|
     |
Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack :: Review by Dark Cloud
 |
Album Title: | Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack |
| Record Label: | DigiCube (1st Edition); Square Enix (Reprint) | |
| Catalog No.: | SSCX-10004; SQEX-10001/4 | |
| Release Date: | February 10, 1997; May 10, 2004 | |
| Purchase: | Buy at CDJapan |
Overview
Final Fantasy VII just happened to be my first Final Fantasy game, and it didn't disappoint. Once I completed it, I searched online for anything related to this game. Before, I didn't even know Final Fantasy soundtracks existed, let alone this one. Yeah, you can tell I never really liked video game music until then. I found the soundtrack on Amazon, and immediately bought it. After enjoying the music in the game, I was excited to here the actual thing outside of the game.
Body
The actual track that you'll first hear in the game is "Opening ~ Bombing Mission." The track goes well with the FMV sequence, which then changes as the actual game starts. Most of the tracks on this first disc deal with Midgar, which is a city that has been brought down by the evil Shinra Company. They all have a industrial feel to it, like something you'd hear in a factory, or some type of work place. There's also many character themes on the disc, the most popular one being "Tifa's Theme." Although that particular track is long (5:06 to be exact), the theme remains a classic to all fans.
Sadly, only two battle themes feature on the first disc. "Fighting" is the normal battle theme, but it feels like something you'd hear in previous Final Fantasy titles. "Still More Fighting," however, is the boss battle theme, which combines the rock element along with the instrumental themes. Area themes on the first disc are well done, but don't quite measure up to the past tracks you'd hear in a NES or SNES Final Fantasy title. I'm not saying that the instrumentation is better in the past games, since it's not, but the actual melodies were better than they are now.
Moving on to the second disc, where you leave Midgar and hear the beautiful world map theme, also known as the "F.F.VII Main Theme." This piece really doesn't sound like a world theme, since they're usually fast-paced and march-like. I never really heard the full track until I picked up the soundtrack, due to the random battles that occurred every few seconds. The rest of the tracks on this second disc is mainly area themes, although you do hear the wonderful march which is "Rufus' Welcome Ceremony" and the fantastic boss battle that is "J-E-N-O-V-A." You do get three of the four Chocobo themes on this disc, but that's about it.
The third disc makes up four of the most memorable Final Fantasy tracks ever. The first one being "Cosmo Canyon" which has a tribal theme to it, making it one if not the only really good area theme on the entire soundtrack. "Those Chosen by the Planet," also known as Sephiroth's Theme, is the best character theme on the disc, in my opinion. It's dark, and fits Sephiroth's personality well. Cid is a pilot, and his own theme fits the flying genre well. "Cid's Theme" could possibly be one of the greatest tracks in the entire Final Fantasy series in some people's eyes. Finally, one of the best themes of all time. "Aerith's Theme" has a great woodwind/piano solo at the start, and it continues with one of the most memorable melodies that you'll ever hear.
The fourth and final disc covers the final part of the game, most tracks being either area or FMV pieces. It starts out with "Shinra Army Wages a Full-Scale Attack," which covers a battle as the soldiers fight their way up the mountain. However, this track also carries a march tone to it, giving the feel of the soldiers, while fighting, marching up the mountain at the same time. The list continues with a suspenseful track, "Weapon Raid," then the Highwind theme. From then on, the CD goes mainly into FMV sequences and area tracks. But then, the final dungeon theme comes into play. "Judgement Day" has a heroic feel to it, showing that Cloud and his party have finally reached their goal. "Jenova Absolute" and "The Birth of God" are the final boss battles, but once that's completed, there's only one more battle until you reach your main goal: Sephiroth.
Quite possibly the greatest final battle track in Final Fantasy's long history, "One Winged Angel" delivers a great melody. Starting off with a blasting brass fanfare, "One Winged Angel" is suspenseful. Once the actual theme gets going and the choir starts chanting, no one can not stop listening to this track. It remains one of the best tracks Nobuo Uematsu has ever composed. To top off a great soundtrack, the final two tracks accompany the last FMV sequence and the ending credits. It's not the best way to end a great soundtrack set, but it'll do for now.
Summary
In conclusion, the Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack is a nice CD set that goes well with the actual game. However, it will only please to those who have played and completed the game. If you're a Final Fantasy fan and you want to complete your soundtrack collection, pick this one up. I recommend it to all video game music listeners
