I found the Ace Combat tune sort of generic-sounding, myself. Maybe a 4, tops.
Oh Ive been away and didnt even get to vote for my own track and my 8bit offering for this round. 2nd is respectable though for an obscurity based on Glass’s work, which isn’t that accessible.
Octopath Traveller was one of the best tracks in this round so far. What a lovely little tune.
Group Q Results:
- Into the Breach - 3.83
- Witcher 3 - 3.78
- Octopath Traveler - 3.75
- Ace Combat 6 - 3.33
Group R:
@Left_Empty: Eclipse - Blaze up (Composed by Ryu Umemoto)
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@lordkosc: Super Mario Bros. - Overworld Theme (Composed by Koji Kondo)
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@Vesper: Spelunky HD - Title ()
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@Nightgaunt: VVVVVV - Pressure Cooker (Composed by SoulEye)
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SMB is tough. It’s a lot less sophisticated in its sound and arrangement than a lot of chiptunes of the period, IMO. But it’s still an insanely catchy tune, and if there’s any bump to be given for intangibles (influence, cultural impact, nostalgia, whatever), this would be an entry that gets it.
VVVVVV is my personal favorite game soundtrack, I think. Almost every piece is amazing. Tons of energy, very inventive.
Seeing that Mario disgrace of blipbloping ranked higher than the wonderful VVVVVV was an outrage that I promptly fixed. Until the next Nintendo fan reverse the scale.
Group S
@Left_Empty: MASSIVE CHALICE - Ruler’s View (Composed by Brian Trifon and/or Brian Lee White)
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@ForgeForsaken: Ghouls’n Ghosts (Arcade) - Stage 1/Main theme ()
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@NuclearWinter: Super R-Type - Solo Sortie ()
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@Nightgaunt: Shadow Watch - Rio Action (Composed by Bill Brown)
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Ghouls’n Ghosts is one of my favourite arcade game soundtracks. Kawamoto Tamayo’s highest hour in my opinion. I was so nuts about it, I bought the game for the Megadrive, plugged the console into the amp and cassette player and recorded and taped the soundtrack using the game’s sound test.
It’s a bit sad the playback of this track lacks the evocative wind sound effect at the middle mark. Oh well!
And wow, Super R-Type is pretty awesome sounding for the SNES, especially considering it was almost a launch title. Who programmed this?
Shadow Watch will sound best if it loops! Otherwise it ends on a real unresolved note.
I’ll tout the superior chiptuning skills of Hubbard, Galway, Tel et al. till the cows come home – still, I have to respect Koji Kondo’s ability to craft some incredibly catchy and enduring melodies.
As far as I can tell, the earliest piece of looping music was written by Chopin (of course you could play lots of classical pieces forever by always just taking the repeat of the first section, but I mean a piece deliberately designed to be played without finish):
The score says ‘dal Segno senza fine’ which I think means ‘from the sign without end.’ The sign is on bar 5 and the player is meant to loop from there to the end as many times as they want.
Chopin might have made a fine videogame composer, if there had been videogames in 1840…
Group R Results:
- VVVVVV - 4.07
- Super Mario Bros. - 3.93
- Eclipse - 3.07
- Spelunky - 2.64
Woah, cool factoid, Gordon! I think you’re probably right about Chopin.
Absolutely adored the ragtimey character of the Ghosts and Goblins tune! Great stuff.
I didnt mark G&G Stage 1 so high because I remember absolutely loving Stage 2, so do check it out.
R-Type has that classic 80s shmup slap bass. On the SNES there are some cracking tunes, Axelay springs to mind. Konami did that best.
I’m so torn on the Massive Chalice track. I keep listening to it and expecting to enjoy it–it’s got some kind of lovely melancholy atmospheric thing going on, and I like that almost as much as I like epic fantasy scores, generic or otherwise. This one never quite gets there, though, and I don’t know why. It’s not exactly growing on me after repeated listenings, but I think I’ve started enjoying it just to spite myself for not knowing why I don’t enjoy it.
Help sway me one way or another, someone! Give me a strong opinion to have!
Super R-Type was a fun surprise. My knowledge of SNES music jumps from Mario’s blipblops and/or bleepbloops to JRPGs and their brand of fantasy orchestral. This one fills a small part of that gap in an impressive way.
If I’ve been keeping track properly, we’re in the final week of this stage. The current wildcard standings are spoilered below. Whichever one is at the top of the list tomorrow should be guaranteed a spot in the next stage, with another three every day until the end of the group stage. (I’d hate to speak for Thraeg in any way. I’m just very enthusiastic, professionally and personally, about small changes in numbers. When they go up it means I’m having more fun.)
| Qt3 User | Game Title | Track Title | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| geggis | Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP | The Prettiest Weed | 4.18 |
| lordkosc | Super Mario Bros. | Overworld Theme | 3.93 |
| geggis | Super Hexagon | Focus | 3.92 |
| ArmandoPenblade | Stellaris | Creation and Beyond | 3.86 |
| Otagan | Freedom Fighters | Main Theme | 3.83 |
| Gordon_Cameron | Icewind Dale | Kuldahar theme | 3.81 |
| Soren_Hoglund | The Witcher 3 | Whispers of Oxenfurt | 3.78 |
| Gordon_Cameron | Crazy Comets | Title song | 3.76 |
| Thraeg | Octopath Traveler | Primrose’s Theme | 3.75 |
| Papageno | No One Lives Forever | Berlin by Night | 3.71 |
In unrelated news, did you know there’s a search engine for Calvin and Hobbes? I don’t know anything about it or its creator, but… A search engine for Calvin and Hobbes! You can’t beat that.
I’m back! Missed two rounds entirely but glad to see VVVVVV going through. Will give them all a listen and try and squeeze some votes in.
Group S Results
- Super R-Type - 3.67
- Massive Chalice - 3.56
- Ghouls & Ghosts - 3.56
- Shadow Watch - 3.47
Group T:
@PlayingWithKnives: Jets n Guns - Flight of the Toyota (by Machinae Supremacy)
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@Gordon_Cameron: Federation of Free Traders - Title song (Composed by Ben Daglish, Amiga version)
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@PlayingWithKnives: Homeworld 2 - The Keeper (by Paul Ruskay)
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@lordkosc: Batman Arkham City - Arkham City Main Theme (Composed by Nick Arundel)
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