Overview

Front Mission 2 and its prequel are not quite as close as you might think. FM2 was for a completely different system (PlayStation), and there was also the intervening Front Mission: Gun Hazard, which some (incorrectly) assume to be the official sequel. One thing they do share, though, is a common composer. Noriko Matsueda contributed about half of the music to the first Front Mission game, and returned to write the FM2 soundtrack solo. It gives us a great opportunity to look at the evolution of Front Mission music, since no one can claim that the differences are due solely to a change in composers.

The first major difference you'll notice in this soundtrack is the sound quality. This is not surprising, since it's PlayStation-era stuff. But what may be surprising is that the disc is amazingly faithful to the style of the Front Mission Original Sound Version. About five of the tracks are either remakes of Front Mission tracks or include references to them; this is just enough to make the connection but not so many that it leaves you wanting more original material. Believe me, this album reeks of originality. Matsueda even rounds out her musical style, so the overall soundtrack sounds more like "Front Mission done by Matsueda" and not merely "Matsueda's Front Mission stuff done again".

Body

Listening to the soundtrack feels more like a storytelling than the previous Front Mission. I'm not sure if it's due to the tracks themselves or simply the way they're ordered on the disc, but it seems like a more natural flow. It starts with two good openers, "Opening Theme" and "Weapons Introduction." The first is a slow symphonic buildup with some outstanding percussion. The second starts slowly with a wavy ambient melody, but eventually builds up into a powerful string and brass (and drums!) attention-getter. From just these two themes it's obvious that Matsueda is by no means sticking to her characteristic modal/jazz style — there's very much a traditional side to her music, and it shines all throughout the CD.

Some other good pieces in the early part of the soundtrack are "Surprise," which is a remake of Front Mission's "Terrible Density," the bittersweet "Lira's Theme," and the haunting "Suspicion." Mid-soundtrack is where you'll find all the hard battle music, which features a "Swift Attack", "Normal Attack", and "Heavy Attack" for both the player and the enemy. The "Enemy Swift Attack" is a particularly amusing piece, featuring all sorts of weird voice-like samples sprinkled throughout, besides having a pretty cool slow techno rhythm. "Dukandi Town" is classic Matsueda through and through, with an odd melody over a modal harmony, and to me it has a hint of an folk dance in there too.

As we move into the latter parts of the disc, we find some really excellent town themes. "Diaraba Town" is an electronica piece with bagpipe and flute instruments. "Bornea Town" has a cosmic tone to it, relying heavily on classical styling and string instruments. Little clarinet tangents make a nice waltzy break in the monotony, emphasizing the dark and minor feel of the track. But "Capital City Dakka" is possibly the coolest of all. It's very short, and has a fairly simple dragging beat, but it's got these rising melodies played out on some electronic instruments that sound absolutely spine-tingling. It's the stereotypical High Technology Fortress o' Evil.

For those wanting some of that old Matsueda jazz, "Counter Bar" is a fantastic remake of "Shop" from the prequel, featuring a great-sounding bass guitar and electric piano. "Show Pub" runs along a similar vein, but it's blues instead of jazz, and it's also very good at mixing up the genres. The ending is a 3-part symphonic wonder, borrowing heavily from (you guessed it) Front Mission Ending theme. It does a perfect job of wrapping everything up nicely and giving you some great ear candy, chock full of rich harmonies and captivating melodies. All that, and a bag of chips.

Summary

Buy this soundtrack now, for the love of all that is good and holy in this world! Pretty please? It's got all the great stylings of the Front Mission Original Sound Version, which was a damn fine Sound Version in itself, and this one sounds about 300 times better. It is hard to come across, but believe me when I say it will probably be the best out-of-print game soundtrack you'll ever buy.

Overview

One of Square's most underrated and often overlooked composers Noriko Matsueda started her career in 1995 composing for the Square/G-Craft strategy-RPG Front Mission, along with the highly talented Yoko Shimomura. A couple of years later, she was asked to score the game's sequel for the PlayStation entirely alone. Not only does she succeed flawlessly in making an excellent soundtrack, but she also manages to keep the feel of the prequel.

Body

The score to Front Mission 2 is still quite different from its prequel, in which Matsueda incorporates an atmospheric, airy sound to most of her tracks, while retaining the epic feel of the first, mostly in the event and battle themes. You can hear this in "Silence," a gripping ambient theme. "Shock" will most likely surprise many, as it is a wonderfully updated version of Front Mission's "Terrible Density," in which it conveys the epic feel of battle perfectly. "Sorrow" starts off eerily, but then a quiet but saddening melody takes place, something Matsueda really exceeds in getting through.

An interesting note I want to mention is that Yoshitaka Hirota (yes, the same Hirota whom is mostly responsible for the Shadow Hearts scores) is accredited as sound effect creator in the liner notes. This is one of the few soundtracks in which he contributed some of his works directly into the music; the only other soundtrack that he played a part in to my knowledge was Final Fantasy VII. You can hear Hirota's stuff in "Enemy Battle (Swift Attack)," which mostly sounds like a voice effect (at one point you hear a yell in the music). I find that quite amusing, although it does make that one track stand out from the rest.

Of course, the battle themes remain serious and epic. "Arena" begins with some organ and percussions and carries that airy feel in the music, which I find very enjoyable. Another of the updated Front Mission tracks found here is the jazzy "Counter Bar," which stays true to "Shop" of the prequel. "World Map" is another of the atmospheric tracks; you can easily imagine the wind blowing into your face as the Wanzers travel through Huffman's Island while listening to the music. One track I insist on mentioning is "Hatred." It is mostly an ambient piece with some eerie but painful sounding effects. This track is probably the successor to Front Mission's "Destructive Logic." While Shimomura got the eerie bit going with the organ in the prequel, the screams used here inspire the same feelings.

Summary

All in all, I think Matsueda has done very well here. She develops excellently on the sound of the original Front Mission while exploiting the opportunities of the PlayStation. That said, it's very rare now and still hasn't been reprinted, so good luck finding it.

Overview

After the success of the 1995 SNES hit Front Mission, Squaresoft decided to release a sequel to this futuristic tactical RPG game on the PlayStation platform in 1997. Back then, Noriko Matsueda, who took part in the composing of the Front Mission soundtrack along with Yoko Shimomura, was given full powers to compose the entirety of this new episode's score. Armed with the experience of her previous collaborations and her solo work on Bahamut Lagoon, Matsueda composed her fifth project for Square, taking us one more time into the universe of gears and urban warfare.

Body

First of all, let me remind you that this album has been released right in the middle of the PlayStation era. As you may know, the technology of the platform didn't allow as realistic renditions as with later systems. This is why several instruments — especially horns and strings — do not sound like real ones. However, the sound programming on this album takes total advantage of these limitations. Minoru Akao and Takahito Eguchi have succeeded in rendering a solid ensemble by using synthesized instruments that do not fake the actual ones. What we got here is not something incomplete nor inferior, but something different; this is the step of freedom taken over realism that is peculiar to early 90's game music.

Concerning the composing itself, the first thing I've come to notice and appreciate is the way each set of instrument has been granted a role. Basically, orchestral elements are on the player's side; they embody human emotions throughout the many scenes depicted in the album. For instance, the brass section illustrates the building up of tension and adrenaline rushes in the "Player Battle" suite, but also emphasizes the tragedy expressed in "Lila's Theme". On the opposite side of the spectrum, the enemy camp is represented by synthetic pads and drums. This cast of instruments evokes automated and optimized machinery, an entity where feelings have made place for efficiency and control. This antagonism can be clearly heard on the various battle themes (tracks 16 to 21), as well as on city themes (tracks 29 to 33), where step-by-step, as the player advances into enemy territory, cheerfulness and folk instruments make place for despair and technological sounds.

The progression on the setting tracks is remarkable, and deserves a little more attention. The first scenic piece, "City of Dorgandy", features a lively tune played by winds and backed by snare, as in any generic RPG town music. All of a sudden, a crash of male voices and dominant brass reminds us that the city is under martial law. The mood, however, keeps being rather carefree. The theme to the next city ("City of Diaraba") has its background elements constituted of purely synthetic pads as well as a couple of weird robotic noises. The leading instruments are none other than hopeful bagpipes and winds interacting flawlessly with their artificial backing. The balance is reversed with the theme of Bornea City, which features a deep "sci-fi" set of synthetic pads setting up an impressive and sorrowful mood, as if something horrible was happening. A few wind instruments eventually show up to form the second part of the track and emphasize this feeling of mourning. Finally, the last stage ("Capital City Daka") sounds like a giant automated factory, a soulless mechanical nightmare crossed by bolts of electricity.

The thrilling feel of military operations is very well rendered through the orchestration, mostly thanks to an excellent use of percussions. For instance, the fast-paced "Shock" is introduced by the brutal sound of timpani, quickly muted as things get into control. From there, snare and a very slight timpani are used as background material for the main action. As the brass section goes wilder, cymbal crashes join in to mark the beat until the track reaches its climax. I'm also quite fond of the harp and echoing wooden drums background duet that give "Sorrow" its serene atmosphere. On other tracks such as "Enemy Battle (Normal)", pure synth drums are layered to sound like a clockwork, illustrating swift and precise mechanical action. However, they are not preponderant in this soundtrack, as they don't add as much substance to the acoustic scene as regular percussion instruments.

Last but not least, Noriko Matsueda not only provides us with an epic soundtrack centered on battlefield action, but also with an set of jazzy pieces covering entertainment and off-combat scenes. Tracks such as "Saribash's Warehouse", "Arena", and "Show Pub" really took me by surprise, as they invite to take it easy in the tough and serious context of the rest of the album. They contrast with the dominant feel of the soundtrack, through their cast of instruments as well as their mood, make them all the more enjoyable.

Summary

From fast-paced assault action themes to the loosening of furlough, Front Mission Second's soundtrack offers a large variety of atmospheres, illustrating the futuristic urban warfare setting of the game. Akao and Eguchi's excellent sound programming and Matsueda's clever use of percussions have shaped many quality tracks that leave almost no room for filler material. You'll enjoy this album without any doubt, but you'll have a hard time to get your hands on an original copy: being out of print since 1999, it has become quite rare. Seize the opportunity to get it if you can; it will be a piece of pride to exhibit on your shelf.