Lurker > Disillusion

VOTES
Memories of Memories
Redwood Colonnade
Bye Bye

I wish I cared about the vocals in Bye Bye more, but Ocean Glaze was never too much of my thing. I do feel bad that I can't vote for Amulet here since Redwood is easily my favorite.

VOTES
Northeast Frost Street
Faded Dream of a Psychomeddler
Keep Up (Temple Remix)

Match 1 already hurts, you got me voting for one of the better FL songs going against what's practically Bomberman-core music. This sucks.

Match 2 is close as well, Psychomeddler does a little more than Trick or Treat.

Keep Up is surprisingly really good, it easily beats what feels like the most underwhelming final boss theme I've heard from Kirby in a real long time. Roche Limit isn't bad by any means, but I always thought it lacked the solid gravitas that I can remember all the classic and modern final bosses using in their themes.

Also, I NEED this Caravan Stories track, god damn.

Dr. Wily Stage 1
Boomer Kuwanger
Skyway

I definitely would've preferred either Zero Gravity or Boomer Kuwanger against Tundra Man for finals, but c'est la vie.

Thanks again for hosting Andy!

Tundra Man Instrumental

This was an interesting contest overall, I'm happy to have some new favorites to check out. I didn't know there were so many good tracks in this franchise!

Thanks again for hosting, andy!

Tundra Man Instrumental

Hoping for piano in finals!

Tundra Man >>> Spark Mandrill

Dr. Wily Stage 1

Not the song I wanted to make this far, but Ill take what I can get I guess.

Final Transmission

I genuinely have to wonder how this would've turned out had MM3 Title won instead. Sucks that this is probably where this arrange will fall, but I'd say it's been a good run!

Tundra Man Instrumental

Gotta go with the piano, it's the right choice for me!

Galaxy Fantasy

I will go for UFO Man today.

Spark Mandrill
Final Transmission

I'm definitely getting more used to the sick guitar synths that the X series uses, good stuff.

Match 2 is honestly a tough call. Final Transmission is really good, and MM3 Title is certainly shaping up to be one of my more favorite tracks this contest. Guess I'll take whatever winner!

Tundra Man Instrumental
Opening Stage X3 Mix

Match 2 feels really close, but I think this is the right pick.

Pleasant Thief Marino
Zero Gravity Area

Is X vs. Zero that much of a classic theme? I don't see much appeal in it.

Pleasant Thief >= Zero Gravity Area >> Galaxy Fantasy >>> X vs. Zero

Departure
Metal Man

I think Departure is the least favorite of the remaining arranges, but it's still good for what it is.

Metal Man >= Jakob > Departure > Dr. Wily Stage 1

Final Transmission / Pharaoh Man
Revealing / Title MM3

I cant complain about any of the songs today, really. Ill take whatever wins.

Revealing > Final Transmission >= Title MM3 > Pharaoh Man

Storm Eagle
Skyway

Some good electric guitar synth love today. =)

Opening X3 Mix
Dark Man Mix

Real good remix today.

Dark Man Mix >> Infinity Mijinion >> Opening X3 Mix >= Opening X

Boomer Kuwanger
Tundra Man Instrumental

Piano stays winning in my mind!

Flutter vs. Gesellschaft
Ending from Rockman 3

Match 1 is close, but the arranges win it for me today.

Ending from Rockman 3 > Flutter vs. Gesellschaft >= Zero Gravity Area >>> X vs. Zero

Pleasant Thief Marino
Epilogue - The Transient Silence

I wasn't able to hear Marino in R1 (cause I forgot to vote, whoops) and Match 1 is definitely closer than I would ever want it to be.

Galaxy Man is still neat, but the JAZZ is right there.

Gravity Man SSBU
Metal Man

I legit forgot how much "Guilty Gear/F-Zero startup menu" vibes Jakob has.

Dr Wily MM2
Take Back the Tower

Match 2 is a little rough, but it's hard to not vote for the cool jazz track. =)

Bounce Man Arranged
Staff Roll MM8

Man, we really end off on a strong note here. Match 1 is so close, Revealing feels like half of a Kaze no Notam song.

And then Staff Roll could be straight out of Notam too, what is this?!

This has certainly been a fun look into Mega Man, Im happy/sad to see that theres a lot of good stuff Ive been missing all this time. Curious to see what wins it all!

Final Transmission
Pharaoh Man

Definitely liking the energy from Pharoah Man! Final Transmission is pretty cool overall, I'm hooked in with that opening.

Skyway
Anata no Kaze ga Fuku Kara

Decent day, I can say for sure that I definitely prefer the OG Wily Stage 1 from MM2. On the other hand, Skyway sounds pretty fun!

Storm Eagle
Farewell to Ballade

Not the strongest day for me, but I'm happy to know of a classic and a neat new song to listen to!

Farewell to Ballade > Storm Eagle >> Surge of Power! > Thunder Tornado

Top 25 and Top 10 in a rwlh ranking list? I WILL take that to the bank, thank you very much!

But yeah, Scatman was probably the first ever song/music video I ever watched when YouTube was new back in like....2006/07. I can't remember if I ever tried to share it with my friends at school at the time, but God knows I found the first instance of a banger I instantly recognized and loved.

Also, I was "4-5 months back" years old when I looked deeper into the album where Scatman came from, and I was NOT expecting the electro swing remix at the very end. It was a very welcome surprise to me - hidden in plain sight all these years! - and I'm very happy to share that fact and spread the gospel of Scatman anywhere I can go with it.

Thanks for reviewing, really happy that you enjoyed it that much!

Infinity Mijinion
Dark Man Mix

Man, Match 2 is not very kind, it's much closer than I thought. I'd easily take both songs from that over Match 1 any day.

Opening + Snake Man Mix
Prologue-Awakening Road

Im definitely digging the arranges today! I wish the ending for the Snake Man Mix wasnt so abrupt, but the rest of it felt pretty good.

Also, Prologue-Awakening Road is just a song from Border Down, you cant tell me its not.

Splash Blue (Arranged)
Tundra Man (Instrumental)

Match 1 is a solid battle with water themes, but Splash Blue sounds super cool. Really nice instruments!

Nippy sounds neat too, but there's no way it was going to win over Tundra Man for me. Tundra Man Instrumental is also one of the few Mega Man songs I know by heart, everything about it is just delightfully adventurous and super Kirby-like in my ears.

Boomer Kuwanger
Duff McWhalen

I'm this close to not voting for Boomer Kuwanger, thankfully it's probably the best X song I've heard so far. Last No. Zero is a pretty fun medley, though.

Bubble Crab starts off pretty nicely with its xylophone and brass, it's a good tune overall. But man, the spacey/underwater vibes from Duff McWhalen are just top-notch, I easily want more of it!

Duff McWhalen > Boomer Kuwanger > The Last No. Zero >= Bubble Crab

Cybersheep's Dream
Ending from Rockman 3

X vs. Zero sounds neat, but ultimately it doesn't do too much for me. Cybersheep's Dream sounds more fun to me, a pretty nice chiptune overall.

Wonder Panorama is one of the few songs I know by heart, and it SUCKS that I can't vote for it here. The Ending arrange is just too good, man.

Ending from Rockman 3 > Wonder Panorama >> Cybersheep's Dream >> X vs. Zero

Electrical Communication
Navi Customizer

Man, these songs are much closer than I thought. Everything here is pretty good to me, though my votes just barely edge out their opponents. I'll be satisfied with whoever wins here!

Primrose
Epilogue

God damn, no one told me they snuck Snatcher into this!

I think at this point, it's safe to say that I generally like the overall chiptune sound from Mega Man, I just need that hook that will get me invested in the song. Galaxy Man and Crystal Snail are almost there, but not quite.

Jakob
Gravity Man

Jakob is certainly cool-sounding, Abnormal Gravity sounds neat but doesn't sound fun enough to me.

I'm definitely onboard the team of "NES Gravity Man should've gotten in" (it was going to be the only nom I would've put into bracket!), but I'm more than happy with the Smash remix getting in. Gravity Beetle sounds action-packed and raring to go, this is definitely what I like to hear in a platforming series like this.

Gravity Man >> Jakob > Gravity Beetle >> Abnormal Gravity Area

Departure
Take Back the Tower

Busy day, so I wont share much today.

But man, I wasnt expecting Take Back the Tower to sound THAT good. Like, damn.

Take Back the Tower >> Departure >> Solar Inferno > Sigma Stage 1

Apple Market
Wily Field

There's no denying that Wily Stage 1 set the standard for what to expect from music for this series going forward, and it's certainly a fun song. I wouldn't call it top-tier personally, but I'd say it does its job remarkably well and gets you in the mood to finish the fight.

I think if you gave Apple Market another minute of developing its really nice sound, it'd be such a solid pick for this bracket. As is, I really like the calm innocence it carries and the overall happy vibe it gives me.

Wily Field starts out pretty promising! I do wish the synths didn't feel like they just stall in the middle of the song, thankfully the beginning and end of the loops mostly make up for that. Real nice pick!

Zero Stage 2 does some fun stuff with its electric guitar, but the synths feel all over the place for me, leaving me very hit-or-miss with them. Decent song with a decent vibe, I just wish the sound hit harder for me.

Apple Market >= Wily Field > Wily Stage 1 >>> Zero Stage 2

So I completely forgot this was happening, not that I could've contributed much since Mega Man is a weak spot of mine for VGM.

Shame that the original Gravity Man never got that much traction, that would've been the one nomination I would've gone all the way with.

Instead, here's my two cents for this whole thing:

Supporting:
Tundra Man Stage - Instrumental (Mega Man 11)
Gravity Man Stage (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)
GIVE IT A SHOT (Mega Man X Legacy Collection)
Internet World (Mega Man Battle Network 2)
Electrical Communication (Full Size) (Mega Man 8)

Back in Time
To Far Away Times

+ Living in the City
+ Back in Time

Both last year's winner and this year's winner are solid. Nothing but a bunch of solid songs in this lineup.

Back in Time

Finals at last!

So, Back in Time ended up being my #1 song for this year, both bracket-wise and retiree-wise (thank GOD). I still really enjoyed almost every other retiree we had, but having TJ Davis come this far into bracket was absolutely the cream of the crop for me. That said, a brief confession: I was actually super thrown off by this version that got submitted, because I grew up listening to another version that had a flute sample in it that supposedly is the same one used in a Sonic Unleashed song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_5dFQG5ePw - for reference; said sample shows up in the instrumental version as well, it seems.) But really, it's the smallest of petty gripes I could ever have with any song, it's STILL the best song on the soundtrack for me and it's made me love TJ Davis ever since.

And its opponent is no slouch either! Last Specter brings it with its superb instrumentation. The piano, violin, accordion and acoustic guitar coming together to form this banger of an opening track is nothing short of great, and once it hits that 20-second mark, I'm taken away to what feels like a simpler yet still pivotal adventure with the Professor.

Both songs today have had great runs, and now it's time to finally bring this to a close. Thanks to all for submitting great tracks this year, and for a satisfactory retiree set as well.

Thanks for all the believers who pushed Banbard Piano (and Chroma, of course) in bracket and ended up giving me my second retiree to date!

And of course, big thanks to deo (and tox) for putting all this together. Your work will never go unnoticed, I promise.

Until next year, folks!

Electric Power Building
The Sunleth Waterscape
Staff Roll

This might be my first time listening to Rusty Ruins in full, and DAMN, I've been missing out on a vibe for sure. The same kinda applies for The Machine, though Ecco in general is a good vibe.

Back in Time

Solid match, but I gotta go with the QUEEN herself. This is going to be an exciting finals match either way!

Ragna Breakers

This is the one semifinal match that isn't lopsided for me. Both are VERY close, and I will definitely take either of these as a finalist. Give me the best finals we can still make at this point!

To Far Away Times

Yet another solid match - the lightheartedness of Un Deux Trois vs. the emotional farewell that To Far Away Times brings. You can't go wrong with either here, but I'll be rooting for Chrono Trigger one more time!

Back in Time

This is easily the best match we have after retirement. Both of these songs are very dear to me, I can only wish for the best. I'd be more than alright with having either as finalists!

The Last Specter's Theme

It's the weirdest thing, but I think my least favorite part for Last Specter is the first 20 seconds, because once the violin comes in with the rest of the instruments I'm absolutely enthralled by the rest of the song. I know the buildup to get there is necessary, but I can actually feel the impatience inside me wanting to hear the meat of the song already. Guess that's how you know it's succeeded in pulling me in!

Shoutouts to Epicentre though, definitely a cool song to make it this far.

Ragna Breakers

Moonlight Concert is very nice with its fairytale-like, folksy atmosphere ..but I NEED MORE OF THAT FUSION, BABY.

Un Deux Trois
Banbard (Piano Version)

Bracket D finishes off the contest pretty well, with Ikenfell, God Shattering Star, Song of Mourning, an Alberto J. Gonzalez song with Smurfs, Sight of Silence, Don't speak her name, Millennium Spark, Blue Sanctuary, Fly in the Freedom and 2 classic Nintendo final boss themes that tried their hand this year. To Far Away Times and Banbard are also 2 pretty good picks for this year, I definitely underestimated the power of mozell for this!

Match 2 is definitely tough, but I'll stick with mozell for one match longer. Best of luck for either!

Back in Time
PowerOne

Bracket C was its own kind of spectacle too! The "frozen" division, Portugal, Festival of Dionysus, K'Sante, Megaraph, Close in the Distance, Echoing Library and Panic in the Sky all fought here, with Back in Time and PowerOne definitely being two of my most preferred to retire.

Staff Roll is a welcome surprise to see come this far, though my heart will definitely belong to the song that opened my eyes to a genre I knew so little about.

The Sunleth Waterscape
Can You Feel the Sunshine?

Man, Bracket B was crazy looking back on it - Tokyo, Battle on the Sea, warp-wet-woods, Banbard Chroma, Suna Gin, Aria Math, FestA, Remnants of Celestial all within the same group. Today's songs are stacked for sure, ESPECIALLY match 2. Curious to see what will win!

Northeast Frost Street
Ragna Breakers

Bracket A went pretty well for me this year, even if Techno Syndrome, HODO, Burning Rangers and others would've been interesting/nice to see progress further. Going for Kirby and fusion for onwards!