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Topic[VGMC] Video Game Music Contest 17: Nominations
rwlh
04/25/23 9:54:32 AM
#379
ZelRaat posted...
I'll fill out my 3 remaining supports for now before I start getting rid of nominations. If you're interested in some of my noms which have gotten no attention so far (SMRPG - Weapons Factory, Hanachirasu - Pleasures of a Tyrant, Metly Blood Re-Act - Wonderful Boy, Rewrite - Exploration, Pop'n Music 10 - LOVE IS ORANGE, Time and Eternity - A Heart That Can't Be Broken, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 - Worlds Collide) you have until the 27th to drop a support.

wtf I supported Weapons Factory
Topic[VGMC] Video Game Music Contest 17: Nominations
rwlh
04/23/23 7:09:52 PM
#276
I have listened to everything through day 2. I'm here to kick ass and fill out my remaining nominations with supports...and I'm all out of ass.

I did that right, didn't I?

+ [-Aka-] | Desert-Duo | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNbUU5FzTwE
+ Arknights | Heal the World | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o5pHx8XMPI
+ Elebits | Me and My Little War | https://youtu.be/6KKtDzRV6w0
+ Final Fantasy XIV | Close in the Distance | https://youtu.be/kj_pWv3ISAw
+ FutureGrind | noisemaker | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC4xBnLl6Ok
+ Heaven Burns Red | Indra | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPMgCxV4vdc
+ Iseki-jima to Nanatsu no Mahou | Banbard (Piano Version) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V-C0_v3efY
+ Magical Chase | Waltz of Meditation Part2 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqwbxNC_lyw
+ Mother 3 | Battle Against The Masked Man | https://youtube.com/watch?v=2L4NjsuQoHM
+ Ragnarok Online 2: The Gate of the World | HODO | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTPP1JQKsVg
+ Shin Megami Tensei IV | Tokyo | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDsDYCI3fyc
+ Splatoon 3 | Underwater Neon | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shUuOimYvtA
+ Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars | Weapons Factory | https://youtu.be/tNFp4P9Bw-k
Topic[VGMC] Video Game Music Contest 17: Nominations
rwlh
04/20/23 9:37:01 PM
#197
Fashionably late, but here are two for 2!

+ Bastion | Spike in a Rail | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB5GJWgRepY
loop point: 2:54

+ Gimmick! | Strange Memories of Death | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knik6QqDJJ0
loop point: 1:11
TopicDo you like this character? Day 1458: Phil Connors (Groundhog Day)
rwlh
04/20/23 2:20:19 PM
#21
yeah
Topic[VGMC] Video Game Music Contest 17: Nominations
rwlh
04/19/23 7:01:32 PM
#45
+ Animorphs | Ending / Staff Roll | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM4r5iBylvw
loop point: 1:35

+ Gundemonium Recollection | Tuxedo Knight | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BuVrmR3sNY
loop point: 2:09

+ Mortal Kombat (Sega CD) | Techno Syndrome | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr1bLLvsbh0
loop point: 3:26

+ Pizza Tower | Its Pizza Time! | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7gGacb8cO4
loop point: 3:49

+ Pokmon Scarlet/Violet | Battle! (Ruinous Pokmon) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obv4FEupHVg
loop point: 1:43
Topic[VGMC] Video Game Music Contest 17 announcement!! Noms are 4/19!!
rwlh
04/17/23 9:57:16 PM
#56
Getting closer!
Topic[VGMC] Video Game Music Contest 17 announcement!! Noms are 4/19!!
rwlh
04/16/23 1:33:16 PM
#48
up again
Topic[VGMC] Video Game Music Contest 17 announcement!! Noms are 4/19!!
rwlh
04/15/23 10:33:14 AM
#44
up
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat the Prince of All Cosmos in a fight?
rwlh
04/14/23 6:57:22 PM
#18
oops i forgot about this lol
Topic[VGMC] Video Game Music Contest 17 announcement!! Noms are 4/19!!
rwlh
04/12/23 12:53:11 PM
#16
Hooray!
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat the Prince of All Cosmos in a fight?
rwlh
04/09/23 11:18:13 AM
#13
lonely rolling kong
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat the Prince of All Cosmos in a fight?
rwlh
04/08/23 9:24:10 PM
#12
My, Donkey Kong Island is certainly full of things.
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat the Prince of All Cosmos in a fight?
rwlh
04/08/23 6:12:00 PM
#10
na naaa, na na na na na naa naa
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat the Prince of All Cosmos in a fight?
rwlh
04/08/23 1:58:22 PM
#1
Arguments for the Prince:
  • he comes into battle wielding a katamari, which can withstand oceans, volcanoes, and the sun
  • the katamari can pick up anything smaller than it, so if the Prince gets a good clip going he could potentially roll up DK
  • the Prince could be as small as a thumbtack until he builds up the katamari, effectively hiding himself from DK
Arguments for DK:
  • DK has experience with large, round, rolling objects
  • he might just outright step on the Prince
  • if DK shoots the Prince, it's gonna hurt


Last topic DK was no match for Yuna's summons, or her magic in general really. Today might be more interesting - an unconventional fight involving DK outlasting an object of rapidly increasing size. Could he punt away the tiny katamari, squish it between his fingers? But if the katamari gets too big, will he be rolled up like so many pandas? What happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable monkey?

Nominations are welcome!
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat Yuna in a fight?
rwlh
04/08/23 12:08:02 PM
#29
Anyone else?
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat Yuna in a fight?
rwlh
04/07/23 7:10:42 PM
#18
could donkey kong defeat Spira's inherent racism in a fight
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat Yuna in a fight?
rwlh
04/07/23 4:37:22 PM
#16
well that's just rude
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat Yuna in a fight?
rwlh
04/07/23 2:21:37 PM
#13
NFUN posted...
she was kidnapped multiple times

but was she ever kidnapped by a monkey
TopicCould Donkey Kong defeat Yuna in a fight?
rwlh
04/07/23 12:43:25 PM
#1
Arguments for Yuna:
  • she has powerful summons that could, if brought out, do serious damage
  • she also has a bevy of magic spells
  • unlike some other women in DK's life, she is not particularly kidnappable
Arguments for DK:
  • he could attempt to speedblitz her before she can summon
  • he might be able to tank some of her magic
  • if he shoots Yuna, it's gonna hurt


Last topic, Jimmy Neutron's inventions were no match for DK's brute force. Today, his opponent is Yuna from Final Fantasy X, who comes into battle with a variety of fancy Final Fantasy stuff, including some very potent summons. Can DK handle Yuna's magic, or will he be forced to stay away from the summoner?
TopicDo you like this character? Day 1454: Chiaki Nanami (Danganronpa 2)
rwlh
04/07/23 12:19:34 PM
#13
sure
TopicRank the Albums Volume 4: Results
rwlh
04/06/23 9:33:41 PM
#77
Wow, the top album also got a last place vote!
TopicDo you like this character? Day 1453: Roger Rabbit (Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
rwlh
04/05/23 12:03:10 PM
#28
yes
TopicDo you like this character? Day 1451: Mabel Pines (Gravity Falls)
rwlh
03/30/23 7:47:58 PM
#25
y
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/30/23 3:09:03 PM
#252
One more bump!
TopicRank the Albums Volume 4: Results
rwlh
03/24/23 3:22:41 PM
#38
Booooo
TopicRank the Albums Volume 4: Results
rwlh
03/21/23 1:54:30 PM
#23
I'm not all that into metal, so all the metal albums in this batch didn't thrill me, but one thing I appreciated was how they were all pretty different from each other. The albums by Protest the Hero and Sonata Arctica have very distinct sounds, for example. It was a neat to get sort of a metal sampler.
TopicRank the Albums Volume 4: Results
rwlh
03/21/23 11:57:14 AM
#19
Even though I didn't like any of the other songs on Palimpsest, I've revisited Rivet a lot since I listened to the album. I even woke up with it in my head today!
TopicRank the Albums Volume 4: Results
rwlh
03/20/23 12:11:39 PM
#13
I'm glad I also submitted my favorite song from each of the albums. Since I didn't follow most of the ranking topics, I don't really know what songs did well. For example: It's Gotta Be You was clearly my favorite from Millennium, like not even close, but it didn't make the overall top 3!
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/20/23 11:35:09 AM
#251
FYI: whatever ranking project I do next probably won't happen for a little while, as VGMC season (VGMCson?) is starting soon and that will take up a lot of my time.
TopicRank the Albums Volume 4: Results
rwlh
03/18/23 2:28:51 PM
#4
This was a lot of fun to compile! I don't often participate in the main topics, because for me at least ranking individual, often similar-sounding songs is tough. I found it much easier to rank all these albums against each other because they were so different, and I could take each album as a total experience.

I found a lot of great music, so thanks to you all for nominating it.

edit: So Long, Astoria was the only album of the 25 that I didn't finish.

Also, I knew 2 of the albums prior to this project, and 2 more I participated in their rankings. Everything else was new.
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/17/23 2:55:02 PM
#250
Another bump.
TopicRank the Albums Volume 4: voting thread
rwlh
03/13/23 3:07:13 PM
#18
Thank you! This was fun. :D
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/13/23 12:21:09 PM
#249
Anybody else?
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/12/23 6:02:00 PM
#248
cakophon posted...
just read through all of this, some really neat finds. of things i hadnt seen before at all, i particularly liked the entries for katanagatari, planet dob, legends of runeterra, and hitman. super fun to read your writeups as well, great topic!!

Glad you enjoyed so much!

Simoun posted...
Hi @rwlh sorry I've been really busy lately and I only just saw this thread. I did wonder if you instantly got burned out and decided never to rank it but I'm glad you got it all out there.

The guy who made the art for Root is Kyle Ferrin. I recommend checking out his Instagram https://www.instagram.com/d20plusmodifier/

Kyle Ferrin has consistently been doing boardgame art for Leder Games whom which their specialty is releasing games of an asymmetrical nature and thus all their factions need to be distinct and unique. I'm avid collector of the Root games and I suck at it but I mainly like the production quality and the art. I do adore those critters alot.

Also yes Mystery Skulls has a series of videos. I was there when the first one came out and every year kept anticipating the continuation of its saga but the first one was always the best. I thought you'd like to appreciate something that was animated to the beat very well all the while telling a story which is very rare to do so well in general.

Finally it was very hard for me to find an appropriate video for Enderal but I'm glad you liked it. Because frankly those videos do not do the game justice at all. This total conversion mod manages to be tinier than Skyrim but a whole lot tighter and it's very hard to explain unless you're actually playing this game or watching a playthrough but the way the entire map is structured doesn't feel like you're in a PC Open Adventure game with biomes, but an actual world where the biomes make sense where one begins and another ends. The world itself is tied into the motif of the game and tells a story all on its own without any hand holding. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for a break from "traditional" western open world RPGs as it is sure to subvery expectations in all aspects.

Hey, glad you found the topic. I actually looked up the second Mystery Skulls video and didn't like it nearly as much, so it seems like you made the right choice! Your nominations were all super interesting and I'm happy you participated in the topic.

Fluttershy_Pony posted...
This was a fun topic, thanks for running it.

You're welcome, thanks for reading!
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/07/23 4:28:15 PM
#244
Anagram posted...
Not the winner I expected.

Glad I could keep you on your toes!

skulltrumpets posted...
i got through 90% of this topic and then fell a bit ill unexpectedly, so the bumps were rather appreciated. loved reading this topic even though i entered hella late and it is making me think more about how i view visual design (a subject i am already really passionate about)

I'm happy you enjoyed. I will also say this topic (and the previous one I ran about Pokemon) have helped me think about visual design too, which is the big reason I wanted to do it.
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/07/23 9:42:28 AM
#242
Up again, just in case anyone's lagging behind.
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/06/23 9:13:12 PM
#240
Up in case anyone hasn't seen the end of the ranking.
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/06/23 3:47:52 PM
#239
Johnbobb posted...
Very good list, very hard to predict

Thank you!
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/06/23 10:16:33 AM
#237
redrocket posted...
Thank you for this. These were well thought out and entertaining writeups!

Glad you liked them! Thanks! :D
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/05/23 6:03:43 PM
#235
DragonGargoyle posted...
I had looked at most of the entries during the nomination topic, and World of Tomorrow was one of the ones I remebered most

Thank u for putting in all the effort to write about all of these series, it was an ambitious project

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/05/23 4:59:13 PM
#233
rwlh posted...
Up!

TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/05/23 9:19:30 AM
#232
Up!
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/04/23 9:33:48 PM
#230
Does anyone know where I can watch the full run of World of Tomorrow? Episode 1 is available for free on YouTube, and 2 and 3 are behind a paywall - is that the whole series?
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/04/23 7:43:48 PM
#227
IT'S OVER!

This was a lot of fun to run! Thank you to everyone who submitted and followed along and left me encouraging posts as I worked my way through everything. I learned about a lot of really cool series with really cool visual design. Hopefully you found stuff you liked too, and maybe enjoyed some of the writeups to boot!

I'm taking a (well-deserved imo) break after this but I'm always on the prowl for new ranking topic ideas, so feel free to let me know if you have any.

Thanks again! :D

Oh and if you want to see the fully ranked list, it can be found on this spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Iu4-GCkl0EKjDbrAyl96tDyHqHtczQlHrE1OM-FPD2c/edit#gid=0
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/04/23 7:39:39 PM
#226
And your top ranked series by design is...

1. World of Tomorrow
@Place
https://youtu.be/8dsvHhtPT5g
https://youtu.be/1-0pl2KTzNM

Im a bit at a loss with how to write about World of Tomorrow. I was very moved by these clips and their sad, bittersweet distant future, to the point where I want to find a way to watch the rest of the series. But Im not here to talk about narrative choices or dialogue; Im here to talk about the design. How does this short film series stack up in terms of visual design?

The answer is really, really, really well.

Don Hertzfeldt (I know him from the short film Rejected) has taken something as abstract as the future and used crude animation to render it vividly. The people in these clips are stick figures, but they have wants and needs. Take the narrator of the first clip, telling the story of how she fell in love with a clone (she is also a clone) in sad but removed language. Emily Prime, the little girl next to her, says the clone woman missed him. Here the animation does something marvelous: everything stops, freezes on the clones face as her facial features literally glitch around. She then narrates the rest of the clip, alone, in a colorless void. Its so effective at conveying her loss and her utter inability to comprehend it.

The second clip is different and uses more sophisticated animation. A space traveler lands on a distant planet to collect a package. His face is neutral on the ride, implying hes done this before. The ship uses jets to reposition itself, in some nifty frames. The space travelers small human body is contrasted nicely with the massive, alien world that stretches out behind him.

This really was a fantastic nomination. Thank you for giving me something to write a lot about, and something to look forward to looking up after the topic ends!
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/04/23 7:38:32 PM
#225
2. Journey
@Johnbobb
https://imgur.com/a/VsdBFej
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFhQHQJbL30

Fun fact: this was the last nomination I reviewed. Glad I saved this one until the end!

Journey is gorgeous. Not just gorgeous a lot of games in this ranking are gorgeous but its gorgeous in a liberating way. Watching this video, seeing the player sprint across sand dunes, framed by the sun, I felt like my heart was soaring along with them. I dont play a lot of games, so for gameplay footage to evoke that sort of reaction in me is saying a lot. The artfulness of the camera angles helps with that, from the sideways shot to show the suns reflection to the big cinematic wide angle as you take the leap of faith. The crispness of the brown and yellow textures makes you feel like youre traversing a desert, but I didnt feel alone at all, buffeted along by the aesthetic (and also Austin Wintorys majestic score).

The visual design isnt as flashy as some of the other game noms. Its mostly the same color, although the pictures reveal other areas in hues of white and blue and black that Im sure are just as gorgeous. But you dont need flashiness to stand out visually. Journey commits to its design 100%, and its married perfectly with the gameplay and overall experience. Watching just this three minute video was an incredible time for me. What other games can say that?
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/04/23 7:37:39 PM
#224
Snake5555555555 posted...
Yeah it's definitely some of my favorite art ever, and some of the darkest. The "Lady Punisher" is Jenny Cesare, her story is pretty bleak to say the least!

Neat! I'll have to look her up.

Should we finish up?

-

3. Cuphead
@paulg235
https://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cuphead_bosses_ranked_21.jpg?p=1
https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/reviews/07gCCz5tJt2s0vs1n2uFIeD-2.jpg
https://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Cuphead-The-Delicious-Last-Course-review-2000x12701.jpg
https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/06/29/cuphead_dlc_screenshot_1080_3_wide-8a3d4386c32dcf5ce751d20cdc869a85945f248f-s1100-c50.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl-Qz9YRY1A

To me, Cuphead is a perfect example of something that commits to an aesthetic one hundred percent. The creators of this game wanted to emulate old cartoons, specifically the Fleischer rubber hose style, and they pull it off with flying colors. The clip of the fight against Cagney Carnation is a great example of how the visual design is eye-popping but also serves the game on a practical level, as the flowers movements and faces indicate incoming attacks.

The images also show off the games penchant for big, vivid design. The bosses are larger than life. That makes defeating them seem insurmountable at first (that and the punishing difficulty). Their designs are inspired by the old cartoons, but theyre given modern spins, like Esther Winchester, who very clearly takes cues from Clarabelle Cow but has her own style too. I also love how the whole game has an old-fashioned screen flicker, something that was duplicated in the Netflix show!

Cuphead is really a delight to watch. Its funny to think that the game would be infinitely more frustrating if the graphics werent so pretty to look at!
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/04/23 10:10:15 AM
#220
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse
@Bitto
https://imgur.com/a/EmkJ0VG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApXoWvfEYVU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDTjN5dVCzg

This nomination absolutely makes me want to go out and watch this movie. Its so charming and exuberant. Theres something so joyful in just watching Miles Morales run around New York City, before he even has his powers; I suspect its the kineticism of the animation, the wide camera angles, the bright colors. Im not sure what youd call an animation style like this. Is it technically cel shading? Whatever it is, its damn effective.

Everything is so crisp, even in the more mundane clip with Miles and his dad. The music video does a great job with dynamic storytelling. Its a great trailer, hinting at story bits without giving too much away. I especially liked the lyrics appearing in the movie shots. And the still images are drop dead gorgeous shots of Spider-Man (Spider-Men?) somersaulting all over the city. What a breathtaking movie this surely is.
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/04/23 9:56:34 AM
#219
NFUN posted...
it'd almost like a woodcut

Hmm, maybe! I could see that.

-

5. Punisher Max
@Snake5555555555
https://imgur.com/gallery/jTmYpLk

Frank Castle is very good at killing dudes, as this highly detailed art shows. These covers and splash pages show the Punisher in shadow, haunted by his personal dreams but also presumably by the nature of his work. You know going in, with the black and white palette tinged with occasional red, what youre in for.

The stark whiteness of Castles iconic skull shirt works very effectively, especially in image 2, where he creeps up on some scumbag in a public bathroom, reaching into his waist for a gun. Dead bodies are all over this art, lying in the wake of Castles rampage.

Image 4 stands out to me because its an exception to the rule in its almost-playfulness. Here we see Castle relaxing, foot propped on the couch, after brutally murdering at least two men. He looks dead serious, but the composition suggests a moment of respite.

Who is the Lady Punisher in image 3? She seems cool. Castles silhouette lurks behind her, but Im assuming theyre not rivals. Shes drawn in a way that makes her seem like shes cut from the same cloth as him, with a brutally serious face and heavy artillery.

I never really got into the Punisher, but these images serve to remind me that these stories can be very stylish, and in a different way from some of the ultraviolent antihero comics that exist. There is lots of care and attention to detail, and it truly sucks me in with urgency.
TopicI rank series by their visual design [ranking]
rwlh
03/03/23 9:05:54 PM
#214
One more tonight.

-

6. Return of the Obra Dinn
@Bitto
https://imgur.com/a/XQ1ll0b
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILolesm8kFY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzB-_Y-PAa8

What a cool aesthetic! I cant say exactly what this reminds me of I searched mimeograph and daguerrotype and neither of those is quite it but its so unique, a style all its own. Monochromatic and fuzzy, Return of the Obra Dinn is one of those games that you recognize as soon as you see a screenshot. If its possible for something to be colorful in black and white, this is it.

I love the flickering effects that surround people, the little detail of the tiny flies around the corpse, the atmosphere of the moon (sun?) in the sky and the sea beyond...theres so much here, so much to chew on and lose yourself in. Everything is so consistent with its visual design, its really a marvel. Its so consistent that the bright Switch border on the Switch trailer stands out in a negative way, disrupting the balance the game achieves. Thats not the fault of the game though.

In terms of distinctness, Return of the Obra Dinn has got to be near the top of this ranking. Its also high up there for presentation. Theres nothing quite like yet that Ive seen before, and it sucks me right in and makes me pay attention with interest.
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