Board 8 > VGMC11 Discussion Thread, part 2

(+) Yeah! (+)

Hello, and welcome to Video Game Music Contest number eleven. We've ridden the ups and downs of 45 days of the contest already, and we're over halfway through round 2, which means we're approaching the point where 3/4 of the field has been eliminated.


Wait, what is this?

The video games music contest is an annual tradition of Board 8 which began precisely one decade heretofore, wherein we nominate our favorite songs from video games, make a March Madness style bracket out of those songs, and then vote on them to determine the winners.


Important links:

The bracket - http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=466312

Master spreadsheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d-N92Sis_Ghh-QYE2cQqClPP5H3T-idwlk0CUHOv2ew/

Youtube list - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW9O9mntH1RFteVUCpIsmLHRwqLStaQJD
Youtube list for side bracket - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW9O9mntH1RE35F2S4u6Ie8w1o0jHPKXB
Retired list: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Er_iw4jHiCCF4ntFD8LSS6OcNMsFKw84hBhpTTEtkMM
List of all past entries - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1XdLWiUKB2kX99qYBgnRbLU_sCz4dvZSByKKJHCT6o
Info on last year's contest - http://board8.wikia.com/wiki/VGMusic_Contest_10


Contest timing

Ideally, each day's matches will start at 10 PM EDT, consisting of (initially) two main bracket matches and a third match from the side bracket, unless replaced by a tiebreaker. I will move to one a day either at the conclusion of round 3 or when the main bracket catches up to the side bracket due to myriad tiebreakers.

Standard voting rules apply. Listen to the full songs. Vote by the songs. You can post advance votes here. Et cetera.


What's this side bracket?

In the past entries sheet, there is a tab for "top performers" based on past history. It automatically filters out retired tracks, and sorts by a score calculated by match appearances * average yearly placement. The side bracket consists of nearly every song that had a score of at least 16 and an average placement of above 2.5, but was not represented in the main bracket. In what I'm calling the VGMC Masters Tournament, you'll find songs that have been annual staples with 5+ appearances, tracks who made a lone appearance to round 4 and never returned, and others with respectable middle grounds.

So basically, it's all the songs that we tend to see year after year, but somehow didn't get in this year.

It's a pretty strong bracket, TBH. And since last year we did a Tournament of Champions among the more recent retirees, I thought this might be a neat follow-up. Anyone who wants to listen to these songs can, and anyone sick of them can just ignore the side bracket. (For those wondering, the side bracket was placed more or less randomly.)

Tag
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Copying my last post from the previous topic:

Well I'd mostly be voting for Undertale songs >_>

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But do you listen to the opponent first?

Yeah but it just feels scummy regardless because I know it would take an extremely good song for me to vote over something like Death by Glamour

Whatever, still voting for Hopes and Dreams every round regardless, that's too effective as KP Clickbait for me not to!
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Everyone should vote Hopes and Dreams next round tbh
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Results, day 45:
J-E-N-O-V-A > Don't Speak Her Name!, 16-8
Sunshine Coastline > Nebula, 15-9
U.N. Owen Was Her? > Theme of D4, 17-7

dat top option. And why am I not already in bed?

Will this be the year Battle with Magus finally fucking retires? That seems like a really good win.
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B2 now has four of my nominations left. So at least one of them will retire
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Results, day 46:

Desire Blue Sky < Big Blue, 11-14
Blue Radiance > Liberated liberater, 13-12
Tuxedo Knight > Title, 18-7

Close to having another top seed fall, but not quite. Meanwhile, R-Type title fights just to escape what was at one point a 14-tupling by ending the match 4-6.

azuarc posted...

Desire Blue Sky < Big Blue, 11-14

this result hurts me

save_us scrap i/o

other main match sad too but not as much
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whoa, LL lost? Crazy.
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I would like to downgrade my poll vote from 'meh' to 'bad'
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Mac Arrowny posted...

whoa, LL lost? Crazy.

Even with az's rally
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Reminding you to vote is rallying?

ugh I forgot to vote.

granted all I would've done would be make Desire Blue Sky and Title lose by slightly less and force a tie in a match I didn't really care about, but still~
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azuarc posted...

Results, day 45:
J-E-N-O-V-A > Don't Speak Her Name!, 16-8
Sunshine Coastline > Nebula, 15-9
U.N. Owen Was Her? > Theme of D4, 17-7

dat top option. And why am I not already in bed?

Boo to first result

Yay to other results! In the poll, I voted "board's taste ruining it", but while they haven't been optimal, they've quietly managed to almost redeem themselves from the "Scrap I/O vs. Hopes and Dreams" debacle.

Seriously, any of the other six songs in that eightpack would've been a worthy retiree. Scrap I/O, it's okay, but it's a distant seventh and I still won't vote for it in R4 regardless of the other R3 result--not that goldenslaughterer wasn't also the least deserving of the four songs that could've gotten to Round 3 from that spot.

xp1337 posted...

azuarc posted...

Desire Blue Sky < Big Blue, 11-14

this result hurts me

save_us scrap i/o

other main match sad too but not as much

...That's it you're banned. >.< I'm fairly sure that this section of the bracket will be impossible to mess up now, which is impressive given that my faves bracket pick to retire out of it lost in R1 (LastPandemic), but...

...wait, my faves bracket had Nebula > Sunshine Coastline? Oops...oh well. Still, at the end of R1, there were only two remaining songs unworthy of making it to retirement, and both of them lost today. (And both were songs that I actually wanted in R2--all of the R1 picks in this section that were wrong were between two good songs!)

...Of course, everything needs a counterbalance. The seventh retiree for the contest might have had so many contenders that it can't be ruined, but the eighth and final spot...well, I guess the only way I can blame the board's taste is for putting that many bad songs in the contest in the first place. From the very start of the contest, there's only been one retirement-worthy song in the final eighth of the bracket.
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tazzyboyishere posted...

Will this be the year Battle with Magus finally fucking retires? That seems like a really good win.

It is a possibility. I had all four of those songs in R2 but voted for both losers, but I feel like I could support it over Nefertiti...and when mentioning ways that B8 was awful, I kind of missed the R1 disaster in the 12th eightpack, where three of my four picks lost outright and the one that won was always meant to lose in R2. So I'm all for picking the BwM-Nefertiti winner in R4.
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Scrap I/O is the worst song still left in this.
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I wanna quote that and change "worst" to "best", but unfortunately it's only like 2nd or 3rd best remaining.
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Results, day 47:

Hana kagerou < Battle Music, 9-13
Daddy Mulk > Shrine of Solomon, 12-10
Still in the Dark > Blue Oni Theme, 16-6

unexpected, but interesting results.

Huh, that might be the first day every song I voted for lost. Damn.
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FL81 posted...

Scrap I/O is the worst song still left in this.

think you mean best

pyresword posted...

I wanna quote that and change "worst" to "best", but unfortunately it's only like 2nd or 3rd best remaining.

i got you covered

because with the merciless savior and desire blue sky both down it is
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Is that actually your top 3 in the contest because that might be the most interesting top 3 I've ever seen.

Nothing wrong with the songs themselves (in fact I like all of them) but like I can't find any common ground between them whatsoever.
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It... might be? IIRC, when I was doing my super-quick favorites bracket those 3 were in the Final Four and I noted I could flip between the three for the champion at a whim.

But I'd have to check to see if something else ran into any of them earlier that'd make that tier. I don't think so, but stuff like the Surge Concerto songs would be hanging around there for sure. (and did indeed run into them early. merciless savior was cutting down all my other favorites in that bracket)
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hmm, not sure if Scrap I/O is my favorite left or Undertale. with Seymour and Besaid dying tragically early deaths, it's definitely between those two.
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Which bizarro universe is this where Daddy Mulk is actually strong enough to defeat Shrine of Solomon?
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Battle Music vs Daddy Mulk hype

I wanted to be able to pick that match in my favourites bracket because I think both are excellent, but it was too hard because of all the other good songs in that pack. Bit sad that those other ones are gone now, but still glad to see that this match has come to fruition.

That aside, solid results all around for days 45 and 47, but jeez. Day 46 results are just plain bad. Mostly due to that second match, and not just because of liberatedliberator losing, but predominantly because Blue Radiance really isn't any good.

Orochimaru_Fan posted...

Battle Music vs Daddy Mulk hype

I wanted to be able to pick that match in my favourites bracket because I think both are excellent

When both of my pet noms make it to R3 to face each other :)

I was honestly expecting Battle Music to be dead R1, and Daddy Mulk to be dead R2 after a tiebreaker match in R1 (which seems to happen a lot with this song)
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i remember at one point thinking "where are the classics like Daddy Mulk this contest" and then it was in a match the next day <_<

and then i almost couldn't even vote for it. damn good competition in the first round. though second round was an easy vote and the third round will be as well.
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I will probably be late getting home tonight. Hopefully not by much.

I'm here, new topic's coming up.

Edit: https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/75329694
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is that a match with 19 votes I see there
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Was waiting for azuarc to come back but since it sounds like results will be a while...

Welcome to Rebuild of (Un)official Votals, Day 48: You Can (Not) Advance (to R3):

Butterfly's Invitation > To the End of the Wilderness ~ To a New Journey, 14-7
Sinister Gale < Undertale, 9-10
The Explosion > Battle #2, 12-8
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xp1337 posted...

Was waiting for azuarc to come back but since it sounds like results will be a while...

Welcome to Rebuild of (Un)official Votals, Day 48: You Can (Not) Advance (to R3):

Butterfly's Invitation > To the End of the Wilderness ~ To a New Journey, 14-7
Sinister Gale < Undertale, 9-10
The Explosion > Battle #2, 12-8

These are the results that I got as well. Undertale needed a 5-1 rally at the end to pull off the comeback.

What a joke
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Bracket updated for the end of round 2.

I know I talked a little about seeding in the old topic, but this is a better point for bringing it up. I intentionally masked the seeding earlier because I didn't want anyone voting for or against something based on their reaction to how I rated everything. (Plus, I could have gotten seriously laughed at if I was way off.)

At this point, I think the seeding has gone well enough to plan that I won't be embarrassed by the results, and everything's had a chance to earn its stay in round 3. What we have left now is:

1 Goldenslaughterer vs 4 Dr Fetus Castle
6 Scrap I/O vs 2 Hopes and Dreams
1 Eleganza vs 12 EXEC LINCA
7 Six Feet Thunder vs 14 Brickworks
1 Id Purpose vs 4 In the Final
2 YOATI vs 3 Monolith
8 Sexualizer vs 5 Fateful Confrontation
2 Emil Karma vs 3 Bodhisattva Kill

9 Whereabouts of Light vs 5 Liela Xea
2 Into the Light vs 3 Laguerra del Mundo
1 Flying Clouds, Drifting Haze vs 4 Boss Battle
2 Nefertiti vs 3 Battle With Magus
1 Blue Radiance vs 4 Big Blue
2 J-E-N-O-V-A vs 6 Sunshine Coastline
8 Daddy Mulk vs 4 Battle Music (LA)
2 Undertale vs 3 Butterfly's Invitation

22/32 are all top seeds from their four-packs, which is kinda impressive. I said before that I would have wanted about 64% of the bracket to be "right" at this point, but looking at it now, I almost wish we had more variability. At least the remaining matches ought to generally be decent.

Anyway, these are the line-ups for round 3. What are your favorites? Least favorites? What did I mis-seed the worst? What are you looking forward to?

Most of my absolute favorites in the contest are already dead but this is still an okay list I guess?

Favorites: Six Feet Thunder, Scrap I/O, Whereabouts of Light, Into the Light, Undertale, J-E-N-O-V-A, Hopes and Dreams

Least favorite (as in I actually hate these): Eleganza, Brickworks, Butterfly's Invitation
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I don't know if there's anything in the field of 32 I actively dislike. If there is, it's eluding me. Even the songs I'm not crazy about don't make me go, "oh god, why is this in the field still?" Then again, there weren't too many of those to begin with. Conversations in Discord about not understanding the success of certain songs notwithstanding, I'm reasonably open and none of the remaining field astounds me. The only song still left that kinda surprises me is Brickworks, and that's catchy in a kitschy sort of way. I guess the closest thing I have to a dislike here is Id ~Purpose, which I can't be upset about since it's a perennial round 4 threat, and it doesn't completely suck.

My bracket A winner of Bodhisattva Kill is still alive, as is Monolith. Those would be my favorites for A at this point. In B, I'm probably pulling for Laguerra del Mundo or maybe Nefertiti. There's a few others I could definitely get behind, like Butterfly's Invitation, which is looking like a pretty strong contender to at least retire, considering Undertale barely squeaked past Sinister Gale and Shrine of Solomon is out.

Daddy Mulk vs Battle Music is probably a sleeper for a really good match coming up later in the round.

Bracket B leaders (after round 2):
1 Daniel Spurlock - 45 Undertale (UT) 3/21/2017 9:21pm
2 Janus5k - 43 Flying Clouds, Drifting Haze (AS) 3/16/2017 7:27pm
3 ArcticCress - 43 Rising Up (ToZ) 3/20/2017 8:47pm
4 azuarc - Laguerra del Mundo (GE) 3/16/2017 7:24pm
5 FL81 - 36 Rose-Killing Carmilla (KD2) 3/16/2017 9:03pm
6 Mac Arrowny - 35Sinister Gale (Cloudbuilt) 3/24/2017 8:56pm
7 Harmonica - 31 Undertale (UT) 3/29/2017 12:05pm
8 th3l3fty - 31 Twelfth Chapter in Sky (Drak) 4/9/2017 7:09pm
9 pyresword - 30 Fear the Dark (Aquaria) 3/16/2017 9:19pm
10 Dowolf - 30 LastPandemic (Ciel nosurge)
T10 - Orochi - 30

azuarc posted...

Even the songs I'm not crazy about don't make me go, "oh god, why is this in the field still?"

Yeah the songs I mentioned made me do this during the nomination phase, much less now. (To clarify, I can understand people liking them but despise them myself.)

And with regard to Brickworks, I feel like it's more likely that it had weak competition than that it had a great deal of strength to be honest. I have the impression Seymour Battle from FFX HD (it's R1 opponent) is noticeably weaker than the original.
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Probably. I had no idea what to make of Seymour Battle. I originally gave it a low seed, then changed my tune when I had to fix some other pairings and moved it into the 3-slot in that division. I think I was probably right the first time.

OTOH, while Brickworks isn't a worldbeater, it's better than the 14-seed I gave it. That and LINCA are the two places where I'll admit I probably went too low, and incidentally they happen to be the two songs that crept through the bracket in spite of their seeding.

favorites left: Scrap I/O, Undertale, Id Purpose

least favorites left: really just Butterfly's Invitation (i thought it was called Temptation of the Butterfly though?). there's a few others that i dislike but not nearly as much.
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Favorites left: Eleganza, Brickworks, Liela Xea, Nefertiti, Big Blue, Daddy Mulk, Butterfly's Invitation
Least favorites left: Scrap I/O, Sexualizer, Into the Light, Undertale

No specific order here (just list order), all in all pretty strong remaining contenders
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Results, day 49:

goldenslaughterer > Dr Fetus' Castle, 18-11
Scrap I/O > Hopes and Dreams, 14-13
New Castle Legions -Stage 1 Mix- > Sonic Boom (Closing Theme), 22-6

Just a day removed from only having 19 votes, we narrowly miss hitting 30. We had two hours to get that elusive last voter, too, but I guess we had already tapped out everyone who was gonna come.

Maybe I should let 521 make the topics more often. Clearly he gets 50% more voters than I do.

it's okay I still believe in you
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I counted a tie in the second match.
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Man sort of upset my vote ended up mattering in match 2. I really like Hopes and Dreams also and had a pretty hard time deciding what to pick there.
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I also counted a tie for the record.
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