@wigglytuffitout i mean this is sort of tongue in cheek because final fantasy games have historically had FANTASTIC music

but also

gw2's music is actually pretty damn good

@InspectorCaracal that is a solid raise

but does gw2 have

a) an opera bug who sings about how rad it is that he's gonna kill everything with his four swords https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV_IP4mNJCI

b) a chill new-age sky whale rave https://youtu.be/shMaev-dSFI

c) muscle furry rockout time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rzBlcl3Cb4

d) and Hot Topic Titty Emo Kid? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHkMfJBDFZM

@InspectorCaracal shit i forgot my second fav after shinryu

which is Ominous Chanting Redeems Itself By Giving Way To A Drumbeat That Fuckin SLAPS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBT6hOtWcfU

@InspectorCaracal this is also not even counting the raids where things like "yeah it's fuckin voltron/power ranger now lmfao" happen, which is also an UTTER DELIGHT. one of my most cherished memories is friends bringing me into this all "no no we're not telling you any strats. just go in blind trust us." and i was not expecting things to voltron and Utterly Lost My Shit. IT WAS GREAT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLCWCPyxByg

@wigglytuffitout No, but I'm too busy listening to your Shiryu theme link rn to bring up specific GW2 tracks lmao

the second phase is so fricking anime holy shit

@InspectorCaracal ok ok to actually talk your ear off about why i love the shinryu fight so much

it is The Final Fight of the Stormblood expansion. you've helped one nation successfully rise up against the evil empire; now you've just finished retaking the capitol of the second. shinryu is the Big Bad that kicked all of this off in the first place by being released. and now not only are you fighting the nasty dragon lad, you're fighting...the crown prince of the evil empire.

@wigglytuffitout should this be behind spoiler tags

@wigglytuffitout like, not for me, but for other people who actually play the games? >.>

@InspectorCaracal (incidentally, the same prince who kicked the shit out of you in the start of the xpack.)

he's obsessed with getting stronger and stronger, so he's hijacked the big nasty dragon. that's the theme of his villainy - he *steals* and *takes*. he sees things he wants, and murders people to get them, just because he wants them. he's not interested in being the best thru hard work. he's willing to CHEAT and do so nastily.

@InspectorCaracal and so not only is this your final showdown... but the fight reinforces this theme BRILLIANTLY through mechanics.

every single mechanic the big boss uses... is one that players will have seen before, often on another boss, through the rest of the game.

for example: fire attack? stand in puddles to not get crispy.

ice attack? floor's slippery, don't move.

etc., etc.

@InspectorCaracal playing it feels overwhelming at first, and i'm sure it looks that way, but actually... it gives you just one problem at a time. one question to answer, one mechanic.

when you realize that, and realize the pattern, it becomes a very satisfying 'final exam'. it is the ultimate fight because you get to show off that you've LEARNED all of these things, and can recall them.

@InspectorCaracal and this meshes SO WELL with what the final fight IS lore and story wise!

it's someone using STOLEN power. it's someone using these magical abilities that were TAKEN FROM OTHERS.

and how do we know this? because there are NO ORIGINAL MOVES in the mechanics! it's all copied and pasted!

it shows the boss for who he is - a spoiled brat who cries "daddy i want it!", not someone who really has internal power or conviction etc.

@InspectorCaracal the mechanics do a great job of the gameplay message of "this is your big damn hero moment - show 'em what you've got, show us all what you've learned", AND the story message of "this dude is ultimately a fraud and a sham. he thinks power is something you can just collect from other people and that if he has the most shinies he gets to win. show him how wrong he is!"

and

it's

FANTASTIC