Copyright © 1999 Square & Square Sounds

13 Tracks; 64:12

1.		Liberi Fatali	3:08
2.		Blue Fields	3:37
3.		Don't be Afraid	3:49
4.		Balamb GARDEN ~ Ami	5:16
5.		Fisherman's Horizon	4:02
6.		FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC	4:38
7.		Eyes on Me	5:40
		Vocalist: Wong, Faye
8.		The Man with the Machine Gun	3:36
9.		Dance with the Balamb-fish	3:16
10.		Love Grows	4:35
11.		The Oath	5:10
12.		Ending Theme	13:20
13.		Fragments of Memories	4:05

While the visual presentation of FINAL FANTASY VIII wowed gamers all over the world, the musical presentation left a little to be desired. The use of synthesized instruments was made necessary due to several issues, the biggest of which was space—in terms of volume, the music of FFVIII takes up four discs all by itself. But the "fake" instruments did not do Uematsu's compositions justice, lacking the kind of oomph that only a real orchestra can provide.
With the release of FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC - FINAL FANTASY VIII, Square Sounds at least partially addresses that shortcoming. It's not the same as having a symphonic score in the game, but at least now you can listen to some of it on CD. The album selects some of the best tracks (out of a total of 80), and brings them to life using an actual orchestra.
Some of the in-game music is immediately improved by the use of real strings, flutes and brass, such as the ubiquitous world map music (Blue Fields) and the Balamb Garden theme. Tracks such as the soothing Fisherman's Horizon track or the waltz-themed "Dance with the Balamb-fish" are given a subtle richness and depth, while the solemn "The Oath" is given an extra punch at all the dramatic moments.
In their transition to full orchestration, however, a few tracks have changed in feel; while they still benefit from the orchestration, the use of different instruments removes them from the context in which they are used in the game. For example, the string instruments used in Laguna's combat theme don't seem as appropriate for battle music. Meanwhile, "Fragments of Memories," which was perfectly rendered on the PlayStation as a music box melody, has been transformed into a splendid violin-oriented piece.
In most cases, the new versions make for great listening and should be accepted as a different take on the original. But the witch parade track FITHOS LUSEC WECOS VINOSEC, which was already a bit strange to begin with, takes a turn for the truly bizarre in its symphonic incarnation, with the voice of a wailing woman inserted towards the end of the track for no apparent reason. Weird.
Ironically, the best tracks on the disc were already fully orchestrated in the game to begin with. The heart-pounding "Liberi Fatali" and the ending theme were in the QuickTime movies for the opening and closing clips of the game. And with Faye Wong's "Eyes on Me," Square made a rare exception and played an actual music track off the disc for the crucial romance scene. As such, the three tracks are brought over to this album without any changes, but their sheer brilliance and this album's double-nature as a "best of" collection make their inclusion mandatory.
Not counting the aforementioned three themes, the best song on this track has to be "Love Grows," the instrumental version of Faye Wong's love song. Rendered beautifully via gentle piano and violin music, the sophistication of this track alone is what made the purchase decision for this reviewer.
It'd be great to have this quality of music accompany the game—maybe it will become possible with PlayStation 2 and DVD's massive storage. In the meantime, if you enjoy Uematsu Nobuo's compositions but find that the synthesized music in the game doesn't bring it to life, then this album is for you. One last note: in addition to this symphonic arrangement, Square Sounds just released another FFVIII album with piano music versions of many other tracks, so if you have the chance, you may want to listen to both of them first before you decide on one or the other.

Square Sounds Co. Ltd.
SSCX 10037
¥3,000
Available now in Japan
Where to buy