I think it's about that time...

Best OST.

Grand Champion (because I don't feel like renumbering everything): Shin Sangokumusou BB OST. See below.

#1 Atelier Iris Grand Fantasm

Had to think about this one...It's not vastly different from this composing team's previous offerings, but it does feel like they've really hit their niche with it and melodically, is far more impactful than either AI1 or AI2. Highlights are the well-developed boss themes on disc 2 and the 4 vocal tracks.

#2 Blue Dragon

He's BAAACK!

#3 Phantasy Star Universe OST

Lately, I've become accustomed to the PSO sound and this is very much the next step up for all composers involved. Very happy with how this turned out.

#4 Ys Origin (gamerip)

Not everything I hoped it to be, but a fun venture into the new-school Ys sound that's been explored thus far in Napishtim and Felghana.

#5 Rumble Roses XX Original Soundtrack

They really played this one to the hilt...While the game is one of the more blatant attempts at fan-service I've seen, the music is a slick combination of hard rock and more groove-based pop music. I'd probably be annoyed at much of the music were I to hear it alone, but knowing what it accompanies, I can't help but have a good time with it.

#6 Ibara

Some of the Hosoe's best work here. Under Defeat was good, but no question I prefer Ibara by a wide margin.

#7 Legend of Heroes VI SC OST

Didn't care for this a great deal at first because of the extensive amounts of main theme arranges, then it started to grow on me (at least the first CD). Much better sound samples than the original LoH VI OST and mixes in enough trademark Falcom synth-rock with the more orchestral-style pieces.

#8 Ace Combat: Belkan War

Solid AC tunes, seemingly with more of an emphasis on the guitar work. "Mayhem" and "Zero" are probably my favorite two tracks from the series.

#9 Men at Work 1-4 Complete! Original Soundtrack

This was one Teioh got and encoded...Wasn't sure what to expect when I got it (I later found out this was a little-known RPG series from Studio E.go), but it's basically 4 CD's of well-done upbeat melodic techno-funk.

#10 Suikoden V OST

Sup, "Wind of Phantom"! Oh yeah, the rest is good, but the excessive amount of filler and non-looping amazing tracks is maddening. Small glimpses of a return to Suikoden greatness, but still very distant from the series' peak of S1 and S2.

Arranged:

#1 ZX Tunes

Mmmm...Good stuff. The steller OST tracks arranged and their synth upgraded a great deal = easy win. A+ packaging as well...The little art cards and pencilboard are nice extras. Also, it took me forever to tell the cover was Aile listening to a CD...

#2-4 The Trio of Jesus is Dead - Jailbreak, Wild Arms Rocking Heart and Atelier Iris 2 Arranged: Red Lucifer Rising.

All amazing rock arrange albums in their own right. Rocking Heart met my sky-high expectations (it didn't shatter them...That would have been scientifically impossible, but the arrange of "Battle vs Toka and Ge" is easily my favorite track from 2006), Red Lucifer was more of the same from the AI Arranged album from last year (good news) and Jailbreak was my favorite doujin arrange this year and features some slick rock arranges of some familiar (Mother, Megaten, The Scheme) and non-familiar material (Rance)

#5 Legend of Heroes VI SC Super Arrange/Vocal

Mixed reaction...The SC Super Arrange was actually just an instrumental version of the vocal tracks (which were released seperately), but it still turned out well and it included the Super Arrange for the first LOH VI game (which was originally just released as a promo). Nice package, but it should have been much more than it was.

#6 King of Fighters XI Arranged

Kinda have to mention this, but I'm kind of sick to my stomach about SNK passing off a non-looped instrument upgrade as an arrange. Fortunately, the core melodies were nice enough on their own, but that just made the lack of slick 94-00 style SNK arranges all the more painful. So much potential...

#7 Haganebushi

I don't know the history behind the OST of this, but its' arranged tracks turned out really well.

#8 Chaos Seed

Mmm, Sega Saturn upgraded music of an already-hot SNES score.

And it can't be all peaches and green, so...

Most bad/disappointing...

1. King of Fighters Maximum Impact 2 OST

I hold the original in high regard, even putting it on the level as Guilty Gear music as far as fighting music goes. But this...I don't know what happened here, but this can't even pass for a bunch of lousy B-Sides from the original. It's just a bunch of uninspired junk...And that hurts to say, since I've been one of Toshikazu Tanaka's biggest supporters. His other works this year were solid (just not spectacular), but this just flat out sucks. Back to the drawing board with the MI series...

2. Estpolis Soundtrack (reprint)

They really mangled this one to hell and back. The Lufia 2 tracks don't loop (they do in the original print). The 2 arrangements are flat-out awful. And worst of all, the sound volume is far below any normal music I listen to. The inclusion of the GBC Lufia tracks is hardly compensation. I seriously believe the point of reprinting this was to drive the already-insane prices for the original print even higher...

3. LocoRoco OST

I see what they were going for, but this doesn't have any of the charm of certain Katamari tracks and the made-up language it's all in gets old fast. I don't really see myself playing this game with this music...

4. Dirge of Cerberus

FFXII was more or less what I expected, so I don't really feel disappointed with it...DoC and Hamauzu, I dunno though...I keep going back to this one, hoping to find something that will draw me in, but it's really not happening outside of a handful of tracks. I love Hama's FFX and U:S work, but I feel like he slipped a fair bit with Musashi and even moreso with this...I'm fairly confident he'll be back to his FFX/U:S style for FFXIII though.

5. Gradius Tribute

Not quite there.

6. ESPGaluda II

The first is one of my favorite techno soundtracks and has a number of amazing tunes. This one...isn't and doesn't. Solid, listenable work, but a letdown nontheless.

7. Granada Espada OST

I liked a couple of isolated tracks, but this one kind of degraded into a mess of generic trance/techno that just got too tiring to listen through. SoundTEMP's done much better (not too sure about the others who worked on this).

8. Valkyrie Profile 2 OST's

Not bad at all...In fact, I enjoy a fair number of tracks from these and it's amazing in context. But out of context, I'd say about half of this score completely fizzles. I just haven't really built an attachment to it yet, which is disappointing only because VP1 is my favorite Sakuraba score.

9. Persona 3 OST

A decent score all around, but please leave the crap-rap at home next time, Shoji.

Hon. Mentions: Hiroki Kikuta's "Lost Files" and Mintjam's "5th Gig", both of which were highly enjoyable non-gaming related releases from two of my favorite artists. Hopefully 2007 will lead to big things for both of them.

OST

5.  Baten Kaitos II - Loses some points for sounding too familiar, but the best of another great year from Sak.

4. Rockman ZX Tunes - Not as solid as I would have liked, but some good stuff none-the-less.

3. Energy Breaker - Better than Estpolis or Chaos Seed music and old-school RPG music at its finest, awesome stuff.

2. Lost Child Infinia - kt2's disc obviosuly makes this album, but hosplug's disc isn't too shabby.

1. Ibara - Proves Shinji should have been doing straight-up rock all along.

Arranged:

5. Atelier Iris Eternal Mana 2 Arrange - A great idea and good execution, but the original compositions hold it back like the first.

4. Valkyrie Profile Silmeria Arrange - I'm infactuated with "Junk Modulation + One Error Begets Another", but great throughout.

3. Under Defeat Arrange - Took decent songs from the OST to another level and really makes them complete.

2. Gyakuten Saiban Meets Orchestra - Had my concerns about mixing Gykauten with Orchestra, but worked surprisingly well. 

1. Wild Arms Rocking Heart - I'll deem it a Konami Battle album jr., a few more "heavy" tracks and it would have been on the same plateau.  Only makes me wonder (and depressed) what the "pros" could accomplish if they arranged more albums in a similar vein these days. 

Doujin:

5. RE:Resist (Square Music) - Project XL - Not much a fan of trance, but this is some of the absolute best I've ever heard.  After being watered down to no end, they managed to make these Square songs sound fresh.

4 Cadenza (Gyakuten Saiban Album) - Magical Trick Society - Gyakuten music is so awesome it's hard to not like anything anybody does with it.

3. Type-R 2nd Side Chrono Trigger Type-R - Right Stuf - Would be better without the trance tracks.  If they threw those out and combined it with the non-trance tracks of "Le Cercueil Du Reve" (another CT doujin) you would have a classic.

2. Ties for Warzen Folks (Dragon Slayer IV) - Lukar/Dow - This came out last year, but I don't care, it's so good.  But no "All Together Now" is unforgiveable.

1. Lost Vampire Killer (Dracula) - Earth Japan Soft - I love albums with a motely assortment of styles, and this delivers in full force without hindering quality.  Brings me back to a time when Dracula music was untouchable.

My top 10, in order:

01. 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.

02. Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack

Four full discs of Sakimoto goodness.  Can't go wrong there.  Brilliant opening and ending music, excellent area/battle music (Phon Coast!!), beautiful scene music, some nice FF arrangements, and his finest last boss track yet.  This soundtrack is a perfect example of why he's one my favorite composers.  His style is all over the place and I love him for it.  Plus this soundtrack was hammered into my head for the 80 or so hours I played the game, so I'm sure that helped get it to #2.

03. Lost Child Infinia

Here we have hosplug on disc 1 and kt2 on disc 2. I bought this for kt2 because his History Repeats Itself CD 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, I can't wait to see more of his/her/it's music in the future.

04. 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 one of the best DS soundtracks to date.  Still can't decide if I like this one more than Portrait, though.

05. 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.

06. Lost Child Original Sound Track from S.S.H The Final Side-Z

More S.S.H speed metal, nuff said.  If you're angry, this is the VGM for you!

07. Blue Dragon Original Soundtrack

Here you have your basic Uematsu.. piano, synth rock, cheesy vocals, etc.  Gotta love it.

08. Project Sylpheed Original Soundtrack

Sure it's an XBOX 360 game.. but it makes me happy to see Fukui and Nakano on the same disc.  All of their tracks own.  I wish Nakano would do more, he kicked ass with Tobal No. 1, Another Mind, and Dew Prism and then just kinda faded away.

09. Yogurting Original Soundtrack

This is one of those soundtracks no one's ever heard of.  Yogurting is some Korean MMORPG and the music is mad good.  Disc 1, track 10 sounds just like "Cactus" from Mitsuda's Hako no Niwa too, which is awesome!

10. LOST AND FOUND ~ Shadow the Hedgehog Vocal Trax

This is only here for Crush 40.  "Never Turn Back" + driving = win.

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Other decent releases, in alphabetical order:

DIRGE of CERBERUS -FINAL FANTASY VII- Original Soundtrack
Final Fantasy III Original Soundtrack (DS)
FM Sound Module Maniax
Gradius Tribute
Kingdom Hearts II Original Soundtrack
Ninety-Nine Nights Original Soundtrack

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Soundtracks I didn't really get to listen to yet that may make it on the list:

Culdcept Saga Original Soundtrack
Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Original Soundtrack

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Honorable mentions for games that didn't get soundtracks (yet?), in order:

01. Castlevania Portrait of Ruin
02. New Super Mario Bros.

-Mike

Don't forget about FFX and Musashiden II!

I bought a ton of stuff this year but most of it is from years past. I became a huge fan of Namiki this year as well so naturally my favorite OST of '06 is the only Namiki soundtrack I've had the opportunity to hear, Metal Slug 6. It's worth the price of the Metal Slug box set alone. I was skeptical about Namiki doing a "Slug" soundtrack but all doubts have long since faded. It can be easy to dismiss him as a techno-only composer but he does it all on this disc. Actually, Mitsuhiro Kaneda does nearly half the tracks and he shines on it as well. Two of my favorite tracks show Namiki's penchant for funky fusion reminiscent of his work on Armed Police Batrider, an arcade game soundtrack which I made a homemade rip of recently.

I'm begging... someone PLEASE hook me up with a copy of this soundtrack!

I need to make one important edit to my list: Shin Sangokumusou BB caught me completely off-guard. I don't know where Yasumasa Sato came from or what he's done in the past, but his contributions to the CD set completely smash anything I've heard all year. I've always regarded Dynasty Warriors music as decent rock, but not quite on the same level as Guilty Gear or Konami Battle (the usual measure-ups for the stuff) and I was let down by DW5's music (not to mention Samurai Warriors 2). This though...Yeah, it's easily on par with them. Just as memorable, just as brutal and more diverse to boot, with smooth techno and ethnic elements meshed in with everything (see: "In Winter") and even endings. MASA is on the set too, but unfortunately, he mostly seems to be doing touched-up stuff from DW2/3. They just seem like a cool extra to Sato's amazing stuff.

Yasumasa Sato...Write it down and remember it if you like VGM rock. He's good.

(Some copied and pasted from this thread: http://altpop.com/stc/forums/viewtopic.php?id=1315)

My favorite OSTs (and related CDs) from 2006 are:

Akira Yamaoka - iFuturelist

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.

God Tracks

Takada, Takada, Takada. Fresh, funky and enjoyable through and through. It's a shame this CD is such a bitch to get (importing the PS2 God Hand game that the CD is packed in is your only option) because it is definitely one of the most vibrant and unique offerings from 2006. I'm dying for "No More Heroes" OST even more than ever now.

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.

I didn't really catch too many arranges in 2006, but my two faves are:

Atelier Iris Eternal Mana 2 Red Lucifer Rising

It's nothing special, pretty much just a continuation of the first AE Arrange, but it's a solid listen. B material. And, of course, it's SSH rockin' out, so I'm pretty happy about that.

Ridge Racers 2 Special Megamix

REEEEEEEEMIX! Hiroshi Okubo nails 34 minutes of Ridge Racer goodness, all cut and pasted together for a smooth ride. Dance your ass off to this one, because it takes a good number of RR tunes and Ibizas the hell out of them. Four on the floor, yo.

Disappointments from 2006:

FFVII -DOC-. Man, what a boring album. As GX said:

...but this soundtrack just flat out bores the shit out of me, no matter how many times I listen to it. Some people might dig this dark, filler-orchestral Hamauzu, but I certainly do not. The unreleased tracks were, for the most part, pretty sweet, but the official CD release is one big yawn fest. Sure, there are a few tracks here and there that are pretty enjoyable, but for every one good tune like "Arms of Shinra" there are seven grumpy cellos falling asleep at the wheel while driving down This Song Sucks Boulevard. Hamauzu is usually great, but this album is the concrete definition of "meh".

God Hand gets cut short. Even though the God Tracks CD was awesome (look up), I heard a bunch of tunes got axed on the disc. Game rip! Someone! I've been dying to hear that remix of "Rainy Rose".

Final Fantasy XII. Holy shit! I think Sakimoto phoned this one in while he was on vacation in Disney World. I'm not a huge fan of all of Sakimoto's stuff (BOFV and Gradius V are my faves), but this album disappointed the hell out of me. Lots of cheery, campy stuff surrounded by Sakimoto-by-number motifs, canonizations, arpeggios, and shit, whatever faux-intelligent sounding musical terms you kids use to describe those crappy themes and progressions that saturate all four discs of this OST. Two thumbs way down.

So... what's up for 2007?

Best OSTs:

5. TalesWeaver OST - Four disc Japanese version of the soundtrack = hawt release.

4. Persona 3 OST - I liked Burn My Dread, even with the crap rap. Great album, made up for the extremely SHORT Kuzunoha Raidou album.

3. Growlanser V ~Generations~ Soundtrack - I'm fairly certain the whole universe overlooked this album (prolly cuz the game was piss poor). I liked it mucho.

2. Xenosaga III: Also Sprach Zarathustra Original Sound Best Tracks - Kajiura is amazing. Vocalist "Eri Itoh" is all over the album makin' me pee my pants. Has anyone taken time to listen to "hepatica" (disc 2 track 1)?! It will make you cry, if you have a soul...

1. Atelier Iris Grand Fantasm OST - Well everyone ought to know I'm a Gust junkie, and this one really blew me away.

Best Arrange:

5. Atelier Iris ~Eternal Mana 2~ Arranged Tracks RED LUCIFER RISING - I liked Deceitful Wings a lot more, but this was also a great arranged album, thank you SSH!

4. Reading the Stars ~Hoshiyomi~: Ar tonelico Hymmnos concert Side Blue - Not as good as Side Crimson, but still good stuff.

3. Wild Arms music The Best ~ Feeling Wind - Yeah, that's right. The piano collection. I liked this album a lot. In fact, I liked it more than the rock arrange album.

2. Gyakuten Saiban Orchestra Album - Yeah. This album rules the universe.

1. Playing the Moon ~Tsukikanade~: Ar tonelico Hymmnos concert Side Crimson - Orica extracting, COSMOSCAPE, SUSPEND, and RIG VEDA are my favorite songs on here. I was addicted to this album for well over a month. Best vocal album in years.

Huge Disappointments:

3. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Premium Soundtrack (or whatever the hell it was called) - Promo album? No thanks.

2. Final Fantasy XII OST - What the hell happened here? Compare this to Vagrant Story or FF Tactics and it's clear that Sakimoto has done MUCH better.

1. Clare ~Zephyr's Promise~: Ar tonelico hymmnos musical - Don't call it a "musical" if it's ALL acting (drama) and virtually NO singing. Stupid disguise drama albums.

Haven't been keeping up on official soundtrack releases, but for games, I'd vote for Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (best of the portable Castlevanias), Yggdra Union, and Ibara.

I'll also stick up for the Persona 3 OST. I actually really dig the rap tracks.

Heh, and here I was trying to be nice about it...That's probably a much more accurate assessment (right down to my favorite track, even...Well, that and "Azul the Cerulean"). I was legitimately looking forward to it.

I echo much of the sentiments on God Tracks and I could probably work it into my list once it grows on me a bit more (there's quite a bit there to take in...plus I'm too lazy to alter it again). Hopefully a full release is in the works. Definitely one of the more eccentric releases from this year.

This was mostly a year where I found most of the music worked better in the games than on disc (DoC, Xenosaga III, Suikoden V, TotA, Valkyrie Profile II, Okami, KHII). As far as soundtrack listening experiences go, I only listen to DoC and FFXII on a regular basis.

FFXII is at the top for me. The whole thing is masterly written (with a shitload of interesting thematic material). Perhaps not to everyone's taste but to me, always exciting and fresh. As a bonus, it fits the game like a glove (and somehow never manages to irritate, especially considering how long the game can be).

(Still, nothing quite matches the sheer beauty of "Hope of the Future" from DoC. Some of Hamauzu's best work there.)

Gonna cull from a few of my past entries for this one.

5) 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 never did finish the game, but the music - as is the case with most Shimomura scores - is still enjoyable to listen to on its own.

4) Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Original Soundtrack - I thought we'd seen the last of Hibino's involvement with Metal Gear since he left Konami after MGS3, and even though there are others who contributed to Portable Ops, you can readily pick out his tracks.  The same sort of orchestral-style backings, tight electric guitar work, and funky 60s-ish spy-theme motif runs throughout.  True, this is very nearly a direct extension of MGS3's soundtrack, where tracks and musical elements borrow heavily from said score, and even from MGS2.  "Calling Into The Night" is stunningly beautiful, but again, I'm surprised, and quite a bit disappointed that we didn't get PO's version of the "Metal Gear Solid Main Theme" that played in the various trailers.

3) Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Original Soundtrack - Another solid score from my boys at Namco Hometek. 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 beautifully with the epic, pulsing flavor of AC.  Not to mention the more prominent use of both electric guitar and the Spanish flamenco instruments in actual mission themes that give the music a familiar, but newly-realized dimension.  The entire soundtrack kept me engaged, but "Zero" in particular is mindblowing, as is "The Round Table," "Juggernaut," and "Contact."

2) Gyakuten Meets Orchestra ~ Gyakuten Saiban Orchestra Album - This was one of my more anticipated albums this year, and for the most part, they pulled it off well.  The track selection is spot-on fantastic, covering much of the musical high points of the trilogy.  Some of the backing instrumentation still sounds a bit too synthesized in a few cases, and the brass does feel like it's laid on a bit thick in places, but the overall arrangement and medley ensemble is fantastic.  I love the operatic feel of the score, with the recurrent throwbacks to certain melodies -- the Gyakuten Sisters' Theme, in particular -- which really comes to a head by the time we reach "GS3 End/Epilogue."  "Kurain Genealogy" is still my favorite, simply for the thematic choices they've used for the medley; the spiritual side of the series' music, and a track, I think, one would gain more appreciation for as they progress through the next two games.  Oh yes, and of course, "Godot - Fragrance of Dark Coffee" -- piano, strings, sax, all coming together in perfectly delicious harmony.  For those who are in the thick of just getting caught up in the Phoenix Wright phenomena (myself included), I think this is an album that will become finer with age, as we continue to explore these wonderful games and become more acclimated to its musical world.

1) Okami Original Soundtrack - Since its release back in May, Okami had firmly stood as my main contender for VGM Soundtrack of The Year, so it isn't any surprise that it takes the top spot.  The 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; heavily drenched in traditional Japanese, with lots of koto, taiko drums, shamisens, Kabuki chants, and wind instruments akin to panflutes and the shinobue.  Initially giving off the impression of something fairly placid, calming, and soothing, the final score shows that the style of compositions throws out a far wider net, ranging from the serene and mystical, to war-torn pulsing battling, goofy and playful, dark and brooding, and epic and adventurous.  The mixing and editing feels precise and nicely represented, such as how two parts of a single suite of music seamlessly blends into each other, while Ayaka Hirahara's "Reset" consummates this (no pun intended) godly soundtrack.

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Special mention to Magical Trick Society's Gyakuten Saiban Cadenza album; if nothing else, they cranked out one hell of an incredible rendition of the "Questioning - Cross Examination" theme.  I was mildly disappointed with the Suikoden V OST, for the very reasons GoldfishX mentions.  CDs still on the backburner for listening are: Blue Dragon, ZX Tunes, Atelier Iris Grand Fantasm, Rocking Heart, Lost Files, and Ibara.

I think this Namiki guy is a fan of Tsuyoshi Sekito. Track 15 (DISCHARGE) of Metal Slug 6 starts off with a motif directly taken from Brave Fencer Musashi's 'The Steamwood Gone Haywire!' (disc 1, track 18).
Check it out, mayn

I haven't heard the BFM ost but I'll take your word for it. I hear possible influences (maybe not so obvious) in his other comps as well. The second stage theme from Mushihimesama reminds me of the main theme, "HARRIER SAGA", from Space Harrier 2, for example. Speaking of Mushihimesama, has anyone had the opportunity to play Mushihimesama Futari and check out the music? I haven't but I'm dying for a soundtrack release. I wouldn't mind another figurine to go along with it, either

I'd like to amend my post and add Ace Combat Zero Belkan War OST. I didn't discover this album until last month, but it is awesome. It's a fresh sound that the AC series needs; a little of the old with some more progressive, guitar-driven pieces. HIGHLY recommended.

It's been awhile since I've been here. Of course with my return, it can only mean one thing, but that's another story. Meanwhile, I do want to comment on a couple of things that Goldfish brought up.

About KOF XI - So true. While 94-00 concentrated on being it's own kinda song, XI pretty much did a mimic on the OST with a slight spin. This only made a couple of songs worth listening to...and with only one loop tracks (Cha cha cha, or whatever it's called being the only exception), it doesn't make the situation any better. KOF OST was easily among the best in 2006 for the fighting game genre and my personal Top 5 in the entire series. I'd rank it like:

1) KOF96
2) KOF99 (VERY underrated)
3) KOFXI
4) KOF98
5) Take your pick

As far as arranges go, they need stop the mirrors from '03/XI and start giving us reasons to call it 'arranged'

Gradius Tribute - Track 7 is excellent and the last track is 'okay'...Otherwise...eh. Tons better than that Gradius Remixes though.

And Maximum Impact 2 - I did like the opening song and the SNK Neo Geo Throwback Track. Others are kinda 'eh' again.