The Dragon Quest symphonies are a revolution in game music, they truly are. Dragon Quest V Symphonic Suite is certainly no exception to the rule - not only are *all* the (main) songs in the game present, they are all performed by a full symphony orchestra. Drooooool. It's not just the symphony that does it, either. Koichi Sugiyama's compositions are just marvelous, everything one would come to expect from an excellent RPG. There are highs, there are lows, fast and lively tunes, slow and mournful songs - it's all here, and it's all symphonic. What more could you ask for? Nothing. Though many may not believe it, the Dragon Quest symphonies are the epitome of RPG soundtracks.
Dragon Quest V has all you'd want, too. It's yet another example of wonderful dramatic music conveying the emotion of the story just like a motion picture soundtrack. Yet it's stunning classical music in its own right. The series favorite "Overture" is here, and I'd have to say it's the best one of all the Dragon Quests. It's musically and dramatically "over the top", and in a good way.
Probably one of the best songs on the CD is track three - the town and overworld songs. This musical montage is blended perfectly together and exemplifies Dragon Quest. These songs are the type that will become instant classics - you'll find yourself humming or whistling them all day, simply because they're so good.
A treat in Dragon Quest V is that the battle music is surprisingly good! This is unusual for Mr. Sugiyama; as heard from previous works it has not been his forte. In my opinion, it's in ways reminiscent of John Williams' work in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
Near the end of the soundtrack, the music slows down considerably and becomes much more somber. This is really nice, as it adds a lot of variety to the score.
Dragon Quest V Symphonic Suite also includes a bonus - a free frisbee! In essence, that's all Disc 2 is. The "Game Original Sound Story" is kind of like the OSV, but it's really just 43 minutes of somebody playing the blasted game, complete with sound effects and everything (walking up the stairs, hitting each other in battle, going back to town for healing, etc.). What a complete waste. You'll likely listen to that CD once, and then never, ever again.
If you ignore the second CD, then this soundtrack is a no-brainer. In fact, by now you should already have it in your collection. These symphonic arrangements are where it's at.
