How do you want to list Breath of Fire 1 which was only released in a boxset!?

I think in that case you'd just write "Breath of Fire (from Soundtrack Box) or something. I'm voting for Mega Man X4 but I know the whole box doesn't count as one entry.

Yeah as Ashley said I would list it as "Breath of Fire (Breath of Fire Original Soundtrack Special Box)".  Or if you just wanted to list the entire box itself that'd be fine really, there's quite a bit of exclusive content on it.

1. Falcom Special Box '94
Still the champ, in my opinion.  Ys IV + Legend of Xanadu + Popful Mail, all arranged beautifully.

2. Ys I & II Chronicles Original Sound Track
I wasn't entirely sold on this when I first listened, but I now view it as the definitive Ys I & II soundtrack.

3. PinkSweets Original Sound Track
The best Cave album I've heard, and the best album with all new material from the last 10 years, in my opinion.  It is very treble-heavy, but I really enjoy it.

4. The Legend of Dragon Slayers
Arrangements from Dragon Slayer, Xanadu, Romancia, Legacy of the Wizard, and Sorcerian, in that early game music style I like so much.

5. Guilty Gear X Heavy Rock Tracks ~ The Original Soundtrack of Dreamcast
The recording quality is sub-par, but the melodies are dynamite.  If they ever did an audiophile-quality remastering of this album,  this could shoot up to #1 on my list.

6. Ys -The Oath in Felghana- Original Sound Track
Listening to older Ys III albums (apart from the redbook) is just not as palatable after this release.

7. Tokimeki Memorial Piano Collection
The ultimate soothing piano music.  A very simple arrangement style is used, which lets the melodies shine through.

8. Perfect Collection Ys IV The Dawn of Ys Vol. 1
The best of the Ys IV PCs IMO.  The first eight tracks are spectacular, and while the rest of the album cools down a little after that, it's still very well done.

9. Game Music Graffiti
Three classic Nintendo albums combined into one (excluding the original music on Game Boy Graffiti).  If I were to pick one album that showcases Nintendo music from the '80s, this is it.

10. Insector X
This has perhaps the best recording quality of any VGM album I have heard.  When I am testing out speakers, I use a track from this album to test the bass.

11. All Over Xanadu
Another classic Falcom arrangement.  Very similar to The Legend of Dragon Slayers.

12. Perfect Collection Sorcerian
The best Sorcerian album ever made (and there were a lot of them).  The first disc is probably the strongest of any of the two-disc Falcom Perfect Collections (except Perfect Collection Ys), while the second disc surpasses most of the others as well.

13. Musics from Super Star Soldier
This has both original and arranged game music on it, and both are superb.  Classic shooter sounds from the TurboGrafx era.

14. ATLUS BEST SELECTION MEGAMI SEKAI MEGATEN WORLD
This album is what got me interested in the Shin Megami Tensei series.  Awesome stuff.

15. MIDI Power Pro 6 ~Akumajo Dracula X Gekka no Nocturne~
We all know the source material on this album is great, and the arrangements on this album are pretty fantastic, too.  The Long Library medley alone makes the album.

16. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Hyrule Symphony
I am a sucker for string ensembles, and this album does great work with one.

17. Falcom jdk Band 2008 Spring
A worthy follow-up to the earlier Falcom JDK Band albums.

18. Perfect Selection Konami Shooting Battle II
My favorite of the Konami Battle albums. To me, it has the cleanest sound and fewer losers than the other albums in the series.

19. Devil Crash / Alien Crush
Another classic TurboGrafx score brought to life.  Yes, there is pretty much only one song in the game, but it is infectious.

20. Ys vs Sora no Kiseki Alternative Saga Collective Music Files
A rocking arrangement of Ys and Sora no Kiseki tunes, plus a whole other disc of the best Falcom music ever made?  I don't see how I can turn this down.

21. Symphony Ys '95
At times soothing, at times moving, always entertaining.

22. OutRun2 SOUND TRACKS
It's hard to not like the bouncy music on this one.

23. Soukaigi Original Soundtrack
A very well-rounded album overall.  Lots of musical styles present, and everything is pulled off admirably.

24. V'BALL
The O'Bits project albums are something special, and this one is my favorite of them all.  Maybe it's for sentimental reasons, as I played Super Spike V'Ball on the NES for hours and hours.

25. Super Mario Bros. 3 Akihabara Electric Circus
Another good representation of the old-time Nintendo sound.

26. Cyber Core
Another TurboGrafx era shooter.

27. DOUBLE DRAGON II The Revenge
28. Ninja Ryukenden II - Ankoku no Jashin Ken
Two more O'Bits albums.  It's hard for me to choose between them, so I put them both on.

29. Hoshi no Kirby: Yume no Izumi no Monogatari
The original music is OK, but the arrangements are top-shelf.

30. Rom Cassette Disc In SUNSOFT
Two words: BLASTER MASTER.

I regret not putting any Bemani artist albums on the list, as I really enjoy the songs on them.  Ryu's Starmine album would probably be in the top 10 otherwise, and dj TAKA's Milestone would also make the top 30.  I haven't spent enough time with Tatsh's Material yet to decide if it would belong, and I expect that wac's Ongaku and Y&Co's new albums could also merit consideration.  I felt like they were not in keeping with the spirit of the list.

I used to share this opinion but something happened; I'm not sure what. I can remember being really impressed the first time I heard it though...

I know what song you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure they lifted it from a Helloween song. You can hear it in the opening riff to "I Want Out". I heard the Devil Crash album first, so I thought it was pretty funny. Solid album, I've rarely seen it available.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjV8SHjHvHk

In general, a lot of the newer Falcom stuff hasn't stuck with me. Not sure if it's the loudness war thing (the clipping in Might Obstacle...oh my god, it's Death Magnetic-bad!) or if it's Jindo's arrangements, but I find myself much preferring the "classic" Falcom era to the newer stuff.

I'm generally not a Cave fan, but the Pinksweets album is easily my favorite album from that camp.

And yeah, Guilty Gear X HRT is conspicuously absent from my list for the recording quality. You can't have rhythm guitars THAT buried in the mix like that. I remember years ago, I would listen to this thing really loud and thought that it was strange that the louder I played it, the more details I'd pick up. Nowadays, that's an immediate sign of a bad recording. It's not the treble-fest that Blazblue's music turned out to be, at least.

I'm listening to all my vgm albums again before coming up with a top 30. In a post I made in a discontinued thread earlier Ibara Original Soundtrack, GötzenDiener Original Game Music, the lunatic: Ibara Remix Tracks, Beyond the Beyond Original Game Soundtrack, and Baroque Original Soundtrack were my top 5 soundtracks of all time.

Really not sure how I'm gonna rank in stuff like Super Mario Bros. 3 -G.S.M. Nintendo 1- Promo.

Of ALL Time??? Well, that makes things a bit difficult, so I'll just say that Final Fantasy VI would deserve to be on such a list, or at least in the discussion. I always loved video game music, but FFVI was the kickstart to my video game collection. 18 years and 300+ CDs later, I'd have to look back and see what would make my personal elite class.

I've decided to dispense with the pomp and circumstance and retitled the poll topic accordingly, as I don't think many people can in seriousness claim to rank the top game soundtracks of all time among the many thousands out there.  What I'm looking to discuss are the soundtracks that the members here consider most essential to their own VGM collections.

Those of you who have posted your picks and want to completely take part please don't forget to actually submit your picks to the poll where it can be tallied.  Deadline for the first batch of results is in a week.

I've got my own picks mostly sorted and am just waiting to write up some blurbs for each.

1. Xenogears Original Soundtrack
- excellent soundtrack; very little filler
2. Wild Arms Original Soundtrack
- Naruke's work was obviously a big reason why the game was a bit hit with me; I'd love to nominate 2nd Ignition but it has far too many problems
3. Tomb Raider (PSX Redbook Audio)
- it may be short but Tomb Raider's music is a big part of what the game brings to the table
4. Biohazard 2 Original Soundtrack
- while some will disagree I see this (and the game) as an improvement over the original
5. Panzer Dragoon II Zwei Original Soundtrack
- the original game may have had an orchestra but I think it was the second game that really cultivated the Dragoon sound
6. Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (NES: Unreleased)
- The music for the first NES game is great as well but this is one hell of a sequel; battle pieces could be better but the score is insanely verstile
7. Super Metroid - Sound in Action
- actually, love the music but I hate Sound in Action
8. Mega Man X4
- sorry, there is no way in hell I can even nominate Mega Man 2. It's played out...
9. Seiken Densetsu ~Legend of Mana~ Original Soundtrack
- again an excellent soundtrack with very little filler
10. Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version
- anyone surprised?
11. Doom (SNES: Unreleased)
- power up Prince's tunes with the SPC700? Yes please! Too bad two tracks had to be cut due to memory limitations
12. Super Castlevania IV (Part of Dracula Best II)
- I know this misconstrues the term but I love how SC4's music is prog-like

I didn't think there was a gamer alive who doesn't see RE2 as being superior in every conceivable way.

That may be true, but I know there are some people who hold RE1's music in high regard. I'm not one of them but the score has it's moments.

1. Shutokou Battle Original Sound Track (ABCA-17)
2. BULLET SOUL COMPLETE SOUNDTRACK (FVCG-1188)
3. Fuujin Ryouiki Eretzvaju Original Soundtrack (AZCA-10018)
4. Assault Suits Valken (TOCT-6861)
5. GUARDIAN HEROES (TYCY-5466)
6. ARMORED CORE REPRISES (FSR-001)
7. Lords of Thunder (Sega CD Redbook)
8. The Terminator (Sega CD Redbook)
9. Android Assault ~ The Revenge of Bari-Arm (Sega CD Redbook)
10. Critical Depth (PSX Redbook)
11. Falcom Special Box '94 (KICA-9020~2)
12. Jet Moto (PSX Redbook)
13. Ys ~The Oath in Felghana~ Original Soundtrack (NW10102660-1~2)
14. Lost Child Original Sound Track from S.S.H Side-B (HBMC-009)
15. Lost Technology + Plus (FNAG-0009)
16. NiGHTS into dreams... PERFECT ALBUM (WM-0601~3)
17. Technosoft GAME MUSIC COLLECTION VOL.7 ~ Reincarnation (TCS-0007)
18. Mushihimesama Futari Original Soundtrack (CVST-0006)
19. ESPGALUDA II Original Sound Track (CVST-0004)
20. SYNTHESIZED2 (GFCA-193)
21. Shin Contra Original Soundtrack (KOLA-016)
22. Wild Arms Music the Best -rocking heart- (KICA-1416)
23. Chaos Legion Original Soundtrack (CPCA-1072)
24. SOULCALIBUR II original soundtrack (SSCX-10086~7)
25. Ys VI The Ark of Napishtim Original Sound Track (YS6OST-1~2)
26. Dead or Alive 4 Original Sound Trax (KWCD-1009)
27. Gungage Original Soundtrack (KMCA-19)
28. Omega Boost Original Soundtrack (SVWC-7032)
29. Tobi Tsukihime Soundtrack (ODZR-0001)
30. Mushihimesama Double Arrange Album (CVAS-003)

I don't like to think this as in any order as my favorites.  It's just a top 30 awesome soundtracks.  Damn I forgot to add Airforce Delta (Dreamcast)...oh well! 

To be honest the first pick is true.  It is my fav. Well, kind of a tie with Airforce Delta.

Crap, I should have included Elder Gate OST....this is why I hate top lists because I think of stuff after the fact.

1. GötzenDiener Original Game Music
2. Beyond the Beyond Original Game Soundtrack
3. Baroque Original Soundtrack
4. Ys III (PC Engine redbook)
5. Fuujin Ryouiki Eretzvaju Original Soundtrack
6. Ibara Original Sound Track
7. the lunatic: Ibara Remix Tracks
8. Bare Knuckle 2
9. Neo Contra Original Soundtrack
10. Brandish Piano Collection

2018 edit
No. 5 could be replaced by Baten Kaitos. No. 7 was a pick due to the last track. Should be replaced by Eternal Arcadia Original Soundtrack.

Axelay should be in there. Not satisfied with this list.

rearranged.

Your first 3 picks are exceptional, and I have (but have not yet listened to) 4, 28, and 29. I remember some guy I traded with a year ago had hundreds of millions of soundtracks, but not Eretzvaju. He asked me to look for it, and, sure enough, I managed to get a copy. I was very shocked by that one and I can understand the 20,000 yen asking prices. I heard Shutokou Battle years ago and was impressed with it. Bullet Soul is one I have had for a while, but finally listened to this weekend. Honestly, Bullet Soul should've been on my top 10 list for 2011. It's just perfect.

I'm surprised to not see Perfect Selection Twinbee on your top 30. Also, you might want to check out this one for some great Blaster Master arrangements (it's worth the high price): http://vgmdb.net/album/28973

Here are the albums that had been on my top 30, but which got replaced this time:

Gradius Arcade Soundtracks - I still love the Gradius soundtrack, but it is a little on the short side.
Perfect Collection Ys - For a very long time, this was probably my favorite VGM album.  I just think that the Ys I & II Chronicles OST does a better job with the material.  In addition, there are a few songs on Chronicles that aren't on PC Ys (the most noteworthy being "Tension").
Eternal Arcadia OST - There are some themes that still really move me, but there is a lot of ambient music that's just so-so.
BeForU - Still a fun album to listen to, but I need to be in the right mood for it now.
Falcom Neo-Classic - I may be the only person who prefers the second disc from this album.  It's still very good; I just don't see myself reaching for it very often.
Rockman II - The Power Fighters - A few years ago, this clearly outclassed every Mega Man album out there.  Now, there is some heady competition.
Katamari Damashii Fortissimo - The good songs are great, but the bad songs are awful.
Zwei!! Super Arrange Version - I don't find myself liking this nearly as much as I used to.
Perfect Selection Twinbee - Half the songs are dynamite, but when I'm listening to the other half, I get really anxious.  I don't like that feeling.
All Sounds of Sorcerian - Really, this was mainly on there for the first and last songs, which are really fun to listen to.
Star Ocean: The Second Story Fantasy Megamix - I still like this one a lot, but others have taken its place.
JDK Band - I think I've just overdosed on this one.

Holy cow, that Fuujin Ryouiki Eretzvaju album is really good!!

Eretzvaju (the music) is kick ass, but it's a loudness war casualty for me. The music itself is great, but difficult to listen to because it is recorded too loud. It's one of the first albums I own where I always wondered why I couldn't get further into it.

Same for me on JDK Band, although I greatly credit Kishimoto and co. for starting me off on great 80's metal. Ditto also for Perfect Selection Twinbee...Inbetween the great, poppy/peppy tracks, there are some real clunkers in there. Most of the non-Battle Perfect Selections have a number of tracks that just scream "delete me". Katamari is great...until I get to the whole second half of the album and even then, I've always just approached it as a nice collection of fun songs. I've sampled some BeforU and the one track that sticks out is Love Shine. The synth on the original Zwei soundtrack annoys the hell out of me, so I tend to use the Super Arrange as an alternate, but it's a sparse listen. Have to actually be in the mood for it. Star Ocean Megamix is always satisfying for a listen, but it's never really been a contender and usually ends up overlooked. Kinda funny how some albums end up like that.

Akumajo Dracula Best
BARE NUCKLE II
Biohazard 3 Last Escape Original Soundtrack
Capcom Music Generation Rockman X1~6
CHRONO CROSS ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
CREID Yasunori Mitsuda & Millennial Fair
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS Original Sound Track
FINAL FANTASY VI ORIGINAL SOUND VERSION
FINAL FANTASY VII Original Sound Track
FINAL FANTASY VIII Original Soundtrack
GRAN TURISMO 4 ORIGINAL GAME SOUNDTRACK
Jet Set Radio Original Sound Tracks
KUKEIHA CLUB pro-fusion ~TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL~
Perfect Selection Dracula ~NEW CLASSIC~
Policenauts F/N
Seiken Densetsu 3 Original Sound Version
Seiken Densetsu / Legend of Mana Original Soundtrack
Shin Contra Original Soundtrack
SILENT HILL ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKS
SILENT HILL 2 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKS
SILENT HILL 3 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKS
SONIC ADVENTURE "Digi-LOG Conversation" Original Sound Track
SONIC ADVENTURE 2 ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK multi-dimensional
Sonic R
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 1&2 SOUNDTRACK
STREET FIGHTER Tribute Album
SUPER MARIO RPG ORIGINAL SOUND VERSION
V'BALL
VAGRANTSTORY Original Soundtrack
Xenogears ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

This was not easy to do!  Just an unofficial list in alphabetical order for now.  Will actually answer the poll after I rank them.  Only factored in albums that I currently own and left out solo works like Akira Yamaoka's iFUTURELIST and Kukeiha Club's HOPE.

Wow, no Sonic Colors or Sonic Generations, Mikey?

Just a notice that I am totally for real tallying the poll this weekend.  Seriously, I mean it this time.

It'd be nice to have a few more voters in there so you regulars please take a few minutes to punch in your picks if you're interested.  You can easily tweak the order or post your picks to the forum sometime later by just clicking the "Answer Poll" link again.

Haha I can't stress the This was not easy to do! part enough.  I didn't wanna saturate my list with certain series (Sonic, Silent Hill, Final Fantasy) so I chose a few from each.  Sonic Gens was on my list at one point but it got bumped out for some reason.  Tried to keep my top 30 as diverse as I could.

Not much of a regular (more of a lurker) but here we go.

1. Kirby Super Star (SNES Game Rip)
2. Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version
3. SaGa Frontier Original Soundtrack
4. Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Original Soundtrack
5. Seiken Densetsu 2 Original Sound Version
6. Earthbound (SNES Game Rip)
7. Breath of Fire III (Breath of Fire Original Soundtrack Special Box)
8. CLANNAD Original Soundtrack
9. Unlimited Saga Original Soundtrack
10. Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack
11. Persona 3 Original Soundtrack
12. SILENT HILL 4 -THE ROOM- ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKS
13. Romancing SaGa 3 Original Sound Version
14. Seiken Densetsu ~Legend of Mana~ Original Soundtrack
15. Breath of Fire V Dragon Quarter Original Soundtrack
16. Atelier Iris GRAND FANTASM Original Soundtrack
17. Soukaigi Original Soundtrack
18. Kud Wafter Original Soundtrack
19. AIR Original Soundtrack
20. FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES Original Soundtrack
21. Persona 4 Original Soundtrack
22. Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version
23. Gyakuten Saiban 3 Original Soundtrack
24. Fate/stay night Original Soundtrack
25. Shizuku • Kizuato Original Soundtracks
26. Genso Suikoden Original Game Soundtrack
27. WILD ARMS Complete Tracks
28. Dousei & MOON. Original Soundtracks
29. Phantom Brave ~Original sound track~
30. WILD ARMS the Vth Vanguard Original Score Vol.2

That,... was tough. Still not happy about the order. Mostly based it off my current listening habits and not my overall collection. Left off original and fanmade stuff because I know no one cares about that here.