This is a terrible debate for me. My personal opinion is that they are both excellent composer's and I am always willing to listen to their soundtracks, even if I don't play the game for them. I feel they are equal.

Yet, part of me may have to give this to Nobuo. Not because I prefer his work; but because the man has written and arranged a ton of music over the years and most of them are great. Every game has at least one or two outstanding tracks, if not the whole musical score. I have to give the man extra points just for being able to write consistently good music. Not that I'm saying Mitsuda's music isn't good, but after 20 years in the business and countless scores of music, I feel Nobuo can still write good music and I don't know too many musicians, let alone composers that can equal up to that. So his track record is quite outstanding and I feel in another ten years, Mitsuda will be equal to him on this as well.

I'm not as familiar with CC's soundtrack as I would like to be, its one of the few soundtracks that tends to elude me when I go searching for it or its just overpriced when I find it. I do know quite a few tracks though so I am aware of its beauty but I feel its unfair to overlook Xenogears. Its soundtrack is also incredible and serves as the bridge between CT and CC. Mitsuda's works on Xenogears creates the foundation for CC's and many of his most beautiful scores that I personally love come from Xenogears, like Bond's Of Sea and Fire, Faraway Promise, Daijiru: City of Burning Sands, One Who Is Torn Apart, and The Beginning and The End

Even his work on Xenosaga is actually quite good, one of my biggest complaints about the game was the terrible use of Mitsuda's work. The game stuck to the same five tracks while the other 20+ tracks are usually only played once and its usually a snippet. Insecurity, Beach of Nothingness, Ormus, and The Miracle are all outstanding tracks that don't get the attention they deserve. I just find it odd that Mitsuda fans are so quick to dismiss the two Xeno soundtracks Mitsuda did. I feel both are on par with the Chrono series, they are only limited by the fans lack of awareness to their existence.