Lurker > Waveshine_2001

Resonance of Ray

ok never mind I have a preference in match 1. Still no strong preference in match 3

Kaze no Ne

I only have a clear preference in one match today (and even then, I still like caged bird quite a bit). Ill listen to matches 1 and 3 later and see if I change my mind on not having a strong preference.

Iclucian Dance
Florest
Meta Knight's Revenge

Im still not a fan of the vocal inflections in Shiva despite acknowledging its a solid song overall. Regardless, that makes this an easy Iclucian vote.

Both songs in match 2 are good, but I still have a clear preference for the lush nature vibes song.

Match 3 is a pain. It features two of my favorite remaining songs left going head to head against each other. MKR is quite possibly my single favorite remaining song, whereas smiley is probably top 10.

Stow-on-Side
The Turks - Tseng and Elena

literally cannot decide on match 3.

At Tokione
Ultramarine Deep

match 3 is so hard.

Auld Lang Syne
STARRY NIGHT FEVER
The Apex of the World (Rain)

match 2 features one of my favorite vocal sings remaining against one of my least favorite vocal songs remaining.

vgm taught me that if a song has the words "starry night" in it, it's going to be a banger.
not wangan > apex of the world >= old ass song > neo >= but my whale is pre-owned >>>> h e double hocky sticks

FIGHT!! Ver.1
At Her Doorstep (Aspera 1)

Did You See the Ocean?
Mysterious Planet (Another World)
Miralodia Expressway

Adularia (Long Mix)
Danza zandA (Long Version)
Spiral of Erebos

Precipice
Did You See the Ocean?
Conquest ~ Conquest (Ablaze)

I feel bad about contributing to the inevitable Precipice domination, but man, Renee just isnt as consistently good imo. It has this amazing flamenco part towards the beginning, and then it kinda falls off after that imo. While Precipice doesnt have anything as amazing as the flamenco section, its way more consistently good overall and doesnt have these weird transitions that Renee does that makes it feel all over the place.

I forgot Did You See the Ocean has the Angels Fear leitmotif. Instantly knew I would vote for it when I was reminded of that part existing.

barreldragon88 posted...

Fire Emblem Fates - Alight (Storm)
-
Legaia 2: Duel Saga - Lost Forest

I like how we voted exactly the same, even abstaining on the same match haha

Alight (Storm)
abstain
Lost Forest

both songs in match 1 are great.

Melancholy of a Noisy Girl
Sinful Syncopation
Mission Theme 02

match 1 is close.

The last match has two very good songs. Caged bird grew on me a lot. Those strings are so nice. I guess I have to continue to abstain here.
Waveshine_2001 posted...

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne

Meta Knight's Revenge
Closure
Resonance of Ray

The Valkyrie
Florest
where is smiley?

Iclucian Dance
Katamari on the Dream

The Turks - Tseng and Elena
Love So (Radio Active Mix)

Trees in the Depths of the Earth
Stow-on-Side
A Muzzle Dancing in Hatred (Fire Tower)

Very good day overall.

Ultramarine Deep
O Mai Padme H, part II

At Tokione
Abstain
Self-Defense

match 2 and 3 are close. Sanctuary really grew on me this time, but I think its opponent barely edges it out for me.
also lol synthesis doing quick mafs

Alice Ragnarok (Opening)
Apotheosis

match 1 has two songs I honestly dont care for around an equal amount. Wouldve voted Atelier if it didnt have that weird Paper Mario flipping sound effect.

Auld Lang Syne
Abstain
STARRY NIGHT FEVER

would've actually voted in match 2 and voted for Brawl if it were the other Brinstar theme
Not match 3 having all caps for both songs

The Moving Fortress
At Her Doorstep (Aspera 1)
The Summer is Night "7/8"

FIGHT!! Ver.1
Sophisticated Fight

Danza zandA (Long Version)
Brain Expander (Ruins Stage)
The Best Is Yet To Come

Adularia (Long Mix)
Air Ride - Sky Sands
Mysterious Planet (Another World)

Re: the poll
SSBB main theme is so peak
Its weird how despite it being such a mainstream popular favorite, I rarely see it talked about and praised in actual dedicated vgm circles. Thats too bad, but at least I can rest easy knowing it reached mainstream popularity in the first place.

Danza zandA (Long Version)
DA PEOPLE
Spiral of Erebos

Adularia (Long Mix)
Meridian Dance
Realm Overworld (Full Steam Ahead!)

everything today is pretty solid, but the Spirit Tracks song might just be my favorite song in the contest. Its so beautiful

Human Warrior
Assault of Hexed Faith
Conquest ~ Conquest (Ablaze)

Did You See the Ocean?

Twin Moon
Lost Forest
abstain

To the West
Alight (Storm)
abstain

Taido grew on me a lot, but this Klonoa song is my favorite Ive heard from this game thus far.

Mission Theme 2 kinda peak.

Mission 2 > Baladium >> Tokyo > Recursion = Taido > Central Park

VOTES:
Baladiums Drive
Recursion
Mission Theme 02

Melancholy of a Noisy Girl
Kiss me Sunlights
Sinful Syncopation

Wow, kiss me sunlights grew on me a bit more. 7.1/10 ~> 7.7/10

MATCH 1
Match 1 is painful.
You know that these two are strong because Kaze lost by a small amount to Secret of the Forest, and Mul lost by a small amount to Castle of Sand.
It sucks that one of them is going to get back luck again.
And theyre both two of the better songs in the contest imo (not sure about best, but theyre up there. Approximately upper 1/3 for Mul and approximately top 15 for Kaze, at least for me).

MATCH 2
The BUD continues to have vocals that annoy me despite the stellar instrumentation. Caged Bird has similar vibes to BUD but with vocals that dont annoy me, so its an easy vote here.

MATCH 3:
Jade Chimes has grown on me a bit. However, its still not even close to one of my favorite Genshin songs.
Title Screen is wonderful. I feel bad for voting against one of my favorite OSTs, but I guess this is what happens when the rep isnt one of my favorite songs from said OST. Gotta hand it to the dolphin for this one.

VOTES:
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

Im only doing write-ups on songs in round 1. The others I have already given my thoughts on.

Pixelmon - Journey to the Sky: This was such a delight. Celtic music is really good. This is the second time a Pixelmon song has been among my favorite discoveries (the first was The Frozen Land in the contest I hosted last year on Supra). Maybe I should check out the OST 8.3/10

Great Sluggers - Perfect Game: Neat chord progression. Fun albeit a little basic.
6.5/10

Forever Kingdom - Staff Roll: I previously gave its opponent, Resonance of Ray, a 7.5. Lets see how this one fares. Hmm, this is way too weird for my tastes, and it doesnt sound like it generally fits a staff roll, either (although maybe it fits this specific games staff roll. I wouldnt know). 4/10

Re-listening to Resonance of Ray, I definitely prefer it to its opponent as expected.

Journey to the Sky (8.3/10) > Solstice (7.6/10) > Resonance of Ray (7.5/10) > Perfect Game (6.5/10) >= Chess Track 2 (6.5/10) >>>> Staff Roll (4/10)

VOTES:
Journey to the Sky
Resonance of Ray
(Solstice) Title

Match 1

Panzer Dragoon Orta - Legacy: The flute and percussion really carry this song. A stronger melody would've been nice though. 6.5/10

KonaSute SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS - Electric Injury("Electrocute" Long Ver.): I can definitely tell this song is very good, but it's not my thing personally. 6.5/10

Match 2

DOS - Closure: Woodwinds almost always make songs better, and it's no exception here. Definitely a vibe. 7.3/10

Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- - Juvenile: Supra 2021 contest rep jump scare. After all these 2024 reps, wasn't expecting to see an older Supra contest song. Aside from the harpsichord and the electric guitar solo, I'm not too much into this one. Didn't care much for it back then, and little has changed since then. Very well-produced though. 6/10

Match 3

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - The Grand Finale: After all the contests this song has been in, and I still never saved my write-ups for it? Huh.

Anyways, I never realized until now just how short the loop point is. I guess when the melody is just that good and engaging, the length of a song doesn't end up mattering that much. A classic final boss theme for a reason. Not feeling it as much today as I did before, however. Still a very good song. 8.5/10

DoDonPachi Blissful Death Re:Incarnation - Takmi (Hommarju Extend Remix): I mean it's good. It's just not my thing personally. 6/10

Grand Finale (8.5/10) >>>> Closure (7.3/10) > Legacy (6.5/10) = Electric Injury (6.5/10) > Juvenile (6/10) >= Takmi (6/10)

been having a lot of abstains recently.

VOTES:
abstain
Closure
The Grand Finale

OneShot - Eleventh Hour: A little mysterious, a little spooky, but not too much so. Definitely a vibe 7.3/10

New Roommania - where is smiley?: Thank you vgmc for making me realize that the peak banger Pipo Pipo is a video game song. Anyways, I dont like this one nearly as much, but its still really good. Could definitely see it growing on me over time. 7.4/10

River City Girls 2 - I'm Better Than You: decently fun song. 7/10

Gamera 2000 - The End of 1996 H.K.: another decently fun song. 7/10

Animyst - Poisoned Well: I appreciate the buildup, but I think they couldve achieved the same effect in like 1/4 of the time. Im also not particularly a fan of the instrumentation choice. Other than that one noise in the background and the obvious buildup in sound, everything else feels a little random from the added noises to the notes they play. I didnt dislike it, but its not for me. 5/10

Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Meta Knight's Revenge: I literally nominated this back in vgmc 17, and it got NO traction. It finally gets in the first year I decided to ignore nominations. Better late than never I guess.

Anyways, my god this is so peak. I love the energy here, and that Gourmet Race (?) reference right towards the end of the loop is just the cherry on top. Absolute banger. 9.5/10

MKR (9.5/10) >>>> not Pipo Pipo (7.4/10) > 11th Hour (7.3/10) > 1996 (7/10) = Better than You (7/10) >>>> Poisoned Well (5/10)

VOTES:
where is smiley?
Abstain
Meta Knight's Revenge

GITADORA - Crimson Gate (Long Version): The entire song is good but that e-guitar solo at 3:23 POPPED OFF! Damn, thats some good shit! 7.9/10

Hakidame ~TRASH~ - fuck ME: I mean, it sure is funny. Take out the fuck me! and its kind of unironically enjoyable too. Kind of. 6/10

Karous - you can't fxxk me: Absolutely CRIMINAL how this wasnt put up against fuck ME! This means there mustve been someone who supported both so the closest we could get was 1 round apart instead of a guaranteed first round. Oh well.
Anyways, nice drums, but I wish there was a more discernible melody.
6.9/10 (nice)

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom - Eastern Temple: The instrumentation is cool, but theres way too much dissonance for me to enjoy it. 5.5/10

Get Together - Florest: I personally would like a clearer melody here, but this is still such a delight. Im glad to see that despite losing round 1 twice on Supra, this song has made enough of an impression on people for them to continually bring it back. The ambience is fantastic and perfectly captures the feeling of exploring a lush forest teeming with life and wonder.
8/10

Rift of the NecroDancer - Ravevenge: Solid but the dubstep parts arent really my thing personally. 6.76/10

Florest (8/10) > Crimson Gate (Long Version) (7.9/10) > you can't fxxk me (6.9/10) > Ravevenge (6.76/10) > f*** ME (6/10) > Eastern Temple (5.5/10)

VOTES:

Crimson Gate (Long Version)
you can't fxxk me
Florest

Katamari Damacy Rolling LIVE - Katamari on the Dream: Its cute and very much what Id expect from the series. 7/10

Keylocker - Neural Divergence (Saturnian Version): The melody and the way they are singing (albeit not the vocals themselves) remind me of NieR. 7/10

Within a Deep Forest - diamond meditation: Wow, never expected to see a song all the way back from the Best Song I Never Heard contest here. Anyways, it was pleasant but felt too short. 6.75/10

Heaven Burns Red - Shiva (Glacier Remix):
Ill start off by admitting Im not a big fan of this song. The vocals really dont do it for me.

With that being said, I really appreciate the songs message, and I wish more people knew a little more about what this song is about. According to dowolf, its about the character Megumi and her resolution to accept herself as she is - even if her powers often falter. Theres a lot more context to it than just that, but as someone with low self confidence myself, this kind of song thar serves as a reminder to be kinder to myself in spite of my failures, really speaks to me.

I really wish I could enjoy the song as much as I appreciate its message, but oh well. I do feel like its very slowly growing on me. 6.75/10 (originally a 6.2 back in the Supra contest, but I need to give it some credit for the context).

Final Fantasy VII Remake - The Valkyrie: Not my favorite song from this game or its original counterpart, but the castanets are really cool. 7.5/10

Dreamin' Her -Boku wa, Kanojo no Yume o Miru- - Oyasumi Monochrome:
Ohhhh my god the parts where she does the three breaths in a row annoys me so much. The rest is fine, but those parts drag any enjoyment I could find in the song into the ground. 4.75/10

match 1 very close.

VOTES:
Katamari on the Dream
abstain
The Valkyrie

More short write-ups because I continue to not have much time.

Mega Man X: Corrupted - Skyway (Hurricane Hoatzin Stage): Fun song. 7.4/10

Honkai: Star Rail - Hope is the Thing With Feathers: Ah yes, my first 5 star in HSR. I always wished Robin was an opera singer instead because she always gave off that vibe more, but shes still really cool regardless. Nice 2000s Disney Channel pop/rock-like song (no, I am not using that as an insult).
7.5/10

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Iclucian Dance: I almost thought this was Operation Sandras at first. Anyways, I really like the energetic violin and piano. All-around lively, enjoyable piece. 7.7/10

Capsule Silence XXIV - Yoda Goes For A Swim: Lmaooooooooo
I NEED to know the context of this omg this is so fucking hilarious
I dont think Ive ever laughed this hard since I first heard Doshin Stroll a couple years ago. I was having a bad day, but this makes me feel a little better.
Entry of the Gladiators (aka the clown song) playing in the background is the cherry on top.
This should probably be rated way lower, but its too funny for that. 6/10

LittleBigPlanet - Tapha Niang: I will say its quite the unique song. I dont come across these kinds of songs often. Definitely a neat find. 7.3/10

Espgaluda - Fort City - Stage4: It was catchy, but I think I wouldve liked it more with a distinguishable melody. 7/10

VOTES:
Hope is the Thing With Feathers
Iclucian Dance
Tapha Niang

Short write-ups again with the exception of my least favorite song because I know it from before.

Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra - Abel's Ark: Cool and mysterious. Doesnt really go anywhere though. 6.3/10

War of Brains - EXODUS (Full ver.): Pretty good composition. I like the build up. Not a fan of the dubstep parts, though. 6.9/10

GAKUEN IDOLM@STER - Koukei: Copy-paste from my Hindsight 2024 write-up.
Ohhhh boy. This song. Well, it has a promising start. Energetic horns begin the song with a bang and almost makes me think it's going to lead into some glorious big band song.....but then the vocals come in, and all hell breaks loose. High-pitched airy female vocals have like a 95% miss rate with me, and this one is no exception. The voice makes me squirm...ugh. The rest of the song is nice, especially the horns and the percussion. But those vocals, man. Sorry to whoever nominated this, but this is really not my cup of tea.
4/10 (previously 3/10 but it grew on me a little)

Twinkle Star Sprites - Love So (Radio Active Mix): Pretty catchy. 7.1/10

Dungeon Explorer (Sega CD) - Darkazure: Its a decent mix of ambience and music. Im not feeling it that much though. 6/10

Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection - Estrada da Estrela: pretty catchy. 7.2/10

Oh, I get it. You put the two songs with Biblical names in round 1. Nice play.

VOTES:
EXODUS (Full ver.)
Love So (Radio Active Mix)
Estrada da Estrela

Waveshine_2001 posted...

Still Alive
The Turks - Tseng and Elena
Artificial Desert

(Short) write-ups later if have time

Katamari Damacy - Angel Gifts: uh, yep. This sure exists. Its not bad per se, but its a little too weird for my tastes. The nice backing choir keeps this from going below a 5.
5/10

Mirror's Edge - Still Alive: not Portal, huh. Its pretty nice. Im sure it works well in context. 7/10

Pokmon Red/Blue - Cycling: Very cute song, like most early gen music. (Originally 7.3)7.4/10

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - The Turks - Tseng and Elena: This is impressive. Love the energy. 7.9/10

KUNAI - Artificial Desert: The whistling is pretty cool. 7/10

Dolls Nest - Call to Multiply: NA NA NA NI NA
God this is annoying (to me). Sorry. 3/10

Still Alive
The Turks - Tseng and Elena
Artificial Desert

(Short) write-ups later if have time

Match 1

Capcom Fighting Collection - Green Scream (VAMPIRE SAVIOR) CAP-JAMS Ver.: Really nice fusion (?) jazz. 7.7/10

Touhou 8: Imperishable Night - Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke: copy-paste from last year: I understand not caring for this song, but what I don't really understand is why some people hate this song with a passion. It has a pretty solid melody with some really nice synth build-ups at the 1:11 mark. The triangle (?) taking over the melody at certain points is also really cool and adds to the manic energy of the song.

Even though my tastes don't really align with b8, I'm glad that I enjoy BOTH of the songs that make it in every year. Sometimes, I feel like the only one who actually likes both other than the nominators themselves. 7.7/10

Match 2

Wild Arms 5 - A Muzzle Dancing in Hatred (Fire Tower): I'm almost always a fan of Spanish guitar + castanets, and it's no exception here. I wish I liked the melody better, but it's still pretty epic for what it is. 7.5/10

Lessons in Love - song.mp3: This song started off okay, but then...screaming. Good god, if you just didn't have all those extra noises at the FOREFRONT of the song (or even better, not there at all), this would actually be tolerable. What the actual fuck is this....1.5/10

Match 3

BLACK BIRD ~Toritachi no Tooboe~ - Howling of the Crows: Decent, neat chiptune. I don't have much else to say. 6.5/10

Sonic Frontiers - Undefeatable: Not one of my favorite Sonic songs, but it's cool enough I guess - at the very least, cool enough to earn my vote. 6.75/10

Green Scream (7.7/10) = RFTM (7.7/10) > WA5 (7.5/10) >> Undefeatable (6.75/10) > Howling of the Crows (6.5/10) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> song.mp3 (1.5/10)

VOTES:
abstain
A Muzzle Dancing in Hatred (Fire Tower)
Undefeatable

Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Temporal Rift: Seems like it fits in context. Definitely does a good job of providing a somewhat otherworldly atmosphere. I mildly enjoyed it, but I think I more respect it for how I assume it works in the game's context. 7/10

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero - Neo-Burning Town: The synth backing was a little too loud, but I really enjoyed the vaguely Middle Eastern vibes. 7/10

Alcahest - Panakeian Temple: It was good, but I think it deserved to be longer. 6.8/10

jubeat beyond the Ave. - pray nightly: Nice drumbeat. I don't have much else to say. 7/10

Pokmon Sword/Shield - Stow-on-Side: Oooh, this is lovely! Definitely giving some Chrono Cross vibes. Very medieval fantasy-like, which fits this specific game's setting decently well. 8/10

Slip Space: The Burma-Shave Analogy - Silo's Antimatter Castle ~ Complete: This is interesting ambience, but it doesn't really do much for me. 5.5/10

VOTES:
abstain
pray nightly
Stow-on-Side

the Scarlet Sands

Waveshine_2001 posted...

O Mai Padme H, part II
34N, 12E ...for Mad Space
Trees in the Depths of the Earth

write-ups later if have time

Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm - O Mai Padme H, part II - prog rock maybe? Anyways, its really solid as usual from Chris. 7.8/10

Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City - Tumult - Crest of a Violent Wave - the fact that I hadnt heard this since BOST 6 and still recognized it instantly speaks volumes about its memorability. Very solid melody and drums. I do wish we could see an updated, higher quality version of this song in instead of EO3s version, but oh well. 7.5/10

Sonic Adventure 2 - 34N, 12E ...for Mad Space: This is just a groove. Not too much else to say. 7.3/10

DJMAX RESPECT V - Misty Er'A ~One Day~ - Oh god, it sounds like Mili..and not in a good way. A real shame that the instrumentation and melody are genuinely really good, but my enjoyment of them is being overshadowed by how much I hate the whispery vocals. 6/10

Kirby Super Star - Trees in the Depths of the Earth - This would pop off so hard with real instruments. As it stands, its still really enjoyable and unique. 7.5/10

Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator - a galaxy of children who've only seen red - Really nice beat going on. Not entirely my thing, but I can respect it. 6.5/10