Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 67! ROUND 3!! NatPark v link-alter, STAS v PlanetWisp + Tiebreaker

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 15, an annual celebration of the best of the best video game music according to the voters!

Important Links:
Bracket: https://www.bracketmaker.com/tlist.cfm?tid=474630
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16XAaBMDuUnQ4c5AxQNL9ZhvD7VG5kQyrXWWZxnkrn-o
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/79443554
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0xt7lOF1eB-H4NpAaF1yAnU
Compatibility sheet (courtesy of Haste!!): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iGYWo_ifr_p2uYpD_I6TwBQS2tm7zJtPCxYZfRJcG8I
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VNrPnFRI7nJ4PqFiURBW0NWqxvXiuasoq8Sn_O169ss
VGMC total stats sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1XdLWiUKB2kX99qYBgnRbLU_sCz4dvZSByKKJHCT6o
Discord: https://discord.gg/WDvMS4a

Rules:
- Listen to both songs in a given match, at least through the loop time provided (to make sure you don't skip before you've heard the whole thing!)
- Please consider the loop point listed when judging the song; if a video loops one minute 5 times, don't treat it as if it's a repetitive 5 minute song
- If it's a match between your favorite song ever and a song you despise, still LISTEN TO BOTH! Votes can and will be disqualified if there is suspicion songs are not being listened to, and you may be discounted for the rest of the contest for repeat offenses.
- No alt accounts, no rallying or begging, etc., etc.... You only get one vote! Swapping votes is alright, just make clear that you've already made a vote and are swapping.
- Make clear what your voting options are! Please keep votes separate from any comments, and use the titles

linkage
Azure
sunset

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National Park
Planet Wisp
Strange Sunset

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Rose Gun Days - linkage-alter
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure - Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Nex Machina - Cosmic Hero

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linkage-alter
azure-sadness
cosmic-hero

National Park
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero

beep

linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset
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National Park (59/63) / linkage-alter (49/63)
Soaring Through Azure Sadness (24/63) / Planet Wisp (Act 1) (61/63)
Cosmic Hero

With two rounds effectively over, the field is both small enough and I'm familiar enough with the songs to do at least a rough ranking - exact positions aren't fixed and I'll likely betray this ranking at least a few times but hey man

Bit higher on linkage-alter today than I have been in the past - it's still "aggressively prog" to the point where I can't easily latch on to individual instrument lines but the overall rhythmic intricacy and general sounds are more approachable today.

National Park just doesn't do much for me and Planet Wisp despite its cool instruments gets a bit repetitive. Though it's probably worth pointing out I only really dislike one song left, so their low rankings aren't as damning as they could be.

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National Park
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

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Rose Gun Days - linkage-alter
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure - Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Nex Machina - Cosmic Hero
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linkage-alter
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero
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Rose Gun Days - linkage-alter
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure - Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Nex Machina - Cosmic Hero

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National Park
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero

National Park
Planet Wisp
Cosmic Hero

I don't know if I'll keep up with this, but I wrote commentary and rankings of R3 bracket A earlier today, so I may as well post this garbage.

Pokemon GSC National Park
Non-normalized rating: 6.5
Ranking: 14 of 16

The word to describe National Park is idyllic. Its very tranquil, calm, creates the mood of an easy-going afternoon in the grass during a cookout, playing horseshoes, etc. I appreciate what it does, and at the same time, I find it to be glorified elevator music. Like, I dont have any problem at all listening to it, and its very well done, but I dont think I would choose to listen to it over other songs I legitimately enjoy listening to. Considering this beat a version of RFTM and then Nefertiti, its presence in R3 is a bit of a surprise to me. Its not a me track, but at the same time, I dont think of it as being in the style of the people who usually vote opposite me, either. I would have expected a round 2 ceiling for a song like this, but given that its opponent like last round is potentially abrasive, I can also see it advancing here, too.

.

Rose Gun Days linkage-alter
Non-normalized rating: 6
Ranking: 15 of 16

LA is simultaneously really cool and like listening to someone drop a piano down stairs. I believe I voted for it in the first two rounds, and on a good day I really get into its main groove. Today, my opinion is that its too chaotic. It defeated Soft Collision and Collapsed Expressway to get here, and thats fine and dandy, but it may have met the worst possible match-up possible here in round 3, going against a song that is calm, easy to follow, and potentially evokes nostalgia for a lot of the same people who might otherwise vote for LA. In any event, my mood at this exact second is pretty low energy, so linkage-alter is just a bit too much for me rn.

.

Gurumin: a Monstrous Adventure Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Non-normalized rating: 8
Ranking: 9 of 16

Youll notice that these are non-normalized ratings. That means Im trying to imagine if I evenly distribute songs from 1 to 10, rather than how things would normally fall, which is along a bell curve with almost everything between 5 and 6.5. Ordinarily Sad Blue Sky would probably only get like a 6.5 or 7, but the truth is I just dont have that many songs above a 7 and so it gets to look better. (This will be relative to all songs, not just the remaining field.)

Which is funny because in the books, Im the nominator of the track, but I dont have any great love here, either. I think its the most worthy of the A1 tracks to retire, especially given its pedigree and track record. It won my returners discord tournament, and therefore my nom, as well as a previous R4 exit, so it certainly should have the backing of a ton of people, but VGMC happens. After all, Fury Sparks didnt even survive Discovery to challenge it and Fuse Man had the misfortune of being fed here in round 1.

.

Sonic Colors Planet Wisp Act 1
Non-normalized rating: 9
Ranking: 3 of 16

Sonic Colors tracks that Ive heard tend to be very clean, very chill, and very upbeat at the same time, which is usually a great combination. Although I wouldnt say that anything I can recall off the top of my head without checking and please dont at me because I forgot something and oh my god Im sorry for not checking lay off manis a particular stand-out, I also cant recall hearing anything that Ive found remotely objectionable, either. Wisp 1 doesnt really do much, but its got such a great vibe that its hard to be disappointed with it. That presented an awkward match-up against the equally chill The Rain Formerly Known as Purple in round 2 where Wisps energy just barely put it over the top, but it only won modestly in R1 against Vengeful God in Dark Ocean Abyss, too.

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National Park
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

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linkage-alter
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

---

linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

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National Park
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Cosmic Hero

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linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

I saw match two coming from a mile away and yet I still am having a tough time deciding! I love both contestants, but for wildly different reasons. Soaring is 45th place while Planet Wisp is 43rd. I could flip on this one. Strange Sunset is another track that I would boost the score (because those chord changes are way too appealing), probably into the low-9 range, meaning four tracks today at a 9+! I probably need to make 9.5 my new 9.0...

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National Park
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

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linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

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National Park
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

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Alter
Sadness
Hero
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linkage-alter
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero

Oh man, I can really get into National Park if I immerse myself in those distant memories of getting so damn excited for the chance to spot Scyther or Pinsir. One of my strongest nostalgia tracks from the game for sure, but it takes some effort from me to enjoy it to the fullest that I don't need for linkage-alter.

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linkage-alter [28/65] > National Park [37/65]
Soaring Through Azure Sadness [34/65] > Planet Wisp (Act 1) [59/65]
Cosmic Hero [40/65] > Strange Sunset [57/65]

I ranked all of the remaining songs (R3 + the tiebreak) and it turns out this is a very strong top 64 for me. Over half of the songs are things I'd rate 8+/10 and hence would be things I'd consider supporting during nominations. That's crazy.

That said, this is actually a fairly weak day relatively speaking, given that 5/6 of the songs are in the lower half of the remaining songs for me and two are bottom 10.

Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

National Park (83/256) / linkage-alter (2/256)
Soaring Through Azure Sadness (140/256) / Planet Wisp (Act 1) (129/256)
Cosmic Hero (208/256) / Strange Sunset (27/256)

National Park
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero

linkage-alter
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero

National Park
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero

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National Park
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero
---

National Park
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

---

linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

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linkage-alter
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero

National Park
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Cosmic Hero

i think sonic the hedgehog is holding me hostage.

linkage-alter
soaring through the sad blue sky
cosmic hero

save us, uh, based falcom?
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Rankings are out of 63. Tomorrow they will (hopefully!) be out of 64. Today's positions are not affected, since the two tiebreakers place below the other four songs from today.

26. Pokmon Gold and Silver - National Park
On the surface, 26/63 might seem low, but National Park is still a 7.5, which is a testament to how much cool stuff is still in. Actually, there's a lot more cool stuff than I thought, given how most of the songs I'm really passionate got knocked out already. Anyway, National Park is, as has been said before, cozy, nostalgic, and generally a good song to snuggle up to. I love the Game Boy soundchip, so the song gets automatic bias points.

vs.

8. Rose Gun Days - linkage-alter
linkage-alter was one of my biggest surprises this year. It's not surprising that I loved it - xaki's Umineko contributions are solid (rhythm-changer, their other VGMC15 track, places around here). What surprises me is how much it grew on me. I voted Soft Collision over it in round 1, but come round 2, I really started digging the frenetic energy. It's a bit of a glitchy song, which I normally like, and there are those pianos to keep the song grounded. Definitely a keeper.

and

1. Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure - Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Here it is, my favorite song left in the contest. It says a lot that this is a 10, yet I wouldn't have taken it to retire from its division.

I've been in love with this song since I first heard it. I tend to love dramatic final boss type songs, but I also tend to love dramatic final boss type songs that are a bit unconventional. So while this has a certain level of intensity, it's also, well...sad. Melancholy. A bit of a nontraditional dramatic final boss type song, but it's effective in its emotional intensity. I'll be rooting for it all the way.

vs.

36. Sonic Colors - Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Planet Wisp is a song I think I liked more pre-VGMC. Well, before my soundtrack ranking topic, when hb nominated Sonic Colors. Do you ever have songs you listen to a lot, mostly in the background, that you generally enjoy, but then you actually stop and think about them, like actively listen to them, and they're...well, not ruined, but changed to you? (Goodness, that was a lot of commas.) Upon listening more carefully to Planet Wisp, I'm a bit less charmed by its repetitiveness, though I still enjoy the simple piano-driven melody. I don't necessarily love it, but if it comes on my music player's shuffle, I won't switch to a different song.

and

Winner of the tiebreaker will get a writeup when its round 3 match comes. Assuming I'm still doing this. No promises!

Votes:
linkage-alter
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Cosmic Hero

linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

went back and forth on match 2 and had to think about it for a while; still considering changing my vote here.

Soaring Through the Azure Sadness is more the broad "mood" i want, but the actual composition mainly only interests me at specific moments of the song. Planet Wisp is more consistently engaging as an actual composition to me even if i'm less into the emotion it sets. (This was actually almost the exact dilemma i had with Dialga vs Sonic R. funny i've felt this way about matches with a sonic song in them twice, with the sonic song filling the same "i like this mood less but the composition appeals to me more consistently" role; while the opponent fills the "this mood/energy is ideal but i'm only into the actual notes the song plays at sporadic specific moments/sections/layers" role. but in this case i'm leaning sonic. the constant extended chords just make the track so shiny and COLORful)
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linkage-alter
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

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Rose Gun Days - linkage-alter
Sonic Colors - Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Nex Machina - Cosmic Hero

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linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

Could potentially change my mind about match 2 or the tiebreaker.

Rose Gun Days - linkage-alter
Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure - Soaring Through Azure Sadness

Nex Machina - Cosmic Hero
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linkage-alter
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

linkage-alter
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

Sad about yesterday, but oh well.

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National Park
Soaring Through Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

National Park
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Cosmic Hero

linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

---

linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Cosmic Hero

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linkage-alter
Planet Wisp (Act 1)
Strange Sunset

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linkage-alter
Azure Sadness
Strange Sunset

actually didnt expect to be voting this way m2 going in. thanks relistens.
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