Nobuo Uematsu - Music From FFV And FFVI Video Games

Squaresoft: 1999

Not the dorkiest thing I have in my music collection, but this definitely has to be up there. I wouldn't even call this CD a part of my proper library; rather, it was a bonus disc in the PS1 release of Final Fantasy: Anthology. When I heard Squaresoft was bringing its past games to the Sony gaming system, I was elated. Final Fantasy III/VI had already brought incredible RPG moments during my all-too brief period of Super Nintendo enjoyment, and though I still had the original cart (even to this day, including packaging, booklets, and maps – make me an offer, collectors!), I'd long since given my SNES away. Having FFVI on a then-current system was a great chance to replay the game (I lacked a computer capable of playing emulators), plus us folks in the Americanas would finally get a proper port of Final Fantasy V. Sweet deal, right?

Eh, not as I'd hoped. Something I never considered – and maybe even Squaresoft overlooked – were the laggy loading times PS1 games suffered from. It didn't happen often, but anytime a pile of sprites ran across the screen (oh hi, Quasar Lore), the audio wouldn't load as fast. Meanwhile, FFV was disappointing, a seemingly rushed affair with overstuffed options and minuscule plot. I beat it once in one of the easiest final boss fights I’ve ever encountered in an RPG, defeating the giant space-tree with only one character spamming the Jump command and blocking everything with the Aegis equipment. I understand Squaresoft was more focused on producing FFVI at the time, and essentially rushed FFV out into the market, but that still-

What? Oh, sorry, got carried away there - this isn’t a gaming blog. Then again, giving a quick overview of the games within FF: Anthology helps explain this bonus CD’s oddities. Nobuo Uematsu’s work for FFVI was some of his best, the compositions he squeezed out of the Nintendo S-SMP nothing short of astounding, pushing the 16-bit soundcard to ridiculous levels of awesome (that echo and reverb!). The original score took up three CDs, so in making use of but a quarter of that material for FF: Anthology, careful consideration of track selection was... Nah, screw that. Here’s a bunch of wildly disparate music instead.

Only two character themes make it here: Terra and Mog. Out of a cast of fourteen, that’s it? Terra’s an obvious one, sure, but Mog? Mog!? Some of the other selections are definitely classic – the Phantom Forest music, Dark World, Wild West, Epitaph - but I doubt folks would take Johnny C Slam Spinach Shuffle Rag over Forever Rachel or anything Opera House related. I suspect the selected pieces are meant to show off Uematsu’s diversity rather than placate with fan favourites, but it still leaves this CD lacking in notable selling points.

As for the few FFV selections, they’re okay, though sound rather Nobuo Generic, if that’s any way to describe music. I’m sure Final Fantasy followers will know what I mean.

Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack (Disc 4)

DigiCube: 1997

If Disc Three was about enjoying the world of Final Fantasy VII’s quirky tangents and mysterious corners, Disc Four says, “You’ve had your fun, we got a plot to get through now.” True, the tail-end of the last one had that too, but here there’s more urgency to the music. Makes sense, as the music covered deals with all of ShinRa’s shenanigans and the proper confrontation with ol’ Sephy. Only a few ‘generic’ tracks appear here, and seeing as how Parochial Town or Hurry Faster! were featured at earlier stages of the game, they come off more like leftovers shoved way over here due to lack of CD space on the first three.

Whatever. If you enjoyed the game mostly for its ever-evolving convoluted plot, then this disc’s for you. Thrill, as you remember every time the Weapons raided major cities in Weapon Raid. Chill, as you did during the countdown to Cid’s rocket launch, in The Coundown Begins. Marvel, when the Mako cannon is fired a second time in The Makou Cannon Is Fired. Tremble, as Meteor finally descends upon Midgar in World Crisis! (by the way, is it just me, or was that a ridiculously slow moving meteor?) Er, yeah, there’s a lot of FMV sound-tracking happening here, and aside from the wonderful ‘Aeris In The Lifestream Saves The Day’ end of World Crisis, not much stands strong outside the visual reference; though the percussion in Weapon Raid’s mint.

Quite a few one-offs appear on CD 4, in that they’re pieces that were only used for single scenes within the game. A couple are acoustic, and though Sending A Dream Into The Universe is definitely a take on Cid’s Theme, damned if I can remember where On The Other Side Of The Mountain plays.

And obviously all the ‘final’ music makes up the final stretch of the final CD. Like the final dungeon track Judgment Day (love that percussion!), pre-final boss music Jenova Absolute (like that fight, it’s rather meh), final boss music The Birth Of God (what the hell’s up with that title?), and final-FINAL boss music A One-Winged Angel. Okay, I’ve never understood why he takes on that final form, other than because Kefka in Final Fantasy VI got to have a ‘fallen-angel’ form, Sephiroth got one too. I’ll grant Final Fantasy skews towards a Renaissance-gothic style, but still. Oh well, One-Winged Angel is still an impressive bit of music, and believe me when I say it blew everyone’s mind when that battle and score went down way back in ye’ olde 1997. Latin choir for the final win!

Funny thing about listening to Final Fantasy VII’s music again, is how much some aspects of the game are still ingrained in my brain. I can’t go through any of the battle music without hearing the sound effects associated with them, and all those high and low emotions (shad’ap) during certain cues come flooding back. Sure does make me want to dust the ol’ game off again.

Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack (Disc 3)

DigiCube: 1997

Let’s talk sound for a moment. Though it was a marked improvement over the previous generation of consoles, the 32-bit era still took a while to fully capitalize on its potential in sonics. Final Fantasy VII’s initially was intended for the Nintendo 64, and thus was likely the reason Uematsu composed the soundtrack using MIDI; or maybe he was just comfortable with it still. Whatever the case, the inboard Playstation soundcard, though a capable piece of technology, was limited in what it could reproduce, hence the poor emulation of brass instruments.

What the game’s music lacks in trumpet fanfare, however, it more than makes up percussion. Plenty of proper drums and tribal rhythms are scattered throughout the four discs, but a great showcase of them show up on CD 3. Cosmo Canyon and Great Warrior in particular are a joy to, erm, enjoy, borrowing elements of Native American music - makes sense, since the Red XIII character’s homeland seems inspired by the culture. Even better is the triumphant march of Cid’s Theme, the gentle beat of Lifestream, the pulsing throb of The Great Northern Cave, and the heartbeat of Those Chosen By The Planet (though I must add those high-note ‘choir’ tones are hilariously wack).

It’s when ol’ Nobuo steps out of traditional arrangements and uses purely synthesized sounds where the music on Disc Three turns fascinating. The opening refrain of You Can Hear The Cry Of The Planet always sends chills down my spine, and not just because it’s the music played in the location where Aeris meets her demise (what spoiler?). Elsewhere, upbeat silliness of Racing Chocobos - Place Your Bets could work as its own electro track, though I’m sure anyone who’s spent countless hours chocobo breeding in this game has grown utterly sick of it and the hoe-down Fiddle de Chocobo (I only bothered as far as a black one myself).

And acoustics! Goodness, but are the string instruments ever class. The theme of the other fangirl-favorite tortured soul Vincent has a suitably sad melody strummed, Buried In The Snow makes use of short violin strums and plucks, and Forested Temple works Uematsu’s other ace-in-the-hole of percussion - bells - with a guitar arpeggio. And okay, the fiddle work is pretty good too in Fiddle de Chocobo - I can admit that now since I haven’t played the game in a long time, and thus don’t have it currently ingrained in my brain.

From a personal standpoint, I enjoy the variety of music on Disc Three the most. Much of it is introduced when Final Fantasy VII’s world truly opens up with side quests and mini-games, a welcome element for those who prefer their RPGs as an immersive experience rather than a point-by-point plot progression. Plus it includes a couple of the most memorable themes between Sephiroth’s and Aeris’. Even the FMV bits like Steal The Tiny Bronco! and Interrupted By Fireworks are enjoyable, which is more than I can say for the next disc.

Nobou Uematsu - Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack (Disc 2)

DigiCube: 1997

Final Fantasy VII was a pretty big fucking deal when it came out, and like most fans of jRPGs of the time, I too fell sway with the epic gameplay, cinematic scope, and cutting-edge polygon Lego-models. And the music! Hoo boy, did it ever suck me in. Though I’d rate Final Fantasy VI’s overall score of better quality, this game’s was so much more diverse than anything I’d heard from RPGs before. Why, I could even listen to it on its own, separate from the game. If only there was some way I could- Whoa, they actually have such soundtracks in Japan? Damn, I gotta get me a copy! Who cares how much it costs, this music’s too good to pass up.

This was the first VGM CD I ever bought (re: father purchased for me since he was the one with the credit card). It's also the last, though I've picked up Symphonic Suites or tie-ins on occasion. The reason, as always, boils down to funds, those darn pan-Pacific duties incredibly brutal. Plus, I never was that big of a gamer to splurge on their OSTs, especially now as I've grown older and find less time for them. No, if I'm laying down some serious cash for music that sounds inescapably flat and plays out as short double-loops, it'd better be something special.

Final Fantasy VII definitely has its share memorable pieces, but as with many games, it has its forgettable fluff too. Coincidentally, most of it shows up on Disc Two, which deals with most of the music featured through the Golden Saucer segment. There’s the game over music, the sleep-at-inn music, and even Waltz de Chocobo, the brief music played before you get your first Summon materia (I think; been a while since I played). Also, two main chocobo themes appear here, the surf rock Electric de Chocobo, and a jazzy-shuffle Cinco de Chocobo - oh boy, dos chocobobobos.

CD 2 is also all over the place in tone. As the game finally emerges from the choking industrialism of Midgar, Mr. Uematsu gets his opportunity to work in many different themes. You have pleasant acoustic pieces with Ahead On Our Way, Farm Boy, and Costa del Sol, somber pieces like Mining Town and Sandy Badlands, and corny marches like Rufus’ Welcoming Cermony and It’s Difficult To blah blah blah. Oh, and the overworld theme’s the first track too, given an incredibly generic title of FF VII Main Theme. Geez, couldn’t come up with something better than that?

For yours truly, much of Disco Two is skipable, but it also has some of my favorite pieces. J-E-N-O-V-A’s brisk, trancey hook is awesome, and Gold Saucer is a right hoot; criminal that both these cuts are so short, but the utterly dull Trail Of Blood lasts twice as long. Also, Cait Sith’s Theme’s here, and as he’s my favorite ‘guilty pleasure’ character of the game, I totally vibe on this cool shuckster-jive. No shame.

Nobuo Uematsu - Final Fantasy VII: Original Soundtrack (Disc 1)

DigiCube: 1997

Final Fantasy VII is the seventh instalment of the Final Fantasy franchise, a very important series in the world of gaming. It has the distinction of turning RPG gaming into something cool and enjoyed by all. Who cares if it bore scant resemblance to Western RPGs like Ultima or Might & Magic? Those were for losers, man. Greasy barbarian nonsense, right? Let's get steam-punk on the genre! Still, the game's impact is unimportant here, as I'm not a gaming blog. Want more details, seek out the endless articles, websites, fan pages, hate pages, and slash pages (er, maybe not) out there. I'm focusing on the music from the game, and that's about it.

Yep, if you thought I wandered off the conventional 'EDM review' path before with rock and the like, you ain't seen anything yet. To be fair, video game music is its own form of electronic-based music, what with chiptunes a thriving aspect of its lineage. As storage capabilities grew ever larger, however, the need to rely on in-board soundcards turned pointless when complete orchestral scores could be stored on discs. Even in the 32-bit era, you'd have individual licensed songs as the backdrop to your WipEout or Tony Hawk sessions.

Much like the graphics of the game, Final Fantasy VII marks a transition from old, antiquated soundtracks of yore. Uematsu definitely has more sound banks to work with compared to the 8 and 16-bit era, but much of the music has a shrill, tinny tone to it. He wants melodic woodwinds and brass fanfare, but all we get are hilarious squawking sounds that instantly date this to Playstation gaming. Still, ol’ Nobuo proved capable of squeezing every last ounce of musical potential from video games, and with Final Fantasy VII primed to break all sorts of new ground, he wasn’t about to flub on this challenge. In the end, four CDs worth of music emerged from his efforts.

The first disc almost exclusively features music introduced during the Midgar portion of the game (though several pieces were re-used for other sections). Compared to Final Fantasys past, the setting skews more modern, with industrial clank (Makou Reactor and Shinra Company) and slummy urban flavor (Oppressed People works a reggae jam; Turk’s Theme oozes city cool; that bassline in Underneath The Rotting Pizza!) providing a fitting tone. Plus, Mr. Uematsu gets to enjoy his rock indulgences further on tracks like Crazy Motorcycle, Fighting, and Still More Fighting (mind, Final Fantasy’s battle music’s always been rock-heavy). Unfortunately, while Cloud’s unofficial theme of Anxious Heart is a memorable somber dirge broken up with lovely bells, the other character themes on Disc One aren’t terribly memorable; in the renditions we hear on this disc, anyway.

But to talk about those, I must break this review up. As each CD averages twenty tracks, I may as well spotlight each one going forward. Eh, you figure there isn’t enough material to stretch this out? Pft, it’s Final F’n Fantasy VII. What isn’t there to talk about?