So this one doesn't get talked about nearly as often as the other one, and I remember it was quite polarizing back in the heyday, especially since it was the first numbered (sorta) FF without Uematsu. I used to dislike it at the time as well, but as I've been playing this game on and off recently, I was surprised to find that... I dig it?

No really, when you let go of the notion of looking for an Uematsu soundtrack here and accept the corny J-poppiness, it's really well done. And even in the more serious melodramatic moments, it can still pack a punch - the Shuyin and Lenne flashback owes the fact that it's really uncharacteristically impactful almost entirely due to 1000 Words (which comes back as a leitmotif far more throughout the soundtrack than I initially thought). And that's just one example. Then there's Eternity ~ Memory of Light Waves that just brings a tear to my eye.

Oh, and let's not forget that the X-2 Piano Collection is pretty much the best one there is, no contest. It's so jazzy and wonderful and I love it unironically.

So uh, yeah. Discuss, I guess?