New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpkeFyALCGw&hd=1
So here is a track that I was going to put up for love week. Then it was not. I actually like this one! I seem to like duets in general. Anyway, I know Kenri and xp are huge fans of this, so I really posted it for them. Enjoy!
Rating: 5.5/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2eYYDyY82M&hd=1
Cool song. Very ITEM GET appropriate. Short, but nice. No complaints here.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8zKgP145ng&hd=1
Castle Crashers continue to have a really hit or miss soundtrack for me, because this piece is really good and almost certainly the best song I've heard from the game other than maybe Winterbliss. Barbarian Boss Theme starts out pretty good with gritty percussion, and then it just gets better and better as it goes. Really like how it introduces some brighter elements to balance things like, like the piano at around 35 seconds. And at about halfway through, it starts moving into majoritarily brighter sections, before finally putting the two together in about equal measure for the last minute or so. So it constantly changes things up, but everything feels like a natural extension of what came before it, even if the difference is quite large -- probably because it never varies too much in intensity, staying a rather energetic boss theme throughout.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
Short? What are you talking about? The entire last third of it is unnecessary, IMO. 3.5.
Castle Crashers - Barbarian Boss Theme
Oh, hey, this is really good. Like... probably the best Castle Crashers song I've heard, which is especially embarrassing considering I went with one like 3 days ago. Well, I don't know, it's closer than I originally thought, but I think it's my favorite so far. 6.5.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=353ccRibvsU&hd=1
You know, it's kind of weird, but for whatever reason this song is inexplicably connected to La Mer in my mind. I don't even know why, they're not even that similar, I feel. However, for whatever reason if I ever think of Ni Miedo I immediately think of La Mer, and vice versa. And really it's reached the point where I feel like that story is more interesting than just rehashing my usual commentary on why I like a song, because really there just aren't many new ways for me to phrase it. Or perhaps I'm just really that bad at it.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztkbUl4O2Jk&hd=1
I'm not sure if it's strictly a remix, but this song is very reminiscent of You -Destructive-, which... I guess makes sense given its name. Don't think I like it quite as much, but it's still pretty good. In particular, it feels like it has a lot more going on, which doesn't always work out in its favor. Generally though I like the extra intensity it brings to the table. If nothing else the extra elements allow it to create a nice contrast when it then drops those elements for brief periods. (The best parts are still when everything's going at once, though, even if they border on being a bit too chaotic.)
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
Yes, this is a good piece. Not as good as You -Destructive- though, no. 6.0.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4SFXIzNf1o&hd=1
Part of what makes Virmire my favorite part of Mass Effect 1 by a wide, wide margin, is that you have this song playing during the climax of it. It's probably my favorite piece from Mass Effect 1, and I'm not even sure I could do a good job describing why I like it as much as I do, other than saying something generic like "It's very well put together, IMO." (I am so bad at this.)
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eU0tRBHnE0&hd=1
Can't believe this hasn't been posted already. Then again, perhaps I should have taken that as a hint? I dunno. In any case, the only reason I hadn't posted it previously is because I felt like I should play FFVIII first, but then I haven't played Ougon Musou Kyoku either, so... that was a silly feeling, I think.
I really like Balamb Garden, at any rate. It's a very peaceful, beautiful track. The first 21 seconds are probably the most memorable part of the piece; they get a really cool sound going there and I wish they went to back to that a bit more often. That said, I also like the almost harmonica-like section at 1:17. ...Not sure what instrument that's actually meant to be so I'm going with harmonica. I could absolutely see this playing in a garden or any other sort of peaceful environment; sort of like Love is in the Air, it transports me outside on a lazy spring or summer day. It's a good feeling.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
Can't believe this hasn't been posted already.
FFVIII has a pretty good soundtrack! Not sure why you'd expect me to insult it by going to Balamb Garden! Seriously though, I like a lot of the FFVIII soundtrack more than I do Balamb Garden. Plus, I don't really care for Balamb Garden, think it's overrated. 4.5.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEDzgqAv1y4&hd=1
Valkyrie Profile has some of the most amusing song naming I know of in a game. Some of the song titles I just look at it and wonder what exactly happened. An Illusion of the Brainstem is probably... one of the more moderate ones, actually. It also happens to be my favorite dungeon theme in VP1 (except for possibly one other, all assuming I remember correctly.) It manages to keep up a fast pace without ever getting in over its head, IMO.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEGro4NpgCg&hd=1
Still not completely sure how I feel about Sonic Colors' music, but I definitely like this song, at least, and I almost certainly consider it the best song in the game. It's less repetitive than Planet Wisp and more memorable than most of the rest of the game's music.
Aquarium Park Act 1 has a lot of sections that are really chilled out and relaxing, and sometimes I feel like those are the best parts of the piece, but overall it definitely needs the faster sections like at 12 seconds. Those are definitely the most distinctive parts of the piece, and they also add a welcome contrast in that... Okay, this is kind of weird, but the chilled out piano sections have a more natural feeling to them, while the faster parts have a more synthetic feeling, and the contrast there works really well.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
Liberal Arts Major
Eh, don't really care for this. 5.0.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkLkVgqop0&hd=1
Along with adding FeMC, P3P also put in a bunch of new songs in P3P if you play as FeMC (with the original OST still there if you played as MC), in general, I feel the songs are about equal. However, FeMC has a much better World Map 1 Theme, so it feels like FeMC's songs are vastly superior sometimes. Danger Zone is the Tartarus Boss Theme for FeMC, and the equivalent of the original's Master of Tartarus. I'm not entirely sure which of the two I prefer, and I'm even feeling like it might be Master of Tartarus, but they're both good boss themes, IMO. I think what really makes Danger Zone good and not just okay are sections like 0:36 - 1:16.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AIT74znyF4&hd=1
Brave Beat is a song in AT1 that combines a few things I typically like in AT's music. Obviously you have the vocals in the beginning, they quickly go away (for the most part), with is unfortunate, but that's okay. I feel the song does a great job building up to my favorite part which happens at 1:33 - 1:40, I just really, really like that section.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zRILWWyJwo&hd=1
There's a second time for everything. My main VN music provider got busted by the youtube police so I had to take matters into my own hands.
Madonna Monastery is possibly the strangest song I've posted so far and I don't say that lightly, which is quite a contrast from the other two songs I've posted from the same game, which were (relatively) safe. The main feature here is the saxophone, which is played in such a way so as to be incredibly unnerving. Of course, sometimes being unnerved is a good thing, so th-- I DON'T WANT YOU LOVING ME
...so um. i guess i should also talk about the-- I DON'T WANT YOUR SOUL WITH ME --occasional demonic robot and/or creepy child voices. because those are a thing too. and probably what make this song so strange. I can see it being a love it or hate it thing (and really, I sit somewhere between the two myself), but it definitely adds to the atmosphere and makes the song creepy as hell.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QG0PAUwFwM&hd=1
I am the LAZIEST person. This just got posted on VGMusic of the Day and I liked it a lot so I went "sure let's post that to make up for March 30th or whatever." Which also makes this a time paradox of sorts since I had not heard it before March 30th. My amount of caring is pretty low considering I posted it anyway. There is a section around two minutes in that is not as good as the rest, but the rest is really darn good. That section is not awful either, just not as good.
Rating: 7/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNDZUZKhwRE&hd=1
I am not familiar with much Baldur's Gate music. This is a lovely track though. I particularly like the delicate strings that lead it off, and the vocals added in make it all the better. If I had to complain about something, it is that I think it could be a bit longer. Not a lot longer, but it does feel like it ends a bit prematurely. Otherwise, yeah, I like this one.
Rating: 6.5/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - Eternal Bond
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1NwIq5akBA&hd=1
Yeah, I really should have posted this over Unending Task. Not because Unending Task is bad, but because I love this track. That was back when I was trying to post things that people would like, and then I realized I was going to mess that up anyway so I may as well just post things I like to at least make one person happy. My favorite section is easily the part at the very end, right before it loops. I also like how it scales as it goes on, seeming to become a bit faster as it plays.
Rating: 7.5/10
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - Rhapsody of the Forsaken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI8GD9aLjmk&hd=1
I feel weird about how I rank Order of Ecclesia's soundtrack. I feel like An Empty Tome is the best one there, yet I think I might prefer this and Sorrow's Distortion to it for some reason. This plays at a prison island and has a desolate tone while still being energetic. How does it accomplish this? I have no idea. I just like hearing it.
Rating: 7/10
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories - Visual Sensation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7H3k_wzrKs&hd=1
This is my favorite of the 'normal' battle themes. It actually ranks pretty highly out of the battle themes in general, but is not at the absolute top in that regard. It feels smooth to listen to, if that makes any sense whatsoever. It also seems to build up to the ending portion before the loop, which happens to be my favorite section.
Rating: 6.5/10
Tales of the Abyss - Awkward Justice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztir5aiFCsE&hd=1
Tales of the Abyss has a lot of battle music I like, and this is no exception. It plays when you face the God Generals, and since they get fought a lot, it is a good thing they have a nice track to go with them. I seem to be saying this a lot, but it is a high energy track without being noisy. I mentioned I like those, right? Because I do. I prefer the beginning to the later sections, but it remains pretty solid throughout.
Rating: 6.5/10
Wild Arms XF - Intrude Upon Happiness, Plunder the Future
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBr2t0UdB-Q&hd=1
Here is a classic case of an awful character getting a really good theme. Weisheit, the most foe yay villain I have seen in just about anything, has this play during his battles. At first I was unsure of whether I preferred this or Beauty and the Shining Sword. I can now easily say I prefer this, though I like both still. It actually seems like an optimistic piece, which is strange considering who it is attached to.
Rating: 7/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoZs7lZlmOc&hd=1
Xenoblade finally came out today, much to my happiness. I am waiting for my copy, but hey, I can still post this. This is a beautiful track from the start, and the vocals that come in later make it even better. I think, so far, this is my favorite track from the game, though Unfinished Battle is close enough to make me unable to say for sure.
Rating: 7.5/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Liberal Arts Major
I'm actually okay with this... until the saxophone comes in. It just... isn't a credit to team, IMO. 4.0. Take that away and I might go up as much as 2 points.
SpaceChem - Working
This is okay, I guess. It gets better a little over 2 minutes in, but that doesn't forgive the first half. 5.5.
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - Elfsong
This is also okay, I guess. Better than Working's first half, not as good as its second. 5.5.
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - Eternal Bond
This is also okay, I guess. But probably not as okay as the last two. 5.0.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - Rhapsody of the Forsaken
"Desolate tone?" You guys are just trolling me now, aren't you? 5.5.
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories - Visual Sensation
Also okay. 5.5.
Tales of the Abyss - Awkward Justice
Better than okay. 6.0.
Wild Arms XF - Intrude Upon Happiness, Plunder the Future
Yeah, Intrude Upon Happiness is good. 6.5.
Xenoblade Chronicles - Satorl ~ Phosphorescent Land / Night
Back to okay. 5.0.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM8h2Xyis9M&hd=1
Knuckles is the absolute best. Single-handedly elevates 3D Sonic music to absolutely wonderful heights in both Sonic Adventure games. All Sonic music should be Knuckles vocal songs, IMO. Well, a few other songs can stay too, but the majority should be Knuckles vocals songs. Now, I do legitimately like SA1's Unknown from M. E., and think SA2's version is a downgrade. My favorite part is the section at 1:25 - 1:45 and sections like it, I just really like that chorus. I'm not sure if I like Tails or Knuckles' theme more, they're both great IMO.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_57A5l5RkFQ&hd=1
I seem to recall being the only one who frequents this topic to particularly like this track. Maybe it can be attributed to my blatant fangirlishness, or the fact I like the title, or the piano. Who knows? I always liked fighting in Traverse Town to hear this one though. It will remain a good track in my heart if nothing else.
Rating: 7/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lveYoHd-ruc&hd=1
Remember way back in topic 1 when I posted Ai no Uta, which isn't actually from Pikmin but sort of counts because it's Pikmin-related? This is a similar case, except where Ai no Uta is one of my favorite songs, Namida Ga Afureta is MERELY better than my other material!
I still like the minimalist instrumentation and the main vocalist; Strawberry Flower did both songs, so it's probably to be expected that if I liked the style of one, I'd still like that style in a different one. That said, whereas Ai no Uta used a harmonica to great effect, Namida Ga Afureta... never has anything as distinctive. The piano and stringed instruments are pretty nice, but there's also a weird high pitched instrument that I don't like as much. The lyrics aren't nearly as good either. ...That all sounded pretty negative, but I still like the song; I just can't help but compare it to Ai no Uta, and... Ai no Uta wins that comparison every time.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekyh9bn7m_w&hd=1
I have a reason for posting Lamento on Easter, but it is convoluted and not entirely logical and it involves lewd jokes that apparently came from mythology, so let us skip that and talk about the track. This is the first track from Lamento I heard. While I prefer Verum, I still like this one a lot. Someone in the topic for the newest video game music contest actually asked if Lamento had only songs with lyrics in them. Here is an example of one that has no lyrics but still manages to be really nice.
Rating: 7/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Liberal Arts Major
I never liked this. And then I grinded in KH1 for... something, I don't remember the details, except by the end of it I especially never liked this song. Anyway, KH1 has much better than Hand in Hand. 4.0.
Pikmin - Namida Ga Afureta
I'm in a weird position here where I think some of my issues here are sound quality related because certain parts of this song just have such EMPHASIS placed on them for a split second and I really hope that's not intentional, and I'll assume, or at least try to assume, it's just a sound quality issue, or else I'd have to drop my score a bit more because it's just... not good. 4.5.
Lamento: Beyond the Void - Denshou no Shi -Nervus-
This started okay, but then got worse as it started trying to do more... and not executing it that well, IMO. 5.0.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx4mN0U7gMw&hd=1
I've only heard two songs from I/O so far (should change that), but both have been good IMO. Wasn't sure if I liked include or Fragment more, because I just like them both, albeit for different reasons. I think I'd side with Fragment now, but still, include is pretty great. include also reminds me of some other songs, but I just can't place them for some reason, and this is going to bug me now.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Liberal Arts Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk4q-L01_28&hd=1
So, I've only heard 3 songs from Sequence so far, but they're all great (just like I/O, but better, IMO) and this is another thing I should change by listening to the rest of Sequence's OST, however back to those three, Loui is definitely my favorite of them. It just pretty much uses all of its elements to their fullest potential, IMO, and it's just amazing to listen to. I think my favorite section is the one at 1:10 - 1:30, but really it's all just excellent. Definitely the favorite song I've been introduced to thus far into the VGMC6 nominations over on Board 8 so far.
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwKeuoti-3o&hd=1
I guess this is cute songs week or something. ...That isn't a real week, and not just because I skipped yesterday to do an assignment that I forgot was due today (probably because it was actually due on the 16th, which isn't today at all). Still, two cute songs in close succession, that's like a theme week.
Pink's Theme is pretty clearly inferior to Red's Theme and Green's Theme in my opinion, but I still like it a lot, like most of the character themes from LocoRoco. I do think it has an edge over the other two in catchiness, though. Whereas Green's Theme had a vaguely Spanish or Italian sound to it, and Red's Theme was pretty firmly placed in the Caribbean, I feel like Pink's Theme sounds kinda-sorta fake fantasy French. It's not as good of a match as the other two with LocoRoco's constructed language, but it still works pretty well, in part because the singer is pretty good.
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"You're childish. What are you getting? Are you getting strawberry? Ha! That's such a childish flavor, only children eat strawberry."
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkaRvrEjkOw&hd=1
Though it is short and remains fairly static throughout, I like this town theme a lot. It has a good atmosphere to it and makes use of vocals and bells in a surprisingly peaceful manner. 1:16 is where my favorite portion kicks in, but all of it appeals to me.
Rating: 6.5/10
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears