So I count about a dozen or so quality releases so far this year, and I figured I'd be nerdy and rank my top five.

5) Lost Child Infinia
hosplug on disc 1, kt2 on disc 2.  I bought this for kt2 because his Abandoner stuff blew me away.  Moody as all hell, atmospheric, and just kinda puts you deep in thought about life without really knowing what the game is even about.  Whoever kt2 is (anyone got any info on him/her/it?), I can't wait to see more of his/her/it's music in the future.

Some of my faves from this album: Some Desires and Some Memories, Nankou, Days I, Go Out Alone, That Moment, Dual Moon.

4) ESPGALUDA II Original Sound Track
Manabu Namiki does it again!  This is like a mix between Battle Garegga and Wangan Midnight 2 which, for anyone who knows what those sound like, is an amazing combo.  Several hints of ESP 1's music all throughout in remixed form really adds to the enjoyment, since I *LOVE* the soundtrack to the first game, which if you ask me is one of the greatest shooter soundtracks of all time.  Mitsuhiro Kaneda's one and only track on here is great.  He's a man to watch in the future.

Some of my faves from this album: Mutiny - Fate is with the Girl, Aerial - Sadness Bathes in Dust, Galuda - Becoming Complete, Kujaku.

3) Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack
Now I really didn't listen to much of this yet, maybe 2/3 of disc 1 and a few random tracks from the other three discs.  But from what I did listen to, AMAZING!  The "Opening Movie" track is an epic masterpiece, Boss Battle rocks, Royal Capital Rabanastre reminds me of a longer/happier FFT town theme, and you gotta love Sakimoto's take on the Chocobo theme, fanfare, and Gilgamesh!  This will probably move higher on my list once I play the game and can listen to ALL the music.

Some of my faves from this album: Opening Movie, Boss Battle, Royal Capital Rabanastre / City Upper Ground, Giza Plains, Clash on the Big Bridge.

2) Castlevania Minuet of Dawn & Akumajo Dracula Cross of the Blue Moon Original Soundtrack
This is here mainly for Dawn of Sorrow, since Konami really destroyed Aria's transfer onto this set (extremely muffled is putting it lightly).  Dawn of Sorrow though, oh baby.. Yamane and Kimura combine to create the BEST DS soundtrack to date.. yeah, even topping my main man Phoenix.

Some of my faves from this album: Subterranean Hell, Dracula's Tears, Demon Guest House, Pitch Black Intrusion, Condemned Tower, Demon Castle Pinnacle.

1) Akira Yamaoka / iFUTURELIST
At first, I really didn't like this CD.  I popped it in and was like.. wtf.. this is Yamaoka?  But once I gave it a chance and really let it sink in, it started to grow on me.. big time.  This CD is GREAT for car rides as it really pumps you up and puts you in an overall good mood.  Sure the Maria track doesn't fit with the rest of the CD and the lyrics to INJECTION OF LOVE are dirty as hell.  But hey, this CD's greatness really shines and further proves how much of a genius Akira Yamaoka really is and how diverse he can be.  Think about it.. DEVIL'S LYRIC from the first Silent Hill, DEAREST from Shin Contra, and LOVE ME DO from this CD.. all created by the same person.  Yeah, thought so.  I've loved the man since Silent Hill, and he has yet to disappoint me.

Some of my faves from this album: LOVE ME DO, INJECTION OF LOVE, iFUTURELIST, EMPTY OF THE SKY, Lion Suki, Heavenly Sun, Season of Madness.

------

Now it's your turn!

-Mike

I'm just going to alphabetize my list. So far, I haven't heard too many of the new releases of '06, but Final Fantasy XII has disappointed me so far. I'm looking forward to Tobi Tsuhikihime and the Valkyrie Profile selections, so this list could change in the future. Let's poll it up again in January of '07.

Akira Yamaoka - iFuturelist

I'm going with Miker on this one. I didn't really care for iFuturelist when I first heard it, and then I loved it, and then I hated it, and then I enjoyed Yamaoka's edits for IIDX instead of the full album... and then it hit me that this is probably one of my favorite albums that has been released in the past several years. "LOVE ME DO" and "INJECTION OF LOVE" are way up on my "best-Yamaoka-ever" list, and some of the new tracks are great. Either way, I see this as a successful release for Yamaoka, who deserves a ton of credit for doing what he wants, when he wants to do it. It just took me a while to warm up to it.

Devil Summoner Sound Collection

This was a tasty little treat that Conn hooked me up with a couple of months ago. Unlike most people, I'm embracing Meguro's newer Devil Summoner stuff, and this disc is no exception. Remixes of old stuff, new stuff, great jazzy fusion and some straight forward Megurock? Yeah. I'll take it. It's only about a half hour long, but it's a damn sweet half hour!

Lost Child Infinia

History Repeats Itself was a HUGE surprise for me last year because I had no idea who KT2 was, but I am super glad that I picked that album up. When I heard that LC Infinia was being released, I was pumped. Disc 1 is pretty good, but disc 2 is where the real meat (and heart) of the album is. KT2 has a way of getting into the deepest crevices of his listeners' hearts and cuts along the most sensitive areas with surgical accuracy; listen to "Dual Moon" and tell me that you're not amazingly sad for no good reason. KT2 is an great composer that can handle the depressing minor-chord piano-infused drum'n'bass style of some of the old Yamaoka we used to know with a new finesse and an even deeper connection with the listener. This is an amazing, amazing, amazing disc.

Lost Child Side-Z, The Final

About half of this album is comprised of remixes of older Lost Child stuff, but I love S.S.H, and I love Lost Child, so I ate this album right up. It seems like the instrument samples have more bass and a deeper sound, and the new compositions like "Akarabeth" and "Warriors of Destiny" stand strong with the classics like "L.L." and "Rambling Feather" (both of which were rearranged for this album). It's an expensive little bitch to hunt down, but I love it. There is no such thing as too much S.S.H.

Samurai Champloo, Hip Hop Samurai Action

Talk about a sleeper; Masafumi Takada and Jun Fukuda fly off the killer7 cuff and produce a deceptively simple instrumental hip hop that grooves deeper and deeper with each listen. I was initially turned off by no "standout" tracks, but that was just me being a prick and not giving the album the full treatment it deserves. "Out Like a Log" and "Strange Flower" are two of my faves.

I give all of these albums my recommendations, whatever that means to you. I can understand why some people wouldn't dig all of them, however, but I will say this: Lost Child Infinia is amazing, and everyone should own that soundtrack. Immediately.

Genso Suikoden IV Music Collection ~Another World~ surprised me with an instrumental explosion. While there are a few tracks on there not exactly suited for all the time (and those off-kilter Town on a Canal tracks), very relaxing, very well performed by Yuji Yoshino. Well, if you like (very laid-back) jazz and especially the guitar, sax, and bandonean this album was worth all those months of delay.

Rogue Galaxy Premium Arrange had some goods on it. Typical goodness from Mitsuda, Hosoe, Sano, and Hibino's "Ghost Ship" make this album a winner.

Not going to attempt to put these in order...

Genso Suikoden V OST - Not the return to greatness of S1/S2, but not far off either. There could be fewer filler tracks, since you should basically never have 4 discs and barely any looping. Oh well, Disc 4, all the battle/town themes and especially "Wind of Phantom" cement this as a classic Suikoden entry. Hopefully an arranged album will grow out of this one soon...

Hiroki Kikuta's "Lost Files" - If I had to pick one disc this year I've gotten the most out of, this would be it. Strong diversity and a peek into Kikuta's old-school roots. The "Island of the Lost Souls" tracks are all wonderful.

Ibara/Under Defeat - Both are Shinji Hosoe doing some of his strongest work. Ibara's the better of the two, but UD has grown on me considerably and "Way Back That Was Shut" and "Toward a Mistake" (which reminds me of Bowser's SMB3 theme...in a good way) are both classics.

Atelier Iris: Grand Fantasm - Nakagawa and Tsuchiya continue to improve a winning formula. It's old school RPG music, but it's done right (and consequently, I find it better than most "new school" RPG music). Great vocals, excellent battle themes. Still can't decide if I like this or Ar Tonelico more...

Rumble Roses XX - YES! One disc full of deliciously cheesy image songs/entrance themes, another full of hard rock themes (in-game BGM probably). Almost too many favorites to list. Helps to keep in mind what type of game this is to...The overall quality surprised me.

Honorable mentions:

ESPGaluda 2 (just got it and have only listened to a bit of it...I'm a big fan of the first one)
FM Sound Module Maniax (fun as a novelty release)
Ninety Nine Nights (Worth noting for "Hammerfall")
Legend of Heroes VI SC (great battle themes, solid effort all around...Can't wait for the the vocal/super arrange)
Wild Arms COMPLETE Tracks (nice to see justice prevailing for once)
King of Fighters XI Sound Collection (shoddy presentation, but great themes all over)
ABSOLUTE AREA -Project Thunderforce VI- (not as mind-blowing as BROKEN THUNDER, but still great. Hopefully we'll see more Project Thunderforce VI releases)

Good first half, but I'm already looking ahead to the second half as topping it: both Wild Arms arrangements, Atelier Iris 2 arranged, both LOH VI arranges, both VP2 arranges plus the live album, Black Mages 3, Bullet Witch/Carnage Heart from Super Sweep, Final Fantasy 3 DS and the Metal Slug Sound Box. And that's only what's known thus far.

Quick question...where are you guys getting the ESPGaluda II soundtrack?  I'm not seeing it at the usual suspects (CDJapan, Amazon, VGMWorld), and Play-Asia is listing it as "Announced-Pre-orders coming soon".

I'm sure they're just downloading it.  I've seen it for download at a certain Chinese website.  I think I'll just wait for play-asia to start taking preorders.

I guess I'll list my top 5, so we don't get too off topic

1. Dirge of Cerberus OST
2. Final Fantasy XII OST
3. Baten Kaitos II OST
4. Valkyrie Profile 2 OST (the first half, anyway).
5. Legend of Heroes SC OST

You crazy, crazy people.  PERSONA 3, yo!

Also, Okami is pretty damn good once you delete all the ten-second tracks...

1. Final Fantasy XII
2. Dirge of Cerberus
3. Breath of Fire Box Set
4. tbd
5. tbd

Best reprints go to Estpolis and Vagrant Story, by far.  Love the old Lufia music and Vagrant Story is so much better mastered than the old one.

~jb

Disc 2 of the Lost Child Infinia soundtrack is definitely on the top of my list so far. Other than that it's just been a few tracks here and there that I liked, but no whole album I really got into yet. FFXII's been hit and miss so far (still playing it). I liked most of Rule of Rose's music, but there wasn't a lot of it and what was there was overused a bit.

Kt2 seems to be somewhat of a mystery guy; I don't even know how to pronounce his name (maybe something like Kitani?). He didn't just compose for but also directed the No Reality and Abandoner games. Aside from Infinia and some of his remixes of Lost Child tunes the following albums containing his music were released:

No Reality OST
Abandoner OST
History Repeats Itself (Abandoner and Lost Child music)
Tama-Soft Artist Collection Vol.3 For You... From Here the Edge

There are supposedly also two other releases for the No Reality soundtrack (preorder bonuses, I believe) which have less tracks on them than the UKAS-0001 version.

1: Final Fantasy XII
2: Dirge of Cerberus
3: Suikoden V
4: tbd
5: tbd

I want those.

1) Okami Original Soundtrack
Right now, my main contender for Soundtrack of The Year.  The Okami OST is insanely beautiful in every sense of the word, from composition, instrumentation quality, and even packaging.  Sans the seconds-long tracks (Still, I'd rather have them than not), I'm absolutely delighted with the music, and it makes waiting for the game all the more painful.  It's a rare occasion when a musical score can stand so readily on its own, but it can only get better when accompanied by its contextual meaning.  September's domestic release can't come soon enough.

2) Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Original Soundtrack
Another solid score from my boys at Namco Hometek. (Right, it's actually Namco Bandai now.)  I never tire of the Ace Combat sound, and there's some fantastic new direction they've gone with for Zero.  There's a bit more progressive industrial involved, which hybrids with the epic, pulsing flavor of AC beautifully.  Not to mention the more prominent use of both electric guitar and the Spanish flamenco instruments in actual mission themes give the music a familiar, but newly-realized dimension.

3) Kingdom Hearts 2 Original Soundtrack
Downgraded synths aside, Shimomura's created what I feel to be one of her finest soundtracks to date.  Composition wise, I think KH2 is quite a few steps above its predecessor, with its rousing, edgy battle themes being the main highlight.  The Gummi Ship songs are also tremendously enjoyable to listen to, and although "Passion" was underwhelming as a vocal piece, the Atlantica song set is superb.  I should really try and continue with the game; I think I stopped at Port Royal?  If they put the Kraken in KH3, I'd hit that up in a heartbeat.  ^_^ 

I was disappointed with Suikoden V..... I suppose I really was expecting too much of a return to S1/S2 greatness.  I want to give Kikuta's Lost Files a listen, not to mention Atelier Iris: Grand Fantasm, and, of course, the upcoming Wild Arms Feeling Wind and Rocking Heart albums.

.

I got both of them off YJA myself. They're not too rare and usually go for a reasonable price. I bought the Abandoner album for around 5000 yen, but you can probably get it for less. There's one up for auction right now:
http://page10.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/m29112067

And here's one for the No Reality album:
http://page7.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/g41835872

Although it now shows up fairly often, I actually searched for the No Reality OST for over a year while I was in Japan without success. Then, about two weeks after I leave Japan, it suddenly pops up at YJA for $0.05, but now I had to use a deputy service which boosted up the final amount to $26 Still a great deal though.

01. Under Defeat OST
-This is how Hosoe is supposed to sound.  More like this please.

02. Estopolis Biography
-Worth it for the GBC music alone.

03. BoF Special Box
-Expanded BoF1-3 music is teh win.

04. FFXII OST
-Classic Sakimoto quality + John Williams' Star Wars sound = FFXII

05. FFXI ToAU OST
-Another solid entry in the FFXI sound series.

Note: I have not heard stuff like Ibara or FM Sound Maniax yet, so I can't comment on them.

The game gets better. Much better. About a week ago, I started it again and finished it in five days. Very compelling. It's shorter than the first but oh so good. Music isn't bad either. Certainly better in game than on disc. The "Tron" pieces are especially a trip.

Can you guys tell me where you're getting your music sources online? I can't find any place that's up to date with your aforementioned collections like Lost Child, Espgadula etc.

Bah. I will not be limited to CD releases! Gamerips are people too!

5. FM Sound Module Maniax - Fun, for the most part. The usual suspects impress (Shimomura) and disappoint (Hosoe).

4. Wild Arms Complete - A long-overdue FINALLY.

3. Ape Escape 3 - Fun bouncy stuff, and much better than I would've guessed Terada could be.

2. New Super Mario Bros. - This has really grown on me, none of the stage themes slouch, and it's better than anything Kondo has produced in ten years (yes, I know it wasn't him, that's what I'm saying - these people are Mario's future).

1. Kingdom Hearts 2 - Complete reversal in quality compared to the lousy first album. Many, many great tracks, 13th Struggle making up for the last few years of Shimomura humdrum all on its own. Yoko's back, baby, and I hope she stays this time.

Well, that's no fair.  If that be the case, splice this one just between Ace Combat Zero and Kingdom Hearts 2 for me.

"The Legend of Ninja-Style Sumo" for best new battle theme of the year.  Make it happen!

In no particular order:

Atelier Iris Grand Fantasm OST
FFXI Aht Urhgan OST (no, I'm serious)
Disgaea 2 OST
Persona 3 OST
Tales of Legendia OST

In no particular order...

1. Children of Mana
2. Xenosaga 3
3. Heroes of Might and Magic V (does this count - the game came out in 2006, but no OST)
4. Final Fantasy III DS  (not out yet, but I know it'll make this list)
5. <blank>

There's not really much...

~Andy

1) Dirge of Cerberus: great symphonic music and electronica. Hamauzu just keeps getting better and better.
2) Ôkami: lovely Japanese music. Can't wait for the game!
3) Rogue Galaxy Premium Arrange: Hibino + Hirota + Aihara = win.
4) TBD. Probably "God Tracks", from Clover's "God Hand". Silly Western-ish music and electro pop for the win.
5) TBD.

The Best:

Ibara - Awesome rock surrounding the beautiful gem "Rose of Zeal".

The Rest:

Lost Child Infinia - Disc 1 isn't bad, but Disc 2 is clearly where this set shines. Amazing stuff from Kt2, dare I say like it more than any ambient stuff Yamaoka has done (and I love Yamaoka). 

Under Defeat Extended Version - The OST was solid, but this disc really infused life into the selected tracks, "Huge Dead End" is phenomenal.

HyperDuel OST (remastered) - It's Ts, it's awesome.

Shikigami No Shiro III - Each subsequent score in this series improved with this being the best thus far. Not a huge proponent of dancey-technoey music, but this is smooth.

Not a strong year in terms of quantity but definitely impressive for quality.

If you're talking about buying, YAJ has anything you could want, but Kahori stocks Lost Child Infinia. Also Galuda II was just released on the 26th (and can only be bought on YAJ for the time being), so I doubt anyone here actually owns that one legally yet.

1. Shadow the Hedgehog, no bloody contest. Best thing I've heard in years.

and the rest is in random order:

2. Dirge of Cerberus: Hamauzu is better when they take the piano away from him.

3. Dawn of Sorrow: didn't even know there WAS a soundtrack until I read this thread. Gotta go and find it now.

And that's about it. It's been a really slow year so far, and FFXII was boring as hell in every possible way. I have high hopes for Zelda, but I'm not looking forward to anything else at the moment.

Seriously. What a disappointment.

Different strokes, I guess. I thought it was brilliant.

Agreed, that track is AMAZING. It is an ambient masterpiece.

Totally. I can recognize that the composition is good, but I just don't enjoy the songs that much.

T'was ace.

There goes mine, sorry, more than 5...

Ace Combat Zero the Belkan War (Keiki Kovayashi)
A very epic soundtrack.
Atelier Iris Grand Fantasm (Ken Nakagawa)
With a powerful intro and some enjoyable battle tunes like "Breath of Beast" or "Thunder Clouds"
Castlevania Aria of Sorrow and Dawn of Sorrow (Michiru Yamane & Masahiko Kimura)
Full of remakes, but some "Bloody Tears" are always welcome.
Legend of Heroes VI SC (Falcom JDK):
Impressive, combines some "old school" songs along with new compositions. "Great Fear", "The Fate of the Fairies", "Fateful Confrontation" and the Full Power "Released Gem" are some of my favourites.
Final Fantasy XII (Hitoshi Sakimoto)
Not the best of the year, but I really like the final battle song "Battle for Freedom".
Lost Child Final Side Z (SSH)
SSH Style, fast arrangements.
Estpolis Biography 2006 (Yasunori Shiono)
A reprint of the original Lufia I and II soundtracks, now featuring music from the GBC Game Lufia III (The Legend Returns).
Riviera the Promised Land Full Arrange (Minako Adachi)
Old School RPG music, catchy tunes, lots of battle themes. Recomended songs "The Angels Foretell their Demise", and the very first stage music "Destiny".
Seiken Densetsu DS Children of Mana (Kenji Ito & Masahuru Iwata)
Great work of Kenji Ito, some remakes of SD1 like "Rising Sun". "Evil Beast" seems a tribute to Hiroki Kikuta's "Meridian Dance".
Wild Arms Complete Tracks (Michiko Naruke)
A soundtrack that every Wild Arms fan should have...
Yggdra Union Arrange Soundtrack (Minako Adachi)
Everysong in this sountrack could be a Final Battle Song, I really love it. IMHO the best soundtrack for a Tactical RPG.

I'm serious about that one too. Others include Dirge of Cerberus OST, Suikoden V OST and Front Mission 5 OST. Not sure about Persona 3 OST yet, but I hope it will grow on me. Oh, and the Breath of Fire Box, even if it has the first two games' boring soundtracks in it.

Not the most productive year looking at it from today's perspective. All might change in the last two quarters, though.

1. Final Fantasy XII
2. Hitman: Blood Money
3. Dirge Of Cerberus
4. Suikoden V
5. probably Silent Hill: Origins

Hitman: Blood Money has been my winner for 2006.

several of your mentioned Okami.  i seem to recall the music being quite lovely in gameplay vids.  is the OST midi or real instruments?  thanks

It's synthesized, but they used high quality synth. The taiko drums sound very realistic.