R32: Final Battle vs. Fight On!

[Flintlock]

vs.

Pick your favourite!

This poll will be open for two days, and the winner will make it through to the round of 16. The complete final 32 bracket can be found here.

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

 

[ForceStealer]

I love the epic-ness that FFX's Decisive Battle achieves without pipe organs or Latin choirs. It makes the battle just feel so damn important yet frantic. Definitely gets my vote.

 

[AvecAloes]

Love Decisive Battle. Gives me chills.

 

[Ghost X]

Fight On was an exciting tune for me.

Final Battle was not .

 

[Flintlock]

I said this in the mini-pod, but I find parts of Final Battle to be too hectic, too dissonant. My brain is waiting for a melody to return and it takes ages. Fight On is an excellent boss theme, not my favourite, but pretty close.

 

[Flare]

^Final Battle is a very dissonant song, and I actually like it for that. It's kind of crazy and quirky, and I really enjoy the beginning. However, I'm voting for Fight On! because I just like the song a bit better. Also, the piano version is like my favorite. <3

 

[RedFFWolf]

^ Agree about Final Battle being a bit feverish and whatnot, but ignoring it as a battle theme might be a way to appreciate its finer qualities. I've been thinking of another suitable way it can be presented - it sounds like it has the potential to be some form of "End Credits" music (and, of course, not necessarily in FFX itself)

 

[Flare]

^It does sound different when you think of it as an ending theme, like a part in a whole symphonic piece dedicated to X. Or it could also play for a movie scene, depending on the scene depicted.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Final Battle feels... long... I guess... It feels musically like the listener is slogging through something long, endless and tiring. It doesn't really give a lot of energy to the fight, instead it bleeds energy away from it.

Fight On! does the exact opposite. It's building towards a conclusion of sorts and brings plenty of energy to the boss fights.

 

[Kuroto]

I voted for Final Battle because it's more interesting as a piece and as a composition compared to Fight On, which was actually quite boring to listen to afterwards. I understand if some of you think it's dissonant but I still don't understand the idea that it would be atonal (like people said in the minisode). I might be quite strickt with my thinking of what is atonal music and what is not, but I think this piece still very clearly belongs to the world of tonal music. I mean if you are really looking for atonal music you might want to listen to Jason Graves, who happens to be one of my favourite game music composers. Here's something from

Spoiler: Dead Space:

This soundtrack is my favourite for studying.

Also something from the

Spoiler: world of classical/art music:

This is a good example, because you can really hear how the song lacks a center, where you would feel comfortable. The music is constantly somewhere outside your comfort zone. This is something that is clearly not the case with Final Battle. Even though it is slightly dissonant it never leaves that comfortable zone of tonality.

I don't mean to change anyone's opinion with all this. I can understand how Fight On! is easier for the ears to listen to, and I'm not saying that anyone who voted for that song is any worse for it. I'm just trying to make people see how music without a melody or a tonal center is also good music.

 

[Lex]

As I said in the podcast, this isn't a tough decision for me because I have a serious problem with how dischord-ey Final Battle (X) is. I like the intro but the rest of it I can't actually stand listening to :/

I don't mind it in that particular moment in the game but it's not one I choose to listen to. Neither is Fight On these days because I've heard it so many times that I'm... well, over it. But I find Fight On really unique as a general boss theme and I remember the way I felt (in awe) the first time I heard it, so it gets my vote quite easily.

 

[Channy]

Argh! How can you guys not get how the discord and havoc of Decisive Battle is supposed to be? Yuna's standing there, watching as Yu Yevon possess each of her aeons. She's faced with the task of calling them, one at a time to fight and then send her companion... she does this repeatedly until she has no aeons left. Can you imagine how taxing this must be on her? Emotionally, mentally and physically?

I think the rapid-fire discord feel of the song speaks to the desperation of Yu Yevon, snatching at each aeon and forcing Yuna into battle. The crescendo's mimic her resolve as she defeats each one, swallowing her doubts as she faces another in battle.

Shame. Shame on all of you.

 

[Lex]

It absolutely does speak to the desperation of the situation, and it fits the scene perfectly - nobody said it didn't. That doesn't make the song any more pleasant to listen to.

"Who Am I" from VII's soundtrack similarly captures those moments when Cloud is in a weird mental state, but it's still a horrible song.

 

[Flintlock]

Fight On! is the clear winner here.

I'll start the next round tomorrow!

 

[Monterosa]

I voted for Final Battle because it's more interesting as a piece and as a composition compared to Fight On, which was actually quite boring to listen to afterwards. I understand if some of you think it's dissonant but I still don't understand the idea that it would be atonal (like people said in the minisode). I might be quite strickt with my thinking of what is atonal music and what is not, but I think this piece still very clearly belongs to the world of tonal music. I mean if you are really looking for atonal music you might want to listen to Jason Graves, who happens to be one of my favourite game music composers. Here's something from

Spoiler: Dead Space:

This soundtrack is my favourite for studying.

Also something from the

Spoiler: world of classical/art music:

This is a good example, because you can really hear how the song lacks a center, where you would feel comfortable. The music is constantly somewhere outside your comfort zone. This is something that is clearly not the case with Final Battle. Even though it is slightly dissonant it never leaves that comfortable zone of tonality.

I don't mean to change anyone's opinion with all this. I can understand how Fight On! is easier for the ears to listen to, and I'm not saying that anyone who voted for that song is any worse for it. I'm just trying to make people see how music without a melody or a tonal center is also good music.

Thank you for this post, Kuroto, especially that last line. Going back to the topic of FFX, I know a lot of people were upset by Junya Nakano's contributions to the original soundtrack, as they're certainly not as melodic as Uematsu's compositions, take Creep for example. This sort of music is all about creating atmosphere, and I for one am glad that Final Fantasy has started to include such pieces in more recent games.

Actually, Masashi Hamauzu was responsible for arguably the piece that's least easy on the ears, Peril. Admittedly I used to think it was just noise, but like you say, this kind of music can be good music. It works perfectly to tell the player that they are in a crisis and they need to GTFO. Not to disrespect Uematsu, but none of his songs up until and especially including FFX experimented with percussion and dissonance in such a way.

By the way, the video link you posted to the Dead Space video is broken. Try this one. But seriously, you listen to this while studying? You beast!