What Is The Best Music of Final Fantasy?

[Jason Tandro]

Okay guys, so I have a hobby which is a bit unusual. I make "Medleys" of video game music based on certain themes or just games / series ones in general. I have made a variety of them where I mash the best tracks in a certain game, series or genre into one long playlist. It's not exactly a medley, but that's the best word I can think of.

For my newest one, I am going to do a Final Fantasy mega medley. The problem is, I don't have a working musical knowledge of some of the titles and there are SO MANY AMAZING TRACKS that picking the lot will be very hard.

HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN!!!

In each game that you've played, what are your top 5 songs (top 5 from FF1, top 5 from FF2, etc)? If you can't do top 5, top 3 or top whatever is fine of course. Just looking for feedback.

For reference, here are the games that I'm going to feature in the Medley:
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII
Dirge of Cerberus - Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Lightning Returns
Final Fantasy XIV


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I'll post my own answers after I've had some time to think it through, but I've asked this question of all my friends, and my cohorts over at another board I visit. I want to get as much input as possible on this, so it's going to be based on the group input.

 

[trash panda]

I don't have all of the FF music on earth, but I have a few different albums and I've heard some stuff on youtube. I'll try to avoid mentioning stuff like One Winged Angel, Liberi Fatali, Aerith's Theme, Jenova's theme, Zanarkand's Theme, etc because those songs are all motherfuckinnnnawesommme no matter what album they came out on.
Anyway, these are songs I really enjoy that I don't skip over when I'm listening to an album or playlist. Oh, and obviously some of these have come out on multiple albums.


FF N Generation
Aria Di Mezzo Carattere
Scene VII (FFII)

FF S Generation
The Man with the Machine Gun
Main Theme of FFVII

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Adagio and Transfiguration
The Dream Within

More Friends Concert
Opening Bombing Mission
Swing De Chocobo
Tina's Theme
Maybe I'm a Lion (ohmgodyes)

Orchestral Game Music - OTP
Opening Theme - FFV
The Red Wings

Potion 1
Rydia

Potion 2
Love Will Grow
Nao Chora Menina
Celes Theme
Into the Darkness (yesyesyes I really like this one for some reason)

Project Majestic Mix
Sealed Door
Man with the Machine Gun

Project Majestic Mix 2
Vivi's Theme
Cait Sith Synthapella (yesyesyes)
Compression of Time (meh version but this song is awesome so...)

Final Fantasy Vocal Collection (Pray)
The Promised Land (I really love this, singer has a great voice)
Toki No Hourousha (seriously, awesome voice)

Final Fantasy Vocal Collection 2 (Love Will Grow)
Long Distance (FFIV Opening Theme)
Harukanaru Kokyou

Liberi Fatali
Ending Theme

FFVII Piano Collections
Main Theme
Cosmo Canyon
Fighting

FFVIII Piano Collections
Blue Fields
The Castle



My SO needs the computer now so I'll come back to post my favorites from OC Remix and the Black Mages. ^.^

 

[Ⓐaron]

I can't restrict myself to just five tracks for some of these. Sorry.

FFIV:

Red Wings
Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV
Rydia's Theme
Illusionary World
Golbeza, Clad in Darkness
Within the Giant
The Final Battle

Final Fantasy V:

Lenna's Theme
Fate in Haze
Tenderness in the Air
Clash on the Big Bridge
Prelude to the Void (The Prelude of Empty Skies)
Seeking the Light
The Silent Beyond

Final Fantasy VI:

Terra's Theme
Kefka's Theme
Cursed Train
Coin of Fate
Slum Shuffle
The Emperor "Ghastla"
Devil's Lab
Opera
Another World of Beasts
Dancing Mad
Ending Theme (this is kind of cheating since it's already a medley of all the character themes)

Final Fantasy VII (you probably don't need this but I'm doing it anyway)

Anxious Heart
Those Who Fight Further
J-E-N-O-V-A
Cosmo Canyon
From the Depths of Despair
One-Winged Angel

Final Fantasy VIII

The Extreme
(I haven't actually played this game so I'm not very familiar with the soundtrack)

Final Fantasy IX

Crossing Those Hills
Rose of May
Immoral Melody
The Sword of Doubt
Terra
You're Not Alone
Dark Messenger

Final Fantasy X

Silence Before the Storm
Macalania Forest
Enemy Attack
Challenge
Seymour Battle

 

[Jason Tandro]

@The Rated R Superstar: I've been toying with mixing both classic and remixed / arranged versions for the first 6 games, because I have a lot of the albums you listed and yes, these need to be featured. Interesting bit of education though as a few I'd never heard of (Potion, comes to mind)

@The Man: Awesome list, and I'll take any input on any game. And I know, it's hard to keep it to 5 so if you need to go over that's cool. Also, you haven't played FF8? You're missing out on an amazing game. It gets a lot of hate, but it's really a solid Final Fantasy, and has some incredible music.

Here's a few of my favorite FF8 tracks:

Julia
Lunatic Pandora
The Man With The Machine Gun

 

[Ⓐaron]

I honestly intended to, but I simply haven't had enough interest in JRPGs to finish one in literally years. I might watch a YouTube playthrough one of these days. I probably have enough patience for that, at least.

Also thanks.

Note that I added one track to my FFVI list (Coin of Fate, to be exact). And come to think of it, the song "Final Fantasy" which appears in several games should be in your medley as well. (It appears at the end of games like FFIV, FFVI, and FFIX, among others; it also has its own tracks in FFIV and FFV, though it's called "Prologue" in the latter).

 

[trash panda]

Okay I came back to add some more songs to this list. First, I'd like to introduce Youtube artist Kate the Great (Erutan Music). She does a lot of video game covers and her Final Fantasy stuff is pretty beautiful. She writes her own lyrics, performs all of her own instrumentals, and her voice is angelic.

OC Remix is one of my favorite places to go for inspirational FF music. Obviously, there are way too many awesome songs/artists to mention from this website...one of my favorite OC remix songs:

Of course, there's The Black Mages. One of my favorites:

 

[Lex]

You mentoned Katethegreat19!!!! This is my favourite one of hers, and I tend not to like vocal covers so that should tell you how good it is:

 

[Abortedj]

I personally liked the music in FF9 the best. It is the only one where I found myself humming the tunes later. Personal favorite....

 

[Drax]

I'll have to think of the other FFs later, but FFX-2 has my comfort tunes:

The Top 5 Countdown

5.

Spoiler: Ending - Until We Meet Again!

4.

Spoiler: The Farplane Abyss

3.

Spoiler: FFX-2 Piano Collections, The Crimson Squad

2.

Spoiler: Epilogue, A Reunion

1.

Spoiler: 1000 Words: Orchestra Version

 

[trash panda]

I guess this is like the FF music appreciation thrad now...?

Terra's Theme from Vocal Collection "Pray"

FFXIII-2 Noel's Theme

 

[Ⓐaron]

I guess this is like the FF music appreciation thrad now...?

Terra's Theme from Vocal Collection "Pray"

I second this one. Just amazing.

 

[trash panda]

I'm listening to all of the OSTs at the moment.

I'm finding all of FFXII's music to be equally enjoyable. I haven't played every single Ivalice game, (I've played XII, Tactics (the original one) and Vagrant Story) but I'm finding that the music in all of these games has a particular familiarizing "Ivalice" charm.

I LOVE Vagrant Story's

Spoiler: Ending Theme

.