Board 8 > azuarc ranks 100 ending/credit themes -- part 1

Topic List
Page List: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
azuarc
10/23/17 10:48:38 PM
#1:


Two weeks ago, I asked for nominations for ending and credits themes. I was bored that night. I haven't really been bored since, so I'm kind of regretting it now. But I promised I would do this, and so I will follow through. My ranking is not complete yet. I'm working my way up the ranks. But I have enough done to begin, and hopefully I'll be able to keep ahead of the updates.

I made a playlist to listen to these, and listened far too much before I began ranking. My opinions on some of these has been all over the place. I'm starting to get a little tired of this song set as a result, so GG me. Truthfully, these songs are hard to differentiate. There's not much that's bad. There's a lot of boring and bland, there's some really good stuff, and there's quite a bit that's a combination of the two. On my first rating sweep, I used a rating of 5.5 as "average" and I ended up with 57 songs above that mark, and only 23 below it. Plus some of the ones below have since been bumped up the list a bit. OTOH, there aren't too many exceptional pieces, so there's going to be a very muddled middle to this list. Be prepared for a high degree of subjectivity and perhaps ranking things high or low very arbitrarily.

Anyway, I think that's about as much as I can write in this opening post. We've got 101 songs as follows:

Ace_Killjoy - Armored Core: For Answer - Curtain Fall ~end roll~
Ace_Killjoy - Iridion II - Interstellar Journey
Ace_Killjoy - Warhammer 40000: Space Marine - A Hero's Legacy
Arti - Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk - Altair
Arti - Pangya; Fantasy Golf - Starlight
Arti - Persona 4 Arena - NOW I KNOW
Arti - Ys I & II Chronicles - Victory!!
Arti - Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 - Go Love and Peace
dowolf - Ar Tonelico II - The Heart Speaks / Tale of the Heart
dowolf - Ar Tonelico II - EXEC_with.METHOD_METAFALICA
dowolf - Xenosaga I - Sweet Song
dowolf - Shadow Hearts: From the New World - Spread My Wings
dowolf - Fatal Frame 3 - Koe (Voice)
Dragon66116 - Metroid: Zero Mission - Staff Credits
Dragon66116 - Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations - End
Dragon66116 - Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald - Credits
Dragon66116 - Professor Layton and the Unwound Future - Time Travel (Instrumental)
Dragon66116 - Spyro the Dragon - Credits
jcgamer107 - Ni no Kuni - Kokoro no Kakera
jcgamer107 - Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Credits
jcgamer107 - Shovel Knight - Reprise (Credits)
jcgamer107 - Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja 5 - Staff Roll
jcgamer107 - Portal 2 - Want You Gone
Johnbobb - Papo & Yo - Liberation (La Muerte de Papo)
Johnbobb - Kingdom Hearts II - Sanctuary (After the Battle)
Johnbobb - Journey - I Was Born For This
Johnbobb - Kirby's Epic Yarn - Staff Credits
Johnbobb - Octodad: Dadliest Catch - End Credits
LeonhartFour - Metal Gear Solid 4 - Here's to You
LeonhartFour - Persona 4: Dancing All Night - Calystegia
LeonhartFour - Final Fantasy VII - Staff Roll
LeonhartFour - Skies of Arcadia - Credits
LeonhartFour - Super Mario 64 - Staff Roll
Mac_Arrowny - F-Zero GX - Master Class Ending
Mac_Arrowny - Guilty Gear X - Primal Light
MycroProcessor - Drakengard - Ending A
MycroProcessor - Super Monkey Ball 2 - Credits
MycroProcessor - ResQ - Ending
MycroProcessor - Jewel Master - To Be Over
MycroProcessor - Ripple Dot Zero - Ending
NFUN - Trails in the Sky SC - Whereabouts of Hope
NFUN - Trails in the Sky - Whereabouts of Light
NFUN - Undertale - Bring it in, Guys!
NFUN - Undertale - Last Goodbye
NFUN - Final Fantasy X - Ending Theme
PirateKing2000 - Cuphead - Closing Credits
PirateKing2000 - Asura's Wrath - In Your Belief
PirateKing2000 - Dragon's Dogma - Eternal Return
PirateKing2000 - Dead Rising - Justified
PirateKing2000 - Mass Effect 2 - End Credits / Suicide Mission
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azuarc
10/23/17 10:50:10 PM
#2:


pyresword - Final Fantasy IX - Melodies of Life
pyresword - ICO - You Were There
pyresword - Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Looking Up at the Sky (Ending Version)
pyresword - Little Busters! - Alicemagic
pyresword & Raka_putra - Persona 3 - Memories of You
Raka_putra - Persona 4 - Never More
Robazoid - Life is Strange - credits theme
Robazoid - Final Fantasy XIII - credits theme
Robazoid - Tales from the Borderlands - credits theme
Robazoid - Mirror's Edge - Still Alive
Ry_Senkari - The World Ends With You - Lullaby For You
Ry_Senkari - Final Fantasy VI - Ending Theme (Airship)
Ry_Senkari - Chrono Trigger - To Far Away Times
Sceptilesolar - Ghost Trick - Epilogue ~ The End of the Night
Sceptilesolar - Umineko - Bring the Fate
Se7enthrust - Mega Man 3 - Ending Theme
Se7enthrust - Streets of Rage 2 - Ending Theme
Se7enthrust - Super Mario Bros 3 - Ending Theme
Shonen_Bat - Mother 3 - Curtain Call
Shonen_Bat - Touhou 15 - The moon as seen from the shrine
Shonen_Bat - Pokmon Black 2 and White 2 - Ending and Credits
Shonen_Bat - Iji - Further
Shonen_Bat - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Staff Roll
Simoun - Deathsmiles - Period
Simoun - Daymare Cat - Better
Simoun - A Hat in Time - Ending Theme
Simoun - Duck Tales: Remastered - The Moon Theme (Piano)
Simoun - Dishonored - Honor For All
Snake5555555555 - Max Payne 3 - Tears
Snake5555555555 - Resident Evil 4 - Sorrow
Snake5555555555 - Spec Ops: The Line - Truth Revealed
Snake5555555555 - Resident Evil 2 - Credit Line
Snake5555555555 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Way to Fall
tazzyboyishere - Pokemon Black/White - Ending Theme
tazzyboyishere - Tales of Graces f - White Wishes (Instrumental)
tazzyboyishere - Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Staff Credits
tazzyboyishere - Kingdom Hearts II.5 ReMIX - Fantasia Alla Marcia
tazzyboyishere - Wild Arms - To the End of the Wilderness ~ To a New Journey
th3l3fty - Planetarian - The Loving Depths
th3l3fty - VVVVVV - Popular Potpourri
th3l3fty - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - I Am The Wind
th3l3fty - Saya no Uta - Shoes of Glass
xp1337 - Nier Automata - Weight of the World (English)
xp1337 - Ar nosurge - Ar-ciel Ar-manaf
xp1337 - Xenosaga III - Maybe Tomorrow ~ Ending Melody
xp1337 - .hack//G.U. Vol 2//Reminisce - The Whereabouts of Truth
xp1337 - Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls - Progressive
Zyxyz0 - Persona 5 - Hoshi to Bokura to
Zyxyz0 - You Have to Burn the Rope - Now You're a Hero
Zyxyz0 - Umineko Chiru - Fishy Aroma (vocals)
Zyxyz0 - Red Dead Redemption - Deadman's Gun
Zyxyz0 - Hatoful Boyfriend - Hana Yume

Up first: the most recent release on the list, I think
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Snake5555555555
10/23/17 10:50:34 PM
#3:


Tag
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I once read that names which begin with the letter 'S' are the names of SNAKES! Sssss!
http://tinyurl.com/zqwzc9a - http://i.imgur.com/e6kIv3X.png
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jcgamer107
10/23/17 10:55:14 PM
#4:


wktBk0d
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special shout outs to DpObliVion and JDTAY, who did well in the contest and normally play the piano when these scenes play
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Shonen_Bat
10/23/17 10:56:09 PM
#5:


Tag.
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boring placeholder signature
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azuarc
10/23/17 10:57:26 PM
#6:


101. Cuphead Closing Credits
Nominated by: PirateKing2000
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kszjdpUF0Js


Ugh, sorry, but no. First of all, Im not big on the bluesy New Orleans jazz stuff. I dont mind it, but its not my thing. Still, if it had been only the faux Louis Armstrong stuff, I could have handled that. What kills Cuphead's closing credits is that theres this awful hidden track buried deep in. The real song ends a little shy of 4 minutes. After the 5 minute mark, a bunch of random BS from the musicians fills up the rest of the track. If I were in a different mood, and had listened to the whole OST, maybe Id smile at that. I do remember the days of CDs and hidden tracks, and Im sure some of the ones Ive listened to are similar, but when Im actively trying to listen and evaluate, and I have to listen to a bunch of brass instruments playing fart noises for two minutes, Im just not on board. I wasn't on board to begin with, but I'm definitely not after that.

Next: here's to terrible vocals
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azuarc
10/23/17 11:01:53 PM
#7:


100. Metal Gear Solid 4 Heres to You
Nominated by: LeonhartFour
Have I heard it before? Yes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOVkYAxHvkk


Ennio Morricone must be turning over in his grave. The rest of this piece is written well, performed well, produced well, but dear God that singer should go back to doing Enya covers. Someone please get her to go look up the definition of schmaltzy. This wont be the only song on the list with over-the-top vocals, but its easily the worst offender considering how much it sends this track into a nosedive. And no, leon, I didnt hate the rest of your nominations.

Next: a title that suggests a partial ending.
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azuarc
10/23/17 11:05:48 PM
#8:


99. Deathsmiles - Period
Nominated by: Simoun
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1AVeuLplQ0


And continuing with the trend of songs that are ruined by the vocals, theyre pretty terrible here. Im not sure if I would like Period with a competent singer, but the backing parts are acceptable enough that a strong singer probably holds this one together. The funny thing is the singer even fakes you out for a minute by not seeming that bad. He doesnt keep it together, though, and this one just goes down the tubes.

next: the first of five (and I don't mean Snake's noms)
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pyresword
10/23/17 11:07:15 PM
#9:


Tag.

Wonder if I'll avoid bottom 10 somehow. Eh I doubt it.
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Mobilezoid
10/23/17 11:09:22 PM
#10:


azuarc posted...
next: the first of five

LiS Ep1 credits here we come!
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**R.O.B.A.Z.O.I.D** (On mobile)
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pyresword
10/23/17 11:12:54 PM
#11:


Also predicting Never More is next.
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azuarc
10/23/17 11:47:35 PM
#12:


okay, guess I'll do a couple more before I go to bed.

98. Drakengard Ending A
Nominated by: MycroProcessor
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs6z8570_ow


Ive heard that Drakengard as a game (and as an OST) is kinda a hot mess. Apparently it takes a certain kind of person to love itand I am not that person. I like Black Song/Final Song, and Blissade Raphael from 3, but last years VGMC entries from the original were among my most disliked tracks in the field, and Ending A isnt much better. It sounds like the music youd expect to hear in the most obnoxious, drawn-out dungeon in a game, that you just want to be done with already, but no, heres another random encounter or another terrible enemy in your path or a stupid unsolvable puzzle, and listening to this track is the bland hell youve been sentenced to for the next 3 hours.

Actually, with a write-up like that, I kinda wonder why I didn't put this last.

next: a title way too easy to riff on
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azuarc
10/23/17 11:51:05 PM
#13:


97. Max Payne 3 Tears
Nominated by: Snake5555555555
Have I heard it before? I think maybe?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEH_LSL4rVw


In truth, how unpleasant Tears is seems to be directly proportional to the volume you play it at. Those opening seconds will give you a headache if those incessant quarter notes are blasting. That said, Tears doesnt really have anything going for it that makes me go, Hey, Im glad that was playing in the background other than maybe that its a break from total silence. However, I think Id usually opt for silence instead. On the bright side, as much as I love to rag on Snake for his nomination choices in these topics, this is the only one Im completely panning.

next: a song that's truly goofy
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azuarc
10/23/17 11:53:31 PM
#14:


96. Kingdom Hearts II Sanctuary (After the Battle)
Nominated by: Johnbobb
Have I heard it before? Dont think so
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o12mh9x4TFU


I need sanctuary from this song. Truthfully, it isnt horrific to listen tofor the first two minutes. Then it just wears on you, and that melodic line where the singer goes up high for two notes, and then back down becomes really grating and no longer novel. The peaceful backing also wears thin. That works in Halcyon and On and On for some reason, but I just grow weary of the piano as this song goes on and on. Then the song pauses, and you think its over, only for a guitar and drums to enter oh-so-politely, and it continues for another couple minutes. No singer, mercifully, but still the same stuff with background drums, and ultimately Sanctuary ends without doing anything that I can put in the pros column.

next: from the ranks of the handhelds
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Arti
10/24/17 8:38:56 AM
#15:


I thought one of my choices would have been ranked already
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azuarc
10/24/17 9:14:48 AM
#16:


95. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald Credits
Nominated by: Dragon66118
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmlFDnsT4Zk


Starts off okay, but the backing samples eventually got to me. Which is funny, because Im all about classic Game Boy tracks, which is what it sounds like. And then we get to the one-minute mark and the sample quality devolves and degrades until the fake brass comes in at 2 minutes, and the song just completely loses any semblance of charm. For a song on an older system, I might have taken this in stride as part of the day. I certainly like my 8-bit songs more than most. But the song demonstrates its capable of better, and it doesnt use these low-fi samples artfully.

next: *shrug*...it'll be up in a few seconds.
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azuarc
10/24/17 9:15:29 AM
#17:


94. Papo & Yo Liberation (La Muerte de Papo)
Nominated by: Johnbobb
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38udbIqG0LQ


Were getting into the portion of the list where the songs are at least usually preferable to silence. Instead, theyre mostly just bland. Not the first time Ive heard kid vocals in a song, and that much is fine. Unfortunately, thats about the only thing that stands out with Liberation. Beyond that its kinda boring, with some of the backing tracks a pinch irritating. And then it just ends without anything happening.

next: masterfully boring
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azuarc
10/24/17 9:17:28 AM
#18:


93. F-Zero GX Master Class Ending
Nominated by: Mac_arrowny
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrL_tKvss_w


This song is a whole lotta nothing. The initial build at least eventually gives me the extra drums I was waiting for, but it comes too late and the quality of the drum samples kinda sucks. The melody comes in at 1:30, which is precisely 2/3 of the way into the song, and then it ends. Im okay with the idea of writing an ambient track, especially for a video game level where it may have to loop for a while but this is a credits theme, so whats the point of this song?

next: a song that could have been disqualified by the letter of the law, but certainly not the spirit
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dowolf
10/24/17 11:07:28 AM
#19:


tag
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Nonsense. "Testing" is for when you're still guessing--and now, I have no need to guess. -- Agatha, Girl Genius
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Leonhart4
10/24/17 11:23:16 AM
#20:


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azuarc
10/24/17 4:54:45 PM
#21:


Congratulations?

92. Super Monkey Ball 2 End Credits
Nominated by: MycroProcessor
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KO_q14JzQI


As indicated by my next build-up, this song is arguably ineligible since I defined the criteria for ending tracks as songs that occur after the player ceases to have control, and a mini-game plays during the Monkey Ball credits. Im not going to be that pedantic, though.

Im a little surprised by this piece, partly because I think of Mycro as the type to always nominate mixed meter stuff and/or really complex pieces. Or Drakengard. This is decidedly none of those. I suppose its pleasant enough, but it really doesnt do anything. It has an A and a B section, but neither are especially interesting. No melody, no cool pattern that is worth listening to for several minutes. I'll pass.

next: a song true to its uploader
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azuarc
10/24/17 4:55:36 PM
#22:


91. Spyro the Dragon Credits
Nominated by: Dragon66118
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g4aQTD98U8


The one thing that saves Spyro's credits from going even lower is the bass line. It does get a little old after a while, but its about the only thing holding this mess together, and it gets Credits off to a decent start. The atonal chimes that ring throughout the track are extremely annoying and dont contribute much except to raise my blood pressure. The little melodic snippets throughout seem like they were composed independent of one another and just thrown in randomly. Also, none of them are very good. At least they usually give us a reprieve from the chimes. Usually.
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pyresword
10/24/17 4:56:44 PM
#23:


Not bottom 10. Huh. I wonder how that happened.
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LeonhartFour
10/24/17 4:58:45 PM
#24:


I think I have a streak of having a bottom ten song in just about every music ranking list I've ever nominated for.
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azuarc
10/24/17 4:59:03 PM
#25:


90. Resident Evil 4 Sorrow
Nominated by: Snake5555555555
Have I heard it before? Probably in another topic where Snake nominated it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1liYbagDfAc


A little too ambient to be good for active listening. Im sure its a wonderful mood-setting piece, but Sorrow doesnt do much to toot its own horn, which doesnt play well to being on this list. It escapes the bottom end of the list, but now that its being pitted against a sea of songs that dont suck, its hard to last too long. The section from 1:30 to 2:05 also doesnt appeal to me at all, which is probably why Sorrow is the first such song to go.

next: 2k
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#26
Post #26 was unavailable or deleted.
xp1337
10/24/17 8:19:56 PM
#27:


Tag.

Also Sanctuary too low. Way too low.
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Johnbobb
10/24/17 8:46:38 PM
#28:


Huh, didn't expect Sanctuary so low. Thought that was a safe choice

Also I've nominated Liberation for several VGM topics and it always does poorly. Nobody seems to like it as much as I do
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azuarc
10/25/17 12:24:54 AM
#29:


89. Spec Ops: The Line Truth Revealed
Nominated by: Snake5555555555
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0mC__bGcmM


This is another fine case of a song being so understated and inoffensive that I dont even notice its there. I felt like there was some genuine tension in the piece, but the instrumentation didnt hold it and capitalize, instead just letting it leak away into passive nothing. Im going to assume that this work is intended to back up whatevers going on on-screen, and isnt meant to be the main focus. And thats fine. There are tons of people who love Jeremy Soules work, who I happen to find boring AF, but I have no problem listening to it in the background of an Elder Scrolls game. Still, sorry, Truth Revealed, youre being singled out and listened to out of context.

next: time for sleep (and not the Child of Light song)
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azuarc
10/25/17 12:26:09 AM
#30:


88. The World Ends With You Lullaby For You
Nominated by: Ry_Senkari
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdZQ9-vnK_o


Easy listening. I sat down to listen to this, and promptly forgot about it while I petted my cat. Then the piece was over and I tried to remember what it was about and couldnt, and had to go back to listen a second time. I know some musicians do really well with this style of R&B, but its just background noise to me.

next: probably a very unpopular opinion. Normally I've been doing groups of 3, but I'll let you guys stew on that.
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Ace_Killjoy
10/25/17 12:43:46 AM
#31:


I've survived the 90s.
Beyond expectation already.
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Raka_Putra
10/25/17 12:54:37 AM
#32:


Tag. Yeah, Ending themes are generally middle of the road for me (from what little I can remember).
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Zyxyz0
10/25/17 1:33:04 AM
#33:


Ace_Killjoy posted...
I've survived the 90s.
Beyond expectation already.

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azuarc
10/25/17 10:47:34 AM
#34:


87. Mega Man 3 Ending Theme
Nominated by: Se7enthrust
Have I heard it before? The whistle used to be my roommates text tone. So yes, Im quite familiar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKpPKyDx2mQ


Yeah, so, uh, I dont think Im going to get lynched for this one, but I know it wont go over well. Its just that I cant stand the whistle noises that MM3 uses here and (I believe) in a couple other spots. By the :45 second mark, it uses the effect in a much more conventional style, and the rest of the piece is crafted well, but by then the damage is done. The looping portion is too short to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. Its a pity, because this was the classic old piece on the list, and usually Im perfectly content listening to those.

next: more old school
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azuarc
10/25/17 10:49:12 AM
#35:


86. Streets of Rage Ending Theme
Nominated by: Se7enthrust
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDaio2hf1fE


Se7enthrust gets hit with a double. SOR Ending is one of quite a few songs on this list that is short and looping, and pleasant while it lasts, but Id really like to see more than a 38 second loop from an ending track. Its not like anything else is going to be happening that uses the sound channels or the consoles processing power. If the player has to listen to this for the full six-minutes that the track extends for, theyre going to get annoyed as hell, despite how peppy the track is.

next: simplicity is sometimes a little too simple
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azuarc
10/25/17 10:50:25 AM
#36:


85. Planetarian The Loving Depths
Nominated by: th3l3fty
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQi7fqweT10


I dont mind music boxes. I generally vote for Blue Bird Lamentation, i.e. Predictably, like a true music box, The Loving Depths doesnt do a whole lot. Its just a simple melody. I wont go so far as to call this the preferable to silence line, which Im pretty sure we crossed a while ago, but its understated nature means that while it fails to bug me, it also doesnt succeed at wowing me, either.

next: Gust makes an appearance
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dowolf
10/25/17 12:27:58 PM
#37:


uh-oh
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azuarc
10/25/17 12:45:49 PM
#38:


dowolf posted...
uh-oh

*unleashes 10 Gust tracks in a row and fully cleans house*
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azuarc
10/25/17 1:05:44 PM
#39:


okay, my actual ranking just got to the halfway point, so have some more.

84. Ar Tonelico II - The Heart Speaks / Tale of the Heart
Nominated by: dowolf
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xk0bNMidCI


Pretty, in a sad and somber way. Im able to respect it as a work, but I cant say its especially gripping. Haunting, perhaps, but not in a way that makes me compelled to listen to it, enraptured, which is what this kind of piece is striving for. Theres also a couple spots here and there where I feel like the vocals missed the mark a bit.

83. Ar Tonelico II EXEC_with.METHOD_METAFALICA
Nominated by: dowolf
Have I heard it before? Based on the title, I would have said yes, but this is not the track I know. So, no.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHmBtQd4TC0


Ar Tonelico hymns are such a mixed bag. Some are fantastic, like SPHILIA. Some give you a nervous breakdown, like DESPEDIA. And some are just schizophrenic. Enter this piece. And thats without considering that it plays like a medley. (Is it? I dont know the AT2 OST well enough to know, but theres nothing I recognize.)

One thing I can certainly say is that w/Metafalica is not boring. [i]Something[/i] is always happening. And in a vacuum, the composition and production quality is the same consistent excellence Ive come to expect from Gust. There are some screechy vocals, which is par for the course with hymns. However, the main thing to me is that there isnt a single part of the work I especially love, and theres not really any cohesion to the piece. This is why many people dislike medleys it really depends on you knowing the material that the piece comprises. So ultimately, while I recognize that each sub-section of the track is put together well, and the entire invented language of Hymmnos is always impressive to see in action (even if I dont have a clue what it means even after translated,) I just dont have anything to latch onto and say I like this because of ____. Unfortunately, that isnt because I [i]cant express[/i] why I like it. I simply dont.
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azuarc
10/25/17 1:06:32 PM
#40:


82. Journey I Was Born For This
Nominated by: Johnbobb
Have I heard it before? No
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_wkJ377LzU


Sigh. Journey. Not a fan. The pieces are always too tranquil for me. Maybe you have to have played the game, I dunno. I always facepalm whenever I get linked to Apotheosis or whatever the other big songs from that are. I know there are people who [b]LOVE[/b] Journeys soundtrack, and I can respect that it does what it does well. I just dont like what it does. And every single piece is the goddamn same thing. Soft strings, adagio tempo, ghostly vocals, and matching chord structures. One song like this in a game is okay as a change of pace, but its every song. And this style only works if its powerful. Ive yet to hear a powerful track from Wintory, and I Was Born For This is no exception. At least using a song like this for an ending is excusable.

81. Persona 4 Never More
Nominated by: Raka_Putra
Have I heard it before? Yes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXYdgfXyYqs


Ive never understood the love for Persona music, and weve got a lot of it on this list. I have to wonder if the people who nominated the endings to P3, P4, P5, and two spin-offs were unaware of my disposition or decided to toss those in here in spite of it. Unfortunately, a lot of it came from back-to-back posters, so it glutted up a lot of listening time when I went straight through the list.

As a result, by the time I got to Never More, I was in Oh God, more Persona? mode. I dont feel as if NM really ever does anything interesting, and unlike some of the other P tracks nominated, the drums are just a little too sharp for my liking. They stand out to me right away, and continue to do so over the almost seven minutes that Never More occupies my listening time. If I was so inclined, maybe I could read the lyrics on the video as it went and have something nice to say about how great they are, but that would require replaying it, and doing nothing but watching. Im just not up for that kind of investment.
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azuarc
10/25/17 1:07:08 PM
#41:


80. Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk Altair
Nominated by: Arti
Have I heard it before? Yes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4yTGZvOulo


Altair has never grabbed me. The panflutes dont really carry the beginning very well, and the grungy rock doesnt mesh with it in this case. The vocals sections are better, though I wouldnt describe them as exceptional. The guitar solo is mostly filler to supply a bridge. Altair ultimately is bland and formulaic with the whole verse-chorus thing, a dragging tempo, and nothing I really like.

next: a medley done wrong
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dowolf
10/25/17 1:07:30 PM
#42:


rip.

It's a medley of EXEC_METAFALICA and METHOD_METAFALICA, fwiw.
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azuarc
10/25/17 1:09:18 PM
#43:


those are two different things?

*facepalm at hymn naming system*
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pyresword
10/25/17 1:17:28 PM
#44:


I like Persona music mostly for how it sets the tone in-game for the record. Had I not played the games and only listened to the soundtracks separately I would probably have much less praise to offer generally speaking. (Though I think Never More and Memories of You also work well separately)
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dowolf
10/25/17 1:21:09 PM
#45:


what no that makes perfect sense.

There's two servers -- the eponymous Tower, and Infel Phira, and the program has to be run on both. The EXEC half runs on the Tower, and the METHOD half runs on Infel Phira. You have to sing them both together to make the thing work, giving you EXEC_with.METHOD. Simple!
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Mac Arrowny
10/25/17 1:25:58 PM
#46:


I think you can also use them as code for the singers. Exec is one singer, Method is the other.
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Leonhart4
10/25/17 1:26:42 PM
#47:


I nominated Calyestegia because I really like it and I wanted something to keep my streak alive. Little did I know something else would keep the streak alive!
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dowolf
10/25/17 1:34:47 PM
#48:


Mac Arrowny posted...
I think you can also use them as code for the singers. Exec is one singer, Method is the other.

Not quite -- Jacqli also uses EXEC songs, and Cocona uses METHOD songs.

But yes, any given Reyvatail will only use one server or the other.
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Johnbobb
10/25/17 1:50:51 PM
#49:


So Kirby and Octodad are my top two

Huh
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Arti
10/25/17 1:51:48 PM
#50:


my favorite of my 5 nominations at 80th, good start
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