Overview

Sega decided to take one of their biggest franchises back to the PSP system — a rather bold move, though one they aren't foreign to taking. The second endeavour on the console was composed by series' veteran Hideaki Kobayashi, and two members of Alfa System, Takuya Yasuda and Kota Nakashima — already familiar with the PSP thanks to their work on Namco's Tales of the World series. This title received a soundtrack release, unlike the first in the portable series. Does that by itself speak for the quality of the music?

Body

Hideaki Kobayashi most notably contributed the game's vocal theme, "Living Universe," which receives a relatively large number of arranges throughout the album. The track is lively and peppy, but respectably fun. The piece opens with a commonly revisited motif, and is packed with some more dramatic moments and a rather endearing violin. Besides for this piece, Kobayashi composed a relatively small portion of the soundtrack, taking care of all the short, cinematic pieces, a couple orchestrated pieces, the exciting "Little-Wing," and the soothing "Fly to Universe," and a more disappointing "More Haste, Less Speed," a boisterous, techno charged track that lacks any melodic direction, though possesses a satisfyingly complex beat.

Takuya Yasuda shows the greatest versatility of the composing trio, writing a good deal of lighthearted, pleasant pieces, and several heavier, techno pieces. None of the former category is quite as playful as "Emilia," a well written, enjoyable, and light little number. "Affection" is similarly playful, but composed with a very baroque melody that lends a heavier air to the piece that fits well. with the series "Former Lover 2," unlike its disappointingly simple sibling, develops a similarly baroque-inspired accompaniment, bringing out the full force of its melody. "Passion" stays true to its namesake, being an emotionally charged orchestral piece that doesn't disappoint.

Hunt Up" is easily the most endearing of Yasuda's techno tracks, with an addictive bass line that carries the track through a melody that is simple, though not disappointingly so. "Dual Phenomenon" is a perfect fusion of Yasuda's melodic and techno styles, a blend that works quite well in this dramatic track. "Shizuru," an atmospheric track, is not as enjoyable however. Comparable in tone to similarly minimalist tracks from famed composer Yasunori Mitsuda, this piece tries too hard to inject some sort of life that it ends up overstepping its mark, creating a dichotomy of a surprisingly vapid and overcomplicated piece. "Relief" likewise bores rather than relieves the listener, with a predictable melodic development.

Kota Nakashima starts off well with "CRAD-6th," a soothing techno-orchestrated fusion that perfectly illustrates the concept of a space station. Unfortunately, Nakashima doesn't seem to portray on this soundtrack the same degree of versatility as Yasuda, sticking mainly to Kobayashi-inspired techno tracks that are all individually impressive, but blend in amongst their peers. "El-Bals Mountain" is a pleasant exception, featuring well developed ethnic instrumentation layered over the composer's typical techno offerings. "Orca Spiritus" and "Orca Angels," the penultimate and final battle themes, respectively, are a bit too stereotypical to be entirely noteworthy, though the development and climax of the latter is quite well done.

The soundtrack closes with two remixes. The first, "For Brighter Day –Remix-," is an arrangement of a popular Phantasy Star track by Kenichi Tokoi, in a style best approximated as a soul jazz fusion. It's certainly an interesting, unique arrangement despite its recycled nature. The closing track, "Entrance Universe –Vocal Mix-," puts special emphasis on the vocal section, as the track's title intimates. It's enjoyable, but rather similar to its original.

Summary

The Phantasy Star Portable 2 Original Soundtrack is an enjoyable listen, though it is bereft of particularly noteworthy tracks, and indeed, the majority of them, composed by Nakashima, blend into each other after a time. Regardless, all of the pieces are pleasing to the ear. It's not the series' greatest representation of a space epic, but it gets the job done.