Lurker > Paratroopa1

To me, the idea of "retro" is all about, like, a "lost" past that can't be returned to. The games that are considered retro games are that way because they were created in an era where games looked and sounded and felt a different way and when the whole set of rules were different, and they'll never really be made that kind of way ever again, except when people deliberately make something retro to try to reclaim that lost past.

To me, GC/PS2/Xbox games have hit the point at which they are retro - they have a specific flavor to them that no longer exists. Games don't generally look or sound or feel like they do anymore, even when given HD remasters (indeed, the fact that they receive HD remasters at all is a good indicator, though not a sure thing). They were created at a very different time that we can't go back to. They are not part of our cultural present, so they are retro.

I would not yet put most PS3/Xbox 360 into this category and I don't know when I would. Of course, I do come from a background of being a 90's kid so that influences my viewpoint somewhat - there are probably people that DO see these games as part of a 'lost past'. But I think these games tend to be fairly representative of modern standards. Someone might disagree since they lived through this era as a child and these games feel totally different to them, but I think they lack the vibe. Something like GTAV especially isn't retro - it's still very much part of the present and still will be after GTAVI's release. Minecraft isn't retro either, despite people mistaking it for such because it has blocky graphics and they played it as a child - it is still part of the present, though I imagine there are some fans that long for the times of Minecraft 1.0 or whatever, which might arguably be retro.

This is just one definition, but it's the way I see it. If it's something that we're mourning the loss of and trying to return to, it's retro. If it's still something that we're merely replicating and iterating on and have not 'lost', it's not retro.

Angel Gifts
Cycling
Artificial Desert

Angel Gifts is a marvelous little piece of work; that choir in the background from the results screen is just such an iconic Katamari Damacy sound and it hits so right when it comes in. Just such a nice, intricate little sculpture of a song. 8.5/10

This was mediocre. I'm making a note here: "Kind of mid." 5.5/10

A song like Cycling really tests how far I'm willing to go on rating a song. Is this song, like, particularly long or interesting or noteworthy? Not really. But I'll be damned if it doesn't put a smile on my face. It's just about perfect for what it's supposed to be. I'll take an iconic jingle over a 7 minute long rhythm game odyssey I don't remember any day of the week. 8/10

The Turks came really damn close to beating out Cycling for me, but again, I don't remember it without hearing it again and that was the test for me. Still very good 8/10

Artificial Desert is certainly designed to get my attention and it works 7.5/10

Call to Multiply is... well I like it more than I expected to 6/10

I personally don't consider anything modern to be 'retro' because there's something sort of inherent to the actual time period it was created that isn't easily retraced over, but which time period is actually 'retro' to me is a fuzzy line, especially for games that have been ongoing since their release

Yoga

Retro is a vibe and not a specific cutoff

I thought about it and I really think my ranking of chapters so far is 4 > 3 > 2 > 1, as stupid a ranking as that looks like

I mean, all four chapters are great, but I really loved chapter 3 and I feel like people are selling it short; it had my favorite gags so far and HANDS DOWN my two favorite boss fights so far, the fact that it had fewer side characters and plot developments is my only knock on it but like man, idk, I really thought it was peak (until chapter 4)

Green Scream (VAMPIRE SAVIOR) CAP-JAMS Ver.
A Muzzle Dancing in Hatred (Fire Tower)
Howling of the Crows

Cap-Jams was, indeed, a jam 8/10

Reach for my ass, immortal song 2/10

Muzzle Dancing in Hatred started out really cool but it wasn't quite as cool as I hoped for some reason. I dunno, it's still good 7/10

I did not find song.mp3 funny, I just found it asinine. sorry 0/10

Howling of the Crows is in exactly the same boat as Muzzle, I know I'm in for something nice when I see an oscilloscope view but it wasn't really as good as I was hoping, but it's still pretty nice 7/10

Normally I find an ironic love for Sonic music but man this ain't no Crush 40. I didn't like this at all 1/10

I wish Ralsei got a little more development in these two chapters but I'm ok with it

Man I think Susie and Noelle are cute and it's blindsiding me a bit that people have opinions about it

Temporal Rift
Panakeian Temple
Stow-on-Side

Temporal Rift is nice! Yep. It's nice. I got nothin', it's just nice 7/10

Burning Town is a song from previous Shantae games that I really like, and normally I like Kaufman's stuff, but I don't like this arrangement of it. It's too overproduced, too halting in its rhythms, it just never gets into a nice groove. I like the material it's based on but I just can't get behind this one entirely. If it was Pirate Curse's version I'd be on board. 6.5/10

Hey is that... yeah it is Jun Ishikawa! Well, I guess I'm sort of contractually obligated to vote for this. It's a sort of unassuming track, but I like it a lot. 8/10

I'm just thankful pray nightly is short. It's not bad, I just didn't need an extended cut of it like some of the other rhythm game tracks. 6/10

Stow-on-Side is gorgeous. Normally mainline Pokemon music is kinda hit or miss but I've never actually played Sword/Shield and I'm not familiar with the soundtrack at all. This is a hit. Instant smile on my face. 8.5/10

Slip Space is weird. Not bad weird, just weird. I don't really know what to make of it. 6/10

I was hoping for more Noelle out of these chapters! I know she can't really be a part of the current battle throuple that's going on but I'd like her to be a bigger part of the group. I'm guessing that one of the chapters will take place in a dark world version of her house though.

I was torn on it, but I decided to move on because I realized I don't even have chapter 1 clear data anyway. I'll just do a full run of the game when the whole thing comes out and clear the side stuff then

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

Risk of Rain 2 thing is a quite good little prog metal thing, reminds me a little bit of Kataklysm in the Computer but I didn't find myself thinking about it as much later; I do like it though 8/10

Etrian Odyssey thing is an Etrian Odyssey thing, a solid crowdpleaser 7/10

I'm surprised by how much Sonic Adventure 2 thing is a bop, but Fumie Kumatani wrote it so I guess it makes sense 8/10

DJMax thing is fine, it's very ornate but nothing in it especially grabbed me but it was ok 6/10

Kirby Super Star thing is my nom, I'm absolutely scandalized that KSS music has barely ever been attempted in VGMC, I sought to rectify this in honor of Jun Ishikawa's soft retirement 9.5/10

Space Organ whatever thing is another thing that is just ok 6/10

Chapter 4 spoilers:

Wait, so was Gerson supposed to be the 'secret boss' of that chapter? I didn't even realize it was optional at first lol, I first-try'ed it but at some point I realized it was harder than a normal boss and was like, wait is this the secret boss?

MZero posted...

- The 3-1 comeback in 2016 is not impressive because the 2016 Warriors aren't a good team

Just to be clear, YOU'RE not the one saying this, right? That's a "by their logic" thing?

Chapter 3 end spoilers: Do I really have to fight Tenna again to take another crack at the secret boss? What's the deal with that?

My MK8 tracks list, now with tiers

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/b/bc42d103.jpg

Okay that's the list! Glad to have that out of the way, kinda just always wanted to do it and it was nice to have an outlet. Thanks for reading!

1. Yoshi's Island

It was too hard for me to imagine picking anything else, even over Big Blue. I love this track more than any other. SMW2 isn't even like, my favorite game of all time or anything, but goddamn this one just hits me right in the nostalgia gut. So much of the Mario's series sense of itself and its own history has been sanded off at the edges and made into a specific image that it's startling to see something from the much weirder era of Mario paid homage so thoroughly. Yoshi's Island is a delightful game that feels forgotten a lot and this track just serves it justice basically perfectly. Everything in this track makes me smile. It's got the seagulls! The fat birds that waddle around! The big blue guy that comes out of the water! If you can name ANY of these guys by name without looking it up, good job, you know SMW2 better than I do! I like how it does the Hyrule Circuit thing and has an element from the game in it, but I think the ? cloud and the shortcut track that appears is even cooler. I like that it's got kind of an element to it where you can hope someone else makes the path for you, or go for it yourself but open it for your rivals as well. The whole track is really well designed; without the theming I think it'd still rank pretty high, the lines all feel great and it has a good sense of climbing to the top of the track before flying back down and it's got obstacles that are interesting without being intrusive. But yeah the YI theming is obviously the selling point. It's even got special music at the start and end! It has Yoshi coins! They have a unique sound! So much love went into this one. The Booster Course DLC is a little bit uneven in how much effort they put into it; some of the tracks feel a lot more sloppy and not well designed. But they put their A team on this one and it shows. It is, narrowly, my favorite track in the game.

2. Big Blue

Uhh holy shit, it almost feels illegal how good Big Blue is. Mute City is cute and fun but this shit is real. This is my favorite *track* in the series, and #1 is only #1 by virtue of other factors (though you'd be surprised how close Cheese Land got, really). This is the only track in the game besides Mount Wario that really feels like it fully justifies the 3-segments design and I wouldn't have it any other way; this is just such a wild ride from start to finish, an absolute roller coaster of a track. The best part is easily the water slide portion, again, of course, because the pickup in speed you get on an already fast track is just exhilirating, and every turn in that portion is *just* wide enough for you to make it by reaction alone. It's perfect. It's a perfect homage to the feeling of F-Zero in just about every way, from the visuals to the music to the way it feels to play it. Goddamn that arrangement of the Big Blue theme is so good. Pretty much an auto-pick when it comes up in online play, only the other tracks in the top 5 could possibly dissuade me. Completely mindblowing that they made this track.

3. Cheese Land

I LOVE CHEESE LAND. You cannot stop me from loving CHEESE LAND. It's so fucking good. I love that it's made out of CHEESE. It's spiritually kind of like a desert themed track but way cooler. The little swiss-cheese potholes are extremely fun to make decisions about; do you go around? Drive through? Take a line that lets you trick off them without going off road? It's a little thematic touch that makes the track surprisingly unique. There isn't anything *crazy* going on in this track, I just kind of think every turn feels perfectly tuned and racing around this track feels FAST. It's like, perfectly designed and perfectly calibrated. And it has the best music in the game. There's something so fucking funny about taking the original theme and making an epic jazz ensemble out of it. It sounds great, it looks great, god Cheese Land fucking rules and I can't believe there's two tracks better than this. I can't believe two of my favorite tracks in this game are Super Circuit tracks, but for some reason the fact that they have to overhaul them so thoroughly makes them really good in the remakes.

4. Ribbon Road

Rainbow Road? No, this is Ribbon Road! Absolute banger of a track and an all-timer reclamation project. The original Ribbon Road? It's fine but completely unnotable. The remake? Basically the most unrecognizable retro track in the game, and that's a good thing. It plays like an original. The vague theming of giant presents in the background has been reimagined into a beautiful playroom set, kind of similar to Squeaky Clean Sprint in the whole miniaturization aspect and the way there's just tons of shit to see in the background here. The track just feels great; beautiful racing lines all over, creative shortcuts, and tricking off the wavy blue track is awesome. I love the Mechakoopas here, you so rarely see these guys and I don't even think they were in the original but they kind of remind me of 'older' Mario, like they're something that would be in SMK or SC that you don't see a lot anymore, and they work perfectly with the whole toy theme. The music arrangement's cool as hell too, sounds almost nothing like the original. Easy S-tier track, one of my top faves, underrated.

Also I just noticed that Music Park was my last remaining original 32 track (and Rainbow Road was my last of the original 16 MK8 tracks). Huh! Of the four left, 3 of them are Wii U DLC and one is Booster Course lol. God the original 16 DLC tracks are so fucking good

5. Squeaky Clean Sprint

In terms of visuals and track theming, this one pretty much can't be beat. I like how pretty much everyone who thought the idea of a bathroom track was silly was completely shut up by how much this track rocks; they used every element of this theming they possibly could to its fullest. Driving into an underwater bathtub section and going down the drain where you can shortcut through a literal ring that someone lost in the drain, driving around on a soapy floor, a toilet bursting and being able to ride the plume of water up to a shelf that serves as a second route. There's just so much to look at here and it's all so creative and awesome. It reminds me a lot of the Micro Machines game for the NES with all its cool track ideas, but taken up to 11 - they spared absolutely no expense on this one. The only reason it's not higher is because the four tracks above this are my four favorite track designs in the game. This one's still really good, but it does have a couple too many straight lines.

Fungal Jungle (Mushroom Caverns)

is my vote for the third match oops

Oops! I had a really busy weekend and forgot to finish five fucking writeups for this list. Please stand by

This is my S tier by the way, the last five tracks are all ones that I have, at least at some point, had at #1 on this ranking before switching them out. Putting them in order was really hard, I don't have a definitive favorite but these five tracks are the closest thing, I basically had to rank them in order of how close I was to really having them #1

The hate I've seen for chapter 3 has legitimately made me wonder if our copies of chapter 3 are all personalized or something

6

It's ok

Giselle
Ultramarine Deep
Fungal Jungle (Mushroom Caverns) / Credits

I'm only voting in this first match because I want to have a perfect record, it does not terribly matter to me

I LOVE GOLF!!!!!! 6.5/10

Oh yeah I remember Ultramarine Deep. For some reason this was a random piece of VGM I really liked as a kid even though I never played the game. Nostalgia for a weird part of my life there. I still like it but it didn't hit *quite* like it used to. 7.5/10

Fungal Jungle sounds awfully similar to something out of 30XX. It's pretty good but I've heard it before. 6.5/10

Ah, I'd know that bare-shoulder, faux-bondage look anywhere - looks like we have an early 90's porn game here, with amusingly high-effort music to match 6/10

Bitto posted...

Date might be the worst protagonist Ive ever dealt with so I cant imagine if its a plus or minus that the AI2 guy is apparently worse.

If you think Date is the worst protagonist you've ever dealt with then you probably would think the AI2 guy is an upgrade

I feel like you can reliably predict which AI game people prefer by whether or not they like Date - I far prefer AI2 and I hate Date

Outdoors at 7 p.m. (Sunny) - Main Street
Glacier Palace (Great Spire)
Self-Defense

This Animal Crossing Smash thing is surprisingly weird and cool - it does remind me of Animal Crossing but not anything specific 6.5/10

Head Scratcher is a pleasing little popn music weirdjazz thing 6.5/10

My SANC-tuary, my SANC-tuary. why is the enunciation so odd. I do not like this track at all, it gets annoying really fast 2/10

Glacier Palace is not one of the highest tier PMD songs but it's really good and I like it 8/10

Self-Defense is my nom, it is not my favorite Cobalt Core song but it's the one I thought would gain the most traction so I picked it 8/10

Team Chaotix is fucking hilarious and I wish I could vote for it 7.5/10

UF8 posted...

i nearly misread that as Gex Tried lol

honest to god I thought it said "Gex Tried 69"

At Tokione
A.D. 1995 Story
Giselle

Well, At Tokione is certainly the best track today at least 6/10

Blow Me Away is a bad pastiche of an already lame genre of music - if it was a Sonic game at least it'd have a kind of tongue-in-cheek panache that makes it fun to listen to and laugh at but this just kinda makes me sad. This gives me anti-nostalgia for the 2000's, a desperate feeling to never return there and remain in the present 1.5/10

I just kind of feel bad for 1995 AD Story - it wants to be a cool, jazzy track but One Night in Neo Kobe City it is not. It's not transcending its own limitations enough to be something I want to be listening to, not with that squeaky shoe dominating the spectrum 4/10

Synthesis is just way too far into music circlejerking territory to me, overly elaborate and yet I feel like I've heard it a million times before 4/10

Everything about the concept of Nikke kind of irritates me and the music doesn't do much to disabuse me of this 2/10

Congrats Giselle, I did not like you at all but you win the 'better than the alternative award' today 3/10

Obtain An Unused Whale In The Abstract Sea
Apotheosis
The Apex of the World (Rain)

Lazy, don't really care about anything today

Now do it with the first game

In the Sea of Fire ~Lydie
TA Level 700-899
Non-Linear Reliance

This Atelier thing is alright 6.5/10

Extol really takes me back to the 90's... in uh, a not great way. I think we can leave this type of music back in the 90's 4/10

Boy is Limbus Company not for me 2.5/10

I like the stupid, manic energy of TGM themes, matches the stupid, manic energy of the games themselves 7/10

Non-Linear Reliance has some interesting sound design choices that keep me in it for long enough 6.5/10

I would have thought this Alice thing was the coolest shit once upon a time but I've grown out of it 4.5/10

6. Music Park

My favorite 3DS track, and still is. The only, the ONLY, bad thing I can say about this track is that for a track called Music Park, the music isn't memorable at all. But, like I said a dozen times already, I'm a sucker for unique level themes, and driving down a spiraling piano or xylophone that plays notes as you go is the kind of shit I'm here for. Bouncing off a big drum also rules. But the real shit here is that section with the big bouncing music notes. First of all, I love those guys, they look so happy! I like that they're not even like, standard Mario things; it's exceedingly rare that you really get anything new to the Mario world in a Kart track. But they also account for my single favorite trick section in the game; tricking off of them bouncing your Kart up into the air, having to time it with their bounces, feels so fucking good. You can glide over this section but why would you ever do that?

7. Rainbow Road (SNES)

Yes, this is my favorite Rainbow Road in the game, despite how weird and borderline sacriligious it is to have this one in the MIDDLE of a random cup instead of at the end. I've always loved the original Rainbow Road and I love that it got paid respect here in MK8 (another Wii U DLC track, of course). I always really vibed with how challenging this track was in SNES and I love the weird, frantic, almost kind of haunting music; it just has a totally different vibe from the other Rainbow Roads, one that's more dangerous and almost alien. Of course, it's a lot more driveable now, and a track not having any rails isn't anything new at this point, but those 90 degree turns are still challenging to hit and it's easy to fall off here. I love how VIBRANT this Rainbow Road is, compared to 3DS or even 8 that feel more washed out. Also the Thwomps here creating shockwaves for you to trick off of is a really cool gimmick; they're probably the most difficult things in the game to trick off of, and also the most dangerous, but it's satisfying when it works!

8. Coconut Mall

Against all odds, this track somehow isn't overrated. It really is that good. The music really is the GOAT. This isn't just a gimmicky track with cool theming but a course that just feels really, really good to race on its own merits. Much like Waluigi Pinball, I can't believe it wasn't in the game until the booster course; it feels like it always had to be here. It's not MK8 without it to me anymore. The escalators, the multiple floors, tricking off the fountain, making the sharp turns down the stairs; it's tight and yet never feels cramped, and everything's racing by so fast that this track really has a good sense of speed. My only complaint is that there aren't Miis out in the cars anymore; that's like one of the few things I actually remember from MKWii. On the other hand, the cars now have Shy Guys in them that do donuts in the parking lot so it's kind of a trade off?

Also it's weird that despite my general 'meh' feelings about MKWii, it lasted longer on this list than 64, DD, or DS lol

9. Tick-Tock Clock

This was my favorite track in MKDS and, judging by my list, it still is my favorite track from MKDS (although again Airship Fortress isn't here so we can't judge that one). First of all it's just really nice to see a Mario track draw from a SM64 theme; for some reason, it just doesn't feel like we get a lot of homages to SM64, strange as that is to say given its position as maybe the most beloved Mario platformer of all time. Maybe part of that is that this is one of the only worlds from that game that's actually memorable or unique, but still, they closed of Peach's castle in Royal Raceway so this is about as good as it gets. Anyway yeah I love every single part of this track, it's gimmicky but it's fun as hell. The pendulum just makes for a perfect obstacles and tricking off the spinning gears rules (or making the choice to fly over them instead but that's not as fun). As you can probably see, I'm just kind of a sucker for unique stage themes and gimmicks and this track has them.

10. Waluigi Pinball

I mean, it's Waluigi Pinball. I don't have to explain this to you. It's one of the GOAT track themes and it's a great track in its own right. Maybe a touch on the overrated side - I admit that I really wish the main pinball 'concourse' at the end was a little more exciting, you're not really incentivized to do much than just drive straight thought it and I kinda wish it was just a bit more chaotic in some way. I don't care enough to nitpick that much. I love this track. It's fucking Waluigi Pinball. Everything except that one section is well designed and I really like it when you do get lined up with one of the rolling balls and you have to avoid it; it kinda doesn't always happen so this track can either be quite exciting or a little uneventful but it's pretty turn heavy so it's fun to drive either way. For me it's just one of those tracks that pops off the track select screen and always makes me want to play it. It's hard to believe it wasn't even in this game until the booster course DLC.

11. Grumble Volcano

Is this track divisive? Every time I'm racing with other people I feel like people groan when this one comes up but I get amped. Grumble Volcano fucking rules. There's just nothing like the feel of the track literally crumbling underneath you as you're driving on it; I don't even know how this track pulls it off but I literally feel like I'm racing to not fall off sometimes and it's like action movie shit. Then each lap having more and more of the track crumbled away so that it gets harder and harder to drive kicks ass. I like that it's a fire/volcano themed track that's not Bowser, we get Podoboos (the most-forgotten SMB1 enemy) and those ones that are like a big vine of them from SMB3 and that's cool and kind of weirdly unique. I can't believe this track was only a Star Cup track in its original game, it genuinely feels more perilous and exciting than any Bowser's Castle.

Time for my top ten, featuring like 6-7 fairly obvious choices and 1-2 tracks that will probably make you go 'huh'

12. Wild Woods

Kind of in the same vein as Dragon Driftway - an original Wii U DLC track, very windy with a lot of antigrav, sick vibes, super underrated. I think? I dunno, is there a huge contigency of Wild Woods fans out there? This track is unassuming but somehow reminds me of Big Blue. I'm always a huge fan of a good water slide portion and unlike Koopa Cape or Piranha Plant Slide, this one actually has water that carries you forward, which is like, the best mechanic a track can possibly have. The music here is great and the theming is great. I love the Shy Guys' weird little gnome village, it's got big theme park ride vibes in a good way. This is another track where I don't have any bad notes - pretty much every part of this track feels perfect.

Maya

Neo Land
October Mermaid
Song that Summons the Water Spirit - BLANCMUTE (8th.BGM)

Going to be the change I want to see in the world and vote for the GBA song 6/10

The other thing isn't for me, we can leave it at that 4.5/10

Silver Lining is cool, it's some kinda shmuppy actiony thing, I like those 7/10

October Mermaid is lovely, it's certainly a Yasunori Mitsuda song 7.5/10

Blancmute is super cool, haven't heard of Gaiapolis before but it seems like an interesting game 7.5/10

I started out liking Starry Night Fever but got a little meh on it as it went 6.5/10

13. Dragon Driftway

Why the hell do I never see anyone talk about this track? It fucking rocks. All of the Wii U DLC tracks are so insanely good it blows my mind, they just really put so much effort into them and it shows. This is another MK8 track that just uses the antigrav concept perfectly by having these impossibly winding paths that create otherwise impossible geometry to normally drive through and they stylized it like you're driving on the back of a fucking dragon. It's a visual and stylistic splendor and driving it just feels awesome. Like maybe I'm misreading this but it feels like a criminally underrated track to me.

14. Rainbow Road (8)

Huh! You know, I've just been sleeping on this one for a while and I don't know why, but I really regained a newfound appreciation for it recently with the new Rainbow Road tracks hitting with the last wave of DLC. 3DS RR doesn't have enough challenge for my tastes; Wii RR doesn't have the secret sauce that makes a top tier track. But this one just kinda has it, for me. The track is super difficult and has some really ambitious turns and feels like a proper challenge, like Wii, but it's just got something about it that excites me more to play and I don't really know why. Hitting every turn on this one just feels exhilarating. Also I used to not be a big fan of how the satellite part breaks up the feel of the track but now I like the variety, and driving on conveyor belts is always fun. I think for some time all the Rainbow Roads blended together but now I'm finally starting to see this one in its own light and appreciate it.

15. Bowser Castle 3

Hell yeah. I just love the classic Bowser Castle theming with its manic energy and the feeling that it's less a race course and more an obstacle course from hell, and this track captures the vibe perfectly while modernizing it. Bowser's Castle 8 has grandeur, but this one has the actual vibe that it's going to kick your ass. I love the way they 'modernized' all of the very 'geometric' features of the SNES Bowser's Castle courses - the way you're driving over ramps over lava and able to drive on the top of walls and stuff makes it feel all very new but it keeps that feel of the old Bowser's Castle, where it feels less like a normal race course and more like a video game level. I really love how much of a glowup the SNES and GBA tracks got in this game.