A look at the music of Final Fantasy VII

My friend Nada is doing a retrospective look at the Final Fantasy series, and she asked me to write a guest piece on some of my favorite music from Final Fantasy VII. You can find her series on her blog.

Also, she is covering a good portion of the music already, so these selections are ones I have appreciated over the years, but also ones that she is not including in her post. Please check out her article to hear some pretty amazing tracks from the game. So without further ado, let's get started!

Bombing Mission - One of the most iconic tracks, this music accompanies the very opening of the game as we see Aerith, Midgar, and Cloud for the very first time. I can imagine how incredible this must have seemed for people who played this game when it first came out, as it was the most expansive Final Fantasy game at that point, and the first venture into 3D for the series. When the music picks up, that is when the visuals shift to a train with Cloud on the back of it as he rides to his mission destination. The music is also used for the beginning of Crisis Core, a nice touch to tie the games together.

Chasing the Black-Caped Man - FFVII is known for being a pretty dark game, and a good portion of the music reflects that. This track comes across as mysterious as you weave through different areas searching for a man in a black cape.

J-E-N-O-V-A - Some of the best boss battle music featured in any game, the tensions are high with a descending creepy motive repeating over and over while a theme sings along in the forefront.

Forested Temple - I remember getting to this part, and realizing how creepy the forest around the temple was JUST because of the music. It's so unsettling!

Gold Saucer - I don't know why I love this theme so much, but.... it's so catchy! I find myself singing along to this every time it comes up when I'm driving, and I don't even remember the area that well from the game. Gold Saucer is an amusement park that features a bunch of minigames, including a moogle story that I liked a lot. Overall, the theme is fun and really singable.

Still More Fighting - I can't talk about the music of this game without mentioning one of the regular battle themes. Nobuo Uematsu really knows how to make battle music interesting, and I never get tired of hearing this in battle.

There are many more tracks I could list, as the FFVII soundtrack is huge and really impressive. What are your favorite memories of the game and its music? What are your impressions of the above tracks? I hope you have enjoyed listening to them. :)

More Fantasy Life

It's a wonderful Life. A few days ago, I mastered the Paladin life, and was finally able to put down the game for a while.

For each Life you master, you receive a trophy, and I have enjoyed collecting all of them. My favorite two are in the center - Alchemist and Wizard. I do have to say though that I did not enjoy playing as a Mercenary, and that is part of why I decided not to get all the Lives to Legend rank. But it has been a fun journey, and I'm sure I will come back to this game from time to time. Fantasy Life is a charming romp through a magical land, and I will not soon forget it.

I have also been getting back into LotRO, and while I still am not a fan of the newer content, I cannot deny that Gondor looks amazing. However, Moria will probably always be my favorite area - there's so much to do, it's so diverse, and the instances are so much fun (except for Skumfil.....).

I love Miiverse

So remember when I said my Roc's Cape wouldn't work in that underground section in my last post? ......I feel sheepish, but it turns out all I had to do was hold the button down to double jump, instead of pressing the button twice. Well THAT'S counter-intuitive. But I am happy to announce that I have finally beaten Oracle of Seasons!

I was so nervous going into the final dungeon (if you can call it that). The atmosphere was threatening, and what you can't see is the lightning that kept happening every few seconds.

The final boss was really difficult, but I persevered.

All of these photos are from my posts on Miiverse. I am loving posting my own screenshots from the games I've been playing. Not all of them allow screenshots to be posted, but I am having fun with the ones open to me. :)

Din has been saved, and I look forward to continuing this journey in the sister game, Oracle of Ages.

Also of note is my most recent achievement in Fantasy Life!

This may be the only game I've ever played where I've found crafting fun!

So, what games have you been playing lately? Whatever they may be, I hope you are having as much fun as I am!

Sad Ending and Exciting Beginning

Last night I was playing Oracle of Seasons, and I came across a rather frustrating conundrum. In Level 8, the Sword and Shield Maze, for some reason my Roc's Cape would NOT work in the first underground section I encountered.

For those who have not played the game, you need the Roc's Cape (what I have equipped on the A button) to double jump across that gap. I tried everything I could think of, but nothing worked. The Roc's Cape even works on the upper floor, so I knew it wasn't a timing issue. I just kept falling to a very fiery death. In lots of lava. *sigh* So unfortunately, that is the end of my Oracle of Seasons playthrough. And I was so close to the end of the game too! Hopefully once I get to Oracle of Ages there won't be any sort of glitch like this to deal with.

On the bright side of things, with Oracle of Seasons no longer in my game rotation, I can start a new game. The next one in my pile - Tales of Symphonia Chronicles.

This is the game that started my love for the Tales series, and I'm super excited to play it again, this time with Japanese audio! I originally played the Gamecube release many years ago, and this HD remaster allows me to have voiced skits (finally!) and access to the game's sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of a New World, something I've never had the chance to play. This will be a long journey, but I plan to enjoy every moment.

New Beginnings

Wow, it's been a while. As per request, I am updating. It's hard to believe that almost a year has gone by. Many games have been beaten, including two games in Japanese! I was finally able to beat Tales of Destiny 2 yesterday evening.

This was a really fun game, and I learned quite a bit in the process. It was especially difficult navigating the menus and upgrading equipment, as I couldn't always tell what things meant. But with that game, I am now up to the 5th installment in the series, and the one I first played many years ago - Tales of Symphonia. I should be starting that up soon.

I also started The Last Story today, a game I bought months ago and have only now gotten around to playing seriously. It should be an interesting journey.

Favorite Video Game Music - Midna's Desperation (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)

This song comes at a really desperate point in the game.  It's especially haunting because the only sounds come from a solo piano at the beginning, a stark contrast to the rest of the soundtrack.  Even when it builds, the only other sound is from midi violins.  It doesn't even just happen during a scene - you have to run with a poor dying Midna on your back to get to the one person who can help you, with this music accompanying your desperate flight the entire time.  For me, it's probably one of the most memorable parts of the game. 

A Brief Review - xxxHOLIC

xxxHOLIC is a series about Kimihiro Watanuki, a boy who can see spirits.  One day, he wanders into a witch's shop and is told that she can grant his wish to never see spirits again by working in the witch's shop part time.  The series centers around Kimihiro, the witch Yuuko, and Kimihiro's friends Doumeki and Himawari. 

While this anime is based on CLAMP's manga of the same name, it doesn't have much in terms of continuity.  Most episodes have a self-contained story, and there is no crossover with Tsubasa like in the manga.  There is hardly any character growth, but the supernatural stories are interesting.  The characters are also intriguing, although I do wish there was more growth. 

Music - the opening theme is the best of the bunch, although there is also some very good creepy background music that fits the series quite well. 

Overall, this series did not give me anything immensely satisfying, but I am hoping that will change in the second season - xxxHOLIC:Kei.  The first season gets a 3/5 from me.