Board 8 > Azuarc ranks all 500 VG MotD songs

(+) Yeah! (+)

The song's description says it's from Pop'n Music 12 Iroha.

Oh, whoops, need to fix that. I put in the wrong game initially, and switched the title way back. Guess I never remembered to switch the description!

--
ONLY FIVE CAN LADDER.
Sushi, kamikaze, fujiyama, nippon-ichi...

so the only two comments today are two corrections on the part of the uploaders? I didn't dash anyone's hopes and dreams of, say, Diddy Kong Racing boss music going #1?

From: azuarc | #252
so the only two comments today are two corrections on the part of the uploaders? I didn't dash anyone's hopes and dreams of, say, Diddy Kong Racing boss music going #1?

...Um... Sealed Time is probably too low, but I'm not as sure on this because outside my Top 4 I have no clue where I'd place anything exactly? >_>

Sealed Time is almost certainly Top 50 though. I have a hard time imagining it'd end up lower. Might even be Top 20, I'm not sure!

--
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
GotD (219/384) Melee v FFX

75. Planetarian - Gentle Jena
Uploader: superangelo128 (054)

Rating: Nothing flashy, nothing amazing. Just a solid piano melody. Sometimes that's all you need.
Comment: 7.0

74. Scott Pilgrim vs The World - Rock Club
Uploader: TheKnightOfNee (153)

Rating: 7.0
Comment: It's just fun to say. Everybody with me. Anna-mana-goochy. There. OK, so this is the first of two Scott Pilgrim tracks. Just some good ol' fashioned driving hard rock.

73. beatmania IIDX 11th RED - Scorpion Fire
Uploader: KamikazePotato (079)

Rating: 7.0
Comment: I wish I could play piano like that...very neat pseudo-classical piece. And probably the only beatmania song in the list I actually approve of.

72. Xenogears - Light From the Netherworld
Uploader: Kleenex (497)

Rating: 7.0
Comment: Tough one to rate...starts off tenuously quiet until :51, then shifts toward being simply dark. While this section isn't really good by itself, it serves as more building, which makes the following section critical. At 1:40 new instrumentation comes in. In the middle of that it gets quiet off and on. At 3:20 it finally leaves this for a creepy choral sound that slowly abates in creepiness. Nearly-ambient strings enter hauntingly, before a final section arrives in, oddly, a major key. Yeah, I've got no clue. I'm just going to pick a random number and hope it sticks.
P.S. That's probably the longest comment I've written, but what is it with songs in the final week being hard to rank? EXEC_Z/. especially, but this one too.

71. Katamari Damacy - Katamari on the Rocks
Uploader: superangelo128 (327)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Joot Joot Jootdoot Joot Joot Jajoodoo. Seems like a good way to open the 7.5's. I doubt there's much I can say about this song that hasn't already been said. Just Katamari being Katamari. *insert comment about this song playing during the Moon level* There's some weirdness on the video around 3:30.

70. Plok! - Creepy Crag
Uploader: TheKnightOfNee (188)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I may have overrated this one a bit, since I was surprised to find it when sorting the 7.5s, but I know some of you will be happy to see it this high. It's certainly the best representative for Plok! The traditional Follin progressivity really shows off in this song.

69. Plants vs Zombies - Brainiac Maniac
Uploader: superangelo128 (320)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Dat keyboard background. Cool song in general, but it's the piano pattern that makes the song.

68. One Must Fall 2097 - Menu
Uploader: Harmonica (263)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Ah, sweet sweet personal bias. How many afternoons did I spend playing OMF? Only thing that would have made this better is if the pic was of the after-fight newscaster. I'm glad to see you guys have ONE song from old PC shareware houses. Now get me some Tyrian or Epic Pinball or Jazz Jackrabbit or Raptor or...

67. Diddy Kong Racing - Boss Challenges
Uploader: Kleenex (287)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I have a feeling rating this so high is going to mark it as a guilty pleasure, but ok, fine, whatever! IT'S CATCHY, OK?

Stop judging me. ><

66. Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru 6: Dawn of the Golden Witch - Life
Uploader: KamikazePotato (058)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Life is certainly a good song, if a bit overrated. I'm aware it's sorta considered the #3 Umineko song for the board overall, but also that after wed and ded, nobody really agrees after that. I like the piano, but it doesn't do much, so I'm gonna drop off this VGMC winner here.

65. Ar Tonelico: Melody of Eternia - Pulse ~Eternia Arrange~
Uploader: Pikachu025 (451)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Enchanting piano work.

64. Star Fox - Corneria
Uploader: TheKnightOfNee (062)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: classic. And I think my nostalgia-filtering goggles are broken, which is how it's getting away with sample choices like that overdriven guitar that sounds like a bandsaw cutting metal.

63. Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution - Tower of Caelum
Uploader: KamikazePotato (191)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I had a hard time deciding how I felt about this song. There are sections that both seem really good and really average at the same time, and that just doesn't compute, so obviously rating it was a challenge. Ultimately I decided that even though there was no individual thing that I specifically liked about the song, I liked the overall ensemble anyway. Sometimes you just can't point to something and say THAT is why I like it.

62. Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 - Phantom of Blue
Uploader: Kaleb.G (331)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I can see how this would be unlikeable, considering almost the whole song is the same pattern over and over, but I enjoy the mood and the modulation.

61. The World Ends With You - Three Minutes Clapping
Uploader: Pikachu025 (318)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Not my usual style, but this song and one other rapping-oriented track did quite well for themselves. The vocalist has a good feel, and the background is good outside the chorus.

60. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Another Winter
Uploader: Pikachu025 (003)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I originally had this lower than Rock Club. I'm not sure why the flipflop. They're both about the same quality, but with different moods. After we get past the intro, this one feels a lot like a classic VGM, like something you would find on a SNES platformer.

59. Lost Odyssey - A Formiddable Enemy Appears!
Uploader: Pikachu025 (285)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I wasn't really sold on this song when I actually played LO. The only song I appreciated immediately was the map theme. It was only later that I realized the boss song wasn't half bad. The best part is the wailing trumpet that ends the loop.

58. Mr. Driller: Drill Land - Heading Back to Town
Uploader: superangelo128 (383)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: This song sure moves around, but it (mostly) all works splendidly. How often is it I get to use the word 'splendid?' But man, that trip back to town must be pretty intense.

57. Ragnarok Online - Not So Far Away
Uploader: superangelo128 (313)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: A thin melody adds a drumtrack and string backing at :37, but then suddenly feels full and vivid with the added instrumentation at 1:00. Very pretty eastern sound throughout.

56. Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song - A Challenge to God ~Four Guardian Kings Battle~
Uploader: Harmonica (144)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I've never played any true "SaGa" game, but I have played Final Fantasy Legend II, which is SaGa 2 in Japan. I would say that the music here reminds me more of Final Fantasy Adventure (Seiken Densetsu I) if I'm going to compare to Gameboy titles -- almost as if it were the same composer finally getting a chance to write a full score rather than bleeps and bloops. However, both my Gameboy games were Kenji Ito, not Tsuyoshi Sekito.

55. Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis - STIGMATA
Uploader: Pikachu025 (073)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Was leery at first of the background vocals, and it's still no Nefertiti, but at least I know Mana Khemia isn't a one-hit wonder.

54. Trine - Crystal Caverns
Uploader: Harmonica (480)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I absolutely adore Trine. The graphics, the music, the gameplay. It all feels straight out of a fairy tale. I doubt it would do well in a competition, and it has no single standout track, or else I would have nommed it for Best OST. If you don't mind the passive, tranquil feel of Crystal Caverns, it's one of the better songs in the game.

53. Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes - Unification of the Land
Uploader: superangelo128 (481)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I was only half paying attention and then holy crap it grabbed my attention at 1:57. It's just a so-so song with good parts initially, and you can tell it's working up to something, but you think you've hit it at 1:03, and then it goes into the Asian flute, so you get lulled into thinking this is as much as the songs going to do. Then the paradigm shift hits. I'm being a little overly dramatic about this, but I truly went to sleep on this song until that hit, and then I decided to relisten and it happened again.

52. Final Fantasy VI - The Decisive Battle
Uploader: Ed Bellis (274)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I'm kinda surprised at the general lack of FF battle music. There's this, Seymour Battle, and The Extreme, and I think that's it. Decisive Battle clocks in at a 7.5, and you haven't seen the other two yet, so yeah...I'll admit, I do love good battle music. Decisive Battle doesn't quite have enough meat to it for me to take it top 50, but it has my respect. (Sidenote after research: There's technically fifteen songs from games partially titled "Final Fantasy," but a lot of them are offshoot stuff.)

51. Neon Tango - Strange New World
Uploader: Ed Bellis (106)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: And your winner for the "Just Missed the Top" goes to...and with a slight inversion or two, I could have easily snuck this in at #49. I'm guessing from the pictures that this game is like Geometry Wars. I don't recall Geometry Wars having much of a soundtrack, though, and this song is pretty darn cool.

And now for the SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES!

You're probably all clamouring to know what's in the top 50. Or you don't care and you'll shrug and wait patiently. I thought it would be a lot of fun to have people go "Alright, I know what TWO of the top five are, but seriously what the hell could az have possibly chosen for the other three spots? This is going to be some monumentally bad taste coming up..." You will be getting a list, of sorts, so you can KNOW that there's monumentally bad taste coming up instead, but I decided rather than just listing them to give an extra twist.

Ladies and gents, I give you the VGMotD Countdown sporcle quiz: http://www.sporcle.com/games/azuarc/top-50-vg-motd-songs

READ FIRST!!

I've had some trouble with the video playing back correctly each time. If it comes up as a black square, reload the page. You still might want to have the original YT video open in a separate tab in case it screws up like it did once when I was testing. Video:

Songs do NOT have to be answered in order, however they are ordered chronologically to the video. This is obviously not the order they will appear in the countdown. Your answers, with a few exceptions where the answer would be "main theme" or "credits" or something like that, should be the SONG TITLE. Even on the ones that don't indicate to give the game title, sometimes the game title will be accepted, but don't assume it will be. If Diving were on the list, I would accept Waterworld for an answer, but if Scars of Time were in the video, I would not accept Chrono Cross as an answer...especially since there are other Chrono Cross songs.


Oh, and since there will probably inevitably be spoilers after this, you might want to take the quiz FIRST. It's no surprise I was able to get all 50, but when I took it again as though I were still the azuarc who had never started this project I got about 27. Even then, I have an advantage since obviously the songs I know and love are going to be favored at the top. I probably would have gotten like 10 if somebody else had done this.

Yeah, I think I did confuse Life with Hope. They're both four-letter titles from the same body of work, and they're both piano stuff. It's understandable. Still, *facepalm*

Ed Bellis posted...
Ha. Got 40 on my own and then another 6 from my list I made. Missed 0:21, 0:43, 1:14 and 1:26. Should have gotten 0:43 though - I typed in the answer but it didn't take it due to punctuation.

I find it rather funny that 6:20 is still in.

0:21 - rather understandable to miss that
0:43 - I know how much you love that song. You would have gotten it if you had simply typed the last bit, though. I allowed for quite a few variations.
1:14 - of course, *I* got that one, but I also didn't get like 20 others you did.
1:26 - Even if you know that song, knowing what it's called is still a challenge.

6:20 - Of course it is! You kidding? Aside from the fact that I appreciate whimsy, the song's downright awesome. You could have said the same of 5:25.


But yeegads, Ed. 46/50? You are a VGM god among men. I had the answers in front of me and could only do slightly better.

I'll add a couple additional variants on what you might have typed then, but I already have four.

Oh, and if you need to refer back later, all the songs are listed in the info for the YouTube video.

Whoops I took a phone call from someone at work during the quiz and came back with 4 minutes left. I skimmed through the last four minutes as quick as possible and ended up with I think 26.

Also whoops my login to sporcle is no longer saved and I need to log in again.

The series used at 0:43, I can never remember what the name of each song is.

--
ONLY FIVE CAN LADDER.
Sushi, kamikaze, fujiyama, nippon-ichi...

I knew I should have done the sporcle quiz tomorrow. Nobody's gonna comment on 51-75, looks like.

psh i dont want to spoil myself doing the sporcle quiz any way

--
http://www.backloggery.com/superangelo128 http://myanimelist.net/profile/superangelo128 http://vndb.org/u6633/votes http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7524301

50. Skies of Arcadia - Credits
Uploader: KamikazePotato (065)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: I might have put this song a couple notches higher, but I thought this was a great way to open the top 50. Very pretty song that plays off its sparse piano melody for the first 1:45 before other instruments gradually filter in. It seems to come to an end at 3:30, where the soprano end of the piano fills in what should be the last notes, and the song could have ended there just fine. Instead, it builds itself back up for an all-out mushy-gushy ending. The Credits theme sounds like it could be something out of an old Disney movie. (I think I used that analogy once before for another song, but it fits here.)
Best part: I dunno if it's the best, but the most climactic starts at 4:53.

49. Guilty Gear Isuka - Riches In Me
Uploader: KamikazePotato (303)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: This song seems like it should be right up my alley, like it should get top marks, but instead it barely clears the top 50. I'm not sure why. The opening is intriguing, the parts that follow all build on the energy that was sustained by the previous section, the galloping rhythm prevalent through most of the song drives everything forward. And of course, everything gets out of the way briefly at the end for a guitar solo. It's a pretty good formula for success in my book. *shrug*
Best part: 2:16 would be a likely candidate, but I'd actually say the beginning.

48. T.M.N.T. IV: Turtles in Time - Bury My Shell at Wounded Knee
Uploader: Ed Bellis (036)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, HEY!
Surprised you guys managed to fit a (truly) arcade song on here besides X-men. This is significantly more peppy, rousing, and also pleasant-sounding than anything X-men has to offer. I was typically lucky to make it as far as the stage this song plays on before running out of quarters, which always made me kind of sad, because it is so rare to hear anything decent in the arcade (if you can even hear the machines at all.)
Best part: Drum solo to break things up a little at :44, not because it's more awesome than the rest, but simply because it's needed.

47. Monty on the Run - In-game Music
Uploader: Ed Bellis (446)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: The first time I heard Monty, I didn't get the love at all. The second time I listened, I ignored the opening seconds and let the whole thing play out, and I accepted it a bit better. The third, and fourth, and God, however many times I had to listen to it during VGMC5, my impression of it kept growing. Now I try to avoid listening to it, lest it take over my entire mind. (There are a few other songs like this, notably Daddy Mulk.) It's an amazing odyssey of a piece, which it has to be if it's the only song that gets played in its game. Still, it is fairly long and it does wear on you after a while even if you're not anti-C64.
Best part: Just past the beginning's reprisal, at 2:36, is the beinning of a very cool 90 second passage that would be my favorite. If that's too broad, try 3:36-4:07.

46. Mr. Bones - In This World
Uploader: superangelo128 (334)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Odd creepy beginning aside, this song nails everything it tries for. It clearly does not try for amazing lyrics, and its not perfect by design in a couple other areas, but the mood In This World gives off is simply amazing. It completely blindsided me, since I've never heard of Mr. Bones.
Best part: 0:31 when the guitar strikes up the real song.

45. World of Goo - Jelly
Uploader: Kleenex (112)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: Each World of Goo song (on the list) has this portentious, eerie aura it creates with a thin sound that just somehow really works. Jelly lets you just absorb that for the first 1:40 and drink it in before some heavier, darker instruments enter to create a greater sense of tension and a sort of climax that just abates before the end of the song, and curiously this works really well.
Best part: At 1:42.

44. Zone of the Enders 2 - Beyond the Bounds
Uploader: Pikachu025 (178)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: For some reason, whenever I hear this song I'm reminded of EXEC_SPHILIA. Both have similiarly incomprehensible vocals, and both are great songs, but beyond that I'm not sure what the connection is. BtB has an uneasy tension between laidback instruments and aggressive vocal work. When the singers back off and sing the chorus thing, it makes the rest of the song seem like it was the aggressor. This trade-off happens several times, but the backing is fairly consistent throughout. The majority of the song leans on the singers, so where "B8 hates vocals," I suspect I won't find universal agreement on this song.
Best part: 0:39, just after the intro, or 3:50 with the fiddle solo.

43. Assassin's Creed II - Venice Rooftops
Uploader: Kleenex (126)

Rating: 7.5
Comment: The building guitar gives way to the oooh'ing chorus that seems reminiscent of the other AC song I've heard, Ezio's Family, but this is much better than Ezio's. The song is intensely laidback, and sorrowfully serene. It never tries to break the envelope it sets early in the song, and I think that's a shame, since one strong part pushing things could have made this song really special.
Best part: The entrance to the vocals at :38, but wind it a few seconds before that.

42. Madworld - Ain't That Funny
Uploader: Ed Bellis (428)

Rating: 8
Comment: A rap song, this high? Holy crap. Our first eight, even. But, well, yeah, rap's all about the flow and the sound, and this one's got it. The oriental sounds that back the vocals are an interesting twist; I clearly don't listen to much rap, but it's not something I've heard tried, and it creates a neat feel. It's possible this could have been rhymed by someone else and still had the same effect, but I'll give the rapper the benefit of the doubt.
Best part: The very beginning.

41. Project-X - Title
Uploader: TheKnightOfNee (433)

Rating: 8
Comment: The samples might be a bit harsh, especially at 1:40, but that's actually part of what makes this song come together. The electronic mood wouldn't work without some of the odd sounds used. OK, maybe 1:40 could have been toned down a little bit, but the contrast is very effective. The song reprises the main theme several times, going into a new weird electronic passage after each, and I think the song could have done without a couple of these, like the one from 2:50-3:43. I still give it the nod for being very cool at the beginning.
Best part: 23 ticks in.

40. Donkey Kong Country - Funky's Fugue
Uploader: TheKnightOfNee (328)

Rating: 8
Comment: Volume is way low on this video. Turn this up, Nee! Interestingly, this is at best my fourth favorite song from the DKC1 soundtrack (behind GPG, FF, and AA, plus maybe Ice Cave Chant or Treetop Town,) and yet it still makes the top 50. It's still an awesome representative to be here. The "hiiiya" sound and the feel of the song make you want to dance around pretending you're doing karate.....what? Just me? Oh, ok then.
Best part: Hiiiiiiiiiiiya!

39. Secret of Mana - Give Love Its Rightful Time
Uploader: Ed Bellis (309)

Rating: 8
Definition: Fanboy (fann'-boi) n. 1. an individual who is excessively fervent in their positive favor toward a particular entity. * Azuarc is probably the board's biggest Secret of Mana fanboy. (1993-1994) Synonyms: devotee, afficionado, loyal supporter.
Additional comment: This song (which I've always known as Leave Time for Love) plays in the final dungeon, which has ancient technology in it as well as obviously the toughest monsters in the game. While it's not my single favorite piece from the game, it's an excellent choice to represent it. We could have done far worse, and sadly, it seems most SoM fans seem intent on shoving the bad ones down your throat. (I apologize whole-heartedly for Danger, and in advance for the inevtable What the Forest Taught Me nom. And sort of for The Oracle, but that one's got an excuse at least.)
Best part: beginning.

38. Dungeon Fighter Online - You (U.S. Main Theme)
Uploader: superangelo128 (495)

Rating: 8
Comment: Not surprising this would get a decent rating from me since you can track this song's presence here back to me -- we're in a string of four songs that could rightfully be called personal favorites. There's also a K-pop version of You (or Wind of You) in the Korean release ) which I'm starting to think I like a little better than the instrumental. 'You' is a heck of a way to be introduced to the sidescrolling MMO beat'em'up. Most of the other songs are more edgy, but this one sits back a bit more. It has its emphatic moments, but every time it pushes ahead, it pulls back shortly after. Outspoken and understated passages alike work very well, and help create a mysterious feel for the player before they step into the world of Arad.
Best part: At 0:51 when the song goes full tilt ahead, before dropping back at 1:14, which is a cool part in its own right.

37. Conker's Bad Fur Day - Sloprano
Uploader: superangelo128 (194)

Rating: 8
Comment: Ho boy, I'm gonna take some...poo for this. I'll admit, I'm supposed to be rating the song, and not the game or part of the game that it comes from. However, in this particular case they're inextricably linked. I simply can't dissociate them. The song was written to match the boss fight, and the boss fight was designed to match the music. I can only imagine what Rare went through with this scene. And, let's be honest, it isn't the GREATEST SONG EVAR in the conventional sense, but it's still passably good, and I'm not the least bit adverse to promoting whimsical songs. If Now You're a Hero can get a 7.0 from me, you shouldn't really be surprised to find this here. If you disagree, then you're just a niggly wiggly sniggly little tagnut.
Best part: The part where you realize you have a giant piece of **** singing opera at you.

36. The Ninja Warriors - Daddy Mulk
Uploader: TheKnightOfNee (300)

Rating: 8
Comment: My progressive reaction as I listen to this song for the first time -- This song sounds cool...ok, it's not done yet...still wants to play another cool part, alright. Gonna give it a--, er...ok, more cool stuff...man doesn't this song ever give up? Quit pushing the envelope, already! But that's precisely what Daddy Mulk does. Unlike most songs that either set the bar somewhere and mostly stay at that level, or have an unexpectedly high or low section to the song, Daddy Mulk starts decent and keeps its foot on the gas.
Best part: 1:51-2:21


And I'm afraid I'm running out of songs, so I can't just give 25 away at once any more. You'll have to settle for 15.

My experience with Monty is almost the same as yours just change the fact that I first heard it in VGMC3

--
http://www.backloggery.com/superangelo128 http://myanimelist.net/profile/superangelo128 http://vndb.org/u6633/votes http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/7524301

Solid list. Especially since there's a couple of awesome tracks left from what I remember.

--
XIII_rocks, the cream of XIII fanboyism.
The guru champ isn't such a SuperNiceDog, he made me change my sig!

(Pokemon DP Route 216 should be waaayyyy higher though)

--
XIII_rocks, the cream of XIII fanboyism.
The guru champ isn't such a SuperNiceDog, he made me change my sig!

Beyond the Bounds as well as the two upcoming hymmnos are some of my favorite songs so I can't really complain.

--
http://hyouta.ath.cx/musicquiz
http://talesofvesperia.net

And if anyone's curious...

Tomorrow: 35-21
Saturday: 20-11
Sunday: Top 10

So you have until then to be all like "OMG, I wonder what #1 will be! I mean, az is such an unknown and a weirdo, it could be like anything, right?"

35. Outlaws - Anna's Theme
Uploader: Harmonica (067)

Rating: 8
Comment: This one caught me by surprise. I didn't even remember it from the first pass. Chances are I ignored it on a sleepy Friday morning when I didn't want to listen to a slow, sweet song. However, this song is rather amazing at creating a sad, sullen mood. Just as the initial part with the dulcimer-harpsichord thing wears out its welcome, we add an oboe, a singer, and then a trumpet, each of which slide into place seamlessly. Even when it adds a little more sound later, it still remains true to the feel the whole time.
Best part: Highly debatable, but I'm going with 2:05 when the trumpet enters. The ending part is surprisingly good also.

34. Another Bound Neo - Trample Machine
Uploader: Harmonica (319)

Rating: 8
Comment: Another total unknown for me -- not many of those left at the top of the mountain. The build-up in the first 50 seconds is great. The rest just manages to not disappoint. Considering the starting point, simply not disappointing is accomplishment enough.
Best part: At 28 seconds.

33. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - A Nearly Peaceful Place
Uploader: Harmonica (312)

Rating: 8
Comment: This list has quite a few songs that are slow and sappy, and none of them have scored well (unless you count Anna's Theme, which I wouldn't.) It's a fine line to walk, but ANPP has enough of the soulful tension to keep the listener engaged. That's a credit to the conductor of the musicians who played the song, considering that sort of stretching and stressing of the tempo can't be taught to a machine or written in on sheet music. The song fits the combo of the title and the picture excellently, as it truly feels like it could be the mood of walking through forested wilderness, or perhaps remembering lost loved ones like the scene halfway through Braveheart.
Best part: It's all pretty much the same.

32. Ar Tonelico III: Knell of Ar Ciel - EXEC_FLIP_ARPHAGE/.
Uploader: Pikachu025 (269)

Rating: 8
Comment: This one starts off sounding like it could be in the same category with the previous song. Even by 1:04, we've only really heard different choral parts, and still nothing with any sort of edge to them, though it is building with minor background instruments. And then at 2:07 the floodgates open. While ARPHAGE remains primarily a choral work throughout, the softness is replaced by a sense of forward progression and there are a few instrumental passages. There are also a couple of minorly weird parts from 3:16 to 3:46 that detract from the overall work. Actually, I'm not nearly as impressed with the men in this song as the women, and I suspect that if the male parts had simply been cut out the song would be a great deal better. As it is, though, it's still getting a good rating. I already had a chat with at least one person who expected this to go bottom 50, and clearly I disagree. But then, I don't hate vocals.
Best part: 2:07.

31. Odin Sphere - Odin Sphere's Theme ~ Shanachie Ver.
Uploader: superangelo128 (467)

Rating: 8
Comment: The first 2:20 is all about the vocals, and supporting them. Yes, another vocal piece. Deal with it. They leave after that point, and the rest is practically pure instrumental. Of course, I haven't really said anything up to this point about the song itself, and frankly I'm not sure what I can say beyond describing it. It's a good song, but I've really got nothing to comment on.
Best part: I like the beginning.

30. Super Meat Boy - The Battle of Lil Slugger
Uploader: Kleenex (084)

Rating: 8
Comment: Just 57 seconds long before it loops, but a very awesome 57 seconds. 18 seconds of eerie, 19 seconds of ominous, and then 18 seconds of awww yeah.
Best part: I'll go with the awww yeah.

29. Chrono Trigger - Frog's Theme
Uploader: superangelo128 (283)

Rating: 8
Comment: I'm starting to get a bit jaded on Frog's Theme, but that doesn't mean it isn't awesome. Such a bold, triumphant entrance. I wouldn't have expected the melody to be carried by a pitch-bending flute after that, but this march sustains it's feelings of epicness throughout the entire short loop. Who do you think would win in a fight, Frog's Theme or Guile's Theme?
Best part: The beginning of the melody.

28. Umineko no Naku Koro ni 2: Turn of the Golden Witch - worldenddominator
Uploader: Ed Bellis (386)

Rating: 8
Comment: This placement right here? This is respect. I'm not a huge Umineko fan, as I still find it hard to justify the board's position of including visual novels in the realm of video games, and after living through the 8- and 16-bit eras, I tend to be cynical of Japanese things that don't get brought overseas. (I'm obviously not a weeaboo.) I seriously don't know what the hell this Umineko thing is or why people love it so much. But damn, the music's good. This is one of Umineko's two big guns, the other still waiting its turn. They're really good, but it's so hard to live up to the hype that everyone here puts them up to, and obviously I've got a natural negative bias to begin with. Still, if I do my best to ignore the noise from both ends, WED is an epic piece, from the opening piano to the drums that follow to the first melody to the harpsichord section that gets taken to the 10th degree...it's pretty hard not to like it, or to "overrate" it. So yeah, trust me, despite the rant above, I get it. I do.
Best part: umm...2:04?

27. Dragon Quest VIII - Heavenly Flight
Uploader: KamikazePotato (296)

Rating: 8
Comment: There's absolutely no mistaking it as being a Dragon Quest song; I can spot Sugiyama a mile away (even though I didn't know his name until I read the video info.) It's such a light, airy song; appropriately named. I wish it was all as good as the beginning, but it had to have a middle section.
Best part: Toward the end of the song, at 2:11, when the full ensemble re-enters to the final climax, if climax can even be used to describe this song.

26. Chrono Cross - Life ~Faraway Promise~
Uploader: Harmonica (445)

Rating: 8
Comment: I'm not a huge Chrono Cross fan, so I had actually never heard this before Best OST. After 37 seconds of intermittent tones, I wasn't expecting much, but then the song actually began for real, and I was amazed. Other than maybe Dreams of the Shore, I'd say I like this better than anything else I've heard from CC, and although I think Scars is massively overrated, that's still not damning with faint praise. Life is just really good.
Best part: I could pick any random point in time after the "intro" and do well, but I like the melodic passage that begins at 2:48.

25. Castle Crashers - Winterbliss
Uploader: Kleenex (091)

Rating: 8
Comment: I'm of the firm belief that the only two ice levels I've ever heard that do it right are this and Ice Cave Chant (DKC). All of the others are excessively tranquil. This captures the mood of a frozen wasteland while still providing a proper sense of action since, y'know, not everything is about getting turned into a snowman or skidding on a patch of ice.
Best part: The beginning, or the part right after where it reprises.

24. Final Fantasy X - Seymour Battle
Uploader: Pikachu025 (129)

Rating: 8
Comment: Technically I first heard this song in-game, but the first time I actually listened to it was on Underworld23's top 100 RPG battle themes, which was basically the first time I listened to VGM online through YouTube. The song amazed me then, and clearly it still has an impression on me now. The descending twinkles into the singers, and then the heavy two-pattern drums is a very noticeable and unique intro. The rest works great for a mid-game boss.
Best part: The doodla-doodla-doodl-doodl bit at 2:08. (Ok, yeah, the intro, but besides that, 2:08.)

23. Pepsiman - Pepsiman Theme Song
Uploader: superangelo128 (243)

Rating: 8
Comment: For a song that doesn't take itself the least bit seriously, it's downright amazing. I've certainly never heard of Pepsiman the game, and I imagine it's probably one step up from those games BK was giving away and one step below Annoy the Noid, but the music is top notch. There's some great freeform parts from the electric piano and the sax. I guess you'd call this jazz fusion? I call it awesome.
Best part: Peeepsi maaaaann! Pepsi, pepsi, peeepsi maaaaann!

22. Sonic Rush - Wrapped in Black
Uploader: Kleenex (266)

Rating: 8
Misheard Lyrics: To blathe. To straw. To blathe. To straw. To blathe. To straw, to straw, to straw. Rappin bad and bad and bad…
Comment: And we all know "to blathe" means "to bluff." I know there will be some who decry the vocals in this song, and I understand that perspective, but honestly I think those silly samples are a big part of what makes this song what it is. Don't think of them as vocals, but merely sound effects, because that's all they are. And did you ever expect to see a Princess Bride reference in a write-up about this song? =p
Best part: probably the beginning

21. Mega Man 3 - Title
Uploader: TheKnightOfNee (482)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: The intro is a style that isn't tried very often at all, and I wish more composers would give it a go. I'm amazed that an NES chiptune was able to encompass that feeling so well. The rest of the song past :30 is just gravy. And, it would appear that in some sense, Mega Man is the big winner of the countdown, considering it has three songs in the top 25.
Best part: The beginning, duh!

Harmonica actually uploaded wrapped in black for me on one of my off days as, what I could only assume, a joke.

--
I'm no longer a Nadal supporter. Andy Murray is my new favorite player/person. -Princess Anri

The Mana Sword posted...
Harmonica actually uploaded wrapped in black for me on one of my off days as, what I could only assume, a joke.

That's funny, because that makes it his highest-ranking upload. Everybody else still has one left.

Actually, I'm not nearly as impressed with the men in this song as the women,

...men? Pretty damn sure that's just Shikata singing really low >_>

Though more importantly: someone else likes Arphage yay ^_^

--
Oh, a big machine with flashy lights. A big machine like that has me written all over it. Well, okay, it doesn't. But give me time... and a crayon --11th Doctor

FLIP_ARPHAGE is easily my favorite song of all my uploads, could listen to that forever; then again, I pretty much love all of Shikata's stuff. And for all the game's faults, it's used quite well in there too, split up into two parts (0:00 - 2:51 part a, 2:51 - end part b), the first part while running through an (enemyless) dungeon which then switches to the second part once you reach the end.


And yeah, no idea where you hear male singers in there.

--
http://hyouta.ath.cx/musicquiz
http://talesofvesperia.net

There's definitely at least two different vocalists used...the tonality is too different for it to be the same person. (Unless I'm thinking of Z, since I'm at work and can't listen to make sure I'm talking about the right AT song.)

Speaking of listening while at work, though, I came across an interesting revelation today. On account of doing the Sporcle quiz, I had MP3's of the top 50, so for amusement I put them on my player. I was doing something in a back room today at work, so I started listening. Now, I'm well aware that a song on headphones sounds differently than one on speakers, and there's the file format to consider as well, but some of these songs sounded radically different. In some cases they sounded way better, in some cases much worse. In some cases I heard parts I didn't even know existed. And yes, it was the same version of the song. Now I'm almost tempted to do the list over again, listening to MP3's of the songs either on headphones or in my car. (And no, I don't have a great sound system for my computer. I'm not an audiophile, so something that merely plays the sound at a volume I can hear it is normally fine.)

Pikachu 025 posted...
And yeah, no idea where you hear male singers in there.

3:09? Once that part hands over the melody, they're singing in the background with what sounds like lyrics of "hit the daddy-o, hit the daddy-o"

The female singer sings with an open throat. The male singer's stuff is much more close-throated and stressed. The part is mostly in the background, but it's the dominant voice from 4:15 to 4:44.

Ed Bellis posted...
Neither does this one person.

Nonsense! This is B8! Everybody hates vocals...except Celtic.

Sloprano and Funky's Fugue are too very good songs that should be nowhere near the Top 50

Beyond The Bounds is awful

I'd put Seymour Battle higher but I'm happy with its placement

I have the exact opposite opinion of Monty On The Run

--
HBJ - occupymyheart
~Project 1000~

azuarc posted...
Now, I'm well aware that a song on headphones sounds differently than one on speakers, and there's the file format to consider as well, but some of these songs sounded radically different. In some cases they sounded way better, in some cases much worse. In some cases I heard parts I didn't even know existed. And yes, it was the same version of the song. Now I'm almost tempted to do the list over again, listening to MP3's of the songs either on headphones or in my car. (And no, I don't have a great sound system for my computer. I'm not an audiophile, so something that merely plays the sound at a volume I can hear it is normally fine.)

I have some high quality headphones thank God, so every time I have the chance I listen to songs in 720p, and there are many songs that sound just incredibly detailed. I love songs with subtle-yet-catchy/awesome background instrumentation. Sometimes subtle details in instrumentation are a thing that makes me separate songs that are very similar in quality.

--
SuperNiceDog waggs his tail better than your regular, standard dog.

No idea what to expect from the Top 10 BTW, as always.

--
SuperNiceDog waggs his tail better than your regular, standard dog.

sonten1 posted...
Sloprano and Funky's Fugue are too very good songs that should be nowhere near the Top 50

If they're very good, why should they be nowhere near the top 50?

I can understand the rest of your opinions, even if obviously mine differ, which means I approve of those opinions! (If I can't see where you're coming from with something, then I disapprove of your opinion.)


Advo, only 20 songs left, and 10 of them will probably go up by the time you read this, but I'm all over the place. Board favorites, known entities, and a couple total surprises. I guess nothing's totally a surprise at this point if you're willing to go back to the sporcle quiz and eliminate what's been used so far. The real question is the order. And if I did it again, I'm not sure how different that would be. When I went back to order the songs once I had decided what was a 7.5, what was an 8.0, etc., I had a hard time placing things. I'm not good with semi-arbitrary decisions. So I listened and listened and finally just said screw it and picked stuff. I generally stand behind the decisions I've made, but it's inevitable that, me being me, I will second guess myself constantly about everything. The only part I knew for certain before doing the actual numbered order was which songs were in the top four. Even now, I'm actually getting a little sick of those songs, but not quite enough to demote them.

Nonsense! This is B8! Everybody hates vocals...except Celtic.

You need to drop out of my Top 10 to get to a non-vocal song!

Okay, I'm kind of stretching it on a few. You absolutely have to drop out of my Top 5 though.

--
xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
GotD (219/384) Melee v FFX

Alright, everybody hates vocals, except Celtic and xp.

Actually, how many people around here actually hate vocals? I mean, most popular music has vocals, so unless you turn on the classical station in the car, odds are you're listening to a singer. I just know it's a running joke about B8.


Well, anyway, moving on...

20. Shadow the Hedgehog - Waking Up
Uploader: superangelo128 (236)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: This song reminds me of a few songs on the Mortal Kombat (movie) soundtrack, which I used to own a long time ago. Mind you, I'm talking about a movie soundtrack, where it's "songs inspired by," but there were some really cool songs on that. So if I equate this with something that has really cool songs on it, then that's a good thing, right? I'm not going to go looking for my old cassette (yes, I had it on tape) to draw direct comparisons, but there were songs on that unlike I had ever heard before, so there's a strong sense of nostalgia here for me...really odd for a game I've never played and don't know anything about.
Edit: I went looking for whichever song it was via YouTube, and I can't find it. I'm probably thinking of something else entirely. The rationale doesn't matter. I like the song. I admit the quality doesn't seem top 20 material, and maybe it's not, but it's #20 today.
Best part: 12 seconds in.

19. Persona 3 - The Battle For Everyone's Souls
Uploader: KamikazePotato (023)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: At the very beginning with a middling tempo, you wouldn't expect such greatness, but the best word I can use to describe the tone of the intro is menacing. It continues to be awesome after that without getting all frenetic with wailing guitars like most contemporary boss battles would. Plus it has a surprising section with an opera singer that doesn't suck. There isn't a part of this song I dislike.
Best part: On the other hand, there isn't a part that really stands out to me, either.

18. Mega Man X - Ending
Uploader: superangelo128 (089)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: Most ending themes are sappy, triumphant, or reprise the main theme. This one is introspective, which is rather unique. It's a great piece for setting a different mood than maybe you'd expect, makes you question just what you were doing, and it ends on a sad note rather than giving you any satisfaction for a job well done. That might sound rather moribund, but the song is simply awesome.
Best part: 1:13.

17. Ys 7 - Innocent Primeval Breaker
Uploader: Ed Bellis (435)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: A song directly inspired by Best OST, ha! This is the highest positioned all-out rock song. (By my reasoning, anyway. There are some kinda sorta's, like the next song.) Probably not surprising that it would come from either Guilty Gear or Ys. I had this song described to me as Riches in Me-lite, which is true in some regards -- it starts strong, the rest of the song is decent but not nearly as good by contrast, and they've got a similiar vibe. But Riches in Me inexplicably didn't strike me, and this one did. (P.S. Riches in Me sounded WAY better on headphones.)
Best part: Solo at 2:19.

16. Elemental Master - Blood-Stained Lake
Uploader: Kleenex (028)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: Low volume alert. Simply incredible, and completely unexpected. (Well, other than that I had heard it back when VGMotD started.) Might very well be my favorite Genesis piece, and while I realize that besides Sonic there isn't a great deal of competition there, it's still saying something. The only thing I'll say to the contrary on Blood-Stained Lake is that I honestly thought it would be from something even older than Genesis judging from the graphics and the sound. I would have guessed one of the old computer systems like Amiga/C64. Not that it's a bad thing to sound like a C64 song.
Best part: I could be creative, but I honestly just like the beginning.

15. Umineko 4 - dreamenddischarger
Uploader: KamikazePotato (121)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: Insert "14 spots too low" comments here. I already went on my rant during WED, so no need to repeat that. This song's good. I make no arguments about that. It's not #1. I say that not because I have anything in particular I dislike about the song -- if I have to get into a discussion over this song vs Scars I'll take ded 11 times out of 10. However, I do think there are songs that are better. I wasn't sure how to rate it, so I basically let this one sit on the list while I picked off other songs until it just seemed time to cut ties. This one and the song right after it, for very different reasons.
Best part: 2:40, easily.

14. Ar Tonelico III: Knell of Ar Ciel - EXEC_Z/.
Uploader: Pikachu025 (500)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: I still hate you, Celtic.
I should just let that be my comment and leave everyone else confused, but I heard this for the first time during Celtic's rank 100 topic; it was her #1. I suspect it wouldn't have been uploaded on day 500 if not for that. I'm not nearly as big a fan of Ar tonelico as she, but I can't deny that it's a really good, if slightly strange song. You wouldn't believe how long it took me to try to rate it, though. I listened to the song at least 10 times trying to make a preliminary ranking, and then another 10 times trying to make a more definitive ranking. I was incredibly frustrated. Finally I just said "screw it, I'll lowball it, and just keep pulling things off the list in front of it until I don't think I can justify that any more." It bubbled up from like #60 to here. Is it really #14 in my opinion? I don't know! I don't know what I think still! I wish this song would just go away so I don't have to decide what I think! *Tucks head between knees and rocks back and forth in the corner*
Best part: 3:39-4:09 I guess? I DON'T KNOW! LEAVE ME ALONE!

13. DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu Black Label - Xanadu (Stage 2-B)
Uploader: TheKnightOfNee (363)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: This one of those rare songs that caught my attention squarely on the first listen. Not enough to go top 5 or anything, but it's still a very impressive piece. It presents this great electro-rock sound with a couple exceptional drum fills. I have no idea what DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu is, and I doubt I could say it five times fast, but Xanadu is an awesome song.
P.S. This game title breaks the GameFAQs forum filters, apparently, because it contains F-U-K.
Best part: The drum break fill at 1:24.

12. Jets'n'Guns - Shop Music
Uploader: Ed Bellis (029)

Rating: 8.5
Comment: Nothing amazes me about this song more than just the raw sound it has. (The tone color, the fullness, etc.) You might argue that it never really does anything, and that wouldn't be completely false; it doesn't really have a melody of any kind for most of the song. For once, I'm going to say that it doesn't need to. The ensemble sound is amazing enough for it to not matter.
Best part: Extra instrumentation added at :47.

11. Mega Man 2 - Dr. Wily Stage 1/2
Uploader: Kaleb.G (366)

Rating: 9
Comment: One of the two most classic, most revered NES pieces (for strictly music's sake. Obviously the Mario and Zelda themes are better known.) If you asked me to pick between Wily and The Moon, I'd have to think hard about it, but I don't have to make that decision today. I simply have to tell you that it's better than roughly 490 other songs. Sadly, it's the one 9 that doesn't make the top 10, but that's nothing to feel bad about. Those other songs are young whippersnappers with CD quality sound that hide behind their samples and their arrangement with more than three parts. Phaw! The Capcom composers don't need any of that newfangled garbage to create a masterpiece!
Best part: I have to pick just one? Is there a part that isn't good?

well you definitley like vocals much more than the average board 8er

--
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From: azuarc | #293
EXEC_Z/.
I heard this for the first time during Celtic's rank 100 topic; it was her #1. I suspect it wouldn't have been uploaded on day 500 if not for that.

Who is Celtic and why should I care about her when deciding my uploads?

--
http://hyouta.ath.cx/musicquiz
http://talesofvesperia.net

Celtic7Guardian. She did a rank 100 not long ago, and she's often in B8VGM. (Well, as often as anyone else.) Apparently she had no influence on you, but she still had influence on me, then. So I hate you, Celtic. Except that I don't. Just trying to rate EXEC_Z.

I won't post for spoilers' sake since I know a few people want to be surprised, but you can find the top ten listed (in alphabetical order) at the bottom of the spreadsheet where I've been posting the rankings. Just in case anyone wanted to look ahead to tomorrow and try to guess at what's coming.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoS8GGHS9FDGdDlwQWZMbmhvcXpJa3JVaWgzZVBfbEE


NO SPOILERS PEOPLE: Consider this your fair warning that somebody will probably give their thoughts on the top ten.

I like vocals.

Hell, I'm one of the resident AT fans--it's sort of a requirement >_>

--
Oh, a big machine with flashy lights. A big machine like that has me written all over it. Well, okay, it doesn't. But give me time... and a crayon --11th Doctor

I wonder where this huge distaste for vocals comes from. I mean, sure, they can be used badly, but so can any other instrument.

--
http://hyouta.ath.cx/musicquiz
http://talesofvesperia.net