Customer Reviews

Final Fantasy IV: Original Sound Version

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a fan of the Final Fantasy series from its beginning, but it was with Final Fantasy IV and the improved sound capabilities of the Super Nintendo that I fell in love with the music. Released as Final Fantasy II in the United States, the first title for Nintendo's 16-bit system features a masterpiece soundtrack that ranks among composer Nobuo Uematsu's best.

The soundtrack features a number of distinctive character themes, from the lighthearted "Rydia" and almost concerned and caring sounding "Rosa" to the more brooding theme of the villian Golbez, the musical score uniquely and appropriately captures the mood and character of the various peoples and lands of the game. Tracks range from adventurous and epic to dark and brooding, yet few disappoint even the casual listener; my mother used to refer to the game as "that one with the beautiful music."

As the soundtrack came out in the days before many game soundtracks became available in the US, most fans may not even be aware of the existence of this wonderful CD. Yet ignorance is not bliss but rather tragedy; if you are a fan of Uematsu's other music, please give this CD a try--you won't be disappointed.

Note: The music is the "original" version, meaning it's the same as you hear from the game itself, not an orchestrated version. Still, the Squaresoft team took full advantage of the S-NES's sound capabilities in translating Uematsu's music to the game world, and you won't be disappointed.

The Final Fantasy videogames without a doubt deserve their place in the videogame hall of fame. They have some of the best stories, gameplay, and challenge since the early days of epic gaming. But one important feature that is often overlooked is the music. Now, a lot of games have above-decent soundtracks, however very few have the power to move you the way a great piece of "regular" music would. This soundtrack, and the other Final Fantasy soundtracks, are just that, and that just goes to show that (most) videogame designers are artists who take their work very seriously.

From the opening track, with its harp scales, to the epic finale, the majority of the tracks on here are beautifully composed and mixed. True, it's all done on a synthesizer, but who cares!? The best tracks are Dancing Calbrena, Tower of Zot, Battle 1, Battle 2, Prologue, Golbez Clad in Darkness, Kingdom of Dwarfs, and Mount Ordeals, to name a few. If the album has a weak point, aside from the occasional hohum track, it would probably be the length of the tracks. With the exception of the finale and a few others, most of the tracks are under a minute long. It's not too much of a drawback, after all, these tracks repeat themselves over and over as you play the game, but it can still be a little bothersome.

All in all, this is a great album to listen to, so don't feel guilty just because it's not "real" music. This is good stuff.

I'll admit, I am a sucker for instrumental music especially when used to do remakes for classics. Final Fantasy IV is a classic and it's music was unique for it's time that it focused more on emotional responses rather than happy-go-lucky themes that dominated games and RPGS alike during the late 80s and early 90s. To take things to the next level, musician Máire Breatnach remixed several key songs in traditional Celtic. Songs such as the Prologue and Rydia's Theme were transformed with the bouzouki, the harp and I think I heard traces of uilleann pipes.

The excellent mixture of Celtic and classic gaming music is amazing. Edward's Lute music is one of my personal favorites as is the prologue. Purists will be wooed by the amazing flow and flawless execution of this soundtrack. My only small criticism is that Breatnach probably should've had less pipes and more acoustic guitar sounds as it sometimes seems unnecessary but that could be a personal bias since I am a big fan of Paganini.

All in all, I recommend this soundtrack to all hard-core Final Fantasy fans, music lovers and anyone interested in Celtic; you don't have to be a video game fan to enjoy this selection!

From all Final Fantasy series, I am sure this CD is One of Nobuo`s best albums. Especially, Theme of Love is great song.
Whenever, I listen to this song, it makes me think about the great talent of Nobuo.

Final Fantasy 4 (2 in the us, but it's actually 4) was a wonderful game. I thouroughly enjoy playing it. The music alone is fun. For people who haven't played the game, this music is all electronically composed MIDI sound. If youre looking for a full orchestrated soundtrack, it is available separately. I am beginning to amass a collection of all things final fantasy and this is just one more step for me and its worth the ears of all.

Even if you haven't played FFIV this arrangement of Nobuo Uematsu compositions is great. Highly recommended.

I was quickly bored by both the arrangement and the quality of the performers, I didn't get it so expensive (over 60 bucks as of this writing) but still, it is already gathering dust on the unused cds box.

If you love final fantasy IV music, there are better offerings out there, including the music from the original cart.

If you love celtic music, there are loads of offerings out there that will not burn a hole in your pocket.

If you are a total fan that has to own all things FF...or totally deaf for quality celtic music, go ahead an get this.

Don't be confused. I hand out 5-star ratings only to what I consider ground-breaking in every aspect of an product's existence. But this is really a 4.5+ item.

Being a little Irish myself, I like to dabble in celtic sounds and celtic renditions of other songs. This album gives you a quality instrumental feel of some of Final Fantasy IV's compositions, but it still remains loyal to the emotion behind the notes.

If you're a die-hard FF fan, you shouldn't be afraid to own this, as it's both a good album and "alternative-soundtrack" that will add originality and variation to your collection.

If you prefer a more original-sounding soundtrack, this probably won't meet you with full force, but it is still a quality compilation that will break away (if only slightly) from a more strict fan's collection.

To a non FF-fan, the name Nobuo Uetmatsu might not resonate as well as it does within some of us in the deepest circles of Final Fantasy conosseiurs, however if you enjoy any bit of celtic feel, or if you're curious as to how this album stacks up as an alternative-soundtrack, I definately encourage you to purchase this.

Overall I rate it a 4.7. For me that's a pretty high score. Sound quality is perfect and selection is above the norm for a soundtrack album. I felt like it could have had a few more tracks listed, but that may be more of an inclination to the celtic theme than to the album itself.