Board 8 > Haste2 ranks the VGMC retirees - Finale!

(+) Yeah! (+)

Ah, yes, of course--PSO2. If we have, say, 50 users ALL nominate two PSO2 tracks (nomination limit per game), that means 100 nominations. And let's say you need five nominations to make the bracket, that means only 20 PSO tracks would make the bracket assuming no wasted noms! What's the most tracks we've ever had from one game, I wonder?

Ah, I'm really disappointed in this write-up, but that's how it goes.

3) Atelier Ayesha - Invitation Flower~ Autumn
https://youtu.be/PZhjh-DME3k
Series ranking: 1 of 5
Composer: Kazuki Yanagawa
Prelim score: 9.8/10
Score: 9.8/10 (Phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 13 (Lost R6 to Class:EXPHERE_NOSURGE)
Favorite Part: 0:42 - the end of the loop, https://youtu.be/PZhjh-DME3k?t=42

Yes, this is certainly one of my all-time favorites when it comes to music with relatively sparse instrumentation! I dont know how to describe it but it has this sound of sparseness and nature, but in the best way possible. It gradually builds and the instrumentation thickens, but it never really disturbs that sparse feeling. Thats part of the genius of this track. Its not meant to be high energy or epic, in fact its not really meant to be one of feature presentations! And this track has my FAVORITE melody of ANY retiree on the list...possibly my favorite melody ever.

The combination of the one-line piano and xylophone two-note chords ahhhhh, so wonderful and complementary!!!! That piano stuff is something SPECIAL its such a fun little ditty. Especially when it does the wild descending three-note patterns... And then it does it again, but the patterns are inverted!!! Fun. So very satisfying, practically by itself. Very dry, but very beautiful. Then comes the growls. I don't know about you, but I like it for sure! It fits right in! The new theme makes a good contrast good stuff! Its not nearly as fancy, but the tritones/9ths and stuff make it pleasing to the ear. And the additional light instrumentation makes me just want to lay down and bask in it. It all evokes this sound of nature, as if youre in the midst of a sunny forest.

The trumpets introduce themselves via a sudden crescendo at 0:42 (along with, um, tam-tam? If so, very soft considering!). Yeah, I just love everything going on here, because it sounds like a bunch of wild animals have all joined in, in sync with each other its unlike anything Ive ever heard in music. Despite all the things going on, it maintains that somehow. The flute sounds PERFECT, too has that perfect lightness without being overly sweet. and it ornaments those 7ths/9ths that I love!!! Then the piano from earlier gets put on top of it all, OMG OMG OMG goosebumps! I cant get enough of those trumpet crescendos! And then the climax at 1:11 trumpets finally get the theme! AMAZING climactic chord at 1:13 Little intermediary bit of the theme borrowed from the beginning sneaks in there, and then another AMAZING chord adjustment at 1:20!!! Then it kind of winds down to the lovely simplistic sounds of the beginning.(the soft low synth is lovely, too.) Hey, the second time around it throws a grand pause, with a cool effect in the middle of it! (1:46)

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Haste_2 posted...

I hope to explore some more PSO2 music soon. I've only listened to maybe a few dozen tracks, but a disportionate amount of them are really awesome...

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Invitation Flower ~ Autumn is a great Ayesha track that never plays in full during the entirety of the game

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Arti posted...

Invitation Flower ~ Autumn is a great Ayesha track that never plays in full during the entirety of the game

it played in full for me many times
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It's just the world map music at certain points, so it usually doesn't run very long, but it can go on forever if you want too.
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Oh, that's right... our 12th elimination! Oh, and I forgot to mention that I was pretty pleased to see Autumn make the final four in the ToC.

ELIMINATED: VGMC 13
3) Atelier Ayesha - Invitation Flower~ Autumn (9.8)
14) Cytus 2- Chocolate Missile (9.6)
16) Ar nosurge - Class::EXSPHERE_NOSURGE (9.5)
22) Baldr Heart - Innocence & Emptiness (9.4)
27) GITADORA OverDrive - Douwa Kairou (9.3)
33) Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland - Flash Frost (9)
37) Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country -Battle!! (9)
38) Atelier Ayesha - Yesterday's Opponents are Today's Ingredients (9)
52) jubeat Prop- Chloe (8.9)
60) Crystar- Revenger (8.8)
76) Terraria Calamity Mod - Servants of the Scourge (Theme of the Sentinels of the Devourer) (8.6)
95) Demon Truck - Dead Neon Hell City (8.4)
116) Terraria Calamity Mod - 1NF3S+@+!0N (Theme of Crabulon) (8.1)
144) Granblue Fantasy - New World Order (7.5)
168) Pinball Fantasies - steelchambers2 (6.8)
173) Steins;Gate - Skyclad Observer (6.5)

Average score: 8.64
Average ranking: 67.1


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Now that would 100% be better flipped

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Janus5k posted...

Now that would 100% be better flipped

nah, just add 2-3 points to most of the songs
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I wonder if I should have just done a traditional user-nominated vgm ranking topic, because that would have been more useful. Doing this topic doesn't provide a whole lot other than giving users a chance to reminisce.

What I had ranked my favorite VGMC 14 non-retirees, as well? Well, there are four contenders for the top spot: Suite Photoconductivity: Third Tune ~ Bolt and Sword, Thermosphere, Hinagiku, and Fire Island Volcano, which is a bit different from my ratings during the contest. It's hard to say which one is really the #1, but probably SPTTBS.

2) Neotokyo - Tin Soldiers
https://youtu.be/VPUp2PiCYBY
Composer: Ed Harrison
Prelim score: 9.2/10
Score: 9.9/10 (Phenomenal)
VGMC History: VGMC 5 (Lost R4), VGMC 7 (Lost R6 to EXEC_SPHILIA/.)
Favorite Part: 2:58 - 6:10, https://youtu.be/VPUp2PiCYBY?t=178

Man, this originally wasnt supposed to be anywhere near #2. Even recently most of my listens were favoring IF~Autumn to Tin Soldiers. Two days ago, however, Tin Soldiers was the clear winner. And the following day, Tin Soldiers was the clear winner...again. Two days in a row is hard to refute when its decision-making time, so Autumn dropped at #3 that same day! But today I prefer IF~Autumn again. Figures! I was looking at the past results, and TS lost to SPHILIA by a mere four votes. To think this likely would have won a championship if it wasnt for that.

So basically it starts off with one simple two-measure idea, and then it expands from there. Sounds post-apocalyptic, like the rest of the OST. Yep, its ALL about exploration of sounds through small ideas. Theres not a whole lot of actual melody, so I guess you could say its quasi-process music. But its all done so tastefully its staggering. Its so chill and atmospheric and edgy and dissonant and full in all the right ways! Interesting to note is that thick chords are not used much in this almost everything relies on two-note voicings. (It's just that you often get a whole bunch of those simultaneously. :) It sounds even better with headphones!

I have to admit the very beginning on its own is not why I like this music. Note choices are boring initially. But my interest gets upped very quickly! The buildup in this is amazing, even better to me than Innocence & Emptiness! Already Im getting interested in the rhythmic placement of the harp chords, so I have stuff getting Then pitch-bending synths are artistically placed by itself its boring, but its fascinating to see everything start fitting in! Okay, but 0:58 the new synth stuff is really awesome by itself! They introduce a glitchy sliding synth idea with weird sputtering on the left side more or less imitating the tempered keyboard beeps moving all over the place on the right! What a cool bouncing polymetric effect, what a banger! This ultimately is the biggest reason I love this track so much. Cool Earthbound-esque fall to lead into a section with more of a buildup this time.

And now theres zillions of things going on at the same time! I really like the vocal samples (blended with violins?) taking over the main when it gets loud it simply works! Wow. And then bird-of-prey squawks take the place of the harp really c00001111!!!! Seriously, who in their right mind would use bird squawks in music like this?
Finally comes down again at 2:58, with many of the same ideas but as usual, presented very differently. This time the piano takes on the previous electronic beep keyboard stuff! But it expands on it even more, OMG OMG :) :). Just two or three piano voices, but theyre only partly unified really, really cool counterpoint stuff the way it utilizes minor 2nds and octaves and things!!!! And it's got this sort of sycnopated "delay echo" effect in octaves... And rhythmically mixing up 3/4 and 2/4 while putting a lot of emphasis on the 2nd and 4th beats is cool. But okay, turns out that on certain key moments (the 4th beat) you get a few chords that are a bit thicker. AND other stuff comes in (I LOOOOOVE the matching timbre of the xylophone) to thicken the crazy harmonies even more even the BIRD SQUAWKS are fitting right in the harmonies o_O. Also a bit in you got the big piano bass really filling things up nicely, woooow. And then finally you these HUGE synths totally raising the volume to the max at 4:15, EPIC EPIC EPIC!!!!!! And just when you think youre beyond the climax, the big VOCALS come on top of it all at 4:57. Now were at the REAL climax~~~~!!!! Man, hearing those voices soar above everything and slide between the notes is just the great thing ever!!! Its just amazing how everything comes together.

But hey, its not done yet! It kind of symmetrically refers to an earlier section to close things out, and the placement of the intercom announcer is fun. Love the way the vocals/synth combination dies out after the 7 minute mark.

Again, to get the most out of this track, USE QUALITY HEADPHONES!!! :) Really, what makes this my favorite track in the game is the buildup.(Imbrium is really amazing, though)

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You know, I forgot about doubles! 50 users nominating and doubling their PSO tracks could get 40 representatives in the contest!

Looks like VGMC 7 was the most polarizing contest. And probably THE lowest rated ...yikes.

ELIMINATED: VGMC 7
2) Neotokyo - Tin Soldiers (9.9)
15) Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica - EXEC_SPHILIA/. (9.6)
50) Ar tonelico III - EXEC_REBIRTHIA=PROTOCOL/. (8.9)
91) VVVVVV - Potential for Anything (8.4)
96) Digital: A Love Story - Paper Dolls (8.4)
101) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Staff Credits (8.3)
119) Umineko No Naku Koro Ni Chiru 7 - The Executioner (8)
121) Solatorobo: Red the Hunter - Re-CODA (8)
132) VVVVVV - Pushing Onwards (7.8)
150) Sol Survivor - Oil & Sweat (7.2)
156) Alan Wake - The Poet and the Muse (7.1)
158) Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru 8 - lastendconductor (7)
171) Jets 'N' Guns - Shop Music (6.6)
183) Ys Seven - Desert of Despair (5.9)
188) Lamento -Beyond the Void- - When the End (5.8)
195) Super Castlevania IV - Bloody Tears (4.8)

Average score: 7.24
Average ranking: 120.5

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The average score is 7.61, not 7.24! I averaged the wrong column. My bad.

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At the very least, it isn't first

but Neotokyo's entire soundtrack is terrible

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terribly awesome

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tachi for vgmc xv

mycro will probably push sprawl which is fine too
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Tin Soldiers huh

all right

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Tin Soldiers rocks yo
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1) Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon - Second Dark Matter Battle
https://youtu.be/XeXGr9WerPg
Prelim score: 10/10
Score: 10/10 (Godly)
Composer: Keisuke Ito, Yasuhiro Kawagoe, and/or Noriko Murakami
VGMC History: VGMC 12 (Lost R1), VGMC 14 (Lost R6 to -(Isoleucine)-)
Favorite part: 0:00 - 0:34, as well as 1:16 - 1:32, https://youtu.be/XeXGr9WerPg?t=76

Wow, what a surprise! Not~! It was no secret that it was my favorite entrant in VGMC 14. Im not claiming SDMB to be objectively the best retiree. But it IS my clear #1 piece of vgm of all time! Its also on a tier of its own, the one and only piece of vgm to maintain the elusive 10/10. Oh, wait, there is linkage alter Im still trying to decide whether that should be a 9.9 or a 10. There are some favorites that are competing with linkage alter, so Im not sure if I want to lower the standard for a 10 because otherwise I might find myself with like fifteen 10/10s!

PSMD will forever be among my favorite OSTs because of what I term the invincible trio: Second Dark Matter Battle, Gentle Slope Cave, and Fire Island Volcano. All are 9.8+ out of ten! But it also has numerous other tracks in the mid-9 range, PLUS some tracks that I havent discovered yet.

A mere two years ago I didnt think much of the Pokemon series in terms of music. I like DPPs soundtrack, sure, but I had little exposure to PMD or later games in the series. I vaguely knew Sky Tower, and that was it. I didnt even know the game PSMD existed until the game got nominated in BOST 5. Anyway, after being introduced to SDMB in BOST 5 eighteen months ago, I just knew I had to get this in the formal contest. However, I was kind of bummed to find out it was in VGMC two years ago and to make matters worse, it lost in the first round on the first day of the contest. Sixteen to twenty nine you gotta be kidding me ;_;. (Spiral of Erebos isn't bad) But that only made me want this in a contest even more I was determined to redeem SDMB once and for all., you know, by at least winning one match. I also had a goal to try and help Pokemon music get retired, cause after 13 years of this contest, still nothing from the series. But yeah, I was pretty nervous about how it was going to do. Not only did it retire, but It went one round farther, enough to nullify any potential argument that it retired only because it had an easy path. Oh yeah, and it somehow managed to survive an 11-2 run in the latter part of SDMB vs. Burning Force Medley to get there--haha, awesome! But yeah, Im ECSTATIC about not only Pokemon retiring, but that my favorite in the series received that honor. Thank you, @DireKrow, for introducing me to PSMDs soundtrack! I may never have gotten into PMD music otherwise.

If you REALLY want to know why I like this so much, in just a few words dat bass!!! in conjunction with the standard PSMD sound production. Its a lot more than that of course, but thats probably the single biggest factor.

It starts off with some chanting...its almost as if some cute Pokemon are doing it :) Perfect way to set up a final boss theme. But you know, I came across a funny coincidence relative to those opening two chords: I was listening to Secret of Mana 2018 OST the other day. I got to The Oracle (the battle against Dark Lich), and https://youtu.be/5jEnB5Zx7vk?t=8604 (PSMD was released in 2015) Yep, way to copy this track almost almost exactly. But the REAL reason its such a funny coincidence is that (because I havent yet completed PSMD) I imagined the final boss setting in PSMD to be like the battle against Dark Lich... =p Off on another tangent, but the 2018 ARM version of Danger in SoM 2018 is really good, IMO! (Even if most of the others are questionable)

Intro: 10/10

Anyway, those chants are just the greatest, with just the right tone to them, and the way they linger over the chimes and these epic piano descending octaves is just. *_* It gives off an exotic vibe. Actually, the tonality is ambiguous here, like its first the key of G but then C gets established right after but it mixes major with minor... always a plus! At 0:13 you get these really cool ascending triplets with ascending in unison (oh MAN I love the crescendo and cymbal), leading into 16th-note stuff (I love how rhythmic subdivisions get switched up here!) But yeah, this intro is just...epicly dark.

Part 1: 10/10

Gotta love the string writing in their little soli, and the way they bridge the intro and main section is awesome, HOLY CARP. That little bit is taken from Partners Theme, but it also sounds like Sophisticated Fight! Anway, after that it kind of follows the feel of the final boss theme from Gates to Infinity, but ups the intensity a bunch. But I am in LOVE with the sound mixing Oh, MAN, that underlying rhythm section mmm, that BASS!!! So darkly electric. It almost sounds like two instruments covering it. Love those percussive sounds on beat 2. The orchestration is so thick I have a hard time identifying everything. Do I hear acoustic guitar chords in there, too? Actually, no, it must be an electric guitar.

This is compositionally my favorite section! The opening chords are really great, so thickyou got a D minor melody vs. a G major movement in the bass that I really like, but yeah I especially like the natVI9 chord at 0:20, a nice dissonant rub in there. Oh, yeah, and the melody here is GREAT, taken from Partners Theme, one of multiple excellent emotional themes in PSMD! But all the stuff supporting it really makes it so amazingly intense. :) Then at 0:27 THIS MUSIC IS TO DIE FOR, taking the intensity up a notch AGAIN. What MONSTER chords here as everything gets unified.. Some of my favorite chords anywhere.

Part 2: 9.3/10

You got a bit of Persona! with those string trills next. Got flute on top doing the Tree of Life theme now! And we get to hear the deep rhythm section sound here, and especially when its highlighted at 0:53!!! But yeah, I just love that bass in conjunction with those hard percussive hits...makes me happy.

Part 3: 8/10

At 1:03 electric guitar takes the center stage, which I used to have a problem with. Yeah, I dont think it fits in with PMD music very well in general, but it actually fits okay here, and its just one little part! I love those ambient sounds at e.g. 1:05. But yeah, the guitar plays the first part of Partners Theme here, and I like that! Nerdy thing I like is, again, triplets --> 16th note rest resolution here! And then the one and only thing I DONT like about the music occurs the way the guitars crescendo and cut off there it doesnt sound good :(


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Part 4: 10/10

But 1:16 is CHILL-inducing, the way the snippet from near the beginning gets cut in half (tempo-wise) to set up the second half of the track. And then the CHANTS I love so much join in the background (as well as more traditional choir samples but I dont care about them as much), and the strings are aiding the rhythm section with their punctuated patterns...and along with the electric rhythm section still going at it the overall sound cant POSSIBLY be more epic now OMGOMGOMG!!!! In fact, this section practically makes me cry, oh the FEELS!!! At 1:33 trumpet samples join in for the climax, and I just LOVE how the dominant at the end of the previous section doesn't resolve normally, but instead we move harmonies a 3rd away instead, and its POWERFUL!!! The rhythm section gets more rhythmic here to increase the intensity. Easily the highlight of this part, though is when the trumpet SOARS to the climax of the phrase (1:39-1:42), and I like how the music delays the tonic a while longer to really finish this thing off strong.

Part 5: 9/10

And then everything drops out save the violins (LOVE the ambience within the silence) to transition to the final tension/release...GREAT final tonic at 1:50, chimes play standard descent-from-climax which is a typical stepwise descent but it works GREAT here, and hey, my favorite chants are back to finish this off! Then it finishes the loop like the opening, but not quite as exciting, though still nice.

As a whole, this music pretty much blows me away with the intense/charming mixture of sounds, thick chords, chants, and dark epicness!

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Geez, did not see it coming that you only found out about SDMB (and even PSMD) from BOST 5

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Here is the link one last time for the complete set of rankings!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RyUmpY7s3MZeuSDaN3vYEJXtS9BlR0GJ--7sapMOnaA/edit?usp=sharing

It also contains a tab that compares the VGMCs, as well as for Pokemon/Ace Attorney/VGMC 13 rankings. Pokemon and VGMC have a list of HM's that scored a 9+, as well. Man, I really think I need to raise the bar again for a 9 rating, given there are 28 of them from VGMC 13 non-retirees alone. Maybe a 9.2 should be the new 9....

Thanks for your participation! Hope you had some nostalgic reminiscing!

What would make the best top ten that everyone could kind of agree on? Maybe something like...

(in no order)
Isoleucine
Endeavour
EXSPHERE
Time's Scar
worldenddominator
Kimera II
Baba Yetu
MGS2 Theme
Sphilia
Despair of Elferia

Something like that? Oh, wait, there's Sphilia, as well. Maybe take out XBC2 Battle, then?

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A consensus Top anything would be hard to determine because VGMC's "tastes" have changed a few times over the course of its run. Broadly speaking you had the OG Era which probably covers VGMC1 - VGMC5, with VGMC6 acting as a bridge to VGMC7 - VGMC12 (idk what you call this. GUST/Falcom Era?) with VGMC10 as something of an aberration. And finally VGMC13 - Present.

Truthfully I think VGMC7-9 and 10-12 could probably be broken up too they "felt" very different to me.

Still, if you wanted to try I think you'd lean heavily on the OG Era retirees because I think they're the least polarizing.

Scars of Time
Dream of the Shore Bordering Another World
Baba Yetu
Wily Stage 1
dreamenddischarger
Positive Force
Sunshine Coastline
Rivers in the Desert
Stickerbush Symphony
Bloody Tears

Something like that is probably pretty non-controversial.

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Haste_2 posted...

Here is the link one last time for the complete set of rankings!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RyUmpY7s3MZeuSDaN3vYEJXtS9BlR0GJ--7sapMOnaA/edit?usp=sharing

Very cool! Something strange seems to be happening on the full list of retirees tab, though. There are some duplicated titles.

Bloody Tears doesn't belong in any top ten retirees list

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I went and fixed the duplicated titles and now it's actually alphabetized properly, too, thanks.

xp1337 posted...

A consensus Top anything would be hard to determine because VGMC's "tastes" have changed a few times over the course of its run.

I was going for what the regular VGMers would likely choose as of the present, but your list would compromise with other eras better, true.

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Not sure if I'm ready for this to purge yet.

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