Final Fantasy VI: Original Soundtrack Remaster Version
Square Enix Music
1994 2013 CD Arguably the best video game soundtrack ever, for what is arguably the best video game. Nobuo Uematsu probably could have phoned this in a bit. He could have reused a bunch of tracks from the five Final Fantasy games he already composed music for (plus Rad Racer kek). Instead he blessed us with this absolute monolith.
Just the breadth of this OST is absolutely wild. It's over three hours long, there's a theme song for every character, and most every environment. So many killer tracks appear just once in the game, which necessitates the existence of physical soundtracks like this. As for the songs that reoccur in-game -- like Terra's misty pensive overworld theme and the rousing bass-heavy battle theme -- they're absolute earworms and repetition is welcome.
There are plenty of styles represented here. Uematsu was obviously influenced by classical music, and there are many tracks with digitized strings, horns, and so forth. There's rock music, and oddballs like the techno Chocobo theme (I rarely ride the Chocobo but make a point to once per game to hear this). Endearing silly tracks that would feel at home in a mascot platformer. An entire multi-scene opera with digitized 16-bit vocals that miraculously manages to sound commanding rather than hokey.
The tracks on this collection are arranged in semi-chronological order (as in, where they first show up in the game), and tend to get longer as they go. One of the final songs -- the Bach-influenced "Dancing Mad" -- is one of the most celebrated pieces in gaming music. It's almost comically ambitious, consisting of multiple parts to coincide with the insane and evolving final boss "tower." Written for the organ and making excellent use of leitmotifs, I do find this song a bit awkward outside of the context of the game, as it feels overly long on disc and doesn't "transition" in the same way. I'm actually more partial to the ending theme (which is even longer lmao), which strings together a remixed portion of every character theme before concluding with the classic Final Fantasy theme. Incredible.
This particular music collection has been rereleased multiple times. To me, the most iconic issue being the American Kefka's Domain version (this one is unfortunately quite rare). I possess a modern, remastered version. Remastered video game music typically seems to mean "you were supposed to hear this in the game but it wasn't possible on your 16-bit console which you had hooked up to a CRT via RF." Some of the additional sounds present here are strange and intrusive, like the layered vocals in "The Fanatics" and the guitars in "Dancing Mad" (I didn't even know this track was "supposed to" have guitars until I heard the version by The Black Mages -- in-game it just sounds like multiple synth lines). Not a dealbreaker, but a bit odd.
This is certainly a bit meaty to listen to all at once. And like every video game OST, the best way to first experience it is within the confines of the game itself. But for revisiting those classic tracks, this collection remains unstoppable.
Rating: 5/5
Reviewed: 03/20/26
Hinata Girls Song Best ~Love Hina~
Starchild Records
2001 CD Spotted this at a CD store ages ago and grabbed it. Love Hina is a great and nostalgic anime. The OST is fantastic and I was hoping (assuming) that this album was a complete soundtrack including poignant instrumentals like "Warmth" and "Hinata Inn" and... I was wrong.
What this actually is: an assortment of girly J-pop songs sung by the voice actresses. Thankfully the anime opening and credits themes are here; both are absolutely incredible. The other tracks (those which don't actually appear on the show) are weaker but cute and bubbly, often irresistible. So, not what I wanted, but far from terrible.
Released on Starchild Records, who also put out Music From Ys back in '87 (based). All this stuff is pretty rare these days.
Rating: 3/5
Reviewed: 11/16/25