Best of VGM

Or,

"So You Want To Get Into VGM?"

I just made a post saying how I wasn't going to go through with this. And then I decided to, since I have so many opinions and obviously the internet is ferociously interested in all of them. Actually, it's a way to systemize my own thoughts and maybe provide paltry entertainment for some passersby. Or maybe someone wants to get into VGM but doesn't want to wade through entire soundtracks. Either way.

But, in my defense, it's definitely a very different approach from my rough draft. Before, I was interested in trying to isolate the one best track, the superlative. Now, I'm going to try my best to identify, with a healthy dose of personal taste, the superior.

These tracks are a balance of my personal favorites and the ones I think are the "best" (two distinct but overlapping categories, to be sure).

EDIT:  I added stars. The stars/asterisks notate three (3) from each soundtrack that I would show to people who only wanted to listen to three pieces of music, which is reasonable. It's risky, because you definitely miss some gems if you do that, since I used only personal taste. But it may help some people.

Chrono Trigger:

- Battle With Magus      - Black Omen
- Boss Battle 1          - Boss Battle 2

- Chrono Trigger         - Epilogue ~ To Good Friends
- Frog's Theme           * Guardia Millenial Fair
- Lavos's Theme          - Robo's Theme
- Schala's Theme         - Sealed Door
- Secret of the Forest   * Singing Mountain
- To Far Away Times      - Tyran Castle
* Yearnings of the Wind  - World Revolution

Radical Dreamers:
* Far Promise ~ Dream Shore (1)
* The Girl Who Stole the Star
- Final Confrontation  * Gale
- Sneaking Around      - Frozen Flame

Chrono Cross: ("official translation"... for the record, this is my favorite OST)

* Chrono Cross ~ Scars of Time ~

- Magical Dreamers ~ The Wind, Stars, and Waves ~

* Radical Dreamers ~ Unstolen Jewel ~

- Life ~ A Distant Promise ~  * Dragon God

- The Dream that Time Dreams  - Lizard Dance

- Between Life and Death      - Ephemeral Memory  

- Forest of Illusion          - Drowned Valley

- Prisoners of Fate           - Isle of the Dead

- Navel of the World

Xenogears:

- Grahf, Emperor of Darkness

- Aveh ~ Ancient Dance

- Ship of Regret and Sleep

- Pray for the People's Joy

- The One Who is Torn Apart

* Shevat, the Wind is Calling

* One Who Bares Fangs at God

- Awakening            * Fuse 

- Small Two of Pieces  - Omen

Mega Man 2:

- Crash Man         - Title

- Wood Man          * Air Man

* Dr. Wily Stage 1  * Boss

Mega Man X:

* Armored Armadillo  - Intro Stage

- Boomer Kuwanger    - Title Screen

* Chill Penguin      * Zero's Death

- Sigma Fortress 1   - Storm Eagle

- Sting Chameleon    - Enter Zero

Mega Man X2: (better track names, worse soundtrack)

* Panzer des Drachens

* The Mavericks' Last Stand

* Volcano's Fury

- Zero's Rebirth

Mega Man X3:

- Blast Hornet    - Crush Crawfish

* Doppler Stage   - Vile

* Gravity Beetle  * Volt Catfish

Final Fantasy IV:
* Golbez, Clad in the Dark

* The Dreadful Fight  - Red Wings

- Chocobo Chocobo     - The Lunarians

* Mystic Mysidia      - Fight 2

- The Final Battle    - Theme of Love

- Within the Giant    - Main Theme

Final Fantasy V: (I'm not as familiar as I'd like to be, so this may be off)

* Battle With Gilgamesh / Clash on the Big Bridge

- Walking the Snowy Mountains

- The Prelude of Empty Skies           

* My Home, Sweet Home    - Harvest

* The Evil Lord Exdeath  - Danger!

- The Fierce Battle      - Dear Friends

- The Decisive Battle    - Cursed Earth

- The Last Battle        - Pirates Ahoy!

- The Silent Beyond

Final Fantasy VI: (another top OST)

- (The Opera, "Draco and Maria" / "Darkness and Starlight")

* Dancing Mad (1) (2)- Devil's Lab

- Battle Theme       - Fanfare

- Edgar and Sabin    - Cyan

- Ending Theme       - Shadow

- Mystery Train      - Kefka

- Opening Theme      * Terra

- Slam Shuffle       - Coin Song

- Spinach Rag        - Relm

* The Fierce Battle  - Gogo

- The Decisive Battle

Final Fantasy VII: (OSTs start getting big... selecting is more difficult)

- Highwind Takes to the Skies

* Opening ~ Bombing Mission

- Those Chosen By the Planet

- Aerith's Theme      - Weapon Raid

- Who Am I?           - Who Are You?

* Crazy Motorcycle    - Cosmo Canyon 

- Great Warrior       - Cid's Theme

- Jenova Absolute     - J-E-N-O-V-A

* One-Winged Angel    - Main Theme

- Fighting            - Still More Fighting  

- Hurry!              - Hurry Faster!

- The Turks' Theme    - Staff Roll

- The Birth of a God  - World Crisis         

- It's Difficult to Stand on Both Feet, Isn't It?

Final Fantasy VIII: (outstanding location music)

- Only a Plank Between One and Perdition

- The Man With the Machine Gun

* Maybe I'm a Lion     - Breezy

- Mods de Chocobo      - The Winner

- The Extreme          - The Salt Flats

- The Legendary Beast  - SeeD

- Balamb Garden        - Cactus Jack

- Don't Be Afraid      - The Landing

- Fisherman's Horizon  - Julia

* Force Your Way       * Blue Fields

- Shuffle or Boogie    - The Castle

- Waltz for the Moon   - Residents

- Liberi Fatali

Final Fantasy IX: (another favorite - great "mood" and soundscape. choosing is difficult due to universal quality)

* The Place I'll Return to Someday

- Melodies of Life ~ Final Fantasy

- Assault of the White Dragons

- The Airship, Hilde Garde  - RUN!

- Protecting My Devotion    - Fanfare

- Crossing Those Hills      - Rose of May

- Jesters of the Moon       - Vivi's Theme

- Vamo' Alla Flamenco       - Final Battle

- Black Mage Village        - Fairy Battle

- Boss Battle Theme         - Battle Theme

* Hunter's Chance           - Quina's Theme

- Amarant's Theme           - Freya's Theme

- We are Thieves!           - Feel My Blade

- Dark Messenger            - Gurugu Volcano

* You're Not Alone!

Final Fantasy X: (suffered from conflicting styles)

- Suteki da ne? -Orchestra Version-

- Silence Before the Storm

* Summoned Beast Battle

- Place of Ordeals  - Crisis

* Brass de Chocobo  - Assault

- Seymour Battle    - Challenge

- Song of Prayer    - Blitz Off

- Thunder Plains    - Otherworld

- Jecht's Theme     - Battle Theme

- Rikku's Theme     - Enemy Attack

* To Zanarkand

Final Fantasy XI: (often overlooked, though the quality difference between good/bad is huge)

* The Federation of Windurst

- FFXI Opening Theme

- Batallia Downs  - Gustaberg

- Heaven's Tower  - Airship

- Tough Battle    * Ronfaure

* Recollection

(FFXII/XIII to come once I better understand them)

Final Fantasy Tactics: (another great -- proof that contrary to FFX's results, composers can collaborate on a unified sound)

* Run Past Through the Plain$

- Brand Logo ~ Title Black

- Ultima, the Perfect Body$

- Antipyretic         - Trisection

- Unavoidable Battle  * Apoplexy

- Bloody Excrement$   - Remnants

- Enemy Attack        - Random Waltz

- Decisive Battle     - Terror 2

- Under the Stars     - Backfire

* Night Attack

$ Uh, what?!

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (first game with interactive music. ZREO would add quite a few songs to this list, but I don't really think the orchestration is strong in the original. I also didn't include any of the ocarina tunes; they're all lovely)
* Hyrule Field Main Theme
- Inside Ganon's Castle
- Kakariko Village
- Temple of Time  - Shop
- Zelda's Theme   - House
- Zora's Domain   - Battle

- Sheik's Theme   - Lost Woods
* Forest Temple   - Ice Cavern
* Gerudo Valley   - Goron City
- Windmill Hut    - Water Temple
- End Credits

To be continued/edited when I know more soundtracks more thoroughly.