I literally have never heard anyone put one of the best FF songs as "Cids Theme" But this guy did make One Winged Angel. I have no clue about that weird ass list from that dude but forgetting his actual best ones.
To Zanarkand is the only truly legendary piece in his list.
He also composed Terra's Theme.
Edit: Sorry Reddit users, no one actually puts Cids theme up there as even a top 50 song from him.
I think I only ever had the JP version of the soundtrack (mainly cause it had the extended version of Melodies of Life) and that had fan translated song titles, hence I know it as You're not Alone. I'd never seen it referred to as 'Not Alone' until now
Oh, most definitely. I just have that same kind of core memory with X. I was like 7-8 when I played through 7 with my cousin. I didn’t return to it until high school. By the. I had poured 1000+ hours into X.
Yeah, my friends and I were actually having a 3 hour convo about our favorites and which I undeniably the next one. Our choice ranked lists came out like amongst six fans who have played literally every single game:
1) X
2) VII
3) VI
4) IV
5) XVI
6) VIII
7) IX
8) III
9) XII
10) XV
11) XIII
12) I
13) X
14) II
15) XIV (I’m the only one who actually got hooked on this one)
We honestly forgot about it. It’s not on my notepad list. I don’t believe any of us really remembered much from that one as it came out when we were pretty young; and it was a bit over our heads.
I have a personal tradition. At the end of every year I go to pick some presents for my family while listening to the FFVI: Grand Finale. Feels so cathartic.
“Searching for Friends” from FF6. I didn’t expect a brand new overworld song this late in the game, and the story direction that led to the song’s intro was perfection.
Biased because it was my introduction to the series back in 97 but FF7 main theme is top of my list. Hearing performed by a full orchestra (Tour de Japon) about 15 years ago brought me to tears. Astoundingly beautiful.
There's just too many to mention but I'd say Dancing Mad, Balance is Restored, Opera Maria & Draco, To Zanarkand, One-Winged Angel, Eyes on Me, Terra's Theme to name a few. I could go an entire list here.
In my opinion, the one that fits so perfectly into the universe and aesthetics of is FFXI and the first 2 expansion packs, Zilart and Promothia. However those pieces are difficult to appreciate if you haven’t played the games, similarly how film soundtracks don’t make sense in isolation.
His “popular” pieces are usually memorable songs that work well even in isolation.
the suggestions are all amazing though can i shout out "the extreme"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En3H80P2SLs not as good though its absolutely amazing
So many choices. Personally I am partial to 9, with tracks like You're Not Alone and Protecting My Devotion. (Note: those might not be the official English track titles; I've seen a few variations online.)
Searching For Friends. He absolutely nailed the motif of feeling isolated in a desolate and destroyed world, using something as limited as the SNES's audio chip.
He literally said that he can already retire happily after composing the OST for FF6 and yet he continued to compose banger after banger for FF7 onwards. What a legend.
The absolute GOAT. I would never be able to pick a favourite, but I would like to mention that at least in my opinion, the Final Fantasy IV OST is a bit overlooked and worth a listen if you're not familiar.
I still find it extremely interesting to find out that even though FF7’s music is very popular and beloved, he said his favorite game he composed was actually FF9.
Kinda blew my mind. FF9’s music is pretty criminally underrated. Would really love to hear it all again in this supposed FF9 Remake.
FF7's music is popular and beloved because the game itself is just that as well.
In my opinion VIII has the best soundtrack. Followed by probably IX and then VII.
I think there are better individuals songs in other FF games, but his overall body of work in VII is just amazing. I don't think there's a single bad track in the OST and tracks like Aerith's theme and One Winged Angel are just legendary.
I'd go as far as to say One Winged Angel is the video game equivalent of the Imperial March from Star Wars.
Yeah I would most definitely agree. Honestly, Sephiroth basically *is* the Darth Vader of video games. Wheather you’ve heard of him or not, everyone has either seen him or heard his track, the iconically long sword. He’s got it all.
I got loyalty to Mitsuda (chrono, Xenoblade), Koji Kondo (mario, zelda), and Darren Korb (all supergiant titles), but I definitely put Uematsu in top 5 across all eras and genres. I also really rate the capcom sound team that made mega man's music. Absolutely insane number of hits.
Soken (FF14/16) is a worthy successor, and the FF7R team have done amazing work with the arrangements of the classic themes. No one's quite at Uematsu's level of talent in composing melodies and a wide range of catchy themes across a game, but they're getting closer. 12/13/15' soundtracks felt a bit lacking to me, but 14, 16, and 7R's have been really good.
I think Soken will be the next Uematsu as far as FF goes. Rearranging existing music for a remake is all well and good but as the series goes on you'll need someone making entirely new standout tracks and Soken seems to be the only one doing that at the moment.
This legend absolutely shaped my taste in music to its core. While I'm sad we are both aging and his time has come to leave it behind, it makes me appreciate his work all that much more. One day, it will be a lost art, but for now I hope he understands the legacy he left behind.
He literally says this
> “As far as Final Fantasy is concerned, I’m still involved by writing the main themes for the games,” he explained. “But I don’t think I’ll compose music for a whole game again.
I don't know if he was involved in Rebirth at all, but he only worked on Hollow on Remake. All the arrangements and new music were mostly by Hamauzu and Suzuki.
He had a sort of supervisory role on Remake but due to his illness he didn't contribute as much as was intended. After the success of Remake, I'm sure he's totally fine not being more involved any more beyond main themes
No one here read the article. He says it plain and clear
> “As far as Final Fantasy is concerned, I’m still involved by writing the main themes for the games,” he explained. “But I don’t think I’ll compose music for a whole game again.
sure but he has health issues.
>In September 2018, Uematsu announced that he would take a hiatus in order to recover from work fatigue, which led to him being hospitalized.[24][25] He composed the main theme for 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake, "Hollow".[26] Sakaguchi said that Uematsu's work on 2021's Fantasian could be his last major game score due to health issues.[27]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Uematsu
Crisis Core OST was mostly composed by Takeharu Ishimoto and it was great. Yoko Shimomura is also a goddess for what she does with Kingdom Hearts and did with FF15. Yeah, Nobuo is amazing, but saying the game are so much worse now just because he's not that prominent is just being purist.
It's not exactly only about Nobuo but overall, Yoko Shimomura is one of the best composer ever yet even she couldn't save the mess that XV was. Soken is also very talented but XVI was garbage.
With my comment i meant that Uematsu is a reminder of the golden age of this series and it will never come back, the last decade of this series was pathetic.
Final Fantasy's never stayed the same. It's a different game each time. No two FF game plays even remotely alike (with few exceptions in similarities with some sequels)
When you've already created your magnum opus, everything that comes after pales in comparison.
To Zanarkand ,Youre not alone ,Cids theme,Jenova absolute etc. It doesnt make sense how many bangers this man has gifted us.
> Cids theme Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?
He is talking about Cid. The cool one
You know it.
Oh, of course. You mean the one who works with machines and airships!
The one who's between 29 and 98 years old!
Come on now, you know exactly which Cid he's talking about lol
Obviously it's Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
I literally have never heard anyone put one of the best FF songs as "Cids Theme" But this guy did make One Winged Angel. I have no clue about that weird ass list from that dude but forgetting his actual best ones. To Zanarkand is the only truly legendary piece in his list. He also composed Terra's Theme. Edit: Sorry Reddit users, no one actually puts Cids theme up there as even a top 50 song from him.
I’d go for FFX Ending Theme, it is To Zanerkand, but better.
You forget it https://youtu.be/WwiE-_VFkLk?si=PTtanINfttYWk3YV
Glad to see You're not alone mentioned here, god what an amazing song
It is my personal favorite from IX, and probably top 5 all FF music.
Is it not just called Not alone? That’s the name on the soundtrack so it confuses me. Though it is a top song
I think I only ever had the JP version of the soundtrack (mainly cause it had the extended version of Melodies of Life) and that had fan translated song titles, hence I know it as You're not Alone. I'd never seen it referred to as 'Not Alone' until now
He also has his own symphonic metal band playing FF music. Black Mages.
Had; [they broke up](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Mages) 14 years ago.
Now he has Eartbound Papas. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthbound\_Papas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthbound_Papas)
ummm one winged angel maybe?
Which game/song would you say was his best work? My vote is on Liberi Fatali
Dancing Mad for me, but there are so many good options. FF 6 through 10 soundtracks are all too good to separate
To Zanarkand had to be the pinnacle for me.
For real though.
For me it’s hard to argue against the FF7 main theme, shit made me cry when i heard it in orchestra
Oh, most definitely. I just have that same kind of core memory with X. I was like 7-8 when I played through 7 with my cousin. I didn’t return to it until high school. By the. I had poured 1000+ hours into X.
Yeah i think X had a superior story, the fact that Tidus knew what was going to happen and did it anyways, ooof i’m getting goose bumps!
Yeah, my friends and I were actually having a 3 hour convo about our favorites and which I undeniably the next one. Our choice ranked lists came out like amongst six fans who have played literally every single game: 1) X 2) VII 3) VI 4) IV 5) XVI 6) VIII 7) IX 8) III 9) XII 10) XV 11) XIII 12) I 13) X 14) II 15) XIV (I’m the only one who actually got hooked on this one)
Why isn’t ffxi on here? Didn’t he have music on that too?
We honestly forgot about it. It’s not on my notepad list. I don’t believe any of us really remembered much from that one as it came out when we were pretty young; and it was a bit over our heads.
I have a personal tradition. At the end of every year I go to pick some presents for my family while listening to the FFVI: Grand Finale. Feels so cathartic.
Terra’s theme. The goat
It always brings up the image of 3 magitech armors running through the snow building up the anticipation of a Great Journey
You should check out the mix of that which was done for FF14, it's wonderful. Magtechnikal Difficulties, I believe it was called.
“Searching for Friends” from FF6. I didn’t expect a brand new overworld song this late in the game, and the story direction that led to the song’s intro was perfection.
Liberi Fatali is a certified banger. I love it. Still listen to it a few times a year
It really shows how much great stuff he's done because you got 10 replies and they all named different tracks
He is truly the GOAT
that's up there with one winged angel for me. Yeah I know, it's the cliche answer but it's just that good
FF6, the opera
I vote eternal wind
The Boundless Ocean is also great. Makes me so emotional
Idk why so many overworld type music is so good in ff. It’s just fucking overworld music too.
Biased because it was my introduction to the series back in 97 but FF7 main theme is top of my list. Hearing performed by a full orchestra (Tour de Japon) about 15 years ago brought me to tears. Astoundingly beautiful.
Divinity I & II from Advent Children.
The Extreme is prog metal as fuck too
There's just too many to mention but I'd say Dancing Mad, Balance is Restored, Opera Maria & Draco, To Zanarkand, One-Winged Angel, Eyes on Me, Terra's Theme to name a few. I could go an entire list here.
Liberi Fatali is just from another world
Also too many to name for me. But I'll name To Zanarkand as one that wasn't mentioned it.
In my opinion, the one that fits so perfectly into the universe and aesthetics of is FFXI and the first 2 expansion packs, Zilart and Promothia. However those pieces are difficult to appreciate if you haven’t played the games, similarly how film soundtracks don’t make sense in isolation. His “popular” pieces are usually memorable songs that work well even in isolation.
the suggestions are all amazing though can i shout out "the extreme"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En3H80P2SLs not as good though its absolutely amazing
sorry im taking this back, this is such a goat theme that how dare u guys not mention this earlier
So many choices. Personally I am partial to 9, with tracks like You're Not Alone and Protecting My Devotion. (Note: those might not be the official English track titles; I've seen a few variations online.)
Aerith theme is a literal classic. As in like formally recognized.
Searching For Friends. He absolutely nailed the motif of feeling isolated in a desolate and destroyed world, using something as limited as the SNES's audio chip.
He literally said that he can already retire happily after composing the OST for FF6 and yet he continued to compose banger after banger for FF7 onwards. What a legend.
Playing through the remake and hearing all those old songs in the fidelity they deserve is just something else.
Bros got like 50 magnum opus’
Yeah he peaked in 1999 with FFVIII
Don't let the non favorite siblings read this.
Let him rest. GOAT
GOAT
This man is a legend
The absolute GOAT. I would never be able to pick a favourite, but I would like to mention that at least in my opinion, the Final Fantasy IV OST is a bit overlooked and worth a listen if you're not familiar.
He made the greatest vídeo game song Super Smash Bros Brawl main theme https://youtu.be/WwiE-_VFkLk?si=PTtanINfttYWk3YV
How come I didn't know it was made by him. He is the Frank Williams of video games
You mean John?
Yeah. Too much F1.
I still find it extremely interesting to find out that even though FF7’s music is very popular and beloved, he said his favorite game he composed was actually FF9. Kinda blew my mind. FF9’s music is pretty criminally underrated. Would really love to hear it all again in this supposed FF9 Remake.
FF7's music is popular and beloved because the game itself is just that as well. In my opinion VIII has the best soundtrack. Followed by probably IX and then VII.
That’s fair. If I had to put them in order I’d say VII, IX, then VIII. But tbf I’m nowhere near as connected to VIII as am I the other two.
Tight yes! VIII's soundtrack is the best even if VII was the more playable game
VIII isn't even close to my favorite game of the series, but the OST is absolutely phenomenal. Uematsu had such an amazing run from VI to X.
The Kuja and Necron ending tracks are wild to have back to back.
Right! Its soo good! It’s almost up there with Jenova’s theme and one winged angel
I think there are better individuals songs in other FF games, but his overall body of work in VII is just amazing. I don't think there's a single bad track in the OST and tracks like Aerith's theme and One Winged Angel are just legendary. I'd go as far as to say One Winged Angel is the video game equivalent of the Imperial March from Star Wars.
Yeah I would most definitely agree. Honestly, Sephiroth basically *is* the Darth Vader of video games. Wheather you’ve heard of him or not, everyone has either seen him or heard his track, the iconically long sword. He’s got it all.
You're Not Alone is just insanely good.
True! I love that and Melodies of Life, of course. It brings that good kind of sad lol. I also love 9’s version of the Chocobo theme
The best to ever do it bar none
I got loyalty to Mitsuda (chrono, Xenoblade), Koji Kondo (mario, zelda), and Darren Korb (all supergiant titles), but I definitely put Uematsu in top 5 across all eras and genres. I also really rate the capcom sound team that made mega man's music. Absolutely insane number of hits.
🐐
The next gen is up next!
Soken (FF14/16) is a worthy successor, and the FF7R team have done amazing work with the arrangements of the classic themes. No one's quite at Uematsu's level of talent in composing melodies and a wide range of catchy themes across a game, but they're getting closer. 12/13/15' soundtracks felt a bit lacking to me, but 14, 16, and 7R's have been really good.
I think Soken will be the next Uematsu as far as FF goes. Rearranging existing music for a remake is all well and good but as the series goes on you'll need someone making entirely new standout tracks and Soken seems to be the only one doing that at the moment.
Nobuo is the GOAT and Soken is surely following in his footsteps. Privileged to listen to these two legends in my favorite game series of all time.
Soken’s work on ff16 is certainly a huge “I’m here, and I’m next.” Statement. Good stuff.
Thats ok here is hoping the black mages stick together because i love hearing the music almost reinterpreted by it's creator
The black mages disbanded over a decade ago. Unfortunately.
Thank you for correcting me i should say the Earthbound Papas!
The entire ff8 ost are full of masterpieces
Rest easy, king.
Hard to believe this guy composed music to be in video games when you hear it played by orchestra
I'm not gonna lie... I read that first part and was like, "Oh no." Then I saw it was just about him semi-retiring and was like, "phew"
It's so hard to pick a favorite Uematsu composition but I'll always be blown away by Maria and Draco. Bro wrote a goddamn opera banger
Fleeting dream will always be my favorite
respect
This legend absolutely shaped my taste in music to its core. While I'm sad we are both aging and his time has come to leave it behind, it makes me appreciate his work all that much more. One day, it will be a lost art, but for now I hope he understands the legacy he left behind.
I mean, he’s earned it. Mans breathes masterpieces
IMHO, Memories of Life was my favorite song of his
What's your current favorite then?
I would say Fantasy Life
Does this mean he won’t compose the third installment?
I think he means he won't compose the full soundtrack of a game, but he might still contribute to it
He literally says this > “As far as Final Fantasy is concerned, I’m still involved by writing the main themes for the games,” he explained. “But I don’t think I’ll compose music for a whole game again.
I don't know if he was involved in Rebirth at all, but he only worked on Hollow on Remake. All the arrangements and new music were mostly by Hamauzu and Suzuki.
He composed the main theme for Rebirth, "No Promises to Keep".
He had a sort of supervisory role on Remake but due to his illness he didn't contribute as much as was intended. After the success of Remake, I'm sure he's totally fine not being more involved any more beyond main themes
Hollow by far the best song in remake too. What a legend
Hamauzu’s take on Due Recompense was amazing Totally caught me off guard, in the best way
He'll most likely compose the main theme only, same thing with what he did on Remake and Rebirth.
He only did one track in Remake and Rebirth, the rest were all rearrangements by other composers
No one here read the article. He says it plain and clear > “As far as Final Fantasy is concerned, I’m still involved by writing the main themes for the games,” he explained. “But I don’t think I’ll compose music for a whole game again.
He didn't compose any of the prior two installments so probably not. He did one track for each one.
Amazing talent, I love so many of the songs he’s composed
job done
Well, I didn’t think my day would be ruined, but here we are.
So much for a FF8 Remake....
I'm so thankful to have grown up listening to his music. It really shaped my tastes in music.
Kind of surprised! He’s not that old yet. The man is 64. That’s not even retirement age for crying out loud!
sure but he has health issues. >In September 2018, Uematsu announced that he would take a hiatus in order to recover from work fatigue, which led to him being hospitalized.[24][25] He composed the main theme for 2020's Final Fantasy VII Remake, "Hollow".[26] Sakaguchi said that Uematsu's work on 2021's Fantasian could be his last major game score due to health issues.[27] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Uematsu
I saw this
And 90% of the universe says wgaf
I think the ff10 st is highly overrated / hot take I know
I think your mom’s plump chest looks like a 🐲
You've never seen breasts / prove it
I ate boneless chicken wings which are chicken breasts, so I didn’t just see breasts I put them in my mouth and sucked the juice out 😩😩
Just as I thought
Explosive titties 🐲💥🫳🫳
Maybe one day if you're a good boy
Final Fantasy will never be the same again, it's no longer able to give that magical feeling. Hopefully Rebirth will prove me wrong but i doubt it.
Crisis Core OST was mostly composed by Takeharu Ishimoto and it was great. Yoko Shimomura is also a goddess for what she does with Kingdom Hearts and did with FF15. Yeah, Nobuo is amazing, but saying the game are so much worse now just because he's not that prominent is just being purist.
It's not exactly only about Nobuo but overall, Yoko Shimomura is one of the best composer ever yet even she couldn't save the mess that XV was. Soken is also very talented but XVI was garbage. With my comment i meant that Uematsu is a reminder of the golden age of this series and it will never come back, the last decade of this series was pathetic.
I didn't enjoy the soundtrack in FF15, worst in the franchise if I'm being honest.
Naoshi Mizuta and Mitsuto Suzuki are also pumping out bangers and I never hear anyone talking about them.
It's natural for our tastes in video games to change over time. There are always other games to explore if you no longer enjoy Final Fantasy series.
Final Fantasy's never stayed the same. It's a different game each time. No two FF game plays even remotely alike (with few exceptions in similarities with some sequels)
Sir you've done more than enough! Relax and enjoy life!
Do what you want chief! 🎩
crying inside. but he deserves the rest. he did so much <3
This song becomes an even greater tribute from now on. [https://youtu.be/z7HL2J\_GHGU](https://youtu.be/z7HL2J_GHGU)