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My predilection towards bringing worthy music from RPGs that are unplayed by the majority of readers continues today! In the interest of fairness, I must once again state that dial-up is no one's friend when downloading files larger than 100kb - and this editorial is essentially useless without giving the audio a chance, so have a little time ready to do these compositions justice.
The first title to be highlighted today is that worthy Genesis RPG, Phantasy Star IV. The music composed by Bo and M. Nakagaki carries an interesting techno flavor to it, http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/712/22 being a good demonstration. That particular piece I associate with the Air Castle, though it appears at a couple of other moments. Another interesting techno feel pervades http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/712/25, which is the battle music for a fight from a vehicle (and a game that allowed fighting with the vehicle in 1994 was ahead of its time). And an atmospheric piece that would be easier to play on real instruments than the other samples here is http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/712/35, heard at the Esper Mansion - a fairly solemn occasion.
Second today, Seiken Densetsu 3. Unofficially known as 'Secret of Mana 2,' this game most assuredly captures the feeling of Secret of Mana - one ingredient being Hiroki Kikuta's compositions for both titles. Such as this: http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/129/48 that is heard during several boss fights but that I always associate with one in particular, on Flammie's head in the sky. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/129/24 is not nearly as carefree, though a bit of whimsy still pervades it as with most of Kikuta's compositions: the track is heard in the vicinity of the Amazon homeland. Some very interesting percussion use is heard here http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/129/45, soundtrack to one BIG dungeon near the end.
A sampling of the music for Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon seems appropriate given my penchant for the series, though the GBA audio is unfortunately quite lacking in this instance. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/1240/16 presents a wise choice on behalf of the remakers, since this piece was only heard twice (in two of the easiest battles) in the original title and is featured considerably more often in RotDD. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/1240/20 is Darksol's theme, and manages to sound evil in a different way than most thanks to the furiously up-tempo percussion. Naofumi Tsuruyama and Takuya Hanaoka are credited with the composition here. One more battle theme: http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/1240/11 would probably sound better with real instruments, but manages a reasonable military march nevertheless.
Since I have included some Shining Force music today, I feel it impingent to include more from my #1 title: Shining Force III. Any who strongly dislike Motoi Sakuraba, he is the sole composer for the game. This composition http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/1780/45 is used in a variety of situations during Scenarios 1 and 2, mostly featuring Bulzome elements. This up-tempo revision http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/1780/40 is introduced in Scenario 3. Also in Scenario 3 the Walcuray attains a theme (though it can be translated as Valkyrie, and that translation should make the inspiration for the music more obvious): http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/1780/22. One more today, this a frontier-y town theme introduced in Dusty Village of Scenario 2: http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/1780/10. The original soundtrack of Shining Force III cannot be bought, and had to be ripped.
I'll include just one more sample of Takanori Arisawa's score for Sailor Moon: Another Story, because this track is a four-in-one. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/6297/5 is the music heard as Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune must respectively visit Switzerland, Nepal, Canada, and Turkey. How well these compositions reflect their respective locales is up to the listener to determine.
Prior to today I refrained from including Treasure Hunter G material because GH had to resolve a difficulty with it. Now that the music is once more accessible, I present some worthy pieces. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/893/56 I suppose must be deemed the final battle, but certainly does not FEEL like it with such wistful, elegiac use of woodwinds. For a final battle theme that FEELS like a final battle theme, http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/893/83 presents the arranged version of it - the drums sound real here. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/893/47 ought to bring mechanized madness to mind, being the theme of a self-proclaimed Mad Scientist. One more, this, the music heard in Atlantis: http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/893/63. Nice use of piano here. As to the composition, no fewer than seven composers had a hand in Treasure Hunter G's audio: Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata are the best known, but John Pee, Akiko Goto, Toshiaki Sakoda, Yoko Takada and Tomoko Matsui all deserve recognition for the effort.
Toshiyuki Sasagawa's compositions for Tengai Makyou IV I keep coming back to, and thus we'll have some more! http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/6603/26 is Candy Land's music, sounding something like a kid's show to me. It is memorable because Candy Land is a plastic town built atop Seattle, so keep that in mind while listening. For something considerably more intense, indeed almost with an industrial feel, http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/6603/78 is heard while investigating the Skull Tank that is terrorizing Texas and while climbing the heights of some skyscrapers in Chicago. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/6603/8 is the music of all towns in Alaska, and has a unique sound to it while feeling appropriate for that state (after all, everyone in Alaska lives in an igloo - right?) http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/6603/101 is heard in the final area of the game, New York. Ominous darkness fits with that city, as we all know - picture exploring ruined skyscrapers to this. Last TMIV bit for today: http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/6603/79, played when Skull Beat massacres people on the Alamo, leaving big smears of blood all over the ground. The track reminds me, oddly, of the Light World dungeon music in Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past. And do remember that General Custer was slain in this attack upon the Alamo.
More Tengai Makyou Zero music should also come forth, I feel. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/7248/12 sounds more like evil clown music than anything else, but is most assuredly the music of a disaster. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/7248/9 is one of the cooler regular battle themes I've ever heard, with the only disadvantage being that combat (as usual) does not generally last long enough to hear all of it. And then there is http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/7248/24, the theme of Akamaru. It sounds... almost country/western, which makes even less sense because Akamaru could have been drawn by a World War II propaganda artist - he looks like the stereotypical buck-toothed, bespectacled Asian caricature from that period. One more from this game, this for the big boss battles: http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/7248/38. The unique element here is the cowbell (?), but make no mistake: the game is not easy, and this music accurately conveys the picture of imminent doom.
It's becoming a motif of mine, to close with a Sakura Wars piece - and I shan't disappoint. The fourth game's ending is not yet available on GH, but the first is. http://gh.ffshrine.org/song/1436/6 has the unmistakable feel of a Broadway showstopper, which fits since the lyrics I can decipher are all about the stage. Kouhei Tanaka did a fine job, as usual, and the original six members of the Teikoku Kagekidan do a fine job singing this.
Bonus points for the listeners: if anyone can find game rips of the Sigma Star Saga and/or the Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation (1 and 2, preferably) music, I would be very happy. Anyone who can track down the OST of Sakura Wars 2 would also make me very happy, since it is out of print and Galbadia Hotel hasn't yet updated the site with that one. Another thanks to GH for making this possible, of course.
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