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

(+) Yeah! (+)

Determination of Fight is the weakest of the normal battle themes but this still too low

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strepitoso fight exists

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NFUN posted...

strepitoso fight exists

That is correct. That doesn't have anything to do with my statement, though.

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Feelings Soar With the Wind is amazing, but admittedly the SC version is like 5 times as good, so I guess this placement is okay.
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okay late as fuck but OHB this early is very worrying for whats to come aaaa

#162: Ao no Kiseki - Wavering Heart
Place: 6/7.5
deo: 4.5/5.1
Total: 5.25/6.3 (5.775)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ls4xpUuH_IA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9c4xigXZnyU

evo's prod makes me think more of early 90s stock anime bgm (which i LOVE) which gives it a hefty boost over the og. you feel it too right--the song that -always- plays over the emotional scenes but it never gets old no matter how many times you hear it
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#161: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - The Final Choice
Janus: 5.5/5.5
Mycro: 6/6.1
Total: 5.75/5.8 (5.775)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=robYHoHOFK8
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wef8DT0b8dA

oh hey it's that song I remember swearing was originally from CS2. I've heard people say this is the precursor to the Heimdallr/Phantasmal Blaze motif and while I sort of hear it I don't buy it. Really like the constant drumming rhythms - gives some determination to what might otherwise be just a big orchestral-esque hype song.

Yeah I dunno, this definitely adds stuff but also just feels a lot like the original. Which is fine!
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barely have a preference here, I prefer the mixing on the original, but the evo version has less of a fakeness, the heavier reverb/slower decays make everything come to life a bit more for me; wish i could hear the synth layers as well as in the original though

A better Cold Steel cameo than I Swear

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The even better Cold Steel cameos:

ToCS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfv-ygos-uA
ToCS3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9mL0PasBkw
ToCS4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnu-mwwTE1c
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Final Choice :(

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Actually here's a strange thought I just had. If you consider the Super Arrange version and the normal version as the same thing, then The Enforcers plays in every story arc of the series so far. Is there any other song in that same category?
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pyresword posted...

Actually here's a strange thought I just had. If you consider the Super Arrange version and the normal version as the same thing, then The Enforcers plays in every story arc of the series so far. Is there any other song in that same category?

If you're talking about melody alone, Whereabouts of Light, right?

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I was intending to avoid cases where it is just the motif being re-used, but I think there's at least an argument for Whereabouts of Light if I weren't doing that?

So like for my purposes I was considering Whereabouts of Light as a different song from The Wind From Liberl even though they both use the same melody.
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#160: Trails in the Sky SC - The City Where the Lights Went Out
azuarc: 5.7/5.9
Mycro: 5.6/5.95
Total: 5.65/5.925 (5.7875)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ceMW1l65Oug
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fElrPQGK8M4

I like the part at 1:53 (evo timestamp). The song is both nothing special and simultaneously kind of interesting. Evo version makes better sound choices.
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pretty and sad song : ( I like it : ) violin is super nice against the ostinato. I think evo version is timbrally cooler; keep being pleasantly surprised about thinking this with some of these given how low my first impressions of sc evo were with their total destruction of aiming to the future

Why is the horn so fucking bad

#159: Trails in the Sky - Pride of Liberl
pyre: 7.5/6.5
deo: 4.7/4.6
Total: 6.1/5.55 (5.825)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SnIUIcfwzF0
https://youtube.com/watch?v=xR0YicKhybQ

This is low-key one of my favorite Trails FC songs. Nice triumphant fanfare that really leaves an impact especially due to how it contrasts with most of the rest of the OST. In principle I think a "real instrument" version of this song should be better, but this one isn't. The mixing is all wrong and nothing is the right volume and it just sounds awkward sometimes. (That is an exaggeration but I do think this is the type of problem it has)
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#158: Ao no Kiseki - A Moment of Rest
azuarc: 5.8/6.3
tgs: 5.6/5.6
Total: 5.7/5.95 (5.825)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CfbUECxsWew
https://youtube.com/watch?v=P7Z1uNjvmBg

Evo version, with the extra parts, better captures the vibe of "you are staying at some incredibly high-priced inn," which is what I assume this track is.
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Literally elevator music.

You are stuck in the elevator of some incredibly high-priced inn

#157: Ao no Kiseki - Strange Feel
pyre: 7/7.5
tgs: 4.4/4.4
Total: 5.7/5.95 (5.825)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=P-yVbthXxYE
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8FCB4PV_-QE

SPOOKY. Really like the tone of the bell instruments in the Evo version in particular.
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#156: Zero no Kiseki - The Wind from Liberl
Raetsel: 5.501/5
deo: 6.4/6.4
Total: 5.9505/5.7 (5.82525)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sJ_PVyDYARY
https://youtube.com/watch?v=i9srMRFWGqE

Pleasant songs, but fairly unremarkable. Especially the Evo version that's just sort-of there.
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Rip pyre (though I'm sure he saw this one coming)

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On some level I'm salty about Wind from Liberl but why the song is good is so heavily interwoven with the context of the games themselves that I'm not too upset by it doing badly here.

For Strange Feel there is no excuse though.
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That being said take my post about The Wind from Liberl from NFUN's playthrough thread anyways

Light spoilers for Zero no Kiseki

I meant to say this last time but The Wind from Liberl is low-key one of my favorite songs in the series. They take the Whereabouts of Light melody but then make all the notes staccato instead of drawn out and change the melody of the phrase that plays at 0:08-0:10, for example, by making the eighth notes go straight up a scale rather than jumping up to the higher note that they do in the original before resolving the melody. It makes the song sound less about EMOTIONS and DRAMA and makes it sound more...stable, I guess, and it's just a perfect representation of Estelle and Joshua's character progression and aaa I love it.

I've kind of wanted to nominate it for VGMC but at the same time I can't even explain why I love the song so much to someone--much less have any hope of them also liking it--unless they both interpret music the same way I do and also have already spent 200 hours playing through the Sky games themselves.

This song is peak using-music-as-a-form-of-storytelling and I absolutely adore it.
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whoa strange feel is AMAZING
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Im probably in an extreme minority that feels nothing from strange feel :(.

Nah I don't think so. When listening to the song I literally thought to myself "I hope Mycro is the other person ranking this because I can't see anybody else ranking this highly"

I could be wrong but that's what my gut reaction was anyway >.>
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pyresword posted...

Nah I don't think so. When listening to the song I literally thought to myself "I hope Mycro is the other person ranking this because I can't see anybody else ranking this highly"

I could be wrong but that's what my gut reaction was anyway >.>

yeah this is pretty much my thought after i heard it, i think the MAjority of people would rate it the way tgs2 did lol not the minority. can imagine maybe place or a few others might like it too but it's definitely not a typically appealing tune
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NFUN posted...

#160: Trails in the Sky SC - The City Where the Lights Went Out
azuarc: 5.7/5.9
Mycro: 5.6/5.95
Total: 5.65/5.925 (5.7875)

To anyone who thinks Mycro and I never agree on anything musically...

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Final Choice is probably like a 7.5 from me and Lights Went Out OG an 8 (evo feels wanting to me there), oof.
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#155: Ao no Kiseki - A Victim's Past Wish
azuarc: 4.5/3
Mycro: 7.9/7.95
Total: 6.2/5.475 (5.8375)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5ZE5bPsI0VA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=MwjLr_UUqrc

Sadpiano.mp3 parts are okay, I guess, but the bells are not and Evo only makes those sound worse. Same with the background sound effects, which are also mixed to be much louder to the point of distraction.
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evo has way cooler harmonies/overtones in the bells at the start; in general mix sounds louder/fuller which is good. cool "basically 13/8" start, later 9/8 bit before going to normal timesigs like 6/8. timbrally super neat atmosphere and compositionally emotive in both versions

#154: Zero no Kiseki - This Is Our Power!
Raetsel: 5.8/7.1
NFUN: 6.5/4
Total: 6.15/5.55 (5.85)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Tb_Hj_uNoIg
https://youtube.com/watch?v=P7XZSuyEAQQ

Pretty catchy. I really enjoyed the Evo version, something about the cheesy electric guitar made me start laughing--the song is just cheesy, goofy fun and I love it.
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yay. we did it.

we did it but with somewhat worse performance. ouch that guitar/trumpet combo

#153: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - To Meet Again Someday
pyre: 6.5/7
dowolf: 5/5
Total: 5.75/6 (5.875)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wld2q4mLhYM
https://youtube.com/watch?v=g66qMMhGS6o

Sad ending music. ;_; The low string part at 0:52 of the Evo version is a bit awkward but overall I think I like that version more.
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i listened to these like five times trying to have an opinion, and kept failing

#152: Ao no Kiseki - Delusion of a Thousand Years
hb: 8.4/8.8
Mycro: 3.1/3.2
Total: 5.75/6 (5.875)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=F0AkGJYgbtI
https://youtube.com/watch?v=I-mcVxie0H0

Harpsichords are fun to listen to, and this track's slice pace makes it a treat. The Evo version adds a violin going into overdrive, some nice piano bits, and a general better feel to the sound.
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surprisingly greater clarity of separate instruments from each other in this evo version (i feel the originals tend to have clearer separation while evo blends everything together more); but that clarity of individual instruments is desirable with this style so the evo version is preferred for me here!

#151: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Banquet of Frenzy
player0: 5/5
deo: 6.7/6.9
Total: 5.85/5.95 (5.9)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fav54qAxQuI
https://youtube.com/watch?v=oXvm1mCZjck

Another DANGER MODE battle theme similar to Genuine Devil, where the remake again makes it hard to distinguish between instruments. Luckily, it has cool opera singers to make up for it!
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Rip pyre again, I think?

#150: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Close to the Brink
pyre: 3.5/7
deo: 7.6/5.5
Total: 5.55/6.25 (5.9)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VM8mSwcCN2k
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ajHCJLWHi8w

I have never liked the "Danger" songs in Trails games much. Maybe I've been missing out though...the Evo version is actually quite good! It's got a nice rock feel to it, and manages to keep the kickass organ part in the middle that was the only good part of the original anyways. In the original, the saxophone really sounds bad and I will stand by that. Overall beat is also not as engaging for some reason.
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what the Fuck evo version

There's definitely some kind of Mandela Effect going on with these rankings, except instead of differently-remembered pasts people are living in entirely different realities in the present. There are way too many "wow the evo verison is so much better!"/"the evo version was played by a deaf five y/o with a 18 cent turmpet" conjugations to be otherwise, especially when looking at stuff like Feel Force

#149: Zero no Kiseki - Hazy Starry Sky at Night Scene
azuarc: 5/5.8
NFUN: 6.4/6.4
Total: 5.7/6.1 (5.9)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=J1s13F6kaYA
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FT8peZ1tqzQ

Original is a simple tune that sounds like it's just there to fill the background for a scene, and does a serviceable job. Evo variant adds a very heartfelt violin that reminds me of a lot of the non-battle Dynasty Warriors tracks, and takes HSS from forgettable to actually capturing my attention.
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Ah yes. A night theme. Unmistakable. Nothing to complain about, even if it's no Under the Moonlight

I'm not sure how I feel about the violin. It makes it more different to the aforementioned UtM than the original, but it's a little weird. Doesn't sound Falcomy at all. In any case, it's not actually bad, just unexpected. This arrangement is more of a sidegrade than anything

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This is Our Power > This is Our Real Power

finally, the important questions are being answered

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NFUN posted...

Rip pyre again, I think?

Yes, but moreso because of Mycro killing Delusion of a Thousand Years than because of Banquet of Frenzy :(

I do like Banquet of Frenzy a lot but there's also a fair number of better songs from 3rd.
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I guess I was the deluded one when I thought I could get Delusion a good score

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now that's more like it with azu being my opposite, jeez. pretty opposite reactions on a victim's past wish. everything azu hates about it is exactly what i love about it
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OH MY GOD THAT OG DELUSION OF A THOUSAND YEARS TRACK

I might actually have given that a 10 (or a 9.8 at the absolute lowest) had I gotten it. What an incredible find from stuff I didn't rate!

Delusion of a Thousand Years is an easy 8.5 or 9 from me, and Banquet of Frenzy 7.5? Evo's so different there too, which is what I generally want out of an arrangement.
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Where were all of you people when I tried to nominate Delusion of a Thousand Years for VGMC
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I definitely prefer the Evo version of Delusion >_>

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Evo version does some neat things but it doesn't have that same manic and crazed feel that I associate with the entire part of the game when this starts playing. The Evo version is trying to turn the song into a power ballade when the context demands that if anything it go in the opposite direction.

I think I still prefer the original even just in terms of the song itself, but in context I think the difference is somewhat larger. (I mean, I'd still probably give the Evo a 7 at worst even when considering context, but yeah)
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#148: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Majesty in the Wilderness
Place: 5/4
NFUN: 7.1/7.5
Total: 6.05/5.75 (5.9)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=YqIj20-Ju9c
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VEpa_Ge9NR8

oh hey it's my favorite part of being 12 and dragged off to catholic mass on sunday. past that we got more adequate Impooosing jrpg music. evo prod doesn't do the bland arrangement many favors. another victim of 'i haven't heard this before but i have heard this before'
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I always forget about this (I never forget I've Forgotten You though). Almost lacks an identity to me?

The same song with spooky choirs. Can't go wrong with that

place probably shouldn't have signed up to rank jrpg songs if he doesn't like jrpg songs

#147: Zero no Kiseki - The Mining Town of Mainz
pyre: 5.5/5
NFUN: 6.3/6.8
Total: 5.9/5.9 (5.9)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=zXeReyUu_2g
https://youtube.com/watch?v=h3CePj4O0RU

Definitely not my favorite town theme, although it does work a bit better out of context I think. There are some neat flourishes on the guitar, but on the whole it's a bit too twangy for my tastes, and it feels like an ambient track that fails to successfully establish a compelling atmosphere. The guitar in the Evo version really doesn't sound great imo at least at the start, though I do like the backing drum part quite a bit more.
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Probably my least favorite town theme in Zero. I'm not sure why; I think I just find the first few notes to be... strange. Like I'm expecting something completely different and unpleasantly surprised every time I hear the song. Other than that, it's solid. The opening just leaves a bad taste in my mouth

Evo's is a little "softer". Does not immediately upset me. It could do without the drum loop which is a really confusing add. The flute and marimba were good though

#146: Ao no Kiseki - Steel Roar Threat
azuarc: 7.5/7.6
scything: 5/3.5
Total: 6.25/5.55 (5.9)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=BThxF7OeA5c
https://youtube.com/watch?v=V9aBygB9iqM

First version definitely sounds like something I like. Second sounds like the version as written by the Dynasty Warriors composers. As most of you know, I like DW, so that's not amiss, but it definitely does sound out of place in a Kiseki soundtrack. (I say this as the person who champions the evo version of Seize the Truth!) Still good in its own way, but if you're expecting the original, of course you'll be disappointed.
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Why guitars the fuck evo

#145: Zero no Kiseki - Lemonade in Hand
Place: 4/5
deo: 7.6/7.1
Total: 5.8/6.05 (5.925)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wV8KAE25CH8
https://youtube.com/watch?v=PdbdDmdMswg

completely adequate, listenable music. OG reminds me of the NiGHTS tracks that i usually skip over. don't like the lead woodwind in Evo as much but the percs are more layered and pronounced because of 2012 Music Production and i seem to prefer that so far
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i can appreciate where the evo arrangement took this song, but i like it more upbeat better. still great tho

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#144: Zero no Kiseki - Terminal Room
Raetsel: 6.51/7.21
dowolf: 4/6
Total: 5.255/6.605 (5.93)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=epHmfW1a6tw
https://youtube.com/watch?v=3ZpC5tJ7tAs

Original version has a really nice, toe-tapping beat. I dig it. Evo version basically ruins the song. [Second Thoughts: In retrospect, I think I do like how strange the Evolution version sounds. I hated it at first, but I think it's just weird enough for me to count it as a good song.] [Third Thought: The more times I listen to the Evo Version, the more I like it--it's gone from "I actively hate this song" to getting over 7 points.]
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Hi Freckles. OG is weirdly legato, though maybe that's just because I knew the Evo one already. Evo just feels more *fun*, which works for me here.

#143: Zero no Kiseki - Advancing Bravery
Lea: 6/7
Mycro: 5.39/5.36
Total: 5.695/6.18 (5.9375)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yoJMPgi4eHQ
https://youtube.com/watch?v=AExzFxSeQoI

Pleasant, boring. Evo pleasant, boring, with violin.
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not the kind of falcom song i like but the saving grace is the glassy bell-like anime 90s synth stuff; that's way more prominent in the original than the evo version though i like the violin in the evo verison too

#142: Trails in the Sky - The Way They Walk in Liberl
tgs: 6.5/7
Mycro: 5.147/5.143
Total: 5.8235/6.0715 (5.9475)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vJii4niqc78
https://youtube.com/watch?v=f6Vt0nfipxk

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reminds me of happy pokemon route music or Happy song in an Anime that i like the ost to. it does its job just fine though i find it nondistinct to the point that I completely forgot to rank/comment on it even after i'd just listened to both versions on repeat multiple times. I think I /would/ like the evo version more, this lends itself well to more full/reverby orchestra sound, but the mixing to my ears puts a focus on certain frequencies a bit too much that don't bring out the right elements or at least not in a balanced way. evo version feels "muddy" as the prominent difference between it and the original, rather than allowing me to focus on how much fuller and immersive it feels

Can you believe there are people who prefer this to Looking Up at the Sky?

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maybe the vocal version just sank Looking Up at the Sky for them

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poor Steel Roar Threat Evo. I like guitars the fuck :(

I also love Lemonade Evo. The instruments are just wonderful.

I don't know if I actually love a single version of the Advancing Bravery / OP melody. None of them feel quite right.

The Way They Walk In Liberl is pure nostalgia for me; I dunno if I could give it a fair rating. Like it probably should be 5-6 from me but it brings me back so strongly.
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Having spend hundreds of hours playing the first two games, I just now realized how close that trumpet sounds to the Pokmon trumpet

well you can tell by the way I use my walk I'm a woman's man no time to talk

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#141: Trails in the Sky SC - Feelings Soar with the Wind SC Ver.
hb: 6.8/6.5
Lea: 6/4.5
Total: 6.4/5.5 (5.95)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=lLf105T2IAY
https://youtube.com/watch?v=JNhA53q97GM

A soothing rendition of Whereabouts of Light, this one puts a smile on my face. It's just really calming, and the second part is pretty good, too. The Evo version used a harmonica for the main melody, which while being incredibly thematically appropriate, sadly outside-of-context doesn't sound as pleasant to hear. It's still good, though.
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Hey didn't I just listen to this song? Is this the main motif I guess? It's alright, very twinkly. Except in the evo version where the harmonics are back

So much for this version being 10x better. And we don't know what song you just listened to we aren't mind readers !!

#140: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - A Faint Glitter of Light
pyre: 6/4
deo: 7.3/6.6
Total: 6.65/5.3 (5.975)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=S-c9eneu5xg
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ml6W9-_YSqI

Pretty, albeit mostly unimpressive song. Second half is much better than the first half. Evo version immediately starts on a sour note, however. Trying to recreate the ethereal sound of the track with more real sounding instruments just results in a kind of tinny static weirdness that doesn't really do the job. The harp is nice though. Another key factor I think is how pure the piano sounds in the original as compared to whatever the Evo track does.
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=/

#139: Ao no Kiseki - Heavenly Chariot
Raetsel: 5.41/3.01
Mycro: 7.5/8
Total: 6.455/5.505 (5.98)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LlnGMa9zotE
https://youtube.com/watch?v=z2424k3PlaI

Completely unremarkable, to a point that it's equivalent to absolute silence. For both versions. [Second Thoughts: Originally I had given both the songs 1s, but I've agreed that I was being too harsh on them and bumped the scores up to 3s. While I maintain that I very strongly dislike them and maintain that they'd get dead last at any personal ranking topic of mine... being boring is not, by itself, enough to give it the lowest score imaginable per the criteria we're supposed to be using.] [Third Thoughts: Okay, today I actually kinda like the origiinal version of this. It's certainly not a favorite or anything, but I have generally positive feelings towards it now and apologize for everything negative I've been saying about it. The Evo version is still completely uninteresting to me (though, admittedly, inoffensive) but Original Version... you're alright.]
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at first i was going to say this was an easy choice for the original version, for the sounds at the start (orch/synth bass/etc) i prefer it. but the evo version adds REALLY COOL SOUNDS (electronic drums, just cool abstract synth stuff) that honestly make this go from "cool tense music" to "COOL Tense music that i want to revisit"

#138: Ao no Kiseki - Mythtic Roar
azuarc: 6.8/7.1
deo: 5.4/4.7
Total: 6.1/5.9 (6)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=IwoRgQuqJI4
https://youtube.com/watch?v=W-5uKCSzsNc

Evo version is much fuller and more dramatic. Goes from being a tense moment song to an epic boss fight encounter. That doesn't make it universally better, but probably a net positive.
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Mythtic??? What the hell Falcom

#137: Trails in the Sky - Defeat!!
pyre: 5/4.5
Lea: 7/7.5
Total: 6/6 (6)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=97iBiXSl2GM
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Rb6Gh21SBeI

This song is kind of just standard RPG victory music, which is to say pretty unimpactful. If it just finished a melodic phrase it might get a higher rating, but as is it leaves the listener hanging too many times.
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Quite peppy for a song called defeat

i really don't understand you sometimes lea

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NFUN posted...

#141: Trails in the Sky SC - Feelings Soar with the Wind SC Ver.

*flips table*
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We have now reached This Really Is a Tier


#136: Trails in the Sky SC - Outskirts of Evolution
Lea: 5/4
Mycro: 7.54/7.52
Total: 6.27/5.76 (6.015)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Uh5_OZKN_7E
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sno_WCUmF8w

Starts getting good about half way through. Really elevates it from a generic marching to battle or whatever song. Evo version doesn't really have that in favour of more bom bom bomssss, eh
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the aspect of track i find coolest (the low strings) is really subdued and quiet in the evo version in comparison, so original preferred. cool subtly proggy track

This is also technically a final boss theme, but it only plays for a minute

#135: Ao no Kiseki - Feelings, A Place to Arrive At
hb: 6.2/7.1
deo: 5.3/5.5
Total: 5.75/6.3 (6.025)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=KqxFIi9BHj4
https://youtube.com/watch?v=M8WBZ3J9-ks

I like Cry for Me, Cry for You, but I feel this one's soundfont just holds it back a little too much. It just sounds kinda fake to me, I'm not sure why. The Evo version's more real sounding music and increrased piano usage (plus better backing strings) give a better experience to listen to, even if it is kinda sadpiano.mp3
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We have also now reached the second half of songs, so over half of the songs in the soundtracks have an overall score above 6

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Mycro -(Toxtricity)-Today at 4:49 PM
wow the disparity between me and raetsel with Heavenly Chariot
sometimes i don't understand how i do so well in her ranking topics

reaction i had haha. heavenly chariot, evo version specifically, was one of my favorite new discoveries. though i guess that isn't a sentiment i should expect anyone else to share. it doesn't go out of its way to stand out and i wouldn't expect it to rank high from most other people, but it does everything perfectly right to me. the super cool synth sounds in the evo version that come in at like :47, the jump in intensity with the kick :55 and like...everything about the sound design and chord changes and melody there. totally my thing
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When I said that there needed to be something with Whearabout of the Stars' harmonica, I wasn't expecting to have my request answered by the SC variant of FSwtW's evo. What a beautiful song. Easy 9 material there.

That works too NFUN!

tgs2 posted...

When I said that there needed to be something with Whearabout of the Stars' harmonica, I wasn't expecting to have my request answered by the SC variant of FSwtW. What a beautiful song. Easy 9 material there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3K-jn42Xsc

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Mythtic??? What the hell Falcom

Almost certainly a typo in the original OST (its trackname is in English originally) that no one has the authority to fix, due to the lack of an official localization.
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dowolf posted...

poor Steel Roar Threat Evo. I like guitars the fuck :(

Don't blame me for Scything's write-up.

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Oh, and as for

Quite peppy for a song called defeat

The official Sky FC OST translation isn't great. Most infamous imo is "Hollow Light of the Sealed Land," which should be more like "Barrow of Hollow Light." "Enemy down!" might be better here.
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Aww, poor Mining Town Mainz. Love that song; was both disappointed I didnt get it so I couldnt give it a 10 and kinda glad to get songs I wasnt as familiar with. Not my absolute favorite town theme, but its certainly up there...



Toxtricity posted...

sometimes i don't understand how i do so well in her ranking topics

Probably a good idea to remember that Im not actually compatible with anyone. I was very amused by the visualizations at VGMC in which I was one of the few people that had no compatibility with anyone and would always be off floating alone in the void.

(More seriously, I tend to like unique experiences at least slightly and you always nominate unique things, so you winding up with a high average score checks out.)

Sorry about tanking a song you loved though. Im still not a fan, but I was a bit too harsh on it.
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#134: Zero no Kiseki - Tender Heart
hb: 5.4/5.9
NFUN: 6.4/6.4
Total: 5.9/6.15 (6.025)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=gOAtqrP3djw
https://youtube.com/watch?v=RhkY_LcaaEY

Compared to most sad piano pieces, this one feels like its comparatively dissonant at times, but the second half's melody is good enough that piece is overall positive for me. The Evo version feels less off-kilter, and adds a new third segment that's pretty cool.
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introspective emotional theme that you know has "heart" in the title without looking

introspective emotional theme that you know has "heart" in the title without looking

#133: Trails in the Sky SC - On the Side of the Goddess
azuarc: 5.7/5.9
scything: 6/6.5
Total: 5.85/6.2 (6.025)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bsueyLAWmMM
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nSOrNUueqQE

Super tense, and then triumphant with a hint of divine, to violins playing a main leitmotif...I'm curious what this track is doing, because it doesn't scream medley to me. I guess it's okay? I had trouble getting a read on it. And because it changed up, that made it harder to compare the evo version, which I think is maybe a slight step up, but I'm not really sure.
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I genuinely think I like the evo one a bit better i'm sorry like it adds more instrumentation but it's relatively subdued about it?

#132: Zero no Kiseki - Omen
azuarc: 6/6
Mycro: 7.145/5.039
Total: 6.5725/5.5195 (6.046)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=xiaSvk5SFlU
https://youtube.com/watch?v=k_YYvMGoBic

OG rating is purely for Omen, starting at 2:32. Evo version is trying to be something a little different, and it succeeds, but I don't know that this makes it any better.
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much better with prominent piano and electronic drums than without. entire VERY cool sections are basicaslly not here at all in the evo version. i wouldn't mind transition to orchestral necesarily , but this isn't even very well arranged for that and takes out the stuff i found most cool

#131: Trails in the Sky SC - The Whereabouts of Bonds
azuarc: 6.4/5.9
NFUN: 8.5/3.5
Total: 7.45/4.7 (6.075)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=KIwlj5z8gGs
https://youtube.com/watch?v=X2Sx9sY7fls

Track sounds more Ys than Kiseki, but it's an effective semi-tranquil piece either way. Evo version is still listenable, but I can't agree with either the instrumentation or the mixing, even if the fingerpicking guitars do sound nice.
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I didn't get Looking Up at the Sky, but I did get the first song in the game to use its motif! Not much to say about the original. It's a very nice, heartfelt song with good instrumentation

I laughed at the beginning of the Evo version. This happens a lot. What the hell was the guitar intro? The first synth melodic instrument is fine. The second is alright... okay i was gonna mention the third and then segway into the next point but I have to address it here. Why is this song so fucking busy??? The ADHD hi-hats and booping early would fit in plenty of songs, but they're just stressing me out here. The bongos that follow would actually be good if there weren't a million other things going on at once. And then a drumroll to the addition of *another* hyper instrument and whatever the hell is making noises in my right ear. Just the melodic line, guitar and *one* percussion would leave it a pretty acceptable arrangement. It'd be a peaceful, introspective song, which I suppose is too boring? Evo really needs to understand that sometimes less is more. I'm not relaxed at all from this. I'm on edge. Why did they do this?

#130: Ao no Kiseki - Unexpected Emergency
player0: 6/6
Raetsel: 6/6.3
Total: 6/6.15 (6.075)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=EGlgSWA9lc4
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LK-J3osnzN0

Very prototypical Falcom battle theme, almost sounds like Ao's version of Demonic Drive. Some of the remake's instruments feel like a downgrade but it does add a second loop with some cool variations.
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A very intense song, particularly the Evo version that is probably TOO intense. Which sounds like a harsh criticism, but I actually respect the song for knowing what it wants to do and going all in with it and have fairly positive feelings towards it as a result.

#129: Trails in the Sky SC - Looking Up at the Sky
hb: 8.9/4.9
Raetsel: 6.45/4.1
Total: 7.675/4.5 (6.0875)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mqAzKJIr5aQ
https://youtube.com/watch?v=n0esFPASk7U

An exceptionally relaxing song that's also endlessly relistenable, this song is just a joy to hear all around. And then there's the Evo version... what the fuck happened? It's just a mess in comparison, and it's so noticably off-key compared to the original.
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If there were an award for "most appropriately named track", it would go to the Original Version of this song. It's so peaceful, it feels like the perfect song to just lie under a tree and watch the clouds pass by. The Evo Version abandons this type of feeling entirely, throwing in an orchestra and trying way too hard to make the song be IMPORTANT and EPIC. It's like having this musclebound oaf screaming in your face while you're trying to relax. "Yeah, bro! Yeah bro! Let's fucking look at some nature bro! Bro, didja see that cloud? That cloud was fucking ripped man, but not as ripped as my tight pecs, you feel me bro?! BRO?! BRO ARE YOU RELAXED AND ENJOYING THIS FUCKING NATURE YET, BRO?!?". Like, eesh Evo, tone it down a bit and let the relaxing songs actually be relaxing, jesus.

Was extremely angry, then realized Evo scores are included in this average, and, seeing as I still haven't worked up the courage to listen to the remix, I guess it's fair

#128: Zero no Kiseki - Arrest The Criminal
Place: 4.5/6.5
deo: 7.2/6.2
Total: 5.85/6.35 (6.1)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=a2GEc_tN2yE
https://youtube.com/watch?v=PvN1-jcLF_o

love the twinkly synths and bongo percs in the evo version. makes for a much richer soundscape than the OG is able to offer. the last minute or so adds a funky solo break with organ, synth and guitar parts giving it some replay value
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Yeah yikes Looking Up at the Sky Evo is bad. It does some parts fine but others are just such a mess and it completely abandons what made the original good.
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#127: Ao no Kiseki - Omen of Disaster
player0: 6/7
deo: 5.8/5.7
Total: 5.9/6.35 (6.125)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fjsEh0KM9oc
https://youtube.com/watch?v=jGHFDfP5PUU

A straightforward dungeon theme that sounds like Egypt. The remake has some nicer instruments like the semi-tuned percussion, I just don't know why they had to use a weird violin to mask the sitar in the first half!
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#126: Trails in the Sky the 3rd - Primal Ground
hb: 5.4/6.1
deo: 6.4/6.6
Total: 5.9/6.35 (6.125)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=lk8GlEINPi0
https://youtube.com/watch?v=0VGaADZ1pM0

Original: This song is pleasantly chill and calming, but it takes until about 2:20 for the song to start doing anything that super interests me, and it's gone too quickly. Still, though, it fits the mystical, relaxing vibe it's attempting to go for. The Evo version has a significantly more engrossing sound to it, which makes it significantly more interesting to listen to, even if it can drown out the main melody at times.It's not a huge imrovement over the original, but I definitely prefer it.
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I could probably enjoy the backing on both Whereabouts of Bonds and Looking Up at the Sky Evo if they were in different songs. As is yeah they don't really fit much at all.

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