One of the most important, and oft neglected aspects of an RPG is the soundtrack. Although some may think of it mostly as a backdrop to the game, it often does far more than that; empowering the visuals and story in itself. An RPG needs a good soundtrack to enhance the plot, and many times say things that the words on the screen cannot.

Yasunori Mitsuda, the composer for Chrono Trigger, and Nobuo Uematsu, the composer for Final Fantasy IV, have their own musical styles, but both shine brightly in the two-game set Final Fantasy Chronicles. From the single instrument 'Far Off Promise' in Chrono Trigger, to the bombastic main theme of Final Fantasy IV, together these two games show off some of the best music ever presented on the Super Nintendo. The re-release of both these games on the PlayStation shows you don't need an orchestra recording of a song for the music to succeed. Although the PlayStation versions of the games have only emulated sound matching the quality of the Super Nintendo, the soundtracks fit the shoes they need to wear.

Nobuo Uematsu also brings us, along with the help of other very capable composers, Junya Nakano and Masashi Hamauzu, the other winning soundtrack, Final Fantasy X. The soundtrack exposes the player to nearly every music style I can actively think of, and all of them are very well composed, orchestrated, and presented. One song, "Otherworld", caught this listener completely off guard, but was a very very cool addition to my favorite game tracks.

Finally, Dragon Warrior VII's soundtrack was composed by Koichi Sugiyama. The orchestration of nearly all the songs in this set is nothing short of excellent. They all bring across the emotions of the moment, and show off some of the earliest RPG songs in a very new and refreshing light. A well rounded, well bound soundtrack.

Three games, five composers composers, and four excellent soundtracks. It's difficult not to see why these games are awarded Best Soundtracks of the Year!