Board 8 > Anagram ranks 73 B8-nominated VGM!

(+) Yeah! (+)

53. EXEC_FLIP_FUSIONSPHERE/.
Game: Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel
Score: 44/100
Nominator: banshiryuu

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE1lomz4U2c" data-time="
Things I Liked: The voices are nice
Things I Disliked: Nothing about it stands out

A choir of adult women pretending to be teenage girls. I listened to the whole thing only to realize it had left zero impression on me at all.
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Survived the bottom 20!
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Shabadoobie is one of my favorite VGM vocal tracks, lol. Can't see myself doing too well in this since weird stuff doesn't seem to have much appeal to you.
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Outlaw Lullaby is a battle theme in one of Kiwami 2's two cities and it's so fun to punch goons with that theme pumping.

Expected a comparison to Cowboy Bebop's opening though!
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Murphiroth posted...

Outlaw Lullaby is a battle theme in one of Kiwami 2's two cities and it's so fun to punch goons with that theme pumping.

Expected a comparison to Cowboy Bebop's opening though!

Oh jeez, it's been forever since I watched Cowboy Bebop's opening. All I remember is "Three... two... one... let's jam DODEDODODODODODEEEEEE"

52. Track 02
Game: Slam City with Scottie Pippin
Score: 44/100
Nominator: MoonRunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATo7bjyjUKw" data-time="
Things I Liked: Whatcha gonna get? Respect, respect!
Things I Disliked: Nothing

As far as urban hip hop video game music goes, Charles Barkley is unbeatable. Was this really on the Sega CD? If so, thats impressive. I like the part around 1:00 when the main singer starts singing Whatcha gonna get? and the chorus responds respect, but I think thats about it. This is a little slower-paced than I like, and Im not a rap-type of guy anyway.
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51. Oyus Secret
Game: Onimusha 2
Score: 45/100
Nominator: Snake5555555555

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jflv5jL3nVE" data-time="
Things I Liked: Nothing
Things I Disliked: Nothing

Completely unremarkable. I forgot I was listening to it at one point. Based on the music, I feel like this is used during some big emotional scene? Onimusha is one of those series Ive never touched in my entire life, so the only thing I know about it is that it involves samurai swords. Sorry, Ive got nothing for this.
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50. Dirge for the Planet
Game: STALKER
Score: 46/100
Nominator: Pirateking2000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTHhYf2rx3w" data-time="
Things I Liked:
Things I Disliked:

I like how the video calls it Dirge for Planet, but the title of the video calls it Dirge for the Planet. I was about to say thats Russia for ya, but then I thought to check and discovered the developers were actually Ukrainian. Phew, saved myself some embarrassment.

The songs melody itself is okay. Its sufficiently sad to be about the end of the world and the squandered potential and future of the humanity. My problem with it is largely the lyrics. I have no idea if this was translated from Russian or whatever, but nothing about the lyrics sounds natural. And at one point it rhymes dead with land, which is the most pathetic attempt at a slant rhyme Ive ever heard.

The seas overdumped, the rivers are dead /
All planets cities turned a deserted land

Tell me that sounds natural. No way. And no, I didnt forget a the in the second line.
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Anagram posted...

A choir of adult women pretending to be teenage girls. I listened to the whole thing only to realize it had left zero impression on me at all.

Fusionsphere only has one singer. Not multiple women.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Anagram posted...

A choir of adult women pretending to be teenage girls. I listened to the whole thing only to realize it had left zero impression on me at all.

Fusionsphere only has one singer. Not multiple women.

I have been looking up almost nothing to confirm if I'm right or wrong as I go along, so I'll take your word for it.
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49. The Cold Science of Supremacy
Game: WildStar
Score: 46/100
Nominator: Zigzagoon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHAzBaUCcWo" data-time="
Things I Liked: Fantasy and science sounds mixing is nice
Things I Disliked: Nothing

You got your Mass Effect menu screen in my MMO! You got your MMO in my Mass Effect menu screen!

The first chord of this song reminded me of Battle Against a True Hero because Id listened to it before listening to this song. But in all seriousness, X is the new WoW killer should be engraved on the tombstones of at least Warhammer: Age of Chaos, Age of Conan, Aion, and WildStar, and those are just the ones off the top of my head. Anyway, from the name I would guess this is a bad guy song, which is strange, because it gives me more of an impression of quiet study and exploration, FTL-style. I do like how it mixes sciency sounds with fantasy magic sounds, so it gets points for that, but nothing else about it really jumps out to me.

I should say that the 45-55 songs are the ones I dont really feel strongly about. 46 is in the completely average range to me.
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:((((
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I quite like that Cold Science song.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

I quite like that Cold Science song.

You should have supported it in VGMC with me...!~

But yeah, Cold Science is a 10/10 for me. Soooo damn good.
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Well, quite like isn't necessarily enough to support :p.
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Sorry, Ermine. Maybe I should have elaborated more that for a villain song (I assume from the title it's a villain song), it seems a little bland. This could be in a million space games.
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Not a villain song
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I am Board 8's undisputed master of not looking things up and embarrassing myself.
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48. Silver Will Super Arrange
Game: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
Score: 46/100
Nominator: NBIceman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8x6NUuZR5I" data-time="
Things I Liked: A lot of the instruments, the brief synth
Things I Disliked: Nothing

It takes 40 seconds for this song to get to the point, but okay. I like the violins, I like the metally beat in the background, I like the synth that drops in at 1:08, but it tragically stops at 1:22. The problem for me is that this is basically just unremarkable. A perfectly good song.
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SWSA has Super worn off on me, its maybe my least favorite version of the song.... actually maybe the vocal Evo version. idk lol

og is best

what hot takes
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47. Transdimensional League
Game: Super House of Dead Ninjas
Score: 47
Nominator: MycroProcessor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOhO6PlxoYo" data-time="
Things I Liked: Nothing specifically
Things I Disliked: That EEYEAH noise that starts every few seconds late into the song

Solid background music as you explore a mansion or forest or something. Nothing about it strikes me as particularly ninja-y, which surprises me, but otherwise I dont have a lot to say about this.

Theres an almost infinite supply of SNES-era/fake SNES-era music like this where you can just tell its a platformer. Ive played video games my entire life and I cant really describe in words what makes platformer music platformer-y, but I can just tell, you know? For platformer music, it is a bit softer than I would otherwise expect, which I guess qualifies as the ninja-y aspect I was talking about earlier, and yet there was no doubt in my mind what genre this game was once I heard the first second of music.
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46. Nocturne
Game: GiFTPiA
Score: 47/100
Nominator: Place

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l43zgCbbfSY" data-time="
Things I Liked: Nothing
Things I Disliked: Nothing

More light jazz! What is with this crop of nominations and light jazz? Anyway, I put this on, immediately forgot I was listening to a song for ranking purposes, and realized I was supposed to be paying attention at 4:55. Shows you how much of an impression this leaves on me. In all seriousness, saxophones arent my thing.
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MycroProcessor posted...

Anagram posted...

47. Transdimensional League
Game: Super House of Dead Ninjas
Score: 47

WHOOOAAA 47th place AND 47/100. at least it's one form of victory....no other song has the same score as its ranking position lol

Heh, didn't notice this.
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- Did some more days, got some more social links, got knowledge to expert one day before the midterms.
- I finally go to Margaret with expert knowledge, and she tells me to wait until we're "linked." I don't even know what that means.
- Eventually we learn that the next victim will be Kanji, a biker guy.
- "He's one scary dude! He even said to the camera 'Get bent!'"
- We go to his family's store and bump into "slender young man," who is obviously a girl based on the voice. I like how biker guy's mother looks like she's sixty even though he's in high school. I mean, it's not impossible, it's just surprising. Also, we find a scarf connected to the first case, dun dun dun.
- "Quick, hide!" *Everyone conspicuously presses against a wall next to a mailbox*
- We learn more information that only confuses the killer's motive.
- Kanji and Obviously-a-Girl meet up in front of the school. I like how I'm offered the choice of who to go with during the investigation, then the game forces me to go with Yukiko anyway.
- Okay, Chie. Look. On Leonhart's suggestion, I forgave the miniskirt backflip. But look, maybe don't get down on all fours while Yosuke hovers behind you. https://imgur.com/k9zlt5U
- This is the longest setup for a gay joke I've ever seen.
- Finally, Kanji appears on the Midnight Channel and acts all fey. I was going to say that this is uncomfortable to watch in 2019, but P5 still had that beach transvestite joke, so I don't even know. I also like how Yukiko got a full-on anime cutscene, but Kanji only gets an in-game cutscene.
- Teddie asks us to get some information about Kanji. No one even tries to tell him that he's a dangerous biker whose mom works in a textile shop. I mean, maybe that's not enough, but I would have at least gave it a shot!
- I visit every single NPC to ask about Kanji except his mother, figuring that it can't be that obvious. Then I go to his mother, who tells me to talk to Obviously-a-Girl.

I feel like I spent all day playing this game and made like no progress.
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Anagram posted...

- Did some more days, got some more social links, got knowledge to expert one day before the midterms.
- I finally go to Margaret with expert knowledge, and she tells me to wait until we're "linked." I don't even know what that means.
- Eventually we learn that the next victim will be Kanji, a biker guy.
- "He's one scary dude! He even said to the camera 'Get bent!'"
- We go to his family's store and bump into "slender young man," who is obviously a girl based on the voice. I like how biker guy's mother looks like she's sixty even though he's in high school. I mean, it's not impossible, it's just surprising. Also, we find a scarf connected to the first case, dun dun dun.
- "Quick, hide!" *Everyone conspicuously presses against a wall next to a mailbox*
- We learn more information that only confuses the killer's motive.
- Kanji and Obviously-a-Girl meet up in front of the school. I like how I'm offered the choice of who to go with during the investigation, then the game forces me to go with Yukiko anyway.
- Okay, Chie. Look. On Leonhart's suggestion, I forgave the miniskirt backflip. But look, maybe don't get down on all fours while Yosuke hovers behind you. https://imgur.com/k9zlt5U
- This is the longest setup for a gay joke I've ever seen.
- Finally, Kanji appears on the Midnight Channel and acts all fey. I was going to say that this is uncomfortable to watch in 2019, but P5 still had that beach transvestite joke, so I don't even know. I also like how Yukiko got a full-on anime cutscene, but Kanji only gets an in-game cutscene.
- Teddie asks us to get some information about Kanji. No one even tries to tell him that he's a dangerous biker whose mom works in a textile shop. I mean, maybe that's not enough, but I would have at least gave it a shot!
- I visit every single NPC to ask about Kanji except his mother, figuring that it can't be that obvious. Then I go to his mother, who tells me to talk to Obviously-a-Girl.

I feel like I spent all day playing this game and made like no progress.

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Derp
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45. Important Battle
Game: Crystal Monsters
Score: 47
Nominator: FL81

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y69yk8WORNc" data-time="
Things I Liked: The buildup from 0:31-0:53
Things I Disliked: Nothing, really

I accidentally wrote this as Unimportant Battle, which is a more entertaining name. I like the piano and burst of energy every few seconds after the opening, and I like the buildup from 0:31-0:53, but the rest of the song is forgettable.
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Bump.
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44. Unity
Game: Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Score: 47/100
Nominator: Hbthebattle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Me0gTsjFiE" data-time="
Things I Liked: Nothing, really
Things I Disliked: No real payoff to the buildup

I tend to like epic-ish medieval fantasy RPG music, I sometimes listen to it on my own time just for no reason. And yet this doesnt click with me. I think its because theres never really a payoff to the buildup, it just feels like the song is always building toward something that doesnt happen, or is so underwhelming that you dont realize its happening.
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Ill be honest, that wasnt the nom of mine I expected to go out first
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My tastes are a bit weird.

If someone could somehow combine epic orchestras with boy band music, they'd probably get a 90+.
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43. Into Free -Dangan-
Game: Dragons Dogma
Score: 48/100
Nominator: Pirateking2000

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKH_Jxd_RHU" data-time="
Things I Liked: Tha wind is brushin meeeee time is running freeee
Things I Disliked: Nothing, really

Halfway through the list now. Ive never played Dragons Dogma, its one of those series thats completely passed me by. Its a medieval fantasy game, right? So you can imagine my surprise at this . Maybe its because I literally just played Persona 4 a few minutes ago, but it feels like music from a low grade Persona knockoff to me. Thats not meant as an insult, it just feels totally inappropriate to a medieval fantasy, to the point where Im wondering if I totally misunderstood what the series is.

Oh, you wanted a critique of the actual song itself? Its okay. I like the long string at 2:35. This is just one more in a long series of okay songs.
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nice im in the top 42
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42. Flame (Homura)
Game: Ar Tonelico 2
Score: 48/100
Nominator: Mac Arrowny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTVdo3Dr_hQ" data-time="
Things I Liked: Nothing, really
Things I Disliked: Nothing, really

Standard Japanese woman singing wistfully about wishes or fate or friendship or something song. I bet you can lay this over the end credits for 95% of anime and it would fit.
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Mac dead ;_;
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Mac dead ;_;

Are you? I didn't even notice that.
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41. Objection! 2016
Game: Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice
Score: 48/100
Nominator: GavsEvans128

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JpvZk3Xcxc" data-time="
Things I Liked: The opening, the buildup at about 1:03
Things I Disliked: The background noise that starts at 0:56

Ive never played Phoenix Wright. Im not sure if legal music is a genre, but I dont think this is it. This is just okay to me. I can imagine this playing while youre arguing in front of the judge or something, but it doesnt really fill me with the spirit of yeah gotta prove my clients innocence or anything. Like a lot of the mid-tier songs, it just kind of feels like background music.
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40. UP TOWN DRIVE WAY
Game: Touge Max
Score: 48/100
Nominator: UF8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kmBjPIS_eI" data-time="
Things I Liked: Nothing
Things I Disliked: Nothing

As Ive said before, I have no strong feelings for guitar riffs unless theyre synthy, and this is almost nothing but non-synthy guitar riffs. I do like the rhythm of the song getting low-pitched and then high-pitched again, I dont know enough about music to describe that better.
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39. MOTOR HEAD
Game: BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
Score: 49/100
Nominator: cakphon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR7QWkpVT2A" data-time="
Things I Liked: 0:50
Things I Disliked: The background deep strings

My only experience with BlazBlue was when I bought I think the second? game, went online, and got savaged by a million of those blond ice guys. It was nothing but blond ice guy central, I dont think I won a single game. As for this song, I like the deeper chord music that starts at 0:50, but thats about it.
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Dang i almost made it halfway untouched

Glad it made it this far with all the things like it that fell like 20 places ago though. It is a bit repetitive, having two different solos in its loops and all

38. Voltaic Black Knight
Game: Devil May Cry
Score: 50/100
Nominator: Murphiroth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LMnuVRk_0c" data-time="
Things I Liked: 1:24
Things I Disliked: The constant guitar riffs

DMC5 was astonishingly good. I havent enjoyed a new game that much since I dont even know. Its got some minor nitpicks, but otherwise its a perfect video game. Its so, so good, and it should be played by anyone who likes action games. All that said, Ive never been a fan of DMCs music. Not to say I dislike it; its perfectly well-suited for what it needs to be.

Ive spoken earlier about my neutrality at rock music, and this isnt exactly rock, but it has a lot of rock elements. I do like the sequence at 1:24 where the emphasis switches to some kind of low string instrument (no clue what the name of it is), Id have liked more of that, but at 1:55, the emphasis switches back to the guitar, so I have no strong opinions about this song either way.

Can we talk about DMC5s butt lens flare controversy? At two points in the game, you see a womans naked butt. The PS4 version censors them with lens flares. I played on Steam, where only one got censored, but the other is a straight-up visible butt. I have no idea what the logic behind that is.
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IIRC the PS4 censoring has been patched out so I'm really not sure what was up with that.
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Murphiroth posted...

IIRC the PS4 censoring has been patched out so I'm really not sure what was up with that.

It's very strange, yeah.
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37. Power Enemy!!
Game: Radiata Stories
Score: 50/100
Nominator: Raka_Putra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbkc-mieCa8" data-time="
Things I Liked: Nothing, really
Things I Disliked: Nothing, really

Totally unremarkable. The most interesting thing in the song is the first one second where it sounds like Flight of the Valkyries. From the title of the song, I assume its the games boss music, right? Perfectly serviceable as that, Im sure.
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36. Happy Shabby Life ~Daytime Walking on Scarecrow Field~
Game: Chulip
Score: 50/100
Nominator: Flamander

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBBX4CW5fA8" data-time="
Things I Liked: Ba
Things I Disliked: Ba

The most shocking thing of making this list was this song. Not because the song itself leaves any impression on me (its literally 50/100), but because I recognized the name Chulip. I knew Id never played the game, so I looked it up and found how: I watched the Game Grumps episode from 2013 back when it came out.

I dont really like wacky Japanese stuff, so that limits how well this kind of music can perform on my lists. I dont even know what kind of genre this even is. Is ba a genre?
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35. Bad Moon
Game: Punchi Carat
Score: 51/100
Nominator: MycroProcessor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L0PwejVxes" data-time="
Things I Liked: 0:31-1:01
Things I Disliked: Nothing, really

Peak PS1-era blandness. Thats not even meant as an insult. From the first second, I could tell this was a PS1 puzzle game.
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39. Arabian Sea
Game: Zoocube
Score: 51/100
Nominator: GameBopAdv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z5OeccJ44I" data-time="
Things I Liked: 1:53
Things I Disliked: Nothing, really

Ive played a lot of video games, but Ive never heard of Zoocube. I dont know the name of the instrument, but I like the long, deep wind instrument in the background. It gives this that whole Middle-East desert feeling, which is cool. It really gives you the feeling of traveling over endless sand dunes, but the more active modern sounds over it give this song a little more life, which I think was necessary.
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33. Besaid
Game: World of Final Fantasy
Score: 51/100
Nominator: GavsEvans123

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4pG7wMOzsg" data-time="
Things I Liked: Nothing, really
Things I Disliked: Totally unremarkable

Ive never played World of Final Fantasy. The video has a normal anime girl walking around with a Funkopop Advent Children Cloud and a rejected Sonic character? I mean, I realize that at one point the Funkopop turns into a normal anime boy and its more clearly not Cloud, but what even is this? Is it so much to ask that they just make another good Final Fantasy with a number at the end?

When I started the video, I clicked off of the tab to listen to it in the background, then my FF instincts kicked in and I was like this isnt ****ing Besaids music. What this is instead is completely inoffensive background starting town music. Not much else to say, sadly.
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32. Kayava
Game: Rain World
Score: 52/100
Nominator: Place

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN1nHTHP5R8" data-time="
Things I Liked: Metallic drums, saxophone at 1:28
Things I Disliked: Nothing

Starting at 0:33, there are some metallic drums throughout the rest of the song. All I wanted was for those to turn into a fun tropical jaunt. Other than, I enjoyed this well enough, but Id never actively seek it out.
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