Megadrive OST. The former was long overdue, the latter surprised me because I didn't know Sorcerian received a whole seperate OST on the Megadrive/Genesis. Hats off to Bo and company for both.

Disappointments...Rockman 9's Arrange variety approach didn't do a thing for me (especially compared to what the album could have been) and the ZX Gigamix contributed basically nothing to the other ZX albums. Double whammy for III there. FFIV's remade music isn't supplanting the original FFIV OST anytime soon. Black Mages III was solid, but felt more like a hint of what the band is really capable of. Battle Fantasia was very weak for an Arc System OST. Infinite Discovery was the side of Sakuraba I couldn't stand and while I can't wait to have the Valkyrie Profile experience on the DS, I can't say I'm excited over a soundtrack that is largely DS remakes of a fantastic existing OST. Was hoping for a full NEW soundtrack in the same style as VP1.

And while I've trashed 2007 as a whole for VGM on several occasions, I will say Rockman ZXA Tunes, Ys Origin (OST and Arrange), Riviera Perfect Audio Collection and Ragnarok Online 2 have been worth a second (or in some cases, a first!) look.

1. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
2. Echochrome
3. Valkyria Chronicles
4. Metal Gear Solid 4 Original Soundtrack

1. Fantasy Zone: Ultra Super Big Maximum Great Strong Complete Album
2. Little Busters! Ecstacy Tracks
3. Umihara Kawase Soundtrack
4. Persona 4 Original Soundtrack
5. eXceed 2nd -VAMPIRE REX- ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK
6. Sigma Harmonics Original Soundtrack
7. Live Music by Piano and Strings: Sekaiju no MeiQ I & II Super Arrange Version
8. Celestial Music Record of All Mankind ~ Touhou Hisouten ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK

Just Missed: Death Smiles, MeiQ II, Rockman 9
Ones that may have made top 8 had I heard them: Mario Galaxy Platinum, Soma Bringer

Fantasy Zone spanked anything released this year. Best release for $60 EVER. Recommended highly to chiptune fans.

1. Technic Beat OST
2. Technictix Remix Vol. 1
3. Golden Axe The Music
4. Raiden IV Original Soundtrack
5. Rei-Nana Original Soundtrack
6. Raiden Fighters Aces Original Soundtrack
7. Death Smiles Original Soundtrack
8. Guitarfreaks & Drummania V5 - Rock to Infinity - Original Soundtracks

These are in no particular order.

Technic Beat

This was one overdue release. Some of the Namco and Arika remixes on the album are simply fantastic.

Technictix Remix Vol. 1

There are some crazy arrangements on here that really show how good the Sweep team are with electronic music. Definitely a no-brainer for me.

Golden Axe The Music

I seem to have a soft spot for Arcade music. Something about the original Golden Axe and Revenge of Death Adder's music just clicks with me. And it was interesting to hear the Genesis exclusive music for GA II and III. Plus some of the themes on The Duel are actually decent.

Raiden IV

Upon hearing the video preview of the album on Cocoebiz's Youtube Channel, I decided that it was worth investing, despite the fact that I do not have any means to play the game that the OST was packed in.  Another thing that won me over was the fact that Go Sato chose to use live synths and guitars. The melodies speak for themselves in the end. Just a throwback to the old days of game music using modern instruments.

Rei-Nana

I can't get through a year without some goodness from Yasuhisa Watanabe. When I saw that VGMWorld only had only one available copy, I hesitated. But as the year went on, more copies came available, so I took the jump at it. It's just Yack doing his thing, the best way he does it. There is a certain jazzy sound to it reminding me a bit of Majokko de Go Go and Border Down.

Raiden Fighters Aces

Raiden IV wasn't enough, I wanted more Go Sato. And now seeing/hearing him try his hand on Techno/Rave, I couldn't be any happier. I love those styles as much as I love synth-rock, when it's well-done. And here it is. Some tracks do tend to be a bit repetitive, but that often comes with the style. And Yasuhiro Hashimoto's Raiden Fighters Jet music is an interesting contrast to Go Sato's approach on the first two Raiden Fighters. Also worth noting is that each OST has two versions, the remastered one for the X360 Aces outing and the original Arcade version.

Death Smiles

Manabu Namiki is another composer that I've been focusing on recently. Death Smiles has shown some new stylings as I don't recall him doing anything with so much live guitar before. It definitely makes Death Smiles stand out from his previous (but also excellent) Cave outings.

Guitarfreaks & Drummania V5

This is actually my second Bemani album that I've bought (1st was Beatmania IIDX 14 Gold) and once more the variety of artists and styles pays off in spades. Me being such a sucker for the electric guitar, I was in Heaven upon hearing this album.

Other note-worthy releases:

Mamoru Has Been Cursed !, Illmatic Envelope, Omega Five

Other than that... I think that's about it. (Unless more comes to mind later on)

1. Sekaiju no Meikyuu II: Original Soundtrack
2. Drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura-
3. Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack
4. Live Music by Piano and Strings: Sekaiju no Meikyuu I & II Super Arrange Version
5. The Last Remnant Original Soundtrack
6. Zwei II Original Soundtrack
7. Sigma Harmonics Original Soundtrack
8. Falcom jdk Band 2008 Spring

1. No More Heroes Original Sound Tracks
2. Rockman 9: The Ambition’s Revival!! Original Soundtrack
3. Valkyria Chronicles Original Sound Track
4. Super Mario Galaxy Original Sound Track Platinum Version
5. drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura-
6. Minna no Golf Portable 1 & 2 Perfect Sound Collection
7. Silent Hill Homecoming Soundtrack
8. Sekaiju no MeiQ² *shoou no seihai* Original Soundtrack

9. Soma Bringer Original Soundtrack
10. Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots Original Soundtrack

I posted a little summary of each entry on my site.

-Mike

1. Etrian Odyssey II OST
2. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia OST
3. Etrian Odyssey: Live Music by Piano and Strings
4. Rockman 9 OST
5. Rockman 9 Arrange Album
6. Falcom JDK Band Spring 2008
7. Etrian Odyssey II Super Arrange Version
8. Red Stone OST

I wasn't impressed by much in 2008.

1: Valkyria Chronicles
2: Super Mario Galaxy
3: Lost Odyssey
4: Soma Bringer
5: Sigma Harmonics

1. Super Mario Galaxy Original Sound Track Platinum Version
2. Sekaiju no Meikyuu II: Original Soundtrack
3. Rockman 9: The Ambition’s Revival!! Original Soundtrack
4. Silent Hill Homecoming Soundtrack
5. No More Heroes Original Sound Tracks
6. BIONIC COMMANDO REARMED
7. Valkyria Chronicles Original Sound Track
8. SoulCalibur IV Original Soundtrack

8. Soulcalibur IV

Formulaic? You bet! Do I still love it? Absolutely!! The "epic orchestral" with eastern elements thrown in on occasion strikes again, with works thrown in by Iwata, and a surprising rock fusion on "Thanatos." This one (disc 1 at least), although easy to overlook, is worth an earnest listen.

7. Valkyria Chronicles

Just as formulaic as the above, why does this one get all the love? Never having played either game, you could perform a blind listening test between this and A.S.H. with me as a subject, and I would fail miserably. But, there's always a "but". The tracks up front really stand out in this one, with a memorable main theme that's worked into tracks from time to time and an infectious main battle theme, making this stand above an otherwise formulaic effort from Saki.

6. Bionic Commando: Rearmed

In a year when retro stormed back with the availability of digital distribution (and really using that niche as a means of survival as well), came a download-only remake masterpiece. A Swedish-developed remake of the cult-classic NES game, the music took a European electronic style. Simon Viklund did an incredible job at mixing the old 8-bit sound with a club electronic sound. What I see as a testament to this, is that I never liked the original BC music, until I heard these arranges.

5. No More Heroes

The king of thematic albums. I haven't heard this many versions of the same song spanned across multiple discs since FF9. Every other song is the same melody, and somehow, it never gets old over three discs. This is what I would consider this year's "breath of fresh air" from a relatively new composer that put a new, unique style on the map to look out for in future efforts.

4. Silent Hill: Homecoming

Yamaoka continues to impress. After a relatively mediocre effort in 0rigins, he came back with a main-series gem. This album has some of the best "eerie" piano use (for melodic gems like "Witchcraft" and "Cold Blood") I've heard from a game in a while. Combined with the best SH vocals since SH3, you have a winner.

3. Rockman 9

Being a 25 year-old who grew up with the blue bomber's quality iterations through the SNES, I have a special place in my heart for this effort, so it might be just a tad skewed. Kind of an ironic title, "The Ambibition's Revival!!" has nothing ambitious to it. Rather, it is a worthy throwback to the days when quick-moving upbeat melodies worked through less than a handful of sound channels and the music lost instruments (literally) in favor of the sounds of robot carnage. Tracks like Hornet Man bring me back to the glory days of my childhood. How can that not not deserve a top 3 finish?

2. Sekaiju no MeiQ² *shoou no seihai*

Another soundtrack with intentionally retro sound. Living through multiple generations of video game music, I've come to believe that some of the best creative efforts were a result of the limited sound hardware capabilities of the 8 and 16 bit eras. This album adds some compositional sophistication over efforts such as Mega Man 9, but still keeps the instrumentation limitations to really let the composition shine. And its a damn good thing the music is as quality as it is, because EO2 game is a grinder, of which I love every second.

1. Super Mario Galaxy

To me, an obvious choice. Funny how the best albums of the year always seem to come out at the very beginning. Mario finally had the musical transformation to accompany the graphical and gameplay advances that emerged in Mario 64. Don't get me wrong, this album did not brave uncharted musical territories like an album like maybe NMH, but what it did do is update the unquestionable face of video-gaming to a new style of music that worked perfectly with the game. Light-hearted synth orchestral tracks dominate the best of this album, and you can't help but smile when you hear some of these tracks and be happy that Mario finally has had the transformation he's been deserving for 12 years now. And while they are finally moving on from Koji Kondo (a process that took far too long and stunted Nintendo musically for a full generation of consoles), I find it funny how the two original tracks that he actually did do are among my favorites on this album.

Please use the auto-complete feature if the answer you are submitting is already in the results.  I know there can be small discrepancies in VGM album titles (Original Sound Track? Original Soundtrack?  OST?) but putting in even a slightly different title for the same album can throw the final results completely out of whack.

(I made adjustment to some duplicate entries already but it's too time consuming to do this on a regular basis!)

Also if any of you are holding back on answering the poll, please note that posting your results in public is completely optional!  As administrator I'm the only one that can see the full results, although if you want to post your answers to the forum after submitting them you can.  I would really like to see this be a comprehensive listing of fan-favorite soundtracks for the year so the more participation the better!

1. Soma Bringer Original Soundtrack
2. No More Heroes Original Sound Tracks
3. No More Heroes Dark Side
4. Valkyria Chronicles Original Sound Track
5. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia OST
6. Rhythm Tengoku Complete Music Collection
7. Super Mario Galaxy OST Platinum Version
8. Sigma Harmonics Original Soundtrack

1. Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack
2. The Black Mages III Darkness and Starlight
3. Drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura-
4. Symphonic Shades - Hülsbeck in Concert
5. Live Music by Piano and Strings: Sekaiju no MeiQ I & II Super Arrange Version
6. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon ~Labyrinth of Forgotten Time~ OST
7. Super Mario Galaxy OST Platinum Version
8. Death Smiles Original Soundtrack

1. Fantasy Zone: Ultra Super Big Maximum Great Strong Complete Album
Were this album to just contain the arcade soundtrack to Fantasy Zone, it would still be the #1 release. But an album with the Fantasy Zone arcade ST and an additional three and a half discs of material? A work of art. How does Manabu Namiki and Fantasy Zone work so well.

2. Phantasy Star 1st Series Complete Album
So much nostalgia propping up this release that it could fuel a rocket to and from the Moon if harnessed properly.

3. Super Mario Galaxy OST Platinum Version
The Gusty Garden theme is good enough by itself to put anything into the top 8, and interestingly enough there is additional music on this album that is also pretty good.

4. Death Smiles Original Soundtrack
Manabu Namiki.

5. Umihara Kawase Soundtrack
Would've been the happiest soundtrack of the year if the Fantasy Zone compilation album hadn't come along.

6. Omega Five Soundtrack
Hiroyuki Iwatsuki.

7. Contra Dual Spirits ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Haven't actually listened to this album, technically, but I've heard Contra 4's music. Almost as good as Contra 3's. That is just about the highest compliment that can be given to a composer.

8. PSYVARIAR "THE MIX"
Manabu Namiki. Chiptune artists like chibi-tech and hally. And somehow they were all outdone by Ryu Umemoto and his audio translation of launching a spacefighter and shooting everything.

Also pretty keen: Raiden IV, MM9, Rockstar Busters, Bangai-O, just about every other SuperSweep album released in '08

1. PSYVARIAR "THE MIX"
2. Fantasy Zone: Ultra Super Big Maximum Great Strong Complete Album
3. Rockman 9 OST
4. Sorcerian Mega Drive Version Original Sound Track
5. Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida. 1&2 Giant Recital
6. CONCERTO ~The extraordinary world of Concerto Gate~
7. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon ~Labyrinth of Forgotten Time~ OST
8. Drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura-

In years past I have always pretty much refused to do such polls, namely because it's hard to remember what came out in Jan~March and whatever came out later in the year is what is "fresh" in people's minds, so those usually get picked...

This year, I decided to go for it, mainly because using vgmdb's Calendar feature was vital and made things much easier. I picked my tops FOR EACH MONTH and then made selections from that for the final list.

March and September were big months with lots of good albums each, while June was freaking dead on arrival.

1. Boom Blox Original Music
"Blocks Up Hoe Down" is, in my opinion, the best track of 2008. Guess I have a weak spot for wild western tunes, and this one has so much "feel good energy", it hits me in an awesome way. The rest of the soundtrack is also quite good.

2. de Blob Original Soundtrack
Long live '70s funk!

3. Sam & Max Season Two Soundtrack
Predominantly jazz, yet still a varied soundtrack to go along with the various episodes. Got my sax fix from it.

4. Twisted Metal Symphony
Holds the music from TM 1 & 2 (which is ultra hot), plus some tracks from TM Black (which I don't like so much, but it's alright), and finally, the soundtrack to the latest game in the series, TM Heads-On (which was great to my surprise).

5. Sekaiju no MeiQ 2 Original Soundtrack
Yuzo Koshiro's magic from the past applied to the present.

6. Death Smiles Original Soundtrack
I often hear about how great Manabu Namiki is, and from having listened to this soundtrack, it's hard to deny. Should check out more of his works if I can find the time.

7. Söldner-X: Himmelsstürmer Complete Edition Original Soundtrack
Pretty good electronic/techno with retro influences music. In addition to the tracks from the PC game,  this CD contains the new tracks composed for the PS3 release.

8. LittleBIGMusic
Didn't have time to digest this one fully yet as it was released only recently, but from my initial impression, it makes me want to keep a close eye on the composer's (Daniel Pemberton) future works. Not the most dynamic music, but the oldies moods are quite interesting and somewhat reminiscent of Bully.

These are the soundtracks of 2008 that had the biggest impact on me so far. However, I must admit I haven't heard (or digested) everything, so I probably omitted a number of really spectacular ones. Some that I'm aware that could have made the list include: Super Mario Galaxy, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Symphonic Shades, Persona 4, Destination: Treasure Island, and PSYVARIAR "THE MIX. I'll try to explore these, along with the others mentioned so far, in 2009, and hopefully will be able to keep the backlog minimal (why is there so much good music... can't keep up with all of it argh! ;p).

1. Super Mario Galaxy Original Sound Track Platinum Version
2. La Tale Original Soundtrack
3. No More Heroes Original Sound Tracks
4. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Soundtrack
5. de Blob Original Soundtrack
6. Sekaiju no MeiQ² *shoou no seihai* Original Soundtrack
7. Valkyria Chronicles Original Sound Track
8. Halo 3 Original Soundtrack

1. Persona 4 Original Soundtrack
2. Siren Original Soundtrack
3. No More Heroes Original Sound Tracks
4. Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon Soundtrack
5. Sengoku Basara X Original Soundtrack
6. Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack
7. Infinite Undiscovery Original Soundtrack
8. Soma Bringer Original Soundtrack

Honorable mention: Rockman 9
Disappointing albums: Silent Hill Origins OST (the gamerip is good though) & Silent Hill Homecoming OST

2008 was my first year as a VGM aficionado, so most of the composers and their works had been unknown to me before I gave the album a listen (Infinite Undiscovery, Soma Bringer, No More Heroes Original Sound Tracks etc.) and only two albums disappointed me. Missed most of the arrange albums because I didn't feel like listening to arrangements before getting myself acquainted with the original work.

1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Over 300 tracks by 100-or-so artists. How can I say no? Most of the arrangements were actually good, in my opinion. And there were some great original compositions, such as "Final Destination".

2. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
My favorite DS soundtrack as far as I know. Yoshito Hirano brings big sound to a little system. Too bad the audio signal had to be compressed in order to work. If any DS game ever deserved a full arrange album, it's this one. You can tell that Yoshito Hirano tried his best to convey a full rock/orchestra sound on the DS, and the melodies are wonderful.

3. Rockman 9 OST
It took a bit for me to grow into this one, but I like most of the tracks and they are catchy to boot.

4. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia OST
Probably the best handheld Castlevania soundtrack. A lot of great tracks and little filler. I may be biased since I played the game before hearing the soundtrack, but it's good stuff.

5. Super Mario Galaxy OST Platinum Version
Not only the best Mario soundtrack, but a soundtrack with some epic, standout pieces. Mahito Yokota did a fantastic job on this, but knowing the details of Koji Kondo's influence on the soundtrack, he deserves mad props as well.

6. Death Smiles Original Soundtrack
Namiki. ROCKIN'. Nuff said.

7. Omega Five Soundtrack
Hiroyuki Iwatsuki returns after being hidden away for so long. It's not one of my favorite albums of his, but it's still great, and has some cool SuperSweep arrangements.

8. No More Heroes Original Sound Tracks
I really like the aggressive style of many of these tracks. It makes for great driving music.

Note that the top two don't have album releases, but they were too important to not be on this list. Also, there are still a lot of albums released this year that I didn't hear, unfortunately, so they obviously aren't on the list.

1. Valkyria Chronicles Original Sound Track
2. Soma Bringer Original Soundtrack
3. Sigma Harmonics Original Soundtrack
4. CONCERTO ~The extraordinary world of Concerto Gate~
5. Echochrome

The only one to really make me stand up and take notice was Valkyria Chronicles.  It was nice to see some new stuff from Hiroki Kikuta, Yasunori Mitsuda and Masashi Hamauzu <3.  Echochrome was oddly beautiful.

Wow, interesting poll system. Very cool!

1. Symphonic Shades - Hülsbeck in Concert
2. Sekaiju no MeiQ² *shoou no seihai* Original Soundtrack
3. Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack
4. No More Heroes Dark Side
5. SoulCalibur IV Original Soundtrack
6. The Black Mages III Darkness and Starlight
7. The Last Remnant Original Soundtrack
8. Falcom jdk Band 2008 Spring

I answered a similar poll like this but with arranged and original scores split. This poll just reflects to me how much more interesting the arranged albums were than the original scores. There were so many great arranged albums to choose from but I really struggled to find a top spot for the original scores. Lots of good and great ones, but not much I thought was really outstanding. Symphonic Shades, No More Heroes Dark Side, and Falcom JDK Band 2008 were all stunning and creative productions though.

I cheated a little bit and postponed the poll deadline till early next week, so those of you who have yet to vote be sure to get those picks in!   Not to worry, the results will be tallied as planned.  (I'm taking a sneak peak at the early results right now actually.)

Here are my own overdue picks:

1. Macross Frontier OST 1
2. Macross Frontier OST 2
3. Nights ~Journey of Dreams~ Original Soundtrack
4. Metal Gear Solid 4 Original Soundtrack
5. Afrika Original Soundtrack
6. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix Official Soundtrack

I know I should be focusing on game soundtracks, but the themes that had the most impact for me over the course of the year came from Macross Frontier.  Nights Journey of Dreams is a veritable exhibition on the "variations on a theme" style of composing - and a whole lot of fun in the process - while Metal Gear Solid 4 could make the list on cinematic effect and technical merit alone (though that's not all it has going for it).  Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD modernizes a classic soundtrack and made me a bona fide fan of the original in the process.

Close but no cigar:
-Gyakuten Saiban 2008 Orchestra Concert - Some genuinely fun arrangements on here but the suite tracks bore me.
-The Last Remnant OST - Take out a disc or so's worth of mundane filler and we have a contender.

Edit: The poll's long-expired by now but as I didn't get around to hearing Afrika OST till 2009, I'm retro-actively adding it to my picks.

1. Professor Layton and the Curious Village OST
What happened to Nishiura lately? I couldn't care less for his Dark Cloud soundtracks but Layton is pure gold. As if the chip sound itself wasn't enough the OST also treats us several delicious live arrangements, yum!

2. Armored Core: For Answer OST
Booting the AC:FA demo and hearing Someone is Always Moving on the Surface for the first time may have been my gaming moment of 2008. I surely wasn't expecting this from an Armored Core game. And it's not just this track, the OST is filled with memorable tracks that keep the same mood. Amazing.

3. Soma Bringer Original Soundtrack
Another one of those "what happened here" moments: a 3 disk Mitsuda soundtrack (almost) rivaling Trigger and Cross in quality compositions. Got loads of playtime this year as I dig just about every track. Judging from what I heard playing World Destruction (what's taking them so long to release an OST?) Mitsuda is back people.   

4. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia OST
Best Castlevania soundtrack in a long while, an awesome supplement to an awesome game. So many memorable new songs, it's crazy!

5. Live Music by Piano and Strings: Sekaiju no MeiQ I & II Super Arrange Version
While the Sekaiju 2 arrange album failed to grab me, this more than made up for it. Once again shows the genius of Koshiro: his works can be rearranged into oblivion and still be interesting (just look at the plethora of Sekaiju doujin releases).

6. Sekaiju no MeiQ 2 Original Soundtrack
The original. Didn't grab me as much as the first but still pure quality.

7. Drammatica ~The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura~
I'm by no means a Shimomura fan, but this disc happens to contain all tracks I do like. Nice compilation with good (albeit very straightforward) arrangements.

8. Super Mario Galaxy OST
Wow, just wow. Most memorable first party Nintendo soundtrack in a long time. Love everything except the boss battles (boooooring).

Final remarks
Is it just me or was 2008 a year of extraordinary quality? Having lost interest over the past couple of years, 2008 brought my attention back to the marvels of video game music. I had a hard time putting this list together, even though I've had to miss out on some pretty big releases (build quite a backlog over the year).

oh and by the way, I restrained myself to VGM related material for this poll as I found it impossible to compare anime soundtracks to VGM (in terms of anime, Macross Frontier OST 2 is my pick for release of the year).

I'm really enjoying reading everyone's picks here, especially the ones with descriptions!  Not to mention taking notes for my next purchases

For the couple of you who listed Super Mario Galaxy OST (regular edition), is there a specific reason you picked it over the Platinum Version?  Should I tally the votes for both versions together?

Oops, forgot to mark my vote as the platinum version... As far as I know it is superior in every way to the normal version, so I'd just tally the votes together

I only picked the regular edition of Super Mario Galaxy OST because that's all I could find when I went to buy it. I listened to all the other tracks on YouTube though, and I would definitely count the two editions together as well.

Displaying the top results out of 85 unique answers submitted.
The percentage of respondents who selected each answer is in parentheses.

1. Super Mario Galaxy Original Sound Track Platinum Version (44%)
2. Rockman 9 Original Soundtrack (36%)
3. Sekaiju no MeiQ 2 Original Soundtrack (28%)
3. Soma Bringer Original Soundtrack (28%)
3. Valkyria Chronicles Original Sound Track (28%)
6. Death Smiles Original Soundtrack (24%)
6. Drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura- (24%)
6. Live Music by Piano and Strings: Sekaiju no MeiQ I & II Super Arrange Version (24%)
6. Lost Odyssey Original Soundtrack (24%)
6. No More Heroes Original Sound Tracks (24%)
11. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia Original Soundtrack (16%)
11. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon ~Labyrinth of Forgotten Time~ Original Soundtrack (16%)
11. Fantasy Zone: Ultra Super Big Maximum Great Strong Complete Album (16%)
11. Sigma Harmonics Original Soundtrack (16%)
15. Falcom jdk Band 2008 Spring (12%)
15. Metal Gear Solid 4 Original Soundtrack (12%)

All hail the Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack! I remember that I voted for three of those in the list which include the Mario soundtrack, Lost Odyssey and Fantasy Zone.

Where is the NiGHTS Journey of Dreams love though guys?

I finally got Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon after weeks of looking and the music on it is top quality. Would have voted for it if I knew and will definetly try to get the Soundtrack.

Just to clarify, are we judging the soundtrack of the game or the soundtrack release? If so, what if a soundtrack didn't get a release?

Adam, are these results weighted by order of preference or does it just add up total mentions?