Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 6! Gnorman/LostPainting, WeaponFact/KANNAN, Windslash/SetYouFree

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 17, 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=477304
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SAJKYJmYhccLvbf_H-5uSA7-eMwXfW8k1q74Qho1bLU
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80433657
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0wlcxj-kHQRU1yHo-kpMxGe
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
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!

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Match 1

Peggle 2 - Gnorman's Theme
Composer: Guy Whitmore
Loop Point: 5:50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjYBXyGbhm4

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Lost Painting
Composer: Michiru Yamane
Loop Point: 2:21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYwS6481oQk

.

Match 2

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Weapons Factory
Composer: Yoko Shimomura
Loop Point: 1:24
https://youtu.be/tNFp4P9Bw-k

Dariusburst: Second Prologue - KANNANSHINKU
Composer: Shohei Tsuchiya
Loop Point: 2:06
https://youtu.be/Vke1mMHGjJA

.
<

Gnorman's Theme
KANNANSHINKU
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

can we please use this upload that isn't from literally 2007
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkwwAaQEZ38

Peggle 2 - Gnorman's Theme
Dariusburst: Second Prologue - KANNANSHINKU
CHUNITHM NEW - Shushi ~ Set You Free

PEGGLE!!! [ ]
Lost Painting []
Weapons Factory [ ]
KANNANSHINKU [ ]
Windslash Steps []
Shushi ~ Set You Free [ ]

TWO!!!
https://tinyurl.com/y64hhzea

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Lost Painting
Dariusburst: Second Prologue - KANNANSHINKU
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - Windslash Steps

Windslash Steps > Shushi ~ Set You Free > Lost Painting > KANNANSHINKU > Weapons Factory >>>>>>>>> Gnorman's Theme

FUCK Gnorman how did this get in

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Windslash Steps might just be my favorite song in this contest. I hope it can make it past round 1...

Windslash Steps > Weapons Factory > KANNANSHINKU > Shushi >> Lost Painting >>> Gnorman's Theme

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Lost Painting
abstain
Windslash Steps

GG to Gnorman for referencing 1812 Overture. It's hard to vote against one of the best Castlevania songs though.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Lost Painting
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Weapons Factory
CHUNITHM NEW - Shushi ~ Set You Free

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

Match 3 was a bit of a pickle but there's nothing here I'd go out of my way for.

Found Painting
Trials and Tribulations (kannan)
Set You Free

If Peggle 2 isn't real, why is there music from it?

If a painting is lost, why is it so famous?

If it's a weapon factory, why are there no sword sound effects?

If the kan'nan was so shinku, why couldn't it be translated?

If the wind were a sword, why is my mood so foul?

If this shtick is entertaining, why am I so eager to be free?

i dunno yesterday's results made me sad and there just isn't anything here to make me happy. Rip dowolf's mental health I guess.

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Windslash Steps > Weapons Factory > KANNANSHINKU > Lost Painting > Shushi ~ Set You Free >> Gnorman's Theme

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/8/6/AARWb-AAEfJ6.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/8/7/AARWb-AAEfJ7.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/1/8/9/AARWb-AAEfJ9.jpg

votes are lost painting, kannanshinku and shushi

latter 2 matches were tough tho

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Gnorman's Theme
Weapons Factory
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Gnorman's Theme
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

had a longer writeup but i lost it, kannanshiku probably my favorite song of the day but there's a lot of good stuff here

I forgot to mention... I'm excited to see Super Mario RPG in a contest match for the first time since VGMC 4! And was happy to be able to vote for it, too. It's my favorite in the game aside from maybe the Culex battle theme, but that's a remix from another game.

Gnorman's Theme
KANNANSHINKU
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Oh my god I just learned in the last hour how much of a landmark Peggle 2 is in interactive game audio. Guy Whitmore composed gameplay tracks for each of the five characters based on a classical piece (1812 Overture for Gnorman), but they actually comprise 7 distinct sections that transition based on # of remaining pegs. Look at this madness!
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/1/0/AAVhdjAAEfKS.jpg
The peg sounds are in key too! They have to keep track of exactly when the music has changed to a new key!!

Gnorman's Theme is the longest on the soundtrack, I believe these are the sections in the song:
1 0:10
2 1:04
3 1:59
4 2:47
5 3:44
6 4:24
7 5:11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm0ngIDrPQA&t=1227s
You can hear them in action here at:
1 20:27
2 20:58
3 21:19
4 21:31
5 21:50
6 22:05
7 22:39

Also the intro is actually the game over theme (10:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Pip6XNULQ&t=617s)

More articles and Whitmore's GDC talk:
https://www.audiogang.org/peggle-2-storytelling-through-adaptive-music/
https://www.audiogang.org/peggle2-sonic-joy/
https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020369/Peggle-2-Live-Orchestra-Meets

He appears in Beep: A Documentary History of Game Sound with Peggle 2 distinctly in the background, I think he's really proud of what he made :)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/1/1/AAVhdjAAEfKT.jpg

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Lost Painting
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Weapons Factory
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - Windslash Steps

MATCH 1

Gnorman's Theme is very whimsical and playful. Sort of reminiscent of a Kevin MacLeod song. I like it how suddenly gets very dramatic at 3:44.

Lost Painting is pretty meh. But despite what I said about it above, I don't really like its opponent either, and it's good enough for me to take here, so it gets my vote.

MATCH 2

I seem to like it when songs evoke a feeling that I perceive as being representative of the area or theme or whatever that the song is being composed for. What I mean by that here with Weapons Factory is that I get an industrial vibe to this song that's fitting for an area like a weapons factory, and I think that's pretty cool. You have these noises in the background that sound like hammers striking metal, and even the snares feel like something like ratchets. That one grimy synth in the beginning is pretty cool too. And I really like the part at 1:10 where it calms down momentarily before picking back up at its original intensity again.

KANNANSHINKU is pretty cool too with a pretty harmonious sound altogether between the vocals and the synths and other instruments. Solid enough melody too. This match is a little bit close, but not as much as match 3.

MATCH 3

I really like the organ part of Windslash Steps at 0:14. The rest of the song's pretty cool too.

Shushi is really cool too. I like the mix of vocals and piano here. Very tough match. I could see myself flipping on this.

Windslash Steps >Shushi ~ Set You Free > Weapons Factory > KANNANSHINKU > Lost Painting > Gnorman's Theme

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Day 6 of vgmc! Six is a funny number but next day is funnier.

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash step

Match 3 was quite difficult ngl

Gnorman's Theme
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Gnorman's Theme
KANNANSHINKU
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
abstain

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

From TunnelScene:

Gnorman's Theme (Peggle 2)
KANNANSHINKU (Dariusburst: Second Prologue)
Shushi ~ Set You Free (CHUNITHM NEW)

I'm a long time fan of Guy Whitmore, particularly for his work on the Shivers games and some of the additional tron2.0 music. I respect him for how absolutely unhinged he goes for. like this peggle song is absolutely the "cute modern casual game" version of his "90s haunted museum mystlike" style that made Shivers feel so unhinged. atonal kraftwerk-like synth sequences, absolutely clashing orchestral layers with that. I love dissonant clarinet thanks to Kimihiro Abe using it excessively as a signature thing, this takes me back to "abandoned building" from Bleach: Heat the Soul 2!! also yea I like odd time and ambiguity of meter in some places. I think I prefer the parts where it's harder to figure out what's going on (like the alternating timesig bits at 1:11, or even just the pure chaos before it despite the clear 5) than the later "it's in 7" parts. but the whole clashing mix of elements somehow cohesively forms the idea of kooky scientist. I dunno if that's actually what it's supposed to represent but it certainly sounds like it to me! I have a huge amount of respect for this track

I love 90s new agey synth sounds so much most people have no idea. now if we had a SHIVERS track from guy whitmore above. it'd be the "halloween crystalline 90s rompler" face-off

I've been describing my taste as "metallic" a lot lately. and everyone knows I care about odd timesigs. I can't believe I'm going to have to vote against this. one of the most painful r1 matches to me WHO MADE THIS BRACKET. FUCK YOU TUNNE LSCENE

shohei tsuchiya is a boss. stupid close match. the tense mellotron is winning me over because it makes it sound like"prog"

wataru ishibashi : D

pretty close match. honestly thought I was going to vote the other way until now

From NFUN:

Kannanshinku
Windslash

Gnorman's Theme
KANNANSHINKU
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Lost Painting
Dariusburst: Second Prologue - KANNANSHINKU
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - Windslash Steps

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

Gnorman's / Weapons / Set You Free

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Windslash Steps

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

The start of Gnorman is so bad. It gets better, but I never like it. I've always been a fan of Lost Painting, though a bit of the sheen's worn off after 20+ years.

Weapons Factory is okay I guess? There are several SMRPG songs I like more. KANNANSHINKU is one of the more appealing Dariusburst songs for me.

Weird having Windslash in this contest after playing Ys 6 so recently. It's good, though. Shushi's a bit slow for a rhythm game song. I feel like the singing holds it back.

KANNANSHINKU > Windslash Steps > Lost Painting > Shushi ~ Set You Free > Weapons Factory > Gnorman's Theme

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

okay as much as i kinda liked gnorman as it started it kinda just got worse over time and lost painting is fairly good so i had to go with that
kannanshinku my beloved, weapons factory is pretty good but could never come close to dariusburst music lollll
really hard decision between the YS and Chunithm track, both very good but i think i'll have to go for windslash steps

Gnorman's Theme
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

weirdly close day

PIayer_0 posted...

Gnorman's Theme
KANNANSHINKU
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Oh my god I just learned in the last hour how much of a landmark Peggle 2 is in interactive game audio. Guy Whitmore composed gameplay tracks for each of the five characters based on a classical piece (1812 Overture for Gnorman), but they actually comprise 7 distinct sections that transition based on # of remaining pegs. Look at this madness!
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/1/0/AAVhdjAAEfKS.jpg
The peg sounds are in key too! They have to keep track of exactly when the music has changed to a new key!!

Gnorman's Theme is the longest on the soundtrack, I believe these are the sections in the song:
1 0:10
2 1:04
3 1:59
4 2:47
5 3:44
6 4:24
7 5:11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm0ngIDrPQA&t=1227s
You can hear them in action here at:
1 20:27
2 20:58
3 21:19
4 21:31
5 21:50
6 22:05
7 22:39

Also the intro is actually the game over theme (10:17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Pip6XNULQ&t=617s)

More articles and Whitmore's GDC talk:
https://www.audiogang.org/peggle-2-storytelling-through-adaptive-music/
https://www.audiogang.org/peggle2-sonic-joy/
https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020369/Peggle-2-Live-Orchestra-Meets

He appears in Beep: A Documentary History of Game Sound with Peggle 2 distinctly in the background, I think he's really proud of what he made :)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/1/1/AAVhdjAAEfKT.jpg

peggle 2 came out after pso2

what if i participated in vgmc ever

Lost Painting
abstain
Shushi

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Lost Painting
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Weapons Factory
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - Windslash Steps

solid day, lost painting so good

Lost Painting
Weapons Factory
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Gnorman's Theme
Weapons Factory
Shushi ~ Set You Free

gnorman's theme is fucking amazing idc why this is a """meme""" pick because peggle 2 being a meme of a game but idc. its fun and whimsical and cute. GNORMAN, SUPREMACY BABY.

lost painting is good but like as a "mood" piece and not as something id readily vote for. it's fantastic for putting me into certain moods and shit, but it doesn't really stand out. the smash version i could see myself voting for over gnorman's theme. that shit is fuego.

match two is awful wtf i like both songs though so there's no fuss if i don't pick the winner. weapons factory edges out a bit more for being my thing specially. it really isn't all too complex or whatever, but the specific "factory machinery" sound is something that i always look for on an ost.

i was mildly disappointed in windslash steps because ys 6 is "different" falcom music and i like the different stuff better (GURUMIN SUPREMACY!!!) but it wasn't bad.

shushi is a bit more my thing. it took a bit for me to enjoy this style of singing, but this is my fourth or fifth time with this song. instrumentals definitely carry it for me.

Gnorman's Theme
Weapons Factory
Shushi ~ Set You Free

Lost Painting
KANNANSHINKU
Windslash Steps

KANNAN my fav of the day.