Board 8 > [VGMC] d103: Akeldama vs Ruined City Kishgal, Ra Melody vs maimai MiLK Credits

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to today's topic for Video Game Music Contest 14, a tournament of the best tracks from games, as decided upon by you, the voters.

Links:
Contest info - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VNrPnFRI7nJ4PqFiURBW0NWqxvXiuasoq8Sn_O169ss/edit#gid=320804650
Bracket - http://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=473292
Discussion and results thread - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/78714595
Bracket playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW9O9mntH1REnVI_W6yELaDP6Zac8b0Wq
ToC playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW9O9mntH1RE-TQMj19D0k5nm-0zeH12J
VGMC compability sheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lpX4faqnn_geI0y4i6MrZ2AXpV6SWXoWrIA6_eyx-yM/edit

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. (Matches do not begin until at least 10:00 EDT.)
- 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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Match 1

Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Akeldama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=breIA5O34M4

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - The Ruined City Kishgal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqn2sWsAGAI

Match 2

Magical Chase - Variations on a

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - The Ruined City Kishgal
maimai MiLK - Credits

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Akeldama
Variations on a Ra Melody

Akeldama
Credits
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Kishgal
Ra

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Akeldama (50th) / The Ruined City Kishgal (64th)
Variations on a Ra Melody (57th) / Credits (31st)

Oof. I really want to vote for Ra Melody, but it's been running into some amazing tracks its past two rounds.

Another great 4pack of music btw.

Akeldama (14th) vs The Ruined City "Kishgal" (24th)
Variations on a Ra Melody (4th) vs Credits (39th)

what a crazy four pack. would be really happy with any of these retiring, even though i have extreme preference for Ra lol. as long as they go deep i'm good!!!

Akeldama
Credits
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The Ruined City Kishgal
Variations on a Ra Melody

wow I hate match 2... maybe worst match of the contest so far
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Kishgal
Credits

Akeldama (29/64) > The Ruined City Kishgal (43/64)
Variations on a Ra Melody (34/64) > Credits (55/64)

Variation on a B8 Melody "Gust vs. Falcom" but for the more modern crew

I probably underranked Credits it's kinda nuts at times but not sure that's enough

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Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Akeldama
Magical Chase - Variations on a Ra Melody
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Akeldama
MILK

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Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - The Ruined City Kishgal
Magical Chase - Variations on a Ra Melody

well at least my favorite song in the contest lost to something really good R1

ra melody is better than I had given it credit in noms phase

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Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Akeldama
Magical Chase - Variations on a Ra Melody

Easy votes yay.

Akeldama > Variations on a Ra Melody > The Ruined City Kishgal > Credits

The Ruined City Kishgal
--abstain??--

match 2 is one heck of a flustering match. Both are very great songs! I'm not sure if I'd say Credit's "highs" are higher than Ra Melody's "highs" for me, but there seem to be more "depth" to them, perhaps to do with being notably longer. But Credits' "low" points are lower than Ra Melody's "lows". Credits feels more like a better experience but Ra Melody feels notably more enjoyably balanced. I feel like both of these make for valid reasons to vote and both of these songs are great wow what a hard match !! I'm going back and forth so much it sort of feels like I ought to let people with stronger opinions on this match make the big decisions but I may come back to this later "tomorrow" before the vote closes and cast a thing

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Akeldama
Variations on a Ra Melody

Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Akeldama
Magical Chase - Variations on a Ra Melody

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Ruined
Melody
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Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - The Ruined City Kishgal
Magical Chase - Variations on a Ra Melody

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The Ruined City Kishgal
Credits

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Akeldama
Variations on a Ra Melody

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Akeldama
Variations on a Ra Melody

match 1 was 64th vs 70th (out of 192); and match 2 was 37th vs 40th (out 192)

CLOSE as usual for r3 but both of these are some of the closer matches for me; actually going against my rankings in both matches! Really enjoy all 4! may flip by the end of the day!

with GUSTS up to 25 miles an hour
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Akeldama
Variations on a Ra Melody
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Akeldama
Credits

Second match is incredibly close.
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The Ruined City Kishgal
Variations on a Ra Melody

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28. Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Akeldama
vs.
64. Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim - The Ruined City Kishgal

What I had:
Main Theme (Tong Nou) > Battle! Uxie/Mesprit/Azelf

Akeldama is full of the world music sounds I tend to like in Atelier/Gust music. Nice flute, nice percussion, nice accordion. Really everything comes together super well. Definitely a song that's grown on me since the contest began.

Hey, it's my least favorite song remaining. In the interest of staying positive I won't fixate on what I dislike about Kishgal, though I'll say that, to the surprise of probably nobody who knows my taste, that off-key stringed instrument that fills the song is basically the sole reason it's so low. I actually like the electronic elements throughout the piece, but that one prominent aspect just drags the whole thing down for me.

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1. Magical Chase - Variations on a Ra Melody
vs.
4. maimai MiLK - Credits

What I had:
Variations on a Ra Melody > Dungeon Geofront 4 (wildcard)

My favorite song remaining on the same day as my least favorite! Truly a day of emotional extremes. Anyway, Ra Melody is a song that thrives on that crystally backing trill that runs for the entirety of the song. It feels very DESTINY but not in the usual way; instead, it's like a pressing need to move forward, whatever the cost. I still have a hard time believing a song like this could come out of the TurboGrafx-16! Based on how well Ra Melody's done so far (round 3 is nothing to sneeze at!), I'll likely nominate Waltz of Meditation part2 next year, which - spoilers - I like even more than Ra Melody.

I came close to supporting Credits, and I can't remember if I did or if it had already gotten in by that front. It's a very unconventional song, that's for sure, with its trance-like repetition (not trance the genre, trance as in hypnosis) and frequent glitchy vocal samples. Even if it doesn't win today (which, I mean, I like it, but you saw the ranking...!), I'm very happy a song this unique has done so well.

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Votes:
Akeldama
Variations on a Ra Melody

Akeldama
Credits

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The Ruined City Kishgal
Credits

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Akeldama
Credits

The opening notes of Akeldama always trick my brain into expecting Invitation Autumn
Sad second match, I really like the beginning of Ra and the end of Credits

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Toxtricity posted...

may flip by the end of the day!

you always give me this hope and always leave me disappointed in the end

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Akeldama
Ra Melody

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Akeldama
Variations on a Ra Melody

I remember being unsure of what to vote for between Ra Melody and Apex of the World last round (it came down to one vote), but Ra Melody has really grown on me, so I'm really glad I voted for that last round.

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Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Akeldama
Magical Chase - Variations on a Ra Melody
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The Ruined City Kishgal
Credits

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NFUN posted...

you always give me this hope and always leave me disappointed in the end

i think he flipped like once so far in the entire contest? >.>

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Akeldama
Credits

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Akeldama > The Ruined City Kishgal
Variations on a Ra Melody < Credits

i am going to cry but todays results will make it easy to vote for akeldama if this goes the way i think it will :(
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Akeldama
Credits

Pretty great tracks all around today.

The Ruined City Kishgal
Credits

Akeldama
Credits

The Ruined City Kishgal
Credits

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The Ruined City Kishgal
Credits

Kishgal gang 'till the end.

Akeldama
Credits

akeldama - first encountered: deo's guessing game - trend: steady
-an atelier track with a really cool intro. that description's definitely come up before. I always guess wrong on which gust composer this is-- asano slips into the classic gust team sound pretty effortlessly.

the ruined city kishgal - first encountered: this vgmc - trend: steady
-another track that throws its strongest hook at the beginning. and it's a pretty cool hook! it's enough to carry the track for a good while. that violin continues to be a mixed blessing-- the section itself is cool but the violin's slight detuning doesn't quite click with me.

variations on a ra melody - first encountered: this vgmc - trend: slightly up
-this played in two different guessing games and I think I missed it both times! the music to 6TH STAGE - SUNCTUARY has a cool shimmering opening that suggests more of a dreamlike flight through the clouds before it goes into a much darker 'final stage' feel full of grim determination. this actually grew on me a bit in the process of listening to it today.

credits - first encountered: cako's pre-vgmc14 nom prospects game - trend: slightly up
-polished glitch. like the weather, my enjoyment of this track can be temperamental, but the warmth of its more analog synth sections is always welcome. like the weather, trying to pick a track in this match gives me a headache. credits/b.t. dutch mashup: 'viewers like YOU YOU YOU'

the comeback...!

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change my vote to:

The Ruined City Kishgal
Credits
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POG
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