Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 48! feat. Cracks, Nothing, Flowers, Solids, Scaredness, and Hardness

(+) 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!

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Match 1

Destiny Child - Ragna Breakers
Composer: Seibin
Loop Point: 3:27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFWfjdXgRG4

Arcaea - NULL APOPHENIA
Composer: N
Loop Point: 3:05
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-3XBYnKaCU

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Match 2

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout - Crocus
Composer: Hayato Asano, Takashi S

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

Ragna
Caves
Yo Noid 2

I got really excited when I saw "ESTIMATE" in the thumbnail, and then remembered we had composers listed and it wasn't ESTi... and then I remembered ESTIMATE is ESTi's group so we still winning

Destiny Child - Ragna Breakers
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout - Crocus
NeverAwake - Paranoid (World7-1)

Ragna Breakers
Crocus
idk

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

betraying both Gust and Arcaea in the same day I am a FRAUD

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

NULL APOPHENIA
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
Crocus
Beat the Diamonds

Null Apophenia
Crocus
Beat the Diamonds

Arcaea - NULL APOPHENIA
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout - Crocus
Medarot 5: Susutake-mura no Tenkousei - Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

abstain
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

Null
Crystal
Diamonds

Mega Man Network Transmission - Zero Gravity Area
NULL APOPHENIA
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

Today's rankings:
2) NeverAwake - Paranoid (World7-1)
14) Arcaea - NULL APOPHENIA
30) Ori and the Will of the Wisps - Luma Pools
37) Frogger Beyond - Underwater Lv. 1/4
66) League of Legends - Nilah, the Joy Unbound
(Crystal Caves is an HM - so close to making it...)

If you're wondering why my rankings seem so strange, well... 1) I'm just not normal, and 2) I'm one of like ten people (TunnelScene, etc.) who have high compatibility with each other, and "complex harmonies + unusual things" are probably the best way to describe that group's preferences. If you want to see a group of retirees that represents what I like, look no further than VGMC14.

I am crazy about Paranoid (World 7-1)! I just love the various sounds used... the sputters and other quirky sound effects (NES sounds, etc.) ... the choice of synth at 0:27 (oh my gosh, the way it makes those parallel harmonies sound is one of the coolest things I've ever heard...) I dunno what kind of emotions this track is supposed to have, but... NeverAwake is basically a game that takes place in someone's dreams, so it kind of explains the nonsensical things like the strong beat getting cut/pasted in various places... and then I just love the shift to "normal" later on. Dreams can be the same way, can't they? I just love when "weird" and "normal" get contrasted like that... (yeah, I'm terrible at trying to describe music) Anyway, if you don't think this track has any redeeming qualities ... keep in mind this was nominated by Hidekuni Horita, which hopefully by now everyone knows is a very talented composer... so obviously he understands music better than just about anyone in the community.

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
Crocus
Beat the Diamonds

Yeah, I guess Null is very good, which makes the corner a little more tougher. Still down for the jazz though. Match 2 is still one hell of a match, too.

NULL APOPHENIA
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

NULL APOPHENIA
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

NULL APOPHENIA
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

Ragna Breakers
Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
Crocus
Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

I like how both match 2 songs only start with Cs.

Ragna Breakers
Crocus
Beat the Diamonds

Arcaea - NULL APOPHENIA
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom - Crystal Caves
NeverAwake - Paranoid (World7-1)

Ragna Breakers
Crocus
Paranoid (World7-1)

Null Apophenia
Crocus
Beat the Diamonds

NULL APOPHENIA
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

From TunnelScene:

NULL APOPHENIA (Arcaea)
Crystal Caves (Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom)
Paranoid (NeverAwake)

From DeviDoesNothing:

RAGNA BREAKERS, Crocus, and Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

rag, nah?
croak, us?
Para, no id?

My comments might sound elitist... so I will just add one of my beliefs: there is no such thing as an correct (or an incorrect) opinion for any given piece of music, Paranoid (World 7-1) included. (even if I believe music can be measured objectively to some extent; yet there are things about music that really can't be measured objectively--for example, certain timbres or certain atmospheres will sound better than others, but how could you possibly measure that objectively? plus, everyone has tons of biases in music, and thus nobody should be criticized for any particular biases)

Ragna Breakers
Crocus
Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
Crocus
Paranoid (World7-1)

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

NULL APOPHENIA
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

Destiny Child - Ragna Breakers
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout - Crocus
Medarot 5: Susutake-mura no Tenkousei - Beat the Diamonds

NULL APOPHENIA
Crocus
Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
abstain
abstain

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

Match 2 is hell

NULL APOPHENIA
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

breakers
crocus
diamonds

tox and deo owe me money for the emotional damage they've caused to me over these first two matches, especially match 2.

slight edge to ragna breakers for having a stronger "hook" to my ears, and slight edge to crocus for the stronger feels. sitting on this vote all day and i think i just gotta pull the trigger.

sorry kobayashi, but at least i voted for your song in the poll :(( yay zero!

oh, and i still wish paranoid had a longer loop. there's good ideas, i just want more of that. beat the diamonds really just feels more satisfying personally.

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Beat the Diamonds

I was too hard on NULL APOPHENIA before. The high echoey synths sound cool and once I focused on the faint background melody from 1:29-1:55 its now my favorite part of the song

The World Ends With You - Emptiness and! One of my favorite VGM ever, maybe even number one favorite. Kirby 64 - Zero-Two should be in this poll as well.

Destiny Child - Ragna Breakers
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout - Crocus
Medarot 5: Susutake-mura no Tenkousei - Beat the Diamonds

Close match 3.

Ragna Breakers
Crocus
Beat the Diamonds

Ragna Breakers
Crystal Caves
Paranoid (World7-1)

Match 1 and 2 are solid, even if my picks are easy both of these matches are hell in their own right.

How did it take me this long to realize that Paranoid sounds like a DV-i song?