Chrono Cross Original Soundtrack

So I played Chrono Cross years ago when it was released on the original PlayStation, and while I always thought the soundtrack was good, it's not exactly what I was paying the most attention to when I was playing the game.I got into collecting soundtracks and piano arrangements for video games again lately, so naturally this was on my list of soundtracks to try to find. You know what I realized? The soundtrack doesn't "sound" like it was made for an original PlayStation game. The instrumentation is lush and full, and the arrangements are just beautiful on their own. Even though I've been following Mitsuda's work several years, listening to this soundtrack on its own gave me a whole new appreciation for his compositions and talent.Definitely worth picking up if you're into RPG soundtracks.

I love this sound track so much!! It's one of the best that Yasunori Mitsuda has ever made! If you are a fan of his, buy this sound track and let nostalgic take you back, to when game RPGs were full of wonderful music and awesome stories.

This has got to be one of the best video game soundtracks ever. I've actually never really played the game, but somehow discovered the music of it, proving you don't have to like the game to like the soundtrack. I'm sure the game is also great, and maybe someday I'll purchase a PS2 and play it.The way the few different main themes are repeated throughout the discs makes it so much more epic and adventurous. The same notes, played at a different speed and with different instruments can have such different moods, and are certainly not repetitive.Many songs consist of synthesized violins, guitars, Japanese instruments and other stringed instruments, also pianos, interesting percussion, and many other synthesized sounds. The songs are made up of clear, well-produced melodious tones and notes. There are so many different moods on this cd... nostalgic, melancholic, joyful, tense, epic, pensive, spooky, calm, wondrous, ethereal, delightful, catchy... the list goes on. Of course, the music styles range from Celtic sounding, to traditional Japanese, to neoclassical, etc. all blended together nicely with Yasunori Mitsuda's special touch. A lot of the songs really make me think "epic" in one way or another. Many songs are also edgy or stressful like the music for a battle or difficult journey, but sometimes with a childlike tinge, suggesting the fantasy/anime aspect of the game (I'm not saying anime is childish, rather the music sounds that way at times, in a good way) Some songs have soaring melodies that revive the valiant atmosphere of the soundtrack, others have quite gloomy moods, some have simple, charming melodies, some have more spooky or haunting moods, some sound sort of like a big fairground or joyful gathering, and some have more of a feeling of a specific area like a maritime or tropical place - illustrating all the elements of a long, adventurous, tiring journey of many different perils, mysteries, and missions of all sizes.Obviously there are a lot of separate tracks on this soundtrack to encompass every single moment of music in the game (Why would you want to leave anything out?) but even the songs less than a minute are quite good. I'm not going to point out specific tracks because I'd end up listing about one-third of them, nor will I describe many specific tracks; every song is worth listening to, from start to finish. The most talked about song "Radical Dreamers" is a nice song with female vocals in Japanese that follows the main theme of the album, and I can see why most people consider it the best song on here, particularly the last minute or so with the angelic-like hum and amazing, gentle acoustic guitar melodies. The immaculate music box style melody after Radical Dreamers concludes the album with a very memorable sensation.I mentioned in my list of adjectives "nostalgic": of course it will feel truly nostalgic if you've played the game a few years ago and didn't think about buying the soundtrack until now, reminiscing parts of the game you struggled at and enjoyed while you listen. But if you didn't have the game, it might trigger memories about other games or certain times in childhood... even though this game isn't very old at all. That may sound really weird, but it happens to me a little... I remember having fun with many SNES games since I didn't play through this.This album is sincerely worth the import price, not only is it a triple album with 67 tracks lasting over 3 hours, but is by far the most inspiring game soundtrack I've heard so far and can be enjoyed by people with the most diverse tastes. After listening to this for the first few times, it seems superior to everything else in your music collection.

"I've never played the game, but I've watched it." How many times have you heard that phrase? That was the case for me and Chrono Cross and as a result I had the pleasure of concentrating more on the story and, best of all, the music. Yasunori Mitsuda has a knack for setting the emotional tone of a scene with his music: even on older games such as Chrono Trigger, he demonstrated that video game music can be more than just a repetitive or monotonous theme; rather it can be an entire score. In this case, three CDs worth of a score.Mitsuda and other Japanese composers do something incredibly ambitious with scores like these: writing enough music to fill games that gamers may spend 50 or more hours playing. Yes, even this music can get monotonous at times (RPG gamers will know what I mean by "battle music"), but thankfully, you don't have to listen to the music in that fashion with this soundtrack.My favorite tracks are, of course, the couple that incorporate actual acoustic instruments. The synthesized tracks, however, are still some of the best that I've heard from a video game score. More specifically, the guitar tracks are impressive. The instrumentalists went to the trouble of adding subtle touches like the noise of fingers sliding over steel or nylon strings which is convincing enough at times to make you do an aural double-take.The style is varied, but you can liken it to a bit Celtic, a bit Renaissance, and a bit modern. What really matters is that it sounds good and it's fun to listen to.It's difficult for me to give this or any other game soundtrack five stars when compared to other music selections. I'll just say my 5 star rating is within the context of video game scores - you'll be hard pressed to find a better one. In the context of all music, however, I'd give this a 4 or 4.5, not because of the composer but because of the limitations of the genre. This music needs to be looped and it needs to fit in a small amount of computer memory and as a result will suffer compared to a full orchestral score for an opera or movie. The music still stands on its own and I have no problems recommending this to music lovers in general.

I have always loved the music from the video game. Now I have the soundtrack to listen to whenever I want. I can truly say I was lucky to find this soundtrack.

One of the greatest videogame soundtracks I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. From start to end, every song has a very special endearing touch which successfully captures various moments from the game. The tracks range from pulse-pounding to whimsical to somber all the while maintaining a unique style. Even if you have not played the game this soundtrack can easily be enjoyed. Do not miss out!

Una de las mejores y más ricas piezas de Mitsuda que, además, es uno de mis juegos favoritos.Más de tres horas de melodías muy variadas con un poco de estilo celta que evocan cada escenario del juego.

Gran compositor yasunori mitsuda, de sus mejores trabajos con esa influencia tropical dándole un gran sabor al juego totalmente recomendado

Le produit est arrivé en temps et en heure, suffisamment emballé.Les musiques de Chrono Cross sont un vrai plaisir à réécouter, souvent douces, parfois plus rythmées pour une atmosphèree apaisante.

光田さんといえば、個人的にはゼノギアスと、クロノ・クロスを思い出します。今も定期的に聴くＣＤです。ゲームもクリアしたのですが、当時クロノ・トリガーの続編と知らず、このゲームを先にやってしまったため、シナリオは消化不良のままです。ですがとにかく画面が美しかったことと、楽曲が素晴らしかったことは記憶に色濃く残っています。同一の土地ののパラレルワールドが舞台ということで、「ホーム」「アナザー」と同じ楽曲のアレンジ違いが存在するのがまず一つ目の特徴でしょうか。そのアレンジ内容もお祭りっぽいものからしんみりしたギターメロディーのものまで幅広く、まったく飽きがきません。また全体を通じ下敷きにクロノ・トリガーがあることもあって、楽曲群が意外にばらつかずに聴けるのもすごいなあと思います。これだけ楽曲数があり、しかもわりに癖の強い民族調のアレンジが多いことを考えれば、世界観に合わない曲やら聴いてる最中に飛ばしたくなる曲の一つや二つあってもおかしくないのですが、それがまったくないんですよね……。気に入っているＣＤだったのですが、十数年前人に貸して帰ってこなくなってしまったので、結局もう一度買い直しました。買い直すくらいに気に入っているということでもあります。ゲームの楽曲ではありますが、聴いているとそういうことは頭の中からぶっ飛んでいくので、ゲームを知らない人にも聴いてもらいたいです。（ゲームの楽曲、という縛りがある以上難しいとは思いますが……。）今後もお世話になります。★最近のサントラにはあまりないのですが、曲解説があるのが嬉しいです。ブックレットは(書く人からしたら大変だと思いますが)特典としてつけるにしても紙ものですし、そんなにコストかからないわけですから、ペラがみ一枚じゃなくてちゃんとしたものをつけて欲しいですよね。そういう意味でも満足できるCDです。

今はもう多忙でゲームをする時間がなかなか取れなくなりましたが本当に楽しんでプレイしていた時代の思い出のひとつです。音楽と共にフィールドやバトル風気を思い出して郷愁に浸るのもいいし作業用に聞いてても邪魔にならないくらい物静かな綺麗な音楽が多いです。クロノ・クロス好きなら何年経っても聴けるので迷ってる方はおすすめします。