Board 8 > I rank 300 VGM (2024 edition) [ranking]

(+) Yeah! (+)

hello~

About six weeks ago I took nominations for video game songs to rank. They had to be eligible for VGMC. They had to be new to my big VGM spreadsheet. Those were basically the only requirements.

You gave me 300 songs! Jesus Christ. Yet somehow I have emerged from this auditory hallucination richer, stronger, and more vitamin D deficient. Most importantly, I have the ranking!

To say that I was very pleased with this haul would be a massive understatement. When I ran a VGM ranking five years ago, the average ranking was around 5.1/10. 5 is average to me, so collectively you did slightly above average. By contrast, the average ranking for this ranking is 6.74. And the median is 7! That is ridiculous. Maybe it helped that I gave a list of some things I liked in music. Some of you clearly tried to follow that. Some of you clearly didnt. Some of you played it safe. Some of you took risks. Some of you nominated whatever shit you felt like giving me, which is always a valid strategy.

Some trends I noticed: there was a plentiful amount of industrial noises, unique percussion, and ticking clocks. There were no child vocals instead, several songs had what Id call little girl music where a grown woman tries to sing in a high-pitched cutesy way. I guess that counts? Maybe? There were a lot of evil variants on things: evil jazz, evil ambience, evil guitars, evil sax, evil sound effects. Several songs had prominent evil laughter. There were two separate Godzilla-themed songs. What are the odds of that?

Before we start, heres an explanation of my rating system. I rate on a scale of 0 to 10 in increments of .5. 5 is average. 0 actively causes me pain. 10 isnt perfect, but is really really damn good. The lowest score any song got was a 2 (two songs). The highest score any song got was a 10 (three songs!). Anything higher than a 7 is something I consider playlist worthy. 7.5+ I would consider for use in Discord VGM guessing games. 9+ is VGMC nomination or support. You may be seeing some of these songs come VGMC season!

For the actual ranking, I have a pretty good idea of a songs rating value when I listen to it. Ive gotten to the point, 5000+ ratings later, where I can normally tell a 7 from a 7.5 from an 8. Then I look for a range: at what point do I start liking the songs, on average, more than the song Im trying to place? I get less precise the lower I get, because I dont remember lower songs on the sheet all that well. Its not an exact science. If it was, Id never do it!

Each song in the ranking will have its rank number for this ranking alongside its overall spreadsheet rank (out of 5834). I might, when we get higher, start showing other adjacent songs on the sheet (so like, the immediate songs above and below), if anyone would be interested in that. Not sure if Ill do that or not.

Heres the spreadsheet where you can view all the dropped songs, plus all the placements and ratings before theyre filled in. You can also see a list of all 300 noms, both sorted alphabetically and by nominator.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HdQJbfqMqrZnEBNZyxyZAg3ZKWJ1_rvKyoCmFJhRAaY/edit#gid=0

I think thats it. As always, Ive tried to not be too negative, even within the bottom tiers. I appreciate everyone who took the time to give me songs, even if I ranked them last place.

Hope you have a great time in the topic!

Tag.

hello

Oh sick, tag

Tag

Tag

praying for teamfight tactics success here

Tag. Just hoping I don't get last which is a real possibility for one of my nominations

There is a little kids theme on the xmas list I sent you before all this. You might like it but I don't expect those songs to be part of this process. It was for Christmas after all.

I'm ready

Tag

Also, is Song Fight still happening?

redrocket posted...

Tag

Also, is Song Fight still happening?

yes

Tag

Okay, let's kick things off with the bottom five.

2/10

300/5736
Xtlm
Rocket League - Breathing Underwater (Ether Remix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4bQdVS8WHg

This is not music for me. It feels irritatingly safe, it sounds identical to lots of other songs Ive heard, and it just sort of goes on and on without doing anything that excites me. I like the percussion at 1:25 but thats not enough to save this from last place. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but somebody had to take the bottom spot.

299/5713
@tgs2
Epic Battle Fantasy V - Return of the Snow Queen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VJvyWZgPWY

I dont know a lot of music from this series but Ive had the same reaction to the scant few things Ive heard from it. It just sort of plods along and does mostly the same stuff for four and a half minutes. Why is there this weird record scratch effect, what purpose does it serve? The record scratch could have been something. I dont know. On a different day, this might have gotten last place.

2.5/10

298/5667
OrangeCrush980
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition - Shall Never Surrender (Intro)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4dCMZdU9KA

This one I feel a little bad about. (Only a little!) There might be a compelling song in here, but listen to this link. Can you hear the song? Because I couldnt. The volume is so low as to be incomprehensible. I tried raising it to 100% and got nowhere. I tried looking for an alternate link, but all the other versions of this song I found seemed to be for different versions; this one clearly specifies Intro. So I might enjoy this, but likewhat am I supposed to do here? Make up a song? Always make sure to check your links before you nominate, friends!

297/5630
TheArkOfTurus
SANABI - A Vindication Opportunity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8Sw2euNhBI

TheArkOfTurus nominated five songs from the same soundtrack. Was this a wise choice on their part? Stay tuned to find out! This song, at least, wasnt the wisest choice for me. The main synth really grates on me with its buzzing effects. Maybe Im a hypocrite because I love the Commodore 64 soundchip and A Vindication Opportunity reminds me of that, but theres also the added problem of how the song repeats the same main melody in a way that I find unpleasant. I would react much more favorably if that synth were replaced by almost anything else.

296/5621
@Mihark
Full Metal Furies - Cronus
https://youtu.be/TddRCvU11z8

This song sounds like its being played underwater, at 0.5x speed. I dont really like the choice of instruments, and the melody isnt too hot. The 2.5s are a nexus of songs with minimal redeeming qualities for me, but I dont actively dislike them, so even though Im down on Cronus, it doesnt go any lower. (Plus its short, so theres that.)

pyresword posted...

Tag. Just hoping I don't get last which is a real possibility for one of my nominations

Ok crisis averted, though given the comments you made on the bottom five I still don't feel particularly safe.

Tag tag

Tag.

What a weird nomination for DMC4 why not just nominate the actual song

Hey, cool, I avoided bottom five.

avoided bottom 5

Tag

I started doing a thing that I'm not sure I'll keep up with - in the Alphabetical and Nominator tabs of the sheet, my plan is to shade the eliminated songs in red, so you'll know at a glance what's already been eliminated. It's kind of a pain to do but it might make referencing the spreadsheet a bit easier.

rwlh posted...

I started doing a thing that I'm not sure I'll keep up with - in the Alphabetical and Nominator tabs of the sheet, my plan is to shade the eliminated songs in red, so you'll know at a glance what's already been eliminated. It's kind of a pain to do but it might make referencing the spreadsheet a bit easier.

come on, you know i could whip up automation for this smh

I am safe from the bottom 5!

But still worried about my chances.

3/10

295/5600
@TheArkOfTurus
SANABI - Welcome to Mago City Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot0HonQdGVM

Another SANABI drop. This time it feels less repetitive but the buzzing synth is still there, wreaking havoc on my brain. I slightly prefer this one to A Vindication Opportunity, so make of that what you will!

294/5579
@Waveshine_2001
Ballz 3D - Title Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRPz-uG-qXM

Waveshine purposefully gave me several songs she thought of as bad VGM. How did this pan out for her? Stay tuned to find out! In lieu of a writeup, I will quote a comment on the video that I find very fitting: Grandpa just learned what samples are and hes gonna use them all! I mean, I love weird samples in music, but these samples arent doing the song any favors, especially coupled with a pretty bland backing track. Mission accomplished, Fox! (I think?)

293/5576
@NBIceman
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Silent Howling
https://youtu.be/iLHZcFCq1hA?si=dAJENxcUDJbOJN5e

As soon as I put the thing about violins and guitars as something musical I like, I regretted it, because I had a feeling it would lead to a bunch of songs like Silent Howling, really intense guitar/violin combos, often with muddy, ominous chanting. In a way, Ive misled you, because I almost never like these kinds of songs! I am sorry. This is an objectively fine song, its just not for me.

292/5514
@Anagram
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations - Cross Examination ~ Allegro 2004
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34kcrWLbGGo

I had to replace the 30-minute extended link you gave me lol. This is some Ace Attorney ass music alright. It soundsoff. Like the notes are too high-pitched. Sort of unpleasant to listen to. Its tense, Ill give it that.

291/5505
@GavsEvans123
Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links - Paradox Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JrUnsfcjcM

Im not a fan of the term overproduced but this feels like it fits the bill: a sort of over-the-top JRPG-ish boss theme. All the hallmarks are here: ominous strings, choir samples, a steady but serviceable drumbeat. This doesnt really bring anything new to the party. I dont inherently mind songs like that theres comfort in the familiar but this isnt comfortable. Paradox Theme is an old couch with a spring that juts into your hip.

That's it for tonight, feel free to poke around the bottom 10 if you want!

rwlh posted...

really intense guitar/violin combos, often with muddy, ominous chanting. In a way, Ive misled you, because I almost never like these kinds of songs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytz61uka79M

aw, I really love Silent Howling :(

Ouch @ the low rating for Cross Exam Allegro 2004. That's a popular one. I used to think it was amazing. Not anymore, though. I can understand giving it a 3 now. But you really need to play the AA trilogy if you haven't yet!

this has now become a scientific endeavor to see how far up the list my guitar/violin submission can possibly get in light of this new information.

I enjoy most of the bottom five songs, so that doesn't bode well for our tastes aligning! Really like Return of the Snow Queen.

I didn't really expect Silent Howling to do great, as much as I like it. So no worries about anything misleading!

Listened to the bottom five, and the only one I massively disagree on is the Rocket League one... aka your last place lol. Cronus and Return of the Snow Queen both started out promising, if they kept the vibe of the first half of their tracks, maybe I would have disagreed about them too.

I like Mago City Part 2 & Cross Examination.

rwlh posted...

Ballz 3D - Title Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRPz-uG-qXM

Waveshine purposefully gave me several songs she thought of as bad VGM. How did this pan out for her? Stay tuned to find out! In lieu of a writeup, I will quote a comment on the video that I find very fitting: Grandpa just learned what samples are and hes gonna use them all! I mean, I love weird samples in music, but these samples arent doing the song any favors, especially coupled with a pretty bland backing track. Mission accomplished, Fox! (I think?)

Woo, Name Entry officially not the worst vocal sample spamming song! ...Though now I'm curious how Trivial Pursuit's Credits theme compared to Ballz 3D's Title Theme since the spreadsheet didn't give scores (other than 9+).

...Okay, I know the answer is "not well", but as that song was my obscure and terrible barrage of arbitrary samples, I can't help but wonder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4AUY-v1nsE

There it is!

good drops (sorry EBF but you can very much be a mixed bag)

This bottom five befuddles me, particularly the two in last place, which are legitimately good.

I was honestly expecting Prison Island to be my first drop so this is a slight surprise.

Also Tag

Oh I'm in bottom 5 ^^'
Let's hope that you liked my other noms well

Wow, almost 50 posts and we're just leaving the bottom ten!

Always fascinating to see how many people like the bottom songs in a ranking, heh.

Fluttershy_Pony posted...

Woo, Name Entry officially not the worst vocal sample spamming song! ...Though now I'm curious how Trivial Pursuit's Credits theme compared to Ballz 3D's Title Theme since the spreadsheet didn't give scores (other than 9+).

...Okay, I know the answer is "not well", but as that song was my obscure and terrible barrage of arbitrary samples, I can't help but wonder.

I gave it a 6.5 but it's been a while.

Re-tag

now I moved onto 295-291. even more of a mixed bag for me. the ace attorney song is one I've always liked, even though it definitely could have been gifted a better ... soundfont? probably not the right word but I think y'all get what I'm saying. a little higher pitched in spots, yeah.

I was a minute into the ballz 3D song. I had my laugh. I chortled a good bit. It's bad but like in a funny way, you know? I thought, surely the song will end soon. But no, it was like four fucking minutes. I can't believe the one thing stopping me from enjoying the overly sampled porno music was the length.

I liked Cronus and the 2 SANABI songs but definitely nothing from the "great" tier for me yet.

3.5/10

290/5493
@loweffortmemes
Sakura no Uta - Dear My Friend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H04c1f48t4I

Shoegaze is a tough genre for me. I get overwhelmed a lot of the time with the wall of sound that covers me. I know I said I liked music that overwhelmed me, but shoegaze is more often than not overwhelming in an unpleasant way. I think its the guitars. At least thats the case in Dear My Friend, which would probably be a good hundred spots higher if not for that guitar. Ah, guitars. When will you learn?

289/5489
@TheArkOfTurus
SANABI - Great Escape
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0r2AF5iLbM

>_>

<_<

I like the beginning of this, with the big bass and EDM energybut then we have that synth again! Argh. Its frustrating because I want to like these songs. Great Escape was initially a 5.5. There are compelling ideas here. But that lead instrument spoils the whole package for me. Ah well. Maybe your other two songs will do better?

>____>

<____<

288/5481
kamakazikila
Fragile Dreams ~ Farewell Ruins of the Moon - Bother
https://youtu.be/3u64f09vRss

This strikes a difficult balance of intensity and sadness, like a weird storyline-heavy boss battle. Im reminded of Chrono Crosss People Seized With Fate. Bother does some neat things I like the sad piano and the progression between different ideas I just wasnt super into it. I get the sense that, like I said, its a fairly contextual song, and that its even more effective in-game, but theres a disconnect for me listening to it solo. Ah well.

287/5425
@Snake5555555555
Alan Wake 2 - Dark Ocean Summoning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5kb0nUoyqc

Can I just say I appreciate the restraint you all showed in not giving me 1) 15 Old Gods of Asgard songs and 2) Herald of Darkness specifically? The Old Gods songs arent really my favorite. Theyre just, like, 80s glam metal, which, hey, thats fine I guess but its not my favorite genre, and its a little baffling to me how they got so big (at least in this community). Dark Ocean Summoning is fine I guess. Its 80s glam metal. Thats basically all there is to say! (Oh also theres an evil laugh here. Maybe I should keep track of all the evil laughs)

286/5418
@MacArrowny
Turbo Overkill - Firestarter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz1NLqIjOMo

Firestarter has a lot of the same ideas and style as the SANABI songs, but the lead synth is much more tolerable to my ears. The problem with Firestarter is I feel like there just arent many of those ideas. Maybe its a problem I have with synthwave as a whole?

Damn :(

rwlh posted...

288/5481
kamakazikila
Fragile Dreams ~ Farewell Ruins of the Moon - Bother

I am bothered by this placement

rwlh posted...

3.5/10

290/5493
@loweffortmemes
Sakura no Uta - Dear My Friend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H04c1f48t4I

Shoegaze is a tough genre for me. I get overwhelmed a lot of the time with the wall of sound that covers me. I know I said I liked music that overwhelmed me, but shoegaze is more often than not overwhelming in an unpleasant way. I think its the guitars. At least thats the case in Dear My Friend, which would probably be a good hundred spots higher if not for that guitar. Ah, guitars. When will you learn?

Oh wow, that's a bummer. I was actually expecting this to be your favorite of my nominations, though I based this largely on how much you enjoyed The Final Smile from SubaHibi, and to a lesser extent Sakura to Kotori from HimaNatsu, which both share the same composer and singer as the ones on Dear My Friend and are songs I like for similar reasons as why I like Dear My Friend. Though, looking at your writeup, I guess it makes sense because Dear My Friend is a little harsher of a song than the other two. My thought process for nominating this were the similarities I mentioned above plus some "weird" or "interesting" elements of the song that I thought you might like, such as the somewhat unconventional (at least to me) guitar solo, but it seems that was a miscalculation on my part haha. Hopefully, the other Sakura no Uta song I picked fares better! It's definitely a different style of music from Dear My Friend, so that might help it.

As for the bottom songs from yesterday, while I wouldn't give have given them that low of a score (except maybe for the Ballz 3D song), I also didn't feel that strongly about most of them. I did like Silent Howling, though. That one was my favorite of your bottom ranked songs by a decent margin.