fidelio_forte said:

1. The Last Guardian

It was hard not to go into The Last Guardian as a game with high expectations, considering what had come before. I also had concerns about the soundtrack itself. Considering the incredible legacy of Kow Otani's Shadow of the Colossus score, and with the Miller's Crossing main theme being used for the original announcement trailer... how do you compete with that? Much to my shock and surprise, Takeshi Furukawa does so beautifully, and to the point that I can't even contemplate The Last Guardian without his work. After finishing the game, the game's primary leitmotif always makes my breath catch - which made compiling this track list quite hard, because I was getting a lump in my throat whilst making sure the tracks were correct. Thanks for all the awkward teary typing, Furukawa.

We have the gentle scene setting Overture, followed by the quiet and thoughtful beauty of Forest. Sentinel is a perpetual, organic, and ominous driving beat, and Flashback starts with wonder, and ends in dismay. The building horror of Finale I - Apex, gives way to the heartbreaking hopeful beauty of Finale II - Escape. When I heard Epilogue for the first time outside of TLG's promotion trailers, it took my breath away, and may have lead to some undignified teary sniffing. Epilogue encompasses TLG as a whole for me - it is absolutely breathtaking and utterly awe inspiring, much like Trico himself. An absolutely beautiful soundtrack.

2. World of Final Fantasy

A big surprise for me this year was World of Final Fantasy, in both the game and the soundtrack. Fool on me for assuming that just because it's a spin-off game, that there wouldn't be some phenomenal work from Masashi Hamauzu. Both WoFF itself and the soundtrack are incredibly likeable, charming, and bizarrely addictive. A highlight of the soundtrack is some new arrangements of old Final Fantasy musical classics, which is previously an area where a lot of spin-offs in the franchise have fallen extremely flat for me. WoFF's arrangements are genuinely fantastic, and perfectly capture the spirit of the original pieces whilst still fitting tonally into WoFF. In the case of Prismelody - Terra and Prismelody - Eternal Wind, I think they are now my favorite arrangements of the song. The first time Terra's Theme played, I stopped dead in my tracks in the middle of the desert, and stood there until the song finished. A mournful and powerful rendition of an incredibly iconic theme.

One thing I really have to praise WoFF's soundtrack is the incredible synergy it has as a whole throughout. Hamauzu's soundtracks are usually quite good at feeling cohesive as a whole (one of the reasons I have a love/hate relationship with XIII-2's soundtrack is that it doesn't always mesh that well together), but I think WoFF is one of his strongest soundtracks yet. Every track feels extremely individual, whilst still feeling strongly cohesive as a whole. I also have to applaud the entire soundtrack for never being remotely grating, which would have been so easy to accidentally do considering the tone of the game. With JRPGs, even FF games, I often find myself listening to other music for level grinding, etc, because I get a bit sick of the inevitable repetition. I tried that for WoFF out of habit, but I actually found myself missing the music, which is extremely rare. Battle themes can often become grating for me in particular in the long term, but I never found that to be the slightest issue in WoFF. This is surprising, considering there isn't that many of them. There is the likeable and rousing World of Battle, the more humorous and bouncy Another World of Battle, and the tentative then confident Mega World of Battle for boss battles.

There's the gentle and warm World of Beauty, which nicely encompasses the tone of the entire game. It feels like WoFF's equivalent of the FF prelude theme, or KH's instrumental versions of its theme songs. World of Nine Wood Hills is a track you'll not-so-coincidentally hear every time you'll visit Nine Wood Hills, and is one of the most relaxing tracks of the game. There is also the breathy trance of Labyrinth of Dragons, and the sharp beauty of Labyrinth of Ice. WoFF's soundtrack alternates between calming trance-like tracks, tracks with personable charm, and then, not to be outdone, we've also got our fair share of atmospheric horror. Both World of Babil and World of the Coliseum have a relentless beat - Babil's is off-kilter and more organic, whereas Coliseum's is more mechanical. In comparison, World of Sunshine is a gentle, delicate breath of fresh air. One of my favorite songs on the soundtrack is Labyrinth of War, which starts with an odd-ball charm and turns into a rousing, weighty march. The Prismelodies are new arrangements of old FF classics, and they are all genuinely fantastic. Personal stand-outs alongside Terra and Eternal Wind mentioned above, are the suitably ominous and atmospheric Prismelody - Mako Reactor, the electric (literally!) rendition of Prismelody - Those Who Fight Further, a more unique rendition of Prismelody - Balamb Garden, and the shining Prismelody - Blitz Off!/Zanakard.

World of Final Fantasy, as both a soundtrack and a game, was something I didn't realize how much I needed in my life. Of all the soundtracks this year, this has definitely been the one I've listened to the most. Such a pleasant surprise all-round, I can't recommend it enough.

3. Oxenfree

Oxenfree was one of my most memorable gaming experiences from the last few years. It's a clever game with charismatic characters and phenomenal art direction, with an almost palpable atmosphere thanks to scntfc/Andrew Rohrmann's incredible score. Half of the soundtrack is charming and relaxing, but with a constant ominous and relentless undertone. The other half is, well, hair-raising. I'm always in awe of soundtracks that have a perfect synergy with the games they were written for, and my top three gaming soundtracks for 2016 encompass this well. Oxenfree does steal the show in this department, and there are very few soundtracks that enhance both the pacing of the game and the art direction with the score alone. Oxenfree would be a wonderful game without its soundtrack, but Rohrmann takes it to another level, and the two feel irrevocably intertwined in both a beautiful and deeply uncomfortable experience.

There is the relaxing beachy chill of Beacon Beach, that also happens to have a darker, non-musical twist when understood in context of the story. The calming and beautiful Epiphany Fields still has an unnerving undercurrent. There is the perky, yet deeply uncomfortable Against the Rocks, and the breezy and cathartic Towhee Grove. Cleanslate is beautiful and mysterious, and the chilling and disturbing Cold Comfort is one of the most memorable tracks in the game. My favorite track from the soundtrack is the quiet and reflective The Beach, 7AM. Oxenfree's soundtrack enhances the game itself, whilst still stepping into the the spotlight on its own merit. It's extremely hard to do both, and is very memorable because of it.

Honourable Mentions:

- Virginia

It took me a bit of time to get this list together, and I'm glad that I did, because in that time I got to play Virginia. My jaw dropped from the very beginning with the Main Titles. As pretentious as it sounds, the cinematic synergy between the soundtrack and the visuals was superb. The soundtrack is such an incredible achievement, and is absolutely integral in holding the game together, and provides the pacing. Since there is no dialogue (or even moving lip flaps on the characters), the soundtrack itself becomes the dialogue, the narration... it sets the pace, and it takes you and holds you throughout the game. It's the glue that holds the game together, and is the drive that pushes you forward, and the gentle hand that holds you back. Virginia is very much worth playing for the soundtrack alone.

Inauguration beautifully sets the tone of the game, with a brisk and heart thumping musical build. The scenic and inquisitive Taxi Ride is definitely one of my most memorable tracks. The Twin Peak's inspired Sojourner's Truth is a highlight both in-game and out. Departures/End Credits is a masterpiece, and drives the end of the game into the End Credits, and keeps you spellbound throughout.

- Civilization VI

Civilization VI is a bit of an odd one of my list, as I haven't played the game, but have been obsessed with the soundtrack. The gradual builds from the Ancient - Medieval - Industrial - Atomic Eras was fantastic. The Ancient/Medieval eras ended up being my favorites due to the striking simplicity, before they became a lot more expansive and orchestral for the Industrial and Atomic Eras.

Sogni vi Volare is a soothing balm to 2016 as a whole, and is filled with wonder, strength, unity, and hope. I think it actually beats out Baba Yetu for me, which is an incredible song in its own right. Along with Sogni vi Volare, some of favorite tracks from this year out of all the soundtracks in general ended up belonging to America and its variations. The rustic, mournful charm of America - Ancient Era and the more upbeat hopeful America - Medieval Era, followed by the powerful and proud America - Industrial Era. Sorry, Atomic Era, it was all downhill from there, both literally and figuratively. I also really loved Arabia - Medieval Era and the build into Arabia - Industrial Era. Other Medieval Eras of personal note were the rich and airy France - Medieval Era, the delicate drumming of Egypt - Medieval Era, the comforting warmth of India - Medieval Era, and the heartpounding build of Russia - Medieval Era.

- Final Fantasy XV

I have a few frustrations with FFXV's soundtrack, and feel that overall WoFF's soundtrack came out stronger in both focus and cohesion of the two games. Whilst there are a lot of lows for me personally with the soundtrack, the highs with FFXV are extremely high. ARDYN is one of the strongest FF character themes in years. It's deliciously slimey, without being remotely overstated - the track has a perfect balance. Wanderlust beautifully encapsulates the open world aspect to the game, and takes the listener on a journey that builds in scale. The grandiose and charming Starlit Waltz is a highlight, as is the gentle NOCTIS. I love the contrasts between the driving yet thoughtful Hunt or Be Hunted, and I particularly enjoy the winding build that starts at around 55 seconds in. The decadent The Fight is On! makes for a very refreshing battle theme. One doesn't really need to introduce Somnus, as it's just as captivating as it first was all those years ago. The relentless The Hydraean's Wrath and the God of War-esque worthy Hellfire were my boss theme highlights. FFXV's peaceful and regal Main Theme from Final Fantasy is a wonderful rendition of an old mainstay, with a fantastic climatic finish. It's definitely one of my favorite versions of the FF theme.

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• Rise of Iron
• Eyes Up
• Shadow of the Walker
• Young Wolf
• Iron Tomb
• Sepiks Redux

Dark Schala said:

I've counted up to Page 3 on 100 ppp (it makes for less work for me during a final count so that's why I start counting in advance), so a few things:

1) Wow, I'm happy that the turnout is so good this year! I don't remember having to count this many votes before... if I did, that was probably when I just took over these threads. It's a genuine surprise, and I hope folks stick around for the 7th gen vote whenever AniHawk makes that happen and I make the companion thread for it.

2) Some of you are, uh, voting twice. It's only a handful but what I'm doing in this case is I'm using your second vote instead of your first. Please double check if you have voted twice and you're sure your second ballot is the one you want to stick with. Just let me know if you've changed anything.

3) Some folks have incomplete lists (ie: "I'm posting this part but I'll write the rest of the list later", etc) and since I don't really have time to go after everyone who has an incomplete list, I'm just counting what you have.

4) I'm being pretty generous if you're not following the sample ballot format, but writing something only like "Massive Toasters XVI: The thread" or "heckin flashlight action - I liked that soundtrack" in your post leaves me unsure as to whether or not I should count that as a vote.

5) I use sentences or little writeups you have in the OP of the results thread so it helps if you do write something even if it's the tiniest comment ever.

6) Some of you have ineligible soundtracks in your list (like maybe 2-3 people) which fall under the "no ports which don't have massive soundtrack changes" category, so please double check your ballot.

7) If you made any changes to your list please let me know via PM or twitter or a post in here or whatever so I can make the change in my count.

I think that's it?

Please continue voting until Sunday.

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Dark Schala said:

I've counted up to Page 3 on 100 ppp (it makes for less work for me during a final count so that's why I start counting in advance), so a few things:

1) Wow, I'm happy that the turnout is so good this year! I don't remember having to count this many votes before... if I did, that was probably when I just took over these threads. It's a genuine surprise, and I hope folks stick around for the 7th gen vote whenever AniHawk makes that happen and I make the companion thread for it.

Click to expand...

• Somnus (instrumental)
• Valse di Fantastica
• Omnis Lacrima

• Dream Catcher
• Maybe Friends, Maybe Lovers
• Smile for Me

• Vignette: Visions
• Cult of the Zealous

• Danger 6:24
• Enraged

• A Neon Glow Lights the Way
• Every Day is Night

spiritfox said:

One thing I took from this thread is that I need to play Va-11 Hall-A.

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1. VA-11 HALL-A
   Michael "Garoad" Kelly
   
   
   
   Favorites: "Every Day is Night," "Good for Health, Bad for Education," "Heart of the City," "Synthestitch"
   
   
2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine
   Marcin Przybyłowicz, Mikolai Stroinski, Piotr Musiał
   "Combat Music (For Honor! For Toussaint!)," "The Mandragora," "Searching For Cecilia Bellant," "Title"​
3. Deadbolt
   Chris Christodoulou
   "Blood on the Dancefloor," "Reaped by Death"​