He has one for another PSO song that'll appear later too. Really good covers
He has one for another PSO song that'll appear later too. Really good covers
Hakura Temple
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
First time I've actually sat down at my PC in a week.
Yet another tie. Tails won this toss. Hakura Temple (3-1) and Fire Emblem (2-2) advance!
Round 1, Fight 8 // Best of Phantasy Star
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Nursery Probe ~ ??? (Scenery) from Phantasy Star Online 2
by Hideaki Kobayashi (Windows, 2012)
vs.
Hello from Phantasy Star Online 2
by Kenichi Tokoi (Windows, 2012)
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Round 1, Fight 8 // Best of 2019
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Anodyne 2: Return to Dust by Melos Han-Tani
Sample tracks: Center City Cenote, Longing, Time to Let Go, Pastel Horizon, Bonegummed Yearnsands
vs.
Heaven's Vault by Laurence Chapman
Sample tracks: Before the Fall, An Ancient Language, Buried in the Walls, Heaven's Vault, Fantasia on One Good Moon
Hello
Anodyne 2
Reincarnated once again the Rumble continues
Nursery Probe
Heaven's Vault
Welcome back!!Reincarnated once again the Rumble continues
Nursery Probe
Heaven's Vault - Brutal match-up for Round 1. I like both of these soundtracks.
Nursery
Anodyne
Nursery Probe is kind of a guilty pleasure on my part. I love how the violin is just short of being painful to listen to, deliberately screechy and off-putting in a way that only adds to the song. Halloween music tends to be very cliched and digestible so how this song tickles with playing it straight while actually committing to making it disturbing is appreciated. Honestly surprised it's getting votes. I'm tempted to blame it on pure stylistic preferences. Hello is not usually my thing, so I'm sympathetic, but on the other hand, it's basically perfect for what it is, so shame on you all for not voting for the song I'm not voting for.
Anodyne seems pretty anodyne ha ha ha ha ha. Very nice and wistful music. I briefly had an existential crisis when listening to this thinking that I was playing a video game while cleaning which is a first, so I guess it's got some kind of power. Strong game. Heaven's Vault is like, ok that's very nice music I can honestly hear in a lot of other places that's also way too short (in a style that lends itself to suites #4507).
Happy 13th anniversary to the Rumble!
13th Anniversary.jpg
Friday the 13th hmmmmmm
Nursery Probe and Heaven's Vault for me.
No ties this time! Nursery Probe (4-1) and Heaven's Vault (3-2) advance.
Round 1, Fight 9 // Best of Phantasy Star
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The Whole New World from Phantasy Star Online 2
by Hideaki Kobayashi (Windows, 2012)
vs.
Dustyl Hammer/Dustyl Vera from Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis
by SEGA (Windows, 2021)
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Round 1, Fight 9 // Best of 2019
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Disco Elysium by Sea Power
Sample tracks: Whirling in Rags (Day), Hardcore Disco Music, Tribunal Theme, Phasmid Reveal, Whirling in Rags (Night)
vs.
Apex Legends by Steven Barton
Sample tracks: Main Theme, Preparing the Arena, Choose Your Legend, You are the Jumpmaster, Victory & Lobby Redux
@nutella apparently Sea Power make vgm lol
Dustyl Hammer
Apex Legends
The Whole New World
Disco Elysium
The Whole New World
Apex
Orchestral perfection. Nothing needs to be said past that... except that Kobayashi totally reused the motif in Smash Ultimate
I remember somebody saying that they wanted Go Shiina to do work on PSO2. I didn't think it was a terrible idea, but wasn't sure how well he'd actually fit... and then comes Kenichi Tokoi (probably) to see me that he would, actually, really well. It's interesting in that it has a lot of nice little pieces that might be generic in other songs coming together in a transformative way--the violin stabs, choir, horns, and desert vibe you would totally expect to hear, just not together like this. ftr the "hammer" Dustyl has is a guitar.
Disco had kind of a cool vibe but the songs were pretty repetitive and it didn't capitalize well on what it had. On one hand I'm a bit surprised that the game didn't have more moving music. On the other, I know a lot of fans of it and I probably would've heard some songs from it before now if it was particularly good.
Pleasantly surprised by Apex's music. I was definitely expecting generic zzzzz AAA Hollywood uninspired Overwatch bull$%#!, but it's cool! Conveys the cliche shooter attitudes it needs to while actually delivering on creating music that actually adds something to the world. In a sense, it reminds me of this song, both in its style and that it makes you wonder what this kind of music is doing here:
Last edited by NFUN; May 30th, 2022 at 06:05 PM.
Last time I'll shill this. The big VGM tourney has begun its 16th year. The first day of voting is here, and you can see the bracket/song playlist. If anybody has interest in participating, you can make an account and wait a few days before being able to post (I can vote in your stead until it's old enough) or you can DM me and I'll give you an alt.
There are two Phantasy Star songs and one 2019 soundtrack song (Apex of the World) in it!
Dustyl Hammer/Dustyl Vera
Disco Elysium
Can't escape the feeling that every Apex Legend track is a remix of the same song.
The Whole New World (3-2) and Apex Legends (3-2) advance!
Round 1, Fight 10 // Best of Phantasy Star
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Mother ~ of the Earth from Phantasy Star Online 2
by Hidekuni Horita (Windows, 2012)
vs.
The Frenzy Wilds from Phantasy Star Online
by Fumie Kumatani (Dreamcast, 2000)
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Round 1, Fight 10 // Best of 2019
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A Plague Tale: Innocence by Olivier Deriviere
Sample tracks: The Inquisition, Father, A Plague Tale, Beyond the Horizon, The Killing
vs.
Borderlands 3 by Michael McCann, Jesper Kyd, Finishing Move Inc.
Sample tracks: Sanctuary 3, Atlas HQ, Main Menu (Day Variant), The Rampager Part 2, Digby Vermouth - Supernova Dreamsicle
Mother ~ of the Earth
A Plague Tale: Innocence
Mother of the Earth
Borderlands
Mother of the Earth hits such a secific vibe for me that I love. Somebody commented on the Whole New World upload that the song makes them feel like they're in an empty universe containing nothing but an orchestra, which is exactly how this song makes me feel. It's... dissociative, somehow in a good way. Fittingly ethereal for a song about aether. It's emblematic of a "winter" soundscape, evoking the peace and silence and not uncomfortable cold of an empty snow-covered field. I love that aesthetic of both fullness and emptiness which is hard to find outside of solo piano pieces. Kind of similar to this, if anybody ever listens to the random songs I post in here
Frenzy Wilds is just the opposite. Straight-up banger, no way around it. It's hilarious how weirdly common frog SFX on the third beat is (Garden System from Mega Man Network Transmission and Jungle Joyride from Sonic Unleashed do too). Also check out the premium arrangement of this by Namiki, which actually kind of has a similar feel to Mother.
Cellos are so underrated. More orchestral soundtracks need to focus on being emotive rather than just incidental to support what's happening. Media's gestalt is so much better when every aspect of it can stand up on its own as well as contributing to the whole. Some of these tracks do lack variation but they don't lack impact. The juxtaposition of the uploads' closing jingle with the tracks is... something. Borderlands 3 also also seems to strike this balance pretty well. I've played 2, uh, a few times, but only a couple of tracks ever stood out to me at all. Perhaps it's actually more memorable out of context and these would fade into the background when playing, but idk. I explicitly remember a few stings and such in 2 so I was paying some kind of attention. Digby wins the tiebreaker
Frenzy Wilds
Borderlands 3
Tough choice for both of these.
Mother of the Earth
A Plague Tale
Mother ~ of the Earth (4-1) and A Plague Tale: Innocence (3-2) advance!
Round 1, Fight 11 // Best of Phantasy Star
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IDOLA have the Immortal Feather from Phantasy Star Online
by Hideaki Kobayashi (Dreamcast, 2000)
vs.
Superior Probe ~ Underworks from Phantasy Star Online 2
by Tomoya Ohtani (Windows, 2012)
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Round 1, Fight 11 // Best of 2019
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Code Vein by Go Shiina
Sample tracks: Main Menu, Battle Theme, Memory of the Lost, Requiem -Peace & Light-, Towards the Eternal Glory
vs.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice by Yuka Kitamura
Sample tracks: Sekiro, The One-Armed Wolf, The Owl, Okami Lineage, Strength and Discipline, Divine Dragon
Superior Probe ~ Underworks
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Superior Probe ~ Underworks
Code Vein
Tough choice on the PS song vote.
Underworks
Sekiro
I adore the syncopation of Feather. It gives the song such a unique driving feel, something both almost refreshingly straight-forward yet clever and effective. The melody could honestly use a bit of work but the energy and the instrumentation make it for it. Would be the peak of "IDOLA" music if only there weren't several IDOLA songs better than it. Rough competition.
Underworks is probably straight-up my favorite ambient song, which probably isn't saying much, and my favorite IDM song, which is saying a lot more... I don't think I can even describe why I like this so much. There's one section in a different mix of this (one that I didn't use here because it's much longer, but totally worth checking out if you were into this one) that blew me away, but even that on its own wouldn't be enough to secure its place as a notable song in this soundtrack of hundreds. Idk, maybe my friend that likes this even more will show up and drop a few pages on why it's amazing. I'm shocked it's winning I was totally expecting it to eat $%#! against most of the competition and especially Immortal Feather.
I'd say Code Vein is what kind of soundtrack you get when you spend all of your budget on the character creator... but PSO2 did that too so lol. I heard the Owl in last year's VGMC, and was pretty pleasantly surprised by it. The soundtrack is no Okami or Muramasa... though most things aren't and that's not saying much. I guess Kudo worked on Elden Ring so there's a roundabout connection there. Delivers well on both the action and folk Japanese elements and I have nothing to complain about.
Last edited by NFUN; June 7th, 2022 at 10:59 PM.
Superior Probe ~ Underworks
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Superior Probe ~ Underworks (4-0) and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (3-1) advance!
Round 1, Fight 12 // Best of Phantasy Star
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Rozenom Line Milate 04 from Phantasy Star Universe
by Hideaki Kobayashi (PS2, 2006)
vs.
Growl, from the Red Beat from Phantasy Star 0
by Hideaki Kobayashi (NDS, 2008)
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Round 1, Fight 12 // Best of 2019
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Afterparty by scntfc
Sample tracks: Your Own, Personal Demon, Schoolyard Stranger, After, Party, Hades Gonna Hate, Afterever
vs.
Katana Zero by Thijs Lodewijk & Bill Kiley
Sample tracks: Hit the Floor, Breath of a Serpent, All For Now, Sneaky Driver, Rain on Brick
Last edited by Shad; June 9th, 2022 at 05:43 PM.
*Sekiro, not A Plague Tale, won the last round 3-1.
Growl, from the Red Beat
Katana Zero
Afterparty's plot summary is pretty amazing: You are Milo and Lola, recently deceased best buds who suddenly find themselves staring down an eternity in Hell. But there's a loophole: outdrink Satan and he'll grant you re-entry to Earth.
I blame an uncooperative V key
But I fixed the other half dozen places Paste failed before you had a chance to notice
Rozenom
KZ
This is a pretty unique usage of samples for Kobayashi here. He takes the mixing of different styles and elements in a pretty weird direction here. It still has the future space chords he imbued the soundtracks with, and then decided to turn it into a kind of pastiche of the amateurish EDM you found a lot of during that era. It's a neat effect of having a style that's often regarded as inaccessible combined with one that's by nature extremely accessible.
Handheld Kobayashi music is in its own little zone. Between this soundtrack and his Sonic Advance/Battle music, I can't quite decide if he's actually good at working within the limitations of the consoles, but he definitely uses them to effect. This very reminiscent of PSO music in composition, so it's cool to see it expressed in a totally different soundset. Not my favorite of the "Idola zone" of tracks, but I can appreciate it for what it is.
The composer of Afterparty listened to a lot of Binding of Isaac and Hotline Miami (and Fez??), got inspired, sat down to write some music, and then completely forgot to make the soundtrack interesting at all, huh? Katana Zero is much more aware of its genre and how to utilize it.
Rozenom Line
Katana Zero
Rozenom Line
Afterparty
Rozenom Line (4-1) and Katana Zero (4-1) advance!
Round 1, Fight 13 // Best of Phantasy Star
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Zero-G ~ The Earth (All Phase Mix) from Phantasy Star Online 2
by SEGA (Windows, 2012)
vs.
Cry, for "IDOLA" the Holy from Phantasy Star Online
by Hideaki Kobayashi (Dreamcast, 2000)
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Round 1, Fight 13 // Best of 2019
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Little Town Hero by Toby Fox & Hitomi Sato
Sample tracks: This is My Town, Village Clash, Little Town Hero, Win by a Hair, End the Story!
vs.
Hypnospace Outlaw by Jay Tholen
Sample tracks: Millennium Anthem (.Hsm Version), Sleeptime Computing, Eulogy, Ice Cream and Booze, Millennium Anthem (2000 New Years Eve)
Cry, for "IDOLA" the Holy
Little Town Hero
Zero-G ~ The Earth (All Phase Mix)
Little Town Hero
Zero-G
Hypno
zero-g is where kobayashi went sicko mode and decided it was a totally normal and reasonable thing to put eleven versions of the same song on the soundtrack. I don't know how he used Sympathy and dynamic mixing of song segments to create a $%#!ing pop song but here we are.
i'm too tired for writeups
little town hero has a lot more soul than i was expecting for post-undertale toby.
where's granny cream's hot butter ice cream or time to shave??
Last edited by NFUN; June 13th, 2022 at 06:49 PM.
Zero-G
Little Town Hero
Zero-G
Hypnospace Outlaw
Zero-G (4-1) and Little Town Hero (3-2) advance!
Round 1, Fight 14 // Best of Phantasy Star
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Snowstorm from Phantasy Star 0
by Hideaki Kobayashi (NDS, 2008)
vs.
Dark to Light from Phantasy Star Online 2
by Hideaki Kobayashi & Mitsuharu Fukuyama (Windows, 2012)
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Round 1, Fight 14 // Best of 2019
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Anthem by Sarah Schachner
Sample tracks: Legion of Dawn, The Anthem of Creation, Valor, In the Shadow of the Gods, Hidden Depths
vs.
Death Stranding by Ludvig Forssell
Sample tracks: Once, There Was an Explosion, BB's Theme, Cargo High, Strands, Alone We Have No Future
Dark to Light
Death Stranding
Dark to Light
Death Stranding
Dark to Light
Anthem
Kobayashi has done some classical-ish pieces in the past, and you can kind of hear that influence here (with a similar theming too!). This deals with the limitations of the DS, but still conveys majesty and playfulness at once effectively, as well including a kind of tense drum/bass pattern that pops up a lot in Zero. Was very happy to see it as an easter egg in the new New Genesis update
WE RISE UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE DEPTHS TO FORGE A PATH
Dark to Light
Anthem
Tails wins the toss! Dark to Light (4-0) and Death Stranding (2-2) advance! Reminder as usual that until the round ends, anyone is welcome to go back and overrule tie breaks with a vote.
Round 1, Fight 15 // Best of Phantasy Star
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Entry Into the Crater ~ Part 2 from Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst
by Fumie Kumatani (Windows, 2003)
vs.
The Devotion God from Phantasy Star Online 2
by Mitsuharu Fukuyama (Windows, 2012)
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Round 1, Fight 15 // Best of 2019
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Tales from Toppletown by Twinkle Park & Dustin van Wyk
Sample tracks: Cosmo's House, Topple Tango, Topple Hop, Quiet Woodlands, Lovely Topple
vs.
Outer Wilds by Andrew Prahlow
Sample tracks: Outer Wilds, Timber Hearth, The Sun Station, Travelers, 14.3 Billion Years
Entry Into the Crater ~ Part 2
Tales from Toppletown
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