FF Weekly

Discworld beat Wheel of Time, The Witcher dispatched of Narnia, Magic The Gathering loses to Castlevania while D&D and ASOIAF win again. Lord of the Rings and Final Fantasy set for the Finals? 

We cross the hills to Lindblum, meet Regent (and oglop!?) Cid, Zidane and Steiner agree but mostly bicker, and Dagger reveals her intentions. Plus, Freya is introduced to the story and we ponder on how FFIX's commentary on class differs from FFVII.

We listen to Theme of Love and Battle with the Four Fiends from Final Fantasy 4. How do these pieces of music so successfully evoke emotions and parallel different types of conversations? Plus, we hear more Distant Worlds, Black Mages, and Celtic Moon!

We say goodbye to Tales of, the Dark Crystal, Xenoblade, His Dark materials, Warcraft, Dark Tower, Pirates of the Caribbean and Cosmere. 

Redwall, Earthsea, Dragon Age, Diablo, Bioshock, Dark Souls, Highlander, and the Kingkiller Chronicle take tough first-round exits. We do our best to celebrate their contributions to the fantasy zeitgeist. 

Let's celebrate Fantasy, Sci Fi, Comic Books, Cartoons & Anime! Over the next several months we will be voting on our favorites! Here is the explanation for what this is, how it works, and what the "rules" are.

We continue our series on Studio Ghibli & Hayao Miyazaki with an introduction to and examination of the first few minutes of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind; a true masterpiece.

We explore snow and ice music of Final Fantasy. What makes something sound like winter? What makes a musical theme sound cold? We listen to Buried in Snow from FFVII, Lake Macalania from FFX, Xarcabard from FFXI and three mystery tracks from across the series. Walking through a winter wonderland!

What do a brave hobbit and legendary Final Fantasy heroes have in common? More than you might think! Join us as we explore the top 10 Final Fantasy characters who embody the unwavering loyalty and courage of Samwise Gamgee.The Final Fantasy franchise is filled with heroes who remind us of Samwise Gamgee of Lord of the Rings. The steadfast companion who cannot carry the burden but can carry the hero, these are our picks for the Top 10 Sams of FF.

Final Fantasy goes heavy metal! Ryan guides us through distortion and guitar techniques and we break down the lyrics to Nobuo Uematu's loudest masterpiece.

We conclude our conversation on Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro and get into why we have so much more sympathy for the vigilante hero than the rogue cop.

The West Wing is a grounded political drama and Final Fantasy farcical adventures, but we see so much of President Josiah Bartlett in our Warriors of Light. Allow us to explain.Everything is Final Fantasy: Josiah Bartlett

NOTE: This episode was uploaded incorrectly with the wrong title. This is the correct version. I will delete the old one and get them all in order soon.On this episode, we leave Tantalus... and Blank... in the Evil Forest, Zidane & Steiner act like fighting parents over Vivi, and Princess Garnet takes a step of agency in renaming herself Dagger.

NOTE: This episode was accidentally skipped during posting. It is the THIRD FFIX episode and goes between "I Want to be Your Canary!" and "A Dagger by Any Other Name" FFIX gives us a twist on the classic Final Fantasy promise as Zidane promises to kidnap Garnet then later promises Vivi that he will rescue her.

Dogs and cats and chocobos, oh my! Here are our picks for the most lovable and steadfast pet companions in the Final Fantasy multiverse.

We continue with Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro as our hero meets Clarisse, receives a mysterious ring, and embarks upon the adventure of sneaking into the castle for its many rewards. 

We listen to OVER TWENTY pieces of overworld music, mostly from non-Final Fantasy RPGs. We go on a journey from 1986-2018 and hear a variety of ways a variety of composers (including Koji Kondo and Yoko Shimomura) have approached the task of giving so many wonderful worlds their vibe.

From turn-based and ATB systems to more action-oriented gameplay, the Final Fantasy multiverse has added a ton to the lexicon. Let's celebrate the best battle systems of Final Fantasy!

We chat with Peter Broderick about his new album White Mages - Ode to Final Fantasy, featuring gentle and relaxing music from our favorite series. We talk about the process of picking pieces of music, choosing how to adapt them, and listen to a few samples including Hymn of the Fayth (FFX) Under the Rotting Pizza (FFVII) and Melodies of Life from FFIX.

Final Fantasy VIII gave us "The Man with the Machine Gun" a paradigm-shifting piece of music for the game and the franchise and a fan favorite to this day. We listen to and learn about synth sounds and theory, including some classic movie/TV themes, and Blue Man Group! Plus, we finally listen to some Black Mages!

Final Fantasy XV has often been criticized for being incomplete. Well I've got a few things to say about that. #finalfantasy #FFXV

We begin with Hayao Miyazaki's directorial debut in Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro. We break down the "gentleman thief" trope, invite family to ask a few big questions, then have just enough time to watch the beautiful intro.

I count down the Top 10 Villains from Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Chono Trigger/Cross, at least in my opinion.

Ryan guides us through the epic-in-scope overworld music for Final Fantasy VII, the odd and alien music of "Blue Fields" for FFVIII and then we "Cross Those Hills" into FFIX. Plus, we hear more Studio Ghibli, Chrono Trigger AND Cross, and BATMAN!Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY VII [FINAL FANTASY VII]Blue Fields [FINAL FANTASY VIII]Final Fantasy IX OST - Crossing Those HIlls

Welcome to Studio Ghibli Weekly, a new show celebrating the genius and legacy of Hayao Miyazaki and similar film makers. What makes these movies some of the greatest of all time? Let's start at the very beginning.

On this episode, we leave Tantalus... and Blank... in the Evil Forest, Zidane & Steiner act like fighting parents over Vivi, and Princess Garnet takes a step of agency in renaming herself Dagger.

We continue Final Fantasy IX into the Village of Dali where Zidane, Steiner, and Dagger continue to iron out their hilariously complicated dynamic while Vivi takes his first steps on a melancholy self-discovery.

We listen to some of Nobuo Uematsu's stranger compositions from Final Fantasy VI. The Devil's Lab, or Magitek Research Facility, and The Floating Continent are "hyper programmatic" pieces of music that combine industrial, electronic, and "naturally occurring" environmental sounds to extraordinary effect. #finalfantasy #finalfantasymusic #videogamemusic

My brother and I get pretty damned emotional discussing the conclusion of the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. One of the best movies ever made in arguably the greatest trilogy of all time. #lordoftherings #finalfantasy

Final Fantasy XVI is not a perfect game but it has been subjected to quite a bit of nonsense when it comes to fair critique so I decided to list the Top 10 Weakest ones.#finalfantasy #FFXVI #ff16

We dive into the overworld music of Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI (Terra's Theme!) including some alternative overworld themes that show Nobuo Uematsu's growth as a musician and storyteller. Listening materials include Celtic Moon & Dear Friends specialty albums plus we compare once again to Studio Ghibli as well as Xenogears and Eiyuden Chronicle.Apotheosis from Journey || Guitar Cover by Airship OverdriveFinal Fantasy 4 Celtic Moon | Main ThemeFinal Fantasy 5 Dear Friends | Ahead On Our WayBastian's Happy Flight | The NeverEnding Story"Path of The Wind" by Joe Hisaishi | My Neighbor TotoroDark World (From "Final Fantasy VI")Young and the Restless Intro 1996Xenogears Creid | BaltoEiyuden Chronicle Hundred Heroes Headquarters

As our heroes learn to keep questing without Gandalf, we take a moment to consider the depiction of orcs and goblins in an otherwise overwhelmingly white trilogy, highlighting yet another reason why representation matters.

This classic piece from Final Fantasy III is one of Nobuo Uematsu's earliest musical triumphs. We listen to multiple versions of Elia or Aria, Maiden of Water, think about how they make us feel, and do our best to explain how it has stood the test of time.#finalfantasy #jrpg #finalfantasymusic #videogamemusic

We count down the Top 10 Cities from Final Fantasy and also Kingdom Hearts with some Chrono Trigger mentions! #finalfantasy #chronotrigger #kingdomhearts #top10

We continue (or truly begin) FFIX as Vivi meets Puck and they sneak into I Want To Be Your Canary. We meet Queen Brahne, Adelbert Steiner, and Beatrix!We continue (or truly begin) FFIX as Vivi meets Puck and they sneak into I Want To Be Your Canary. We meet Queen Brahne, Adelbert Steiner, and Beatrix. Princess Garnet takes a leap of faith.

The Fellowship of the Ring continues the Quest of Mount Doom through the Mines of Moria where Gandalf has his epic and famous confrontation with the Balrog.

I count down my Top 10 Most Memorable Moments from Final Fantasy VII. Spoilers for the original game and please let me know what I missed down in the comments!

We listen to Nobuo Uematsu's overworld music from Final Fantasy 1, 2, & 3. We compare the 8-bit chiptunes to full orchestrations and even vocal renditions and hear similarities to Joe Hisaishi and Studio Ghibli music.JACK WHITE - IT MIGHT GET LOUD - INTRO (HD)The Girl Who Fell from the Sky - Castle in the skyDeath Shall Me DevourFinal Fantasy Pray The Promised Land FFII Main ThemeNausicaä - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Opening (01)FFXIV OST Crystal Tower Ending BGM / FF3 Map Theme ( Eternal Wind )Final Fantasy Pray Voyage FFIII The Boundless Ocean

Our heroes arrive in Rivendell, home of the Elves, and meet Elrond and a few new companions during the great council to decide the fate of the One Ring. Plus Elrond gets a little racist and we need to unpack that.

Chocobos, Moogles, Cid, and Crystals. These are but some of the iconic and tangible symbols that make Final Fantasy what it is. Here are my picks for the Top 10.

We walk the Streets of the Royal City of Rabanastre!Ryan Laney (Airship Overdrive) takes us through how this piece of music from Final Fantasy XII (12) evokes the feel of hustle and bustle and city life. Plus, how Hitoshi Sakimoto evolves it to mirror the events of the story, and how it contrasts to the music Downtown. References:FFXII: The Zodiac Age OST Streets of RabanastreStreets of Rabanastre - Final Fantasy XII Piano CollectionsIves - Three Places in New England (with score)"Anacreon in Heaven" - English Drinking Song - YouTubePejman Hadadi playing the DOYEK Udu DrumsAulos from ancient Greek and Roman times music by Max BrumbergFinal Fantasy Tactics Advance OST - 03 - Companions That Surpass戦闘終了 (Tactics)A Chapel (Tactics)Chrono trigger - Ruined world

Final Fantasy knows how to bring the feels. Here are my picks for the 10 most emotional moments in franchise history. SPOILERS AHEAD.

We meet and analyze Merry & Pippin while leaving the Shire then it's off to Bree and the Prancing Pony to meet Strider/Aragorn and a conversation on true masculinity.

On this episode, we discuss Town from Final Fantasy I, Kids Run Through the City from Final Fantasy VI, and the Village of Dali from Final Fantasy IX. Plus, three mystery pieces of town/city music from the franchise!

Summons! Espers! Eidolons! Just some materia that was lying around! I do my best to rank the best or most interesting or indelible summoned monsters in Final Fantasy history.

We continue with LOTOR: The Fellowship of the Ring as Gandalf and Frodo face down The One Ring, drawing parallels to addiction of all kinds in the real world.

Final Fantasy is filled with remarkable and incredible moments that make you say "wow!" Here are my picks for the 10 most jaw-dropping scenes in franchise history.

Ryan Laney of Airship Overdrive (please follow and subscribe on YouTube, he's awesome) helps us analyze another one of Nobuo Uematsu's masterpieces: To Zanarkand from Final Fantasy X.

We begin a new adventure, re-watching and discussing Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Why is this story so important to nerds and what do we make of it all these years later? How is it Final Fantasy?

Final Fantasy has hundreds of loveable characters and I did my absolute best to list the 10 I feel best embody what the franchise does so well.

We begin FFIX with a conversation about its legacy and reception, how and why it feels like such a throwback, the importance of the animal characters, and an examination of the main themes through each main character. That gives us just enough time to break down the iconic intro.