PlayStation

Medal of Honor

Feels unlikely, but seems possible with the Spielberg/Dreamworks dollars behind it.

Note that I mean a real orchestra performing the music with the recording quality of redbook CD audio. I recall King's Quest 4 using the MT-32 for scoring, but I'm not sure synthesized tracks should be considered the same as a real orchestra.

I also mean an original soundtrack written for the game. I'm sure an earlier Star Wars game would have this otherwise.

Chahi's Heart of Darkness was earlier: "It is the first game to have its score recorded by an orchestra though because of delays, it was not the first to be released with a full orchestral soundtrack." So there is a third.

I am fairly positive that the redbook track of Manjimaru featured a real orchestra. That game was released in 1992.

You have Total Annihilation in 1997. I think that was a bit of a breakthrough title for Jeremy Soule.

Outcast (1999) had a soundtrack of an hour performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and choir.

I believe the hinor goes to the original cd release of Ys.

You mean the PC Engine CD release of Ys Book I and II? It was released in 1989, so it beats Manjimaru indeed.

That's the one. Yep. Original score too. And quite spectacular.

Edit: Actually I'm not sure if it wasn't synth.... It was CD audio, but I think the orchestra itself was not real.

Bermuda Syndrome came out in 1996 and had an orchestral soundtrack recorded by the Zabre Symphonic Orchestra. My copy of the game even came with a separate audio-CD entitled "Bermuda Syndrome - The Symphonic Soundtrack". It is pretty good. Ranks among my favourite game soundtracks of all time, even.

Sample track Another one

Shattered Steel (1996)'s soundtrack sounds orchestrated and not synthesized.

If you wanted to be anal and go further back with unoriginal orchestrated music, you'd wind up with 1994/95's Return Fire.

Western-world speaking of course.