When I ordered this CD, it was rather on a whim. Having never played Dragon Slayer and having never heard a single one of the CDs the arranged tracks come from, I didn't know what to expect. It was one of those CDs where I had to say, "Eh... it's Falcom - should be good."
I couldn't have been more correct. Without exception, this is the most amazing collection of arranged video game music I've ever heard. The CD contains a large variety of arranged music from many different previously released Falcom CDs. Most of the arranged tracks come from Ys, Dragon Slayer, or Xanadu.
Of course, as with any CD, there has to be at least one track that I really dislike. Unfortunately, this happens to be the longest cut on the CD! "Provincialism Ys" is the most shameful, ridiculous arrangement of Falcom music I've ever heard. No wonder that CD is out of print! Ridiculous dancy hip-hop arrangements of Ys music with really stupid instrument samples just don't work.
With the bad part of the CD now covered, on to the good stuff - everything else! Falcom's arrangers are simply great! The three tracks that stand out most on the arranged section of this CD are "Star Trader", "Quite Tower", and "Lilia". Quite Tower and Lilia are both orchestral arrangements, with Lilia coming mostly from the first Ys game and Quite Tower... I have no clue where that came from. Lilia is absolutely the best orchestral game music arrangement I've ever heard, and it's played by a good orchestra, too! It makes Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite sound very bad. Quite Tower is also a very well done arrangement, but played by a synthesized orchestra. As for Star Trader, it sounds like Falcom! Typical Falcom power-rock with live instruments, including a great electric guitar solo!
The last five tracks on this CD are original game sound. Track 10 and 14 are from the Falcom Classics CD released in 1997 for Sega Saturn in Japan, and the three in between are background music from Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes. The Legend of Heroes ones are really interesting, since the game is Falcom's only classic-style RPG.
I've never been so satisfied with a CD I knew nothing about beforehand. Definitely worth ordering, especially if you're a Falcom fan.
