Let's Appreciate This Game's Awesome Soundtrack

[Neptune]

I love Uematsu more than any composer in the world.

Frankly XIV is his worst piece of work because of the guys who did the arrangements. Sometimes it's even hard to hear the melody because of all the instruments. I still think all the osts where he did most of the music by himself are his best work.

Just look at all the awesome youtube videos of XIV osts that reveal the musical genius there is to be found underneath all those guitars and crap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LScY2...F8FC44&index=7

That is an AMAZING song when you peel out all the pretentious post processing out of it.

Wow, I couldn't believe that was the same song as the battle track. I was imagining a Lufaise Meadows esque scene when I started listening to it. But, I hate to break it to you but Uematsu is probably the one who arranged it to be metal. Have you ever heard of his band The Black Mages? It's a metal band. He probably wrote it on piano and then arranged it for the metal band. The piano version is much better though.

I'm glad you posted this because I had assumed all the battle tracks to be terrible after listening to the CD I plunked down $20 for. This one really surprised me though.

[SuzakuCMX]

Wow, I couldn't believe that was the same song as the battle track. I was imagining a Lufaise Meadows esque scene when I started listening to it. But, I hate to break it to you but Uematsu is probably the one who arranged it to be metal. Have you ever heard of his band The Black Mages? It's a metal band. He probably wrote it on piano and then arranged it for the metal band. The piano version is much better though.

I'm glad you posted this because I had assumed all the battle tracks to be terrible after listening to the CD I plunked down $20 for. This one really surprised me though.

Yeah but I can't really imagine that version playing while fighting.

Maybe if it had an organ in the background, a choir, and some cymbals...but not just piano.

Then again I hate it with an electric guitar.

[Eekiki]

I gotta agree about the whole electric guitar thing. It isn't even electric guitar, it sounds like a poorly synthesized electric guitar, like they busted out the Casio keyboards to record the music.

I think I was spoiled by the incredible soundtrack to Ragnarok Online II, though. ^_^

Thing is, you expect to see artistic growth with every new artistic endeavor, and while Uematsu doesn't have much growing left to do at this point, it's simply too obvious that many of the songs in this game's soundtrack were rushed.

That's not to say this soundtrack doesn't have its fair share of gems (Limsa, Mistbeard Cove, Coerthas, Mor Dhona, the main theme that you barely hear in the opening cutscenes and then never again), but a lot of it seems...artificial.

[Burn]

To be fair, I still like FFXI's music a lot more than XIV's.

[Spitfire]

I love the music in The Black Shroud it adds and eerie atmosphere which I never noticed because I turned the music off. Now that I turned the music back on some areas that aren't frequented a whole lot are becoming very interesting. Like take said example of The Black Shroud I really think that despite being a tad bit too big; the whole concept of the that area was pretty well done. I can only imagine what that place would have been like if they didn't rush the game and had maybe another 6 months to a year to finish it. The way you never actually see the tops of the tree's actually really does make it seem like you are in a deep ancient forest. The design really reminds me of Secret of Mana games, I really think they can do some cool things with Gridania/Black Shroud area content wise that could really wow some the fans.

[Archadius]

Coerthas is badass, especially the battle theme for it.

[Moiren]

One of the most beautiful and FFesque is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbqWsbXs_r8 (track 19), and there are many other beautiful tracks as well (Coerthas, and many others you guys have posted)

[Mack]

One of the most beautiful and FFesque is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbqWsbXs_r8 (track 19), and there are many other beautiful tracks as well (Coerthas, and many others you guys have posted)

Where is that?? sounds amazing, how come I haven't heard it before??

[Shikaree]

One of the most beautiful and FFesque is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbqWsbXs_r8 (track 19), and there are many other beautiful tracks as well (Coerthas, and many others you guys have posted)

The track in the youtube link really put my spirits up for this game being big when I first heard it back last year, before release.

Where is that?? sounds amazing, how come I haven't heard it before??

I heard it in the Gridania rank 15 quest, don't know if it came up in the other nations at all.

[RedAffinity]

Might be a minority here when I say in its life, FFXI has given me some of the most impressive battle tracks in more recent FF history. Going in with expansions, I hope they capture that "traditional" FF battle theme with new areas in XIV. I was pleasantly surprised hearing the Thanalan behest music.. really took me back for a moment, only soon after to be brought back and reminded how grating some of the other music music really is (leves).