The FFXI Soundtracks
With as much as I play FFXI (actually ... not so much these days), you'd think I'd get tired of its music. But I don't. ^.^; I own every soundtrack album they've made so far, including the Premium Box and Piano Collections II. And I was just thinking about how each expansion's music reflects the expansion perfectly. To wit:
Rise of the Zilart
RotZ was basically "extra content," with a tacked-on storyline where the Zilart princes turn out to be the real bad guys and you have to go kick their tails. This story was over pretty quickly, and most of RotZ involved levelling to 75 and exploring the new Outlands areas. As such, RotZ's few storyline themes aren't very memorable, but the Outlands themes -- like Khazam, the jungle, and the Altepa Desert theme -- are neat, and evocative of the areas.
Chains of Promathia
Ah, CoP ... Square-Enix's rambling, confused magnum opus about the end of the plot. ^.^ Kept you reading just so you could try to figure out what the heck was going on. CoP's soundtrack is very angsty -- occasionally bordering on poignant, like in the Lufaise Meadows theme. Also has some of the hardest-hitting "apocalypse" music, like Bahamut's theme and the boss themes. Sea's theme is some of the mellowest, most soothing music in the game ... and while Distant Worlds is about as comprehensible as CoP itself is, they're both really nice, in the end.
Treasures of Aht Urghan
With ToAU, it's like they did a 180 from CoP's angstiness and decided to do a happy, upbeat story. With pirates! And Blue Mages! The 'boat ride to Aht Urhgan' theme has this perfect, "We're on a new adventure!" feel to it, while the Nashmau theme combines mysteriousness with the feeling that you're not really in any danger. The battle themes are very upbeat, and the two Imperial Court themes -- "Ever-Turning Wheels" and "A Puppet's Slumber" -- evoke cold political machinations on the one hand, and Aphmau / Ovjang's heartwarming innocense on the other.
Wings of the Goddess
WotG is all about revisiting the old and making it new, plus AWESOME. The Campaign theme (plus the devastating Campaign mobs and siege engines), along with themes like "Kindred Cry," makes you take the Shadow Lord and the Beastmen seriously again. And the theme for the zones outside Jeuno, where they first drop you off, has this Twilight Zone vibe that lets you know that you're not in Kansas anymore. Finally, the themes for the starting cities and zones aren't straightforward remixes, but are evocative of the originals ... as soon as you hear the first notes of "Stargazing," you know you're in Windurst, but that this Windurst is much worse off than the one that you remember.
That's what I think. So what're your favorite parts of the soundtrack?
Rise of the Zilart
RotZ was basically "extra content," with a tacked-on storyline where the Zilart princes turn out to be the real bad guys and you have to go kick their tails. This story was over pretty quickly, and most of RotZ involved levelling to 75 and exploring the new Outlands areas. As such, RotZ's few storyline themes aren't very memorable, but the Outlands themes -- like Khazam, the jungle, and the Altepa Desert theme -- are neat, and evocative of the areas.
Chains of Promathia
Ah, CoP ... Square-Enix's rambling, confused magnum opus about the end of the plot. ^.^ Kept you reading just so you could try to figure out what the heck was going on. CoP's soundtrack is very angsty -- occasionally bordering on poignant, like in the Lufaise Meadows theme. Also has some of the hardest-hitting "apocalypse" music, like Bahamut's theme and the boss themes. Sea's theme is some of the mellowest, most soothing music in the game ... and while Distant Worlds is about as comprehensible as CoP itself is, they're both really nice, in the end.
Treasures of Aht Urghan
With ToAU, it's like they did a 180 from CoP's angstiness and decided to do a happy, upbeat story. With pirates! And Blue Mages! The 'boat ride to Aht Urhgan' theme has this perfect, "We're on a new adventure!" feel to it, while the Nashmau theme combines mysteriousness with the feeling that you're not really in any danger. The battle themes are very upbeat, and the two Imperial Court themes -- "Ever-Turning Wheels" and "A Puppet's Slumber" -- evoke cold political machinations on the one hand, and Aphmau / Ovjang's heartwarming innocense on the other.
Wings of the Goddess
WotG is all about revisiting the old and making it new, plus AWESOME. The Campaign theme (plus the devastating Campaign mobs and siege engines), along with themes like "Kindred Cry," makes you take the Shadow Lord and the Beastmen seriously again. And the theme for the zones outside Jeuno, where they first drop you off, has this Twilight Zone vibe that lets you know that you're not in Kansas anymore. Finally, the themes for the starting cities and zones aren't straightforward remixes, but are evocative of the originals ... as soon as you hear the first notes of "Stargazing," you know you're in Windurst, but that this Windurst is much worse off than the one that you remember.
That's what I think. So what're your favorite parts of the soundtrack?