Board 8 > [VGMC] d6: TIGAR vs MA*DA*RA, Return to Oblivion vs The world of spirit

(+) Yeah! (+)

MADARA
The world of spirit
system0

DragonImps posted...

Umineko seems interesting, judging by the soundtrack.

I love the sound design in world of spirit. 2:10 is so cool with that high glassy synth and whatever the drums are doing, it creates this neat sense of space and its like youre flying through the rain or clouds or a waterfall or something.

You should take a look at our retired tracks list.

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TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
The world of spirit
system0

I guess. Not really sure about that second match.

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TIGAR
Return to Oblivion
ASGORE

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MADARA
The world of spirit
system0

yeah we sampling TNG

TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
Return to Oblivion
ASGORE

I am really enjoying finding all these new bangers from here. That drakengard 3 track and this blue reflection track are both really really good.

TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
The world of spirit
ASGORE

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cakophon posted...

TIGAR (All Phase Mix) [9.0] > MADARA [5.8]
Return to Oblivion [6.5] < The world of spirit [7.5]
system0 > ASGORE

yea that last match is pretty close though

did i vote already??? i cant remember

you did
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Hbthebattle posted...

you did

wtf brain!! oh well
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Oh dang I still have to go listen to these.

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TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
Return to Oblivion
ASGORE

Probably better off if I didn't. The first match was pretty one-sided but the other two were battles of which song bored me less than the other.

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MADARA
The world of spirit
ASGORE

TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
Return to Oblivion
system0

Not in the mood for write ups today, sorry.

Blue Reflection - TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
Dariusburst - The world of spirit
Undertale - ASGORE

Blue Reflection - TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
Final Fantasy XIV - Return to Oblivion
Umineko no Naku Koro ni 1 - system0

MATCH 1

Despite supporting TIGAR at the very end, it wasn't my preferred Blue Reflection song to make it into the bracket! I would've rather had BREAKTHROUGH.EXE in, even though I didn't have enough room to support it early on (sadly, by the time I did, it had already been pulled and sat at 0/0). That said, TIGAR's still a great song. I generally like Blue Reflection's blend of electronic music elements and other more Gust-y stuff like violins and pianos. That holds true here for TIGAR as well. It flows seamlessly through each phase without any lulls or weak points in the song (which is my main complaint for DNF, which isn't in the bracket this year). Not my favorite Blue Reflection song, but like I said, it's still an all-around great song.

Not a big fan of MADARA. Kinda feels like bland RPG overworld music. One of those "not bad, but doesn't stand out at all" kind of songs for me. Now, if this was that Wicked Star Maze song that showed up in Rate the VGM, it would've been a lot more interesting of a match, since I think that song's really cool.

MATCH 2

Return to Oblivion's intro (0:00-0:15 before the percussion starts) really took me aback when I heard this for the first time in nominations because it's really cool! That combination of pretty vocals and violin is very "me," I'd say. I think the verse parts are less good for reasons unknown. They're still good, but that intro's definitely my favorite part of the song. Another good song all-around.

The World of Spirit's far from the worst song in the Darius series that I've heard, but there's one main part of the song that I don't care much for that holds it back. The melody is interesting enough, but that weird effect in the lead is the biggest flaw with the song in my eyes. Though, it makes perfect sense because I feel like Darius songs tend to be on the weirder side and it wouldn't really feel "Darius" without that trait, but I just don't think it's my thing at all. My favorite part in the song is that brief moment from 0:19-0:32 before that lead synth (or is it just very heavily edited vocals?) kicks in. I wish the rest of the song had that same amount of appeal to me!

MATCH 3

Thanks to Umineko, I know an additional Star Trek quote that isn't "Beam me up, Scotty"! system0 is just -45 as usual, pumping out some killer songs for the game! This may not mean all that much coming from someone like me who's a giant fan of Umineko and its music, but there's not a single song from that composer that's anything short of great. That's not something I can say about every Umineko composer (even though, chances are, I really enjoy their compositions for the game, by and large)! I love -45's style of really dark-sounding organ and harpsichord stuff. It's very fitting for the game and is one of many aspects of the soundtrack that I really enjoy. This song also utilizes a lot of rich harmony and strong melodic lines (particularly towards the end of the song regarding the latter) that are very much my thing. Needless to say, I love this song.

ASGORE is a really great Undertale song. Definitely among my favorite Undertale songs. Like others have said, it's definitely a little weird hearing it without Bergentruckung after so many times where I've listened to the upload that combined the two, but it's no big deal. ASGORE also uses strong melodic lines and harmony in a way that I really like. I really like how the motifs in this song are incorporated here, like with the Heartbreak motif. I guess this is something I generally enjoy throughout the different Undertale songs that use motifs. Another strong ToC match, but fortunately this one's much easier to decide than the two previous ones I've talked about, even if both songs are really good here too!

system0 > TIGAR (All Phase Mix) = ASGORE > Return to Oblivion > The world of spirit > MADARA

TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
Return to Oblivion
ASGORE

-TIGAR's a little overexcited and my enjoyment of it spikes up and down, like energy levels after eating a candy bar. it does get a little sugary at times. some of that is the all phase mix nature of it, but some of it is baked into each individual segment as well. nowhere does this feel more evident than the middle section, I think.
-MA DA RA is fairly plain-- in both melody and arrangement-- and I think that's a feature, not a bug. but it gets in the way of my enjoyment of it in a big way. I feel like it could be catchy but I don't really catch it.

-return to oblivion is pretty cool, though there was a moment where I confused this with equilibrium when initially scanning the bracket. (I think equilibrium is very cool.) (side note a lot of the gameplay videos I've seen of this game look really cool. some pretty great-looking raid mechanics.) pretty 'epic' feel in a way I enjoy. I like the way 0:15 sets up the mood for the track going forward after the intro. the strange vocals that come in at 1:14 are also great. this is a track where I don't love the melody or the progression but I find the whole package pretty appealing.
-another cool intro. the strange kinda-vocals are really neat as well. a lot of this track is actually just built around vi-vii-i but I don't mind it so much-- it keeps things pretty interesting with different ways to express that progression.
-this is a really close match because the reasons I like each track-- and the reasons I don't love them-- are very similar. ultimately it comes down to feeling like I was thinking about return to oblivion more, and that says something to me.

-that opening vocal clip is a lot of fun. great way to set up the rest of the track. my enjoyment of the rest of the track is more about the vibe and groove of it-- kinda feels like the theme of today's tracks-- but it's pretty enjoyable.
-ASGORE was once my favourite undertale track. and again, it's the intro I love-- it really kicks. I also enjoy the way it enters the motif at 0:34, though I wish it didn't linger as long as it does-- I think it weighs down the track a bit. I like the way it introduces 1:32, and the callback to Determination is nice as well.
-another really close match for me-- again, this one comes down to which one I feel sticks with me more after listening to it.

TIGAR (All Phase Mix)
The world of spirit
ASGORE

Match 1:

I've said it before, but TIGAR, while still incredibly good imo it was like a Top 3 song for me in last contest's field, is still a song dragged down by its own exaggerated elements. There are things that I simply don't like or don't care for about the song. It's the kind of song that appeals to me automatically because of the genre (electronic, NOT dubstep), but is still maybe kind of... uninspired(?) and all over the place.

Its opponent is simply a chiptune too weak to stand a chance.

Match:

What genre is this? It's not pop, but it also isn't trance. I know it's kind of more common than I think, but it still has that kind of unique style to it that makes me doubt about the actual genre it has. Solid, yet it does nothing at any moment to up its quality.

Listening to its opponent, now that's what you need to make a match. Something worthwhile. Nice beat, nice melody. BTW, I knew before continuing to listen to the bells at the start that the song would suddenly blast in sound immediately after, but I still didn't lower my volume. What I did not expect, though, was the up in volume at around halfway through. It's a nice way to say: "Listen to my last struggle!", but not so appreciated to have two changes of volume in the same song, especially in the same direction (like, if it was "up-down-up" or "down-up-down", it would be fine, but not an "up-up" kind of thing).

Match 3 and rankings postponed 'cause PROCRASTINATING SUCKS!

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