Board 8 > azuarc ranks 100 ending/credit themes -- part 1

(+) Yeah! (+)

51. Super Mario Bros. 3 Ending
Nominated by: Ace_Killjoy
Have I heard it before? Oh, please.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-V2wgsrfVE

I have extremely fond memories of SMB3, and will defend my argument that its the greatest game of all-time against you younguns who werent alive to remember what gaming was like back when it came out. SMW is a better game, but only because it built upon what SMB3 started. Thats an argument for another thread, though.

Surprisingly, Ive never legitimately beaten Mario 3, (world 8 is hard, okay?) so I dont have a strong pull of nostalgia for the ending. (That will be the case for SM64 later.) It doesnt help that overall, Mario 3s soundtrack is pretty darn weak. Thats probably my biggest knock against it. The best song on the game is the hammer bros. theme, which is kinda sad for a game of this caliber. The ending is maybe the only other song that holds its own, starting with a vibe of the music that plays when you enter a castle and have to rescue the transformed king in each, before segueing into a calypso that works great for an NES era ending. Kondos not always a consistently great composer, but he usually gets his ending themes right, and this one fits just fine.
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50. Jewel Master To Be Over
Nominated by: MycroProcessor
Have I heard it before? dont think so, but mycro might have nominated it somewhere else

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

I implied that at least one of the earlier Mycro noms wasnt very much in his usual style. This one certainly is. Its progressive, its a pinch quirky, and even though Im not as adept at spotting mixed meter as MP, I have the impression that theres at least some time signature changes in there.

I suspect most people listening would poop on this for being a very Genesis-sounding Genesis track. I actually kinda like Genesis songs when they arent overly harsh. This ones not, and its definitely got some cool things going in the composition. Im sure it would do better in a more contemporary format providing its own samples, but To Be Over is a pretty cool little inclusion. Emphasis on little, because in this list of 7 minute songs, one thats only 2 minutes is kinda refreshing. Especially when it does so much different stuff in those 2 minutes.

(Sidenote: being short on this list is something I seem to always comment on, as either a positive because it's short and sweet, or a negative because it "doesn't do much". No, I cannot make up my mind. I'm Swiss, I'm a libra, and the digits in my birthdate can spell 180 twice.)
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49. Final Fantasy XIII Ending Credits
Nominated by: Robazoid
Have I heard it before? Well, Ive beaten 13, so technically, I suppose I have

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ytiqB6xlU

Hamauzas orchestral style never really struck me the way it should have. Intellectually, Im able to process that everything about the soundtrack checks out, but I always have this sense of loss, going thats not Nobuo. And its not like their work at all sounds the same. And thats speaking about the entire game. The credits is perhaps the most emphatic piece, bringing back the main theme in extremely dramatic fashion. And I want to like it. I recognize that I should like it. And for some reason, I justI dunno. I did like 13, so its not that I have a distaste for the game like many did. I dont know what it is. This should probably be higher, but its not happening.
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48. Saya no Uta Shoes of Glass
Nominated by: th3l3fty
Have I heard it before? I might have

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY-LUqslhuM

I must have liked this the first time I tossed it into the sorting hat, but Im not sure what I saw. My note reads not my usual thing, but well done, so I must have been going for some kind of objective rating. And Im not saying Shoes of Glass is bad, but neither are most of these songs. In trying to place it now, Im just not that wow-ed by it, so since ranking doesnt take place in a vacuum the way rating sometimes does, this one slipped a bit from my original placement.
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47. Persona 5 Hoshi to Bokura to
Nominated by: zyxyz0
Have I heard it before? no, but Im sure Ill be subjected to it many many more times in the future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oRBgtuKu2Y

Hurray for PersonaI gave this one good marks to start with, on a night when I was trying to be objective and willing myself to give these Persona songs a chance. And Hoshi to Bokura to does have a strong rock element to it that I dont hear from some of the other Meguro works, so maybe that was part of my consideration. Obviously, it still does some things well, or I wouldnt be putting it just barely into the upper half, but now that Im doing nothing but listening to it and trying to compose this write-up, it feels like that song that comes on the radio that doesnt quite compel you to change the station, but youre waiting for it to end so the next song can take overand then the station goes on commercial, and you wonder why you didn't change it after all.
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46. Warhammer 40000: Space Marine A Heros Legacy
Nominated by: Ace_Killjoy
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMG_2qs_rew

Orchestral + choir opens very dramatically. The strings-only part in the middle is a little suspect until the intensity suddenly jacks up. I think its interesting that the composer deliberately saves the drums for the final quarter of the piece. (Theres some light snare parts earlier, but the percussion section on the whole is generally absent.) When Heros Legacy is on, its riveting, but for as striking as it tries to be, I feel like it doesnt hold that level of captivation for very long before it needs to do something more, and it often doesnt go in the right direction. Like, it creates tension, then lets it go, then remembers it wants that tension and builds it up again. Could have been very good.
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45. Final Fantasy VI Ending Theme (Airship)
Nominated by: Ry_Senkari
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79uDbaWbfuI

Yes, thank you for not giving me all three parts. Whats with FF6 and having ridiculously long songs? Didnt anyone tell Oematsu that sequenced music isnt supposed to have that kind of runtime? Or really, most music in general?

Begins with the part that I assume is where we get the name airship, since I could see it playing while riding an airship. (Nope, never played 6, sorry.) Then a reprise of Terra into some french horn and flute stuff, before we get the ubiquitous prologue. Just like in the FF7 ending, this is the highlight of the sequence. The composition transitions from there into a final minute thats incredibly intense, but doesnt really sell the ending for me as well as its obviously intended to. And while I do love a few of the pieces from FF6, this one is only above average.
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44. Hatoful Boyfriend Hana Yume
Nominated by: Zyxyz0
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OYiNJ6ipH4

Just a sweet little music box piece. I like the melody. Maybe too high, but whatever.

next: part of a trilogy
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I actually agree more or less with much of what you said regarding Hero's Legacy.
It does seem to change its mind a lot.
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I'm happy all four of mine made the top 50, even if only barely! I loved almost all of FFXIII's music but it was my first FF so I didn't have that same expectation problem I guess
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Um... dude, I nominated the Super Mario Bros 3 ending not Ace.

Bummer that it didn't make the top 50 though.
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yay, more clerical errors! ><

Guess it goes to show I'm not a cleric.
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43. Trails in the Sky The 3rd Looking Up at the Sky (Ending Version)
Nominated by: pyresword
Have I heard it before? no

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3TqH9ileB8

There are a lot of songs on this list that I poo-pooed that do very similar stuff to Looking Up at the Sky. And yet, here we are with them down there and LUATS up here. Yes, its fairly simple and understated, but I actually feel like I connect with the soul of this song in a way I dont from those other works. Admittedly, it does get a little tiresome after six minutes, though.
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42. Touhou 15: Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom -- The Moon as Seen from the Shrine
Nominated by: Shonen_bat
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWyF1aQxHCM

Surprised we didnt get much yoohoo. Ive sometimes resented when its fans flooded a bracket, but I do genuinely like listening to ZUNs music. Moon is a very simple piece, calling back some themes Ive heard before, I think from Imperishable Night. It doesnt do much with it, other than basically play the pentatonic scale into a very brief melody, for a total of 48 seconds, but what I like about it (and what I suspect many dont about Touhou) is the mood and tone of the work.
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41. Ripple Dot Zero Ending
Nominated by: MycroProcessor
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8SR7_w_HVc

RDZs ending takes while to build before the melody enters, but it does it in such a way that I dont lose interest. The first 90 seconds are dramatic, intense, and captivating. Then it shifts gears into a party atmosphere. Although I like the beginning better, the festive energy is also quite strong, up until it just ends abruptly. If I had one criticism, it would be that Id like an actual ending, rather than a drum fill and done, as though the conductor cut everyone the way they would during a rehearsal.
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40. Persona 3 Memories of You
Nominated by: pyresword & Raka_putra
Have I heard it before? Yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHdOXCoja-c

Top of the Persona entries, perhaps I shouldnt be surprised that two people both tried to nominate it (although Raka gave me the Japanese title). I will admit that, for reasons I cant completely identify, it is a cut above the others. Im still not in love with MOY, but theres a certain amount of chill-ness to it, and the pure sound and rhythm of the lyrics does hold my attention. I may never be a fan of Persona music, but I can at least respect what this one is doing.

*goes off to listen to Battle for Everyones Souls*
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39. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Staff Roll
Nominated by: Shonen_bat
Have I heard it before? Far too much

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPjLgDF1hUg

Okay, so I have a funny story for you. Way back in December '98, I got this game at release. I played it precisely once, loved it, and never went back to play it again for some reason. But upon beating Ganon, I watched this whole ending sequence, and at the very end, this weird sequence of notes started playing. It was obviously an ocarina tune! It played three times, and then nothing, so I loaded my last save, beat Ganon again, and listened to it while I sat by my piano and tried to play along. TBH, it wasnt much of a pattern. It was just a cycle of the five ocarina notes, and I couldnt find any rhyme or reason to it. It was also really freaking long, and even with three shots at it, I had to re-beat the game about nine or ten times to be able to hear this melody. And each time, I had to beat Ganon, survive the escape, and watch this entire ending sequence.

I finally felt I had the whole thing figured out, went into game to play it, and nothing happened. So I wandered around the world trying to figure out where it would be relevant, and eventually I went to the scarecrow down near Lake Hylia. I could play something for him, but he apparently already had a song recorded from the first time I was there. And damn if it wasnt the same exact shit that I had recorded. So I sat through this entire 7 minute sequence and more, just to figure out a pattern that was me to begin with, pushing buttons randomly on my controller.

That might explain why I never went back to play OOT again.

Anyway, as a result, I was very familiar with the ending. Theres a certain measure of nostalgia, certainly, but Im trying to view the music separately here. The first 2 minutes are variations on the main theme, and then theres the campfire scene playing during the song of storms for a little under 2 minutes before it does some majestic stuff that eventually returns to the main theme. The whole time, it plays stuff thats clearly using the standard N64 chipset, but doing a pretty good job of it, so long as you dont mind the female singer sample. I have fond memories of the work, but in terms of quality, upper-middle is the best it can do.
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38. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker Staff Credits
Nominated by: tazzyboyis here
Have I heard it before? yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8nCEDyGHKk

There are two songs on this list that, despite placing them relatively high, I believe are badly overrated. This is one. I wont spoil what the other is.

I never played Wind Waker. Wasnt interested, and didnt own a Gamecube. It was the first console Zelda after Majoras Mask, and I think everyone knows by now how I feel about that. Then there was the cel shading, which I was just [i]not[/i] okay with. So definitely no nostalgia here, and you wont hear any jokes from me about sailing or anything.

WW credits are upbeat and pleasant, and callback a lot of the classic Zelda melodies within the frame of something that feels like a sea shanty. Its well done, but its also very simple, and I dont think it has much soul to it, either. For Nintendos first console with a disc, its a little surprising that they went with music that sounds sequenced, but that doesnt help the lack of emotional depth that this piece needs to carry it. I know other people love this, and it retired from VGMC, but its only an okay song to me, and certainly nothing to laud or herald.
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37. Final Fantasy VII Staff Roll
Nominated by: LeonhartFour
Have I heard it before? Tcha~

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgb6peaKCSc

Im sure there isnt a more FF7-ish ending theme than this onewhich I realize sounds completely dumb until you realize that Im using FF7 as a musical style. Im betting if you sat someone down who had never experienced FF7, and played 5 tracks for them, and then quizzed them on other songs and if they were from FF7, they would guess right 100% of the time regardless of what you gave them.

The staff rolls got three main parts to it. After the intro, theres this quiet, tranquil section thats probably reminiscent of some theme I dont recall, because it reminds me of wandering through a village. Then it switches into FF7s Main Theme for a short time before 3:30 arrives and we get the original FF prologue, which seemingly finds its way into every Oematsu finale. This is the highlight of the piece, and understandably occupies half of the playtime. If I was allowing myself to be affected by nostalgia, Im sure Staff Roll could push into the upper echelons of the list, but, well, I never actually finished FF7. I was already getting bored once we got to disc 2, and after I traded Cloud for Tifa and then Tifa for Cid, I just kinda stoppedso sorry, no nostalgia here. Good song, but again, very FF7.
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36. Octodad: Dadliest Catch End Credits
Nominated by: Johnbobb
Have I heard it before? No

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

Well, Johnbobb, you were waiting. Didn't quite make the top third.

This is one of those songs that really benefitted from how many times I listened through the list before I started ranking, because its one hell of a goddamn earworm. I was convinced that I was going to put this in like the bottom ten, and that I hated the vocals, and, and, andand then I was singing it to myself the next day while driving in the car. Total WTF moment.

So, yes, its cheesy AF, and no, I havent played Octodad to appreciate the joke. The idea that nobody knows that this octopus is actually an octopus seems like its riffing on Chicken Boo from Animaniacs. But the credits are cheery and catchy and, TBH, theyre hard to ignore. If you havent heard this one already, Im going to politely suggest you dont click the link, or it will become a part of you.
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Death of the Staff Rolls...
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35. Tales of Graces f White Wishes (Instrumental)
Nominated by: tazzyboyishere
Have I heard it before? no

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoF3-51929Q

When the song starts, all dramatic and epic, an upbeat piano was not what I expected to have follow. The orchestra comes back in after to make the song feel properly weighty again, which gives me some mixed messages, but it gradually settles into an oeuvre, so that by the time it goes through the A section again, you notice the difference that follows. Fortunately, for as weighty as I noted earlier, the piece still manages to keep fairly light and ahead of the beat so the low strings dont kill the energy or White Wishes would feel like it was plodding. Favorite part is that streak noise at 2:25.
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I always enjoyed GFK's "Is this song from FF or not?" Sporcle quizzes. I could almost always tell when a song was an FF song.
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and finally, to round out the middle third...

34.Shovel Knight - Reprise (Credits)
Nominated by: jcgamer107
Have I heard it before? Not as such

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VAcikf9m6o

I still havent played Shovel Knight, and Ill admit Im probably missing out. I give Kaufman a lot of credit for his compositions, and I hear the games not bad, either. Reprise calls back Strike the Earth! repeatedly, and although I prefer the original, the credits theme has a few classy parts that remind me of something out of Half-Minute Hero.

next: it's always moving on the surface
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Also Memories of You best Persona song.

Other than maybe Heaven, though of course that one is not an ending theme.
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Ouch, expected Ocarina to place a little higher.

Go Iji, then. Though I think it will be out next update.
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azuarc posted...

it will become a part of you.

damn straight
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pyresword posted...

Also Memories of You best Persona song.

Other than maybe Heaven, though of course that one is not an ending theme.

whoa no wonder azuarc thinks so poorly of persona music

without my ~guiding light~ what darkness have you all led him down
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I think poorly of Persona music because most of it is half-ass pop music.
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now I'm wishing I had nominated Brand New Days, too
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LeonhartFour posted...

now I'm wishing I had nominated Brand New Days, too

Yeah I almost did this honestly.
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33. Armored Core: For Answer Curtain Fall ~end roll~
Nominated by: Ace_Killjoy
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj4NAXO0Xic

Intriguing start into being fueled by the main riff from Something is Always Moving on the Surface. I dont remember precisely how SIAMOTS went, but the line drives this piece. Curtain Call never really does anything besides ride that momentum, and yet it still works to the extent that when it ended at about the 3 minute mark, I went, wait, its over? OTOH, it doesnt have much of an ending. I was expecting it to be building toward something and there was no payoff. Im not too upset about it, though.
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32. Trails in the Sky Whereabouts of Light
Nominated by: NoFun
Have I heard it before? Yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3VZBlmVWFM

Apparently Im very conflicted about this song. First I have a listen and think the song sucks. Then I listen and rate it above most of the other songs with the comment reevaluate for higher. Listening now, its merely pleasant. Pleasant is my word for when something is neither awful nor awesome. On an annoyance scale of +10 to -10, its almost perfectly neutral. The acoustic guitar pulls it up a little. The repetition of the vocals gets a little boring, which pulls it down. And overall, it reminds me of something Dido would singexcept without Didos vocals.
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31. Skies of Arcadia Credits
Nominated by: LeonhartFour
Have I heard it before? Yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWQh2yHhSCc

Daww, somebody nominated something on behalf of Celtic. I dont doubt for a second this would be her first pick. Maybe Ill hop on Steam and interrupt her playing hundreds of crappy indie games to tell her.

Admittedly, I know very little about Skies of Arcadia itself. It was on Dreamcast, which may as well not have even existed for me. The music Ive heard from it always feels very distinctive, though. Credits is one of the few pieces on this list that feels happy to me, which is weird considering its all ending music. I know it sounds like some of the other works Ive been disappointed with, but I genuinely like SoAs credits. Not love, but certainly like. It has a carefree air to it and a certain majesty that I have to imagine works really well at the end of an adventure.
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30. Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 Go Love and Peace
Nominated by: Arti
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyZy-KAkxiE

The first thing I have to acknowledge is that the video portion of the credits is kind of hilarious, where this party of characters wanders through parodies of a dozen other games and genres. Having them pass through the infield during Baseball was especially surprising.

Musically, Im not sure what to say about ED Credits. Its got a dance beat that pushes it along, and some back-up vocals that support the opening until the synth and lead come in and contribute for an enjoyable song.
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29. Dragons Dogma Eternal Return
Nominated by: Pirateking2000
Have I heard it before? no

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

The singers main line is p. great. The rest of the work is objectively good. I gave it solid marks one night when listening. But outside of the eternal return refrain, its a little understated in that way that a lot of symphonic pieces can be.

For what it's worth, I listened to Klagmar's top 15 credits theme earlier today, and he has this at #2. A few of the other nominations also make an appearance (but not #1, which was from The Last Story.)
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28. Iji Further
Nominated by: Shonen_bat
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSn8Kp53ys0

Furthers calling card is its sound, which is very unique. It reminds me of what youd get if you added a singer to a Neotokyo song. The vocals are also a pinch exotic because theyre both completely flat and at the same time kind of sound desperate, which just lends more to the impression that this is probably a game without a HEA ending. Confirm/deny? Anyway, my only disappointment with Further is that in 4:20, I feel like it could have done a little more, but Im reasonably enraptured by it while its playing.
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27. Asuras Wrath In Your Belief
Nominated by: pirateking2000
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_wKk3RIsv8

Kicks up a notch at :52 when the timpani enters. Up until that time, it feels like a song with potential that probably isnt going to reach it. So when the violin/clarinet part takes over, it actually contrasts well, and gives the return of the full ensemble some punch. One could argue that the second half of the song doesnt really add anything, and that would be fair, but I like what In Your Belief does in the opening portions enough to place it here.

next: not sure because I'm contemplating reordering what I've got left!
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Skies of Arcadia also existed on the GameCube
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azuarc posted...

33. Armored Core: For Answer Curtain Fall ~end roll~
Nominated by: Ace_Killjoy
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj4NAXO0Xic

Intriguing start into being fueled by the main riff from Something is Always Moving on the Surface. I dont remember precisely how SIAMOTS went, but the line drives this piece. Curtain Call never really does anything besides ride that momentum, and yet it still works to the extent that when it ended at about the 3 minute mark, I went, wait, its over? OTOH, it doesnt have much of an ending. I was expecting it to be building toward something and there was no payoff. Im not too upset about it, though.

Curtain Fall blends elements of some of the OSTs other tracks (of which SIAMOTS is probably the most well known) into one medley. Given how... interesting many of the Armored Core songs can be, this is one of the ones that stood out to me and left me with a pleasing feeling about the game overall.

In the end, I'm happy with where my songs landed, and I'm glad I was at least able to nominate stuff you hadn't heard before.
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azuarc posted...

30. Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 Go Love and Peace
Nominated by: Arti
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyZy-KAkxiE

The first thing I have to acknowledge is that the video portion of the credits is kind of hilarious, where this party of characters wanders through parodies of a dozen other games and genres. Having them pass through the infield during Baseball was especially surprising.

Musically, Im not sure what to say about ED Credits. Its got a dance beat that pushes it along, and some back-up vocals that support the opening until the synth and lead come in and contribute for an enjoyable song.

That's basically Neptunia in a nutshell - a huge amount of references in everything about it
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Dang, that's me out.

azuarc posted...

Anyway, my only disappointment with Further is that in 4:20, I feel like it could have done a little more, but Im reasonably enraptured by it while its playing.

The song actually was cut short to fit the ending, so that's right on the money.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPhklT21aiU

Would have tried nominating that, but I didn't think it would count. Oh well.

There are a few endings, all of them sorta bleak. Some are outright downers too.
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azuarc posted...

32. Trails in the Sky Whereabouts of Light

Even when the stars melt before the dawn,
I'll find your light
I love you -- and that's reason enough to know
We can meet again someday.

<3

too low.
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So I should probably continue this thing.

26. Nier Automata Weight of the World
Nominated by: xp1337
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSrBTrJBDl8

I was way too hard on this song when I first evaluated it, initially placing it borderline bottom tier. Listening to too many tracks at once will do that, I guess. My notes simply said I was bored with it, but coming back to it, I dont have that impression at all. Then again, I held onto it and said "no, don't eliminate it yet," and then I think I probably took it too far the other way.

I dont believe Ive listened to anything from Nier Automata, but my impression of the original was that the songs were mostly in the okay range, and a bit overrated. Weight of the World < Sliced Bread, but its certainly a solid song. The vocals are decent, the composition supports it, et cetera.
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25. Shadow Hearts: From the New World Spread My Wings
Nominated by: dowolf
Have I heard it before? no

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8DnAh2omck

Man, the people producing Spread My Wings must have been having a good time, because this song is rocking out, combining a bunch of styles I wouldnt have expected to see crammed together. I have pretty strong reservations about the Japanese rapper, who has too harsh an edge to his delivery. In every other regard, this song is just a total jamfest. The electric fiddle steals the spotlight just when things are starting to get static. Ends on a cool bass riff that was there the whole time, unnoticed.
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24. Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMix Fantasia Alla Marcia
Nominated by: Tazzyboyishere
Have I heard it before? No

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

FAM is a song that runs hot and cold, but mostly hot. It has this bold triumphant fanfare-ish feel at the beginning that makes me think, Hey this feels like something out of a Disney movie.

Then I realize its from Kingdom Hearts.

Best part is the piano at 2:08. The contrast between that and the preceding material, along with the background chorus, is pretty spectacular. Of course, a dramatic, brassy section follows and more epic choirs. The piano reprise is okay, and then the song seems to wind down at a little after 5 minutes. Yet the track continues almost to 8. The final two minutes feel a little unneeded -- they work just fine, but I start to feel like some kid trapped in a car going, Ahmm borrred. Are we there yet?

I did, however, notice that when I listened to Fantasia Alla Marcia with my earbuds, I was much more inclined to feel that way. Not sure whats up with that, but after listening to most of the remaining ~25 songs with my computer speakers (which arent very sophisticated), in the car, and now with my el cheapo headphones, some of these tracks strike me quite differently.

So Fantasia Alla Marcio: Computer speakers, good. Earbuds, bad.
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23. Life is Strange Ep. 1 Credits
Nominated by: Robazoid
Have I heard it before? No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzMa8eU15QQ

So this song is a fine case of how I seem really hypocritical when I write these reviews. How many soft or simple or otherwise potentially boring songs have come through and already fallen off the list? But LIS Credits isnt boring. Chalk that up to the performance by the musicians (and the sound engineer), because the piece is always forward-leaning and all the parts are played to just the right dynamic. No, there isnt much happening beyond an acoustic guitar or two, with some stuff to support it, and only the barest of melodies. But it doesnt matter, because the actual performance has an intensity that keeps the song alive throughout even after the song takes a quick nap at the halfway point.

Note: I wrote that review a while, as this song rode up the list a bit. I will say that I'm not totally in love with it fading out and then back in.
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22. Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru Fishy Aroma (Vocals)
Nominated by: Zyxyz0
Have I heard it before? I thought I had

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1dmB2z39_8

Fishy Aroma was part of a BOST nomination one year, and I remember it being kinda underwhelming. That must have been the instrumental, because this piece is pretty cool. Between the funky, syncopation of the bass, the pipe organ, and the eastern European vibe of the melodic lines, this piece never seems to sit still, while never feeling overly busy, either. If this really was the piece in the nomination, Im kinda wondering why it bombed.
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21. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future Time Travel (instrumental)
Nominated by: Dragon66116
Have I heard it before? Yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEA1Bsv-raU

I said there were two really overrated songs on the list. This is the other. I can acknowledge Laytons quality, and everything about Time Travel is so smooth and chill that I certainly cant take a hammer to it, but I seem to recall this was one of the very early VGMC retirees, and quite a strong one at that, which seems a little muchor is it? Objectively, this is a really good song. Like, really good. Subjectively, I do like it, just apparently not as much as everyone else.
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azuarc posted...

40. Persona 3 Memories of You
Nominated by: pyresword & Raka_putra
Have I heard it before? Yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHdOXCoja-c

Top of the Persona entries, perhaps I shouldnt be surprised that two people both tried to nominate it (although Raka gave me the Japanese title). I will admit that, for reasons I cant completely identify, it is a cut above the others. Im still not in love with MOY, but theres a certain amount of chill-ness to it, and the pure sound and rhythm of the lyrics does hold my attention. I may never be a fan of Persona music, but I can at least respect what this one is doing.

*goes off to listen to Battle for Everyones Souls*

Aww. Well, #40 is not too bad. ^5 pyre
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