Ouch at X-2 placing below the monster closets, and at everything that placed below FF11. I can't comment on Crisis Core, but as experimental as all these are, is it really all that better than 12, 13, or X-2?
There's plenty of names I recognize from my current playthrough of FF14, and honestly Hildebrand should be much higher. He's certainly entertaining enough
But it's... weird, if not
obnoxious, to list Rydia as two separate entities.
Phoenix was robbed in the monster list
I am convinced that almost none of the voters in this poll actually voted for songs here. FF14 could only manage to place one song in the top 25, yet has the most songs represented on the list.
I think it's a combination of factors: one, the music really IS amazing. Even incidental compositions, exposition BGM, or minor dungeon tracks, is well above the franchise's already high standards. Each piece fits its subject perfectly, and I love that there's many distinct "regular battle" themes depending on the situation.
However, and ironically,
because all of the music is so good, there are few standouts
within the FF14 albums. There are plenty of pieces that are
not as good as others, but they're very, very few (and they're still above FF standard). So, for me at least, it's difficult to zero in on absolute favorites without taking it back immediately and choosing others. In contrast, earlier games really DID have outstanding tracks that are easier to point out and commit to memory, so I'm not surprised they comprise the bulk of the Top 25.