Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 2! ClubLdr v Kobayashi, MoonNoStars v Mechonis, BlizzBrig v KazeNoNe

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 16, 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=475935
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80027411
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0xxfgkmGKvEyWfHvNZ53Kbn
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16XAaBMDuUnQ4c5AxQNL9ZhvD7VG5kQyrXWWZxnkrn-o
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 given in the topic post.
- Voting in all matches is not mandatory, feel free to skip matches you do not wish to vote in.
- Vote based on the links provided, and not other sources of audio. Links are specifically chosen for best quality and the like.
- Don't discuss vote tallies in this thread, or in other threads, as they may influence votes. Likewise, please refrain from looking at the running tally before voting.

Voting Period:
- Today's matches will last 24 hours from the time of posting, or 24 hours from 10pm Eastern, whichever is the later time.
- Please note this may mean that two topics will be active at the same time!
- If you anticipate being unable to vote in a given day, please send an absentee vote to @banshiryuu, or post your absentee vote in the discussion thread!

.

Match 1

Pokmon Trading Card Game - Club Leader Duel
Composer: Ichiro Shimakura
Loop Point: 1:48
Genre: RAIN DANCE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddfd5bBv4-4

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath - Imaginary Shopping District <cite>banshiryuu posted [p:965418385] in [VGMC] Day... [t:80039210]...</cite> <quote> Whats the best way to get this party started?? Mr. Bones - The First Thing Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? - 1st Impression DanceDanceRevolution A - First Time Dariusburst Another Chronicle - Suite Photoconductivity ~First Tune: Iron Fossil~ Ys - First Step Towards Wars Etrian Odyssey III - Battlefield ~ The First Campaign Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - A Battle and a Beginning Fantastic Night Dreams: Cotton - Fairyland Beginning Final Fantasy VII - Let the Battles Begin! Microsoft Windows 2000 - Startup Vote View Results Whats the best way to get this party started?? - Results (50 votes) Mr. Bones - The First Thing 24% (12 votes) 12 Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? - 1st Impression 6% (3 votes) 3 DanceDanceRevolution A - First Time 2% (1 vote) 1 Dariusburst Another Chronicle - Suite Photoconductivity ~First Tune: Iron Fossil~ 6% (3 votes) 3 Ys - First Step Towards Wars 6% (3 votes) 3 Etrian Odyssey III - Battlefield ~ The First Campaign 2% (1 vote) 1 Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - A Battle and a Beginning 6% (3 votes) 3 Fantastic Night Dreams: Cotton - Fairyland Beginning 8% (4 votes) 4 Final Fantasy VII - Let the Battles Begin! 10% (5 votes) 5 Microsoft Windows 2000 - Startup 30% (15 votes) 15 Show Voting Form function poll_vote() { var vote_option = $("input[name='poll_vote']:checked").val(); if(!vote_option) return; $.ajax({ type: 'POST', url: '/ajax/forum_poll_vote', data: { option: vote_option, board: '8', topic: '80039210', message: '0', key: '3c199f8f' }, success: function(response) { if(response.error) { alert(response.error); } else { $("#poll_vote").hide(); $("#poll_results").html(response.html).show(); } } }); } function view_results_legacy() { $("#poll_vote").hide(); $("#poll_results").show(); } function hide_results_legacy() { $("#poll_results").hide(); $("#poll_vote").show(); } Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 16, 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=475935 Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80027411 Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0xxfgkmGKvEyWfHvNZ53Kbn Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16XAaBMDuUnQ4c5AxQNL9ZhvD7VG5kQyrXWWZxnkrn-o 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 given in the topic post. - Voting in all matches is not mandatory, feel free to skip matches you do not wish to vote in. - Vote based on the links provided, and not other sources of audio. Links are specifically chosen for best quality and the like. - Don't discuss vote tallies in this thread, or in other threads, as they may influence votes. Likewise, please refrain from looking at the running tally before voting. Voting Period: - Today's matches will last 24 hours from the time of posting, or 24 hours from 10pm Eastern, whichever is the later time. - Please note this may mean that two topics will be active at the same time! - If you anticipate being unable to vote in a given day, please send an absentee vote to @banshiryuu, or post your absentee vote in the discussion thread! . Match 1 Pokmon Trading Card Game - Club Leader Duel Composer: Ichiro Shimakura Loop Point: 1:48 Genre: RAIN DANCE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddfd5bBv4-4 Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath - Imaginary Shopping District</quote>

... Copied to Clipboard!

Club Leader Duel
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

RAIN DANCE
MELANCHOLIC TECH
WINTER FUSION

didnt expect to be voting all Nintendo today but here we are

ok i actually just listened to these like 20 mins ago so i can vote faster this time

ISOLEUCINE 2
MELANCHOLIC TECH
WINTER FUSION

6.65 (could go a bit higher than this with the better link but eh it's already in good territory)
8.7
3.25
8.35
8.65
8.45 (aaaa)

breeze of awakening

Club Leader Duel
Moon without the stars
Kaze no Ne

Sexy fairies.

Imaginary Shopping District
Moon without the stars
Kaze no Ne

Shop
Mech
Bridge

7.5
9
4
8
8.5
6

abstain
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

HAYMAKER*
MELANCHOLIC TECH
WINTER FUSION

the superior deck, even if less fun

Children's Card Games
A Heartbeat Without Heartache
Kaze no Ne

i'm not crying it's just... the rain. because there's a hurricane. Duh.

Pokmon Trading Card Game - Club Leader Duel
Deemo - Moon without the stars
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

One of a couple super evil matches in R1 for me tonight in match 3.

Club Leader Duel [6.5]
Imaginary Shopping District [8]
Moon without the Stars [7]
Mechonis Field [8.5]
Blizzard Bridge [9]
Kaze no Ne [9]

Club Leader Duel
Moon without the stars
Kaze no Ne

Pokemon Trading Card Game Club Leader Duel 7 At some points the GB's sound chip sounds grating, but this ost is pretty awesome regardless. The parts where the low notes hum are to die for. This defintely feels like a battle that is playful yet menancing.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath Imaginary Shopping District 4 This sounds very sweet and high energy, but the skipping like sound is irritating for me. It's just a little too techno for my taste. The change up in instrumentation halfway thru is my favorite part.

Deemo Moon without the stars 9 My nomination! I just love how nostalgic and calming the vocals are. I think the way the background vocals echo the main singer adds to the dreamy like sound. The "Turning back the hands of time" part is one of my favorites. The background instruments are pretty sparce, but they add good texture and accentuate the strong points of the song.

Xenoblade Chronicles Mechonis Field 7.5 Very innerly energetic. I love how the instruments and volume ebb and flow to vary the intensity. The various times when the mechanical beeps come in add interest and mystique to the song.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land The Battle of Blizzard Bridge 4 Too chaotic and all over the place for me, but the mechanical noises do provide interest and uniqueness. The guitar solos are fun to hear. It's weird, this isnt what i'd typically associate with kirby music, so i might have to listen to this ost more.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Kaze no Ne 8 The softness of the vocals contrasting with the vivacity of the instrumentation is quite powerful. I love when the wind instruments flow in and out to add extra life to the song. It really starts picking up and getting great about halfway in.

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

RAIN DANCE
MELANCHOLIC TECH
Kaze no Ne
good songs today

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath - Imaginary Shopping District
Deemo - Moon without the stars
Kirby and the Forgotten Land - The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

The first few seconds of Club Master Duel kinda remind me of HAPPY HIPPO (was listening to that earlier today). Then it goes off into this really epic buildup song that I wasn't really expecting from a GBC game. One of the better Pokmon TCG tracks I've heard!!

Imaginary Shopping District is one of my favorite discoveries this year, and I came very close to actually supporting this during the nomination phase! (why does a literal Dragon Maid video game have music this good)

Moon Without the Stars kinda sounds like one of those generic pop songs they'd throw into an early-'00s nightcore YouTube upload. I don't mean that in a bad way, this is actually pretty catchy. Surprisingly not very piano-centered, considering that this is a Deemo song.

Mechonis Field is chill, but doesn't really stand out very much. It's a change of pace from the Xenoblade music I've heard before.

KatFL is my favorite 2022 video game soundtrack, and Blizzard Bridge is another neat track (took a while to grow on me). I still need to play through this game.

Oh hi again Kaze no Ne.

Imaginary Shopping District
Moon without the stars
Kaze no Ne

flipped a couple times on both match 2 and match 3 but the vocal songs keep growing on me

Club Leader Duel
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Club (4) > Shopping (3) > Field (3) > Bridge (3) > Kaze (3) > Moon (3)

Club Leader Duel
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

I'll make myself more clear today :p

Match 1: Digging the crunchy Game Boy, and not that big on what little I'm hearing hiding behind a lot of rapid fire sound at the forefront, which sounds to me like time signature changes for the sake of having it. Going for more groovy on this one.

Match 2: Deemo's kind of reminding me of a standard modern JRPG ending theme, and... ehhhn, it doesn't do ti for me. Xenoblade, meanwhile, hits a combination "awesome field music per usual for the series" and "has some Metroidesque vibes at the start" which is... really underrepresented here :(

Match 3: I'm a big fan of Kirby, but I don't get the pangs of nostalgia that I do in comparison to hearing the very few opening notes of Sound of the Wind.

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Club Leader Duel (5.2 - 61st place) / Imaginary Shopping District (9.4 - 4th place)
Moon without the stars (4.0 - 64th place) / Mechonis Field (7.5 - 45th place)
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge (8.2 - 29th place) / Kaze no Ne (7.4 - 46th place)

Rain Dance? Sounds more like a chu-chu train than rain. Crazy how a 7.5 is 45th place, and that's using my harsher method of rating... and 8.2 for 29th place? Bracket A is strong. ISD is too fun to listen to... I never grow tired of it. Glitchy to the point that 16th notes go missing, but you don't know where they were supposed to be!

Don't discuss vote tallies in this thread, or in other threads, as they may influence votes. Likewise, please refrain from looking at the running tally before voting.
Maybe you should include discord in that, as well?

Club Leader Duel
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

I feel if Kobayashi's was a longer song it would 100% get my vote, and yet it's still a very rough match to decide. Same with the second too... Third is surprisingly more easier, on the other hand.

Club Leader Duel
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Imaginary Shopping District
Moon without the stars
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Miss Kobayashi did not need to go that hard (but I'm glad she did)

"actually the Moon is about as far away from the stars as the Earth is so this song title is meaningless" - Neil DeGrasse Tyson, probably

Kaze no Ne is one of those songs that's always more engaging than I think it is but unfortunately it is against WINTER FUSION

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Yoshimi Kudo
Kenji Hiramatsu
Chick Corea

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

Lukewarm day compared to yesterday, but I voted all-top-songs then all-bottom-songs so that's fun. Match 2 is pretty solid (7.3 vs. 7.8), I found myself singing Moon without the stars a lot the past week but the line "That's how it feels when we're apart ~feels when we're apart~" always feels a little juvenile.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath - Imaginary Shopping District
Deemo - Moon without the stars
Kirby and the Forgotten Land - The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Match 2 may be surprising coming from me. I like Mechonis Field alright--just not feeling it today. Moon without the stars hits on a mid-2000s Laguna Beach/Degrassi sound that I'm really partial to (I call it 'slumber party' music). Its acoustic melancholy, transient and uncertain, takes hold and bores deep into my soul. Love that this sound can still find an audience in the present day. Anyhow, here's the slate for the evening:

[9.5] The Battle of Blizzard Bridge
[9.0] Imaginary Shopping District
[8.5] Moon without the stars
[8.0] Kaze no Ne
[7.0] Mechonis Field
[6.5] Club Master Duel

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

god i lkasfhdsjfklfaskjlove imaginary shopping district literally the first time i heard it i was like "oh hello song that is instantly a favorite of mine" and yep sure enough here we are, this is probably gonna sit at 1st place for a loooooong while (i think ((watch one of my pet songs is like tomorrow and i forgot about it))

everything here is actually pretty good!! i even like moon without the stars a bit more than i remembered but mechonis is just too cool to pass up. really sad i have to go against club leader and blizzard bridge :(

(1st) Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath - Imaginary Shopping District
(3rd) Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne
(4th) Pokmon Trading Card Game - Club Leader Duel
(5th) Kirby and the Forgotten Land - The Battle of Blizzard Bridge
(8th) Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Mechonis Field
(11th) Deemo - Moon without the stars

EDIT: just checked and yup new 1st place tomorrow LMFAO i'm so silly

Club Leader Duel
-
Kaze no Ne

Will try and listen to match 2 tomorrow.

Match 3 is really good but also really easy because Kaze no Ne just has everything I love and could easily be my favorite vgm song at this point.

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Club Leader Duel
Moon without the stars
Kaze no Ne

Imaginary / Field / Battle

Club Leader Duel: A driving, constant beat sets the stage for a battle with a powerful opponent...Ready your hand and prepare to fight!

Imaginary Shopping District: Energetic synth stabs in syncopated rhythms accentuate the high stakes of the situation, even as playful melodies emerge.

Moon without the stars: Reaching out your hand, heart panging with loneliness and longing, you drown your love in song while holding out hope....

Mechonis Field: Sparse environmental sounds make way for busier melodies as the world awakens and comes alive with bright lights.

The Battle of Blizzard Bridge: Keyboards duel in frenzied camaraderie, weaving in and out between one another to best their opponent in their bout.

Kaze no Ne: Whimsy whisks us away to another world, carrying us on waves that ground us in a completely new place, however gently.

Battle >> Shopping = Kaze > Mechonis >> Club > Moon

Imaginary
Field
Battle

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

7.6
8
5.1
8.9
9
6.6

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Club Leader Duel is a pretty cool gameboy piece too bad I can't vote for it today. Honestly sometimes I feel sort of "odd" about Imaginary Shopping District because it's so short but what little it has is so good, it just kinda leaves me wanting more !

Mechonis Field I think is a type of song that my opinion can fluctuate strongly with and right now I'm not feeling as well as I was during nominations, though even at it's worst this match is a no brainer for me, Moon without Stars is very not my kind of music

Battle for Blizzard Bridge is a very fun cute dark song !!

Imaginary ? Blizzard > Club > Mechonis >>>>> Kaze > Moon

Club Leader Duel
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Club Leader Duel
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

Imaginary Shopping District
Moon without the stars
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

First 10 seconds are enough for ISD to win that match, what a neat lil intro. Not particularly feeling the pokemon track, I like the bit starting around :57 though!
Moon w/o stars felt generic at first but I did get into it a little by the end. Mechonis is way more my thing.
Third match is difficult, I can't say I'm a big fan of either. They've both grown on me somewhat, I'm giving it to Kirby for some kinda fun bits in the middle.

trying out some gut ratings:
Club Leader Duel: 2.5/5
Imaginary Shopping District: 3.5/5
Moon w/o stars: 2.5/5
Mechonis Field: 4/5
Blizzard Bridge: 2/5
Kaze no Ne: 2/5

Imaginary Shopping District
Moon without the stars
Kaze no Ne

The third match was my favorite as both were pretty good, but nothing I really loved here.

Imaginary Shopping District
Moon Without the Stars
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

Match 2 is not the vote I was expecting to make, but I have been extremely receptive to Moon Without the Stars' cheesy pop vibes and generally had it stuck in my head over the past couple of days. Matches 1 & 3 are a little more expected, with Imaginary Shopping District being one of the songs I'm most enthusiastic about in the contest so far (which is also stronger than I felt when I first heard the song).

Imaginary Shopping District
Moon without the stars
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

First two matches are close for me.

Club Leader Duel
Moon without the stars
Kaze no Ne

Imaginary
Mechonis
Battle

Blizzard Bridge has got to be one of the best tracks in Kirby history, what a tune.

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
Kaze no Ne

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath - Imaginary Shopping District
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Mechonis Field
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne

Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
The Battle of Blizzard Bridge

A decent set of songs! Match 3 was particularly tough for me, choosing between a new favourite and a nostalgic one. I can't wait for that to happen again very soon >>

I'm very much not a fan of the GameBoy sound chip, and the only way to redeem that is for the piece to have a really good, catchy melody (something like Birabuto Kingdom from Super Mario Land). Club Leader Duel has an okay melody, but definitely nothing to make me really like it.

Imaginary Shopping District is interesting, though really a bit too active for my taste. I quite like the drop at 0:33 though. It's also way too short to really appreciate it. Certainly not nearly worthy of being called ISOLEUCINE 2 imo, but I won't hold that against it. It'll get my vote though since its competition is worse for me.

Moon Without The Stars is a nice ballad. Nice vocalist and nice instrumental. Nothing offensive about it, but unfortunately, it doesn't stand a chance against its competition.

Mechonis Field is quite possibly one of my top 3 video game songs of all time. The whole song is literal ear candy. Perfect synths, perfect soundscape, perfect melodies, everything about this song is just fantastic. I will say that I do slightly prefer the original version of Mechonis Field, but the DE version is also really good. I'm still salty that Monolith Soft never released the soundtrack for the Definitive Edition though, so we have to deal with the bad quality gamerip of this. Oh well, it's still one of my songs of all time.

The Battle of Blizzard Bridge was definitely not what I was expecting from Kirby when I first heard it during the nomination period. Pretty wild fusion piece. The keyboards and piano are fantastic here. Pretty impressive the amount they're able to do off a simple underlying bassline. Nice guitar solo towards the end of the loop as well. Fun song overall.

Sound of the Wind is very good. Love the Middle Eastern focus on the instrumental. And hand percussion is always good too. Yae does a great job on the vocals as well. This one's kind of a tough match for me, but I think I'm gonna favor Sound of the Wind by a hair.

Votes:
Imaginary Shopping District
Mechonis Field
Sound of the Wind