Board 8 > [VGMC] Day 67! feat. a Bird in the Breeze above Two Beginnings

(+) Yeah! (+)

Welcome to Video Game Music Contest 19, 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=479594
Contest info sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HqEzmlfEUsm6BWJbBxDm6ZUnQQ_2d1ezDlVBN2sYepY
Contest discussion thread: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/8-gamefaqs-contests/80981071
Main bracket playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT3m7iohpL0zm7Svx4DXDy1XjUejSBazd
Last years spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HBxgL9woiCMFKNOPuN_qdxmzjStJXSpC3Ocalfsavdk
VGMC total stats sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1XdLWiUKB2kX99qYBgnRbLU_sCz4dvZSByKKJHCT6o
VGMC info site (thank you p0!!): https://p0p0p0p.github.io/
Discord: https://discord.gg/7FVXqWj

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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Tiebreaker Match

New Roommania - where is smiley?
Composer: Tomoko Sasaki
Loop Point: 4:30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3e_HwISnqs

Gamera 2000 - The End of 1996 H.K.
Composer: Masahiko Takaki, Munehiro Nakanishi, Shuichiro Nakazawa
Loop Point: 4:47
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJDkw5ZCjKA

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Match 1

Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos - Title
Composer: Tim Follin
Loop Point: 2:55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne
Composer: Kumi Tanioka
Loop Point: 3:34
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkQkixyZH68

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Match 2

Shinju no Yakata - Loneliness of the Caged Bird
Composer: Yoh Ohyama
Loop Point: 5:40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DSmcq68bW0

Ecco the Dolphin (Sega CD) - Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)
Composer: Spencer Nilsen
Loop Point: 4:33
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCiLK-9pgJs

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Easy vote form:
where is smiley? / The End of 1996 H.K.
Title / Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird / Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

New Roommania - where is smiley?
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne
Ecco the Dolphin (Sega CD) - Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

where is smiley?
Title
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

The End of 1996 H.K.
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

i did not realize i put THIS many title/opening songs in early A and it's hilarious that A1 just happened to guarantee an opening retiree in R3 oops

The End of 1996 H.K. (Gamera 2000)
Kaze no Ne (Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles)
Title Screen (Ecco the Dolphin (Sega CD))

1996 hk
kaze no ne
aqua vistas

The End of 1996 H.K.
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

The End of 1996 H.K.
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

The End of 1996 H.K.
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

The End of 1996 H.K.
Kaze no Ne
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

Whoever wins this tiebreaker needs to win the corner altogether, I'm being real here.
Go, Kaze no Ne! This time's the charm! Solstice's a good winner, I just love Kaze no Ne more.
Caged Bird is still excellent after what appeared to me as an easy corner. Barely takes my vote.

The End of 1996 H.K.
Title
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

Smiley
Title
Screen

The End of 1996 H.K.
Title
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

The End of 1996 H.K.
Kaze no Ne
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

The End of 1996 H.K.
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

smiley
Kaze
Caged

The End of 1996 H.K.
Title
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne

abstain still
Kaze no Ne
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

I didn't have any of the A1 songs getting this far, but it's still a pretty decent lineup for me.

where is smiley?
Title
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

where is smiley? >> Kaze no Ne > Title Screen (Aqua Vistas) > Loneliness of the Caged Bird > The End of 1996 H.K. >>> Title

:)
Title
Title

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

Smiley :)
:|
:(

Whichever song wins this tiebreaker should win the contest. I think they're my top 2.

The End of 1996 H.K.
Title
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

Dang, last time smiley impacted me a lot more than H.K., but today it's the opposite...

The End of 1996 H.K.
Title
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

where is smiley?
Title
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

Two of the coolest title themes ever

where is smiley?
Title
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

Title Screen (Aqua Vistas) > Title > where is smiley? > Morning Sky > The end of 1996 H.K. > Loneliness of the Caged Bird

where is smiley? - 8
cute song I like :)

The end of 1996 H.K. - 7.5
neat after the fucky opening panning

Title - 8.25
best NES song ez, love this one. just held back by... well, being an NES song the only chiptune song in my playlist is Metal Beat

Morning Sky - 8
I used to be WAY bigger on this song and I'm not entirely sure why

Loneliness of the Caged Bird - 7
there sure are a lot of weeb songs in this tournament

Title Screen (Aqua Vistas) - 8.5
absolutely beautiful song, big fan

hk
title
byird

where is smiley?
Title
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

The End of 1996 H.K.
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

The last match has two very good songs. Caged bird grew on me a lot. Those strings are so nice. I guess I have to continue to abstain here.
Waveshine_2001 posted...

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne

The End of 1996 H.K.
Title
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

where is smiley?
Title
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

1996
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of le Caged Bird

i feel like i'm seeing yoh ohyama's name everywhere this week.

The End of 1996 H.K.
Title
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

The End of 1996 H.K.
Title
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

where is smiley?
-
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

[oh my god this page keeps refreshing and i have to rewrite everything]
Came in expecting to change to an abstain on the tiebreaker, but 1996 has only grown on me. Match 3 is super brutal and it took me I think literally over an hour to decide but A1 really has only winners left. Other divisions should take notes

Gamera 2000 - The End of 1996 H.K.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Kaze no Ne
Ecco the Dolphin (Sega CD) - Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

New Roommania - where is smiley?
Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos - Title
Shinju no Yakata - Loneliness of the Caged Bird

The End of 1996 H.K.
Kaze no Ne
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

Oh no, smiley. You think Id let you get away with this? Maybe Id flip my vote to another support in need? No. I promised 1996 H.K. the world, and that world doesnt include you! So wipe that smile off your face!!!

*Ahem* Moving on, its kind of hard to talk about good water-themed VGM because theres such a well-understood idea of how those songs sound, you end up saying yes, it sounds like that. When it comes to Aqua Vistas, I think it does especially well at balancing the feelings of wonder and trepidation, which a lot of water songs will lean into one or the other. It has the beautiful sparkling sounds you expect, but theyre not at peace. Theyre slippery, borne about by a restless current. The ominous booms and wails in the background feel like natural occurrences: they could be a monster, or just the settling of the ocean floor. The speed up at 3:33, that ends up getting swallowed by the waves at 4:22, is a perfect finish.

Rankings based on how suitable the song is for a beginning/ending.
Loneliness of the Caged Bird > Kaze no Ne > Title Screen (Aqua Vistas) > Title > Howling of the Crows
Battle - f8 One Who Stands Against God > The Apex of the World (Rain) > Spiral of Erebos > Stage 5 - Research Facility > Auld Lang Syne

Caged Bird gets the nod for being the most understated. I like that in a beginning - no need to rush right in. Battle f8 wins over Apex for sounding properly apocalyptic. Like Meridian Dance, I never wouldve guessed Auld Lang Syne is a final boss theme.

where is smiley?
Title
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

Match 1 is the exact kind of match in the middle of pre-retirement that I loathe the most: two great/fantastic songs that have to fight and only let one winner be decided.

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

where is smiley?
Title
Title Screen (Aqua Vistas)

Easily the best day so far

where is smiley?
Kaze no Ne
Loneliness of the Caged Bird

Can we just retire all 6 songs today please