Board 8 > [VGMC] Semifinal 1: Laguerra del Mundo vs Sunshine Coastline

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to today's topic for Video Game Music Contest 12, a tournament of the best tracks from games, as decided upon by you, the voters.

Links:
Bracket - http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=469506
Contest info - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lzzbpDP2whgvOTN2XHETfWg79IyPs01jdwIQu_L2C7k/
Discussion and results thread - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/76584033
Main bracket playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW9O9mntH1RFBXCwz0vAKZg8V0rnrKHsE
Side bracket playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW9O9mntH1RFI-vkdyFa8-bXzbFLMLl1X

Rules:

- Listen to both of the songs. Links have conveniently been provided for both songs. Even if Song A is your favorite of all-time and Song B is from a series you hate... Listen. To. Both. (If I have suspicions your vote is not based on a fair and impartial preference, it will be disqualified.)
- Obvious contest rules apply (no alts, one vote per person, no rallying, etc.).
- Please make your voting options clear, rather than burying them in text.
- Each set of matches lasts 24 hours, even if the new one isnt up by then.
- Always vote on the versions of the song provided, not versions from different sources.
- If you know ahead of time that you're not going to be around and you want to vote in advance, post your choices in the discussion/bracket topic.
- Please do NOT post tallies/score updates in the middle of the match, as this has a tendency to directly influence matches.
- You don't have to vote in all the matches, but it'd be cool if you did!

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Main Match:

Granado Espada - Laguerra del Mundo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_--z5kyU1w" data-time="

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Sunshine Coastline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNgph1g422Q" data-time="

Side Bracket -- FINALS!:

DJ Technika 3 - Xeus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1He4EhEKomA" data-time="

SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS - Preserved Valkyria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnFtifoRG80" data-time="

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IF YOU HAVE NOT VOTED (MUCH) IN THE CONTEST UNTIL NOW, PLEASE GIVE ME AN INDICATION YOU ARE OBEYING THE FIRST RULE (listen to both songs) OR YOU MAY BE DISQUALIFIED!

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Easy vote form:
Laguerra del Mundo / Sunshine Coastline
Xeus / Preserved Valkyria
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Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Sunshine Coastline
DJ Technika 3 - Xeus

Poll: SPHILIA/Re-CODA easy
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Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Sunshine Coastline
DJ Technika 3 - Xeus
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Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria

help me sunshine coastline you're my only hope

Side bracket is good but rip my last horse in the race
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Sunshine Coastline
Xeus
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Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria
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Laguerra del Mundo
Preserved Valkyria
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Sunshine
Xeus
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Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Sunshine Coastline
SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS - Preserved Valkyria
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Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria
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Sunshine Coastline
-
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Laguerra del Mundo
Xeus
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Laguerra del Mundo
Preserved Valkyria

Main bracket match is very good. Much better than tomorrow's is going to be.
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Sunshine Coastline
Xeus

sorry laguerra, the train had to stop somewhere

Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria
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Laguerra del Mundo
Xeus

Sunshine Coastline
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Granado Espada - Laguerra del Mundo
SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS - Preserved Valkyria
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Laguerra del Mundo
-
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Sunshine
Valkyria
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Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria

Granado Espada - Laguerra del Mundo
SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS - Preserved Valkyria
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Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria

Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria

Laguerra del Mundo
Preserved Valkyria

Man, there are a lot of songs I love that made those semis. Over half of those songs were ones I was really on board with at the time, and distinctly still am now. In the case of two of them, I like 3/4. In the case of one of them, the one I didn't like won, and without host intervention the other one would've too, but hey. These contests have really been generous to me in the closing stages quite a bit over the last few years as a whole. This time? Hard to say. I'm for all of them far more than I anticipated I would be with all the flooding from certain recent JRPGs, but not as strongly for the ones that are here as I was for many of those songs in prior contests. Still, miles better than last year's closing stages.

Had I been around to save Daddy Mulk in its time of need when it forced a tie and proceeded to lose by only one while I was away for both matches, I'd likely be picking that match for the poll. Instead, I only have regrets regarding last contest. Sadness.

Anyway, matches.

Both of the semifinalists in the main bracket here have an interesting common thread to me. I both had them lose in my favourites bracket to songs I only took to round 3. In the case of the former, it was due to it immediately facing one of my top favourites, Besaid Island, which I narrowly picked Deadman Falling over, which I also picked Mystic Pendulum over, which I took Sayonara over.

On the other hand, I took Sunshine Coastline to R2, where it faced Life Will Change. It's a kind of funny situation there, in that I took LWC over it since I felt it exposed weaknesses in SC, being a little bit repetitive among other things. I then took Drifting Souls over it by principle of it being the kind of vocal song I liked more than a Persona song, and I took Fight Between the Wind and the Blinking Sky comfortably over it for its superior orchestration, also taking that to the semis. Despite that, I otherwise considered SC a song on par with that Zestiria song and also Flash Frost. Long story short, while I only took it that far, I largely did it because I felt the match it had did not suit it well more than anything.

So you'd expect me to probably take Sunshine Coastline here. But nope. Laguerra pretty easily, yet again. The first quarter of the bracket was stacked with songs in my overall favourites in the contest, as I've thoroughly covered already. Besaid Island was very likely in my top 10. Neo Kobe City was around my top 20 songs, and I also wanted to support it in the stead of the aforementioned Daddy Mulk. Deadman Falling was also skirting around the top 10 (maybe a little outside it now), and I was keen to see Nekomata Master songs continue to perform well. Mystic Pendulum was easily within my top 5 (maybe top 3 or 2), and there were a handful of others up near it in that corner too. Sunshine Coastline is certainly up there as far as personally unfavourable draws go, but Laguerra del Mundo was in my personal hell division. Granted, even I thought I'd be taking SC here, but I'm not surprised that it turned out like this.

As for the side bracket, it was nearly a similar situation. Xeus I only took to R2, where I had it almost arbitrarily job to She Wants Me Dead, before having that in turn almost arbitrarily job to Melodies of Life. Preserved Valkyria meanwhile got a mighty 8pack, and while I did take it out of there, it was a very tough call between it and Innocence and Emptiness. Definitely my second favourite song that lost in R1 in that side bracket right there after High School LoveBlue Skies, even though I didn't even take it out of there. It has to be said though, I didn't expect this match to be remotely in question, and yet... Well, I still have to go with PV, but I did have to pause and genuinely consider Xeus here. Good final.

Side note, Despair of ELFERIA vs Ricordando il Passato is what I did go with for the poll. It didn't even go according to my favourites bracket (I wanted The Final Song), but those are nonetheless two of my all-time favourite retirees without a shadow of a doubt, Ricordando's shockingly good full version especially. Honestly that was probably my favourite single bracket in VGMC history, I'm so glad it didn't get mauled by Megalovania and forgotten.

Laguerra del Mundo
Preserved Valkyria
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Sunshine Coastline
Xeus
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Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria
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Sunshine Coastline
Xeus

The real final right here

also first vote for Flying Clouds, Drifting Haze vs Daddy Mulk
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Laguerra del Mundo
Preserved Valkyria
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Extra, extra! Get yer votes right heeya:

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From NFUN:
Laguerra del Mundo

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From me:
Laguerra del Mundo
Xeus

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From Ed Bellis:

Votes:
Sunshine Coastline
Xeus

In an ideal world:
Battle Against a True Hero > Phantom R's Theme

phantom r can't quite pull off the upset; true hero looking unstoppable going into the finals

And your ideal side bracket finals:
Innocence and Emptiness > Heaven Candidate

congrats to innocence and emptiness in a well-fought match that was never truly in doubt - can we all nominate this song next year?
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Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria



Laguerra has grown on me with each passing round, but I still prefer Coastline.
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LdM
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azuarc posted...

From NFUN:
Laguerra del Mundo

NFUN posted...

LdM

host please ban this cheater
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Now here comes the REALLY good stuff.

Laguerra del Mundo
Xeus

Supreme day.

-Remember how Mexico (LdM) managed to beat Argentina (RitD) last Round? Well, it's now against Germany (SC), and the panorama does NOT look good. Only some kind of miracle could push it through to the Finals.
-Great Side Finals right here. Xeus has proved to me again and again that it's a worthy contender for the ultimate (Side bracket) glory.

Laguerra del Mundo >>>> Sunshine Coastline > Xeus >> Preserved Valkyria
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Bump?
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Votals suffering a bit because it's a holiday.
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azuarc posted...

Votals suffering a bit because Amusement Park lost.

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Laguerra del Mundo
Xeus
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Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana - Sunshine Coastline

DJ Technika 3 - Xeus

let's never do this auto-include thing again
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Laguerra del Mundo
Xeus

Janus5k posted...

azuarc posted...

Votals suffering a bit because Amusement Park lost.

Laguerra del Mundo
Xeus

Laguerra del Mundo has that calm bit so I ultimately voted for it over SC. Preserved Valkyria is too short.
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Valkyria
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Sunshine Coastline
Preserved Valkyria
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Laguerra del Mundo
Xeus

-I've been pretty lukewarm on Laguerra and Sunshine Coastline throughout the contest so this is basically a toss-up-- both tracks have aspects I like (Laguerra's electronic drums and some cool rhythmic stuff that pops up here and there, and the bass that shows up after the piano; Sunshine Coastline's overall high-spirited tone, including a cheerful piano line which I can't help but like) and aspects I don't (a lot of the guitar parts in Laguerra don't feel interesting, and the solo piano melody doesn't grab me either; there are large swaths of Sunshine Coastline where the arrangement of the melody is really dull-- this is something I feel about a lot of Falcom tracks; neither uses its string patches to good effect). Ended up leaning just a bit towards Laguerra this time.

-I like Xeus a little more than I remember, and Valkyria a little less. I feel like a week ago I would have voted the other way on this.

Laguerra del Mundo
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