VGM world is reporting it as being two discs, but both she and GMRonline have it listed as catalog number KDSD-00096~98, which would seem to indicate 3 discs (00096, 00097, 00098?).  Anyone know anything?  Personally I'm really excited about the album regardless, but I would be even happier if it were getting a big three disc treatment. 

The standard price of the set is also that of a usual three disc set. I'm sure the "two" on VGMWorld is just a typo.

3.....discs. I love it. Baten Kaitos restored my faith in VGM. Looking forward like none other to this one.

Baten Kaitos was Sakuraba's best soundtrack in YEARS. I'm definitely looking forward to this one...

I think Star Ocean 3 was better. To me, it is his best soundtrack. Baten Kaitos was kind of a deception... despite its excellent tunes.

I'm really looking forward to Baten Kaitos II though. I hope there will be amazing battle themes.

So I assume Sakuraba is scoring BK2?

Yes, that's known since last year when the developers put up a site where both the composer and the character designer are credited.

Interesting.  I know a lot of people who were actually disappointed with Star Ocean 3.  I sort of felt when listening to it that it was probably Sakuraba's equivalent of Mitsuda's Xenosaga... give him a live orchestra and the actual compositions become much less memorable, being carried by the higher sound quality.  That said, I DO rather like a lot of the SO3 ost - the first town theme makes me melt every time I hear it.  But Baten Kaitos is definitely far and away my favorite Sakuraba work. 

SO3 was merely "okay" to me. The whole time, I couldn't help but feel that Sakuraba didn't have any concept of how to write for an orchestra. The music just droned on and on without any distinct identity of its own. I didn't care for it in the game either, often overpowering the visuals (or worse, the voice acting... although this wasn't his fault). This was particularly irritating to me because SO2 is one of my favorite game soundtracks and I expected equal quality for its sequel.

Oh... I think exactly the contrary - the orchestral tracks are absolutely wonderful in my opinion, and almost every piece from the volume 1 of the soundtrack is memorable. I also love the volume 2, except a few tunes ("I'm the No.1!" ouch...). Really, to me, this is Sakuraba's greatest effort. I was disappointed by Baten Kaitos mainly because it sounds like "SO3 2" with less greatness. Disc 2 of the soundtrack turns to be boring. I don't like his dark themes, they all sound the same. I never noticed that in SO3, only in Baten Kaitos.

Of course I enjoy many tracks from BK, such as the battle themes, but I always felt SO3 was an achievement and BK only a copy of it...

Agreed, though I don't like volume 2 all that much (anyone want the cardboard case that came with OST1? )

I don't know what "doesn't know how to write for orchestra" has to do with enjoyment, either.

-Joshua

Hmm... I've not really thought about this before... I don't really see the similarity between Baten Kaitos and Star Ocean 3's soundtracks... I guess I would sort of describe them as both feeling like Sakuraba but both being a little bit different from his usual stuff.  SO3 feels a bit more epic and film score like, but BK feels to me a bit more melodic and memorable... more in the vein of a "normal" video game soundtrack.  I certainly can't agree at all that Baten Kaitos is a copy of Till the End of Time in any way, though.

By the way, on the old forums I had requested a tracklist if anyone had taken all five discs of the SO3 ost and reordered the tracks into chronological order... I thought someone mentioned that they might be doing that (SonicPanda, maybe?); has anyone done this, perchance?

Lastly, TerraEpon, how many discs does the cardboard slipcase hold?  I've seen a cardboard slipcase in Japan, but it looks almost like it's designed to fit four jewel cases.  The copies of the SO3 soundtrack I have put both discs of each volume in a dual case that's the size of a single case.  What is the case you have like?

Well, I played the two games, and the most memorable soundtrack is, to me, Star Ocean 3. Much more bombastic than Baten Kaitos, and that's probably why I like it more.

SO3 was a sort of transition between his previous works and Baten Kaitos (and so on), don't you think? I am less interested in his post-SO3 works. This is not as passionate as Beyond the Beyond, not as crazy as Shining the Holy Ark, not as emotional as Star Ocean 2 & 3...

I am looking forward to Baten Kaitos II. I want Sakuraba to keep the beauty of BK1's greatest tracks, but to forget these dark and bland themes ("Twisted Time and Distorted Sky", "Awakening Disaster", "Heaven and Earth Panic") even if they work fine within the game.

To be honest, I haven't heard a lot of Sakuraba's older works, which makes it difficult for me to judge.  I rather like the darker style of BK vs. SO3.  Also, I played both of the games as well, so that might have something to do with it.  Baten Kaitos was a much more enjoyable game than I anticipated it being whereas SO3 is one of the worst RPGs I've ever forced my way all the way through.  Dunno if that has anything to do with it, but I will say that I heard the BK ost a while before I played the game and have loved it since then.  I wonder how much of me finding the SO3 ost to be less interesting (but not by all that much) has to do with my loathing of the game itself.

I didn't play either Baten Kaitos or Star Ocean 3 seriously, so my opinions of the music come strictly from the soundtracks:

I think the BK OST is definitely one of Sakuraba's best works, keeping in mind that I haven't heard anything of his that predates the original SO or ToP.  SO3, on the other hand, is dull as dirt, and one of the worst RPG soundtracks I've bought (especially the awful volume 1).  I would even say that both Symphonia and Rebirth (however much Sakuraba did or didn't contribute to these) have better OSTs than SO3.

It's always fun seeing people discussing Sakuraba like this, please go on. =P

I forgot where exactly I got it, but here's the sound test listing from the actual game itself. Not 100% chonological, but close enough.

01 - The Dawn of Wisdom
02 - Into the Undiscovery Ocean
03 - Fly by Contact
04 - Pert Girl on the Sandy Beach
05 - Gaiety Company
06 - Cutting Edge of Notion
07 - Victory Bell
08 - Starless Wavelets
09 - Imbalance
10 - Lakes and Marshes with Doubt
11 - Misted Moon
12 - Evil Shade Crept
13 - Fallen Leaves - Flute Ver.
14 - Chrysanthemum in Winter
15 - The Desolate Smell of Earth
16 - Dreams
17 - Till the End of Time
18 - Expiration
19 - Sail Against the Wind
20 - Malicious Fingers
21 - Takeoff from Home
22 - Into a Storm not Memorized
23 - March for Glory
24 - Fly Away in the Violet Sky
25 - Rust Color
26 - Bracing Forest Wind
27 - Let's Creation!!
28 - Bird's Eye View
29 - Requiem for a Saint
30 - Collapse of Frailty
31 - Safflower in the Castle Town
32 - Lively Step
33 - Adventurous Spirit
34 - What's Up?
35 - I am the No. 1!
36 - Ice Crystal
37 - The Future of Blood-Stained Blade
38 - Around in the Wilderness
39 - Calm Mind Reflected in the Pupil
40 - Reflected Moon
41 - Robe under Cover of Darkness
42 - Frightened Eyes
43 - The Divine Spirit of Language
44 - Manifestation
45 - So Alone, Be Sorrow - Rhythm Ver.
46 - So Alone, Be Sorrow - Piano Ver.
47 - So Alone, Be Sorrow
48 - Imperial Garden
49 - The Outbreak of War
50 - Brass Wings
51 - Preemptive Attack
52 - Moon Base
53 - Influence of Truth Appearance
54 - Like Squashing Grape
55 - Interval of Freezed Time
56 - Fallen Leaves
57 - Twisted Base
58 - People Inside a Fence
59 - Air Harmony
60 - Dark Flare
61 - Bitter Dance
62 - Powerbroker
63 - The Virtual Image
64 - Mission to the Empty Space
65 - Do Evil
66 - Moody Goddess
67 - Highbrow
68 - Divine Indignation
69 - Despair Road
70 - Brilliant Future
71 - Star Ocaen[sic] Forever - Jazz Ver.
72 - Mission to the Deep Space
73 - The Incarnation of Devil
74 - Confidence in the Domination
75 - The True Nature of it All
76 - Beyond the One
77 - More Complicated
78 - You Know it Fails
79 - Intricate Match
80 - Flabbergasted
81 - A Critical Moment
82 - Over the Planet
83 - Crisis of the Earth
84 - Confidence in the Domination ~ band recording
85 - Highbrow ~ band recording
86 - tobikata wo wasureta chiisa na tori ~ STAR OCEAN VERSION
87 - tobikata wo wasureta chiisa na tori ~ Instrumetal[sic] version

I never imagined that somebody could say such horrible things about that soundtrack, although I remember seeing a lot of posts like this about many different subjets, XLord007.

Almost everybody I know and who listened to SO3 love it. This is a big surprise to discover people hating it that much, or at least thinking it has nothing special. Oh, well... at least I love it myself, and that's what is important to me.

Yes, it holds four. I guess it's supposed to hold OST1, OST2, Arrange, and Voice Mix. It says "Sound Complete Box" on the back.

-Joshua