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[Death_Born]

Then again, people might choose an extra 10 random songs to boost their original 10 songs. But I don't really see that happening unless Kotaku links to this poll, and shitloads of random people gum it up.

Even better Hell, why stop at GAF? How about the ULTIMATE POLL OF THE INTARWEBS!

My reasoning for leaving out Choatic Dance, the only Baten Kaitos track that I did not put on my list, is because it is bilge.

Tru dat. I like version 2.0 better, actually.

DOOT DOOT VIDEOGAME MUSIC

Yes, the superior form of music triumphs again.

 

[Dash Kappei]

So if I only choose 10 songs, is the top-ranked song only given 10 points?

Nope, 20.

 

[Soule]

Holy wow, the Ace Combat series has some stunning music.

QFT

I've never played it before and I usually lean towards songs from games that I've played a lot but the music for Ace Combat is incredible and most made it to my list I'm happy Zero was at the beginning, it's probably my favourite song so far and it was a bit slow and I was tempted to close it or skip through but I was preoccupied and then it just kept on getting more incredible it was fantastic and really set the mood for me to get into some more songs.

Is it me or that Maya Turnabout link has jumpy sound? The volume is totally random and jumps from low to high. Anyways, this is very interesting! Voting time.

Yeah I thought so as well.

Anyway I just finished my list, only the first 2 are really ranked the rest are in some vague order but it's really hard to compare them so I hardly think it's fair. Anyhoo...

1. Ace Combat 0 - Zero
2. Banjo-Kazooie - Click Clock Wood (Spring)
3. Ace Combat 5 - The Unsung War
4. Ace Combat 6 - Liberation of Gracemaria
5. Alone in the Dark (2008) - Who am I
6. Ar Tonelico 2 - EXEC_VIENA
7. Adventures of Bayou Billy - Swamp Theme
8. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Maya Fey ~ Turnabout Sisters 2001
9. Baldur's Gate 2 - Main Theme
10. Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Examination ~ Moderate 2004
11. Arcanum - Main Theme
12. Bahamut Lagoon - Song of Sadness
13. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Announce the Truth 2007

 

[zoku88]

1. .hack//G.U. - Lost Resolution
2. .hack//G.U. - Hulle Granz Cathedral
3. Ace Combat 5 - The Unsung War
4. Ace Combat 6 - Liberation of Gracemaria
5. Ar Tonelico 2 - EXEC_VIENA
6. Ace Combat 0 - Zero
7. Ace Combat 4 - Agnus Dei
8. Baten Kaitos Origins - Le Ali Del Principio
9. Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Dahlia Hawthorne ~ Distant Traces of Beauty
10. Adventures of Bayou Billy - Swamp Theme
11. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin - Gage's Theme
12. Ashura/Rambo - Even Number Stage BGM
13. Alone in the Dark (2008) - Who am I


I was really surprised at how good the .hack music was. Never played the game.

 

[Llyranor]

Yep. Ace Combat music is awesome. Some of the Phoenix Wright choices are good, but I disagree with a bunch of them. I completely forgot to nominate Arcanum's main theme, shame on me. Everyone should at least listen to that song.

Voted and here's my list:

Arcanum - Main Theme
Ace Combat 5 - The Unsung War
Baten Kaitos Origins - The valedictory elegy
Ace Combat 0 - Zero
Ace Combat 4 - Agnus Dei
Baldur's Gate 2 - Romance II (that's the official name - the youtube video just gave it another one for some reason)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001
Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - Won the Lawsuit ~ Another Victory
Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Examination ~ Moderate 2004
Baten Kaitos - Supreme Ruler of the 9 Heavens
Ace Combat 6 - Liberation of Gracemaria
Baten Kaitos - Violent Storm
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Apollo Justice ~ Objection! 2007
Baten Kaitos Origins - Between the Wind and the Earth (map theme)
Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - The Great Revival ~ Miles Edgeworth
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Maya Fey ~ Turnabout Sisters 2001
Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Dahlia Hawthorne ~ Distant Traces of Beauty
.hack//G.U. - Hulle Granz Cathedral
.hack//G.U. - Lost Resolution
Bahamut Lagoon - Song of Sadness

 

[Masked Man]

I'm giving each individual track a listen and then jotting down a few notes for each as I listen. I will post them when I post my voting block for this set. I'm about 1/3 of the way through. (Since much of it is Ace Attorney, I already love it. :lol )

ETA: Just started the second third, and OH MY GOSH. "Zero" from Ace Combat Zero is fantastic! I officially love this thread already for introducing me to this wonderful piece of music. Who's the composer?

 

[Ninty]

I listened to all songs, and I actully played only one game on that list. Here is my list:

1. Ace Combat 0 - Zero
2. Baten Kaitos Origins - Le Ali Del Principio
3. Banjo-Kazooie - Gruntilda's Lair
4. Actraiser - Filmore (Stage 1)
5. Ace Combat 6 - Liberation of Gracemaria
6. Actraiser - Birth of the People
7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001
8. Age of Conan - Crimmerian Welcome
9. Ace Combat 5 - The Unsung War
10. Banjo-Kazooie - Click Clock Wood (Spring)
11. Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Examination ~ Moderate 2004
12. After Burner - After Burner Theme
13. Baten Kaitos - Supreme Ruler of the 9 Heavens
14. Baldur's Gate 2 - Main Theme
15. .hack//G.U. - Hulle Granz Cathedral
16. Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Godot ~ The Fragrance of Dark Coffee
17. Adventures of Bayou Billy - Swamp Theme
18. Alundra - The Village of Inoa
19. Baten Kaitos - Chaotic Dance


I'm pretty surprised by Ace Combat music. Awesome stuff.

 

[zoku88]

Question: is there anything stopping people from voting twice or something? I didn't check.

 

[Daggith]

I haven't played a lot of these games, but there's definitely some awesome music here.

I voted:

1. Ace Combat 4 - Agnus Dei
2. Actraiser - Filmore (Stage 1)
3. Ace Combat 0 - Zero
4. Ar Tonelico 2 - EXEC_VIENA
5. Baldur's Gate 2 - Main Theme
6. .hack//G.U. - Lost Resolution
7. Alone in the Dark (2008) - Who am I
8. Ace Combat 5 - The Unsung War
9. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001
10. Baten Kaitos Origins - Le Ali Del Principio
11. Baten Kaitos - Supreme Ruler of the 9 Heavens
12. Age of Conan - Field of the Dead
13. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Maya Fey ~ Turnabout Sisters 2001
14. Ace Combat 6 - Liberation of Gracemaria
15. Actraiser - Birth of the People
16. Baten Kaitos Origins - The valedictory elegy
17. Actraiser - Psalm / Sacrifices

 

[batbeg]

I'm still voting and finalizing my decisions (picked over twenty songs, most of which from games I've never played :lol) but I'm sad Chaotic Dance got picked over Nadir's Whale.

 

[NolbertoS]

tagged for interest. and hoping DQ music would be in the top 10, but since this is GAF and not 2ch..I'm not optimistic

 

[grafcheyne]

Why are people listing their votes in this thread? There's an actual website linked twice in the OP to log your votes :lol

I gotta cut back on the skim-reading.

 

[batbeg]

My choices:

Baten Kaitos Origins - The valedictory elegy
Baten Kaitos - Supreme Ruler of the 9 Heavens
Age of Conan - Field of the Dead
Alone in the Dark (2008) - Who am I
.hack//G.U. - Hulle Granz Cathedral
Baten Kaitos Origins - Between the Wind and the Earth (map theme)
Bahamut Lagoon - Song of Sadness
Baten Kaitos Origins - Le Ali Del Principio
Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - Search ~ Core 2002
Arcanum - Main Theme
Ar Tonelico 2 - EXEC_VIENA
Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - Won the Lawsuit ~ Another Victory
Age of Conan - Crimmerian Welcome
Baten Kaitos - Violent Storm
Baldur's Gate 2 - Romance II
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Maya Fey ~ Turnabout Sisters 2001
Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Dahlia Hawthorne ~ Distant Traces of Beauty
Actraiser - Birth of the People
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001
Alundra - The Village of Inoa

Turned out to be much more difficult than I had anticipated, and there's a great many songs on there I'd never heard of (some of my new favorites coming from Age of Conan and Phoenix Wright). It was a fucking nightmare trying to put them in any sort of order, though.

Edit: Voting on the site was weird. More songs showed up than those I ticked, and when it came to ordering it, it became a nightmare. Anyone else have problems?

 

[bistromathics]

i voted on the site and applaud the effort, but some of the points mentioned about putting the voting in-thread are pretty solid.

you can still make it really easy to automate too. So long as people follow whatever pre-supposed format works best, you can just curl the thread and grab the data with a perl script (at least i'd think so...)

no-bumping does seem like the biggest disadvantage to not voting in-thread

 

[Death_Born]

i voted on the site and applaud the effort, but some of the points mentioned about putting the voting in-thread are pretty solid.

you can still make it really easy to automate too. So long as people follow whatever pre-supposed format works best, you can just curl the thread and grab the data with a perl script (at least i'd think so...)

no-bumping does seem like the biggest disadvantage to not voting in-thread

There are so many songs, it doesn't really seem like a good idea for everyone to vote in thread. They'd have to write down the names, etc. Checking boxes is much easier.

But no bumping could be a problem >_>

Hey, I have an idea? How about stickying the current "music battle" thread on Monday and Friday?

 

[Akuun]

There was an obscene number of nominations and whatnot to sift through, and you've put it all together into a voting webpage. Kudos for a job well done.

I'll vote when I'm home and can listen to various tracks freely.

 

[Danne-Danger]

Ugh! Too few BG2/Arcanum songs nominated! If only I would've known ahead of time...

Anyway:
1. Arcanum - Main Theme
2. Baldur's Gate 2 - Romance II
3. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001
4. Baldur's Gate 2 - Main Theme
5. Alien Soldier - Soldier's Song
6. Axelay - Stage 1
7. After Burner - After Burner Theme

 

[DarknessTear]

Hmm, I thought this would be a battle of the best music. I think the worst possible BK songs were picked, and on BKO side.. well Valedictory Elegy is probably the best song on the entire list. :lol Hulle Granz Cathedral is pretty nice, too. But really, that list is very mediocre.

 

[Threi]

Waiting till whatever list Chrono is included in

 

[bistromathics]

There are so many songs, it doesn't really seem like a good idea for everyone to vote in thread. They'd have to write down the names, etc. Checking boxes is much easier.

But no bumping could be a problem >_>

Hey, I have an idea? How about stickying the current "music battle" thread on Monday and Friday?

well i just wrote a script to parse through all pages of a thread. i get what you're saying about some pains in teh ass, but if there were just like a copy-and-paste template in the OP like:

=========Round 1========
[].hack//G.U. - Hulle Granz Cathedral
[].hack//G.U. - Lost Resolution
[]Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Announce the Truth 2007
[]Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Apollo Justice ~ Objection! 2007
[]Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Klavier Gavin ~ LOVE LOVE GUILTY
[]Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dick Gumshoe
[]Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Maya Fey ~ Turnabout Sisters 2001
.
. <rest of songs for round>
.

=========Round 1========

and people just copied and pasted the template into their post and put points in the brackets it would be pretty simple. or it doesnt have to be exactly this format, but this kind of thing...just put the template in the second post and have people quote it or something. just some indicator for when the template starts, when it ends, and a way to identify the song (standard name, number id, etc) and corresponding rating.

whatever the OP wants to do is fine though...i'm just killing time at work.

 

[vareon]

Wow, good work. I'll try to listen to all of them.

 

[dionysus]

Baba Yetu (sp?), The Civilization IV Menu composition better be in this list somewhere. I don't see it in the B's, and if it is left out this endeavor is invalidated.

Seriously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5MEXAOZUeY&feature=related

Edit. It's there now, or I just missed it like an idiot!

 

[Elfforkusu]

Just a thought, but perhaps it'd be best to randomize each group? That way you'd avoid grouping all the phoenix wright songs together, megaman songs together, sonic songs together, etc etc.

It might be too much work, but it's just a suggestion.

 

[trh]

Baba Yetu (sp?), The Civilization IV Menu composition better be in this list somewhere. I don't see it in the B's, and if it is left out this endeavor is invalidated.

Seriously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5MEXAOZUeY&feature=related

It's in there, under Civilization.

Edit: nm

 

[KajunW]

Forgot to nominate a Bahamut Lagoon track like this one, rats.

Sixfortyfive, can you update the Axelay link with this one? This one is just music, without any sound effects.

I'll vote later on.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

So if I only choose 10 songs, is the top-ranked song only given 10 points?

It would probably be for the best if the people who listened to all 50 songs got more weight behind their vote.

Then again, people might choose an extra 10 random songs to boost their original 10 songs. But I don't really see that happening unless Kotaku links to this poll, and shitloads of random people gum it up.

Am I crazy in thinking that gaming blogs linking to this poll is a legitimate concern?

Yeah, giving more weight to people who pick 20 songs would likely result in people just padding their lists with random stuff.

I don't think being linked from elsewhere is a bad thing either, but I'm not going to plug this poll on other websites myself.

Um, this might sound a bit picky, but any chance you could put <label></label> tags around each option so we can just click the text to vote, rather than having to point at the tiny boxes? Many thanks.

I'll try to remember to add this for the next round.

Wow, Click Clock Wood really takes me back, I spent so much time on that level, absolutely loved it to bits and it's so bouncy and happy lol I love it.

Question: is there anything stopping people from voting twice or something? I didn't check.

Well, there's nothing stopping you from voting twice, no, but I will go back through all of the votes after they're cast and remove all of those from people who voted more than once.

Edit: Voting on the site was weird. More songs showed up than those I ticked, and when it came to ordering it, it became a nightmare. Anyone else have problems?

I think the entire list of 50 is displayed on the ordering page no matter how many you check. The ones you check just appear at the top with numbers pre-filled. The idea is that if you happen to miss something you liked when you put in the initial check marks, you can correct this mistake on the ordering page. Nothing is final until you hit the "Done" button.

i voted on the site and applaud the effort, but some of the points mentioned about putting the voting in-thread are pretty solid.

you can still make it really easy to automate too. So long as people follow whatever pre-supposed format works best, you can just curl the thread and grab the data with a perl script (at least i'd think so...)

no-bumping does seem like the biggest disadvantage to not voting in-thread

I appreciate the concerns and the work, but it would just be more of a hassle for me (and probably several of the voters as well). Pouring over the nominations thread for a week nearly killed me. I'd rather not pour over the voting thread for another 2-3 months as well.

Plus, I kind of like having it work as a secret ballot and allowing me to view early returns by myself.

Just a thought, but perhaps it'd be best to randomize each group? That way you'd avoid grouping all the phoenix wright songs together, megaman songs together, sonic songs together, etc etc.

It might be too much work, but it's just a suggestion.

That's kind of the point of it right now, though. The current setup makes it so that few really big franchises ever have to face off against each other at the same time and so that no more than 10 songs from the same franchise can advance to the final list. Though, the tracklist for the remaining sets aren't set in stone, and if you think there are a few sets in the master list that look a bit too stacked, I'm open to suggestions on how to rearrange them. I remember seeing a few that I thought were too crowded with high-profile stuff when I split them up, but I just wanted to get voting on the first set underway before messing with the rest too much.

Sixfortyfive, can you update the Axelay link with this one? This one is just music, without any sound effects.

Will fix soon. Thanks.

---------------------------------------

Some people had remarked that the volume was weird and erratic on a few of the Youtube links. Try removing the "&fmt=18" from some of them and seeing if that actually changes things for the better. That tag technically allows you to listen to Youtube videos at a higher quality, but I do remember that it actually made some of the chiptunes sound worse. Turnabout Sisters was one of those.

 

[Dabookerman]

This thread is great. I voted this morning.

Just reminded me that there is a lack of Advance Wars. Only two tracks isn't enough, but no biggy. I could easily vote 20 in every set. Good work man!

 

[[Nintex]]

I've listened to every song and there's some great music in there from games that I haven't played. Anyway my list:

1. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin - Gage's Theme
2. Banjo-Kazooie - Click Clock Wood (Spring)
3. Ace Combat 0 - Zero
4. Alien Soldier - 7TH FORCE (Seven Force Kaede Theme)
5. Banjo-Kazooie - Gruntilda's Lair
6. Axelay - Stage 1
7. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001
8. After Burner - After Burner Theme
9. Baten Kaitos - Violent Storm
10. Bangai-O (DC) - Overthrow the Strongest Adversary! (Final Boss)
11. Advance Wars: Dual Strike - Sami's Theme
12. Alex Kidd in Miracle World - Alex Kidd's Theme
13. Baten Kaitos Origins - The valedictory elegy
14. Ace Combat 4 - Agnus Dei
15. Ashura/Rambo - Even Number Stage BGM
16. Actraiser - Filmore (Stage 1)
17. Alone in the Dark (2008) - Who am I
18. Ar Tonelico 2 - EXEC_VIENA
19. Actraiser - Psalm / Sacrifices
20. Alien Soldier - Soldier's Song

Can't wait for next round!

This thread is great. I voted this morning.

Just reminded me that there is a lack of Advance Wars. Only two tracks isn't enough, but no biggy. I could easily vote 20 in every set. Good work man!

The best track from the series is included so it's all good.

 

[Cosmozone]

Man, listening to all 50 songs and especially ordering them is hard. I spent 2 hours for some reason. But there were some unexpected gems in this set (e.g. Alone in the Dark), nice!

Here's what I voted for:
1 After Burner - After Burner Theme
2 Alone in the Dark (2008) - Who am I
3 Baten Kaitos Origins - The valedictory elegy
4 .hack//G.U. - Lost Resolution
5 Ace Combat 0 - Zero
6 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Announce the Truth 2007
7 Ace Combat 5 - The Unsung War
8 Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Examination ~ Moderate 2004
9 Baten Kaitos Origins - Le Ali Del Principio
10 Ace Combat 4 - Agnus Dei
11 Ace Combat 6 - Liberation of Gracemaria
12 Alundra - The Village of Inoa
13 Ar Tonelico 2 - EXEC_VIENA
14 Baten Kaitos Origins - Between the Wind and the Earth (map theme)
15 Baten Kaitos - Supreme Ruler of the 9 Heavens
16 Actraiser - Psalm / Sacrifices
17 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Apollo Justice ~ Objection! 2007
18 Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - Search ~ Core 2002
19 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001
20 Bahamut Lagoon - Song of Sadness

BTW, the voting page doesn't say which number is best. Obviously 1 is best, but I was unsure for a moment.

 

[Masked Man]

I think the worst possible BK songs were picked

The only other ones that were mentioned were Gobi's Valley (a personal favorite) and Treasure Trove Cove (another favorite). Neither were included by the OP for one reason or another, but CCW and Grunty's Lair are more than solid. I'd like to hear what you might have picked--and, considering that the thread was around for a while, you could have just nominated something yourself...

 

[Sixfortyfive]

The only other ones that were mentioned were Gobi's Valley (a personal favorite) and Treasure Trove Cove (another favorite).

BK was one of the last games mentioned, and I needed to make some quick cuts to get everything under 1000. I took out TTC because I was the only one to bring it up, and I thought Gobi was inferior to the other two.

EDIT: The person you're replying to might be thinking of Baten Kaitos. :lol

 

[StrikerObi]

Voted for Act Raiser - Filmore (Stage 1) and that's it. I don't think I could judge any songs I'd heard for the first time in this survey, so I skipped everything from a game I hadn't played before today and also anything I knew was good but not awesome, that left me with 1 song.

Also, I don't think it's necessary to go through all these songs when we already know the end result. Duck Tales - The Moon is the best song in any video game ever, by far, and bar none.

 

[Death_Born]

Voted for Act Raiser - Filmore (Stage 1) and that's it. I don't think I could judge any songs I'd heard for the first time in this survey, so I skipped everything from a game I hadn't played before today and also anything I knew was good but not awesome, that left me with 1 song.

Also, I don't think it's necessary to go through all these songs when we already know the end result. Duck Tales - The Moon is the best song in any video game ever, by far, and bar none.

How will you know without listening to the rest?

 

[Masked Man]

BK was one of the last games mentioned, and I needed to make some quick cuts to get everything under 1000. I took out TTC because I was the only one to bring it up, and I thought Gobi was inferior to the other two.

EDIT: The person you're replying to might be thinking of Baten Kaitos. :lol

:lol

Well, darn. Really, there isn't a "bad" track in any of the Banjo games, so I was surprised to see that comment. But I guess now it makes sense. Silly me! And no big deal about your choices--I would have wholeheartedly endorsed TTC, which I guess I didn't make fully clear (mainly because I didn't even see that you had snuck it into the OP, haha). So I guess it will just live on in our hearts as the 1001st contender.

ETA: Just about done; I'm going for dinner now (and doing some JHist reading), but I'll finish the last 10 or so when I return. I'll post my notes on each piece, as well as my rankings for this round. With any luck--time permitting, anyway--I would like to do this kind of thorough listening for each set. Fair is fair, y'know.

 

[IcebergSlim3000]

Holy shit I forgot how badass Bayou Billy swamp level music was.

Thats +1

Edit. Can someone correct if I'm wrong but the music for Alien Soldier 7th Force sounds like the music from Gunstar Heroes. Specifically the level where the boss transforms into all those different robots.

Double Edit. Looks like someone in the youtube comments also mentioned it being from gunstar heroes. Either way it get's my vote but it needs to be under Gunstar Heroes not Alien Soldier.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Edit. Can someone correct if I'm wrong but the music for Alien Soldier 7th Force sounds like the music from Gunstar Heroes. Specifically the level where the boss transforms into all those different robots.

Double Edit. Looks like someone in the youtube comments also mentioned it being from gunstar heroes. Either way it get's my vote but it needs to be under Gunstar Heroes not Alien Soldier.

The Alien Soldier version is better. (The quality in the Youtube vid is questionable though.)

I'm 100% certain that it's going to receive less votes than it would have if it had been listed under Gunstar Heroes' name, though.

EDIT: Some brief stats for the first 24 hours of voting:

- 104 votes received
- the current 1st place song has twice as many points as 13th place song
- the current 1st place song has fewer 1st place votes than 5 other songs on the list
- 6 different games are represented in the current top 10
- all 50 songs have received at least 3 votes

 

[Masked Man]

.hack//G.U. - Hulle Granz Cathedral
• Haunting vocals, beautiful harp accompaniment
• Somewhat static, but very atmospheric
.hack//G.U. - Lost Resolution
• Beautiful vocal harmonies
• Takes on a wholly different character when accompaniment begins
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Announce the Truth 2007
• Sense of triumph, but still building toward climax
• Repeats soon, but makes you feel smart
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Apollo Justice ~ Objection! 2007
• Engaging feel: punchy bass line and fun melody
• Cool vocal layers in background
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Klavier Gavin ~ LOVE LOVE GUILTY
• Rocking from the moment the piece begins, great guitar
• Rhythm and bass provide solid, driving feel
• Love the solo—very ethereal feel until we are brought back into the main beat
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dick Gumshoe
• Interesting arrangement: all instruments play an integral role in the piece
• Really nice counterpoint throughout
• Heightened sense of awareness despite moderato tempo
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Maya Fey ~ Turnabout Sisters 2001
• Upbeat, wonderfully cute melody
• Nice interplay with accompaniment—fun background riffs
• Continuous motion and consistently engaging
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001
• Sense of urgency and excitement—“unraveling one layer to find another”
• Triumphant, punchy melody and bass; contrast well with background chords
Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - Search ~ Core 2002
• Portentous opening chord—awesome
• Intense bass melody, leading to “distraught” piano theme
Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - The Great Revival ~ Miles Edgeworth
• Opening brass fanfare is great, bells are a nice touch
• Prestigious air with the swagger of a warrior—“epic” feel
Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - Won the Lawsuit ~ Another Victory (lol @ video)
• “lol @ video,” indeed!
• Beginning builds tension, but the happy kind
• Nice contrast between straight and triplet-based rhythms
• Sense of “finality”
Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Examination ~ Moderate 2004
• Simple instrumentation, mysterious
• More background music creates entirely new atmosphere—suspenseful
Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Dahlia Hawthorne ~ Distant Traces of Beauty
• Ethereal opening, gorgeous melody
• “Otherworldly” feel to the piece as a whole: reminiscent of gagaku
• Sense of mourning—tragic beauty, perhaps?
Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Godot ~ The Fragrance of Dark Coffee
• Smoky, jazzy melody immediately grabs the listener
• Reminiscent of a romantic rendez-vous
Ace Combat 0 - Zero
• Cool trance-like beginning
• Acoustic guitar and strings make a potent combination—vocals only make it better!
• Drastically different, dance-like character (Mediterranean, Spanish…something)—fantastic!
• Again, choral work just improves upon something already wonderful
Ace Combat 4 - Agnus Dei
• Very epic feel—intense choral work, percussion adds a nice touch
• Great layering in the brass
• Like the microcosmic focus on the chorus and light percussion in the middle
Ace Combat 5 - The Unsung War
• Brass intro complemented well by background strings—male chorus is new and refreshing
• Really interesting rhythms and counterpoint, even among the chorus
• Truly symphonic feel during slower tempo
Ace Combat 6 - Liberation of Gracemaria
• Exciting string intro, driven likewise by persistent instrumental solos: French horn, clarinet(!), higher strings
• Triumphant brass over vigorous strings make for very engaging middle section
• Again, light percussion breakdown (now with brass chorale) works very well
Actraiser - Birth of the People
• Medieval folk tale opening
• Fuller instrumentation has great, Bach-esque counterpoint—nice use of all timbres high and low
Actraiser - Filmore (Stage 1)
• Nice sixteenth runs in the opening
• Organ overlaid on top of rhythmic bass creates an interesting texture
Actraiser - Psalm / Sacrifices
• Wistful melody over beautiful, ocean-like strings
• Seems to plod a little when higher strings take over the melody (lots of heavy lower string pizzicato)
• Higher strings in background during original melody section form beautiful complement
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin - Gage's Theme
• Solid rhythm and guitar
• Interesting combination of violin and guitar solos
• Bagpipes? Very creative! Strings also work well in hemiolas
Advance Wars: Dual Strike - Sami's Theme
• Classic rock feel in opening
• Percussion fits in nicely with guitar solos
Adventures of Bayou Billy - Swamp Theme
• Awesome funk beat!
• Has helped to erase unpleasant memories of the game not recognizing that my Light Gun was, in fact, plugged in, and forcing me to switch the controller ports continuously and sometimes just failing to work altogether
• Infectious melody, very danceable
After Burner - After Burner Theme
• Ostinato bass and lighter upper sixteenths form nice parallel
• Epic orchestra hits immediately bring urgency
• Very bass heavy, lolz @ cowbell
Age of Conan - Crimmerian Welcome
• First thought: Beowulf (the epic itself, not an adaptation)
• Subdued, but nice violin melody
Age of Conan - Field of the Dead
• Ominous low strings set mood—very dark
• Harp and vocals are haunting
• Vocals are beautiful, but accompaniment seems too static
Age of Conan - Hamlets of Aquilonia
• Beautiful, nostalgic opening (English horn!)
• Lovely accompaniment to match the wistful melody
• Sweeping strings to follow the English horn are appreciated
Alex Kidd in Miracle World - Alex Kidd's Theme
• Fun, bouncy theme
• Fairly short and simple
Alien Soldier - 7TH FORCE (Seven Force Kaede Theme)
• Really cool sound effects in the beginning
• Metroid-esque—sense of urgency
Alien Soldier - Soldier's Song
• Interesting use of hemiola throughout
• Percussion and bass VERY heavy
Alone in the Dark (2008) - Who am I
• Very striking intro, neat 7/8 time signature
• Doesn’t seem to develop much
Alundra - The Village of Inoa
• Mysterious opening—very cool bass groove
• Love the panpipe melody, nice riffs throughout
• “UNGH!!” XD
Ar Tonelico 2 - EXEC_VIENA
• Enya-esque: very ethereal vocals
• Pleasant throughout, much more enjoyable once chorus and orchestra come in
• Lovely shakuhachi solo
Arcanum - Main Theme
• Beautiful strings, sense of melancholy / nostalgia
• Melody transitions gracefully between instruments
Ashura/Rambo - Even Number Stage BGM
• Nice military percussion—offset by floating melody
• Love the driving crescendo measures
Axelay - Stage 1
• “Action-y” melody and accompaniment
• Fun, nothing terribly engaging
Bahamut Lagoon - Song of Sadness
• Poignant bell melody, lush harmonies in strings (one moment in particular)
• Great use of instrumentation throughout (low-middle-range flute, harp, etc.)
Baldur's Gate 2 - Romance II (not sure about the name)
• Beautiful harp work—oboe and flute make lovely complements
• Wonderful texture formed with strings and harp throughout
Baldur's Gate 2 - Main Theme
• Very dark, epic feel—heavy brass used to great effect
• First solid use of timpani I’ve heard thus far
• Love the ¾ section, very beautiful and flowing
• Portentous ending was well done
Bangai-O (DC) - Melody of Sorrow
• Could title be a misnomer?
• Fun little dance track; nice tango feel at times
Bangai-O (DC) - Overthrow the Strongest Adversary! (Final Boss)
• Orchestra hit overload (lolz)
• Heavy groove offset nicely by tragic string melody
• Other times melody isn’t strong enough in comparison to bass
Banjo-Kazooie - Click Clock Wood (Spring)
• Bouncy and fun—great woodwind writing
• Love the bird / nature sounds: even better once they start following melody XD
• Infectiously fun character as instrumentation grows—also, nice offbeat rhythms during transition
• Really creative instrumentation throughout
Banjo-Kazooie - Gruntilda's Lair
• Witch laugh!
• Delicate pizzicato strings provide simply yet effective accompaniment
• Instruments evoke a very eerie tone, both musically and stylistically
• Even creepier with ethereal humming in background against bell melody—“mad scientist”-esque
Baten Kaitos - Chaotic Dance
• Heavy groove, fun dance track
• Speech scattered throughout is kind of annoying
• Nice trance-like section
Baten Kaitos - Supreme Ruler of the 9 Heavens
• “A lot going on”—exciting strings, militaristic percussion, punchy brass
• Low male vocals are creepy: louder would be better
• 7/8 is, once again, appreciated
Baten Kaitos - Violent Storm
• Powerful guitar intro, interesting electric organ
• A little “heavy” overall—very F-Zero-ish
Baten Kaitos Origins - Between the Wind and the Earth (map theme)
• Beautiful, gentle piano intro; warmer texture with more instruments
• Vocals add a wonderful color, but could be used to greater effect
• Wistful high woodwind solo is well done
Baten Kaitos Origins - The valedictory elegy
• Engaging from the get-go; great and unexpected use of violin
• High-energy without being too “heavy”
• Interesting synth in middle section
Baten Kaitos Origins - Le Ali Del Principio
• Beautiful harp and piano duet
• Absolutely gorgeous young female vocals—truly haunting
• Really moving piece of music, from vocals to orchestral grandeur

My picks:
1) Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - The Great Revival ~ Miles Edgeworth
2) Ace Combat 0 - Zero
3) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Maya Fey ~ Turnabout Sisters 2001
4) Banjo-Kazooie - Click Clock Wood (Spring)
5) Adventures of Bayou Billy - Swamp Theme
6) Baldur's Gate 2 - Main Theme
7) Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Godot ~ The Fragrance of Dark Coffee
8) Banjo-Kazooie - Gruntilda's Lair
9) Phoenix Wright 3: Trials & Tribulations - Dahlia Hawthorne ~ Distant Traces of Beauty
10) Alundra - The Village of Inoa
11) Baten Kaitos Origins - Le Ali Del Principio
12) Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Klavier Gavin ~ LOVE LOVE GUILTY
13) Baldur's Gate 2 - Romance II
14) Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Apollo Justice ~ Objection! 2007
15) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Phoenix Wright ~ Objection! 2001
16) Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - Search ~ Core 2002
17) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dick Gumshoe
18) Baten Kaitos Origins - Between the Wind and the Earth (map theme)
19) Bahamut Lagoon - Song of Sadness
20) Age of Conan - Hamlets of Aquilonia

Some of this stuff blew me away. Alundra was awesome, and I totally forgot how great the Bayou Billy Swamp Theme was. Both of the Baldur's Gate 2 pieces were beautiful, but the one piece that stood out most was Ace Combat 0. O_O Totally surprised me in the best way possible.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

I was thinking of commenting on my own top 20 in more depth, but I was too fatigued at the time to bother. Glad someone picked up the slack lol.

Bangai-O (DC) - Melody of Sorrow
• Could title be a misnomer?

Nope. Odd name to me as well, but all the other stage BGM in the game is more upbeat than that one at least.

 

[Masked Man]

I was thinking of commenting on my own top 20 in more depth, but I was too fatigued at the time to bother. Glad someone picked up the slack lol.

Nope. Odd name to me as well, but all the other stage BGM in the game is more upbeat than that one at least.

No problem.

Huh... That's interesting. Thanks for the clarification, though--I'm not familiar enough with the game (or its soundtrack) to know.

 

[Pachinko]

nevermind, reading comprehension is fun!

 

[twinturbo2]

The only one I'll vote for in this round is the After Burner Theme. It brings back so many memories.

 

[JRW]

The only other ones that were mentioned were Gobi's Valley (a personal favorite) and Treasure Trove Cove (another favorite). Neither were included by the OP for one reason or another, but CCW and Grunty's Lair are more than solid. I'd like to hear what you might have picked--and, considering that the thread was around for a while, you could have just nominated something yourself...

Ya unfortunately many songs from various games arent on the master list that should be which is why ive decided to stay out of the voting process. (Dont get me wrong there are a lot of great songs on the current list.)

 

[ElFly]

1. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dick Gumshoe
2. Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All - The Great Revival ~ Miles Edgeworth
3. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Apollo Justice ~ Objection! 2007
4. Alundra - The Village of Inoa

 

[Masked Man]

Ya unfortunately many songs from various games arent on the master list that should be which is why ive decided to stay out of the voting process. (Dont get me wrong there are a lot of great songs on the current list.)

Then just vote for the ones that you do like. The more, the merrier.

 

[ZealousD]

I closed the window after I voted and forgot to copy the list. So here's my top five.

1. Age of Conan - Field of the Dead
2. Alone in the Dark - Who am I
3. Pheonix Wright 3 - Dahlia Hawthorne's theme
4. Ace Combat Zero - Zero
5. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Announce the Truth 2007

Question, did nobody nominate "Cornered" from the first Phoenix Wright? I don't think Dick Gumshoe's theme nor the Turnabout Sisters theme were anywhere near as good as Cornered. It's my favorite Phoenix Wright song, and I'm disappointed I didn't get to vote for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew1Nr5rHQn0

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Question, did nobody nominate "Cornered" from the first Phoenix Wright? I don't think Dick Gumshoe's theme nor the Turnabout Sisters theme were anywhere near as good as Cornered. It's my favorite Phoenix Wright song, and I'm disappointed I didn't get to vote for it.

Narrowing the PW selection down was a tough choice. Too many character themes ended up on the list IMO as well, but the Objection theme and Maya's theme from PW1 are both essential. There wasn't a lot of wiggle room.

------------------------------------------

Anyway, you know how when 2ch does this sort of poll, they usually put up the results as a slideshow set to music on Niconico or elsewhere? I'm thinking of doing something like that. If you have any good art to share for any of the games listed (box art, official art, concept art, fan art, whatever) feel free to save me some work and link it. I'll be selecting one picture per game.

I've probably got Ace Attorney, Bangai-O, and Alien Soldier covered, but if you have something particularly impressive, feel free to show it.

Going to put this in the OP.

 

[Masked Man]

Question, did nobody nominate "Cornered" from the first Phoenix Wright? I don't think Dick Gumshoe's theme nor the Turnabout Sisters theme were anywhere near as good as Cornered. It's my favorite Phoenix Wright song, and I'm disappointed I didn't get to vote for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew1Nr5rHQn0

Stealth edit.

Sadly, no one nominated it. I would have preferred it to Gumshoe's Theme, but I love me some Turnabout Sisters.

ETA: The pictures / art we use for each game might depend on which piece makes it that far, though, so it might be too early to pick.

...Unless you're just doing, like, boxart. Which works.

 

[ZealousD]

Narrowing the PW selection down was a tough choice. Too many character themes ended up on the list IMO as well, but the Objection theme and Maya's theme from PW1 are both essential. There wasn't a lot of wiggle room.

Bleh. I wouldn't say Maya's or Gumshoe's theme are bad it's just I consider them to be pretty bland. Meanwhile I think Cornered is practically the most iconic song in the series.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Stealth edit.

Sadly, no one nominated it. I would have preferred it to Gumshoe's Theme, but I love me some Turnabout Sisters.

Actually, three PW songs were nominated but didn't make the cut:

Phoenix Wright - Cornered 2001
Phoenix Wright - Damon Gant ~ Swimming, Anyone?
Phoenix Wright - Won the Lawsuit

I chose PW2's victory music to fill in for the last one and didn't think Gant's theme was essential. "Search 2002," "Examination 2004," and "Announce the Truth 2007" were the others that I filled in myself to bring the count for each game in the series up to 3. I tried rationalizing a way to get one of the Cornered themes in there, but I don't like the ones from PW2 or AJ that much, and I preferred the Examination music of PW3 over the Cornered one.

ETA: The pictures / art we use for each game might depend on which piece makes it that far, though, so it might be too early to pick.

...Unless you're just doing, like, boxart. Which works.

I'm actually considering doing a slideshow for every set. Because I'm insane.

And I'm using boxart if when I get lazy (as in, don't feel like looking past the first page on GIS).

 

[Masked Man]

Bleh. I wouldn't say Maya's or Gumshoe's theme are bad it's just I consider them to be pretty bland. Meanwhile I think Cornered is practically the most iconic song in the series.

I like Cornered over Objection (at least in terms of PW1), but that's just me.

But to imply that Turnabout Sisters isn't iconic...that's heresy, my boy. And, well, we wouldn't want to be getting tangled up in that sort of thing, now would we?

I'm actually considering doing a slideshow for every set. Because I'm insane.

And I'm using boxart if when I get lazy (as in, don't feel like looking past the first page on GIS).

Oh, I see. So you mean, like, the Top 20 from each set. Goooootcha.