Round 1, Battle 32 Discussion (July 17/18, 2006)

[Dave]

This is the last battle in round one! The remaining 4 themes are all put up against each other! :) As ever, you can vote here (http://www.squareenixmusic.com/uematsu.php)! Have fun, and thanks for voting. :)

[Neo Locke]

Wow Wow WOOOWW!

and what a pairing for the final bout of round 1! :o

I'm gonna have to think on this one... I'll vote later.

[Resk]

omg EVIL! EVIL I SAY! So hard to choose...... but I have to go with the Aria. That's been one of my favourite songs from the whole series, and I can't turn by back on it now.

[Jared]

I can't remember if I voted, but if I did it was most likely for "Aria". Though held back by horrible synth, its a very wonderful piece.

This IS a hard round, both battle tracks could easily have gotten my vote as well.

[Totz]

I'm going to give my vote to "Lunatic Pandora." Uematsu writes good battle themes, so hopefully enough people will vote for either FFIV or FFVI here. Screw the Aria.

[Don]

I vote for Lunatic Pandora. Although the other three songs are excellent as well, I like the approach Uematsu took with Lunatic Pandora. It has a creepiness to it and truly fits the environment in which it is played.

[TheShroud13]

"Lunatic Pandora" - Neat electronic doo-daddling atop lots of octaves in the bass works a lot more effectively than this description would imply. It's one of my favourites. Very similar to the moon pieces from FFIV, but far more effective. A piece very well suited to that crazy creation that was the Lunatic Pandora. It's creepy, memorable, and fun.

"The Decisive Battle" - I'd love to vote it as it's one of my favourite boss battle themes in the series. I love the arpeggio introduction, and the melody has that perfect light syncopation that propells the piece onward and allows for a wonderful springboard of rhythmic punctuation when it disappears. It's fun, it's tense, it's a solid tune.

"The Final Battle" - A bit too bouncy for a final boss piece (in that I could dance to it and have a really good time doing it) but still solid. The organ runs in the background are solid and the intro is one of the coolest in the business. Still, the main segment is a bit too happy-go-lucky for my tastes in final battles.

"Aria di Mezzo Caratterre" - Yaaaaaaawn. My least favourite part of the FFVI aria, and my personal vote for most overrated piece in video games. It has a fairly nice melody, but it's sooooo sappy. The middle section is the best part of the song, but it's too short lived to really make the piece enjoyable for me. Yaaaawn.

Vote for "Lunatic Pandora".

[eriol33]

I vote for Aria di mezzo bla3
It's the most melodious compared to other three.

[Dave]

The reason why Aria is so impressive, Nick, is because of how innovative it was at the time. There's a damn good version on one of the Game Music Concert Best Selection volumes. Try looking for "Maria and Draco - The Dream Oath."

[TheShroud13]

Aria - Horrible. I do not know why people like this piece. It is a weak attempt to create an epic Opera piece. Even the live versions are horrible.

Agreed, especially on the live versions. I haven't heard a version with good singers yet, and I've heard "The Dream Oath" version. I do like some of the independent instrumental parts, but the aria is a big snoozer.

The reason why Aria is so impressive, Nick, is because of how innovative it was at the time.

The aria wasn't really innovative at all. The scene it accompanied certainly was something new to video games, but the aria itself was just a meager attempt to emulate opera.

[Black Mamba]

"Aria di Mezzo Carattere" - Aerith's Theme anyone?

"Lunatic Pandora" - Awsome sythning and yet more proof that when Nobuo steps outside the box great things can be achieved.

"The Decisive Battle" - Just so you understand I'm not a fanboy, I have never played FFVI or listened to the entire OST. However the Decisive Battle always stood out to me. It remains my one of my favorite battle themes in the Final Fantasy series. Vote.

"The Final Battle" - 30 seconds I know this is not winning the round.

[eriol33]

Spot on. You should see the VOICES version, they got the 3 WORST performers ever. Their notes were off. One of the performers actually had to look down in order to gain more vocal power because he was just all over the place.



It was a new concept granted, but I feel it offered nothing musically.
So far I have listened to Los Angeles 2006 concert and Grand Finale. I think both are okay:roll:

[jampot]

Has to be the Aria for me. Everyone needs a bit of cheese in their lives...and inevitably my judgement is coloured somewhat by the amazing More Friends performance...surely noone can say those three are not fantastic singers.

The very idea of an opera within a video game is just unbelievable. Not to mention revolutionary. Tacky synths aside, as they are merely a product of the generation, it's a standout.

[Zhetty]

I voted "Lunatic Pandora." Not exactly the standard piece from Uematsu, 'tis pretty fun and well... unsettling. But it is a favorite of mine from FFVIII.

[Solartide]

Hmm, Just everything Nick wrote for me, just backwards.

[Dave]

Ah, I love to see highly active contest pairing threads. It's a pity about the number of votes though, guys! Keep it up! :)

[Dave]

So, I voted for "Aria di Mezzo Carattere," I don't understand what everybody's problem is with it. It's far better musically than any of the others, and that is why it is actually top of the battle. So, eat that, others agree with me. ^_^

[Dave]

The results:

Aria di Mezzo Carattere (FFVI) 42.11 % (16)
The Decisive Battle (FFVI) 31.58 % (12)
Lunatic Pandora (FFVIII) 21.05 % (8)
The Final Battle (FFIV) 5.26 % (2)

2 minutes before round two starts!

[TheShroud13]

Booo Aria.