Support NeoGAF

[Golnei]

When it comes to sheer composition, Magna Insomnia is on a whole new level from One-Winged Angel.

They're trying to achieve different things - and I'm not sure how you're defining "sheer composition", but Magna Insomnia can't really be said to be particularly complex technically when the series has had pieces like Nascent Requiem. The considerable difference in style between the series' final boss themes makes it difficult for me to really rank them in any sort of clear-cut way.

I found it a little overblown in context, this highly dramatic music underscoring a fight which is much less fantastical (by intention) than a lot of final bosses in the franchise. On its own, I like it a lot more, some very nice variations on Somnus (although I don't think it beats the same composer's "Darkness of the Unknown" from KH2).

Yeah, it wasn't the best fit for the scene it played over. I wonder if it was actually written for XV recently, or carried over from earlier on - since Somnus was with the project since it was first announced, I could believe that this arrangement of it existed in some form for quite some time, and was used in an unfitting context in the final game because it would have been the only chance to use it at all.

I hope they talk it out over cup noodles afterwards.

Invite Aranea as well.

 

[Zimmy64]

So how does the fanbase and everyone feel about Ardyn generally. I thought he was one of the best villains in the series. For me the question wasn't really how good of a villain is Ardyn but is Ardyn better than Kefka. I'm leaning towards no, but the fact that he's even roughly in the same league is high praise in itself.

 

[Ishida]

So how does the fanbase and everyone feel about Ardyn generally. I thought he was one of the best villains in the series. For me the question wasn't really how good of a villain is Ardyn but is Ardyn better than Kefka. I'm leaning towards no, but the fact that he's even roughly in the same league is high praise in itself.

Easily one of the best villains in the series.

One of the best designs. One of the best voice acting. One of the best plans (It actually WORKED, even Kefka failed in his). One of the best attitudes. One of the best backstories.

This guy restored my faith in FF villains after the borefest that were the ones in XII and the XIII trilogy.

 

[diablogod]

So how does the fanbase and everyone feel about Ardyn generally. I thought he was one of the best villains in the series. For me the question wasn't really how good of a villain is Ardyn but is Ardyn better than Kefka. I'm leaning towards no, but the fact that he's even roughly in the same league is high praise in itself.

This is correct, he doesn't top Kefka, but he's pretty close.

 

[yunbuns]

So how does the fanbase and everyone feel about Ardyn generally. I thought he was one of the best villains in the series. For me the question wasn't really how good of a villain is Ardyn but is Ardyn better than Kefka. I'm leaning towards no, but the fact that he's even roughly in the same league is high praise in itself.

He had me at "Dude are you seriously trying to kill me?" I haven't played VI yet so I can't say he's better or worse than Kefka but he's probably my favorite in the series. Wish we would of had more of him though.

 

[OrionX]

So how does the fanbase and everyone feel about Ardyn generally. I thought he was one of the best villains in the series. For me the question wasn't really how good of a villain is Ardyn but is Ardyn better than Kefka. I'm leaning towards no, but the fact that he's even roughly in the same league is high praise in itself.

I think I prefer him over Kefka. Kefka was just insane, as far as I can remember there wasn't a whole lot of depth there. But Ardyn, while mad in some ways, seems to have a certain level of self-awareness. Also, what I like about him is that there are signs that he wasn't always an evil person, but that he was a good-hearted person who became corrupted with regret and bitterness when the world turned its back on him.

 

[roflwaffles]

So how does the fanbase and everyone feel about Ardyn generally. I thought he was one of the best villains in the series. For me the question wasn't really how good of a villain is Ardyn but is Ardyn better than Kefka. I'm leaning towards no, but the fact that he's even roughly in the same league is high praise in itself.

He's good, but he has alot of missed potential because his story isn't told competently.

 

[mullet2000]

So how does the fanbase and everyone feel about Ardyn generally. I thought he was one of the best villains in the series. For me the question wasn't really how good of a villain is Ardyn but is Ardyn better than Kefka. I'm leaning towards no, but the fact that he's even roughly in the same league is high praise in itself.

I really didn't like him, his design, or his personality. Nor the way that his motivations were conveyed through the writing in the game, but that's a general issue with the whole game really.

But yeah, disliked him to the point where I'm surprised how much the general community seems to like him. I like his backstory but I don't think they way they conveyed or did things with it was great.

 

[Ishida]

I think I prefer him over Kefka. Kefka was just insane, as far as I can remember there wasn't a whole lot of depth there. But Ardyn, while mad in some ways, seems to have a certain level of self-awareness. Also, what I like about him is that there are signs that he wasn't always an evil person, but that he was a good-hearted person who became corrupted with regret and bitterness when the world turned its back on him.

I really like that Ardyn's motivations come from being fucked over by the gods and the Crystal. And Noctis' ancestor.

 

[jb1234]

They're trying to achieve different things - and I'm not sure how you're defining "sheer composition", but Magna Insomnia can't really be said to be particularly complex technically when the series has had pieces like Nascent Requiem. The considerable difference in style between the series' final boss themes makes it difficult for me to really rank them in any sort of clear-cut way.

Nascent Requiem shits all over Magna Insomnia in terms of sheer compositional craft. The latter is certainly more accessible, uses more conventional harmonies and I can understand why people would prefer it but I gravitate more towards more complicated music. Which is why I'm thankful Hamauzu is in such demand, haha.

Yeah, it wasn't the best fit for the scene it played over. I wonder if it was actually written for XV recently, or carried over from earlier on - since Somnus was with the project since it was first announced, I could believe that this arrangement of it existed in some form for quite some time, and was used in an unfitting context in the final game because it would have been the only chance to use it at all.

It's hard to say. I wouldn't be surprised if Shimomura wrote it based on an outline of the final boss that's different than he exists now. We have heard that a more dramatic final form was likely cut and I can see the final part of the piece (organ and soprano) playing very effectively over something grander.

 

[CGwizz]

I have more than 90 hours in the game , only saw leviathan summend one time, shiva never comes, only saw her in ifrit fight, its shit like this that makes me facepalm at the retarded decisions they made for this game.

 

[Ishida]

I have more than 90 hours in the game , only saw leviathan summend one time, shiva never comes, only saw her in ifrit fight, its shit like this that makes me facepalm at the retarded decisions they made for this game.

Shiva comes to my aid all the time. Only Ramuh is more frequent than her. Leviathan comes third. I have never seen Titan.

 

[Shahadan]

I'd argue that Ardyn is the best character in the FF franchise, at least conceptually. I'd probably buy some novel or prequel about him.

 

[Undubbed]

Ardyn is great, on paper. But the actual execution is a critical blow to his character.

 

[LiK]

I think Ardyn was good in the movie and game. There just wasn't enough of him.

 

[SunhiLegend]

 

[LordBaztion]

holy crap the leviathan fight was awesome. Too bad you don't play it as the E3 13 demo.

 

[DarkLordMalik]

So good T_T

 

[TissueBox]

-snip-

*sniff* Someone hold me.

 

[Ray Down]

holy crap the leviathan fight was awesome. Too bad you don't play it as the E3 13 demo.

Wasn't a lot of that cg though?

I know the battle trailer was a target render.

 

[LiK]

Older Noctis looks better. Wish you played as him more. Fuck man, World of Ruin was a missed opportunity.

 

[DarkLordMalik]

Wasn't a lot of that cg though?

I know the battle trailer was a target render.

Yes, the battle shown at E3 was all target render made by Visual Works.

Even if Nomura was somehow working on that game, there is no way the fight could have been as good without QTEs.

Remember his infamous KH1: Secret Ending fight

 

[Golnei]

Remember his infamous KH1: Secret Ending fight

To be fair, there's only so much you can do on a DS. The KH2 secret ending at least was translated very faithfully into BBS.

 

[yunbuns]

World of Ruin was huge misoppurtunity. On a random note, XV is really becoming my favorite FF soundtrack after VIII. Apocalypsis Noctis is so good.

[IMG]https://media.giphy.com/media/y9EayOkRK1WN2/giphy.gif[/IMG]

 

[Ishida]

World of Ruin was huge misoppurtunity. On a random note, XV is really becoming my favorite FF soundtrack after VIII. Apocalypsis Noctis is so good.

[IMG]https://media.giphy.com/media/y9EayOkRK1WN2/giphy.gif[/IMG]

Same. Although I expected it because of Shimomura.

 

[Undubbed]

Older Noctis looks better. Wish you played as him more. Fuck man, World of Ruin was a missed opportunity.

Might be fun to do if I was level 99 at the time. Then I can get revenge on the Demonwall that side-swiped me as I was just minding my own business!

 

[B-Dex]

When you get to the world of ruin and realize Noct and Talcott could join in with Gladio in the bedroom. 💅🏼

 

[Dimmle]

World of Ruin is pretty fun if you're overleveled. I only wish I could have roamed around more.

 

[Hystzen]

Why does Ardyn don that weird arm shield thing for like minute in the game near the crystal but never again. It confused me in Kingsglaive wondering what it was but now more confused

 

[Falk]

Yeah, it wasn't the best fit for the scene it played over. I wonder if it was actually written for XV recently, or carried over from earlier on - since Somnus was with the project since it was first announced, I could believe that this arrangement of it existed in some form for quite some time, and was used in an unfitting context in the final game because it would have been the only chance to use it at all.

The music for the final boss was written probably later than you think.

 

[BigJonsson]

Story didn't make much sense
Chapter 13 was way too long
Other chapters felt way too short
Who is Jared?

 

[Rezae]

So how does the fanbase and everyone feel about Ardyn generally. I thought he was one of the best villains in the series. For me the question wasn't really how good of a villain is Ardyn but is Ardyn better than Kefka. I'm leaning towards no, but the fact that he's even roughly in the same league is high praise in itself.

Maybe the best, and that's with a lot of gaps and unanswered questions due to the assumed rush job to get the game out and not let it cook in the oven any longer. So even with all that, he's the best in recent memory, and if he was able to get fully fleshed out, I don't think it would be any contest IMO. The voice acting and character were amazing. Stole every scene he was in. A bit of enigma for most of the game, but it tied together nicely.

 

[jb1234]

The music for the final boss was written probably later than you think.

If most of the music was written in the last few years of production (as it generally is), I'm guessing early 2016.

 

[Ishida]

The music for the final boss was written probably later than you think.

Hey Falk, will you be able to speak freely on the development of the soundtrack someday?

It would be interesting to get more insight, like when were some tracks composed/finalized, or if the lyrics are actually "latin" or just nonsense.

 

[Shahadan]

Why was there a hole in the crystal btw? Are we supposed to believe the empire made one while doing experiments? Was there supposed to be some creature inside originally or a Bahamut boss fight? Was it always like this for some reason?

 

[Gai Murakumo]

Hands down the best, most tear jerking moment in the game. The final camp cutscene, so many feels.

 

[CGwizz]

Last night i fired up my copy to get the flying regalia and get some trophies and see the credits there, let me see these, 2 of the best songs in the game are there, why not put it in the game ya bastards. WHY ??????????

 

[Seik]

World of Ruin was huge misoppurtunity. On a random note, XV is really becoming my favorite FF soundtrack after VIII. Apocalypsis Noctis is so good.

[IMG]https://media.giphy.com/media/y9EayOkRK1WN2/giphy.gif[/IMG]

The soundtrack beats Xenoblade, this, for me, is a fucking big milestone.

Shimomura outdone herself, only she can take the series where Uematsu took it, imo.

It's like SE came in her office with a big bag of money, threw it on her desk like ''We know you have some of the best melodies stored somewhere, get those out, your price is ours.''.

Seriously, best shit I heard in years, favorite song in the whole game being the Cleigne Battle Theme, it's like sex in audible form.

 

[SkylineRKR]

Story didn't make much sense
Chapter 13 was way too long
Other chapters felt way too short
Who is Jared?

Jared died for our sins. If you beat the game in one go, without camp and within 6 hours, his spirit will rain terror upon Lucis.

 

[Ishida]

The soundtrack beats Xenoblade, this, for me, is a fucking big milestone.

Shimomura outdone herself.

It's like SE came in her office with a big bag of money, threw it on her desk like ''We know you have some of the best melodies stored somewhere, get those out, your price is ours.''.

Seriously, best shit I heard in years, favorite song in the whole game being the Cleigne Battle Theme.

XV's OST is easily one of the absolute best for RPG's in recent years. It blew my mind on how good it is. It has several battle and boss themes and not a single one is bad or even mediocre. Amazing.

 

[Shahadan]

But it's unremarkable though

/s

 

[Golnei]

Story didn't make much sense
Chapter 13 was way too long
Other chapters felt way too short
Who is Jared?

This is a couple of drafts away from being the official haiku of FFXV.

 

[SkylineRKR]

The soundtrack is great but I feel its hard to hear on default settings.

 

[Voras]

He's good, but he has alot of missed potential because his story isn't told competently.

Yeah, this is kind of the same boat I'm in. I liked his character but thought they really could have done a better job with the way they told his story and showed us his motivations.

 

[Falk]

Hey Falk, will you be able to speak freely on the development of the soundtrack someday?

It would be interesting to get more insight, like when were some tracks composed/finalized, or if the lyrics are actually "latin" or just nonsense.

Freely, probably not. But there's a bunch of things I can answer after the soundtrack is out on the 21st.

Or, well, 20th with the new PS+ digital version announced.

 

[Ishida]

Freely, probably not. But there's a bunch of things I can answer after the soundtrack is out on the 21st.

Or, well, 20th with the new PS+ digital version announced.

Fantastic. Can't wait. You guys did a fantastic job!

 

[Voras]

The soundtrack beats Xenoblade, this, for me, is a fucking big milestone.

Shimomura outdone herself, only she can take the series where Uematsu took it, imo.

It's like SE came in her office with a big bag of money, threw it on her desk like ''We know you have some of the best melodies stored somewhere, get those out, your price is ours.''.

Seriously, best shit I heard in years, favorite song in the whole game being the Cleigne Battle Theme, it's like sex in audible form.

The soundtrack was great, I actually found myself wishing I could play more of those tracks in the car in game. Unless that's already possible? I might have missed it if it is. Also I would really like to have that cover of Stand By Me available for car use in game as well.

 

[yunbuns]

Last night i fired up my copy to get the flying regalia and get some trophies and see the credits there, let me see these, 2 of the best songs in the game are there, why not put it in the game ya bastards. WHY ??????????

This line could be applied to a lot of things in the game.

Same. Although I expected it because of Shimomura.

I'm really indifferent to the music in KH so I wasn't expecting to be blown away but I'll never doubt Queen Shimomura again.

Seriously, best shit I heard in years, favorite song in the whole game being the Cleigne Battle Theme, it's like sex in audible form.

This, the mob hunt theme, the [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVt6rw0t2VU"]Zegnautus Battle Theme[/URL], Ravus's Battle Theme, and the Insomina Battle Theme are my favorites.

I'm listening to the Insomina battle theme at work right now lol.

 

[Falk]

I'm really indifferent to the music in KH so I wasn't expecting to be blown away but I'll never doubt Queen Shimomura again.



This, the mob hunt theme, the [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVt6rw0t2VU"]Zegnautus Battle Theme[/URL], Ravus's Battle Theme, and the Insomina Battle Theme are my favorites.

I'm listening to the Insomina battle theme at work right now lol.

You should check out some of YS' other stuff.

 

[Ishida]

Ravus Aeterna is just ear-gasmic good. One of the best boss themes the entire has ever had.