Oct 022013
Rocktober 2013 is here – a full month dedicated to Final Fantasy, starting with a thorough look at the soothing sounds of the overworld.
0:00:00 – Prelude (FFI)
0:13:35 – Main Theme (FFI)
0:14:10 – Main Theme (FFII)
0:16:57 – Eternal Wind (FFIII)
0:29:40 – Main Theme (FFIV)
0:32:20 – Land of Dwarves (FFIV)
0:34:10 – Four Valiant Hearts (FFV)
0:35:47 – Beyond the Deep Blue Sea (FFV)
0:47:23 – Terra (FFVI)
0:49:25 – The Veldt (FFVI)
0:51:41 – World of Ruin (FFVI)
0:53:27 – Searching for Friends (FFVI)
1:01:21 – World Map (FFVII)
1:07:27 – Blue Fields (FFVIII)
1:10:20 – Crossing Those Hills (FFIX)
1:19:28 – To Zanarkand (FFX)
Immense hats off to Nobuo Uematsu, the longtime FF composer and in the case of FF I through IX, the main man behind the music!
Aww, I thought it was going to be Rockmantober.
OH YEAH!! ROCKTOBER IS HERE!
I admit, I got it wrong, it was either FF or MegaMan, and I went for megaman XD Still awesome that you’re finally tackling this series though! 😀
I wonder, are you strictly sticking to the numbered entries? or will there be an episode dedicated to the spin-offs? I mean, the tactics games also have a very kick-ass selection of music. But I also understand that there’s a LOT to go trough in 4 episodes as it stands XD
anyway, can’t wait to listen! 😀
AWWW YEAH. Rocktober’s here! Can’t wait to listen!
Great Episode. I love Final Fantasy music. I love the way Uematsu weaves the main theme of each game throughout the different songs in each game. Love the different emotions that are conveyed through different songs.
I don’t think I noticed how long the FF7 overworld theme was before this episode. It’s an oddly lonely and sad track at times. FF9’s is kind of like that too. You guys are right – as fun and charming as FF9 is, there is a sense of sadness that pervades that game. Darn. Now I feel the need to replay it again. For the third time.
I’m stoked for Final Fantasy month! I hope Hitoshi Sakimoto features prominently. (FF12, Tactics, etc) I tend to prefer what he’s done to Uematsu. (No hate, both great.)
AWESOME! You made my month! 🙂
With so many games in the series, my guess is Rocktober will only cover NES/SNES/PS1/PS2 numbered versions, and maybe another episode in the future for other games like Tactics, the Legend series on GameBoy, Mystic Quest, Crystal Chronicles, Dissidia, Chocobo spin-offs, etc?
HENRY! General Leo wasn’t the bad guy! He was at worst a reluctant bad guy because he worked for the empire. Kefka does kill him, but I believe the person you’re thinking of is the Emperor. At the floating island you’re thinking “okay, this is it.” but then Kefka sabotages everything, and then kills the Emperor, and then</i. rips the world asunder.
The Emperor. Not General Leo. Sheesh, get your facts straight! :O
(great podcast guys)
Yeah, he definitely meant Emperor Gestahl
Ahhhh, I was hoping it’d be Final Fantasy, can’t wait.
Ohhh yeahh!! The one I’ve been waiting for 🙂
That band of authors you were talking about is called the Rock Bottom Remainders. They had members like MATT GROENING, Stephen King, and Dave Barry. Plus, they once performed with Springsteen. They might suck as musicians, but seeing those authors play on one stage was always amusing.
They also had a single called “Proof-Reading Women”
Hmmm….if I get around to it, I know who I want to draw Brett as this time….
Ah. Sweet sweet Final Fantasy. Thanks Brett!
NICE!
a whole month of FF music and discussion!
duuuuuude, this had to have been INSANELY hard to decide and compile.
i don’t think i would have ever been able to decide on only a few songs per week.
i would have wanted to just run the entire soundtrack for each game. haha
“Melodies of Life” and “To Zanarkand” get me every time. Ugh, gorgeous music all around. I’ll admit, I was completely wrong about Rocktober as I thought you were sticking with the survival horror/horror genre. Still pulling for a Resident Evil episode. Kind of sad you guys aren’t going to cover the post-X era, but you are doing the best ones so…. The main theme for XIII is stunning, however. I would sit and listen to the starting screen for at least 20 minutes before booting up my save.
Final Fantasy 2 (IV) and YS III where the two games that first motivated me to try and tape game music off my tv. I had one of those phones in my bedroom that looked like a car and honked instead of ringing when someone called. During the end of the FF IV overworld song, I always have to insert that honking noise because someone called right before I ended recording that track. I also for some reason whistled along to the Mysidia theme song while taping, it can faintly be heard in the background. Good memories
I love this story
PSSSST! Brett, while the cops aren’t looking, put FF 13s battle theme into one of the episodes…
WOO! Get Hyped!
Gonna be a great month!
I Have to comment since its Final Fantasy.
The entire series has some of the best game music still to this day. I know saying that is kind of Cliche, but lets be honest, we say it for a reason.
Brett I don’t know if you will ever read this comment, but thanks for another episode, I really enjoy it. I know your not a big FF8 fan (most people aren’t it can be a bit of a black sheet in the series). But it is arguably my favourite (sorry but Canada) video game of all time. I am not sure why exactly. It has some flaws for sure (whats with the drawing magic?). I played it recently thinking it would not hold up but it did. I was as captivated as I was back in 1999, I am not sure if nostalgia is just getting me (It didn’t when I played 7) but it is just an amazing experience. During my moderately lucrative day job I often listen to the FF8 soundtrack, it is my fav piece of game music so its great to see it get some time on VGMpire.
Keep up the good work.
Perhaps because the music went full Orchestral in 8. I’m not sure. I played it and it was amazing how different Square manages to make each battle mechanic for every iteration on and up from VI.
It lost me at the part when all of them somehow, SOMEHOW, all grew up together. That was pretty lame to me. I have a real life friend too that loves this one the most. I’ll have to discuss with him why, as he’s also played most of them. He has not beat FF6! The best one. So I understand his confusion. The empress and revolving love story across the generations reminded me of Xenogears.
I remember buying this at the store as I passed by, its release having taken be by surprise (bad fan!). I couldn’t wait and loaded it up on my cousin’s Playstation. They were old Genesis fans and didn’t understand, as I sat there blown away and in my own world. I’m not going to say i want to like it, because I do. It is definitely different and that is the way everyone should see each game.
I love the Theatrhythm theme you have for all the episodes, but four episodes (a month) for pre X installments is a disservice to one of the greatest franchises of console RPG history. Break the mold.
Please do not take my previous comment in a negative way. Many people will dissect anything you say about this series. It holds a special place for many of us. Speaking for myself, I had no good role models growing up. Integrity, faithfulness, and honor hold 16-bit faces to me when I reflect on what they mean. Betrayal and redemption both have Kain’s face. General Leo, by the end, seemed more alive than Golbez. If only I could have laid one of Cyan’s bouquets there.
I’m just saying. If you must hold to the 4 episode, if that becomes tradition, go balls out. Get a case of Red Bull, a bottle of scotch and some cigars and pull 4 hour episodes. Because you can never know what life has in store for you. You might only get once chance for this and, looking back, its legacy might be one of the things you find most endearing. Do them justice. Your great commentaries are like the music itself, and your pace sets the atmosphere. Take your time and enjoy it.
I’m still trying to figure out how to correctly pronounce “TheatRhythm.” I’ve heard “Theet-rhythm,” “TheAGHter-rhythm” and “Theater-rhythm.” I use them interchangeably at this point.
The upgraded Origins/Dawn of Souls tracks are really, REALLY good. Tsuyoshi Sekito (former Black Mages guitarist/Brave Fencer Musashi composer) did the remixes for FF2, love the acoustic guitar he weaved into a lot of tracks.
FF4’s Main Theme is still so boss. I really love how it’s weaved into the epilogue. If you’re into Celtic music, There are some really incredible folky versions of FF4’s music on “Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon.”
“Four Valiant Hearts” is fantastic, glad you included that one. The second and third world themes are pretty great too. They convey the same sort of foreign feeling that you get from FF4’s “Land of Dwarves.” Oh, and If I recall correctly I’m pretty sure the FF Anthology translation of FF5 had “Bartz” as well.
Clarification: The Black Mages have unfortunately disbanded for a couple of years now. Nobuo Uematsu now has a band with some remnants of The Black Mages, called Earthbound Papas. There’s great video footage of their performance at MAGfest in 2012. Wish I went to that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTz8e7ZEs64
I understand not including FF11 or 12’s music since you’re not too familiar with those. They have some really great stuff though in terms of field themes. Although I haven’t gotten far into FF12 at all, I really dig “The Mosphoran Highwaste.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ySdD5Hi8As
All in all, great selections, like usual with Final Fantasy it’s impossible to include every amazing one in a single podcast.
Best podcast quote: “Super Metroid had a CD release in a place that cared!”
I am so happy! These episodes will be saved on my DO NOT DELETE podcast list!
Why did it take, like, 3 episodes in before this got an entry on Lasertime?
Anyway, epic month so far.
But hey, Searching For Friends isn’t overworld music, it’s airship music! COMEON!
Awesome Charlie guest stars! Hmm wow that end track sounds very much like a hymn, reminds me of Oh Holy Night specifically.
Love how Henry gets General Leo messed up with Gestahl, and then harps on the laughing scene from FFX as bad voice acting, when the Japanese version is exactly the same.
The laughing is supposed to be awkward and forced, that’s the whole point of that scene, there isn’t anything to laugh about so Tidus forces out a laugh to try and cheer Yuna up, and then he and Yuna actually start laughing at the end. People who point to that scene really haven’t played the game or were too oblivious to realize what was going on, given Henry confused Leo with Gestahl, I doubt he played FFX to any extent.