Board 8 > B8 helps azuarc rank OSTs, part 3 -- THE RESULTS [reverse ranking]

(+) Yeah! (+)

Nah, clearly I was talking about Yehat Theme and Over the Sorrow.
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I think its gonna be a toss up between Divinity and Trails
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I expected Walk on Vanity Ruins to rank higher, at least over the over the other SH tracks...

NFUN posted...

I'd like the clarify that "OH MY GOD THE KAZOO" was the 5

A fellow kazoo fan :D

DragonImps posted...

NFUN posted...

I'd like the clarify that "OH MY GOD THE KAZOO" was the 5

A fellow kazoo fan :D

I could leave in the blanks if you prefer.
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I don't know what you mean by "blanks".

... Speaking of blank, I really could've commented on every track I ranked. And filled out the spreadsheet myself from the start >_> Sorry about that TC.

azuarc posted...

DragonImps posted...

NFUN posted...

I'd like the clarify that "OH MY GOD THE KAZOO" was the 5

A fellow kazoo fan :D

I could leave in the blanks if you prefer.

I actually like this better I think. Removes ambiguity.

Also predicting Divinity for first place myself. Deadbolt also a pretty solid dark horse pick.
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*resists the urge to make spoilerific comments*
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--I like emotions dammit
--yeah, Voice of the VENUS is definitely the weakest of my noms. I just have a soft spot for it. In hindsight, probably should've nommed something different? *shrug*
--Warning Glory is good touhou and i'm sad to see it so low.
--I'm starting to feel guilty about not writing longer notes while ranking.
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*pops head in*

huh. not familiar with a lot of these.

if i had to give a top 3 based on what i do it's probably like:

1. Half-Minute Hero 2
2. Trails 3
3. Xenogears
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dowolf posted...

In hindsight, probably should've nommed something different? *shrug*

*cough*Swiss cheese*cough*

Oh, right, and I should probably do the last 5 for the day. Let's start with a HMH2 track while we're at it.

T49. Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - Last is Doon!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y0Df-kqiIE
Average: 2.8
Geo mean: 2.402248868
Scores of 2, 1, 5, 4, 2

Comments:
* Very dramatic, but it also feels like it just goes HYPEHYPEHYPEdone. Still think this should have been 'Swiss Cheese'. (This totally wasn't my comment. Nope, no sirree.)
* Doon is Last! This style of vocal doesn't really do anything for me.
* THIS FUCKING SOUNDTRACK!
* Last is Doon! gives me a headache. The incredibly fast-paced music, combined with the choir and that deep voice in the background, it's just very unpleasant for me to listen to. On the plus side, I'll at least remember the song and I'll always take a song I strongly dislike over one that I actively don't care about.

T49. Deadbolt - Blood on the Dancefloor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk2sVQjHCMM
Average: 2.8
Geo mean: 2.402248868
Scores of 2, 5, 4, 1, 2

Comments:
* Not nearly as good as Way of the Dodo that I rated earlier. Not bad, but I am not as fond of the melody.
* It took a bit long to get where it was going, but was still enjoyable.
* I was getting some Risk of Rain vibes with Dancefloor, and then I finally saw that Chris Christodoulou composed Deadbolt's soundtrack.It's a little lacking for most of the song, but it kicks into high gear around the 3 minute mark with some excellent synth. It's too little, too late though.
* Blood on the Dancefloor isn't exactly bad, but... ehhhhh....
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T46. Divinity: Original Sin 5 - Sing to Me (Lohse version)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p8bC0zk3hI
Average: 2.8
Geo mean: 2.459509486
Scores of 3, 3, 1, 5, 2

Comments:
* This is nice. It reminds me a bit of Duvet, the OP for an anime called Serial Experiments Lain. There's something in the singer's voice that's just really lovely. I think the relatively short length for a vocal song (IMO; that's pretty subjective) is my only real knock against it. I'd love to hear it develop all the more. I'm a little eh on the whispered "let's make them scream" at the center, too. Also, the chorus would make for a pretty funny ringtone. Just Saiyan.I think I like this song a lot more at a compositional level. It's still pretty decent, but it's held back on account of the fact that I really don't like the vocal style.
* Sorry, but Sing to Me bothers me due to the needless aggression that I think the vocalist approaches many of the verses.
* Adore this DOS2 track, it's got a very indie rock sort of feel to it and was hooked on it right away.
* I'm not that into the singer, I would say. There was a decent stretch of the song where she wasn't singing, so I guess that's something.

Nominator's note: the singer is aggressive? And if you really don't like this version, there's a rendition where some dude sings it instead on the OST. This one's kinda awesome because the bard character in your party plays it and there are animations that sync up to it and stuff.

T46. Dragon Quest VIII - Over the Sorrow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p05ZwWfwvDo
Average: 2.8
Geo mean: 2.459509486
Scores of 2, 5, 3, 3, 1

Comments:
* Very standard sounding DQ track. It's no Heavenly Flight.
* Goes 100% relaxing, and does it well enough.
* Over the Sorrow is a much better song in context than out of it, but I'm sticking to my guns about being fair in my rankings.
* I almost forgot this was playing midway through the song then at 2:00 minutes I was reminded of Resident Evil Outbreak's awesome opening theme and that saved the entire thing.
* Over the Sorrow is nice enough, but so forgettable that it left no impression on me at all. I'd easily take a bad song over one so bland... not that there were any bad songs, but still; it's as far below all the other songs as Cider Time is above them.

Okay, so I wasn't referencing Over the Sorrow. For that matter, I wasn't referencing Yehat, either...

T46. Star Control II - Yehat Theme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOE-vVuBXKE
Average: 2.8
Geo mean: 2.459509486
Scores of 3, 2, 1, 5, 3

Comments:
* Decent, but I feel like the type of sound this is going for needs a more rhythmically insteresting melody to leave an impact.
* I like Yehat's Theme, and I'm pretty sure that I've heard it before because the animation of the pterodactyls operating some equipment looked awfully familiar. Unfortunately, it was put into what was easily the strongest block that I evaluation.
* Straight fire dawg

Both these games are now down to their last song. (Not Divinity. That was Divinity's first appearance.)
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i still don't like swiss cheese. I was thinking, maybe Magnolia?
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For Sing to Me, you somehow mixed two of the comments together. The passage I quote below is my comment, which is separate from the other comment it is included with in your post.

I think I like this song a lot more at a compositional level. It's still pretty decent, but it's held back on account of the fact that I really don't like the vocal style.

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Oh the irony.

When I first started listening to Deadbolt (before I was even considering nomming for this topic), I expected every track to sound like Blood on the Dancefloor. I was a Hotline Miami fan, I loved its soundtrack and Deadbolt played like HM so naturally I thought I'd get more pumping tunes like that. But what I discovered instead was something else. Very cool, unique, varied. I realize that now.

I severely regret making Blood on the Dancefloor my first entry in this OST, when it could have been any of these instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x49QnXu7qos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go4npp2ASiw

to start.

But. I am glad to get this OST out there and get a few people interested. That is all I really wanted coming into this :D
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I probably did a bad job picking DQ VIII tracks; guess I shouldn't have tried to make them varied
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Sorry, wasn't really around at all yesterday.

T-44. Gimmick! - Paradigm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j4hDxfYz9Y
Average: 2.8
Geo mean: 2.491461879
Scores of 1, 2, 4, 4, 3

Comments:
* I haven't done much 8-bit listening recently. This one's cute, and I know Ed loves his Gimmick!, but Paradigm is little more than a decent chiptune.
* I like NES music but this could have done it a bit better.Paradigm is a fine song. I'm starting to think that maybe I was never really in love with Gimmick!'s soundtrack. I always thought it had a deep soundtrack, but maybe it's really just top-heavy.
* Above average chiptune, has that early '90s compositional style you'd hear on the C64, but on the NES soundchip.
* I enjoyed Paradigm, but I have a soft spot for 8-bit music. It's probably helped that it's 8-bit-y-ness causes it to drastically stand out from the other available songs.

T-44. The House in Fata Morgana - Dira "Minchia!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f_LZ_0kP4o
Average: 2.8
Geo mean: 2.491461879
Scores of 1, 3, 2, 4, 4

Comments:
* I get that this is suppose to be a haunting tune or something, but all I can feel is they took the actual song here and played it in reverse. It's too unnatural, pushing the line between grotesque and artsy and goes a bit over the former for my tastes.
* Ok this one probably would have been lower if I weren't familiar with the game, but I'll be damned if this song doesn't work well in context. As just a song though it's a bit too chaotic for my tastes. As far as songs from the same game that play at similar points in the game, I'm personally more a fan of Bianco o Nero.
* I will say that Dira never gets boring.
* Hectic with jazzy piano, I really wanted to give this song +5. Top three discovery here.
* I nominated this one, and I certainly like it. This is in a pretty tense scene in the original, but I'm not judging based on context, because the music conveys that excellently by itself. I think this is a good track. Also google is telling me the title of this is an obscenity in Italian, so that's a plus.
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43. Deadbolt - Heynong Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unvHuLsbXIU
Average: 2.8
Geo mean: 2.550849001
Scores of 4, 1, 3, 3, 3

Comments:
* Interchangeable with number 3 tbh, but I have to give my own song the 4 for just being a little different enough to be distinct. The way it uses changing sequences to keep things fresh is just refreshing to me.
* Not a lot to say except that this song is just not a style I enjoy.
* This soundtrack is beginning to remind me a bit of Mekazoo's, which also does pretty unique, electronic weird jazzy stuff. This particular one is excellent.
* Feels like I've heard Heynong Man somewhere before, but I can't quite place it. Either way, I like the industrial feel the song presents.
* Heynong Man I can appreciate intellectually, but it isn't my style.
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42. Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Illusionary Blue Flowers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeCq5dLItXQ
Average: 2.8
Geo mean: 2.605171085
Scores of 2, 3, 5, 2, 2

Comments:
* This is... trendy? Like some ultra-fancy 90s menu music. I danced in my chair a little bit. Heck, I'm listening right now and dancing in my chair even as I type. So take that as a good sign. But I just chugged 20 fluid ounces of VitaminWater Zero (TM) so I'm not 100% certain it's the song I should be praising. Anyway, it's vibrant and enthusiastic, much like a lass I once fancied.
* Nice to listen to but I didn't find it that interesting.
* I just beat this game today, though I think that this song is better than the others in its block regardless. The three songs this song's area introduced all rock, and should've been included imo. This one is glorious. Effulgent. Radiant. Its very strong main melody and snazzy accompaniment creates a fantastic mystical, upbeat atmosphere. I've no idea why it ended up being placed in the level it was in, but it made that section such a joy.
* IBF keeps it fun and light, enjoyable.
* Illusionary Blue Flowers is nice enough, but not one of my favorites.

Well, it's better than any of the other songs I've listed so far today. Then again, that's not saying a whole lot. (I guess Dire Minchia was okay.)
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T40. Divinity: Original Sin 2 - A Part of Their Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LGg2Z8B91w
Average: 3
Geo mean: 2.605171085
Scores of 5, 1, 3, 4, 2

Comments:
* Intense score that's very good at building up to a climax. I was invested all throughout the listen.
* Has a nice melody but it zzzzz
* A Part of their Story song is a standard fare fantasy song. That is neither a good nor bad thing in my book.

We are now at the point on the list where every song got at least average marks. And nothing is quite as average as 1-2-3-4-5. (Well, other than maybe 3-3-3-3-3, which would be impressive to pull off.)

T40. Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Sword of the Fallen Hero ~ Legend of Sanada

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUhCUCRrmJc
Average: 3
Geo mean: 2.605171085
Scores of 2, 5, 1, 3, 4

Comments:
* Apologies for pissing off the touhou fans here, but I really don't like these kinds of tracks apparently. It's too frantic and dependent on the main synth to carry itself. It also sounds like a Mexican gang is after you instead of a Sanada.
* I'm a sucker for Touhou and this nails it, with a high energy track fitting for a bonus boss.Touhou is, as usual, some sort of mess that really doesn't work.
* Unlike the last Touhou this was hectic in a way I enjoyed more.
* This is decent compared to mainstream Touhou, but not great. I don't like the piano that much.

Longest game/title ever. Or at least on our countdown, anyway.
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39. Bullet Heaven 3 - The Caves of Va'No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSYlQHg5I6c
Average: 3
Geo mean: 2.639015822
Scores of 1, 4, 2, 4, 4

Comments:
* Meh. This one has been very hit or miss.
* Changes from tragic to powerful in the first half, then seamlessly combines the two in the second half to form the whole song.
* I could tell that Caves of Va'No was building up to something, but I can't say the payoff was worth the wait. (Editor: Was there a payoff? I clicked it off after 2 minutes where it felt like it was just doing nothing.)
* Caves has both an ominous and adventurous feeling to it, I like it.
* Caves is really cool, one of the neater new things I've encountered through this

38. Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Cradle Where Feelings Rest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydu3N3EZl5A
Average: 3
Geo mean: 2.701920077
Scores of 4, 4, 1, 3, 3

Comments:
* I can appreciate a nice piano piece, especially when you can feel the melancholy of it.
* Didn't go anywhere and ended when I expected it to change. Nice song, but unremarkable
* My feelings toward slow, piano songs are well-known. I don't hate them as I really like the piano, but the oversaturation of them on B8 VGM-related contests has made them lose their luster.

Just 3 comments.
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37. Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - Battle of THE BLACK VENUS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHzXg_fcVOM
Average: 3
Geo mean: 2.8252345
Scores of 2, 3, 5, 3, 2

Comments:
* It is a good battle(?) track, unfortunately it felt like the rock portions were overshadowing what makes the song good: those haunting vocals.
* Starts off strong, but doesn't do anything with the momentum and gets less interesting as it goes on.
* Now this is the Venus song that I was hoping would be included by the user who nominated it.Intense song! Too bad it's short! I was waiting for it to get to the good part, and instead it just ended.
* THE BLACK VENUS feels like standard JRPG FINAL BOSS music. It's nice for what it is, but I doubt I'll go back and listen to it very often.

Unlike whoever had the sick burn against the other track, I like Voice of the Venus better, personally.
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So Street Fighter is the last one standing, then?

Amusementive Crime was probably my pick for worst song in this contest so I'm a bit salty. Think there's only two songs I actively disliked and this was one of them at least. (The other being Lion Heart)
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Also you combined my comment with the one from rotation 1 for Dira Minchia again :/
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36. Deadbolt - Defunktorum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyAj2qcigqg
Average: 3
Geo mean: 2.930156052
Scores of 3, 4, 3, 3, 2

Comments:
* Okay funk beat, but it takes 2 full minutes to move past that and into a bass guitar part that adds to the actual bass and makes the song go somewhere.
* Ok the back half of this song is A LOT better than the front half, which isn't that great imo. Damn though I was enjoying the end of this a lot
* This game has a pretty unique soundtrack. I can't I love everything that it does, but what it does is its own.
* Nice jazzy/funky backtrack on this one.

Defunktorum? More like Defunct-orum, amirite?

This marks the end of the 3.0's. I'll do the 3.2's later. Nothing eliminated yet, though we do have four games down to their last track. Who will be the first to fall? None of them. Incidentally, the top 10 comprises 9 different games.
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pyresword posted...

Also you combined my comment with the one from rotation 1 for Dira Minchia again :/

fixed.

pyresword posted...

So Street Fighter is the last one standing, then?

Looks like it, assuming you mean the last 5/5.
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Yeah I meant the last 5/5 left. (Which I think is a better indicator of how much people here like the soundtrack than which one has one good song that holds on the longest. Of course average score is probably better than both, but trying to track that would require significantly more effort on my part)

Edit: Also wut. Did not expect I would be the highest scorer for Defunktorum.
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Probably just indicates which song had the least sucky pick from the nominator. A couple people really blasted me for Sing to Me. I had alternatives that might've done better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78_nbBuAbLg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIXUv3CREj8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD4WiyVOxpQ
One of these might've done better. Thing is, if I was going to replace a song in the line-up, it wouldn't have been that one, because I really like it, and I suspect that's a "you like it more if you played the game" syndrome at work because there's definitely some context at play that helps. Plus I don't hate the singer, but all the other tracks are instrumentals, so they don't carry that risk...
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^ Those are pretty boss, especially Amber Ale

I really like Sing to Me, though. But the singer's inflection could've been better at some points imo. Not sure about how to explain it...

I'm kinda interested in some of these games thanks to this contest. The Divinity games are pretty high on my priority list now (I'd heared plenty of praise, but the soundtrack + bard party member has me sold), and I'll probably get around to beating beating the first Half-Minute Hero at least.

I feel like most of the editor/nominator remarks are in relation to my comments lol
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Wow Illusionary Blue Flowers does sound like an ultra 90s song
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34. Dustforce - It's Not Supposed to be Snowing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kluv-1SVIbg
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 2.724069927
Scores of 3, 1, 2, 5, 5

Comments:
* Wait, what? It's snowing? Again? Shit. Won't this winter...oh. 'Snowing' is a decent track. Nothing amazing, but solid.
* Another nice atmospheric track, but unfortunately the block this was in was really strong.
* I think I've begun regarding Dustforce's OST as a combination of Gimmick's and Deadbolt's; it's got the boops of the former and the funk, I guess, of the latter. I don't like it as much as either though. Don't know why, the style just falls flat for me. Ah well
* That effect of cutting off parts of the piano's echo is just really cool and unique.
* Dustforce continues to have the best soundtrack in the contest. These songs are so great that they're kinda making me want to play the game just for the music.
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33. Bullet Heaven 2 - Odyssey to the Deep Star

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWZow52uHlU
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 2.861938162
Scores of 1, 4, 4, 3, 4

Comments:
* A nice space themed track. Can't think of much else to say, alright.
* I was taken aback by the Bullet Heaven song because I was not expecting it to be that of that style based on the art.
* Chill track here, a bit repetitive but not really in a bad way.
* This is good, much more varied I think than the last one I heard from this game. It does a good job of conveying the mood suggested by the title.
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T30. Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Magnificence in the Wilderness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqIj20-Ju9c
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 2.992555739
Scores of 4, 5, 2, 2, 3

Comments:
* Just a smidge below the Divinity track in this block. The difference being, it only got interesting a minute in, instead of actually captivating you from beginning to end.
* this game might have my favorite soundtrack in the series but why were these songs chosen pyre please. The organ music that was new in this game just ended up sounding overbearing (especially the one that plays during the repeated cutscene). It picks up a ton when the choir and drums kick in, but most of it is too stuffy for me.
* Listening to this makes me feel like I'm walking through Dracula's castle or something. Has that neat "evil" aesthetic to it, but I kinda wish the melody did a bit more.

T30. Xenogears - Bonds of Sea and Fire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwVIKUQ__B0
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 2.992555739
Scores of 2, 4, 2, 3, 5

Comments:
* Okay. It's not 10/10, but it's got some things going for it.
* I can really feel the Squaresoft in this one. It's not fantastic, but it gets the job done.Standard RPG fare, but I love it. The melody's just strong imo.
* <3 Bonds

T30. Xenogears - Flight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQi7vk9Yzdk
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 2.992555739
Scores of 5, 2, 3, 2, 4

Comments:
* I've never played this game but I'm guessing this is the airship song right? Well it nails the type perfectly. Untouchable, being free, all that.
* Standard JRPG airship theme, but in a good way. Probably would have done better in a different block.
* With a name like Flight, it suggests it is a travel theme (I have never played Xenogears for the record), but it sounds like a blend of that and a climactic fight theme. I have not been impressed by most from what I have heard from the soundtrack, but this has to be my favorite that I've heard.
* Decent, but not exactly memorable. Pretty standard fare for what it is (uplifting orchestral)
* Flight initially bored me; I'm not typically a fan of...whatever this genre of music is actually called (I wanted to call it orchestral, but there's an Orchestral Album for Xenogears, so clearly that's not right and I don't have the time to try to research it right now), but it did start to grown on me towards the end and I'll admit that it's a good song. Just not one that's really for me, personally.

whoops, Xenogears.
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star control lives!

I should've nommed the Orz theme tbh
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Anyone paying attention will notice I skipped 35. I just realized there was a counting error, which means I screwed up with one of the ties way back somewhere. And I should probably stop, but I"m going to do the rest of the 3.2's.

T28. Street Fighter EX Alpha - Irreconcilably (Theme of M.Bison)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w75VhuQKKR4
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 3.063887063
Scores of 5, 3, 3, 2, 3

Comments:
* Pretty cool guitar work. Not a great song, but it's strangely engaging.
* M. Bison's theme sounds like an over-the-top character or course selection screen for a SNES game. I kind of like it, but it isn't something that I would see myself listening to again for fun.
* It's a decent little tune but kinda drags on too long.
* This is decently catchy. Nothing exceptional but I don't dislike it. However, I felt it dragged a little.

About time Street Fighter dropped a song. Only took the top 40% for it to happen. (Says the guy who gave this track a 5.)

T28. Deadbolt - The Banality of Eternity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWgk0P9pw80
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 3.063887063
Scores of 3, 2, 3, 5, 3

Comments:
* Listening to it now, I feel like the best part came a bit late. But, I still like as the slow lumbering song that it is. It's true to its title of making you feel like eternity is as mundane as it should be.
* Grabbed my attention early but didn't do much with it. Felt a bit long for how little it changed.
* I really liked the "waiting period" for Banality before reaching its even better destination. In a worse block this would have a chance of scoring the most points.
* Close match between the top two, but I give it to Banality just for being more memorable imo. It's chill and kinda aimless, with some interesting sound choices. And it ramps up later on to keep things interesting.
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Magnificence in the Wilderness definitely a top 4 Trails the 3rd song imo
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This is shaping up to be far and away the best that I have ever done in a VGM project/contest. I originally intended on last VGMC being my final one, but I think that I will give it another shot and maybe try to get another Dustforce song in there.
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T25. Xenogears - The Wind is Calling

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOjm9I_-Psw
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 3.103691148
Scores of 3, 4, 3, 2, 4

Comments:
* Honestly a toss up between this and Heynong Man, it boiled down to personal preference. The serene tune makes good use of its instrumentals, but it's nothing I haven't heard before.Nice atmospheric track. No complaints
* I can't help but shake the feeling that I've heard this somehow before. It's nice and relaxing, but there isn't too much going on. It pulls off the feel it's going for well enough that anything extra would probably get in the way anyhow.
* Very calming song, sound like something out of the Chrono Cross sountrack.
* I really enjoyed "The Wind is Calling", though I honestly don't know why. It's not objectively the best song of the contest, but it's thus far the only non-Dustforce song I'd want on my mp3 player.

And pop, there goes a soundtrack.

T25. Gimmick! - Cadbury

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWVkM9Ut1O8
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 3.103691148
Scores of 4, 3, 4, 2, 3

Comments:
* Not as good as Lion Heart, but just as frantic.
* Nice jazz sound that managed to impress me despite the fact that I typically hate any song using the NES soundboard or whatever it's called
* This is the best type of NES music. It uses the silly 8-bit instruments to great effect and sounds amazing despite, or perhaps because of, its limitations. You could listen to the whole song and only realize at the end that the game was on the NES.
* Is it just me or does Cadbury sound like the opening theme of a late night talkshow? I almost expect an announcer to introduce Mr. Gimmick and the very special guests he's welcoming tonight.

T25. Gimmick! - Sophia (Take 2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR_CU_Ru9ZM
Average: 3.2
Geo mean: 3.103691148
Scores of 2, 3, 4, 4, 3

Comments:
* It's not easy, imo, for a chiptune to be so relaxing and almost zen-like, so kudos to Gimmick!'s composer!
* Very pleasant listen, not much else.
* I generally don't like chiptunes or stuff that sounds like it, but this is nicely varied at least. I don't mind it.
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azuarc posted...

* Nice jazz sound that managed to impress me despite the fact that I typically hate any song using the NES soundboard or whatever it's calledThis is the best type of NES music. It uses the silly 8-bit instruments to great effect and sounds amazing despite, or perhaps because of, its limitations. You could listen to the whole song and only realize at the end that the game was on the NES.

you merged two
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GAME RANK 10th - Xenogears
Nominated by: SaveEstelle
Average of all 5 songs: 2.88
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.59

I expected XG to do better on board 8, but even if it may be one of the early eliminations, it still came out ahead of a few games that have a hanger-on left.

Remaining tracks at the 2/3 mark
Bullet Heaven 2 - Of Sand and Wind
Bullet Heaven 2 - The Count of Darkness
Deadbolt - The Way of the Dodo
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Main Theme
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Rivellon
Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Sins and Gods
Dragon Quest VIII - Sky, Ocean, and Earth
Dustforce - Light Pollution
Dustforce - Cider Time
Dustforce - Elvish Piper Academy
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne
Gimmick! - Strange Memories of Death
Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - cheap treasure
Half-Minute Hero 2: The Second Coming - Reunion ~ Theme of HERO 55 ~
Star Control II - Supox Theme
Street Fighter EX Alpha - Precious Heart (Theme of Sakura)
Street Fighter EX Alpha - Amusementive Crime (Theme of Skullomania)
Street Fighter EX Alpha - Strange Sunset (Theme of Guile & Allen)
Street Fighter EX Alpha - Rising Dragoon (Theme of Ryu)
The House in Fata Morgana - Giselle
Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Great Magic of the Power of Words ~ Starry Wisdom
Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Illness Illusioner
Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Amaterasu of the Nine Luminaries ~ Sunlight Reburst
Trails in the Sky The 3rd - Looking Up at the Sky (Ending Version)
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NFUN posted...

azuarc posted...

* Nice jazz sound that managed to impress me despite the fact that I typically hate any song using the NES soundboard or whatever it's calledThis is the best type of NES music. It uses the silly 8-bit instruments to great effect and sounds amazing despite, or perhaps because of, its limitations. You could listen to the whole song and only realize at the end that the game was on the NES.

you merged two

I (line) break for periods.
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Pretty sure The Black Ark is the song you missed in the countdown by the way.
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bumpo
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More if I ever get home tonight.
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bump
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this has certainly been a day. At least I got things done, even if they didn't involve the results topic. But okay, I'm not going to be a total deadbeat...

24. Bullet Heaven 2 - Of Sand and Wind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPAw6V7xUTA
Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 2.885399812
Scores of 2, 4, 5, 5, 1

Comments:
* What's funny about this is I already knew it was a Sand and Wind song even before I read the title, just by listening to this. It's got that drifting feeling with the flute here and there. Nothing new.
* Nice to listen to but doesn't try anything exciting.
* oh hey this one has the dustblown travels didgeridoo. I have no idea why I like Phyrnna's style as much as I do. I guess the rhythms of the drums get me or something, but somehow it all always comes together into one pretty solid whole.
* Just super-solid instrumentation, very well-done
* The background instrumentation really isn't too good, I don't think. Very uninteresting.

T-22. Touhou Mahoujou ~ Book of Star Mythology - Amaterasu of the Nine Luminaries ~ Sunlight Reburst

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MxaQbTAs-g
Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 2.992555739
Scores of 4, 3, 4, 1, 5

Comments:
* It's very Touhou.
* I'm not a huge fan of the way the blaring trumpets in this song sound
* It's Touhou. You know what you're getting. Interesting melodies and instruments with a pretty upbeat, hectic feel. This isn't amongst my favorite Touhou songs, but it works
* pretty nice, but an easy pick for last place thanks to that initial wave of blaring trumpets.

I stand corrected. This is the new longest title.

T-22. Gimmick! - Strange Memories of Death

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knik6QqDJJ0
Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 2.992555739
Scores of 3, 1, 4, 4, 5

Comments:
* This is also catchy when I haven't liked much else from this game!
* Was really impressed with Gimmick!
* I like that popping synth that Gimmick!'s soundtrack uses, it's kinda like psudo-percussion... Or maybe it counts as actual percussion? The standout is that call and response (?) thing going on with those strong decending notes.

RIP Gimmick.
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21. Star Control II - Supox Theme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHg4JWnlAXw
Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 3.031433133
Scores of 4, 4, 4, 1, 4

Comments:
* Hm. This is fairly catchy. I absolutely hated the last song I heard from this soundtrack, but this has much more variation to keep my attention. Not bad.
* Sick groove. Feels laidback but at the same time it also feels like there's a lot going. I'm definitely a fan of this one.
* Got my own song woops. It'd be misleading to say that this song fits into a category of weird VGM that I really like; the game itself inspired that fascination in me. All the silly, stupid samples come together into something that's fun and somehow works. I can't say that the song suits the race at all--they're not really necessary at all to the plot, only really show up if you're looking for them and are kind of boring--but those crazy Finns sure can write a catchy melody. Also part of has essentially the exact same melody, notes, and BPM of "You Spin Me Round".
* Gets interesting later on, but the beginning is too repetitive for my tastes.

RIP Star Control. At least there was one song worth listening to.

20. Divinity: Original Sin 2 - Sins and Gods

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aQNWk-1bQw
Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 3.129134645
Scores of 5, 2, 2, 3, 5

Comments:
* Haunting voices. A rather okay orchestral track if not a bit repetitive.
* The choir was alright, but I thought it would be backed by something eventually. It didn't hold my interest on its own.
* Choir songs are tricky to win me over. This one just feels like an prelude to a much better and more interesting song. (Ed: It is, indeed, a prelude, though you can argue whether the other is better.)
* Beautiful. Just beautiful.
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I'm listening to Dreamy and Boisterous Holy Land right now. I am so angry that it wasn't submitted whyyyyyyyyyyyy
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19. Dustforce - Elvish Piper Academy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO2ZThUdRdk
Average: 3.4
Geo mean: 3.245342223
Scores of 3, 4, 3, 5, 2

Comments:
* Pleasant little background track.
* A nice and soothing track. Felt it was a bit TOO passive though in this case and maybe could have been a bit better.
* This is pleasant and atmospheric. Got a nice flute going on. It's not necessarily my style, but I can't deny it's relaxing, and the kicks or whatever add flavor without really disrupting that.
* Production is top notch, love the wooshing synth and the percussion.

GAME RANK 14th - Star Control II
Nominated by: NFUN
Average of all 5 songs: 2.48
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.11

Boing, boing, boing, boing...

GAME RANK 9th - Gimmick!
Nominated by: Ed Bellis
Average of all 5 songs: 2.96
Geo mean of all 5 songs: 2.7

My tastes don't always misalign with Ed's, but on this one account, I really don't get his love for Gimmick. There are better chiptunes if that's what he wanted to go with, and I know that's why he picked this soundtrack. But at least it's an interesting choice.
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boing
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