FF song bracket: Round 1, Group 1

[Flintlock]

Pick your four favourite songs from the selection above!

If you can't decide on just four, you can vote for as many as you want, but only in one poll of the 20 in the first round. The full list of upcoming polls can be found here.

You can listen to the songs in the playlist below.

This poll will be open for three days, and at least four songs will qualify for the next round.

Other popular names for these songs include:

Balance is Restored - "Ending Theme"
The Oppressed - "Oppressed People"
Festival of the Hunt - "Hunter's Chance"

For more information on this event, visit the discussion thread.

 

[Lex]

My choices feel fairly predictable here. I've listened to all of the tracks and I'm sticking with what I knew I would choose anyway; The Castle, The Extreme, Bran Bal and Festival of the Hunt. I'm almost disappointed in myself XD

 

[trash panda]

I'm really glad these polls are multiple choice.

I chose:
Balance is restored
The Castle <3 <3 <3
The Extreme
Steiner's Theme (I could listen to this on an endless loop)

 

[Flare]

Festival of the Hunt - Always loved this song and it brings back memories.
Steiner's Theme - Bring back memories and makes me laugh.
The Splendid Performance - This song always succeeds in making me feel good.
Fang's Theme

I'm really enjoying these rounds!

 

[Monterosa]

For me, this is one of the toughest rounds, but I've finally chosen four:

The Castle &#8211; This track is distinctive across all Final Fantasy soundtracks. For me, there is nothing that quite matches its haunting grandeur and beauty, and the composition itself is masterful.

The Splendid Performance &#8211; Whenever I put this on while I'm out and wearing my headphones, the world becomes a more beautiful place and I just begin to... glide.

Fang's Theme &#8211; Another Masashi Hamauzu composition that never fails to lift my spirits. It magisterially combines a striking sense of urgency while excited anticipation bubbles under. I also like how to includes the "Blinded By Light" leitmotif without it being the defining element of the song.

Midnight Eternal &#8211; A new one for me but far too impressive to brush over. I don't believe I've ever heard a composition in the Final Fantasy series that evokes images of film noir. This YouTube comment says it better than I could:

A city filled with pious worshipers in the end time. dilapidated slums, choked with the refuse of this doomed society. Cults, praising Etro, huddle in corners. Whispering words of rebellion. Meanwhile, the wealthy, and those who praise Bhunivelze sit comfortably in their mansions. The City is a powder keg waiting to go off, and then this broad, calling herself "The Savior" shows up. Looks like it's gonna be a long night tonight.

Other shortlisted entries:
The Extreme
The Soulless Village, Bran Bal

 

[Jason Tandro]

I chose The Castle, The Extreme, Midnight Eternal and Bran Bal.

I've been on record before as calling "The Extreme" one of the best if not the best Final Boss themes in terms of the energy it evokes.

"The Castle" I'm glad to see is getting some love because amongst my circle of friends they seem to hate the song and the dungeon. I love both. I love the harpsichord and the pipe organ, evoking classic horror. It's almost like Final Fantasy's take on the old Hammer horror films. The dungeon itself is freaking awesome and I feel under-appreciated.

Bran Bal stands on its own two legs, and doesn't need anything I might say about it. IT's a masterfully ambient piece dripping with emotion.

Midnight Eternal is, like Monterosa said, a newer very film noir piece. It's interesting to see a jazzy piece like this in a Final Fantasy game. It's specifically a jazz fusion rendition of Song of the Farseers (or a least incorporating motifs from said song), which keeps it tied to the series but still spinning it in a new modern direction, indicating that the music has "grown up" with the 500 years that have passed since the previous installment. One of my favorites from Lightning Returns, though pretty much every song in Luxerion holds that honor.

 

[RedFFWolf]

Whoops. Even though I voted yesterday, I only now realise one of the songs I voted for was not quite what I thought it was (darn iTunes translations, ha!). Still, no harm

 

[Flintlock]

You can change your vote if you want. I can't edit the poll itself (only admins can do that), but I can make a note to count your vote differently once it's closed. Let me know!

 

[Lex]

I can edit it if need be.

Also I'm amazed that The Castle is beating The Extreme.

 

[RedFFWolf]

It's cool, guys - Thanks very much though.
For what it's worth, it has a certain merit that deserves the credit that I will happily be the one to provide. Anyway, I see Group 3 & 4 now - time to get my ears (and eyes) into gear!

 

[Ghost X]

The Castle (Final Fantasy VIII): I like me some well-written pipe organ music.
The Extreme (Final Fantasy VIII): I like the beginning. Has a nice building of intensity too.
Bran Bal, the Soulless Vilage (Final Fantasy IX): Nice Terra music, but not the best Terra music .
Festival of the Hunt (Final Fantasy IX): Blood-pumping music for a blood-pumping part of the game .

 

[Flintlock]

The poll will close in a little over 24 hours.

I'll take this opportunity to cast my own votes as well.

My top pick is Bran Bal, the Soulless Village. I disagree with Ghost: I think it's the best song that plays in Terra and one of the best on the whole soundtrack. It's not in the top four at the moment though.

My other votes are for The Extreme, Fang's Theme and Character Creation.

Honourable mentions to The Oppressed, The Castle and Steiner's Theme.

 

[Max Caulfield]

My votes were: Balance is Restored, The Castle, The Extreme, and Last Mission No. 1.

I forgot how great FF soundtracks are.

 

[Kuroto]

It was a tough call but in the end I decided to vote for Rydia, Bran Bal, Hunter's Chance and Splendid Performance.

My first choice was Splendid Performance. Among the songs in this list it is really different but I can still see it in the Final Fantasy context (unlike Midnight Eternal). I love the clear sounds of piano and the piece really has this feeling of a streaming river. I enjoyed it.

Rydia is lovely in its simplicity and clear melody.

Bran Bal also has a nice and distinctive melody that I liked. It's simply a good piece without trying too hard to be anything amazing.

Hunter's Chance on the other hand plays nicely with the rhythm. It's really has the feeling that something is happening and it's time to do something about it.

My honorable mention goes to The Castle. It was really hard to pick the four to vote for out of these five songs, but in the end I decided to leave this one out because it has already been voted so much that it will no doubt go through to the next round. And it really deserves the place because it is no doubt a very good piece of music. I really enjoyed the baroque style and the dark atmosphere. Maybe I'll get to vote it on the next round.

 

[Flintlock]

This poll is now closed. The songs which have definitely made it into the top 100 are:

The Castle
The Extreme
Festival of the Hunt
Fang's Theme

If your favourite song isn't on this list, don't despair! It might still get in as one of the best runners-up. The song with the best chance of qualifying in this manner is:

Bran Bal, the Soulless Village

Thanks for voting!