Lurker > NFUN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2pzTTD6e80

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how would this have done
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8_72NFyd-w

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Murphiroth posted...

in support of what's going on in Armenia at the moment

uh

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oh final rankings

Tempest 2000 > Gamera 2000 > Tyrian 2000 > Kita Saitama 2000 > Ekiben 2000 > Soroban 2000

thanks for the songs. hope u enjoyed teh rankings
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I said you could nom the whole soundtrack!
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UF8 posted...

i'm glad you made sure to still ping me

would've been more effort to remove the ping from the formula or post
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197. "Taiko no Tatsujin 2008" - MUGEN NO MATSURI : MEDLEY FROM TAIKO NO TATSUJIN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ""SANTRA 28""
Nominator: @Place
8.3 (7.8/1)
VGMC Analysis: ajsdklfsdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXHanQa3wOw
Alright. Here we go

1. Densetsu no Matsuri (0:00): Absolute banger. Have always loved this song since hearing it in VGMC 13, and was one of my favorites to play. Not quite sure which I prefer between this and Tsunagare. 9/10
2. Sports Digestdon (2:47): Pretty fun LOUD SAXOPHONE song with some prog mixed in. I like LOUD SAXOPHONE and prog. 8/10
3. Kikyoku (5:21): Less good sounding sax but it really went for it, huh. Goes for like a Power Rangers opening vibe (note: I don't know if I've ever heard the Power Rangers opening, but I imagine it to be something like this). I do like it, but it's a little too cheesy, I think. The more mellow section is great though. Pulls off the magic trick where the same section I didn't like much before becomes much better (plus that flute). All these songs so far go all out. 8/10
4. Soroban 2000 (7:51): Just in case I was was worried about forgetting this was Namco. Always bounce of songs like this. I need more meat to the song. If you're going to do a very strange song like this, try to make it more like... (6.5/10)
5. Takkyu de Dakkyu (10:08): Hey man. Whas happen? Beep bop beep bohp bee. So groovy. This is ridiculous and pretty great. Any weakness in the music is balanced by how silly it is. Ping pong noises! Very fun. 9/10
6. Eringi (12:10): This is cool. I like this kind of singing more than you'd probably expect, and it being incongruously paired with that kind of proggy guitar & instrumentation and that section at around 13:10 works really well. A lot of the direction of it is extremely good. I have a feeling this will be a favorite on later listens. 8.5/10
7. Thunder Ceptor Medley (14:24): Jesus christ that transition was seemless. Had a lot of trouble discerning when the song switched when I wasn't paying attention. A medley inside a medley?? It's gonna be hard to talk about this. Like the first a fair amount more than the second. why is there a fucking tarantella in here I wasn't prepared for that. Oh this is the next song. Mix is too smooth. 7.5/10
8. Funicula Funicula (16:29): Still not prepared for this. This shouldn't be legal. Operatic singing, which I have increasingly been getting into. I think the rest of the song supports the singer well, but I'm not sure how worthwhile overall this arrangement was. Still nice to listen to. 7.5/10
9. Karui Zawameki (18:29): This is nice. About all I can say about it. 7.5/10
10. Ekiben 2000 (20:26): More palatable than the other 2000 track. Still mostly a miss. 7/10
11. Kagekiyo (22:30): Ah yes. 'Urgent' dissonant jazz music. My favorite (shoutouts to Heavy Long). Have you ever heard Confronter from PSO2? You might like that. I don't think this song fully utilizes what it has, which is just a way of saying that I like what it does, and wish I loved it. 8/10
12. Neko Kujira (24:58): That's a promising march to start with. I want to describe this as 'cute', which feels condescending, but I can't help it. I'm very into it, aside from a few segments of the singing. It surprises me a lot too, somehow. I keep having to relisten because I keep losing track of what's happening if I'm not fully paying attention. I'll rate this one as another 'just shy of being fantastic'. 8/10
13. Mekadesu (27:16): Too thrashy for me, I think. Some of the riffs are good though, past the beginning. Growling is almost always gonna be a turn-off for me. The goofiness of the 'DA! DA-DA!' is great though. And the goofy... stupidity after that too. Whatever my feelings on this are, I'm glad it's in one of these games. I'll be generous. 7/10
14. Amazing Grace (29:18): Is this Kanye's newest album? Wow this one is just full of surprises. WHERE HAVE I HEARD THE PART AT 30:02 BEFORE? Anyway. Syeah. Pretty fun. That kind of jazz blended well with the vocals. I'm just going to accept that this exists and move on with my life. 7.5/10
15. Stage 0.AC11 (31:06): Taiko has a lot more proggy songs than the web simulator led me to believe. Most of the tracks there are some variant of J-pop, and now that you can vote on new songs, people keep adding anime or vocaloid blech. Scars of FAUNA is in the poll!! Oh yeah I'm rating a song. I don't think this in particular is that interesting than me, though it's definitely steps above Sakuraba prog. Pretty good background music. 7.5/10
16. Scroll Mika (33:20): Happy birthday to you! This *feels* unremarkable. It obviously isn't, but I call it as I see (hear) it. The chiptune backing isn't too interesting. The singing isn't too interesting. Them together isn't too interesting. It's pleasant, and certainly better than it could've been. Good inclusion for variety's sake, if nothing else, and I imagine that's what you were aiming for. 7/10
17. Kita Saitama 2000 (36:01): Oh this has got to be another 2000 track. This one feels even more like a YTP than the others. This one I think I enjoy listening to more. As an aside, I apologize about posting these rankings so late. Waiting for this nomination, and then rating it, delayed things a lot. 7/10
18. Minuet (18:01): I dunno much about music styles, but I don't think this is a minuet. Oh there it is. Sounds a lot like 0.AC11 (which makes sense, since half the songs in this video have the same composer and guitar players). More better than that one though. I like the arrangement, and how he worked in the very obvious classical (Romantic?) sections. 8/10
19. Burning Force Medley (39:38): This was always something like a generic 'VGMC Retiree' in my mind, a good song that I'm not particularly enamored with, regardless of what it actually sounds like. I don't remember what I would've given it then; despite that, I think this score will be a little higher than whatever that was. A little. I could definitely see my tastes developing in the future. Right now, this kind of Kawamoto song is probably capped at 8.5 for me. I like the arp-type things at 40:45. Reminds me of Magical Chase, which is of course good. 8/10
20. Taiko Ranbu (42:04): wow a drum song in a drum game. completely out of left field. I think part of the reason why I like playing Taiko, even if there are only like 5 songs I want to play on the simulator, is that I like fun drum patterns in music (try again cako), or even simple patterns that are compelling--see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmP6oqcWSNU and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixj4ONl_fU0. So, a song that's just this kind of drum is good in my book. 8.5

Christ I finally finished. This video was only 40 minutes but I feel like it took five years off of my life. Still, I don't regret allowing this at all. Very good mix, some very good songs, and there are definitely things in here I need to look into more. This would probably score a little higher if I had more time to listen through the songs individually and grow accustomed to them more (for example, I've listened to Takkyu de Dakkyu a ton lately, and boosted its score as a result) which the other songs in this ranking got, so you can add an extra tenth or two to the score if you want. I'll just average the scores I gave for the individual songs for the final score.
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221. Subarashiki Hibi - Denpa Relay no Shousha
Nominator: @pyresword
8.2 (7.7/1)
VGMC Analysis: Eh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzT7F95XlC0
Pretty good buildup to the... evil carnival, which I wasn't expecting. I dig it. Good piano at 1:53 too. I think it needed something else besides the bookmarked buildup to end it properly--something like this needed at least a strong climax before fading out. The rest though, I was pleasantly surprised. A song I really wish was a little better because I'd be so into it if it was

<TAIKO>

158. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - In the Doldrums
Nominator: @sergiocornega
8.5 (8.5/0)
VGMC Analysis: Promising!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRV9mg84SmA
I didn't know until very recently that 'doldrums' can refer to a specific latitudes with placid weather. This is very nice. Definitely relaxing basiscape music. I honestly can't say much more about the song than that. Just relaxing and quality. I remember somebody being very apprehensive about nomming this song for VGMC, thinking it wouldn't be popular. I think it'd do pretty well, especially with the success of Partizans last year

The thumbnail of this soundtrack always made me think of a picture puzzle. 'Can you find all 13 Sentinels?'

138. Boneworks - Bone Rhapsody
Nominator: @cakophon
8.6 (8.1/1)
VGMC Analysis: Absolutely no idea. May as well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j30JBa2exa0
This has an incredibly cool feeling, and the geometry of the synths is of course appealing to me too. I like the march percussion that comes in too. As a """"song"""" I don't love it, but I definitely have a lot of respect for what it is and what it does. I'm sure that if it had two years to grow on me I'd like it a lot

45. Armored Core 3: The Line - Scrambling Film
Nominator: tked
9.3 (8.8/1)
VGMC Analysis: Worth a shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8ctLtUlgIE
Pretty tked. Like the PQ song, it doesn't have too much of a melody. Here, however, is an example of a song that I *don't* think needs one. It being more explicitly trancey helps with that, I suppose. I love how a lot of instruments come together to make the song feel like it's breathing. Really taking advantage of that 4/4 in a way I don't know if I've seen before. In isolation, the percussion almost feels amateurish, out of a flash game, which draws attention to how well put-together the song is as a whole. Guess this is the final confirmation that I really need to listen to all of the Armored Core soundtracks
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rwlh posted...

So what you're saying is I shouldn't nominate this on day 1.

Probably not
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814. Chunithm - Philosopher
Nominator: @FL81
7.1 (7.1/0)
VGMC Analysis: R1 fodder if it even gets in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIq89hKsNzA
I have no idea why you chose something like this after seeing my rankings. I don't know if any song like this got above a 7.5. There are plenty of areas are tastes align that we're both aware of. This isn't one of them

666. Trash the Planet - Empire of Trash
Nominator: @Zyxyz0
7.3 (7.3/0)
VGMC Analysis: Dies R2/R3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QHNQYpr_OY
I WILL LET YOU DOWN. I WILL MAKE YOU HURT. Never was super into the chill lo-fi craze (I was slightly worried about making that comparison, seeing as it's not a genre I listen to, until I realized the album art is literally a pastiche of the beats to study for video). Much of the song is there. There's promising developments about three minutes in, though not as good IMO as it could've been. It's a nice song. Just not so much my kind of nice song. Many would really like it though

508. Brutal - The New Challenges - festival of the [Ghoul]
Nominator: Collen
7.4 (6.4/1)
VGMC Analysis: Baycunn & Dozzyrok don't do usually do great. Draw your own conclusions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwEgarf-esk
that's certainly a collen track. I think a lot of this falls under the ""weird that I can't get into"" umbrella. The strong beat at the beginning kind of holds things together; when it loses that, it falls apart for me. The degree to which I like much of the rest is a matter of ""how much do i like the specific instruments being used"", which as a metric is kinda eh. Not a great game for this to play at either, because that weird percussion thing I hate, for similar reasons I hated Illusionary Room.

290. PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient - Stage 9
Nominator: Scholteheim
8 (7.5/1)
VGMC Analysis: Wouldn't do particularly well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n0M8IANJUw
Reminds me a bit of the Kohr-ah theme in the beginning. It's very . Sadly it doesn't do quite enough. The melody isn't super prominent nor it is fantastic, and it's very short. I can dig songs that don't focus much on melodies, I just feel that this song is one that *should* have one. Good organs though.

256. Another Bound Neo - Trample Machine
Nominator: @azuarc
8.1 (8.1/0)
VGMC Analysis: Could reach R4 based on competition; wouldn't retire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77lgyiuAkPw
Good, but it's no Soilscraper. If only I had listened to this right when it was nominated! I looked up the soundtrack and it said that this carried on the traditions of Mitsuda or something?? I don't get that much at all. It's like Falcom mixed with flash game music. Certainly not bad flash game music, but with all of the foibles that those songs have. I think it's a 6/10 example of this kind of song (on a "5 is average" scale), and I have it here because I still like this kind of thing
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1015. imagine giving a description for your nomination - LMAO
Nominator: @UF8
0.1 (0.1/0)
VGMC Analysis: no
<this is an hour long and clearly a joke nomination. no>
no

983. Rockman Strategy - Track 21
Nominator: @Raetsel_Lapin
5 (5/0)
VGMC Analysis: Nope
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEHavH6VUjs
into the 5/10 ambient pile you go

956. Bugsnax - It's Bugsnax
Nominator: @Johnbobb
5.9 (5/1)
VGMC Analysis: like i have any idea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQTk4eK2fP4
God, this reminds me of Don't Hug Me I'm Scared. Like Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, I'm not sure how to react to or feel about this. Like, I think I am completely incapable of rendering an opinion. This goes into "Racing in the Void" tier. Well, I can at least say that "You might find it impossible until you see a sandwich climb a wall" is an amazing lyric

956. Mr. Bones - The First Thing
Nominator: @rwlh
5.9 (5/1)
VGMC Analysis: Do I even need to say?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUe8YdM16RM
bugsnax followed by this is breaking my mind. help. please. send help.

829. Zakuzaku Actors - Rain and Forest (Wetlands and Raindrops Concerto)
Nominator: @dowolf
7 (7/0)
VGMC Analysis: Ineligible
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQMmYGnbMX4
I don't think this really does the things I like about mozell songs. This arrangement feels like a VN song that I wouldn't really care much about without context. The melody isn't powerful enough on its own to get me invested, and I have issues with the instrumentation. You have to be very careful in how you use kicks in low-energy songs for me; here, they just sound cheesy. The "ba"s are whatever too. Honestly, the whole thing is cheesy. Piano sounds like Undertale, oddly. Rain SFX is always nice, at least.
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rwlh posted...

69.
9 / 6 /
69

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Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination

i'd still like songs from place and sergio sooner rather than later...

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place, sergio and raetsel can still nom, it is closed to everybody else

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actually fuck it go ahead

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you can't nom the whole thing!

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I have actually heard that before, sorry

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one more day to submit songs

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sergiocornaga posted...

Have you listened to the entire 13 Sentinels soundtrack?

I have not, though that's kind of a borderline nom. I won't block it though

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I have

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I do not go out of my way to listen* to Kero Kero Bonito, so I haven't heard it

*"clicking on play" counts as out of my way
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yeah that's kosher
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I have not. Keep in mind I've won like two guessing games
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gotta work for your dinner
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Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination

I have heard that one
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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeKaE-gusMmb3og5h9QccANYBTxK5ezRe
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Many of you lamented the poor song choices you made years in the past. Many have gotten to know my taste much better over the years (and hopefully all of you have gotten to know my taste much better over the last three months). Many, I'm sure, wish for a second chance, to do things right this time.

For a limited time only, I am allowing people to nominate one (1) additional song! You have one (1) week to nominate a song that I have not heard for me to rank. If I have heard your nom, I'll tell you and you can try again. Please don't get clever and nominate something from a soundtrack it's clear I like but haven't heard through yet; I want new and creative nominations.

Happy hunting
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Nobody managed to beat the benchmarks, but congratulations to Mycro, Deo and Place for having the top 3 scores, and Mycro, Deo and dowolf for having the top 3 songs!

Final scores:
NFUN: 8.8
VGMC Honorees: 8.52
MycroProcessor: 8.39
banshiryuu: 8.25
Place: 8.2
kaonashi: 8.16
Akkrillic: 8.1
Zyxyz0: 8.09
UF8: 8.03
rwlh: 7.99
dowolf: 7.98
JONALEON1: 7.93
Scholteheim: 7.91
Muzzleflash: 7.87
Collen: 7.86
Zyxyz's Mom: 7.84
ellie: 7.84
pyresword: 7.81
pyromide: 7.8
-hotdogturtle--: 7.79
Thomas: 7.75
RyoCaliente: 7.73
PSI_NESS: 7.72
Th3_M4j0r: 7.7
BetrayedTangy: 7.7
rukir: 7.69
FL81: 7.69
azuarc: 7.65
Regaro: 7.64
trdl23: 7.6
Chinballz: 7.6
Direkrow: 7.58
Shonen_Bat: 7.57
Rob: 7.52
PrinceKaro: 7.52
UltraMana: 7.5
Neotelenta: 7.43
UnluckyLucky: 7.4
Pikman: 7.4
Raetsel_Lapin: 7.39
wv: 7.38
scarletspeed7: 7.36
rwlhs friend: 7.35
Ian: 7.3
DragonImps: 7.3
Choco: 7.3
Rufus: 7.29
Dragon66116: 7.26
Se7enThrust: 7.24
MargaretAnnMid: 7.21
OrangeCrush980: 7.21
Prody Parrot: 7.21
jangler: 7.18
handsomeboy2012: 7.14
Elecmarol: 7.12
LOLIAmAnAlt: 7.1
Wicklebee: 7.08
Snake5555555555: 7
r0xm2n: 6.99
Reddeh: 6.96
Johnbobb: 6.87
lucifiere: 6.48
arti: 6.09
Bane: 2.1

Top 10 composers (with at least 3 songs ranked):
Kota Hoshino: 9.44
Morrigan: 9.14
Takeshi Abo: 8.88
Nekomata Master: 8.86
DM DOKURO: 8.84
void: 8.81
Osamu Sato: 8.67
watson: 8.42
Masashi Hamauzu: 8.35
Yoshimi Kudo: 8.34

That is a very NFUN top ten, except Hoshino managed to displace zts. Guess I need to listen through Armored Core now... which is convenient, since rtvgm is playing AC2 today

Top 10 series (with at least 3 songs ranked):
Armored Core: 9.44
Katamari: 8.67
VA-11 HALL-A: 8.44
beatmania: 8.36
Guitar Hero: 8.34
EXA_PICO: 8.22
Minecraft: 8.22
REFLEC BEAT: 8.2
Atelier: 8.17
Murasaki: 8.15

Top 10 genres (usual terms & conditions apply):
Emotional Banger: 9.24
Jolteon: 8.78
Disco: 8.49
Umbreon: 8.42
Flamenco: 8.37
Violin: 8.36
Happy: 8.29
Chill: 8.27
Collen: 8.26
Trance: 8.15
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0./0. Undertale - Dogsong
Nominator: @lucifiere
18.8 (18.3/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woPff-Tpkns
geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet dunked on
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1./1. Aurora Memoria - Philosophical Data Session: 2093 - DigiFamily
Nominator: @MycroProcessor
10.4 (9.9/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx6Hdg1QTJY
This is super cool. The instrument and melody that starts at :35 reminds me strongly of something, but I can't place it now. Nevertheless, this is the type of Mycro song I adore. It's got all sorts of weird shit going on, but in a way that, to me at least, is interesting and well put together. Sometimes these kinds of songs almost seem to be 'trying too hard' to me, and they just can't *click*. This, on the other hand, very much does. It's satisfying to hear all of this madness come together into something incredible. It's one of those songs (like Kimera II, for instance), that gets better every time you hear it indefinitely, even if it took a year to get from a 9.8 to a 9.9. Christ, it's so fucking good. Just as I knew THE KING would win my last ranking when I first heard it, this was destined for victory as well.

Oh wait I've got it. It, oddly enough, reminds me of a segment of the 2017 International Wrestling Festival's gachi collab. Anyway, remember, that was 2018 NFUN talking. I've swerved much more into this kind of music since then. Maybe I liked it so much now that my good feelings echoed back in time, influencing how I felt about it in the past. Childhood's End. The end of my childhood of VGM listening. Anyways, a winner is you. Congratulations Mycro! I doubt this was the pick you were expecting to make it the farthest, but I also somehow doubt you're entirely surprised... Once again, thank you for showing me this song
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2./3. Ar tonelico 2 - Sen ~ Kono Hana Saku ya (Dye ~ Let This Flower Bloom)
Nominator: @dowolf
10.3 (9.8/1)
VGMC History: ELIGIBLE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igWXbPWrqMQ
My original review: yep that's ar tonelico alright. The distorted screaming at 3:06 is neat

My new review: Out of every song nominated that I haven't saved due to being part of a soundtrack that I've gone through, this is undoubtedly the one I've listened to the most. The flow chart for me listening to it is essentially "Did I think of this song? Yes -> listen to song". It's sublime. It's isn't common for me to connect emotionally with a song I have no context for. This absolutely did (to the point where writing that line made me tear up a little just by making me think about the emotions). I'm not sure I can even say why. I think the way its constructed, more than the lyrics, is extremely magnetic to me, kind of similar to how I haven't stopped thinking about XaaaCi in a year or how I get filled with energy at CIEL_NOSURGE's 'FAMNE'. I often tend to view things in a way akin to Freytag's Pyramid (without the inherent strict organization), of swells and trenches of energy or emotion or drama. I structure my lists in terms of 'movements' like this, for example, trying to build a story, of hope and disaster and determination, told without words. This song is the ideal of this kind of storytelling, and I'm not sure if I've ever heard another song that did anything like this in this way, or another song that I felt I could understand despite not knowing the lyrics (btw, having lyrics that aren't perfect is infinitely better than not having lyrics at all #newvideolink). Honestly, other hymmnos like EXSPHERE or the ones I mentioned earlier are the only examples I can think of. So what I'm saying here is that this song is basically goals

There's another song that's well-known I think I can use as a point of comparison. I've mentioned, here and elsewhere, that songs that are very emotion-focused (for example, End of All) need something else to draw me, otherwise they'll just be complete misses. This manages to hit three marks. It's got an energy, it's interesting, and it's beautiful enough to get over the barrier and connect with me. The last trait is very rare. The former two are why I like lot of PSO2 music, and *especially* Endeavour. You'd think I'd hate Endeavour from some of my other opinions. You'd be forgiven for thinking I'd hate this. But they both manage to succeed where most other pretenders failed. You might remember how hard I pushed for Endeavour to win in 14. Draw your own conclusions (ha ha, I gave them a tied Personal score but this is ahead because of Deserved. I'm leaving this comment here regardless)

Oh cool, this is now specifically eligible. Needless to say, I will be nominating this
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3./6. Armored Core Verdict Day - Stain
Nominator: @banshiryuu
10.2 (9.7/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnvqcSKho5w
This song is oddly... compelling (I need a invent new genre based on this and the Gamera song). More than any other I've had it randomly pops in my head, forcing me to relisten to it. The lyrics are complete gibberish to me (and probably in general too), but the way they're shouted fits perfectly with the dramatic tone in the song, especially with the thumbnail. Somehow it's the most deo song in this list. The energetic, near-incomprehensibility of it, in my eyes, fits him extremely well. The song desperately wants you to listen, to pay attention, to empathize with it. "Desperately", with all of the connotations that word can hold. It's out of options. It's begging. It's throwing everything it has in this one final effort. You are its last hope. You can't resist a call like that
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UF8 posted...

is this a hint that next time you're doing 2000 songs

I would jump off a bridge first
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4./7. Tempest 2000 - Minds Eye
Nominator: Akkrillic
10.1 (9.6/1)
VGMC History: Ineligible
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZdjlSWipbWM
Oops I accidentally spoiled how much I like this song. My bad. In the songs preceding and following this, I through in a lot of description of how the song impacted me, or how the song made me feel. I'm not doing that for this. This song didn't affect me emotionally, or help me to grow in my understanding of how I appreciate music, or expand and define and re-evaluate my taste. No. This song is just a straight-up banger. What the hell

In the final rankings, Tempest 2000 > Gamera 2000 > Tyrian 2000. Congratulations to all contenders for your performance in the *real* contest
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the only genetos song I know is Origin, and I see the connection there, though that wasn't what I was thinking of
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5./8. LifeCycle - LifeCycle
Nominator: @UF8
10.1 (9.6/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8rcy67EZ1I
Reminiscent of something. Mozell? Watson? Oh. Yep. Just "UF8 noms". Kind of gets messy a bit in with the low drum crash type thing and afterwards I'm not hugely into the cymbals. It does pick up a PMD feel then, which is nice. I think something about the sound design is simultaneously very cool and somewhat offputting at times. Segments of it are extremely good, like the last ten seconds after 2:55, which competes for my favorite portion of any song nominated. God, it's infuriating how close this is to top tier. If it was mixed a little differently this could be probably top 20... oops. Yeah those objections evaporated without much fanfare. There are still certainly parts I like less (I am adamant that the mixing could use some work), but they don't bother me at all anymore unless I'm actively listening for them. Meanwhile, the parts I really like I *still* really like. Individual pieces are still some of the most touching bits I've heard in this project, and they're made especially powerful with the relentless dedication to this bittersweet, determined, uplifting mood. What a song
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Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination

NFUN posted...

6./9.

ni./ce.
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6./9. REFLEC BEAT limelight - IMAGE -MATERIAL- (Version 0)
Nominator: @Prody_Parrot
10.1 (9.6/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jljKZhVWj4k
This is tailored for [2018] me. "Epic Falcom" strings and choir with a good deal of variety in its long length. It's like the Merciless Savior mixed with Ar Tonelico and a better Bemani OST... alright, I have a confession to make (and no, that confession isn't "I have no idea how to properly compare this with anything"). When I played this in NFUN Radio, I'd actually already heard it before. I just wanted to surreptiously share it with people without revealing that I liked it a lot. My reaction to this was pretty much like Dire's. Something along the lines of "holy shit, what is this, this is awesome, this is so good, this is like an instant 9.5 for me". yeah. me too buddy
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7./10. Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong-Nou - Transmigration
Nominator: @Collen
10.1 (9.6/1)
VGMC History: XIII: R1
https://youtu.be/f7_l-L-I5Jg
wow nfun likes tong nou music who couldve seen this coming

this song is... somebody I showed it to referred to it as 'sound nostalgia'. I'm not sure if he meant the song just sounds nostalgic, or if it reminds him of he heard in the past. I think it being a little ambiguous fits. It's sound nostalgia. That is what this song is. That is what it makes me feel. Nostalgia for experiences I didn't experience. Haunting, mysterious, both natural and occult. A lush virgin jungle, ancient and primordial, untouched by human hands yet containing unknown stone ruins. An endless steppe, effulgent by the illumination of a perpetual golden sunset, with hallucigenic apparitions and visual warping and inexplicable, glowing motes breaking the maddening, enlightening monotony of the plain. A fucking giant green head that's a also an island whose ear you can go into. It's tranquil, calming, relaxing, hypnotizing. There's tension, apocrypha, but you are lulled back into passivity. Unexplained calls echo around you... and then that MELODY returns. God. I think on first inspection the Tong-Nou theme would appear weirder to most people, but it doesn't put me in some weird-ass headspace like this one does. This is more deceptive in its peacefulness. Good nom. Thanks for introducing me to this game
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8./11. The Norwood Suite - Blue Moose Man
Nominator: @Place
10 (9.5/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw9ke02fz-s
A song that has grown in my estimations over the years. I dig the mellow weirdness that it has going on. Most songs like this would lose my attention, but it's got a very compelling *thing* going on. The way that the instruments in the beginning crescend over each note pulls you in... wow. Okay what the fuck. It sounded a bit like the notes were reversed in the way they did that; holy shit I was not expecting exactly what they are. I expect reversed piano to sound like Skyclad, not this. I'm in tatters. Also the marimba is GOOD and COOL. I had more to say but I'm ruined now. Thanks Place. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdhMQDmC5uU
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9./12. beatmania IIDX 21 SPADA - Element of SPADA (Long Version)
Nominator: @Prody_Parrot
10 (9.5/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j14wIrcbMo
Nekomata Master good. Only he can blend rhythm, world and emotional music in this way. He's a goddamn treasure. I always forget that this gets Exa Pico halfway through for a bit. Honestly, I don't know how much that adds to the song. The original link died, and I don't remember if it was the full version or not, so I'll use the short one, which is overall tighter... oh wait, you explicitly called it the long version. Thanks for being clear. Don't worry, I don't even know if the difference is worth any points. The chanting breaks the flow a bit, but it picks back up very well, so the bump gets smoothed over
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10./13. Magical Chase - Waltz of Meditation Part 2 (Arrange)
Nominator: @MycroProcessor
10 (9.5/1)
VGMC History: Ineligible
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzjVEnTPDdY
The beginning is very Beatles, or maybe just very 70s prog rock that I don't have a proper reference frame to connect to. As I'm sure you all know, Yoshimi Kudo is based. There's no other word for it. I love this song, and I am unhappy it's not VGMC eligible. Come for the interesting progressive prog progressions, stay for the surprisingly heartwarming atmosphere that pervades the song

comedic timing demands i post this now without making a fuller writeup
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If you want. I'm mostly keeping this around for people who might not have the link to the new thread on hand. I don't think there was terribly much important discussion in here
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Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination

BONUS Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D Revolution - "IDOLA" the Strange Fruits
Nominator: Schtolteheim
9.9 (9.9/0)
VGMC History: XIV: 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J02meO3Ovlg
Too powerful a nomination that it would become too clear ahead of time I love to allow in the normal contest. I love Partizans, but man, that shit still hurted ;__;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSa3uUMwv8s
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everybody left (except mycro) has one song left, so eliminations are implied

12./17. Lord of Vermilion IV - With their fingers entwined.
Nominator: @kaonashi
9.9 (9.4/1)
VGMC History: XIII: 1.5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHDYCe66_bg
Opening makes me think of OneShot, then it gets very **not** OneShot, but in a good way. This is great and makes me FEEL things. The random electronic burst later on likely would've made me drop this a lot lower (seriously, why is it there) if METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE hadn't gotten me accustomed to those sounds. Those notwithstanding, this is extremely moving and powerful. Everything (but the wubs) is perfect. DUDE the harp thing at 1:15 and throughout. I listened to this so many times without picking up on those. Man, this song is so good what the hell

11./14. Emil Chronicle Online - The World of Curiosity
Nominator: @Zyxyz0
10 (9.5/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGwErkquA8g
The worst part of rankings is that sometimes I'll want to continue a train of thought from one song to the next, but since obviously this continuity wouldn't be preserved when I actually post the songs (unless I'm *really* biased), it'd make no sense at all in the context of the topic. I was gonna say something like 'unlike the last song, this is generic and could be anything but does enough that it manages to be pretty good regardless'. Well, that, and the last song was Clannad - Hurry Starfish. Have fun scrolling back 300 rankings or so because you certainly don't remember what that song sounds like unless you are r0xm2n, whoever that is.

Anyways, I love this, and it really grew on me over the years. I kind of thought it was a generic VN tune at first; later, I think the song name gave it *just* the extra bit of contextualization that it needed for me to really be drawn to it. It doesn't need to be complex at all; the simple flute and accompaniment is beautiful and conveys a sense of wonder perfectly, and with the song's carefree energy, it makes me see the world a bit like a child again. Needless to say, I am moved

This really shot up in my rankings. I found it kind of difficult to comparatively rank 'sentimental' songs poorly compared to songs that I possibly enjoy more, with less emotional connotation, and while this is very sappy, it's sappy in a way that manages to connect; therefore, this may have been placed higher in my ordering playlist than it should've due to this bias... in other words, this is so high because I couldn't bear to put it lower. All told, I do enjoy it a great deal, certainly enough that I can't find its placement objectionable. Perhaps its placement is just an artifact of my particular moods while finalizing these rankings. Perhaps in five years I'll still love it. Right now, it's here, where it belongs
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beep
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14./22. Liberation of Azure - Hero's Sword
Nominator: @FL81
9.8 (9.3/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F71vFcQa-G8
why didnt you nom this for my normal battle topic it would've gotten second

whoa this was composed by a guy who did Yakuza 0 music (not that much though)

rip vgmc dreams. we'll get 'em next time, when i can actually support it

sega good

i would talk about the actual song now, but i covered what needed to be said. an exemplar of its genre

13./2. Idola Phantasy Star Saga - Endeavour
Nominator: VGMC Honorees
9.8 (9.8/0)
VGMC History: XIV: Champion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74TocPKiNCs
...

BRING UPON US A NEW TOMORROW BRAND NEW BEGINNING WITH ALL US TOGETHER

except fl won't be there. because he's dead. there goes the last of the champions too
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a bad translation is better than no translation
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Life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination

16./5. Atelier Ayesha - Invitation Flower -- Autumn
Nominator: @dowolf
9.7 (9.7/0)
VGMC History: XIII: R6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZhjh-DME3k
The clear best Invitation Flower (> Summer > Spring >> Winter) and perhaps the best song in Ayesha, even considering it lacks the glorious wood flute/earthy guitar combo. This does pretty much everything right. Or everything perfectly right. I can't really find any flaws. It's sooo good. The instruments are (of course) glorious, and that lick the marimba plays the whole time gives me shivers throughout the song. The way it kind of fades in and out of moods is sublime, and unexpected every time. Good VGMC performance too (suck it deo). It died to Exsphere (so did everything else, but more directly than most) and yet for obvious reasons I'm not too upset about that

I spent a very long time agonizing over whether or not to give this a Deserved point. I hadn't heard this song when it was nominated, so I shouldn't penalize the song my getting familiar with the soundtrack later, but I think I listened through it before getting to this song in the rankings. It's a song that stands out, but it doesn't stand out that much from Yanagawa's other works, which I see all the time now. I think ultimately, it just felt *wrong* for this to be the #3 song in the rankings, and so regretfully it loses the point it once had. Sorry dowolf

15./4. Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE;
Nominator: VGMC Honorees
9.7 (9.7/0)
VGMC History: XIII: Champion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BywGBJDXQ0c
Hi VGMC (champion[!]). Guess deo's off the hook for a nomination

*static* EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *static*

Okay the static is actually really cool. The guitar that starts at 2:15 is so great and I didn't notice it for so long. This song grew on me a lot. Initially I had reluctant admiration for a dreaded hymmnos (or something in the vein of one, at least), but every so often I'd come back to it and like it more, and by the time VGMC rolled around I'd have voted for it over any of its competitors*. I made a big stink at Calamity losing to fucking NWO but uh, not too upset at this winning. I will say that these videos are required for hymmnos. Without them, the songs can be too chaotic and inscrutable. You need the contextualization that they provide (even if the Japanese translation isn't perfect). For more details on why I like this, see any one of the many essays by mycro or dowolf on why this song is GOATed. I somehow managed to get a non-VGM person really into this song, so you know it's good
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18. Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse - Tokyo (Large Map)
Nominator: @Regaro
9.7 (9.2/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOqTgQZBJhk
It's very frustrating to me when I can only find extended links for songs. When, for a while, that was the version of this video I had, I enabled the loop feature on youtube. I could (and have) listened to this for hours. It's the blend of calming and motivating that I love (see Azure Sadness). I even bro'd out with a friend with this song when he was overwhelmed with social anxiety at a party. I've had a lot of ""vibe"" songs ranked highly in this list. This is the highest and vibiest. Favorite part: none, really

17. Steins;Gate 0 - Gate of Steiner
Nominator: @OrangeCrush980
9.7 (9.2/1)
VGMC History: None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5fnglcM5VI
After months of looking at the thumbnail (an old one where Okabe is yelling at his phone) and having no idea what was going on, I've finally embraced my inner Hououin and played. You may expect significant gameplay bias (although I've always been partial to Gate of Steiner). I changed the link to the full version, btw, which I prefer.

Bias aside, I do like the song a good amount (if being an ending song for a game I liked is all that mattered then I'd like I Swear in any way at all). The lyrics, just like the games, appeal to my edgy sciency side and in the month after I beat SG0 I sang it in the shower literally every day. Vaguely meaningful scientific nonsense is one of my favorite things to appear in lyrics! And in any case, this had almost the same score before I played, so I clearly had emotional attachment to it uncontextualized. It's just a beautiful song

Make this moment last, last forever!

It's been a while since Orangecrush lost a song, and I bet Regaro wasn't expecting to get 2 top 25 songs, but they are both gone now
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