Star Ocean: Till The End of Time Volume 1 Soundtrack Review
Composer: Motoi Sakuraba
39 Tracks
Every once in while a game is graced with a truly amazing score. Usually this happens about once or twice a year, usually from composers such as Michael Giacchino or Nobuo Uematsu, but these two composers aren't the ones to beat this year. I have named the Star Ocean: Till The End of Time Soundtrack, the soundtrack to beat this year. From start to finish this soundtrack grabs you in a way as if you were inside this world and the music makes you feel all the emotions that will face the characters in the game. Someone can listen to this score and never play the game, and still know a general idea of the world this story takes place in. The same way Michael Giacchino brought you into WWII, Motoi Sakuraba is bring you into this world. This is probably the hardest soundtrack I have ever tired to write a review for because words alone cannot describe the emotion that is attached to each and every track on this soundtrack. Unlike when I wrote a review for the Wind Waker Soundtrack where I pick out the great tracks and talk about them, with this soundtrack I don't know if I can do that because every track on this score is great. Motoi has pull off something really special with this soundtrack, he has made a movie-like score with every song going together with a particular scene in the game, but while doing that he also made each song have a specific melody to it. While the soundtrack is a synth soundtrack, he uses a lot of real instruments mixed in, and this creates an unbelieveably rich orchestra sound that is not coming from a live orchestra. This is probably the most "powerful" video game score ever created. I keep trying to think back to a more "powerful" one, but can't seem to think of anything. This is the best soundtrack since Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII. It doesn't have that FF sound, but just judging on quality of music the comparision works. While listening to some of the songs on the soundtrack, I almost just started to cry, it is that damn powerful, never has a soundtrack alone done that to me. During the song "Be Alone, Be Sorrow"(my pick for best song of the score), I almost had to fight back the tears, it just moved me, I couldn't help it. That is true talent for a composer....If you guys buy one videogame soundtrack in your life, make it this one, I know that sounds stupid to say, but that is the way I truly feel.
Overall Soundtrack: 10/10
Places where you can pick this up
<a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KDSD-2" target="_blank">http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KDSD-2</a>
<a href="http://www.gamemusic.com/dept/101/productdetail.asp?dept=101&cat=1102&itemid=10831&u id=8083200303097538" target="_blank">http://www.gamemusic.com/dept/101/productdetail.asp?dept=101&cat=1102&itemid=10831&u id=8083200303097538</a>
Here are some sample tracks from the score....
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/104%20Starless%20Wavelets.mp3" target="_blank">Starless Wavelets</a>
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/202%20The%20Future%20of%20Blood-Stained%20Blade.mp3" target="_blank">The Future of Blood Stained Blade</a>
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/204%20Reflected%20Moon.mp3" target="_blank">Reflected Moon</a>
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/206%20So%20Alone,%20Be%20Sorrow%20-%20Piano%20Ver..mp3" target="_blank">So Alone, Be Sorrow Piano version</a>
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/208%20So%20Alone,%20Be%20Sorrow.mp3" target="_blank">So Alone, Be Sorrow</a>
Composer: Motoi Sakuraba
39 Tracks
Every once in while a game is graced with a truly amazing score. Usually this happens about once or twice a year, usually from composers such as Michael Giacchino or Nobuo Uematsu, but these two composers aren't the ones to beat this year. I have named the Star Ocean: Till The End of Time Soundtrack, the soundtrack to beat this year. From start to finish this soundtrack grabs you in a way as if you were inside this world and the music makes you feel all the emotions that will face the characters in the game. Someone can listen to this score and never play the game, and still know a general idea of the world this story takes place in. The same way Michael Giacchino brought you into WWII, Motoi Sakuraba is bring you into this world. This is probably the hardest soundtrack I have ever tired to write a review for because words alone cannot describe the emotion that is attached to each and every track on this soundtrack. Unlike when I wrote a review for the Wind Waker Soundtrack where I pick out the great tracks and talk about them, with this soundtrack I don't know if I can do that because every track on this score is great. Motoi has pull off something really special with this soundtrack, he has made a movie-like score with every song going together with a particular scene in the game, but while doing that he also made each song have a specific melody to it. While the soundtrack is a synth soundtrack, he uses a lot of real instruments mixed in, and this creates an unbelieveably rich orchestra sound that is not coming from a live orchestra. This is probably the most "powerful" video game score ever created. I keep trying to think back to a more "powerful" one, but can't seem to think of anything. This is the best soundtrack since Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy VII. It doesn't have that FF sound, but just judging on quality of music the comparision works. While listening to some of the songs on the soundtrack, I almost just started to cry, it is that damn powerful, never has a soundtrack alone done that to me. During the song "Be Alone, Be Sorrow"(my pick for best song of the score), I almost had to fight back the tears, it just moved me, I couldn't help it. That is true talent for a composer....If you guys buy one videogame soundtrack in your life, make it this one, I know that sounds stupid to say, but that is the way I truly feel.
Overall Soundtrack: 10/10
Places where you can pick this up
<a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KDSD-2" target="_blank">http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KDSD-2</a>
<a href="http://www.gamemusic.com/dept/101/productdetail.asp?dept=101&cat=1102&itemid=10831&u id=8083200303097538" target="_blank">http://www.gamemusic.com/dept/101/productdetail.asp?dept=101&cat=1102&itemid=10831&u id=8083200303097538</a>
Here are some sample tracks from the score....
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/104%20Starless%20Wavelets.mp3" target="_blank">Starless Wavelets</a>
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/202%20The%20Future%20of%20Blood-Stained%20Blade.mp3" target="_blank">The Future of Blood Stained Blade</a>
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/204%20Reflected%20Moon.mp3" target="_blank">Reflected Moon</a>
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/206%20So%20Alone,%20Be%20Sorrow%20-%20Piano%20Ver..mp3" target="_blank">So Alone, Be Sorrow Piano version</a>
<a href="http://68.39.222.55/Zanarkand/Star_Ocean_Till_The_End_of_Time/208%20So%20Alone,%20Be%20Sorrow.mp3" target="_blank">So Alone, Be Sorrow</a>
