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[ctsince97]

FF7 OST Plus Dork Post

So Square Enix....you release the OST in two parts, make us buy the first one at full price (bc you removed all the vids off YT), but withhold amazing tracks so you can release a second “Plus” OST, so that you can sucker us into buying it again at astronomical prices?  You think we would fall for that trick? Do you?  

Sadly, I duly paid up and bought the Plus too (fuck my life).

So here are my top 10 fav tracks of the (extortion) Plus OST (and a treatise of sorts on why):

1.  Sector 7 in Ruins (Track 14 Disk 1, M. Hamauzu)

This is still my fav track of PLUS from my fav chapter 15 of the game.  It’s actually an atmospheric, sombre version of the Avalanche theme.  For best results, please run a playlist in the following order - this song, The Day Midgar Stood Still (OST pt1), Fires of Resistance (OST pt1), Fallen Plate (PLUS), Run Dammit Run (PLUS), The Valkyrie (on both).  Your welcome.....

2.  Hole in the Sky (Home is where the Heart is) (Track 6 Disk 2 - N. Uematsu)

This in many ways should be no. 1, but for the fact that it’s not really a full track.  It’s Tifa’s leitmotif played in the minor key.  Haunting, tragic and beautiful (like Tifa’s story).

3.  Tifa’s Tears (Track 3 Disk 2,  N. Uematsu)

Now most Tifa fans would have me hung, drawn and quartered for not placing this one on the top.  Maybe its bc I’m too busy admiring the #cloti hug when this plays in game dunno...For me nothing beats Tifa’s theme (original piano arrangement - Shiro Hamaguchi - 1997).  

4.  Bitter Memory (Track 32 Disk 1, N. Uetmatsu)

The song that plays when Cloud dreams of Claudia.  She is so proud of her son...and tells him to find a more mature girl.  Many believe that this meant Aerith; but Cloud wakes up from the dream with only “starry water tower sky” eyes.  Apropo, the illusion of choice in FF7 for those in the know...

6.  The Turks: Plate Separation (Track 49 Disk 1,  N. Uematsu)

I was so happy the PLUS had this track.  Totally captures the urgency and gravity of their hopeless situation.  Especially Tifa’s emotions (poor girl would have been dying inside).  When the track gets to 1:58 climatic... amazing....the fast strings and the choir singing in the background.  Despite their efforts the team is destined to fail.  Fate is fate!

7.  A Weighty Decision (Track 10 Disk 2, M. Hamauzu)

Barrett:  “They were suppose to return to us” and “So... we carry that weight” (and Wedges fat arse)

8.  Avalanche’s Theme (Wedge’s Struggle) (Track 36 Disk 2, M. Hamauzu)

I love Avalanche’s Theme as it totally captures the spirit of rebellion and revolution.  This is a Wedge version where he appears at Shinra HQ and speaks with the gang on the TV.

9.  Anxiety - Sector 5 Undercity (Track 25 Disk 1, N. Uematsu)

A lighter, more serene version of the classic Anxiety track of the original.  LOL... its fitting that Cloud feels “anxious” in Sector 5 (or bored out of his fucking brains - see my twitter vids on Sector 5 tours).

10.  Under the Rotting Pizza - Battle Edit Version (Track 23 Disk 1, N. Uetmatsu)

I love the OST team in Remake and how they took the time to compose separate “Battle Edit” versions of the songs for when the fighting begins.  So deserved of Best Gaming Soundtrack of the year 2020.  All battle edit versions in this game are great!!!!!

Honourable mention - Track 33 - The First Guy I Ever Loved - its basically Aerith’s Theme but arranged beautifully to embody the essence of the park scene.  And don’t you dare come to me with anything other than it being a reference to #zerith, read the song title.....duh! (Some have said that there is a sound of a gun shot which I thought was too at first, but upon further circumspection it is not.  It is the sound that plays when Cloud has his headache flashback attack!)

Thank you for taking the time to read this if you have.  OSTs are my passion.  If you share the same passion don’t be shy to reach out!

[ctsince97]

This isn't really a popular topic, but I hope that we find out a little more about Tifa's mother in the Remake. From what I remember from the OG the only things they mentioned about Tifa's mother was that she died when Tifa was a child and that Tifa wished to see her again when she went up Mt. Nibel. Other than that I don't remember anything else they mentioned about her, but I hope they give us more background on her and her relationship with Tifa. I also hope they show what she looks like.

There's a rumour she's from Wutai, which is why Tifa wears a Wutai inspired outfit for the date options, but the only thing I've seen is she died when Tifa was 8 and that same day Tifa tried to climb Mt Nibel and fell. Cloud tried to save her, but she wound up in a coma for a week.

In general, Tifa has very little background info, so I'm hoping we get that expanded in Remake. She's such a great character, the fandom deserves to see more of her as a person. I want more kid flashbacks that show her with her mom and dad and why she stopped playing the piano and her friendship with Cloud and all sorts. There's loads of room to fill out her character info and it also links to Cloud, so it's not like it'd be going off plot to do that.

[ctsince97]

I love this post. The LS sequence is my fav part too.

Cloud Strife - FFVII. My favourite fictional character.

I tend to dislike main characters a lot of times, I don't like the usual loveable, funny, optimistic, silly protagonist who you know that by the end of the tale they will be the one standing proudly after hard training and pure will and heart <3. It's boring to me.

And tbf, Cloud's nothing special the first half of the game, just being a cool dude, maybe even a player-insert character, UNTIL, something's explicitly off with him, he becomes slowly into this unreliable character, starting to lose himself without noticing, beating and almost killing one of his dearest friends, and the cherry on top being unreliable in what he told us earlier about the past and his/their background, that by itself is eye catching enough.

One you get to know what's the actual truth in the lifestream sequence aka the best part of final fantasy 7, you'll know the actual Cloud's personality, one who beats himself too much for things that aren't his fault, one that wants to go beyond to prove himself that he's worthy and only after that the people and girl he loves will acknowledge him, one that fails to do that, one that was mentally weak to achieve his dreams, one that was ashamed to show his face for that -even if those 2 woman who were waiting for him would accept him nonetheless-, one that tries to accept himself and assume the responsibility his weakness created upon the world, one that cherish his friends with all his heart, one that embraces his real self to stop running away and encourage others to enjoy their moments with their loved ones as much as they can and give them the freedom to choose to join him or not.

Suddenly this half overlycool half self-insert character has more depth than what everyone would expect, you see him at his lowest point in a comatose in Mideel in a powerful scene/moment, and that's when you realise "oh fuck, this is not a normal protagonist".

As a man myself, I was always so uncomfortable with the idea of trying to be intimidating/strong/cold/ or basically anything that doesn't involve "showing weakness", not to mention crying ("man tears"? What kind of stupid term is that), so when Cloud's mind was shown to us with no boundaries with any wall that hides the real fears+embarrassment+motivation, when Cloud admits this out loud at the highwind to everyone, how fuckin memorable was that for me you can't imagine. I'm probably more proud than ever about my vulnerable moments instead of putting a facade.

(Also how fuckin intimate is for Tifa to travel around his mind revealing this, there's nothing sweeter than sharing both your flaw vulnerable humanity with your significate someone)

That's why Cloud's existence was and is so important to me and now more relevant than ever.

[ctsince97]

Tifa: No......

Barret: Don’t you ever forget this view

[ctsince97]

FF7R OST dork post

I play this OST in the car to work, at home, gym, jogging, when I’m making dinner. My wife (esp) and kids are sick to death of it....and I don’t care!

Nobuo Uematsu is the godfather as we all know....but I would like to say that the tracks composed by Mashashi Hamauzu hit on a more emotional level imo. Here are my fav Hamauzu tracks from FF7R OST:

1. Avalanche’s Theme (this track is so Avalanche....those bugles!) .....and no Charlie sheen Biggs you can’t touch the buster.

2. Scrap Boulevarde Clean up crew (it’s battle edit ver....because that’s what’s playing in the background as Tifa’s uppercutting those monsters off Cloud’s neck)

2. Jessie’s Theme (because it’s Jessie)

3. The Look on Her Face (I was an emotional wreck and crying ugly man tears....and still get emotional just hearing it now)

4. The entire soundtrack from the start of the pillar fight to end (note godfather collaborated too)

5. Infinity’s End (the boss fight music where you get to curb stomp the failed experiments with Tifa’s starshower......ahhhh Tifa)

6. Arbiters of Fate (esp. the section where the crew get the flashbacks....and that scene of Cloud laying Aeriths body into the water....haunting!)

7. A Solemn Sunset (personal fav of mine....I like to pause it here and watch our best trio esp Tifa’s pony tail trailing in the wind as they contemplate the struggle ahead whilst staring at the crimson sunset!.......). Note please stay for the best past of this track being the last stanza where there is a single violin accompanying the electronic melody....amazing work Hamauzu

....well back to the music again....and the missus screaming at me to turn it off....lol

[ctsince97]

Great analysis by silver-wield here. Remake is bringing C an T closer during their childhood years which solidifies the fact that C has held T in his heart from the very beginning. This was not made clear enough in OG.

Something interesting hit me just now. This is where OG lil Tifa starts during the Mt Nibel climb. We can see she's got her 3 friends around her.

This is how far away she is from Cloud when he appears to come after her. She's already lost one friend, who passes Cloud as he enters the screen.

This is how close Remake lil Cloud was to Tifa when she started walking to Mt Nibel.

First friend.

Second friend.

Third friend.

And lil Tifa looked right at Cloud. Right at him. Meaning she was close enough to make eye contact when this memory formed.

So, if Cloud wasn't friends with Tifa. If they weren't ever close, why is he within the group here? He wasn't this close to them in the OG, and in the chapter 1 flashback, Tifa seems surprised Cloud's ignoring her, like it hasn't happened before. And Cloud came out of her house during that scene, not his.

We may well find out in part 2 that before Mt Nibel they were close friends and that after, Cloud was always avoiding her because her dad said to because the other boys put the blame on Cloud for her falling. And that'll be why he kept starting fights with them. That's why he insists he's not like them. Liars.

But, Tifa was always nice to him still and it seems she wasn't surprised Cloud called her out that promise night. It wasn't the loner boy summoning her at random. I'll bet they still talked and hung out whenever her dad wasnt watching. Cloud calling her out that night gave her reason to dress up. Why? Unless they spent time together before that and Tifa developed a crush on him. She was waiting for Cloud to ask her out. Her greeting is friendly, casual, flirty. It's not speaking to someone she's unfamiliar with. Her "so what did you wanna talk about?" sounds as though she and Cloud talk often, but this time is special because he called her out to the date spot.

And then splatted the whole deal by trying to get her to confess first.

[ctsince97]

Why the LS sequence is my favourite part of OG FF7, described eloquently by DutchDread:

“T finds C in a catatonic state and is presented with the same choice A faced earlier, to either leave C safe in someone else’s hands and go safe the planet, or else leave the planet in someone else’s hands and stay with C.  And opposite of A, T chooses to stay with C.  In doing so her role in FF7 is established as the heroine in the story Cs inner struggle.  The two proceed to fall into the LS and here, finally, the narration gives way to plot.  The viewer/player is shown the plot as it is without false narration only to reveal that it was T all along…. Like Cs feelings for T are what originally what set the entire plot in motion, they would now allow him to once again discover who he really is.  He is reminded of his positive motivations, not the feelings of guilt and inadequacy that caused him to become emo C, but his tender feelings for T.  It is these feelings that are so core, so fundamental to who he is, that allow him to find himself again. T meanwhile is shown that C was there for her 5 years ago when she needed him most, and kept his promise.  Cs self is restored, he tells T, “we finally meet again”, and after a lifetime of orbiting around each other, the star-crossed lovers finally come together.  T and C meet underneath the HW, the night before the final battle, and finally confirm their feelings for each other, the tender feelings locked inside C’s heart, for TL, and that is the plot of the love story of FF7.” Source:  YT video by DutchDread (excellent video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkjZXD0jChQ