Honestly, Uematsu's work in modern games isn't too dramatically different to what other composers put out. When you're dealing with MIDI tracks with no voice-overs and few sound effects, I dare say it's easier for a song to become an iconic tune. But for FFXIV and Lost Odyssey, I wasn't running for the soundtracks. I mean, any more than I was running for the soundtracks of any other modern games.