Board 8 > Final Fantasy Music Contest (FFMC) Predictions, Results & Discussion Topic

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to the contest! Again. ...Again. We're here to celebrate the music of Final Fantasy, the only way this board knows how- by pitting tracks against each other until only one is left standing.

After a wonderful turnout in nominations and tiebreaks, we've finally chopped 270+ nominated Final Fantasy tracks down to 128 to squish them in a bracket. I'd like to thank everybody who has taken part in this so far, I hate to sound like a broken record but this has already gotten way more attention than I ever expected. A special thank you goes out to azuarc for stepping in of their own accord when I was called away in the final few hours of nominations. I didn't get time to properly thank you then as things were very hectic, but I really appreciate that you helped out there!

Anyway enough waffling, here comes bracket.
https://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=475177
No, I don't know why the upper bracket is listed below the lower here.

The seeding may appear strange, but it is based off of your nominations. Some very famous tracks are in with low seeds (or not here altogether!), our winner could come from anywhere!

We will kick off the contest on Sunday 7 November at 2pm EST/11am PST/7pm GMT with the first matches in the upper bracket (current plan is 4 matches per day in Round 1 but I may lower this to 2 or 3 if the majority so desires). If you'd like to make predictions you can do so right up until then!

I'll post the results in this topic but for now feel free to discuss the bracket or ask any questions that are unclear.


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Tag

I won't make predictions or anything, but I'm excited to discover more great FF songs!

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there goes bracket

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And here's a breakdown of the tracks by game:

I: 1

III DS: 1

IV: 2
(1 original, 1 Pixel)

V: 4

VI: 6

VII: 6
VII Remake: 9
Crisis Core: 1

VIII: 12

IX: 8

X: 16
X-2: 7

XI: 1

XII: 2
(1 original, 1 Zodiac)

XIII: 4
XIII-2: 8
LR XIII: 3

XIV: 16
(Before Meteor: 1
A Realm Reborn: 2
Heavensward: 3
Stormblood: 3
Shadowbringers: 7)

XV: 3

Brave Exvius: 1
Crystal Chronicles: 1
Dissidia 012: 1
Dissidia Arcade: 1
Legends 2: 2
Mystic Quest: 4
Record Keeper: 3
Super Smash Bros Ultimate: 2
Theatrhythm: 1
Type-0: 1
World of: 1

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*Eyeballs bracket*

Isn't "'Neath Dark Waters" Shadowbringers, the Tempest theme?

Big hype for some of these matches though

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Isquen posted...

Isn't "'Neath Dark Waters" Shadowbringers, the Tempest theme?

...You're right, I have it listed under Shadowbringers in my personal list and that's what I counted it as in the breakdown above, not sure how I managed to put Heavensward on the bracket >_> Thanks for the catch!

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Immediately brutal as first think I see is 1 Besaid vs. 16 The Decisive Battle (FFV), listening to it in the tiebreaker stage reminded me how much I liked it & played it on repeat when I last played V (and even had it going on repeat after I finished off the tiebreaker tracks that round). I already see it getting squashed by Besaid (FFX), everybody loves Besaid, hell I might even vote for Besaid there after re-listening to it... damn.

I can see my trading for Ghoul and Divine Love coming back to hurt, up against A Fleeting Dream and VI Decisive Battle, buzzsaw competition. Well, no regrets nominating them in anyways.

Airbuster as 13th seed is also rough but maybe can pull the upset... Valkyrie 15th vs. Eyes on Me, damn. Not good for 7R. I see a round 1 7R vs. 7R matchup too, hey!

Servants of the Mountain got the the 2nd most votes in the tiebreaker stage but still ended up a 16th seed? Random outcome or was lower-seeded due to trading at the nomination stage? Matched up against the highest-nominated XIV track, damn...

Nova Chrysalia vs. Tifa's Theme, man this is rough. I'm seeing so many matchups where I'm 2/2 on investment and seeing a vote struggle, and so many where I'm 0/2. Tough breaks abound!

Well, lots of upset potential at least, going to be interesting to see where nominations don't match user consensus, I can see a few potential spots. Can't do a bracket prediction when I'm unfamiliar or need to be refreshed on more than a few songs, will be listening to everything as each round comes up and guess we'll see how it shakes out. Gonna be good!

MartinFF7 posted...

Immediately brutal as first think I see is 1 Besaid vs. 16 The Decisive Battle (FFV)

same, other one i immediately noticed was Melodies of Life vs Calm Before the Storm

but not nearly as brutal as Dancing Mad, JENOVA, and Big Bridge all in the same division wtf is that

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Ouch, Beginning of the End is up against Sunleth first round... thats gonna be a tough one to win

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MartinFF7 posted...

Servants of the Mountain got the the 2nd most votes in the tiebreaker stage but still ended up a 16th seed? Random outcome or was lower-seeded due to trading at the nomination stage? Matched up against the highest-nominated XIV track, damn...

I swapped Servants with another track to avoid having multiple XIV v XIV round 1s, it only shifted down a spot or two but that was enough to take it from 15 to 16 seed. But you never know how it will go, I don't think being a 1 seed necessarily means all that much in this contest!

I know things seem brutal for some favs but honestly in a field this stacked I think it's brutal for everyone! I tried to make things fair across games, and yeah sadly not everybody could get Stamp as their top seed round 1 opponent lol.

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Here's a list of all the tracks in the contest, for reference if it's ever needed.

'Neath Dark Waters (Scions & Sinners Version) (XIV: Shadowbringers)
1000 Words (Eng) (X-2)
A Contest of Aeons (X)
A Fleeting Dream (AKA Someday the Dream Will End) (X)
A Long Fall (XIV: Shadowbringers)
Aerith's Theme - Home Again (VIIR)
Aerith's Theme (SSBU)
Aerith's Theme (VII)
Answers (Distant Worlds Version) (FFXIV)
Antipyretic - Arrange (Dissidia Arcade)
APOCALYPSIS NOCTIS (XV)
Aria di Mezzo Carattere (VI)
Balamb GARDEN (VIII)
Battle 1 (Mystic Quest)
Battle 2 (Mystic Quest)
Battle 3 (Mystic Quest)
Battle Theme (X)
Besaid (X-2)
Besaid (X)
Beyond the Darkness (AKA Beyond the Abyss) (X)
Blinded by Light (XIII)
Bombing Mission (VIIR)
Break the Limit! (Brave Exvius)
Calm Before the Storm (AKA Silence Before the Storm) (X)
Cantata Mortis & God in Fire (Dissidia 012)
Celes's Theme (VI)
Chaos Shrine (FFRK Version) (Record Keeper)
Clash on the Big Bridge - Oriental MIX - (XIII-2)
Clash on the Big Bridge (V)
Collapsed Expressway (VIIR)
Corneo Colosseum (VIIR)
Cosmo Canyon (SSBU)
Court Jesters (IX)
Crazy Chocobo (XIII-2)
Dancing Mad (VI)
Dark City Treno (IX)
Dark Messenger (IX)
Dear Friends (V)
Divine Love (LR: XIII)
Dragonsong (XIV: Heavensward)
Eiko's Theme (IX)
Ending Theme (X)
Eyes on Me (VIII)
Fight On! (AKA Still More Fighting) (VII)
Fight With Seymour (X)
Final Battle (X)
Fisherman's Horizon (VIII)
Force Your Way (FFRK Version) (Record Keeper)
Force Your Way (VIII)
From the Heavens (XIV: Stormblood)
Full Speed Ahead (AKA Run) (XIII-2)
Ghoul (VIIR)
Good King Moggle Mog XII (XIV)
Ink Long Dry (XIV: Heavensward)
Insanity (XIV: Shadowbringers)
J-E-N-O-V-A (VII)
Kaze no Ne (Crystal Chronicles)
KUON: Memories of Waves and Light (AKA Eternity) (X-2)
Labyrinth of Time (XIII-2)
Lava Dome (Mystic Quest)
Liberi Fatali (VIII)
Magitek Research Facility (AKA Devil's Lab) (VI)
Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV (IV)
Main Theme of Final Fantasy V (AKA Ahead on our Way) (V)
Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII (VII)
Matoya's Cave (I)
Melodies of Life (Eng) (IX)
Memoro De La Stono~Distant Worlds (Distant Worlds version) (XI)
New Bodhum (XIII-2)
Not Alone! (AKA You're Not Alone) (IX)
Nova Chrysalia (LR: XIII)
One-Winged Angel (VII)
Opening - Bombing Mission (VII)
Otherworld (X)
Plains of Eternity (XIII-2)
Prelude (X)
real Emotion (Eng) (X-2)
Roses of May (IX)
Saber's Edge (XIII)
Save the World (Legends 2)
Servants of the Mountain (AKA People of the North Pole) (X)
Shadowbringers (XIV: Shadowbringers)
Shuffle or Boogie (VIII)
Silence and Motion (VIII)
Somnus (XV)
Stamp (VIIR)
Sunrise (XIV: Stormblood)
Suteki Da Ne (Isn't It Wonderful?) (X)
Terra (VI)
TFFCC Special Arrange Melody (Theatrhythm Curtain Call)
The Airbuster (VIIR)
The Archylte Steppe (XIII)
The Beginning of the End (FFRK Version) (Record Keeper)
The Castle (VIII)
The Dalmasca Estersand (Zodiac Age Version) (XII: The Zodiac Age)
The Decisive Battle (V)
The Decisive Battle (VI)
The Extreme (VIII)
The Extreme (XIV: Shadowbringers)
The Farplane Abyss (X-2)
The Feywood (XII)
The Glittering City of Yusnaan (LR: XIII)
The Landing (VIII)
The Last Hunter (XIII-2)
The Legend Begins (Legends 2)
The Legendary Beast (VIII)
The Man with the Machine Gun (VIII)
The Price of Freedom (Crisis Core)
The Sunleth Waterscape (XIII)
The Thunder Plains (X-2)
The Valkyrie (VIIR)
Theme of Love (IV Pixel Remaster)
Tidus's Theme (X)
Tifa's Theme - Seventh Heaven (VIIR)
Ultima (XIV)
Unseen Abyss (XIII-2)
Valse di Fantastica (XV)
Vamo'alla Flamenco (IX)
Wayward Daughter (XIV: Stormblood)
Weight of the World - Prelude Version (XIV: Shadowbringers)
What Angel Wakes Me (XIV: Shadowbringers)
Woe that Is Madness (XIV: Heavensward)
World of Nine Wood Hills (World of)
Yuna's Theme (X)
Zanarkand (X)
Zanarkand Ruins (X-2)
Zephyr Memories -Legend of the Eternal Wind- (Distant Worlds Version) (III DS)
Zero (Type-0)

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Oof, 2 with no representation at all. Maybe I should've nommed the World Map. Rebel Army theme is... there, and the battle theme is used better in XIV.

Oh man I wonder if XIV will remix 2 or 4 more when EW drops.

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Yeah I had hoped for every numbered entry to have some representation here, poor 2. In addition to Rebel Army there was a nom for Battle Theme B, and I nominated Castle Pandemonium at one point. Sadly none of them were enough!

Also: I have a playlist now for all tracks in the contest, in bracket order. Those of you who like to be prepared in advance, enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFj0gJtesYY_F4VpWk2KONwsFBVgt6X1w

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Looking forward to this!
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I feel like an old man but listening to all the FFXIV tracks that people have nommed...

I don't get it

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Oh dear, I made an error. I thought Noel's Theme WAS "The Last Hunter."

Oh well, it's still cool.

Also, fair warning for folks who care about that sort of thing: some of the XIV tracks have some major spoilers in the videos. For instance, take Wayward Daughter having Stormblood spoilers that you ultimately fight a major character for the expansion as a sort-of-forced vengeful Primal,

Or, earlier than that, Dragonsong giving away parts of Heavensward.

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Yeah for any track with visuals playing I'd recommend people don't watch if they don't want to be spoiled, especially XIV's.

24 hours until the festivities begin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-fleXlIRbs

colliding posted...

I feel like an old man but listening to all the FFXIV tracks that people have nommed...

I don't get it

Lol some of them took a while for me to get into, and some of them are just too long. There's some that are really great though imo!

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Alrighty, just spotted a couple of issues with the playlist...

-The "Stamp" song isn't the version from the OST, it's definitely a cover and well, it's a cover that's probably better than the original so maybe you should keep it, lol. For reference, here's the official soundtrack version: https://soundcloud.com/crystalchobo4/d8-23-stamp-global-jukebox-ver-final-fantasy-vii-remake-ost and I believe this a youtube copy of that official version too in case you wanted to switch it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H6PV9eUkg4

-Big respect for the "This Is Not" guy keeping remake tracks alive on youtube but "This Is Not The Valkyrie" begins with "Run, Dammit, Run", a separate song off the Remake Plus OST that's not part of the actual Valkyrie theme. The actual song begins at the 1:45 mark/switch to "Phase 1". If we wanted a "clean" version of "The Valkyrie" this should be it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozzz1UmrP5c

In any case, the track lengths should be 8:50 for Valkyrie and 4:42 for Stamp per the OST, give or take a second or two.

Other than those other two potential updates, only thinking about a 3rd thing that's probably pointless to think about at this point but still dwelling on it. My great debate at the nomination stage was whether to nom Ghoul, or Ghoulish Symphony:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4A1O4Msm3U

The latter is off the Remake Plus OST and has an additional minute and change of cutscene-linked buildup whereas "Ghoul" is just the proper boss theme that plays in that + 2 other boss fights in the game. I didn't go with Symphony in the end since I thought the extra build-up time (adding onto an already-lengthy song) might turn listeners off. But now that it's up against A Fleeting Dream, kind of regret not pushing Symphony! Emphasis on "pushing" since it was just my double + two trades for Ghoul in the end.

I wonder if it would've made a difference either way in the final votals, I expect Fleeting Dream to win in either case, I consider that a top-tier track and possible title challenger if it can get out of its division, but maybe I'll get surprised when the round actually happens...

Welp, no clue how I missed that the Stamp song was a cover. How embarrassing. Both fixed now, thanks Martin.

I think it's a bit too late to swap out Ghoul for Ghoulish Symphony now though I'm afraid. Still thanks for linking it, I don't think it's too lengthy given some of the other tracks in this. No way of knowing which way people will vote when the day comes!

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One hour!

(Also turns out that Stamp cover was actually the link that was originally nominated, so I could technically remove the nom altogether ;) )

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Oh, look. A topic.

And oh god are some of these matches terrible. I can't look...why did I look? ><

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andylt posted...

I think it's a bit too late to swap out Ghoul for Ghoulish Symphony now though I'm afraid.

Oh I wasn't asking to swap... but for a while I was contemplating making that pitch which is why it might come across that way, lol. Am respecting that things were locked in and will live with having made the wrong call...!

(actually also second-guessing myself over not nominating Hell House, the first minute ruins its 10/10 status for me, the same way the ending for Valkyrie takes away from what's otherwise a great track. So disappointing they left in the cutscene filler in both songs... vs. Ghoulish Symphony where it fits much better)

Ah... gonna need to do a Remake Boss Theme poll at some point!

Weight of the World is cheating and shouldn't be in the contest. If I bring Chipotle into a Taco Bell and put some Fire Sauce on it, that doesn't make it eligible for best "Taco Bell Menu Item" contest.

Anyway

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If they teamed up and Taco Bell made their own adjustments and sold it officially as their own item then it would indeed be eligible!

Day 1 Results

(1) Clash on the Big Bridge (V)- 34
(16) Lava Dome (Mystic Quest)- 7

(8) Weight of the World - Prelude Version (XIV: Shadowbringers)- 30
(9) Good King Moggle Mog XII (XIV)- 10

(5) The Farplane Abyss (X-2)- 26
(12) Dark City Treno (IX)- 15

(4) The Glittering City of Yusnaan (LR: XIII)- 22
(13) The Airbuster (VIIR)- 19

The winner of the day is the seeding system, as all 4 top seeds go through! Big Bridge and Weight of the World dominated their matches, and Airbuster made a strong challenge but didn't quite have enough to outpace Yusnaan.

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andylt posted...

The winner of the day is the seeding system

I claim two of those songs would have done well enough to win a match elsewhere in the bracket. INB4 someone gets pedantic and argues all but one song in the bracket would win elsewhere.

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now that i've had a chance to listen to everything from yesterday's matches, it seems i would have voted for all the losers. nooo, this was supposed to be different from VGMC...

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The losers I voted for where the ones I liked the opponent too so its cool

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Day 2 Results

(3) A Fleeting Dream (AKA Someday the Dream Will End) (X)- 25
(14) Ghoul (VIIR)- 17

(6) Dancing Mad (VI)- 25
(11) The Last Hunter (XIII-2)- 17

(7) JENOVA (VII)- 27
(10) World of Nine Wood Hills (World of)- 14

(2) Blinded by Light (XIII)- 26
(15) Cosmo Canyon (SSBU)- 16

The higher seeds win again! This was a fun day to track- the first two matches were very very close for about half the day, while JENOVA was storming to a ridiculous lead. But things kinda swapped as the day went on and in the end all 4 matches ended up pretty close to each other.

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ah, definitely got my hopes up a little too much there. Ghoul was up 12-11 at the time of my post, go to sleep, wake up to a string of Dreams. Ended up being a 5-14 run after mine I guess... though I always considered that to be a 1-seed-calibre song even if it only got 3-seed based on noms so can't be too surprised. It's a rough contest!

VII Remake has definitely gotten the short end of the stick so far, Airbuster and Ghoul could have won elsewhere I'm certain. I really like Ghoul too, would've voted for it over the other three winners!

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Yeah and I'm eying Valkyrie vs. Eyes on Me as the last of the trio of boss themes...

Is it just me that thinks the vocal FF tracks are overrated? Are the nominations out of some sense of nostalgia, those songs having some additional cach from the PSX era but Eyes, Melodies, Suteki... all meh across the board!

Now 1000 Words I could see myself voting for, checking bracket to see what it's up against... oh godddd I liked that song, I don't remember the Distant Worlds rendition of it. Will need to weigh options when that day comes.

Eyes on Me and Melodies of Life could easily be the best songs from their respective games imo. Don't like Suteki da Ne as much but that has more to do with the particular singer than anything.

Nostalgia isn't a factor here either--I never even heard Eyes on Me in game I don't think, and I heard and loved Melodies of Life before I had ever played FFIX.
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MartinFF7 posted...

Is it just me that thinks the vocal FF tracks are overrated?

Yes. Well maybe not literally but I think a large majority of people like those three songs at least. Nowadays vocal tracks are a lot more common rather than being the singular special song from a game that obviously had a lot more effort put into it. I personally can't stand Otherworld, Crazy Chocobo or Limit Break, for example.

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(why is Zanarkand Ruins a 1 seed this song is kinda bad)

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I like the PSX/2 vocal tracks but I can understand them turning some people away, they're different styles from most FF music.

KommunistKoala posted...

(why is Zanarkand Ruins a 1 seed this song is kinda bad)

It got a lot of nominations!

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Synthesized bagpipes are :chefkiss:, that's why.

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Xuxon posted...

Yes. Well maybe not literally but I think a large majority of people like those three songs at least. Nowadays vocal tracks are a lot more common rather than being the singular special song from a game that obviously had a lot more effort put into it. I personally can't stand Otherworld, Crazy Chocobo or Limit Break, for example.

Oh they're good and all, but I think in all 3 cases I wouldn't put them in the top 10 songs from their respective games; and additionally I'd take the instrumentals over version with vocals.

But I am definitely biased towards faster-paced, louder, more action/battle-oriented songs... think the only one of my nominations that didn't fit that trend was Nova Chrysalia and that's slated to be fed to 7R Tifa's Theme.

Day 3 Results

(1) Zanarkand Ruins (X-2)- 18
(16) Force Your Way (FFRK Version) (Record Keeper)- 26

(8) APOCALYPSIS NOCTIS (XV)- 12
(9) The Extreme (XIV: Shadowbringers)- 32

(5) Save the World (Legends 2)- 20
(12) Unseen Abyss (XIII-2)- 23

(4) Kuon - Memories of Waves and Light (AKA Eternity) (X-2)- 28
(13) A Contest of Aeons (X)- 16

Well it took 3 days to get a seeding upset but today three came along at once! I had some of the 1 seeds pegged as vulnerable but Zanarkand Ruins wasn't top of my list. Not surprised NOCTIS lost but I'm sad it got so thoroughly routed :(

Save the World v Unseen Abyss was undeniably the match of the day, the lead swapped multiple times but the underdog took the win in the end!

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Damn, Still More Fighting remake is so much better than the OG... Yusnaan is unique, but it really shouldn't have won

And A Contest of Aeons ;(

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3-1

with my favorite being the one that lost, rip save the world

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I fear for The Extreme's power... that's never really been a favourite of mine (I'm more a Premonition + Legendary Beast guy!) but I found myself like the XIV version more than the original. With a result like that and looking at the others in the division, I could see it winning the division.

Now if only Divine Love could get the kind of success Unseen Abyss did!

Rip Eucalyptus.

Glad Save the World at least put up a fight. Didn't think people would support a gameboy track. I wonder how this version would have done -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YspKeKk7Cc

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I'm glad Kuon won its match, it's such a beautiful song.

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if only the true Eternity was eligible for this contest

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FFV Pixel came out today! Here is the new Big Bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7qd6zcdFm4

OG still the best

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one thing i've noticed about a lot of these remaster/remake songs is they completely fuck up dynamics, which is why they're almost always worse. this one isn't impacted too much, but then something like Aeris suffers a bit more and FFVIIR Main Theme is absolutely terrible.

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yeah but "Home Again" isn't meant to come across like og Aerith's Theme, at least I never took it that way, I always took it to have the more subdued nature of, well, being "home again". Same deal with Main Theme, gotta hold the real main theme with the big orchestra, the epic flourishes, for a future installment!

Though I will say the FFX Remaster OST was a massive disappointment, some of the changes they made are just mind-boggling ie scrapping the best part of Challenge... just so bad.

Edit: I also just stopped listening to Legendary Beast on repeat so that was a little over 2 hours, lol... it looped so nicely I didn't even need a 30 minute version!

MartinFF7 posted...

yeah but "Home Again" isn't meant to come across like og Aerith's Theme, at least I never took it that way, I always took it to have the more subdued nature of, well, being "home again". Same deal with Main Theme, gotta hold the real main theme with the big orchestra, the epic flourishes, for a future installment!

yeah Home Again is enough of its own thing that i can still appreciate it (i voted for it over Rabanastre, a song i quite like), just saying why i like the original more. i wouldn't be surprised if the next installment has a better version more like the original. as far as Main Theme goes, the song immediately before it in the original OST, Holding My Thoughts In My Heart is a much better example of an actually subdued Main Theme. VIIR's Main Theme doesn't feel subdued so much as just stripped down, it's not different enough stylistically.

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Day 4 Results

(3) The Sunleth Waterscape (XIII)- 30
(14) The Beginning of the End (FFRK Version) (Record Keeper)- 8

(6) The Decisive Battle (VI)- 28
(11) Divine Love (Lightning Returns: XIII)- 10

(7) Opening - Bombing Mission (VII)- 29
(10) Final Battle (X)- 10

(2) The Thunder Plains (X-2)- 13
(15) The Legendary Beast (VIII)- 25

A straightforward day, 4 easy wins here. Though for the second day in a row the highest seed is an X-2 track that crashes out. I don't think this is the last of the 1/2 seeds we will see fall in round 1!

Xuxon confirmed as my arch-nemesis of this contest.

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Ah, yeah I'm definitely regretting not pushing in Hell House instead of Divine Love. Created a version that cuts out the first 56 seconds so it's just pure goodness & had that running on repeat earlier...

Next step, a version of The Valkyrie cutting the last minute and a half, lol.