If you enjoyed this video, be sure to check out the other rankings in the series! kzread.info/head/PLXjn34wFCMP-6Kl56Fn2Ig3msOHqZAVhv

@patrickleblanc613

2 ай бұрын

Id say the esper battle theme from 12 is excellent. My only thing i really disagree on is terras theme from 6. Her theme is the way it is because its supposed to evoke the way she is as a character which fits nicely.

"Terra's theme leaves me cold and uninterested..." Check your pulse, bro! Your heart may not be pumping.... Nah, we each have our likes and dislikes, but the whole FF6 soundtrack gets me pumped. Terra's theme always makes me slow down and enjoy my day as if it was a little adventure.

@gregtroyan

Жыл бұрын

My opinion on Terra's theme is definitely a minority one. If I want to get my adventurous day started, I'll go with Locke's theme. 😉

@logicguy3092

2 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan Try piano only Terra theme renditions, may change your mind. Also, Cyan and Shadow's themes are pretty fun. I asked my wife to describe what she thought the characters of the game were just based on the music, never having played these and she nailed the character stories by hearing their themes.

Funny you specifically mention the battle theme of FFX, because personally, that's my favorite track in the remaster. One of my favorites in the entire franchise. And the PRs of I-VI feel perfect

@gregtroyan

Ай бұрын

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the pixel remaster OSTs or that re-working of the FFX battle theme. I'm glad they work for you and they seem to work for a lot of folks, but I can't stand them, hahaha.

People are nuts, balamb theme is a banger

@tommoore9735

Ай бұрын

The fisherman one and Laguna theme also bangers in 8.

Insanely good video! Appreciate your take on each entry and spending the time to highlight tracks and discuss them.

@gregtroyan

Ай бұрын

Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to comment! Cheers mate!

This is an objectively great list. FFIV and FFVII are definitely the best from all I’ve heard. The only problem is how low FFVI is I don’t think it needs to be in the top five like other western Nintendo fanboys, but I love the random battle theme (best BT of the SNES era) and Terra’s theme. And I think Dancing Mad is one of the best songs on the console and in the franchise, so that’s not sitting right for me. But besides that phenomenal list.

@gregtroyan

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind words. I do think Terra's theme is good and it's actually grown on me since doing these videos, though often I'm not in the mood for it. I still don't like VI's main battle theme and respectfully have a hard disagree about it being the best BT of the Snes era, as it's not even the best battle theme in FFVI. Dancing Mad I'm still not hot on, to be honest, but again I will admit to having a growing appreciation to Terra's theme since the creation of this video. If I were doing this video today, VI might bump up one spot above Tactics (I'd have to debate that in my head a bit), but I'd still put it below everything else above it.

I love the incredibly long examples, I’m here for the music after all 🎶

@gregtroyan

24 күн бұрын

Then you're in for a good time!

It’s incredible how subjective the final fantasy series is as a whole every single game is the best, and the worst. Every single soundtrack is the weakest or the strongest. It’s a one of a kind series that’s so incredibly diverse and loved by millions.

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

There's no wrong answers for this ranking (except XII at number one). ; )

Great video. This series lives by its superb soundtracks.

@gregtroyan

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I agree, the soundtracks are incredible.

if we were including expansion music, 14 is just always at the top of the list, no competition.

@Vaeltis

2 ай бұрын

Yeah 14 would've swept everything and even mopped up if it included expansion, that said, FF13's sequels have some of the best music in modern FF.

Great video. I'm always looking for long videos to listen to while I work my 3rd shift job, so I'll definitely be throwing on those other rankings you mentioned. Never knew the world map music from FF8 was disliked by anybody. It might be my favorite track in the series. I guess it's really personal though. I adore FF8, it's deeply connected to my childhood, and everytime I hear Blue Fields or Balamb Garden, it just takes me to a place that now only exists in my memories.

@gregtroyan

Жыл бұрын

I'm a big fan of VIII's OST, despite the haters. It's classic FF music, but yeah, I've seen hate for a few of the tracks, both online and in-person (my wife isn't a fan of Blue Fields or Balamb Garden). I hope you enjoy the other videos, mate. I've got 5 more on the way and another 13 out now, so hopefully that can help get you through the night shift. Cheers bud!

"Theme of Love" always gets me in feels man.. such a beautiful song

@gregtroyan

11 ай бұрын

It's an incredible piece of music.

Okay my music rankings before watching the video for comparison: 6, 10, 12, 13, 7, 15, 8, 4, 9, 5, 3, 2, 1 Some of it is based on pure quality, some of it is based on how much I listen to them, and some is based on whether or not the placement will make you angry.

@gregtroyan

Жыл бұрын

A fantastic ranking for 2 out of 3 of your criteria.

I don't agree with some of your rankings but the work here is top notch. Congratulations and keep up the good work. Truly enjoyed this.

@gregtroyan

Ай бұрын

Thanks mate! Cheers!

FFII is beast. I’m glad you realize. My daughter and I like to play Rebel Army on piano

@gregtroyan

24 күн бұрын

Love the FFII OST!

My ranking would be 6, 7, 10, 8, 9, 12, T, 4, 5, 2, 1, 3 (didn’t play the others so I don’t have opinions). But I’m enjoying hearing your reasoning for your rankings! And hearing your examples of what makes each OST great! Loving this series (I’m here from NOCKAT)!

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for posting your rankings! I'm glad your digging the videos and it's great to see a fellow NOCKATer in here. Adding in the examples in this video was a lot of fun, and in the same way NOCKAT offers the definitive immersive let's play experience, I'd like to think I offer the definitive video of ranking the FF soundtracks, if not in order of the soundtracks, then of at least going through the soundtracks and treating them on equal footing with ample examples. Meaning even if one disagrees with the order, it's at least nice XI isn't ignored, hahahaha.

6 is easily my top FF Soundtrack. I could loop it all day and not get bored of it.

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

I could do that with the boss theme from VI for sure!

@Nebocsid

2 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan I promise I'm not trolling, Dancing Mad and Terra's theme get extra attention/appreciation during said looping from me.

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

@@Nebocsid I respect a good troll but I appreciate your comment. Even though I'm not hot on either of those tracks, I get it. I wouldn't call them bad, they just aren't my thing as much. But I totally get the appeal and recognize the merits of those tracks.

I can't believe you mentioned final fantasy 10 without mentioning other world. The most badass hardcore final fantasy theme ever. It's when Tidus is Playing blitzball in zandarkand in the beginning of the game. And also when you fight braska's final a aeon. I used to fight my friends to that music 😂 It's such a good beat for fighting

@gregtroyan

4 ай бұрын

Fair point. It's a fun tune!

@MochaZilla

4 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan Yes, actually song By a German Metal group. Rammstein

Agreed, FF 7 has the best regular battle theme and probably the best overall OST in the series. I also think the boss battle theme, Still More Fighting, is the best in the serious also. However, get ready for a curve ball, I think the best last boss theme in the series is The Battle for Freedom from FF 12. FF 1, 5, and 8 OSTs are probably the most nostalgic for me as the music brings back life memories at the time I was playing each. I know this isn't Final Fantasy, but Lunar and Grandia OSTs are VERY nostalgic...lol. Okay, I can go on forever about game music, so I will just stop now. Great job with the video and thanks for the upload. Good stuff! 😊👍

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

I played Lunar 1 and really enjoyed the OST. Never played Grandia but I did a podcast with Dreamcastguy on the Grandia II OST years ago and I loved it. I need to get around to playing Lunar 2 and the Grandia games.

I absolutely rank VI higher, but I too simply ENJOY listening to V more from start to back even though VI is without question a much bigger accomplishment and sets forth more of the tone that would take in VII, VIII, and X.

@gregtroyan

24 күн бұрын

I think that's a fair statement.

THANK YOU for putting IX below the top 3! IX never quite felt top tier to me.

@gregtroyan

24 күн бұрын

It's great (they all are), IX just isn't quite at the very top for me.

Took a while but XV claimed the throne from VIII for my favorite sound track. It does both epic and catchy somber music so well

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

Nice! I'm glad you dig it so much!

I watched (and commented!) on the FFXI video, and now youtube is recommending several of your videos. Thanks for making them! I listen to FF music all the time. I've never really considered ranking them until I watched this video. I kept thinking, "No way that OST is that low!" on every one, haha. It took me a bit to realize I just like too many of them and never put them in an order. I think I appreciate leaving that thought exercise to others. Since this was all done before FFXVI, I'm curious where you rate that one? Also, I wanted to exress my appreciation for letting the music have its space and breathe. It made this very enjoyable. I suppose I should sub now.

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

Thank you! I made 10 hours of video essays to celebrate XVI coming out (16 rankings) so there's plenty of content for you to (hopefully) enjoy. I remember your XI commentary and really appreciated it. I've only watched the cutscenes for XVI and haven't played it. However, I have listened to the OST and I'm a big fan. If I'm sliding it into this ranking, it would be somewhere around the FFXV, FFXIII, FFII range. It's really excellent. This is a series full of great soundtracks and XVI keeps the standard high. Thanks for subbing! I look forward to your future commentary.

V is way higher for me. I personally enjoy spinning V more than IV. I think he hit a 2nd tier with the SNES sound engine on his 2nd go ‘round.

Based music taste, you are not afraid of the backlash

@gregtroyan

Ай бұрын

I listened to hair metal as a teenager during the 2000's. My entire music listening life has been being casually unafraid of backlash.

Hi again! I love the music for each FF game that I played all these years. Majority of which I still play and randomly listen to in any part of the day be it the battle music, the ending music, the overall world theme for each FF or just the iconic theme you usually hear all throughout the series. I think my most memorable music of all time would be FFVII, FFIV and FFX but the FFXIV music after ARR are 2 to 3 notches higher. I think it is because the type of music (maybe tone or genre) diversified for each and every expansion. I was going to suggest to maybe separate the rankings of FF music as a standalone like FFXIV ARR, FFXIV Heavensward etc and not as a whole. Well just a suggestion :D In any case, if expansions are to be included, FFXIV Shadowbringers and Endwalker would top my FF music chart and a very very close second are FFVII, FFIV and FFX. I just have difficulty ranking each FF game's music because I love all them, even the 8-bit ones! For anyone who's not familiar with FFXIV, they did massive nods to different FF games which includes the raid/boss fights and of course remix of the music! :D

@gregtroyan

Жыл бұрын

I may do a revisit on some of these rankings after I finish the XIV expansions since I've beaten all of XI and could probably judge better after that point, but I will concede that I actually like the expansion music I've heard from XIV far less than the ARR tracks. Random tracks I've put on to listen to I actually didn't really like and might even rank below XII, but hearing them paced throughout the context of the game might allow me to appreciate them more. A lot of the XIV Expansion music feels like the music in the Pixel Remasters, which I also am not really a fan of. But again, my opinion may change drastically after playing the game. You're Not Alone from IX didn't do much for me when I first heard it outside of the game's context and now it's one of my favorites.

@densha63

Жыл бұрын

@@gregtroyan Yes, truthfully hearing music just as a stand-along was like "oh cool, this is quite nice" compared to now that I've seen the story, the context and the scene where the music plays makes it all a lot better. I had better appreciation after playing the game so whenever I hear a good music, I always tend to find the context/story/scene behind it. Also, I would disagree that FFXIV music sounds like Pixel Remaster, but that is just my opinion. Haha XD

Great ranking, dude. This is mine: 1. VII 2. VIII 3. IV 4. I 5. IX 6. VI 7. V 8. II 9. III 10. X 11. Tactics 12. XV 13. XIII 14. XIV 15. XVI 16. XI 17. XII

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

Great list! I think that's a very reasonable ranking of the game OSTs.

1:05:06 your distaste for metal reminds me of my distaste for Disco. I love metal music, as I am an aggression type of guy and I like how harsh yet musical metal is a lot of the time, but that’s a fair criticism of the genre. For me I really got into 70s funk late into high school and I didn’t like disco. I thought it was because it wasn’t as funky, but it might be because it feels more like a wall of music overpowering the funky rhythms. It’s why the only disco songs I like tend to be more vocally driven ones like I will survive. At least the console Pixel Remasters have the option to turn it off.

@gregtroyan

10 ай бұрын

I like disco. I just watched that Bee Gees documentary a couple weeks ago, actually (though I like their early stuff better than their disco stuff). There's plenty of great music that falls into the disco category, but like you, I lean towards the more vocally driven stuff because of the greater emphasis on melody. I like a lot of metal, but more old school metal like Judas Priest or Iron Maiden, and the approach to drumming is very different than the bands that came after Metallica. That's not to say I don't like some more "mechanical" drummers (I love Neal Peart of Rush), and that's not even saying I don't like thrash (Megadeth is great), but in general, I have a preference in how groove is approached musically. If you're interested more in my music tastes (and the music I made) this playlist goes into that: kzread.info/head/PLXjn34wFCMP9RobqxVFQ6VYCdB3AVJY4O

yes its because of nostalgia, but I am happy whenever people love ff8's music as much as i do, I can even get over how pointless grinding battles is or the junction system basically just due to how the music makes me feel. except for esthar yeah lmao. Great video, subbed!

@gregtroyan

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the sub! I do agree, grinding in VIII is pointless...which is why it's awesome! But I address that in another video, hahaha. : D

@SwordHMX

5 ай бұрын

​@@gregtroyan I only grind for items. Leveling is not useless, however, since that is how you access stronger spells via drawing and refining.

@MochaZilla

4 ай бұрын

Ive actually been working out to FF8 SeeD OST lol. Its super militant and i really like it. Helps me focus

@gregtroyan

Ай бұрын

@@MochaZilla Hell yeah.

FF4's soundtrack (especially the nut-inducing SNES version imho) is THE very reason I even got interested in this franchise.

@gregtroyan

5 ай бұрын

People sleep on that OST too much. And yes, I love the Snes version too.

Some spicy takes on this and the story list but i can respect differing opinions on something like this. Surprised where you put 6 but to each their own. Also, given your love of story and character rich RPGs with great music, have you considered doing lists like these for the Persona series?

@gregtroyan

5 ай бұрын

I have not actually played any Persona or SMT game. I'm currently working on two other video essays (one for Chrono Trigger and one for Final Fantasy XI), so at the moment, I'm not really playing any games other than playing XIV once a week with a buddy of mine and playing Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King with my wife. I do plan on taking my first excursion into Persona with the Another Eden crossover once I finish the video essays I'm working on, so that will be my first foray into the series.

@gregtroyan

Ай бұрын

I beat the Another Eden/Persona crossover content. It was incredible and it makes me want to play Persona.

As a musician with an orchestra and rock background I can objectively say that putting anything other than VIII at the #1 spot is a criminal offense. It's quite possibly a musical war crime. 😜😘 In all seriousness, can we just take the time to appreciate the fine compositional work in this franchise. I can't think of too many series that have been around as long as Final Fantasy and maintained the high standard of excellence of its various soundtracks.

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

I too have an orchestral and rock background (forgot if I mentioned it in the video --- I probably did). Jazz too. VIII's soundtrack is great and if somebody ranks it at #1 I won't fight them too hard. It's incredible and is a reasonable first place winner.

WOW im not sure I agreed with a single placement in this, cept 7 winning I guess. Music be like that

@gregtroyan

6 ай бұрын

I'm gonna need your ranking of music to compare and contrast. This is the most vibes based category of them all, so there's a lot of room for disagreement.

I would also like to stand on my soap box and say FFX also had the best and completely nailed its ENDING theme. It's score was insanely emotionally moving like something straight out of a movie. When those trumpets come swelling in their massive crescendo, there's no other ending that can compare musically to the highs of FFX's gut punching of musical climax. However while FFX might take the crown for ending theme, FF8 easily takes the win for best Opening theme. Liberi Fatali might just be the best soundtrack in the entire series as a whole and can easily encompass the Final Fantasy franchise on its back. FF7 comes in a close second with that bellowing swoop in of the triumphant trumpets.

@gregtroyan

3 ай бұрын

All excellent points.

Hey, here's an idea for another video in the future. Take your favorite tracks from every single game and then rank them against each other.

@gregtroyan

4 ай бұрын

That does seem like a much easier video to make than what I'm working on.

@MochaZilla

2 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan would be pretty cool!

Oh and part of that is, though I truly love all kinds of music, at heart I’m a raging metalhead 🤘 and V has some metal ass tracks where IV, not so much. Some yes, but V goes hard. Like “Close Call” from V Ooooooooooo yes!

@gregtroyan

24 күн бұрын

IV is less metal, but it's more melodic and emotive, which is more what I look for. But V has a lot of amazing tracks and I would not rag on the OST. It's incredible.

I like the music in Tactics Advance better than XII

@gregtroyan

12 күн бұрын

Me too.

XIV, and VI being that low is actually criminal

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

Breaking the law breaking the law

@SINGULAR-L

2 ай бұрын

6 OST is def middle of the pack

Ff 15 soundtrack is so underrated

I know I just commented, but I just have to comment again right quick after skimming through the video a little more. But, I agree 100% with the FF 6 regular battle theme...it kind of ruined the game for me a little. The regular battle theme is probably the worst in the series. Even though it is a good game still...if only the battle theme was better. And, the boss theme, Decisive Battle, of FF 6 is most defiantly in the top 3 of regular boss themes is the series. The ups and downs of FF6 OST I totally agree with. After listening to your video more...you and I have a lot in common when it comes to Final Fantasy OSTs. When I have time, I will listen to the entire video in one sitting just see how much we have in common. Again, good stuff! 😄

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

Cheers mate! I appreciate the comments and hope you enjoy the ranking series. I made over 10 hours of videos so there's plenty of content to take your time with, hahaha. Glad someone else agrees with me about the VI battle theme. Cheers mate!

I don't know how it would hold up without them, but XV's soundtrack including the expansions has got to be my favorite in the series. Heck, it might be my favorite soundtrack of any game (strong competition from Lost Odyssey). APOCALYPSIS AQUARIUS is such an incredible piece of music, I might say it is my favorite song of all time. Valse di Fantastica, Omega, Conditioned to Hate, What Lies Within, Somnus, Stand Your Ground, Afrosword, Become the Fire, I can go on and on with amazing songs. I am basically addicted to that soundtrack by now 😂 I loved the video! Happy to find someone as obsessed with Final Fantasy music as me haha

@gregtroyan

7 ай бұрын

When I talk about expansions, that mainly means the OSTs for XI and XIV not being included because the track count gets ridiculous at that point for consideration. I love XV's OST and I think all of the DLC had great new music, aside from Gladio's which is fine, but not as good as all of the others. Even Comrades had a great OST, which is impressive given how lackluster Comrades was otherwise, hahaha. I'm glad you liked the video and I hope you enjoy some of the other rankings in the series. I recommend the one where I rank Expanded Universe Content. I made some fun music choices in that video.

@lankeysob

2 ай бұрын

15 is my fave too. Definitely not alone

@sapphiresuicune6787

2 ай бұрын

@@lankeysob dude I've been listening to Encelevenemus recently... It's absolutely phenomenal

7's boss theme is in competition for best in all of gaming.

@gregtroyan

5 ай бұрын

Hell yeah brother

@wiseguy240Winston

2 ай бұрын

Sabers Edge is better tbh

Definitely don't agree with your list at all sir but that's the beauty of final fantasy. It resonates with us all in different ways

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

Shoot, I'm not even sure I agree with my list at this point. My opinions on the game change over time and sometimes certain things resonate with more more at different points in my life. I might bump Tactics below V and VI if I were to redo the ranking today.

@cantdestroyher7245

2 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan so true. I'm not even sure I could rank them in order to be honest

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

@@cantdestroyher7245 I basically just had to just put a number on them, hahaha. It's painful ranking something you love so low.

Soundtracks ranked: 1.Final fantasy X 2.Final fantasy VII 3.Final fantasy IV 4.Final fantasy IX 5.Final fantasy XV

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

What about the rest??

I’m surprised I is so high and I’m really surprised it’s higher than II

@gregtroyan

24 күн бұрын

I think FFI has stronger melodies.

Glad you did FF II some justice, i always see it last on any tier list, but i think its not that bad, i actually like the Saga gameplay, too. That remake has good art, too. Its the PSP remake? OST is solid, too, what this tier list is all about. Yeah, all in all, is a good list, except for the misplaced FFVI, i think you're little bit out of your mind(no offense) if you can rank it lower than nr1, Dancing Mad the final Boss theme with Kefka is Nobuo Uematsu finest work, and everyone should know this with some knowledge of the games and ost. Sry man, but otherwise its a good list. I 'd suggest you listen to dancing mad again and look for interviews with Nobuo Uematsu about that track and why its his finest work. We can hate some games, i hate for instance FF V, thought it was very bland after the great FF IV in terms of story, gameworld, characters and OST, but FFVI is indeed a masterpiece in all aspects of gaming, the OST, big character cast and its villain are the best parts, i prefere it easily over FFVII's ost, which is excellent, too.(and in some parts similar)

@gregtroyan

8 ай бұрын

Once you get into my videos ranking Cast/Party Members and Villains, you'll see VI rank much higher. I've listened to Dancing Mad many, many times. It's just not one of my favorites in the series. For FFII, I used images from the PSP version (my favorite version of the game). And musically, I think FFI is far better than VI. I love VI, but the iconic tracks in FFI are melodically superior to me. Dancing Mad has a lot going on, but it's not as catchy as the FFI Overworld Theme.

I wish less of the video focused on the composer's previous / other work. While I do appreciate the mentions, I feel like providing the audio example was slightly too much. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say all of the songs slapped, though! As for my ordering.. FF12 > FF13 > FF11 > FF1 > FF3 > FF2 > FF5 > FF4 > FF6 > FF9 > FF14 (ARR) > FF15 > FF7 > FF10 > FF8, if I'm going semi off the top of my head. I, admittedly, have barely played FF12 or 5, and I haven't played 11, so those two are sort of off initial impressions.

@gregtroyan

Жыл бұрын

As a musician, I was excited to showcase the great compositions of the composers and to give them a little extra context for those who may be less familiar with their work. It was fun to do. : ) Solid ranking, m8!

Such a shame that XII's ost is so... unenthusiastic. Because the gameplay is some of the best in the franchise.

@gregtroyan

Ай бұрын

I'm actually not too hot on the gameplay in XII either, or at least the battle mechanics. Gambits and the license board are absolutely fantastic, though. That's top tier stuff.

FF12's score is very muted John Williams.

@gregtroyan

Ай бұрын

It's John Williams without the hooks, which was the entire reason John Williams was great in the first place.

FF6 fans really seem to be allergic to opinions don't they?

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

Weird. I never noticed that.

Seeing FF6 ranked 12th shows me im wasting my time. Good day.

@pdellify

11 ай бұрын

Man for real. Like yeah I get people having different opinions and stuff but I just can’t fathom it ranking that low.

@gregtroyan

11 ай бұрын

I'm sorry you don't agree with my music tastes. If you watch other videos, you'll see that VI ranks higher in other categories and even comes in first place in some of them. Thanks for taking the time to comment! : )

@gregtroyan

11 ай бұрын

@@pdellify If you listen to my segments on those games I tell you why their are other soundtracks I prefer over them. This is just my tastes on the music. I like all of the FF OSTs.

@thomasffrench3639

10 ай бұрын

Yet another annoying FFVI fanboy

@thomasffrench3639

10 ай бұрын

@@pdellifysorry he can’t validate your opinion that FFVI isn’t overrated

This is the most random list I've seen with absolutely no criteria and mainly just based on how they like battle themes. I don't feel this considers the number of quality tracks or the lengths of those compared to others. FF1 be 33 tracks in the ost, and you be putting more deserving ones low

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

I mean, music is subjective. I considered the number and quality of tracks. FFI happens to have a bunch of S Tier bangers.

Glad there are nine FF ranking videos all shot and uploaded, but still no sign of the TLT vid for the 8th. And I'm sure many would love to see this much effort put in ranking the Thin Lizzy albums. No, not by the Lipstick panel, just ranked by Greg. The rest of those guys are chuds and don't have a clue.

@gregtroyan

Жыл бұрын

I've been working on these Final Fantasy videos since February. The audio is complete for all of the videos in the series, and I was hoping to have them all done by this point, but life got in the way. I'm hoping to record this week's TLT either today, tomorrow or Wednesday. I was out of town for my Aunt's funeral this weekend, and combine that with the flood, getting a new washer, Shadow's death, work, and everything else going on...didn't find the time to shoot a TLT in the midst of all that. If I hadn't done all of those TLT videos in advance like I did, I definitely would have had to skip two weeks with all the craziness going on. Also, heads up, this video ranking the music of the series is going to be a little over 2 hours long. : D

Okay, I’m just gonna write some of my thoughts here as I go through this video… XII, yeah, I agree to a large extent. The music is mostly good, but just not that memorable. XIV… Aw man. My love of the music in XIV is difficult to put into words. My emotional reaction to a lot of it borders on the unhealthy. Seriously. There are tracks in that game that bring me to tears within two bars. And although I would say that ARR is the weakest part of XIV in almost every other respect, the music is not one of them (although even then I believe that the music in later expansions gets even better somehow). Not only is the music amazing, but the sheer variety of it is incredible. The tender lullaby of Ul’dah’s night theme… and then the heavy rock of Titan’s theme (which would be in my top 10 pieces of FF music). The bucolic melancholy of the Black Shroud’s theme… and then the shouty punk of Shiva’s theme. And then… the way they’re all remixed in later expansions… but I accept they’re not included here :P Suffice it to say, I really, really disagree with this one being so low. But hey, that’s opinions, right? VI… But this one does honestly baffle me a little. Again, your opinion is totally valid, but what really surprises me is saying the battle theme actively irritates you, while the boss theme is one of your all time favourite FF tracks. To my ear, those are very similar tracks in all the important ways, and I just cannot see how you can put them at opposite ends of the spectrum. Personally I love them both, a lot, and the battle theme in particular might be my favourite basic battle theme from the entire series. The same with Terra and Celes’s themes… they’re a bit more different, but still, IMO, similar in many ways, and similarly great. I do actually agree that Dancing Mad is a bit overrated though. That was Uematsu at his most experimental, meandering, prog rock excessiveness. And hell, it works, I just don’t think it’s as good as most of his other stuff. XV… I pretty much agree. There are some truly amazing tracks in there. But a lot of it isn’t all that memorable to me. That said, my appreciation of XV’s music has actually grown a lot recently, since playing a hell of a lot of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. XIII… I would definitely have this higher. When I learned that Uematsu wasn’t going to be composing FF music anymore, I thought there was no way the OSTs could reach the same heights in the future. FFXII strengthened that view. Then XIII proved me completely wrong. Every track in this game is incredible, and the final boss theme, Born Anew, is the track I always nominate when there’s a question about the most underrated FF track. For my money it’s nearly as good as One Winged Angel, for many of the same reasons. I X… Heh, you say it’s one of the best battle themes in the series, for me it’s one of the weakest. I don’t dislike it by any means, I just don’t think it has the energy of the best battle themes. On the whole I think X is the weakest of the soundtracks led by Uematsu (of the ones I’ve played enough to have an opinion). Although like every FF game, there are some amazing tracks in there. Of the rest, I find it tough to really offer my own ranking. I haven’t played any FF earlier than VI either extensively or recently enough to have a valid opinion. And the fact is, I consider VI, VII, VIII, IX and XIII to have soundtracks that are all so amazingly awesome that I just can’t separate them. If I had to, absolutely HAD to, I’d say that of those five, VIII is my least favourite and VII is the best. Every single track of VII is almost perfectly formed, from the simplest area theme to the most dramatic battles. Interested to know what you made of the Remake’s soundtrack, if you’ve played it. So I definitely am not going to argue with you on having VII top of the list. I’d probably put it on top too… but only because the later XIV expansions aren’t eligible by your criteria. Oh, also, have you heard the many FF Piano Collections albums? I find them almost as interesting to analyse as the game OSTs. But then, I am a big piano fan.

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

I'm a big piano fan but generally I haven't been very interested in the piano collections albums. With a lot of video game covers where the arrangement is changed, I'm often unimpressed by how the musical hooks are altered in different settings, and ultimately I find the composition suffers out of a desire to differentiate it. I haven't revisited the piano collections albums in years, and while they are performed well, they didn't do anything for me. XIV is a very good soundtrack. The gap between XII and XIV is much larger than the gap between XIV and VII, and I still like XII. So, it's better to think of XII being a B Tier soundtrack and everything above it being S tier. The difference in the battle themes of VI is incredibly crucial and, composition wise, is as big of a gap as the battle themes in FFIX. In VI they use the same instrumentation and have similar tempos, but the ebb and flow of the musical hooks and emphasis on melodic aspects are world's apart between the two. The main battle theme is desperate, tense, aggressive and a bit atonal. The boss theme has a more classic verse-chorus structure and has a soaring and triumphant chorus with a completely different emotional tone that compliments the first half in such a way where it changes the prior section's emotional resonance retroactively. The main battle theme is just chugging away at tension atonally the entire time. They both use midi guitars, midi drums and midi synths, and the tempo is similar, but the way the music is composed on top of that tempo is incredibly different. I love XIII's score, but I think the stuff above it is better. I haven't played Remake. The stuff I've heard from it is good, but I don't like it as much as the original. I think if I had the context of it in the game I would appreciate it more. X's battle theme is great and for me captures the emotional essence of their journey, and so while it's not as tense as other battle themes, it fits the game perfectly and is stupidly catchy, which I like. XV's music is fantastic. I enjoyed it before I played the game, and after. Same with XIII. Loved those soundtracks before I touched either game.

@DodderingOldMan

9 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan Hmm, well, you've definitely thought more about the compositions of the FFVI battle themes than I have :P Have you heard much stuff by The Black Mages? Their versions of those two tracks are absolute killers, IMO. But based on what you said about the Piano Collections, they may not appeal.

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

@@DodderingOldMan I talk about The Black Mages in my section on FFII, but I realize I didn't articulate much of an opinion on them, other than being generally favorable towards Tsuyoshi Sekito. I think The Black Mages ultimately are pretty cool. Sekito is very good with arrangement and their covers tend to be some of the better FF covers. Sekito really understands how to enhance a composition and focus on the primary musical hooks. I got to chat with him a few years back and I have a lot of respect for his approach to music, which is similar to my own. He absolutely, 100%, gets it.

@DodderingOldMan

9 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan Ah, right, sorry, I skipped a couple of the sections on games I have zero knowledge of. Awesome that you got to meet him. Some of their riffs are what inspired me to start learning the guitar. Unfortunately they weren't enough to inspire me to *continue* learning the guitar... 15 years later and all I can play is, well, a couple of riffs from Black Mages tunes :P

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

@@DodderingOldMan I'm not a very good guitar player either. I mainly use guitars and pianos as tools for writing music and don't think of myself as much of an instrumentalist. I've since retired from doing music (got sick of it), but I did get to win a couple battle of the bands, meet with the VP of a record label about a possible deal, compose a film score for a feature film, get my picture hung on the wall of a famous music venue, tour, record multiple albums and music videos, get praise from my biggest musical heroes, and even have a fan tattoo my lyrics on their arm. Ultimately, my music career is something I consider somewhat of a failure, but I did manage to get a lot farther than most musicians I know, and I'm appreciative of the journey it took me on. I made a lot of friends because of my music career and even met my wife because of it. It's a good cheat-code for socialization. Also, you should totally go back to the sections you skipped. :P

I think FF5 has the best music

@gregtroyan

11 ай бұрын

It's a great soundtrack!

I like these videos man, but you clearly worship at the altar of FF7. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it was your first FF game?

@gregtroyan

4 ай бұрын

It was! That said, I do hate The Compilation of FFVII (spoilers for the Expanded Universe ranking), so I'm not a blind fan of FFVII. I address this further in some of the other videos in regards to biases. I worship at the altar of FFIV too and don't worship at the altar of FFVI despite playing those at basically the exact same time. FFVII happened to vibe with me, like it did millions of others. I'm a normie. Favorite band? The Beatles. Favorite FF? VII. I like popular good stuff. :P

@aaronkulbiski6209

4 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan Hey, fair enough. I blindly defend FF8, despite being fully aware of its giant, glaring flaws, so I can't exactly talk. I love FF4, but FF5 on the FF Anthology thing was my first game, so I was the one hating on FF7 😅😅

@gregtroyan

4 ай бұрын

@@aaronkulbiski6209I think my thing is that I just don't pretend to have edgy opinions. Take The Beatles, for example. I know a lot of folks who have contrarian opinions on everything and will go out of their way to tell you how much The Beatles suck. I say they are brilliant because, in my heart of hearts, it's what I believe. Why pretend my opinion is something different? If I really think FFVII is amazing, like millions of other people do, I'll just say it's amazing. Is there nostalgia attached? Sure. But while I loved the Pokemon anime and DBZ when I was a kid, DBZ holds up really well where the Pokemon anime doesn't for me. Sometimes certain things just hit. I will tell you this (spoilers). FFVII does not win every category in this series. FFVII comes very low in some categories. And FFVIII actually wins a couple of these rankings. That's the fun thing about breaking these down by category is allowing each game to shine, because I love them all in different ways. It just so happens VII happens to nail a bunch of categories really well.

Oh my GOD that X Remaster Battle theme sounds terrible!

@gregtroyan

24 күн бұрын

Right?

turned off when the video started with xii

@gregtroyan

2 күн бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to comment! :D

@CRiSiS_iNFiNiTE

Күн бұрын

@@gregtroyanjokes aside good video player

@gregtroyan

Күн бұрын

@@CRiSiS_iNFiNiTE Thanks mate!

Did this man really put FF6 in 12th place. Instantly a bad list!

@gregtroyan

6 ай бұрын

Check out my villain list. :D

@gregtroyan

6 ай бұрын

I'm glad FFVI fans are always so nuanced and open-minded.

@Duckman8213

6 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan i know

7 is overrated. If were talking about ost its great, but behind games like 8, 10, 9, and 13 in terms of ost. 7 also has tracks that just straight hurt your ears.

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

Example?

@wiseguy240Winston

2 ай бұрын

Honeybee Inn, In Search of the man in black & Who are you

@gregtroyan

2 ай бұрын

@@wiseguy240Winston Nah homie those are fire, but I also totally understand liking VIII, IX, X, and XIII more than VII. All of those OSTs are fantastic.

Nockat got me here and hoo boy do we disagree. You put 12 last and use its theme in your openings. That's wild. Only seen 2 videos so far, but I strongly suggest you replay 12. I'm gonna be that guy and say I dont think you get the game. It's more a shades of grey kind of game that shows the human in both the "heroes" and the "villains". Ashe's weakness for power. Baltheir's untrustworthyness. Basch's general twattiness. All contrasted with a villain that - though not great in his methodology - shares a true bond with his brother and genuinely wants peace (albeit in a Roman kind of way). Please reassess 12. You're honestly missing out on a lot of depth there.

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

XII's prelude is arguably the best version of the prelude. That doesn't negate the rest of the soundtrack being the weakest of the bunch. I'm okay with shades of grey (I love Final Fantasy Tactics and think Delita is a fine character, for example). I don't see Basch as a twat so if you're saying I need to replay the game to see that, then I would agree on that point, because I think Basch generally came off pretty positive. Balthier is about as untrustworthy as Han Solo, which I felt I picked up on. And Ashe's arc about deciding how far she'll go for power is one I feel I pretty much grasped. Are you watching the videos in playlist order? XII is a game I've played multiple times but only managed to beat once. First playthrough was about 10 hours in and gave up on it, 2nd playthrough beat the game with around 80 hours of playtime. I've got the remaster on my Steam wishlist, but in general, I prefer to play new games than to replay games I've already beaten. But again, it's on the wishlist, so I am considering giving the game another go. I liked it a lot better the 2nd time I played it than the first time. But yeah, as a heads up, XII does rank low in a lot of these rankings, but there are some categories where XII actually ranks quite high. One of the nice things about ranking the games in a bunch of categories is that it allows each game to shine. I don't think any of these games are bad and though I might rag on XII in comparison to the other entries, overall, I actually like it a lot. Just a lot less than the other games, in most aspects.

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

My apologies, I wrote "prelude" when I meant "Main Theme". The coffee hasn't kicked in yet today. I do address a lot of your points in other videos. XII does rank higher in some of my videos, and I address your points about Ashe in my video ranking the casts/party members, and I felt like I was generally positive in that video. Maybe try that one next?

@chrisseddon5823

9 ай бұрын

@@gregtroyan I am watching in order, yes. Which has been frustrating as 12 then ranked last in the following video, which is baffling to me. To be clear, 12 doesnt make my top 3 in ff rankings, like you I have 7 and 10 high, with 8 a distant 3rd. But to rank 2 higher than 12 for gameplay is such a strange perspective to me. The grind in 2 is based on not playing the game as intended and even if you personally enjoyed it, that's not how the game is designed to be played. I'm sorry if I'm coming across as argumentative or disrespectful, the videos are really well made mate. But your hot takes are spicy! 2 over 12... the world really does take all sorts.

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

@@chrisseddon5823 In fairness, the video you're referring to is me ranking the combat/battle systems, it's not an overall gameplay video. I have a video on leveling/progression systems that's completely separate from combat mechanics, and you might notice that (spoilers) XII ranks higher than II on that particular list. I actually think pretty highly of the leveling system in XII. When you get to the video on level progression systems, you'll probably see what you consider to be a much more standard take on the games. But, based on the battles themselves, oh yeah, II absolutely crushes XII (in my book). Again, part of the reason I made the videos was to allow the different games to shine in different categories. XII does shine in a few categories, but it also ranks last in quite a few. But even VII, a game I love, ranks towards the bottom in some videos. Each game excels in certain ways and falters in others, which I why I like ranking based on individual categories. I do like XII (despite my criticisms) and I like having chances to sing its praises.

@gregtroyan

9 ай бұрын

Also, with all of that said, my opinion on XII's soundtrack being weaker is hardly a hot take. That's one of my more "normie" opinions and hardly that controversial. ; )

Wow you have II ranked higher than VI?! The Dreadnaught theme is the worst piece of music in all of Final Fantasy

@gregtroyan

4 ай бұрын

The Dreadnaught theme isn't super great, ngl. That's a really fair point.

The greatest soundtrack in gaming was put at 12 :(

@gregtroyan

4 ай бұрын

Chrono Trigger's OST isn't even on the list! 😜

I cannot believe i would ever see someone ignorant enough to complain about FFXII's soundtrack....arguably the best OST out of any FF.

@gregtroyan

4 ай бұрын

XII's the best, eh?

@MochaZilla

4 ай бұрын

Heck no lol. 12 is mediocre at best. 7, 10, 8 and 9 are the best 4. This ain't opinion, this is a fact! 😂

@eduardobarboza9499

4 ай бұрын

@@MochaZilla i'm not even gonna bother discussing this. Someone who says 7 has a one of the best soundtracks has no idea what he's talking about and is just hyping up the games he personally likes.

@MochaZilla

4 ай бұрын

@eduardobarboza9499 oh and you aren't? You hate ff12 but lovr the soundtrack? Get outta here ya scallywag 😄

@erkpentsage

4 ай бұрын

I agree. XII's soundtrack is so diverse and achieves what a good game soundtrack should do-- immerse you in the world. Every location has a suitable track to go with it. Sakimoto and Matsuo are a fantastic duo with a very particular orchestral sound. I think people marry themselves to Nobuo's work and forget that not everything has to be a song made for cutscenes. To each their own, but this list is definitely not definitive.

Honestly Final Fantasy 10 has the best soundtrack ever created for a video game. Just got into the game this year and it struck a cord with me unlike any other game.