Outrageous claim: Uematsu phoned it in on FF7

[Einzelherz]

I'm currently listening to the soundtracks of FF1-FF9 sequentially and although there are a few games' soundtracks I'm not terribly fond of, FF7 just sticks out as bad.

I wonder if anyone here can hum/whistle/sing any songs from that other than Aeris' theme or One winged angel. Even though I just finished it, even I can't.

[substantial_snake]

I often find myself humming the main (overworld) theme, shinra theme, and Jenova theme.

[heybtbm]

Not "outrageous". Just ignorant.

[Aussie2B]

There's nothing "ignorant" about it. It's an opinion, and, in fact, Uematsu essentially apologizes in the liner notes of the OST:

http://chudahs-corner.com/liners/index.php?catalog=SSCX-10004

There's no arguing that the sample quality is pretty dang low, but many appreciate the composition in spite of that (and others need to clean out their ears if they think this is Redbook or "CD quality"). Personally, I find neither the sound quality nor the composition too pleasing. I think Uematsu has done much better, but there are a few standout tracks (namely the main theme).

[kedawa]

Ahead on Our Way and Golden Saucer are pretty good tracks, but I was never a fan of FF music to begin with. It's mostly just blustery hooplah. Some of it is straight up faggy.

[Cobra Commander]

Faggy? Wow.

[InsaneDavid]

I've always held his score for Rad Racer / Highway Star to be the pinnacle of his work, but that's just me. LOL

[kupomogli]

Final Fantasy 7 might not have the best music in the series, but pretty much ever single track in the game is great. One of my favorites even makes its way into Final Fantasy 9(Rufus' Parade Ceremony.)

[Aussie2B]

One of my favorites even makes its way into Final Fantasy 9(Rufus' Parade Ceremony.)

Oh god, now I really don't want to play FFIX. :( That's one of your favorites? That's probably my least favorite song in a video game ever. Sounds like random cacophony to me. Instant headache material.

[Guy Bramsworth]

This is my first time all all my years seeing people badmouth the soundtrack. Wasn't aware it had a bad rep as one of his worst? I thought it was just fine, but then again I don't really need anything to be perfect to enjoy it for years to come.

[Jorpho]

There's nothing "ignorant" about it. It's an opinion, and, in fact, Uematsu essentially apologizes in the liner notes of the OST:

http://chudahs-corner.com/liners/index.php?catalog=SSCX-10004Wow, how refreshingly direct. If "Final Fantasy [is] a plant given premium nutrition, water, and light without the care of a gardener [whereby] the branches will just extend in their own way, in any direction", what is Final Fantasy XIV? LOL


That's one of your favorites? That's probably my least favorite song in a video game ever. Sounds like random cacophony to me. Instant headache material.I hated Rufus's Parade Ceremony too. And I have no idea why people are still so constantly gaga over One Winged Angel. I do rather like Anxious Heart.

Really, when I played it back in the day I was just amazed that anyone could make the PC MIDI synth output something worth listening to.

[Icarus Moonsight]

There is only three good things about FF7; Barret with the BAMF mouth and chaingun hand, Yuffie and eternally trolling the fandom.

[Graham Mitchell]

To this day I don't understand all the FFVII hate. I find it pretty engaging and entertaining to this day. And I love the soundtrack. I have it on my ipod.

I understand the temptation to strangle all the fanboys, but if you play the game objectively, it's probably not as bad as people say it is.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I wanted to love it, but it didn't love me. Hence the passion was twisted to hate. Just as bad, in terms of bias, but the dark side of FF7 passion has cookies and nothing to loose. :D

[Boltorano]

Well, VI is my favorite soundtrack (as well as my favorite Final Fantasy, imagine that!), and VII might barely squeeze in at #5 on my list of favorites from the series, but when I got around to actually listening to VII's soundtrack again almost 10 years after I actually finished the game, I said to myself "You know, this soundtrack is actually pretty good!"

Perhaps this is because I only ever finished VII on the PC and I couldn't even run the fancy optional Yamaha MIDI software that made it sound remotely decent back then, but everything is subjective I suppose.

[wingzrow]

so that's why aeris ( aerith? ) theme sounds so close to one of the songs from 6.

[j_factor]

The audio quality is pretty bad, but I think the composition is as good as any other. Honestly I've never understood what was supposed to be so amazing about Final Fantasy soundtracks to begin with (or most RPG soundtracks, for that matter).

[kedawa]

The audio quality is pretty bad, but I think the composition is as good as any other. Honestly I've never understood what was supposed to be so amazing about Final Fantasy soundtracks to begin with (or most RPG soundtracks, for that matter).
I think it has a lot to do with people making a positive association between the music and the game, becasue they spent a lot of time playing it, and they're emotionally invested in the story and characters.

[Boltorano]

I think it has a lot to do with people making a positive association between the music and the game, becasue they spent a lot of time playing it, and they're emotionally invested in the story and characters.

Something like that. Terra's theme from FFVI brings out a lot of emotions for me that are completely unrelated to the actual game, because of the time of year I first played the game and the events that happened in my life around that time.

[Emuaust]

Those who fight Further, JENOVA, the Overworld theme, One Winged Angel, Opening - Bombing Mission, Red XIII's theme, man I could name pretty much the entire track list.

To say it has a unmemorable sound track, are we playing the same game here?

Haters gonna hate

And to the OP, you just finished it and can't even remember One Winged Angel? wow...

[Gapporin]

I've always liked Uematsu's work, but that's probably because he's a progressive rock fan like myself. He's made mention of the fact that his influences include Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Pink Floyd and King Crimson; and I think that's especially relevant when you compare his battle themes with that type of music.

But I will say that I've always thought that Uematsu is overrated. It seems like most Westerners familarity with Japanese composers begins and ends with him.

[Edmond Dantes]

To this day I don't understand all the FFVII hate. I find it pretty engaging and entertaining to this day. And I love the soundtrack. I have it on my ipod.

I understand the temptation to strangle all the fanboys, but if you play the game objectively, it's probably not as bad as people say it is.

I think the issue is, really that back in the day the game was SO HYPED, and it turned out to be basically just a standard RPG. It wasn't bad--at least it was no worse than say Lufia and the Fortress of Doom--but because of the hype campaign and being the reason we all bought a Playstation, we expected it to be a game that (if I may use a Yahtzee-ism) descends from heaven to lead us to the promised land.

Then it turned out to, again, be a pretty average RPG, again no better and no worse than say Lufia and the Fortress of Doom or Phantasy Star II, which are by no means bad games but aren't exactly outstanding either.

There's also, I think, that most people's previous experience with Final Fantasy was Final Fantasy VI, which really is a pretty stand-out game and we were all thinking that if this was good, then VII has to be even better, and instead it was just kind of pedestrian.

So, long story short, the hype killed it.

Though personally, I have a few problems of my own with FFVII. It started what I feel was a gradual decline of the JRPG genre into a mode where the Strategy Guide becomes almost a second instruction manual. FFVII itself wasn't so bad about it (you could still beat the game, at least), but later JRPGs are so much so that the genre is practically unplayable to me now.

[Cryomancer]

Snowboarding Minigame. Of course, that's just Pipeline isn't it?

[kedawa]

It seems like most Westerners familarity with Japanese composers begins and ends with him.
I must confess, my familiarity with Japanese composers begins with Yuzo Koshiro and ends with Michiru Yamane. As far as other composers go, I might be familiar with one or two soundtracks, but that's about it.

[substantial_snake]

To this day I don't understand all the FFVII hate. I find it pretty engaging and entertaining to this day. And I love the soundtrack. I have it on my ipod.

I understand the temptation to strangle all the fanboys, but if you play the game objectively, it's probably not as bad as people say it is.

Its not that hard to understand, its a popular game so its already polarizing and people get to have a relatively loud voice on the internet. Its similar to how its popular now to rail on FPS games if your a "true gamer" because they are popular and successful.

"Just because something is popular doesn't make it good" is a phrase I tend to hear a lot when people bitch about a popular game or series but at the same time the converse is true. Its usually popular for a very good reason(s) from its fans and just because you as an individual can't see that does not make it a steaming pile of dog shit that you may think it is.

[kedawa]

In fairness, there are a lot of things that sell well because of marketing or brand recognition rather than merit. The problem is that some people assume that just because something is popular, it must be bad.

[Boltorano]

But I will say that I've always thought that Uematsu is overrated. It seems like most Westerners familarity with Japanese composers begins and ends with him.

Which is a shame really, if anyone deserved more name recognition it should probably be Koji Kondo.

[InsaneDavid]

Which is a shame really, if anyone deserved more name recognition it should probably be Koji Kondo.

Or Noriyuki Iwadare (namely Grandia), Ayako Mori (namely Ghosts 'n Goblins), or Kentaro Kobayashi (namely Virtual On). Still my favorite piece of video game music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1L09LRr7Mk).

[kupomogli]

Oh god, now I really don't want to play FFIX. :( That's one of your favorites? That's probably my least favorite song in a video game ever. Sounds like random cacophony to me. Instant headache material.

It's not like I sit there and listen to it all the time, but whenever I play through FF7 that music fits really well with the location it's set and I enjoy that part. I guess I like it more than most because you don't hear it over and over again.

As for the track in FF9, it's only in one small part near the beginning of the game and not possible to hear again before you get to the location you hear it or after you pass that location. If that helps.

Regardless. I have a lot of favorites on the FF7 soundtrack. The soundtrack is all around good and there are very few tracks in it that aren't. It's just that I only listen to them whenever I play through the game since I don't actually own it.

[Boltorano]

This topic reminds me of this guy from YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6IFLmy9OjI&feature=related

who remixes a lot of Final Fantasy music with sound samples from a different game in the series, especially FFVII music using the FFVI "sound font".

Some of the stuff does come out sounding remarkably similar...

[Kellhus]

But I will say that I've always thought that Uematsu is overrated. It seems like most Westerners familarity with Japanese composers begins and ends with him.

I'm familiar with dozens of Japanese video game composers, and I feel that Uematsu is easily up there with the greatest.

[Aussie2B]

Which is a shame really, if anyone deserved more name recognition it should probably be Koji Kondo.

Don't worry about Kondo, he gets tons of recognition. He's right after Uematsu in terms of name recognition in the West.

Beyond those two, though, most people don't bother learning about any Japanese composers, sadly.

[Kyle15]

VII's music is probably my favorite part of the game. Other than that, I'm not a huge fan.

[Boltorano]

Don't worry about Kondo, he gets tons of recognition. He's right after Uematsu in terms of name recognition in the West.

Beyond those two, though, most people don't bother learning about any Japanese composers, sadly.

I've met plenty of people who know who he is, lots more than Uematsu, I just meant that Kondo has been involved with many more classic pillars of gaming, rather than (mostly) just one popular series.

[Aussie2B]

Kondo doesn't really have much experience outside of Mario and Zelda, although those are admittedly huge and classic. Uematsu did Final Fantasy, but he was also involved in plenty of other significant franchises like Chrono Trigger, Hanjuku Hero, Blue Dragon, Front Mission, Lost Odyssey, etc. I'd say Uematsu has had more variety in his career than Kondo.

[Drixxel]

I'm sure Uematsu would have preferred to give the soundtrack a classy redbook audio treatment. The composition is strong and sets an appropriate mood for the game but, as has been said previously, it's the instrument samples and overall sound quality that are nothing extraordinary. The music feels a bit.. cheap, but suitable. It's similar to another Square stablemate, Final Fantasy Tactics. The soundtrack is, again, a non-CD audio affair but I feel it's really slick and complementary to the game's style. It helps that the instrument samples were seemingly lifted from Tactics Ogre (an impressive musical effort) but it was, after all, the same dude doing the music for both games.

[calthaer]

I think it has a lot to do with people making a positive association between the music and the game, becasue they spent a lot of time playing it, and they're emotionally invested in the story and characters.

I'm down with this comment. I kind of have a soft spot for FF7, because the only RPGs I had known up to that point were generally story-poor grindfests like FF / Dragon Warrior for NES or Bard's Tale or Might & Magic or Realms of Arkania or even Mines of Titan (which was cool, but...). Never had a SNES, so didn't experience FF2 / 4j.

I played Ultima VII a little before FF7, and while the story is good, it doesn't quite grip the player the way FF7 does, and it's nowhere near as streamlined in its presentation. The cinematic qualities of the game were novel at the time; the "railroading" of the player on a fixed path seemed artificial, but the story was enhanced as a result. It was the first time I'd actually played a game where I cared about the characters as much as I'd care about the characters in a book or movie.

So yeah - I like the music, because I like the game. It was a good game for its time, and the MIDI music (I played the PC version) wasn't quite so dated at the time, especially if you substituted a different soundfont. I know that, if I went back and played it today, I wouldn't enjoy the game as much, and the actual music would sound a little cheesy...but the songs as played by a symphony and whatnot still sound pretty cool, and have a place on my iPod.

[Einzelherz]

And to the OP, you just finished it and can't even remember One Winged Angel? wow...

Please learn to read.

Also, I'm not talking about the sample quality. It seems that a lot of the tracks are so minimalist that they're not even music.

Fwiw, FF6 is my favorite and I view 7 as a bit of a homage to 6. Hell, Sephiroth is just a bishonen tick away from Kefka (final form).

[old man]

I liked FF7 the game, but the characters sucked (except Vincent and he was emo). I think FF8 has a much better cast of characters (with the exception of a few really bad cliche's). And I can't believe we made it to page two without anyone mentioning Yuzo Koshiro. :shame:

[heybtbm]

Its not that hard to understand, its a popular game so its already polarizing and people get to have a relatively loud voice on the internet. Its similar to how its popular now to rail on FPS games if your a "true gamer" because they are popular and successful.

"Just because something is popular doesn't make it good" is a phrase I tend to hear a lot when people bitch about a popular game or series but at the same time the converse is true. Its usually popular for a very good reason(s) from its fans and just because you as an individual can't see that does not make it a steaming pile of dog shit that you may think it is.

There is great wisdom in these words.

[exit]

I wonder if anyone here can hum/whistle/sing any songs from that other than Aeris' theme or One winged angel. Even though I just finished it, even I can't.

Aeris' theme is probably one of my least favorite songs from the games soundtrack. As blasphemous as it may sound, I much prefer the theme for the Motorcycle chase, the Shinra theme, the theme for the Turks, the epic boss battle music.....yeah it's on the bottom of the list.

Although I may have to say I prefer FF6's music, FF7 is still a pretty solid soundtrack.

[Boltorano]

I liked FF7 the game, but the characters sucked (except Vincent and he was emo). I think FF8 has a much better cast of characters (with the exception of a few really bad cliche's). And I can't believe we made it to page two without anyone mentioning Yuzo Koshiro. :shame:

I had to look up the name, then I realized: ActRaiser :puppydogeyes:

[Wraith Storm]

I thought Final Fantasy 7 had a fantastic OST.

I actually feel Final Fantasy 6,7 and 8 are among Uematsu's best compositions. All three share a similar feel, but also have enough of a difference to have an identity of their own, especially part 8 with some of the military snares and beats.

Here is a selection of the similar style shared between the games. I'm certainly not a fan of jazz, but the roots are evident and Uematsu managed to compose some very moving tracks with the powerful base plucks and the hypnotic strings.

The Final Fantasy 6 track "The Mines Of Narshe" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fnTJ5SF2uM)
The Final Fantasy 7 track "Lurking in the Darkness" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_6w1EUGRoU)
The Final Fantasy 8 track "Fear" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FigpUS799EA)

[mobiusclimber]

As much as I've enjoyed some game's soundtracks while playing the game (FF7's included) the only composer whose work I listen to independently of the game is Akira Yamaoka. As far as older games go, the only soundtracks that stand out as ones I'd listen to while not playing the games for them would be Final Fantasy Mystic Quest and Lagoon, and I'd much prefer listening to the soundtrack while not playing those games. LOL

Also, to the OP, you say "minimalist" like it's a bad thing. =p

[Aussie2B]

Nice choices on the Mystic Quest and Lagoon. I love Ryuji Sasai (Mystic Quest). That was one of my more expensive soundtrack purchases, paying something like $45 to get it from some guy in Finland, I think. That was a good deal too. I'd love to nab Lagoon too, but that one is pretty dang old and impossible to find.

[Edmond Dantes]

Am I the only one who likes the game Lagoon in addition to its soundtrack?

[Aussie2B]

I liked it (I like Mystic Quest too, for that matter). It definitely has its quirks and flaws, but it's still enjoyable (although the music certainly contributes to that). It actually has a strong, albeit tiny, cult fan base. Check out the Lagoon board on GameFAQs.

[Edmond Dantes]

I'm trying to CIB my copy of Lagoon as we speak. I know a local game store that has a boxed copy (dunno if it has the manual) that I might cannibalize.

[Boltorano]

After digging out my CDs and giving it some thought, the only thing negative I'd actually have to say about the FFVII soundtrack is that the Shinra theme doesn't sound nearly as awesome on the PlayStation as I remember it being on my Pentium II computer with a cheapo Ensoniq sound card.

[mobiusclimber]

I enjoyed Lagoon for what it was, but there were certain gameplay elements that just really pissed me off. The "sword" is really more of a dagger (that you can't throw, of course) so you have to be right up on the enemy to hit it (resulting in tons of cheap hits against you). Eventually you get some magic and can deal with most of the enemies that way... except for the bosses who exist in rooms where you can't use magic? Or something? Man that was just annoying. The game wasn't so bad that I didn't beat it (I'm looking at you Drakkhen), but it wasn't a game I replayed afterwards either.