The Music of my Daily Life

Music is an important part of daily human life, and that goes for both musicians and everybody else. I listen to music everyday and while I am no musician, I feel music is the true reason why I get up every morning. Without music, my life would be too dull and grey to carry on and since I love music so much, especially video game music, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about my love affair with this art.

 Specifically, I want to talk about the music that plays in my daily life. That is, music that I commonly listen to during everyday tasks such as work, exercise, or even relaxing. I'm sure many of you out there do the same thing - you have that one song you must listen to while doing a certain thing. I know many people who cannot break a sweat unless if they have Lady Gaga blasting in their ears. But this is a Final Fantasy blog, so I'll be talking about the Final Fantasy tunes I frequently absorb myself in.

 It would only be appropriate to start with the song that wakes me up every morning: Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony from Final Fantasy VII. I have this song set as a ringtone-alarm on my cellphone so it's actually quite convenient. This song is perfect for waking up since the tune is essentially a marching song and some mornings I just want to get up and march to the bathroom while screaming, "All hail Rufus!" Right now, this song is the reason why I can get to school on time and get a good start to every day. Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony plays during the party's first visit to Junon Harbour.The song is just below if you're interested in hearing it.

Next up, I'd have to talk about the songs that I listen to while exercising, which include Worlds Collide and Limit Break! from Final Fantasy XIII-2, Clash on the Big Bridge from Final Fantasy XII, and Blitz Off! and Otherworld from Final Fantasy X. What all of these songs have in common is that they're energetic and most importantly, loud. They help keep me going past what my endurance and stamina are normally capable of, so these songs are of great help in building my physical ability. In the games, Worlds Collide and Limit Break! play during certain boss battles, Clash on the Big Bridge plays during the boss battle with Gilgamesh, Blitz Off! plays during the blitzball mini-game, and Otherworld plays in the opening cutscene of X as well as the second last boss battle. I should mention that Worlds Collide, Limit Break!, and Otherworld contain lyrics, which is actually not a common element in video game music. Tracks of these songs are just below.

Whenever I'm studying or working on various other things, I tend to listen to orchestral music. The Grand Finale was an orchestral arrangement of various Final Fantasy VI tracks released in 1994. The whole thing is a great piece of work and it's such a joy to listen to. I also like to listen to Challenge from Final Fantasy X, which is the track that plays during the boss fight with Yunalesca. The track is an intimidating one so it's good whenever I'm writing a self-test to prepare myself for upcoming exams since it keeps me on my toes and my tension high.

 I often relax outside outside my front door while drinking a hot beverage and listening to music. Since I usually go outside during the night time, it's only appropriate that I listen to music that's steady, low, and somewhat dark. Final Fantasy tracks that fits this profile are Underneath the Rotting Pizza and Oppressed People from Final Fantasy VII and Besaid Island from Final Fantasy X. Both tracks from VII exhibit a feeling similar to something you might hear in a noire film, while Besaid Island feels perfect for an evening of relaxation as it provides a calming mood to a long, tense day.

 If anyone out there has taken the time to read this: what do you like to listen to in your daily life and for what purpose? I'd like to hear what you guys have to say. This is the Onion Knight signing off. Have a good day!

XIII-2 demo: My thoughts

 This is probably the tardiest post I've written, but it's better than a sharp stick in the eye! Welcome to the Grove, folks! I am your gardener, The Onion Knight, and today I want to give my thoughts on the XIII-2 demo that was released about two weeks ago.

 By 'tardiest post', I meant that this is something I should have documented when I first played the demo, (I just haven't had the time, I apologize!). Final Fantasy XIII-2 was released nearly two weeks ago on January 31. I haven't played it yet, but I've heard multiple good things about it. Of course, many people were upset with Final Fantasy XIII and Square, hoping to heal the fan's broken spirits, made many changes to its sequel to satisfy gamer's tastes. I'll talk more about the full game itself after I've played it, since I plan to review it eventually. For the time being though, I'll talk about the demo.

 Once you start the demo and play past the title menu, the player is treated to a cutscene with Lighting's narration thrown in. I didn't really pay much attention since I would be seeing this again anyways. Immediately, you're thrown into a boss battle. It's a pretty easy one, and during the battle you'll perform these actions called 'active cutscenes', where you have to time button commands in order to deal damage, (and get a better reward with victory). After the battle, you can walk around the Bresha Ruins, talk to some NPCs, fight monsters, collect items - typical Final Fantasy fare. For a demo, XIII-2 was fairly customization-oriented. You can change your party leader, capture monsters for your party, gain and change equipment, level up your characters freely, and change many options - which, to my knowledge, isn't seen in many video game demos. The battle system is essentially the same as its predecessor, XIII, except now you can command monsters and change your party leader during battle, which is a nice touch.

 The element of this demo I liked the most was the atmosphere of the game. Although I could only explore Bresha Ruins, it was a great setting to begin with. The rain droplets falling into your tv screen, the serene music, and the overall mood - it was like something out of a Metroid game!

 Overall, I enjoyed the demo and I know that what I'm getting will be a great title. I pre-ordered the Collector's Edition a while ago on Amazon and I also hope to pick up some DLC for the game. If you liked XIII, I'm quite certain you'll like the sequel and if you didn't enjoy it - well, why not give it a try?

This is the Onion Knight signing off. Have a good day!