Imagine yourself in the 16th century as a spectator in a medieval tournament. Imagine the spirited music welcoming the throngs, trumpets blaring as you make your way to your seat in preparation of the spectacular battle ahead. Now imagine that music with more of an orchestral flair. The music that you're imagining is probably typical of what you'd hear in Soul Calibur.

When I first purchased the game, I was simply amazed by its sheer beauty and fighting technical perfection. But what I also noticed was the game's orchestral score epitomizing musical excellence in videogames. Just the simple fact that I could notice the music alongside the other aspects of this incredible game says something in itself.

The majority of the music consists of loud, uptempo tracks that capture the thrill of pure battle. There are, however, some tracks that seem to evolve into quieter, moodier pieces. While as a whole the soundtrack does have a distinct sound, there is never the feeling that all the tracks sound too similar to one another. Of course, there are a few exceptions to the soundtrack's overall sound. "Bloom And Harvest" has a uniquely Chinese melody, "Unblessed Soul" makes use of a harpsichord, and "Cursed Image" has a Japanese sound.

My favorite track is "Going To Where The Wind Blows" ("A Feather In The Wind" in the US). This is the song that plays during the art gallery's slideshow. The reprise of the song that plays during the regular art gallery menus is nice enough, a light, soothing musical piece. But the original track is a truly wonderful composition that evokes emotions of a journey long traveled, finally at an end.

The bonus 3-inch disc that comes with the first pressing of the soundtrack includes four songs and, while not absolutely essential, it is a very nice addition. If you liked Soul Calibur's music, you should purchase the soundtrack immediately to ensure yourself a copy of the bonus disc before the first pressing is sold out. "Light & Darkness (Soul Mix)" is an exceptional piece and is better than the original. The piano version of Going To Where The Wind Blows is yet another great rendition of the composition.

Soul Calibur is considered by many to be amongst the greatest fighting games of all time. The music definitely does its part to justify that position. The Soul Calibur sound team has created a soundtrack of epic proportions that perfectly fits the videogame and is yet capable of shining on its own. Play this soundtrack and close your eyes, imagining yourself as an ancient warrior searching the world for the elusive legend of Soul Edge. You'll find out just how well this soundtrack realizes the experience. "Sing, my sword!"

This is the soundtrack to the Dreamcast version of Soul Calibur. Namco's music team has created a superb orchestral soundtrack for the game. All the tracks have excellent instrumentation. There is good use of reverberation and echoing that make the music sound as if live instruments were used. There are a variety of melodies used here, but all retain the epic orchestral feel to them.

Asian and Western music style are represented very well. For example, Xianghua's theme, "Bloom and Harvest", is distinctly Chinese with its string, chime, and percussion implementation. On the other end, you have Western orchestral music like Nightmare's theme, "In the Name of Father", with its brass and percussion.

Every track in the game is on this CD. Almost all character tracks are at least two and a half minutes and loop about twice. The exception to this is Seung Mina's theme, "Eye to Eye, Blade to Blade", which is under one and a half minutes. All non-character tracks (e.g. player select, mission mode) clock in at approximately one to one and a half minutes and loop once. This is very good considering most incidental music I have heard does not last nearly as long. Surprisingly, "Going to Where the Wind Blows: Reprise" (the music from the Art Gallery) lasts even longer.

For those who pre-ordered this soundtrack, there is also a 3-inch single disc. It has two tracks from the arcade version of the game, a medley track, and a piano track. This disc is excellent as well.

A significant downside to the soundtrack is the CD packaging. The CDs are in "tissue" sleeves and put into a cardboard CD case. Handle the CD with care.

For those looking for some extra songs typical of some soundtracks, you will find none here. This soundtrack has no arranged or extended music.

Soul Calibur Original Soundtrack is truly a musical masterpiece. One should listen to this soundtrack on a hi-fidelity stereo system and set the music equilibrium to "classical" or equivalent, then play it loud!