The best classic game music and more
So after the rip off thread I got browsing Otaku for the first time in a long while I saw this box was reprinted.
Are the arrangements/performances any good? Always been a fan of Dragon Quest but never got into any of the symphonic arranges and the original print was sold out long after I knew about it
It's pretty solid. I always found the strings a bit much on the London Philharmonic releases and prefer the NHK versions (they have a more "relaxed" feel to them, if that makes sense), but they are both winners.
It's worth noting that this "reprint" of London Philharmonic changes up the track order. The old London Phil, as well as the Tokyo Met I~IX box, did this "scene" ordering, where you'd get all the same "types" of song in groupings ... town, field, characters, dungeons, battle, boss, ending.
But in this new reprint of London Phil, they're doing it game per game, which IMO is a superior track ordering.
If I didn't already own the I~IX box I'd buy this I~VII box. I think London Phil is probably a nicer recording than Tokyo Met, but Tokyo Met is the only one to continue into the present, so for a collector like me I enjoy being able to have the same orchestra cover the full range of DQ games. Like ... yeah, NHK and London are probably superior, but it's not like Tokyo Met is *bad.* They're still great recordings, all of them.
This box set is such a steal, I've been tempted to buy it despite having most of the individual Dragon Quest Symphonic Suites by the London Philharmonic already. (Was especially tempted at the Dragon Quest IV orchestral concert in Tokyo last month, which was superb.)
As for the different editions, I feel pretty strongly that the London Philharmonic Orchestra editions are superior to the NHK Symphony and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony editions for Dragon Quest III, IV, and V. For Dragon Quest VI and probably VII, I prefer the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony editions, but not necessarily enough to pay the generally higher asking price.
I recommend getting the London Philharmonic Symphonic Suite set, and if that piques your interest (I imagine it will!) you can always explore the other editions later.