Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 43! feat. Spells, Names, Numbers, Stories, Lights, and the End of R1!

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 17, 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=477304
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SAJKYJmYhccLvbf_H-5uSA7-eMwXfW8k1q74Qho1bLU
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80433657
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0wlcxj-kHQRU1yHo-kpMxGe
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_IU5iCFTM_4WEx8ZWKwznMz5v2tarCKh1Ag0mxIgAes
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

Heaven Burns Red - White Spell
Composer: Jun Maeda arr. MANYO
Loop Point: 3:12
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR7Txo3Vmh0

Heaven Burns Red - White Spell
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - The Grand Finale
Chrono Trigger - To Far Away Times

Dialga
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/8/7/4/AAcM16AAEmKK.jpg

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The 3 Karma
To Far Away Times

the ds song
the ds song
the song that was on the ds at some point

Pokmon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness - Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - The Grand Finale
Chrono Trigger - To Far Away Times

The Grand Finale >>>>> Dialga's Fight to the Finish! >= White Spell > To Far Away Times > The 3 Karma (Decisive Battle) > Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

White Spell was cool. Dialga has a really unique feel to it that I really like. The 3 Karma was cool in the beginning, but then kinda tapered off into more typical stuff. Not bad though. The Grand Finale is my favorite video game song ever made nothing else stood a fucking chance. This song is a genuine fucking masterpiece and if you think otherwise you are dead to me. Aegleseeker is not really my thing, but I can appreciate it. To Far Away Times is nice, but I feel like it'd hit harder if I played the game. Solid day.

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The 3 Karma
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

god this corner is painful. anyways GO AEGLESEEKER GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Heaven Burns Red - White Spell
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - The Grand Finale
Chrono Trigger - To Far Away Times

Dialga's Fight to the Finish
3 Karma
To Far Away Times

Feeling 3 slightly more than Grand Finale this time around. Close match regardless.

I would have said that today was a good way to end R1, but you lunatics had to tie a match at the last minute.

1. Super Mario 64 - Staff Roll
2. Xenogears - One Who Bares Fangs at God
3. League of Legends - K'Sante - The Pride of Nazumah
4. Control - My Dark Disquiet
5. League of Legends - Nilah, The Joy Unbound
6. Velocity 2X - Jintinda Lab
7. Magical Chase - Waltz of Meditation Part2
8. Mortal Kombat (Sega CD) - Techno Syndrome
9. Alto's Odyssey - A Moment of Tranquility
10. Spark the Electric Jester 3 - Utopia Shelter ~ In the Depths
11. Chrono Trigger - To Far Away Times
12. REFLEC BEAT groovin'!! - DADADADADADADADADADA (Long Version)
13. Deus Ex - The Synapse - Ambient
14. 30XX Millenium Spark (Firestorm BT Mix)
15. Sonic R - Back In Time
16. Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- Arcade version B - nATALIE
17. Legaia 2: Duel Saga - Lost Forest
18. 7th Dragon 2020-II - Shutoko - Spiral Maze
19. Chrono Trigger - Yearnings of the Wind
20. Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course - Baking the Wondertart
21. Dragon Poker - Kanashimi no Mephisto feat.Mahoushoujo Ran & Mahoushoujo Akane
22. Ikenfell - Memories in the Mist
23. Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis - Song of Mourning: The Eternal Wind
24. Cladun: This is an RPG - Knight of a Foreign Country
25. Pokemon Scarlet/Violet - Battle! (Zero Lab)
26. NieR Automata - Weight of the World
27. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - The Apex of the World (Rain)
28. osu! - escape (through the looking - glass, and what alice found there)
29. Galactic Pinball - MOONMAN'S Fandango
30. Verytex - Act 1: The Void of Space

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The 3 Karma
To Far Away Times

abstain
The 3 Karma
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

White Spell
The 3 Karma
To Far Away Times

White Spell
The 3 Karma
To Far Away Times

White Spell's good stuff the whole time. Just wish it had a better ending spot. Wonder if there's a fuller version. Dialga's endless midness continues, all these years later.

Whoa 3 Karma, what a blast from the past. Still as great as ever. IMO, it's the last great song Mitsuda ever composed. The Grand Finale is quite good too. Big match here.

Aegleseeker's quite good. Go my fun rhythm game songs. But TFAT is hard to beat for me. Loved it for decades now.

To Far Away Times > The 3 Karma > The Grand Finale > Aegleseeker > White Spell > Dialga's Fight to the Finish!

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

Spell White
In the Finale
Far and Away Times

White Spell is weird. It has some of the rhythmic creativity and flares Maeda excels at, but it's done in a style that's... Weird. I swear I know other words besides weird. Like wired. But I can't help but wonder how I would feel about a version of this song that wasn't arranged by MANYO. I think I would like it a lot more. Good news is, Maeda's as strong a lyricist as ever.

I am... oddly not in the mood for Dialga today? It's a fairly straightforward piece, especially relative to most mystery dungeon fare, and while White Spell is less complex than I'd like too, it gave me more of what I wanted tonight. Perhaps tonight just isn't a good night to be a wolf.

haha 3 karma has 3 composers very cute. Shadow Hearts, now this is what I want tonight. Darkness has come and it is hungry. the piano is the one thing fighting back but the keys have been corrupted, things are going south fast. The bass doubling the piano is so sick. but seriously what the heck are they using to make the "evil" sounds it's so cool. oh wow i completely forgot about some of the proggier stuff in the back half of the song. i kinda don't like it as much as the first half >_>

dear whoever at nintendo decided that just fixing from "in the final" to "in the finale" was insufficient: go fudge yourself. What an amazing boss theme. One of Shimomura's best? Probably. This match is incredibly close, I think if the back half of 3 karma had been stronger i'd be voting that easily but now i'm not sure.

you can't just -- no. Stop. NO USING 'AE' IN PLACE OF 'E'. That's illegal. People don't even know how to pronounce Aeon right, and that's spelled with an 'a' at least 60% of the time. anyways this is definitely interesting. it's a little bit much for me when it gets into pure mashy though. please slow down frums-san you're breaking the speed limit. slash what does it mean for two composers to be "versus" each other? Strange. and now we're in the static part of the song "great." please tell me this isn't the entire back half. ooh the light has cleared what have we found it's a PIANO. I always wanted a piano. no that's not true i liked french horn a lot ANYWAYS this part i like, it's so longing, picking up the pieces after a disaster ooh is it time for round 2? wait do i want it to be round 2? I'm scared. someone hold me. no one holds me. paula prayed, no one answered. someone's answering this poor piano though. I wish we didn't now add in uber-fast rhythm rhythm and now we're back into rhythm mode. Man I like this so much when it just lets itself chill, I wish it let itself chill more. But it does not. wtf was that ending i don't even know how to process that last measure.

To far away times makes me cry. that's really all i want out of an ending song, at the end of the day.

as a treat for reading all that, have a treat:

White Spell Lyrics!
(long version link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vtw3gCpMng)

(It's so radiant...)

(There's nothing left to see)

The wind howls, my heart roars
Birds, out of season, soar high above
For the planet we head; but how far will we go,
Us travelers?

The vibrant scenery shimmers and fades
The blue of the seas too say goodbye
If that day has come, then
Will I laugh, or cry? Which one? (Mornings like that...)

<long version only, not in the link in the topic>

I chased after your footprints
Wishing I could've gone with you
There's nothing left to see

Soon the wind will grow cold
The harvest season never lasts long
But it has to end, or else
We'd never again see the flowers bloom

My breath becomes white, my fingers numb
Yet still I march on, ever forward
If I told you the truth,
Would you scream, or cry? Which one? (Though I call your name...)

<back to the link in the topic>

All I wanted was to be by your side.
Don't leave me alone
Don't cast me back into loneliness

In your sleeptalk, you cast a spell

(In your sleeptalk, you cast a spell)

When I do make it there,
Will I laugh, or cry? Which one? (Mornings like that...)

I chased after your footprints
Wishing I could've gone with you (Though I call your name...)

We need to start preparing for winter.
The harvest season never lasts long (Mornings like that...)

Erased by the wind
And consumed by radiance:
Mornings like that are the best for goodbyes (Though I call your name...)

(There's nothing left to see)

(Though I call your name...)

(There's nothing left to see)

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

The thematic vote

White Spell
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

rhythm gamers losing at the last hurdle, truly the absolute state of vgmc

From TunnelScene:

Dialga's Fight to the Finish! (PMD Explorers)
The 3 Karma (Shadow Hearts: Covenant)
Aegleseeker (Arcaea)

the hi hat work on white spell is really cool

I'm really lucky that the noisy croak composers write in a style I like so that I can enjoy this game as much as I do. although to be honest I can't imagine being as fond of pmd2 as a game as I am if I didn't like the music this much in this first place

the natural conclusion of Sonic Shuffle being a top 2 ost for me is liking shadow hearts music a lot. . .my fav elements in this are unsurprisingly the unhinged dissonance and industrial metallic sounds. lots of cool transposing sus chord stuff I dig too

I think my favorite parts of this are the jumpy 16th arps on the synth

frums and silent room always know how to put sounds and chords and rhythms that make me smile in their songs

I'll still always associate to far away times with some video of the voltaic age in myst 3 on YouTube that is not up anymore and liking the music they put in the background (this song)but not knowing it was from chrono trigger yet even though I liked chrono trigger music at that time(I believe I may have even been playing it? but obviously not completed) and somehow that is not the only chrono song someone put in a myst youtube video in 2007-8(a obscure unfinished remix of dreams of a shore bordering another world was in a different one I liked). close match for me between two great songs to cap off one of my favorite vgmc fields we've ever had I think

White Spell
The 3 Karma
To Far Away Times

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The 3 Karma
-

um

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The 3 Karma
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

The Grand Finale
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

White
Grand
Times

Pokemon Diamond legendary
In the Final (lol)
"Where we're going, we don't need roads!"

Match 1 is the only match where I at least somewhat like both songs. Matches 2-3 were two of the easiest matches in the whole contest.

if you're confused, it's
Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

White Spell
The 3 Karma
To Far Away Times

White Spell
The 3 Karma
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

Very good day, I liked both 3 Karma and Aegleseeker quite a bit, the first match was close even if I liked White Spell enough to nominate it as I've liked Dialga's Fight to the Finish too.

White Spell
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

Heaven Burns Red - White Spell
Shadow Hearts: Covenant - The 3 Karma
Arcaea - Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

Aegleseeker as a whole is a song that resonates with me forever and ever and never ceases to astounish me, even more so for the long version. I can hear grief, sadness, anger, comfort within this song in a way that I find very few tracks to be able to express in such a gruesome, raw and beautiful way. This song, and this game as a whole came to me at a time of need and helped me through tremendously harsh times. There is much more to it than just a feeling of "Chaos > Ethereal Calmness > Crazier Chaos". I believe that the song as a whole is able to represent so much more than that, in a way I find very difficult to explain If you could find the right time, moment and situation to enjoy this song to the fullest, it would make me very happy.

I understand it has no chances against something with the pedigree of quality of Chrono Trigger & Mitsuda, especially with how beautiful To Far Away Times is, and I know it barely stands a chance against it, but if this song is a nice surprise to whoever listens to it, that'd be enough for me. I'm grateful enough that this song made it out of the original selection pool.

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The 3 Karma
no

And comin' around the hills right now, it feels like a bilboo.

White Spell
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

All songs here are worthy of consideration in their matches.

banshiryuu posted...

rhythm gamers losing at the last hurdle, truly the absolute state of vgmc

*VGMC9 has entered the chat*

White Spell
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

White Spell
The Grand Finale
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

Really wish Aegleseeker didn't have that literal noise part in the middle but the rest is neat enough

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

I feel very basic today. Would probs vote Aegleseeker above the other 4 here.

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

White Spell
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

My favorite parts of Aegleseeker are the ones that play around with the melody that starts at 1:20. Much like Untrodden Morn which had a lot of variety in its sound.

Voted Give Me Money!, its an intense, catchy FM song with admittedly silly vocals.

White Spell
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

White Spell
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The 3 Karma
To Far Away Times

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The 3 Karma
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

Dialga's Fight to the Finish
3 Karma
To Far Away Times

im immediately taken by the soundscape of this. dunno why, it isn't super significant. kinda wish the softer singing at the beginning lasted longer because of that. i like this vocalist though, she's waifish and soft, but not saccharine. not squeaky either. very cute sweet song. (inb4 dowolf comes in like psyche this song is actually depressing) <- i wrote this before reading today's topic.

wow both temporal tower and dialga's fight to the finish this year? neat. id prefer a bigger variety of pmd but this still kicks ass. great intro, yesterday when i talked about rftmis, i said that i like it when songs use distinct intros. cool rhythm used throughout. i like the part where it goes quiet before going all in again. i feel like it also keeps the time motifs but manages to hide it under this sense of triumph?? dunno.

the intro feels very traditional, but then this goes all balls to the walls. wtf mitsuda??? hi???? buddy?? you okay????? this is sO different from to far away times and im kinda laughing. (no clue how much of this WAS mitsuda but still interesting!!) i forgot how fucked up this little guy actually is. i remember it being weird but i thought it was a bit more "traditional rpg" weird. there's definitely moments like that. the bells ringing feel rpg to me, for instance. but man this is crunchy and industrial and scary. such a cool song!!!!

the intro is cool. yay another song with a strong intro. i like the part where the piano shines as a solo. kinda wish there was more room to breathe like that. never really understood the hype for this one, but it's pretty decent as a final boss theme all things considered.

i forgot how cool the intro to this one is (wtf today is good intros day LOL) and how this song goes between crazy and calm. very chaotic and fast. i like the piano section, that super calm part. i wish the crazy part that happens after was less pronounced i think? the part at 6:14 or so (me never exact at timestamps). it doesn't feel the length at all, i just kind of don't jive with the sudden crazy end. still a kickass song.

oops, a song with a CONTEXT I KNOW???? this isn't the best snes credits theme (gonna nominate smiles and tears next year just you wait and see) maybe it isn't even the third. but it is a very sweet song. when it pairs down to the backing choir and then the TIME MOTIFS im like yeah, this hits the spot.

nice day, six songs id give a 7 or above :) match 1 and 3 especially hard. and white spell is such a GOOD discovery thanks whomever did that you're a real one.

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
Aegleseeker ("Afterworld" Full Version)

White Spell: The production on this one is really good. MANYO does some really good work with synths. Definitely worth listening to the main HBR soundtrack as well. Lots of ear candy moments throughout that soundtrack. Great song.

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!: This one's okay, but it doesn't really do anything to stand out to me. Just kind of a song that came and went. Not a bad song by any means though.

The 3 Karma: This is my favorite song from D4. The absolute chaotic nature of the vocals combined with the industrial effects is so cool. Love the piano throughout this one as well. Probably the most chaotic song Mitsuda has made, and I'm all here for it.

The Grand Finale: One of Shimomura's better songs. Really good melody and the focus on the synth arpeggios is pretty cool. Very fun song, but it's not The 3 Karma so it doesn't get my vote unfortunately.

Aegleseeker: I'm liking this one quite a bit more than I did during noms. Again, I'll have to listen to this album sometime. So many unique sections with really neat production. The straight noise section before the piano section isn't my favorite, but it makes sense in the context of the rest of the song. Love the buildup in the piano section as well. Not as good as Untrodden Morn, but still a really good song. Thanks for sharing this one, Robin.

To Far Away Times: It's a nice song, but it doesn't really resonate with me that much for whatever reason. That's kind of my opinion on CT's soundtrack as a whole tbh. The melodies are solid here though.

Going total non-normie today.

Votes:
White Spell
The 3 Karma
Aegleseeker

Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
The Grand Finale
To Far Away Times