Board 8 > Board 8 Ranks Trails/Kiseki [{(-~-RANKINGS-~-)}]

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pyresword
10/27/20 3:55:56 PM
#352:


I'm just waiting to see the person who killed my highest rated song. I know you're out there somewhere.
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tgs2
10/27/20 3:58:46 PM
#353:


Oh hey. I kind of have the same complaints about Merciless Saviour's length, but there is some really really good stuff in there in spite of it.
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NFUN
10/27/20 4:05:17 PM
#354:


tgs2 posted...
Oh hey. I kind of have the same complaints about Merciless Saviour's length, but there is some really really good stuff in there in spite of it.
what did you rate unfathomable darkness again?

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Hbthebattle
10/27/20 4:12:14 PM
#355:


Janus5k posted...
who's the murderer now hb
it's a matter of volume!

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NFUN
10/27/20 4:40:10 PM
#356:


#62: Zero no Kiseki - Founding Anniversary Festival
Place: 7.5/7.5
Raetsel: 6.01/6.8
Total: 6.755/7.15 (6.9525)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=MTjreEWJQcc
https://youtube.com/watch?v=UDeYS8ycpMk

Happy Birthday! first thing that comes to mind is Newgrounds flash game which i promise is a compliment. i will happily play cursor games while listening to this song, then years later attempt to use it in a vgmgg as Forest Maze Game - Main Theme only for someone to say "wtf thats!! not what this is this is Zero No Kiseki - Founding Anniversary" and then i'm even more confused because forest maze game came out in 2005. evo version has a cool sax!
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Both versions are nice songs that I feel like I should enjoy more than I do. The original feels like a celebration of technology, like a World's Fair exhibition or something. An upbeat, optimistic look at how far humanity has come and where it's going. The Evo version trades that ambiance for some jazz interludes and I do often complain ranking topics do not have enough jazz in them (you may point out that I don't actually listen to jazz [with the exception of Carol King's Jazzman], but why bother?). I like both of them for very different reasons, but when it comes time to assign a score value, I find myself giving fairly low scores for how much praise I'm giving. Ultimately, I guess the Original Version is just a bit too long & repetitive, wearing out its welcome towards the end and I would have liked the Evo Version to go even harder on the jazziness instead of just being an interlude.

#61: Trails in the Sky - Trails in the Sky
tgs: 8.2/6.8
Mycro: 7.14/5.75
Total: 7.67/6.275 (6.9725)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=oWIo2G6M-Oo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70OJFUck2nc

The vocalist in this evo track just sound disinterested in doing this, but this track is still alright despite that.
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what the fuck how do you fuck up this badly and remove all the element of the original i like; i don't mind the Anime Vocal Credits Music direction, but there's strangely so much less actual content despite it being so much longer? the vocals are nice. EITHER WAY it is a "nostalgaic journey through the main themes of the game" which only impacts me knowing so much of FC/SCs music now, but it's welcomed! interconnectivity of songs to each other in a game soundtrack is a big reason i like listening to soundtracks over non-soundtracks. but man that INTRO TO THE ORIGINAL VERSION; why couldn't that have been kept in the evo version? why couldn't there be cool fake orchestra and fancy emotive flute moments? Why couldn't "joe hisaishi in 1991" have remained in combination with the vocal version. I really think i would not be a fan of the vocal evo version at all if i didn't know the source material of all the themes intertwined, but the stuff the original has that the evo doesn't is so cool that I don't need that context to appreciate it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e606hqPJnUs

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NFUN
10/27/20 5:39:14 PM
#357:


#60: Ao no Kiseki - To Get Over The Barrier
hb: 8.8/9
Mycro: 5.05/5.07
Total: 6.925/7.035 (6.98)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=_09Af-jwimU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SqjYfLI-rH0

It's Get Over the Barrier on piano, two things I love, so what can I say? It's cool. The Evo version emphasizes the strings a bit more, which I think adds to the piece a bit, but not enough for a super significant difference.
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the brighter piano and live violin brings out the emotional energy in the evo version slightly more

#59: Trails in the Sky - The Steel Floor Blocking the Way
pyre: 7.5/7
NFUN: 6.9/6.6
Total: 7.2/6.8 (7)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=AofURNxuE0E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAmd6iv5YBM

Wow I really overlooked this song when playing through the game. Some of the instruments are really cool here and overall it's great. It's biggest problem is that the beginning feels somewhat directionless, but honestly a lot of that is alleviated when you aren't in-game listening to the song but focusing on other things. Evo version feels less tight overall and has instruments doign weird things that just don't sound great. (Most notable example is the mandolin(?) trill at 0:18.) The second half of the song is pretty groovy though and is better than in the original, but it's still a net loss overall.
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dungeon. The main woodwind melody *feels* like it should be a motif. The whole thing is strangely... *almost*. It almost is threatening, it almost is emotional, it almost is super good. It's just barely held back by something, inches from really clicking. I really want to give it a higher score. Nevertheless, still pretty enjoyable, not something I ever really got tired of

The beginning is pretty nice--I like the beeps and percussion. Some of it is a little silly, but it's good! It falls apart later, sadly, and it loops awfully. A valiant attempt at capturing the greatness I felt via potential with the first. A valiant *attempt*

#58: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Fighting Right On
pyre: 6/4.5
tgs: 8.9/8.6
Total: 7.45/6.55 (7)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3c63Szu2SOg
https://youtube.com/watch?v=UHlHdKenbDU

Solid groove with some cool keyboard at the beginning, though this is admittedly not a style of music I'm super excited by. The Hermit's Garden (Or Jade Corridor? whichever song it is) leitmotif actually feels a bit out of place here but oh well it's not a huge deal. I really hate the very start of the Evo version. Rest of the song is mostly the same, perhaps slightly better? That one leitmotif is also a bit more out-of-place sounding in the Evo version though.
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This is basically DaBHL--- to me as I love this song a lot for mostly the same reasons as DaBHL? At least the evo isn't much worse compared to its original variant unlike DaBHL's.

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dowolf
10/27/20 5:46:09 PM
#358:


hb why you gotta do this to me man
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Hbthebattle
10/27/20 5:55:43 PM
#359:


dowolf posted...
hb why you gotta do this to me man
vengeance!
ignore the fact that i had no idea of what your ratings would be while doing mine

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tgs2
10/27/20 6:26:55 PM
#360:


NFUN posted...
what did you rate unfathomable darkness again?

A 10, but those nine minutes just fly by whereas MS feels like 15+ minutes by comparison despite being a shorter song. Heck, Eden feels shorter than MS despite being actually 15 minutes long. I still have MS in the 7.xs so I like the song quite a bit lol.
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NFUN
10/27/20 6:32:21 PM
#361:


the first three minutes of unfathomable darkness are ooze, which is basically a collection of 15 second loops

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NFUN
10/28/20 12:31:01 PM
#362:


Based Tier


#57: Zero no Kiseki - Temptation of Wisdom
pyre: 5.5/6.5
NFUN: 8.2/8
Total: 6.85/7.25 (7.05)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=NjauOcgKdqQ
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FsDEnLvrn-E

Mysterious and brooding song that mostly doesn't end up leaving much of an impression. It does have a harpsichord though so there's that. The instrumentation of the evo version does work somewhat better towards this end though. Really like the guitar at 1:28 also, although that is not what the previous sentence was referring to.
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wowow it's the first song you hear ingame in zero!!

Ups the creepiness a good bit. Was wondering why I prefered the original until the guitar came on. Doesn't seem to fit super well, but doesn't clash so poorly as to ruin the song

#56: Trails in the Sky SC - Enforcers
Raetsel: 5.34/7.25
NFUN: 8/7.7
Total: 6.67/7.475 (7.0725)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=z07WdBYBEe0
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ySLH1FHDVxs

I had a rather hard time coming up with anything to say about this track, having intentionally left this space blank on the first two listens. . Part of the problem is this is one of the few songs from the ranking that I actually recognized (as I may have mentinoed in another write-up, I almost never actually notice background music in games, so the vast majority of songs here felt new--even though I've played through the original versions all the games represented here), which makes it difficult to imagine the song in any other contexts. The other issue is that I've never actually cared about the original version of the song--yes, it's technically memorable, but for something that wants to be a mixture of "mysterious & intense" it's just not very interesting. I'm sure I get what the artist was going for, trying to make the Enforcers seem POWERFUL & slightly MYSTERIOUS, but the song is just so... slightly above average that I'm left always wanting more from it. The Evolution version is a marked improvement, though I still don't feel much like talking about it.
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theme of "holy shit it's an enforcer"

This is *almost* extremely cool. Everything is just a little... off. It kind of feels like the composer wanted to make a song like this, and chose this arrangement to do it, instead of the opposite. I'll give it some props, at least

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Janus5k
10/28/20 12:32:11 PM
#363:


Based on what?

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NFUN
10/28/20 12:43:32 PM
#364:


Janus5k posted...
Based on what?


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NFUN
10/28/20 2:00:39 PM
#365:


#55: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Cradle Where Feelings Rest
hb: 7.5/7.6
NFUN: 7.2/6
Total: 7.35/6.8 (7.075)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ydu3N3EZl5A
https://youtube.com/watch?v=39M5zISUm_Y

Sad piano is good, actually. Sad piano with the Evo's orchestrated hits is slightly better (except for that xylophone part)
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sadvnpiano.mp3

thought it was the same sadvnpiano.mp3 with more grace notes, but wow, that violin is way overdone. It's got the subtlety of a brick to the face. That flute isn't anything to write home about either

#54: Trails in the Sky SC - Fateful Confrontation
Janus: 10/4
NFUN: 8.3/6.1
Total: 9.15/5.05 (7.1)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5ok9bzDzaS0
https://youtube.com/watch?v=qk8RYZrmZdE

nfun why did you do this to me

It's honestly really hard to make a proper writeup of the original because it's such a sentimental favorite, but may as well try. I love the spooky triplets at the start which cut out two beats before you'd think to get into the meat of the song, I love the HUGE reprise of the Enforcers theme, complete with the rhythm guitar chugging away in the back, I love the keyboard sound and the way it follows up the previous part, as well as the triplets leading into the next bit, and I LOVE LOVE the 7/4 part at the end. Just a really infectious rhythm. Any time I wonder if the song is getting stale that part hits and nope, I still love it. There was a time when I put this below Silver Will in my TitS music rankings, but that's definitely no longer the case.

One thing I'll say about the Evo is that the drums are more -interesting-, as that wasn't really a selling point for the original (though they're sometimes a bit much and I kinda miss some of the little fills). The guitar tone is... not great, but honestly the keyboard bothers me a lot more. There are a couple moments that just feel really dissonant, and there's a weird screechy sound in that first riff that honestly has like no reason to exist. It's also just less cohesive - Singa tries a lot of things here and on occasion things sound nice but overall it's very jumbled. I probably wouldn't be this critical of an arrangement for any other song, and honestly trying to detach this from the original I probably don't -hate- it, just... man. This probably seems really critical for a 4 so I'll just remind everyone that this is actually still Fateful Confrontation, sort of
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theme of last-second vgmc nominations

theme of squeaky guitars and weird drum panning. i don't terribly mind terrible guitars so whatever

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pyresword
10/28/20 2:19:24 PM
#366:


NFUN posted...
#55: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Cradle Where Feelings Rest

Way better than I thought it would do so I guess I'll take it.

This would no longer be my top-ranked song from 3rd but it's still very good. (Though my #1 has also not appeared I don't think!!)

Edit: Nope never mind I just forgot it dropped RIP
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Janus5k
10/28/20 2:24:57 PM
#367:


I'm finished

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NFUN
10/28/20 2:54:13 PM
#369:


#53: Zero no Kiseki - The Way of the Tree Spirit
pyre: 6.5/6.5
Mycro: 7.59/7.89
Total: 7.045/7.195 (7.12)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6z_ucvsnVhA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=4b26iYFD-MA

Neat woodwind track. Kind of Hollow Knight-esque although it's not quite as compelling as that game's music. Evo goes for a completely different instrumentation that is probably very slightly better overall but also feels a bit too understated at times.
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LOVE this type of song; evo version appeals more because "realistic sounding nonexistent instruments" works more for me for evoking Mystic Nature setting somehow than "fake sounding version of real instruments". original version feels like you're looking at a child's drawing of ancient ruins in the forest, remake feels like you are IN ancient ruins in the forest that are so ethereal their 'realism' is beyond your comprehension of reality, feels more real than the real world does, so much so that these strange synth sounds that are not like any real instrument you've ever heard, feel more IMPORTANT SPIRITUAL TRANSCENDENCE than actual real instruments would. The aura of ancient power awakening, forms of magic, anomalies in perception of reality, time, space, that you've never felt or experienced before, REAL; a surreal dream that is more vivid than any memory of real life, except it is real, and you are in it. I like both versions of this song : ) I LIKE ANCIENT FOREST MUSIC that sounds like joe hisaishi

#52: Trails in the Sky - The Whereabouts of Light
Janus: 7.5/6
dowolf: 8.5/6.5
Total: 8/6.25 (7.125)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX6xpVVNF2o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFDpjAQB6mQ

Interesting mix of sad and relaxing with a very memorable melody. Didn't think much of it at first but it's certainly grown on me.

Huh, making this basically acoustic was an interesting choice. Makes it less relaxing and more just plain sad, which works fine, but I don't find it as compelling. Probably has stronger instrumentation at least.
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"Aishiteru -- tada sore dake de futari wa itsuka mata aeru" <-- I cry every time. The emptiness of the Evo version is cool in its own right, but I prefer the more plodding feel of OG, if that makes any sense. Also the instrumentation on the final chorus of Evo is weird

#51: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Illusionary Blue Flowers
hb: 7.9/5.5
Mycro: 7.65/7.6
Total: 7.775/6.55 (7.1625)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LeCq5dLItXQ
https://youtube.com/watch?v=tjG907TDEDA

Cool piano.mp4, this track brings a sense of mystery and exploration that is truly both fun and interesting to listen to. Meanwhile, Evo version replaces a bunch of the soundfont with BEES (and bad synths). A shame, too, I like the added percussion and piano harmony, and the base track is good enough that it doesn't fall too far, but its held back by a truly Singalicious factor or two.
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both the original and arrange are pretty cool and 90s new age feeling with nice ethereal glassy synths; but the evo version's mixing is very "hmmm" lol. the hypersaw/modern edm layers are like way too loud compared to all the background stuff even if i think i'd like them in the mix if they weren't. evo version has cooler/more interesting pads and other interesting sounds the original doesn't have though. a tough call

rip the homie

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Hbthebattle
10/28/20 3:08:00 PM
#370:


bees

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NFUN
10/29/20 11:01:16 AM
#371:


#50: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Golden Road, Silver Road
Lea: 5/5.5
Mycro: 8.5/9.8
Total: 6.75/7.65 (7.2)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=uH8f3uJ3OnM
https://youtube.com/watch?v=NDkYewj2raU

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz it's fine i guess. I think the evo version has a bit less z's. Still repetitive though.
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one of the only cases beforehand i was aware i prefer the evo version. think the instrumentation just suits the composition better there and the interesting harmonies/rhythms are brought out far stronger in the arrange version. Original version strangely feels the far more artificial and awkwardly produced of the two here, which is the opposite of my reaction to other cases. golden road/silver road absolutely one of my favorite falcom songs for sure though. exactly the right elements of prog borrowed here and injected into a cool naturey folky thing that's even more my aesthetic

#49: Zero no Kiseki - Get Over The Barrier!
player0: 7/7
NFUN: 7.3/7.5
Total: 7.15/7.25 (7.2)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=-azjB3lsUTU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=39CRLMyIDY4

This was an interesting case where the remake adds a second loop with a solid guitar solo, but the trumpet and string sounds actually felt like a downgrade compared to the original. Regardless of the version, this is a densely-packed battle theme with lots of distinct sections that feels like a good representative of the general Trails sound.
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I honestly immediately hear Jam over the Barrier first now. I've been poisoned. I've never been too thrilled with this one, or this type of Falcom rock battle theme in general. Still solid, of course

Not much to say other than I prefer this one a bit more

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Hbthebattle
10/29/20 11:14:25 AM
#372:


Only one normal battle remains...

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NFUN
10/29/20 12:19:41 PM
#373:


#48: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Cry for Your Eternity
azuarc: 7.2/7.4
deo: 7.7/6.7
Total: 7.45/7.05 (7.25)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Tn7eKu4WNKk
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5kZN8ACKXzI

Barely sound different on laptop speakers. The part where the original starts to wear a little thin late in the loop, the evo version holds up a little better. That's about it.
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#47: Zero no Kiseki - Intense Chase
pyre: 7/7
Lea: 8/7
Total: 7.5/7 (7.25)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=-OciAAIlivA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=6HmCLZqyd3M

Trails from F-Zero.
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Quite intense for a song called intense chase, I liked it a lot. Evo a bit less intense.

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NFUN
10/29/20 1:14:54 PM
#374:


#46: Trails in the Sky - Commercial City of Bose
pyre: 7/8
deo: 7.3/6.8
Total: 7.15/7.4 (7.275)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=BZx5TUEtMHA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=OxKHsJoSx3s

One of the weaker Liberl town themes, but it's still good and has that nice pastoral feel that I associate so much with Sky FC. The Evo version is a notable improvement, which is shocking to me for a song going for atmosphere like this. However it manages to keep everything about the original intact while having a much prettier melody due to the violin.
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Remember before the rankings started, I commented that this project was irrevocably ruined, that the people involved had such terrible taste that they should be barred from listening to VGM at all, and that they should be so ashamed and disgusted of themselves that they should consider moving to a conservatory where any communication between members, and even any unnecessary noises, is punishable by death? This isn't that song

#45: Trails in the Sky SC - Aiming for the Future
tgs: 7/9.6
Lea: 6/6.5
Total: 6.5/8.05 (7.275)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=360l1Jg5Kko
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wGy7AC2K9ng

I wasn't expecting such a radical difference in style between the two songs.... I will be honest here though; I TRIED so hard to think up any excuse to not rate the evo song this highly, but I can't bring myself to do so as that would be disingenuous to my true feelings on the song. It's basically "What if Modern, but as a rave song?". It is really uncanny how similar this song was to Modern in all honesty given I love this track for the exact same reasons: The buildup to the beat drop/transition is great, the beat drop/transition itself left me swooning, and it went about the rest of the track with the right amount of energy. If I wasn't so worried about my ear drums, I would be playing this as loud as I possibly can for the optimum experience.
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I can dig a technodance remix from time to time

This is. I hope to god that you can blame your headphones for this, tgs. And Lea? Take my earlier comments towards you and multiply them by a hundred.

#44: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - The Hermit's Garden
Janus: 7/6.5
Mycro: 7.85/7.8
Total: 7.425/7.15 (7.2875)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CbdqllxW1rk
https://youtube.com/watch?v=BgNiwtAOpC0

Original sounds very... ethereal? Sure, that's a word.

Lead instruments in the Evo are kind of bright (ha .), and wow I'm really glad I read the thing about not judging based on context because this does not sound like "Trails the 3rd" at ALL and it was throwing me but honestly it's not really much worse
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a close call, but evo's low strings in the arrangement are delayed and really sour what would otherwise be a pretty cool arrange; still both are great in different ways

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pyresword
10/29/20 1:30:32 PM
#375:


Aw yeah Bose. Original was not one of my favorites but I really love the Evo version, which I'd somehow never heard before this topic.

Aw yeah Hermit's Garden. I don't know what the heck is going on in the Evo version but I think I still mostly like it. Not as much is the original but it manages to be very different without ruining it which is pretty neat.
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tgs2
10/29/20 1:34:11 PM
#376:


I was referencing Feeling Danger Nearby Evo with the headphones. I won't defend my love for Aiming for the Future Evo at all. Its just a freak lightning in a bottle situation and I had it at a 10 for most of the period before talking myself down from it slightly.

Take that hot take as you will.
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Toxtricity
10/29/20 1:35:52 PM
#377:


rip Aiming for the Future, legit my 2nd favorite falcom song (at least the original version). some of the peak of both ishibashi's really cool rhythmically playful style and tendency towards the types of chords/progressions i love. that transpose-y first minute is just one of my favorite things. the [3+3+3+3+4]/4 rhythms that really ambiguify barlines and downbeats are exactly what i love. the INSTRUMENTATION is so me. It is like if my favorite obscure "Uru: To Dn'i / Uru: Ages Beyond Myst / Myst Online: Uru Live /etc" song called "islmLibraryMusic_Loop.ogg" (a song most myst fans don't care about) was arranged to be like a much more energetic theme for a futuristic dungeon in a place floating in the sky in a jrpg from 2004
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bOMgUTR4_U

the evo arrange is maybe my least favorite evo arrange of any in the entire series i know of. if only because it's destroying a piece of music i love, and making into something i have difficulty being able to stand listening to. i enjoy the base composition a TON though, so i would still probably give it like 9.9/4, if it were a song i was given to rate. i would technically rather listen to other evo arranges less, because i like the source composition less in other things, but which evo arrange pisses me off and makes me the most sad? absolutely aiming to the future.
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dowolf
10/29/20 3:12:38 PM
#378:


Whoa enforcers evo is awesome. Way better than OG. Only issue is that there feels like there's a big hole where you get the giant chords in the OG version.

I don't even like OG Fateful Confrontation, but my god Evo's a mess. Normally I make fun of NFUN for seeming like he's biased against Evo going in, but that 4 rating seems more right to me here.

Really thought that my 8.5/6.5 on Evo Whereabouts of Light would wind up bringing things down and get people upset. Weird.

IBF Evo is cool i don't get the bees hate.

golden road, silvery road ;_; I completely fell in love with this the moment I heard it in 3rd
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#379
Post #379 was unavailable or deleted.
NFUN
10/29/20 3:27:10 PM
#380:


the issue isn't that you gave the original a bad score, it's that you gave the evo a higher score. it's painfully amateur (and straight up painful). hell, i don't even mind the dance part a minute in, but the rest is straight earrape

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pyresword
10/29/20 3:32:14 PM
#381:


I'd probably have ranked them close to each other if only because I don't especially like either version
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Toxtricity
10/29/20 3:50:05 PM
#382:


Leanansidhe posted...
I have no idea what any of this means, so my music ranking may not be the most professional thing in the world.

i mean anything i say is just based on personal taste lol; i could use the same types of words, with the same level of positivity to describe music that's to someone else's preference but i absolutely hate. i like to talk in ways that focus on details that sometimes require weird music-theory-nerd centric language to be as precise as i'd like to convey. but that doesn't mean that the things i have to say are like 'fact' and indicative of 'knowing more about music' or anything, they're just my taste. They're still just as preference as any other preference. sorry if it comes off as pretentious or confusing, it's just how i talk, which i know some people don't get or like, but is usually the best way to describe what i personally focus on when listening.

also nfun is just quite aggressive about his opinions! In this case i very much agree with how nfun feels about aiming to the future and the evo version. Sometimes i don't agree with nfun! and then the way nfun will talk will make me sad! luckily this is not one of those times.
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#383
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pyresword
10/29/20 3:59:09 PM
#384:


I am quite firmly of the belief that you don't need an understanding of music theory to understand music.

It's certainly a useful tool in a variety of contexts but a tool is all I really see it as.
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NFUN
10/29/20 4:19:40 PM
#385:


i make mycro sad sometimes because he doesnt like being WRONG

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Toxtricity
10/29/20 4:22:26 PM
#386:


music theory is mostly useful so you can say

"when the maj7 chord modulates up a half step"

instead of saying

"when the one note and the one note 4 notes above the first note and the one note 3 notes above that one, and the one note 4 notes above that one are all being played at the same time and then all four of those notes get played a second time but are moved up by the note one note above them on the keyboard"

to mean the exact same thing.

its shortcuts based on observed patterns to make music easier to talk about. but knowing the language of music theory doesn't actually mean any tastes or preferences you have are any better/worse. or even that you understand the music any more/less. it just means you can put a name to common (or uncommon) patterns and traits that show up in music; whether or not those traits are things you like

and you can observe those exact same patterns without knowing the names for them, and certainly even if you never think about things beyond vague things like atmosphere/emotion or whatever, you are still impacted by those patterns and have preferences that can be described through theory. you just may happen to describe your interest in a different way. but it doesn't mean you even understand music less, it just means you either don't know the shortcut names for the patterns that interest you, or that your focus is in areas less detail-centric.

i'm basically painfully detail-centric in any interest i have; and music luckily has a language that can make it more convenient to talk about tiny details in it. so i know it adequately in-depth. and i usually assume that if someone's reading what i'm saying and they don't know what i'm talking about they can just look up words or concepts if they want to.

but when i'm talking about things i like in games? there's all sorts of things i like that could probably be described more conveniently but i don't have an existing language with shortcuts to do so. i'll make wacky flowcharts of game structure or whatever to describe what i enjoy on that front, but certain concepts could be described in single words that don't exist (at least not that i'm aware of). and what i will express in THOSE settings is /more convoluted/ than anything i'm able to more concisely express thorough 'music theory words'

i suppose 'being really detail-centric' is actually part of why i'm attracted to this community actually, even if i consider myself out of place here in many ways. excessive stats analysis and discussion of the tiniest trivial details of /everything/ being such a norm in every project it makes me so happy~!
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#387
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NFUN
10/29/20 4:34:00 PM
#388:


Leanansidhe posted...
And I know NFUN finds me and my correct opinions DELIGHTFUL.
don't have you lightbulbs to change and shiny rocks to find

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Janus5k
10/29/20 11:20:29 PM
#389:


Intense Chase might be my favorite Zero song if you discount Super Arranges (though its SA is also very good). The first half of the Evo is a definite downgrade but the solos are neat.

Hermit's Garden Evo was probably the hardest thing to rate just because it sounds so little like that part in 3rd, but on its own it's enjoyable enough.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

a true woman of culture

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Toxtricity
10/30/20 10:55:05 AM
#390:


i like broadway musicals : ) and i like uhhh, dragonforce sometimes i think (i am more of an expert on other types of metal that are not power metal)
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NFUN
10/30/20 12:48:54 PM
#391:


#43: Trails in the Sky - Recapture
FL: 7.5/8
Mycro: 6.8/6.9
Total: 7.15/7.45 (7.3)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ubWNAGmyHck
https://youtube.com/watch?v=TfLJvbk4hpA

Triumphant horn-forward battle music has always been something I've loved (hi again Pokmon Colosseum). Some good intensity going on here, I liked this one. Whoah, Evo version is really cool! Very cinematic, and I could picture this playing in the climax of a high-fantasy action movie. Only gripe is that the lead horn sounds a bit more muted, but this has a lot more cool stuff going on in the background.
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the original version is too short/flat/fake sounding to me, but the evo is too reverby to an extent that obfuscates a lot of the impactful elements and has a much poorer mix. which is worse? that's for YOU to decide. oh wait, this is a song i am ranking so I get to decide. I am less bothered listening to the evo version.

#42: Trails in the Sky SC - Back to Our Friends
Raetsel: 5.23/6.2
NFUN: 9.2/8.6
Total: 7.215/7.4 (7.3075)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cY_WTw4_rEA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=-bc5I_gFc0Y

The original version has a very strong start, but the song never goes in any direction that I want it to. The Evo version is far more intense, practically screaming that this is the point where things get serious and we go storm the final dungeon or whatever. (As a side-note: while I have played the game, I'm pretty bad at noticing music in game and have absolutely no clue in what context this played. So in the event I'm ever incidentally right about when a song plays, know that's probably a coincidence & has no impact on scoring.)
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Suck it deo

that is the opposite of where this song played, raetsel

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NFUN
10/30/20 1:43:38 PM
#392:


#41: Zero no Kiseki - C.S.P.D Crossbell State Police Department
hb: 8.2/6.7
deo: 7.2/7.2
Total: 7.7/6.95 (7.325)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ULzCJfEuXfU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FMKbWr42Yvc

A slick and relistenable jam, this song absolutely nails the atmosphere of "it's time to think about things", and its gradual buildup ensures it'll never bore you. And then the Evo version completely wrecks the instrumentation and is nowhere near as engaging to listen to as the original. The melody is still strong, but the weird glitchy parts at the start and removal of the original backing harmonies result in a much less interesting whole.
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#40: Ao no Kiseki - Beyond the Paradise of Lies
tgs: 8.3/8.3
Raetsel: 5.521/7.22
Total: 6.9105/7.76 (7.33525)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ruEGOSQxmdI
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Hia0oxF0mRQ

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The Evo version is quite unique. I've listened to it quite a few times trying to get my thoughts together, but I still can't quite narrow down what it's making me think of or why I like it. I'm definitely going to have to come back to it on a few different days to see if I can figure anything out, but I think it's going to get a pretty good score from me. The original version, meanwhile, is okay.

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NFUN
10/30/20 2:42:11 PM
#393:


#39: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - The Mood of the Goddess Depends On Luck
hb: 8.5/7.9
dowolf: 6/7
Total: 7.25/7.45 (7.35)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=kfEcBAQxoyI
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JYGGUc62Ewk

Jazzy Cry For Me, Cry For You is an automatically winning combination, and this delivers on that promise of being both interesting to listen to and retaining the flavor of the original song.The Evo version's sax sounds a bit off to me, and a few of its keyboards also feel like a downgrade- it lacks the slick feel of the original. However, the composition of the song remains strong and the use of more-real sounding instruments does help the piece at times as well.
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this is so crossbell it hurts. I dunno why I like evo more here, but what jazz stuff I do and don't like is super picky so.

#38: Zero no Kiseki - Ardor of the Sun
Janus: 8/7.5
NFUN: 7/6.9
Total: 7.5/7.2 (7.35)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=gpWePIxbIc4
https://youtube.com/watch?v=A6U29ncde2k

Yo this is really neat. Very happy in a way that says "you did it". The intro with the fake chanting was kinda cool too, though the shift was maybe a little surprising.

Hmmm, the Evo isn't as bright, but kinda blends in with the intro better. Think I prefer the original but this is close.
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Honestly I love the really silly voices at the beginning. It's a play song (that isn't Fated Time) so it's nice but just one of a set

Non-fake voices so automatically worse. And neither are bad enough that I can say that they're "arduous to listen to" dammit

#37: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - The Castle At Dusk
hb: 6.5/7
NFUN: 7.7/8.2
Total: 7.1/7.6 (7.35)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8vPGfCFr1fI
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nX87a5PBUbQ

Eerie and spooky- with the harpischords and strings, this is pretty perfect Halloween music. The Evo version goes for a less spooky vibe and instead captures the feeling of being something like Castlevania's slower, more-string-heavy pieces (or maybe Umineko is a better comparison here), and even though the vibe has changed, it's actually way cooler to listen to.
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queen alicia is the grandmaster. honestly i could see this as being an evo version of grancel castle that wasn't meant to sound sinister lmao

Not a big fan of the bee synths. Pleasantly surprised by the rest. A pretty good take on the original

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tgs2
10/30/20 2:59:06 PM
#394:


Beyond the Paradise of Lies is one of three songs I rated that I will feel sad for getting a low rater opposite me, but I guess it's karma for Aiming for the Future.

It has a great somber atmosphere about it and I would probably rate it even higher if I did it today.
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pyresword
10/30/20 3:11:28 PM
#395:


I'm not sure how highly I would have rated Beyond the Paradise of Lies highly if I'd gotten it here, but it's absolutely a song I appreciate in an atmospheric sense for its use in the game itself.
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banshiryuu
10/30/20 5:51:11 PM
#396:


recapture!!!! and back to our friends evo!!!!! those are two songs i am Sad i did not get to rate!!
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NFUN
10/31/20 12:00:21 PM
#397:


#36: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Sora wo Miagete
Janus: 4.5/6.5
NFUN: 9.8/8.7
Total: 7.15/7.6 (7.375)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=D3TqH9ileB8
https://youtube.com/watch?v=959oYzVI3FQ

oh you used the Japanese name. This song is... fine, but really doesn't grab me like other Trails vocal tracks do. Feels like it overstays its welcome too.

Evo seems pretty dynamic in comparison. Don't love it but definitely prefer it here.
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IMAAAAAAAAAAAA SORA MIAGETE ANATA WO MAMORITAI TO OMUO

SONO EEEEEEEEEEEEEEGAO MITSUZUKERU TAME NI IKITE YUKITAI

#35: Trails in the Sky SC - Silver Will SC
Raetsel: 6.31/6.01
NFUN: 9.4/7.8
Total: 7.855/6.905 (7.38)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=EMwBxRpzoqU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0pHkzB0iYQI

I recognize it as a good song, but have no relevant comments. Original is slightly prettier than Evo
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Ahahahahahahaha I can't believe I got this. Blah blah blah everybody knows and loves Silver Will SAV. That's not in question. What is in question is this, and simply this:

*DOST THOU DESIRE THE BONGO?
(CS1 Spoilers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yn8g5pAMYs)

Realtalk I honestly don't know if I can rate this. It's not terrible enough for me to be immediately repulsed, and it's SO FUCKING FUNNY that Musical Stockholm Syndrome has set in. Uhhh this seems like a fair score

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pyresword
10/31/20 12:40:22 PM
#398:


Damn two top tier songs but I guess we are pretty far in.
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NFUN
10/31/20 12:52:04 PM
#399:


oh we were supposed to move to 5/day when we reached 50 and i forgot rip. so we're doing it now. today was sad enough that i think this is fine

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dowolf
11/01/20 12:23:47 AM
#402:


...?

I said nothing about context. OG makes me feel something. Evo doesn't.
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Nonsense. "Testing" is for when you're still guessing--and now, I have no need to guess. -- Agatha, Girl Genius
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dowolf
11/01/20 12:38:01 AM
#400:


the horn in Back to our Friends Evo is to die for ^_^

NFUN: 7.7/8.2

An Evo score higher than OG? Who are you and what did you do with NFUN?!

7.8 feels *absurdly* kind for Silver Will SC Evo. To me, Silver Will is a "sad" battle track. It feels mournful for what was lost. Evo's slightly faster tempo, chirpier violins, and goddamn BONGOS destroy that mood. It's the musical version of a photobombing.
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Nonsense. "Testing" is for when you're still guessing--and now, I have no need to guess. -- Agatha, Girl Genius
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NFUN
11/01/20 12:39:37 AM
#401:


that'd be a good point if you were supposed to compare the versions of the songs and take into account the contexts in which they play in

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