A Final Fantasy (et al) post to welcome you to the glory of Friday (if you don’t have weekends off then may this hopefully brighten the midst of your work week) with more located here!
Final Fantasy is world renown for its music, which I’ve covered here, here, here, and many other places. The title is a bit misleading as this is open for both battle and boss music, but not final boss music (we’ve already discussed that in a prior post).
This is another tough one for me. So tough that I need to abscond to YouTube to listen to a sample of each.
*listening*
I’m torn between IV and IX for the Battle Music. They’re both so epic and reflect the more fantasy nature of their games. I love that “uplifting” phrase in IV and the strings in IX (forgive me for my lack in music terms. I’ve sung for many years, but was piss poor at theory).
I’m even more capricious on the Boss Battle Themes. IV wins again though with the continuation of the fantasy theme in its music.
But I also love VII’s more rock/metal-esque sound, which fits perfectly with the game’s aesthetic.
It would seem this should be the end of the debate, bur Final Fantasy is always complicated and has more than just the standard Battle and Boss (and Final Boss). It would be a travesty to leave them out as some of these selections are the best music the series has ever given us. One of them is the music played during the battle with the Atma Weapon in Final Fantasy VI
…and the other is Jenova’s Theme. I abhor and fear that abomination with a passion, but there’s no doubt its music is brilliant. There are at least three melodies going on at once, and it twists your mind in knots trying to divine and unwind them. Nobuo Uematsu is a master of the meta in music whether he realizes it or not.
If I ever listen to the above song while driving, I somehow find myself going at least 80 mph, as if I”m trying to outrun something…
Note: The same thing happens during One Winged Angel, especially the Advent version, but that’s because that song kicks ass.
So I suck at answering questions. If I had to pick a Battle Theme, it would be Final Fantasy IV, and if I had to pick a (regular) Boss Theme, it would be have to be FFIV as well. VII is a very close second.
Hopefully, you can be more…decisive than I am 😉
The Shameful Narcissist Speaks 
Came in to say IV, followed by IX. Thanks for doing the work for me! 😉 I love how happy sounding they are compared to other battle themes. And I just have to pick songs that have the classic 16-note battle intro. Out of those, IV and IX are my favorites. IX’s was special for bringing back those 16 notes, and IV’s was a great theme! For boss music, my favorite Is VII, followed by closely VI’s Decisive Battle. Battle with the Four Fiends from IV and Man with the Machine Gun from VIII are also among my favorite tracks too! I love talking music, especially Final Fantasy music! ❤
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It was so hard to pick between IV and IX! They’re the most “fantasy” of the Final Fantasies, and their music has that feel to it. I did love how IX revived that intro, and I didn’t even need to mention the Victory Fanfare, which is pretty much synonymous with Final Fantasy.
I was so close to picking VII. I kept listening to them back to back. I much prefer The Man With the Machine Gun music for battle in VIII to the regular theme, though I don’t hate it. Final Fantasy really doesn’t have any “bad” battle music, just varying degrees of excellence 😀
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Oh! I also really enjoyed XV’s battle music, and that’s not the recency effect talking. Yoko Shimomura outdid herself with the themes in XV, and the battle music is catchy with hints of the Final Fantasy prelude within it. I agree though that there is no “bad” battle music, though there are ones that I’m not a huge fan of. For instance, as much as I love IX’s battle music, I don’t like its boss battle music.
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Oh that’s awesome! I didn’t know the composer for XV was a woman. I’m sad that Nobuo Uematsu isn’t involved with it anymore, but that’s pretty awesome.
I’m not a fan of the IX boss music either. It has that dark, minor tone, but the melody is a bit weak.
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I agree with both of you! IV and IX are definitely the best, though FFX’s battle theme is perpetually stuck in my head since it was my first FF game.
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You have to love an ear worm :p
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It should come as absolutely no surprise that my answer to both questions is FFXIII, haha. Both songs trigger the strong “feels” I have for this game since they are played so often.The regular battle music (Blinded by Light) has epic rifts, orchestra stuff, and sounds very inspiring. I’m listening to it right now actually…. You know what? Dilemma solved: Lightning wins as my badass idol.
I do enjoy the IV battle music too though! It’s really hard to choose since Final Fantasy is known for having amazing music.
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I’ve heard the Prelude to FFXIII and it’s one of the many songs that can bring tears to my eyes. AOL Radio used to have a Final Fantasy station, and they’d play songs from XIII, which I enjoyed greatly.
I knew it! 😀
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The prelude song to FFFXIII and Suteki da ne are the only two songs that make me wanna weep like a child, haha. The XIII prelude is especially tear-inducing since it reminds me what a miserable state I was in when I played XIII for the first time.
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Final Fantasy is such a feel inducing series. I was ecstatic the day I found out I wasn’t the only one who experienced seriously deep emotions about at least one of the games. I should do a list of “What FF’s induced the most emotions in you?” at some point. For me it’s definitely VII and IX on a personal note, but each of them definitely wake up my empathy circuits.
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Final Fantasy is such a diverse and inspiring series. Each great iteration seems to create a special connection with different people. I hate seeing people bash other Final Fantasy games for that reason. It’s okay that you hate a game, but at least be respectful because someone else might have a special connection with it. Every one I’ve played so far has tugged at my heart strings. I still want to finish FFIV soon. I’m still a little too burnt out to tackle that last moon dungeon. It has been incredibly relaxing just messing around in the new Zelda and HZD 🙂
I think that would be a great question! No one I know IRL would understand how important FFXIII is to me. They are much more than silly video games, and I grateful this awesome blogging place understands this. Honestly, I’m not sure where I’d be today without Lightning and that epic trilogy. Those games helped the miserable mess I once was more than words can describe. Even today, whenever my dark despair starts creeping back, I always look up to the one woman army, selfless knight, and savior of a fucked up world. I know she’s not real, but Lightning inspires me to want to become something greater. She reminds me to never let a grim fate be the boss of me.
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FFIV has the toughest dungeons in the entire series. I don’t blame you in the slightest for taking a rain check on the moon. That is the hardest final dungeon ever. I’m…kind of putting FFIV aside since I’m at the part with the Tower of Babil again. I’ve already beaten and reviewed it, and I really need to move on to V and XIII when I finish up WOFF. I’m pretty much just leveling in order to beat this optional boss who is literally from Xenogears (he’s name is XG…so obvious lol). My husband and I were talking about either purchasing a new PS3 since you can get one on Amazon for less than $200 with 500GB, or he was going to fix the laser on the old one. Not that need that for digital downloads, but he owns a physical copy of FFXIII. I may purchase the other two digitally though just for simplicity’s sake, and I have a feeling Squeenix will probably release a bundle version (if they haven’t already) soon.
I would arguably not be alive today if it wasn’t for FFVII. It’s so much more than a video game, and I think a lot of people, not even gamers, understand that. All narratives are worthy of discourse, and nothing is written/created in a vacuum. I really wish I could find the article I read a year or so ago that talked about the psychology of fictional characters…found it lol! It was actually not that difficult to locate. I just googled it (God bless the google!)
http://www.themarysue.com/the-psychology-of-fandom/
People who can’t understand why fictional characters and media are important lack empathy and imagination. If you can see something, it makes you believe you can BE that thing. Perfect example is when I saw another black lady cosplaying Sephiroth, and I thought that I could do it for real that first time. Cosplay is one of those tricky business where you run the gambit of having people who are 100% supportive and amazing and then you trolls. I’ve found that the people who are really good at it tend to be the nicest and most supportive people out there who have no problem giving advice and not being judgmental. Then you have trolls because they’re everywhere. But having that visual made me realize “Hey, I could do this!” It still think that a lot of the Lightning loathing comes from her being a bad ass women who could kick the asses of the majority of trolls who have something smart to say. I mean the backlash that happened with Star Wars VII TFA was ridiculous. I hate how female and minority characters are held to higher scrutiny than white guys. Like they were calling Rey a Mary Sue (ironically that’s the site that article is from LOL), but Luke Skywalker was just as amazingly skilled at everything like being a top pilot even though he never flew anything until he left the planet, but Rey being a bad ass fighter and able to wield a lightsaber ever though she’d been living/surviving on her own was far fetched *rolls eyes*
Omg I’ve ranted lol, but I know we share a similar point of view on this. I’m totally okay with valid critics, but a lot of the crap I hear about XIII seems to people complaining about Lightning (see above) or bitching about how it’s too linear, but then they complain about XV being too open world. No one is ever satisfied.
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The dungeons really are brutal and some of those random fights really kick my ass (even with the guide I’m using, haha). I will help Cecil finish his quest soon though. Wow! I didn’t realize PS3s were so cheap now. I heard rumors Squeenix was releasing a bundled version of XIII but I’m not sure when it will happen. I can hear the trolls growling already, but I would pay so much money to see a FFXIII-4 happen! *keeps dreaming*
I think your connection to Sephiroth is as strong as my connection with Lightning. I’m so happy to know someone who understands how important a narrative and characters can be. I’ve bookmarked that article to read later! I’d be lost without almighty Google 🙂
I’ve been meaning to check out the cosplay stuff on your blog! I’d love to get brave enough to try a Lightning cosplay someday, but I don’t think I’m worthy enough to try, haha. I just have to roll my eyes when I read the trolls bitching about Lightning being a bitch… haha. It’s sad that this is still a thing in today’s society. It’s like the trolls feel threatened by strong characters who don’t represent them, or what they think they are. If they don’t think a woman is capable of kicking their asses, they should try mouthing off at this soon-to-be Green Belt in Combat Hapkido. 🙂
Rant away, that was awesome! We definitely share the same point of view on this. I think some people just enjoy complaining about everything. No matter what Squeenix does, some group will be angry about it *shrugs*
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FFIV is the only FF I’ve played where a regular dungeon has you healing after every battle! That’s what the Tower of Babil is like and probably why I kind of threw in the towel (per this week’s State of the Gamer update lol). I would love for XIII to come out on the PS4 so I could more easily play it lol.
Yeah! They’re super cheap and I kind of want my own so I can play it whenever I want hehe. I have a bunch of consoles on my wish list now: the PS3, 3DS, PS Vita, Wii U, and of course the Switch. I’m so bereft! I only have a Wii, PS2, PS3, DS, PSP, and Nintendo Classic :p
Right now I mostly have cosplays I want to do and just a few I’ve done for Halloween. You should totally do Lightning! Anyone can pull off whomever the hell they want lol. Like everything people make it a contest and of course there are cosplayers who are closer to the character in look, but it’s supposed to be fun. One of my friends took a picture of a Sephiroth cosplayer who was wearing glasses and it was adorable. I…do have some pictures and a video of when I did a makeup test for the Great General, but I’m super paranoid/shy about posting them. I will eventually, because I really like them lol. Three. Hours. That’s how long the makeup took. I think it would be easier now that I’m better at putting on false eyelashes. That’s something I’ve noticed…none of the other Seph cosplayers I’ve seen EVER do falsies, and he has RIDICULOUSLY long eyelashes. It’s one of his many amazing features *swoon* Ah ahem, not that I have any gifs saved of this…of course…yes, yes I do.
You hit the nail on the head. They feel that their position in the “hierarchy” is going to be usurped by “a girl” (ughhhh), and really it’s the fact that instead of having the majority of the pie, they have to only take their fair share. Most stories are still going to center on them, but they see any that don’t as a threat to their position, so they fight back the only way they know how by invoking the status quo as “the way it should be,” only because it’s the say it’s been for so long. They don’t see anything wrong with the imbalance, because it’s tipped in their favor.
When I hear the critiques about FFXIII being “too linear” I’m more apt to listen than to ones about “Lightning is a cold-hearted bitch.” Well looking at Squeenix’s track record, they don’t make characters like that without reason and her personality and the reason for it sounds similar to Squall’s from FFVIII. You’re a soon-to-be Green Belt?? Omg you totally have the chops to be Lightning lol, no arguments :p
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Oh I know! Plus MP is so precious and it’s costly to replenish it between save points. The caves where Rosa needed to cast Float on every level were quite the challenge! If they launched a remastered FFXIII on the PS4 I’ll probably get it too, haha.
That’s a nice console collection you have there! 🙂 Now is the time to snag a Wii U for cheap. I have almost everything because I like collecting video game stuff. It also makes me immune to console exclusive issues.
I’d be the most terrified Lightning ever, if I tried. I may get brave enough to give it a shot some Halloween. Squeenix makes such beautiful characters… I would feel horribly inadequate trying to pull it off, haha. But you’re right: it should just be for fun! 🙂 3 hours for the Great General makeup!? Wow! I’d like to see the results of that when you do decide to share. I can only imagine how many GIFs you have, lol.
People are entitled to their opinions, but that troll crowd just annoys me. I know why Lightning is so cranky, because I’m the same way IRL. I even have her resting bitch face (or RBF, lol) that people frequently misunderstand. I think she’s hiding how miserable and chaotic she truly feels. She pushes away the people she cares about to protect them, not because she is being a bitch. I’ll also say her character really evolves over the trilogy, and she is a true inspiration to me. The only reason I was brave enough to even try Combat Hapkido was because I wanted to be strong like her. I’ll forever be a Lightning in training, but now I can definitely kick ass if needed, haha.
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There are two caves that are like that, too! The optional Feymarch one and the Sylph Cave, and yes, you don’t really get the opportunity to purchase legitimate MP restoring items until you go to the moon, that cave with all the Humingways.
Amazon has them for around $300 bleh, that’s still kind of pricey, but I threw it on my wish list. A Narcissist can dream lol.
A terrifying Lightning sounds like an amazing one! We have smaller cons in my area and Otakon isn’t too far away. It used to be in Baltimore, which is around 2-3 hours from me, but now it’s in D.C, and I have SO many reasons to not want to go there lol. I want to gather all the materials for the cosplay so I have them, because it’s going to be expensive and it’s going to take a long time. I could buy his coat on Amazon for like $200, because he’s a very popular cosplay, but I’d rather go with Etsy since it’s more likely to help support some individual crafter, plus it’s better made! You can also get things custom made. I found someone who’ll make the boots to your size specification for like $50 :O I have a list of all I’d need. I really want to find a Black Materia necklace. I had one before, but it was too small for my liking (plus the chain kind of broke), and I finally decided I’d go with a black leather corset to deal with me, er, busty problem lol. I found a cosplayer randomly on Deviant Art one day who was doing the very same thing, and lo and behold we became friends lol. She’s a horror writer, and I want to write horror, so it worked out well.
I honestly think people just look at the surface of things and don’t give a damn about what’s really going on beneath. Squeenix crafts these complex characters and stories, and you hear the crowd do nothing but squawk about things that are insignificant in the grand scheme of the story. It irritates me when it’s a character you identify with, because I feel that if you’re misreading this character this badly, then you really don’t understand who I am, nor would you care. It tells me a lot about a person the way the look at stories and characters. If they’re empathetic and attempting to see more than is shown, that says a lot.
When I was able to jog, my desire to cosplay the Great General was a HUGE inspiration. I’d often think about how he could pretty much just run to the ends of the earth with no sweat (literally lol). I’m merely mortal, but it did a lot to keep me going, and I completely understand his aloof nature prior to him losing his mind. I was just talking about this, but people tend to assume I’m happy because I’ve learned to hide behind that kind of mask, but there are some days where I have that aloof, non-expression because I just can’t be bothered with it all. Of course the problem with this is there’s that threat of a catalyst for a breaking point and then uh oh, which is one of the reasons I like fanfictions of him afterwards when he realizes everything he believed was a lie, and ugh if Squeenix ever released a DLC like that, I MIGHT literally lose my mind (too) lol.
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Even with the Humingway moon cave (I guess they must be from the moon originally, lol) Ethers are still hella expensive.
Oh wow! It sounds like you got it all planned out perfectly. You could pay the orange tyrant a visit dressed as Sephiroth. I would laugh so hard if I saw that on the news someday. 🙂 I may have to poke around Etsy to see what they have. If I find something that doesn’t ship from the US, I may even get it sometime this year, haha.
Exactly! People misread me all the time (which I’m pretty sure was a factor in me losing my old job) so that’s why I get a little defensive when I see people complaining about Lightning.
It’s awesome that the Great General has inspired you! I would also be interested in seeing that DLC happen. If I ever become a multi billionaire and takeover Squeenix, I’ll put you in charge of creating that. All of the company resources will be dedicated to making FFXIII-4 first though 🙂
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I think they are! It’s weird that that’s kind of a side note, as if being from the moon isn’t a HUGE deal. I mean Cecil is only half-Lunarian and it’s this gigantic plot point.
Well…seeing what the Great General did to the last corrupt, businessman president *clears throat and shuts up* Being famous is one thing, being infamous, well, that’s another.
Is even Etsy slow to ship?? Good lord…that is so annoying.
I see no problem with this business arrangement!
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You could become the infamous hero of your nation, and the entire world 🙂
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*daydream fuel* Mmmm 😀
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I think IX and Type-0 have my favorite battle music, with IV having my favorite boss music. XV has an excellent OST as well.
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I really need to play Type-0, and I’ve heard of the wonders of XV’s soundtrack. Even my least favorite soundtrack XII had some gems on it. “To the Place of the Gods” is a great one.
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XII is perhaps my least familiar numbered FF. Hopefully I enjoy it more when the remaster comes out later this year.
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I’m definitely picking that up. I still have the old strat guide on my bookshelf. It’s kind of a shame those are obsolete except for collectibles now. Damn you internet!
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For “regular boss fights” For those who fight further from 7 is my favourite.
For regular fights, i’m partial to 2, then 6, then 9, then 7.
And special mention to Braska’s Aeon battle theme, Otherworld, for being a totally bitchin metal song.
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I was so close to picking “Those Who Fight Further!” It was a very near second. Hm 2? I’ll have to listen to that one again. I don’t quite recall it.
I do like that the later Final Fantasies have more a metal sound to their songs.
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