Lurker > NFUN

i played chrono trigger on an emulator with fast forward so i had the game muted the whole time. i guess it was a good thing i did. this song sucks. really every song ive heard from that game is bad except corridors of time. why didnt people nominate that instead of this and battle with magus

junya nakano aka the third best composer on ffx. this song is ok though. its too repetitive which is what youd expect from nakano i guess but at least it sounds nice.

Forest, passing through the

You are on a covert mission to an anomalous zone. Six years ago, something happened, and this region was changed. No team that has been sent to investigate has returned, but the area is growing, and there is no choice but to try and try again and hope for success. You are constantly assaulted by strange visions and auric hallucinations, with the madness and mystery and chaos and danger growing as you approach the center of the region. This song reeks of conspiracy

I can't quite tell how this makes me feel. It's both celebratory and anticipatory; you're laughing that you're almost done with your journey and crying that its finished. There are moments of pure elation and interesting wandering period and melancholic reversed instruments. Throughout, however, it's consistently upbeat. Even through the tears do you smile. I suppose I can say that this is a song about a life, something you could play a funeral for somebody who wished for people to not mourn their passing but to cheerfully reminiscence about their life

Lost City feels... free. Unfettered. Finally unbound from inhibitions and restrictions. I'm sure Alto's odyssey refers to a literal journey, yet the song seems more appropriate for a metaphorical quest for self-actualization. The song as a whole has an infectious calm energy, with vocals that feel wise yet unrepetently joyful accompanies by guitars that lend power and maturity to the gliding melodies. I don't know what steps led the song to this moment, but in it I can see the gleaming and wrinkled eyes as it smiles

This song doesn't take me away to unknown and wonderful worlds, nor does it alter my moods through subtle harmonies and inventive soundscapes. It does make me feel triumph, however, and it's the triumph of the piccolo melody being SO FUCKING GOOD. I pump my fists as that thing goes to town as the little synth pad occasionally deigns to play arpeggios. Sure I like the percussion driving everything forward and the guitar adding power, but just give me the flute and the synth and I'm happy. Such a brilliant little tune

Tachi
Prophecy

masterplum posted...

Tommy Tupperville won in Alabama off the back of nothing other than being a college football coach. Being a celebrity football player in deep football country isnt a bad strategy

If you are remotely competent at politics

tommy tuberville doesn't know what the three branches of the federal government are...

Like the best dnb, Move Me throws everything at you, a frenetic wall of noise and chaos that somehow coalesces into perfect sense. I saw somebody (Mycro?) once note that a lot of otherwise calm music uses energetic amen breaks throughout, and somehow the very rapid and energetic sample makes the music more soothing than it would otherwise. Move Me doesn't go for calm, but there is a kind of hypnotism in the constantly shifting rapid percussion. It ties together the at-times seemingly intentional randomness into something that's somehow both motivating and energy, and a total vibe. You can't help but chill out as you're sprinting at full speed towards the finish

THEMEX told a full story, elated rises and instrospective falls. Mor Adain tells a story of pure unmitigated triumph. This isn't the story of your life--this is the story of your victory. At times it echoes some struggles you went through, some sacrifices you had to make to reach this point, and then it jumps right back in, acknowledging that past adversity merely serves to make your long-awaited success all the sweeter. What's past is passed, what's yet to come is a concern for the future. All that matters is now.

this song is funny in dougdoug sometimes

Forest may be the king biome of Japanese vgm, but water has to be a close second; if you consider only sheer quality and disregard variety, it may even be the victor. It must be a conservation law--aquatic levels in good games suck, so the music has to be great to make up for it. The trend is for these bgm to be relaxing, and this is. What elevates it beyond the standard is how *mature* it feels. Its melancholy feels earned, its introspection genuine. You don't sit at a beachfront to relax in the sun, you sit at a still pond to meditate, to muse upon how you got here and where you're going. A blind man awaited the era of endings, contemplating the beauty of nature, and Aquatic Ambiance played all the while

Archimedes' Screw

it's a type of pump that moves water

impulse is to vote jak 3, but jak 3 doesn't have the greatest let's play of all time

absolutely not

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

Ah, yes. All it took was losing women's rights. Good trade off for at least 50% of us.

how would he have prevented that decision?

Video game music inherently exists within some kind of context, and how the songs are composed to fit that context can vary a great deal. Some composers take the approach to have the music support the scene as a foil to highlight it. Some settle for making songs that merely fit. Some ignore the question entirely and make a song that happens to be used in a game, with little tying them together besides circumstance. And some strive to make a track that *defines* the context, being so emotive or powerful that the game seems to merely serve to complement the music. Pulling that off is no mean feat, and it's especially difficult to do it with a dramatic or climatic song, which can all too easily come across as tryhard or cheesy. THEMEX is among the proud few, like the best of MGS themes, that can tell a story and deliver passion all on its own.

Trance is often seen as a fairly static genre. It has very well-defined tropes and the songs themselves are often repetitive, and it gets to the point where you feel if you've heard one, you've heard them all. Argon Refinery, when looked at reductively, seems to be a pretty straightforward example. When you actually listen, however, it doesn't feel that way at all. The song always progresses, moving from one idea to the next, never settling on any phrase for so long it gets stale but keeping a strong continuity. I'll describe it as "industrial", not merely in the sense that it's driving and steady, but in how listening to it is like watching something be constructed, discrete part by discrete part into a greater gestalt. When the song is finished, you feel as though you've done work and accomplished some meaningful task.

Sky Tower is the ideal of the glory of height; any metaphor made about ascending to glory or reaching the stars or soaring to GREATER HEIGHTS is distilled and exemplified by this song. It's relentless, constantly urging you on to follow your dreams, that you can't give up, that's you're *so close* and that actualization is within your reach. It's the end of a journey in the purest sense, the sense that not only are you almost done, you've almost *won*, succeeded at what you always knew to be possible. You're exhausted, you can't take another step... and then you hear that simple series of climbing notes and grasp victory.

It's perhaps the most fun in the context. Some songs made you want to dance, some made you want to sing, but Breat of Forest makes you want to *run*. It's incredible nobody made a beat-platformer before, because so much music gets its power from making you want to move. What better way to take advantage of that than a genre about moving (besides having you literally dance to play but shush). Why then, does this song make you want to dash instead of dance? It has stakes. No song that's made it this far is single-minded, and this pushes you not in circle but forwards, making you competitive, making you *need* to outrun everybody else and finish first. It's the atavistic joy of moving and tension of competition and the catharsis of having given the race your all.

Argon
Sky

Zork

Mitsuda is one of the most legendary composers in video games for a reason. The feel he crafted in this song is exquisite. Dante once remarked how Japanese forest bgm is always magical, somehow always focused on a different aspect of the majesty of nature, and you can see that trend on full display here. The song is mysterious, of course, and that mystery is conveyed in a very nuanced way. You can feel its loneliness, but also feel a harmony with nature. You can feel awe, but that awe is tempered by it being accessible, something you can stand within and take part of. It's uplifting, but somber enough to keep you grounded and aware of what you're sensing and the contrast with regular, mundane life. It's incredible how finely-crafted it is, and with all of the care that went into the soundscape, it still created a melody memorable enough to be popularly known as Mitsuda's Lick (also coined by Dante)

The only surprising thing about Todd Baker's representation this year is that he didn't get such recognition earlier. It's a very subtle needle to thread to create a song that takes a worldly and atmospheric direction and makes it fun. This is the kind of song that would be seen as artsy and inaccessible by most, and yet few who hear it would describe it as such because it conveys its complexity and moodiness so effectively, never failing to impress itself upon you because it never fails to make you *want* it to impress itself upon you. It's a song that can carry a game all on its own; put this in a mediocre tale with mediocre writing and mediocre characters, and you'll come away thinking it's a masterpiece because the song has quality to spare.

Everybody joked about how much forest music retired this year. As I implied before, that's no coincidence! This overflows with charm and passion. It's forcefully nostalgic. You could have lived in grey apartments your whole life and hearing this will remind you of sunny days running around with your friends as children. It's joyous, yet as part of the root of "nostalgia" comes from "pain", it has a bittersweet tint to it as well; it isn't shallow. Summertime playing as kids, yes, but as an adult, it reminds you you have goals to achieve as well. Enjoy life while you can, but never forget your purpose and your dreams of being a more fulfilled person, and the journeys you must complete. I think this song is reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings, where interweaved between all of the darkness and war, the books were always sure to take solace and appreciate life's beauty. Don't let life pass you by!

I didn't make this connection until now; look at the juxtaposition of today's songs. Four songs named after places that seemed focused on taking you there, with a focus on harmony over melody, by four extremely consistent and talented composers. They all strive to portray different atmosphere, and they all are careful to mix emotions, not just out of an aesthetic desire for contrast but an acknowledgement that little in life has just one tone. With the sweeping synths reminiscent of winds and individual, solitary, echoing notes like the calls of birds of prey, this song does a remarkable job of crafting the imagery of a sublime foreign wilderness like the thumbnail indicates. Every layer of this serves a purpose, and you can focus on any and get something worthwhile out of it. Like much of YU-NO's soundtrack, there is a unique, almost plaintive feel, and your heart instinctively reaches out to grasp the melancholic adventure you're presented with

Desert

It's a pretty good retiree batch. Nothing will be as good as VGMC14's retirees but we'll keep trying

Gusty Garden Galaxy? More like OWNED OWNING Galaxy!
-[PROTEASE]-? More like -[OWNED]-!

Lost City
Prophecy

alpha centauri (cutscenes)

Limitless Cinderella? More like Limitless OWNING!
Dance With the Shadow? More like OWNED by the Shadow!

ROFL

mnk posted...

Kaka's posted a handful of small zoomed in blurry pics that don't really tell us anything, but this time he actually posted a non-blurry pic of a partial face.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/3/0/AAI16ZAADl_O.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/8/5/AAcM16AADmAF.jpg

locks

Kill Command? More like Commanded to be Killed!
The Wind Calls to Shevat in the Blue Sky? More like God Calls to Shevat to TOTALLY OWN IT!

Tachi
D4

cruel match one :(

this isnt a boxing match, it's a fight

LinkMarioSamus posted...

I'm so dumb it took me until this year to really get it.

and we got it earlier so we all know it so why say it

The Spirit of the Mountain? More like The Spirit of Getting OWNED!
In Hell We Live, Lament? More like OWNED We Are, Lament!

ROFL

pit ig
shevvet

Jupiter Guns Novel (Long Version)? More like Jupiter Gets OWNED (Long Version)!
DESIRE? More like OWNED!

ROLF!

Cavedweller2000 posted...

If there was sliced bread and a burger roll in front of you and I asked you to pass me the bread, would you ask for clarification?

if I was making peanut butter and jelly and there was rye bread and white bread in front of you and I asked you to pass me the bread, would you ask for clarification?

Move Me
More

saga

honestly, i never would've expected devilman crybaby to be neutral for anybody. at least for the main story, it seemed pretty love or hate

Seashore War? More like Seashore Wa!
Apex of the World (Rain)? More like Apex of Getting OWNED (ROFL)!

ROFL

jupiter
desire

(aka planetes)

desire
me

Southern Twilight ~ Dance on the Cape of Good Hope? More like Southern OWNAGE ~ Dance on the Cape of Good LOSS!
-(Phenylalanine)-? More like -(PhenylOWNING)-!

Seashore
Argon

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 16, an annual celebration of the best of the best video game music according to the voters!

Important Links:
Bracket: https://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=475935
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80027411
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0xxfgkmGKvEyWfHvNZ53Kbn
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16XAaBMDuUnQ4c5AxQNL9ZhvD7VG5kQyrXWWZxnkrn-o
VGMC total stats sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1XdLWiUKB2kX99qYBgnRbLU_sCz4dvZSByKKJHCT6o
Discord: https://discord.gg/WDvMS4a

Rules:
- Listen to both songs in a given match, at least through the loop time provided (to make sure you don't skip before you've heard the whole thing!)
- Please consider the loop point listed when judging the song; if a video loops one minute 5 times, don't treat it as if it's a repetitive 5 minute song
- If it's a match between your favorite song ever and a song you despise, still LISTEN TO BOTH! Votes can and will be disqualified if there is suspicion songs are not being listened to, and you may be discounted for the rest of the contest for repeat offenses.
- No alt accounts, no rallying or begging, etc., etc.... You only get one vote! Swapping votes is alright, just make clear that you've already made a vote and are swapping.
- Make clear what your voting options are! Please keep votes separate from any comments, and use the titles given in the topic post.
- Voting in all matches is not mandatory, feel free to skip matches you do not wish to vote in.
- Vote based on the links provided, and not other sources of audio. Links are specifically chosen for best quality and the like.
- Don't discuss vote tallies in this thread, or in other threads, as they may influence votes. Likewise, please refrain from looking at the running tally before voting.

Voting Period:
- Today's matches will last 24 hours from the time of posting, or 24 hours from 10pm Eastern, whichever is the later time.
- Please note this may mean that two topics will be active at the same time!
- If you anticipate being unable to vote in a given day, please send an absentee vote to @banshiryuu, or post your absentee vote in the discussion thread!

.

Match 1

Xenoblade Chronicles X - THEMEX
Composer: Hiroyuki Sawano
Loop Point: 5:18
Genre: MSEYTMAPLHLOINCY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O59iwBYDYcw

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Seashore War
Composer: David Wise, Kenji Yamamoto, Daisuke Matsuoka, Minako Hamano, Shinji Ushiroda, Riyu Tamura
Loop Point: 3:07
Genre: PERUVIAN FLOE
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Boqy0Q-4c_M

Match 2

Fire Emblem: Three Houses - The Apex of the World (Rain)
Comp

Forest
World

hylics isn't that obscure

now I want to see if I can find something for Tong Nou for the least orthodox death I can imagine

LinkMarioSamus posted...

I want to say how that makes it even more unnerving people are cheering on Zaslav for cancelling the 'woke' Batgirl, but it's pretty blatant by now that to them 'political' only means catering to the left.

so blatant it raises the question of why you felt the need to inform us of a fact we've known for years

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/7/8/AAcM16AADk2i.jpg

I've seen multiple peoe unironically advocate versions of radical centrism and it's funny every time

SeabassDebeste posted...

not familiar with this one, explanation?

:| :<simplistic statement>
: <nuance>
:|
>:(

that's pretty good, but as a counterpoint, like anything from Mugen

https://twitter.com/nocontextmugen/status/1485796970623287297
https://youtu.be/jINHW8pTT-0
https://twitter.com/nocontextmugen/status/1234329076653056001
https://twitter.com/nocontextmugen/status/1288561995424333824?s=19
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/666224645338300422/799482623780978709/2021-01-05_12-03-16.mp4

Kaze no Ne? More like Kaze no OwNed!
The Dragon's Feed is the People? More like The Dragon's OWNED by the People!

ROLF

nuts and bolts has one vote and it was me as a joke

he's clearly thinking of Solar Boy Django

dark souls

6.5

Forest
Desert
Filthy Acts at a Reasonable Price

Anagram posted...

Given how fast these topics fill up, B8 cares way more about this than Russo-Ukrainian War.

that topic was started by corrik, who probably at least half of the politics people have blocked

Prophecy
Photoconductivity

12
13
12
14

Courage to strengthen
Fire to blind
Music to dazzle
Iron to bind

OrangeCrush980 posted...

Ugh... Ring Ring Ring was one of my favorite finds this contest, while Merciless Savior is a great song that faced much hardship and adversity to get through nominations.

shut the fuck up