[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUkY7ZIM5WI&w=560&h=315]

If you’ve ever been a fan of video game music, or Square(soft), or even just JRPGs in general, chances are you’ve at least heard of Nobuo Uematsu. He’s pretty much a titan of video game music, having composed some of the most memorable soundtracks in the industry; the Final Fantasy games (from 1 through 9) would be an easy example.

Well, this week he’s pretty relevant to us: The Last Story is going to be release this upcoming Friday (Feb 24th), and it is composed by Uematsu himself. Of course, here in The Nintendo Enthusiast we are very enthusiastic about it, so we went ahead and had a field day – no, a field week with everything related to both Nobuo Uematsu and Final Fantasy legend Hironobu Sakaguchi.

To that effect, we featured some very amazing
Final Fantasy 6 fan-art and, if everything goes well, we will also be kicking off our brand spanking new Retro Review section with a review of the same game.

In the meantime, I will ask you to put on your 3D glasses (optional) and headphones (mandatory) and stay close as I guide you through a journey beyond imagination, and a homage to the brilliance of Uematsu’s compositions.

One last word before we start: due to the ever more tyrannical nature of copyright infringement laws, I’m afraid I won’t be able to link to the original compositions. However, this might be a blessing in disguise because now you’ll get to listen to the amazing renditions of the most talented YouTube superstars. In addition, this article will be heavily focused on Final Fantasy 6 to stay in the spirit of the week, so don’t think much of the lack of amazing themes from other games in the series (in other words, please don’t get too rowdy, FF7 fanboys!).

Let’s start with some blood-pumping

Battle Themes:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OevqSezs_9M&w=560&h=315]

Battle themes are definitely one of Uematsu’s strengths, especially in regards to the Final Fantasy series. Throughout the Final Fantasy games he composed for he always managed to maintain a unique aesthetic, to the point that, if you were to hear one of these themes anywhere, you would immediately say “I know that song! It’s from some Final Fantasy.”

lonlonjp:
-Battle Theme (FF6)

BKMJMBOX:
-The Dreadful Fight (FF4)
-Clash on the Big Bridge (FF5)
-Battle Medley (FF6/FF7)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQZ1Fk8Vj5I&w=560&h=315]

Then some of the most memorable

Event Themes:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36TdZx8VgbA&w=560&h=315]

How more amazing can this stuff get? Hopefully more, but as it stands, the Opera scene of Final Fantasy 6 remains one of the highest points of the entire series, a feat that wouldn’t be possible without such incredible music. In that fashion, Uematsu’s music has always done a great deal for the many favorite scenes of Final Fantasy.

lonlonjp:
-Coin Song (FF6)
-Forever Rachel (FF6)

layelectone:
-Symphonic Suite (FF6)

Next, let’s look at some

Character, Town, and Travel themes:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1EMCNpGeDg&w=560&h=315]

One thing that Final Fantasy 6 is particularly famous for is its deep, lovable characters, and Uematsu’s music helps bring them to life.

CalebElijah:
-Terra’s Theme (FF6)

chocotiger:
-Terra’s Theme(FF6)
-Mystic Forest(FF6)

kylelandry:
-Terra’s Theme (FF6)

lonlonjp:
-Spinach Rag (FF6)
-Searching Friends (FF6)
-Shadow’s theme (FF6)

Tuengxx:
-Harvest (FF5)
-My Home, Sweet Home (FF5)
-Theme of Love (FF4)

Finally, we all love us some

Medleys:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNeWk_-z0_w&w=560&h=315]

 

WDR Radio Orchestra
-Final Fantasy medley, part 1, part 2

atokun111kyusyu:
-Final Fantasy IV medley, part 1
-Final Fantasy V medley

———————————————————————————————————
Let’s go the extra mile. Last week, we promised some Chrono Trigger music. As it turns out, Nobuo Uematsu helped Yasunori Mitsuda finish Chrono Trigger’s soundtrack after Mitsuda was set back by an ulcer (he was literally losing all sleep over his work). Now while the music he made for Chrono Trigger certainly isn’t Uematsu’s best, it also isn’t meek by any means.

At any rate, here are some of Uematsu’s compositions for

Chrono Trigger

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFKHCcu6v44&w=560&h=315]

 

lonlonjp:
-Sealed Door

EliteSiege1082:
-People who threw away the will to live

GreatJuja:
-Tyrano Lair – with Auriplane
-Battle Medley

HCBailly:
Bike Chase

MrHotdiggitydog:
-Burn! Bobonga!

naughtydog1376:
-Burn! Bobonga! (remastered)

So,

now that you’ve listened to all the incredible work Uematsu’s done for these amazing games, are you pumped for the release of The Last Story?

And what’s more important, are you a big enough fan to go and buy some great Uematsu music so you can listen to it in its full glory? If you are, then here you are, links and more links to buy awesome music! Distant Worlds I and II both feature the greatest classics of the Final Fantasy series played by an entire Philharmonic Orchestra. Chronotorious is an excellent remix of the Chrono Trigger soundtrack by the band Bad Dudes. All three are great additions to your video game music library and are must-haves for any VGM fan!