Japan Only. Music & original score by Masaharu Iwata & Hitoshi Sakimoto. Standard double jewel case housed in a unique cardboard sleeve. 1997.
CD Reviews
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT NOBUO!
EMAN NEP | 04/13/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Final Fantasy. Nobuo Uematsu. The two go hand in hand. But wait, what's this? A soundtrack by Masaharu Iwata and Hitoshi Sakimoto? Who are they? You may not be familiar with them now, but after listening to these two great CD's, you'll want to commit their names to memory. The first disc has most of the more popular tracks. As a general rule, if the track name was translated into English, that track is usually pretty good. However, as I've found with most video game soundtracks, you come across something that you don't remember hearing in the game. For me, those are the best tracks. For one, they make you want to play the game all over again just so you can see where that track was implemented in the game. Some of the tracks are a little redundant, meaning that they use one or two "theme songs" and create different versions of them. Usually this bothers me, but the "theme songs" in Final Fantasy Tactics are so good that you don't mind at all. A few of the tracks at the beginning of Disc 1 sound like they would be right at home in the Braveheart soundtrack. Like another reviewer mentioned, Disc 2 is much more downbeat--compared to the first Disc. But one track on disc 2 that REALLY stood out was track 14, "Shock!" I don't ever remember this being played in the game, but listening to it just puts a smile on your face because it sounds so beautiful. Of course, all of us that have played the game remember the adrenaline-pumped battle music. Songs like "Back Fire", "Apoplexy", "Run Past Through the Plain (a.k.a. Sweegy Woods)", "Decisive Battle", and "Unavoidable Battle (a.k.a Germinas Peak)". All of the above tracks are exactly as you heard them in the game, except that for some reason "Run Past Through the Plain" sounds a little soft compared to my MP3 version. The soundtrack comes with a little pamphlet with the different tracks (alas, most of the song names are in Japanese, save a few). But as a nice bonus, you also get a folded poster with almost all the Job classes, and what the males and females look like in that class. Listening to this soundtrack, one can't help but wonder what Nobuo Uematsu would have done if he had been in charge of the soundtrack. But personally, I like how Iwata and Sakimoto did it and I wouldn't have it any other way."
A Track list
J-Man | 12/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Disc One (75:13)
1) Brand Logo ~ Title Black 1:09
2) Backborn Story 1:34
3) P.R. Movie 0:47
4) Unit Introductions 3:50
5) Player Creation 1:45
6) Prologue Movie 2:52
7) Chapel 1:00
8) Enemy Soldiers Attack 0:59
9) Trisection 2:37
10) Officer Cadet 1:57
11) Attack Team 0:48
12) Unavoidable Battle 1:45
13) Battle's End 0:24
14) Main Character's Theme 1:12
15) A Chapel 2:33
16) Meeting with Algus 2:03
17) World Map 0:53
18) Shop 0:52
19) Soldier Agency 1:03
20) Fur, Meat, and Bones Trade 0:56
21) Formation Screen 0:57
22) Brave Story 1:18
23) Pub 1:01
24) Data Screen 0:57
25) Desert Land 2:51
26) Alma's Theme 1:12
27) Doubtful Atmosphere 1:53
28) Decisive Battle 2:22
29) Cry of a Bitter Heart 0:55
30) Remnants 3:05
31) Anxiety Before the Battle 2:02
32) Tension 1 2:41
33) Game Over 0:21
34) Tutorial 2:10
35) Random Waltz 1:52
36) Ovelia's Theme 2:41
37) Apoplexy 4:10
38) Zalbag, the Holy Knight 2:03
39) Run Past Through the Plains 1:58
40) Scheme 2:42
41) Delita's Theme 1:42
42) Back Fire 3:01
Disc Two (75:50)
1) Memories 1:45
2) Dicedarg's Theme 1:27
3) Antipyretic 3:40
4) Saint Ajora's Theme 2:51
5) Bloody Excrement 2:46
6) And I Ran Away 0:28
7) Espionage 2:25
8) Descent 3:20
9) Ovelia's Worries 3:41
10) Under the Stars 3:14
11) Battle on the Bridge 3:30
12) Cardinal's Anger 2:41
13) In Pursuit 2:33
14) Shock! ~ Despair 2:19
15) Holy Ajora's Theme - Deluxe Edition 1:10
16) Cry of a Bitter Heart! 2:40
17) Requiem 3:13
18) Terror 1 2:08
19) The Pervert 3:53
20) Antidote 3:09
21) Thunder God Cid's Theme 1:52
22) Treasure 2:47
23) Night Attack 2:49
24) Terror 2 2:02
25) Ultima - The Nice Body 2:17
26) Ultima - The Perfect Body! 3:26
27) Last Battle's End 0:17
28) Epilogue Movie 1:36
29) Staff Credit 5:38
"
Not Nobuo Uematsu, but still Final Fantasy music
John Nolley II | Fairfax, VA United States | 03/03/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The name Nobuo Uematsu is so synonymous with the fantastic musical scores of the Final Fantasy series that to not see his name on a soundtrack is something of a shock.Yet the music of Final Fantasy Tactics is not the typical Final Fantasy score. Whereas most titles in the series rely on a mixture of melodic themes, dramatic action sequences, and brooding, dark overtures, composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata treat listeners to a selection of what may best be described as epic themes. Reflecting the broad storyline of the game itself, their music is perfectly mated to the game.Listeners ultra-loyal to the Uematsu conceptualization of Final Fantasy music may find this soundtrack somewhat strange, but the score stands on its own legs and offers a wonderful alternative to the typical Final Fantasy fare."
A must for game-music and classical lovers!
Kevin Callis | 02/05/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have owned this 2-disc set for about two years now, and it became my favorite CD(s) ever as soon as I started playing Disc 1. Final Fantasy Tactics is a huge and heroic game, and its soundtrack is equally epic in scope.Just as the heart of the game is intensive combat, the CDs are riddled with battle themes. From the hair-raising "A Chapel" to the adrenaline-pumping "Apoplexy", this music brings back fond memories of the dozens of hard-fought battles one must endure playing this game. Much like its source material, the overall mood of the soundtrack is VERY dark and gloomy, but occasional moments of hope, heroism, and even humor shine through the darkness. It is of interesting note that the tone of Disc 2 is much, much more dismal than that of the first, sometimes to the point of being outright depressing. But again, that is how the latter stages of the actual game flow as well, so the music is appropriate.As far as the sound quality, Final Fantasy Tactics OST is mostly superb. The quality of the synthesized instruments is so lifelike, that one can seldom tell this music was not performed by an actual orchestra. It does have an engineering flaw, in that the music level was recorded a little too high, and there is occasional bass distortion. But Iwata and Sakimoto did an outstanding job in composing this game's music, and this set belongs in the collection of anyone who loves game music. I would even recommend it to classical afficionados who are willing to try a new flavor. Yes, it's that good."
The best Final Fantasy music for one of the best games ever.
Ironman | Carmel, IN USA | 02/20/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I very rarely buy a soundtrack, especially to a videogame, however this one left me with no choice but to do so. This easily the best videogame music I have ever listened to. I guess one reason behind me buying this is the fact that unlike many PSX games, this one you can not listen to as a backwards compatible CD (All the final fantasies are this way) and the poor music CD that came with Anthologies left me wanting more. No this is well worht purchasing even if you don't like the game, the music is more than enough to make this worth owning."
Track Listings (1) - Disc #1