Song of the Week - WEEK 63 Voting/WEEK 64 Nominating
 

Week 63 Voting is closed.
Week 64 Nominating is restricted.

Week 63 Voting
The rules for voting can be found here.

Final Result:
1st: Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean
2nd: REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto
3rd: CRISS†CROSS ~ CROSS†CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves

Notes:
If you are a member at more than one of the forums which this event is being held at, please nominate and vote in only ONE of the forums. You may, however, comment in the threads at any of the other forums.


Week 64 Nominating
The Nominations Queue can be found here.
The rules for nominating can be found here.

Here are the links to the corresponding threads at the other forums:
- Chudah's Corner
- Soundtrack Central

~~~~

Sorry about the delay, folks. There was an unexpected event I had to attend today, which took up the whole afternoon.

And then our thirty minute drive back took two and a half hours because a semi rolled over on I-80. :(

Holy cow, some stiff competition this time. Should've waited for a quasi-dead week to nominate MW2. :(

For a minute I read that as "I semi rolled over on I-80" and I was like WHY ARE YOU NOT IN THE HOSPITAL?

To David, I just wouldn't nominate MechWarrior 2 period, but that's just me.

3 points: Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation
2 points: REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto
1 point: Transformation - Mahou Shoujo Ai 2 Full Arrange Album - title arrange "difference for you"
Close: Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]

Throwing up a nomination. I'll give points later.

Album: Phantom Brave Original Soundtrack
Title: Game Breaker
Track Number: 1-12
Composer: Tenpei Sato
Catalog Number: SLPS-20344
Year: 2004

Ok, here's some points.

3 Points: CRISS†CROSS ~ CROSS†CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves

Funny story about this track. I was considering nominating Airwaves at some point down the road, but didn't know it's name. If this track sounds mysteriously familiar, slap yourself now. It's the in-game music for Nanaca Crash.
I asked CHz if he knew where to find it and he kind of choked, since it was already on his server space for nomination. When CHz posted his nomination, he said "sup crash", which was both a taunt at me and a comment on the track's in-game use. But I've been anticipating this week for a while since I've always thought this was a kickass, rockin' tune.

1 Point: Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean

The drums are nice and I like the light, choral atmosphere. It builds well by the end also.

1 Point: TimeSplitters (Game Rip) - 1970 Chinese

Kinda offbeat but with plenty of character. It's grown better with repeated listens.

1 Point: Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]

It's not really a surprise that this track is enjoyable. Not as good as others in the album but refreshingly shorter. And I do like jazzy tracks oh so much. <3


This was a very well-rounded week. I expect some very strong competition by Sunday's results.

If I'm not incorrect this ost has already been nominated thrice :)

You're a bad mens, Larry. :( I've heard some weeks where this track would've completely DOMINATED. :P

2 points: Nanaca Crash (lol)
What can I say? This tune just doesn't get old even after hundreds of repeat listens, and has entertained me for many an hour. ZU-BAAAAN!!!!

2 point: Uncharted Waters Online
So much gratuitous sax and violins, but I don't care. I likes it.

1 point: Enthusia
lol groove bias. How many times has this soundtrack been nominated (including BSC)? You'd think this, Drag-on Dragoon 2, and anything Wild ARMS would be ineligible by now.

1 point: MechWarrior 2
I think it's my duty to give this track the only point it will get this week.

NICE TRY ZARFLAX: Dune Spice Opera
lol shakahuchi. And seriously, what kinda name is "Dune Spice Opera"?

Close but no soup for you:
Rockman Zero
Synth guitar and that ubiquitous lead were kind of a turnoff for me, but it's catchy enough.

Timesplitters
lol pentatonic (i.e. "let's mash black notes!"). Decent attempt, but it comes off as too derivative for me. Who knew we'd see the day that Westerners tried to knock off the Chinese? :P

Transformation
Not bad, but I came away uninspired. Fairly formulaic, with minimal variation (lol boom-hiss).

3 points - Rockman Zero
2 points - Dune
1 point - Uncharted Waters

CRISS†CROSS ~ CROSS†CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves At first I was afraid that this would be another generic rock track that racks up mad points simply because people hate their eardrums. Then I realized that was only the intro :) The remainder of the song is a bit synthy for an "arranged version," but it's a good synthy. And no random guitar solo to boot!

Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation Another misleading intro; this one had me thinking that this would be a piece of ambient trash like the previous Dune nomination. Once the piano and melody kick in, the song becomes 1000x better. There's still some rather annyoing voice sampling going on, but the track isn't half bad overall.

Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE] I think that Enthusia might be pushing it in terms of "obscurity" these days...but I digress. The track is light rock/jazz with synth highlights; competently done and presented well, even if it's kind of boring.

MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat (Red Book Audio) - Track 08 I've always felt that MW2, more than many games, was let down by the quality of its synths. It clearly wants to be big, bold, and tuneful, but winds up sounding like it was cranked out on a 1987 Casio. So, while the track has a nice melody and female choir, it's got a lot more potential than payoff.

REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto Rockman? How'd that slip under the obscurity radar? In any case, this track suffers from the malady that affects most Rockman tracks these days--anonymity. While there are some nice synth parts, the whole isn't very cohesive and the melody is rather forgettable.

TimeSplitters (Game Rip) - 1970 Chinese It seems like whenever someone is called to provide an "Asian" feel to a place, they haul out the same old instruments and repetitive triplets. I know that these are actually found in authentic Oriental classical music, but this is still the aural equivalent of scoring all European locations with variations of Beethoven's 9th. A drum kit in the background can't change the fact that we've heard this many times before.

Transformation - Mahou Shoujo Ai 2 Full Arrange Album - title arrange "difference for you" Ironic that the name "difference for you" would be given to something so repetitive. The simple piano melody is almost drowned out by endless techno loops, and even the interlude is nothing but still more techno loops.

Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean The clear winner for me this week, combining lush strings, and ethnic choir, and a percussive base featuring dulcimer (!). I could do without the sax, but it doesn't spoil the mood as much as you'd think it would, and doesn't evoke 1985 Miami the way the instrument inevitable does. A real gem.

Maybe I'm just cranky today, but I wasn't too impressed by this week's lot.

The Point Spread
3 pts - Dance on The Ocean Around the Cape of Good Hope.
2 pts - The Dune Song. Dune Dune Dune Dune Dune Dune Dune Dune...
1 pt - "So they swap murders."

I can think of one time, and that was Week 52, where The End of This Passionate Feeling placed third.

Before that, there were a couple Adventure of Puppet Princess OST noms. Sato composed those as well, so perhaps that's the source of your confusion? I believe they're all Nippon Ichi games, which doesn't help matters.

Yeah, I think TS-Chinese is quite cool and interesting, which is why I nominated it of couse. I have not heard this many times before, probably because I don't listen to every single chinese influenced track in the known world. 0_o

Like crash said it grows on you. Anyway, if the best song contest doesn't come up, I should be able to put some votes together.

I wasn't there when they were nominated, but based on the list that CHZ (I think) uploaded there were two previous nominations before the passionate feeling. http://www.songoftheweek.info/docs/n...039_alpha.html

Of course that I don't have anything against this nomination, I love that song, but I think that it would be too much for a single game.

Yes, ikkei is correct. Phantom Brave has been nominated from thrice before.

However, the album retirement rule takes effect when an album has placed three times. If you remember the poll from a while back, it was voted that no amount of nominations would disqualify an album.

Of course, if people now think that Phantom Brave is too well known to be nominated from, that's another matter entirely.

If Suikoden isn't too well known, c'mon, Phantom Brave is just fine.

Okay, I've got the Strangers on a Train part, but I can't figure out which of the tracks it has to do anything with. Another hint? :(

Also, for my next nomination, here's another generic rock track that'll rack up mad points simply because people hate their eardrums:

• Artist: MintJam
• Composer: Kenji Ito
• Album/Game Title: 3rd GIG #Crescent
• Track Title: In Search of the Holy Sword -Seiken Densetsu-
• Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
• Track Number: 4
• Catalog Number: MJCD-0003
• Year: 2005
• Additional Information: As advance warning to orion_mk3, the National PRNRF Council has issued a Level 3 advisory on this song. :(
• Source(s): http://www.mintjam.net/3rd/3rd_index.htm

Uh, FF Adventure is kind of not obscure. And by "kind of" I mean "completely and totally." Neither is MintJam. BUT HEY YOU'RE THE BOSS.

I'm gonna guess that it was something of a "criss-cross".

Where did someone nominate a FF Adventure song? And I've never heard of MintJam (or if I did, I don't remember it). If Suikoden is allowed, I would think this "MintJam" should be allowed. Unless I just happen to be one of the few people who hasn't heard it.

Noooooooooooooo...............

For clarification's sake, the entire exchange:

Bruno: It's so simple, too. A couple of fellows meet accidentally, like you and me. No connection between them at all. Never saw each other before. Each of them has somebody he'd like to get rid of, but he can't murder the person he wants to get rid of. He'll get caught. So they swap murders.
Guy: Swap murders?
Bruno: Each fellow does the other fellow's murder. Then there is nothing to connect them. The one who had the motive isn't there. Each fellow murders a total stranger. Like you do my murder and I do yours.
Guy: We're coming into my station.
Bruno: For example, your wife, my father. Criss-cross.

Ah, good. It'll save me the trouble--I am on the National PRNRF Council's Board of Directors, after all ;)

"We let in Suidoden," kind of works with anything now.

Also, we have had a Seiken Densetsu arrange piece before. Other than that and some play time put in with Sword of Mana, I've had no exposure to the Game Boy incarnations of the series' music. The only time I've ever heard of MintJam was the Rude Performance nom. Beyond that, I'd think them to be more than obscure enough for SotW.

Mad points?

More like manic.

"Final Fantasy Adventure" was the name of the US release of Seiken Densetsu. And the rules say...I realize this is a technicality, but I think it can be argued that ANY Square(-Enix) game has had a reasonable amount of exposure already and should be automatically disqualified. If you're willing to let this go though, I've got a few FF5 nominations in mind...

Well then, you can expect many more Seiken and MintJam nominations from me. MWA. HA. HA. HA.

We've had two MintJam tracks; A rude performance -spicy Jam mix-, as Dr. Uzuki mentioned, and Feast of immorality from the Ryouki II Original Soundtrack, which placed second in Week 45.

Two, actually, both from Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections.

Artist obscurity is not a criterion for track rejection; for instance, in Week 36, we had Jet Black Hatred from the Hanjuku Hero VS 3D Original Soundtrack, which was composed by one Nobuo Uematsu. Whoever that guy is.

Besides, one unwritten standard we've had (perhaps we should explicitly add it to the rules) is that the obscurity of the source is not important as long as the arranged track is obscure enough. I point to Chocobo's Happy Christmas in Week 10 as the canonical example of this.

Out of curiosity, how many people have heard 3rd GIG #Crescent?

Also, stop editing, Dhsu. >:(

Uhhh...does that mean I can nominate stuff from CT Brink of Time and GGX2 Sound Alive? 'Cause I will.

Haw haw, I would like to see you try and make me, sir!

Brink of Time absolutely not, since that's in no way an obscure album in itself. Likewise, no to either of the Black Mages albums and the FF Piano Collections.

I'm not hip to the obscurity of GG albums, but I'd say that GGXX SA is probably also too well known.

I'm almost fine with a BoT nomination...Source material aside, 8/10 songs from that album would fill out my #8/Song of the Weak slot very nicely. One of only a handful of albums I legitimately love to hate.

I love 3rd Gig myself...Only a couple tracks that are kind of "eh" (the two piano ones), but the rest is pure Mintjam fun in "mainstream" format, since a number of featured tracks are VERY well-known (Chrono Corridor, FF7 Main Battle, Theme of Love, Coin of Fate). I'm not at all familiar with FFA/SD1, but the arrangement on there is one of the best tracks, no doubt...Just a notch below the FF7 Main Battle arrange.

Let it in...I'm almost tempted to say as long as it's not FF1-11, Xeno-something or Chrono-something or a big-time individual classic (I think we refused Ducktales "The Moon" for submission before) or something that has gotten massive exposure in a previous contest here (Moon Over the Castle would be an example), it's fine...In fact, I'm pretty sure I DID say that many moons ago. In any case, if something is too well-known, the voters generally let it be known anyway. As long as we don't have a line of drooling fanboys slobbering over everything and skewing the voting, I'm generally fine with most anything.

Er, I'm not very sure what to make of the Seiken Densetsu nomination. I guess it should be okay because the arrangement itself isn't exactly so well known that it pops to mind when someone mentions FFA. It would be a problem if it were from the original soundtrack itself, though. I seriously do not think Brink of Time should be eligible. It might have its detractors but it really is much too well known. It's like trying to nominate something from Xenogears: Creid.

And I just uploaded "Shadowland Battle Music (Remix)" to the SotW ftp. Hopefully, votes for this week will follow soon.

But see, you're just saying that, like I was. I could conduct a poll as well asking "Who's heard Sound Alive?" and the results would likely be comparable to the number of people who've heard 3rd GIG. And I myself had never listened to Brink of Time before today (and have heard *of* but never actually *heard* Creid before). Likewise, I think you overestimate how many people have actually gone through the FF Piano and Vocal Collections (not that I would ever nominate anything from those albums). If you're just assuming they're "well-known", what's to stop me from saying the same for Seiken and/or MintJam?

You have a point in that people can only really have a vague idea what nobody has ever heard of before and what most of us are familiar with stemming off of one's own knowledge. But that's why we have polls for anything questionable. If you'd like to call for one for CHz's nom due to the FF association, I think that's valid. Pointing a finger at Phantom Brave is a little bit flimsy, I personally would like to see some other people in agreement* before we hold a trial on that one.

According to Dictionary.com, the word agreeance is "considered obsolete and a bastardization of agreement." I've always used agreeance. Learn something new everyday.

EDIT: Dr. Uzuki made my point in about 30000 less words.

If so, then it'd be eligible, providing 3rd GIG is. The way I figured, since it's one of only two GG albums that I've actually heard and have, it's likely that a goodly number of other people have heard it too because I'm particularly unversed in fighting game soundtracks. But if that's not the case, by all means go ahead and nominate something from it. It's a very good album.

And of course I'm just saying that. Without polls, there's no reasonable way I can possibly know everyone's opinion on an album's obscurity. That's why my decisions aren't final and polls exist in the first place:

(emphasis added)

Same situation with me and Creid, actually. I really have no idea on the eligibility on that one. In fairness, we've had not one, not two, but THREE tracks from Xenosaga II: lamentation and communication breakdown (<3) from the Movie Scene ST and Final Battle from the rip. So maybe it would be eligible, who knows.

Of course, it's not just one person's experiences that determines eligibility. I've never played nor heard the soundtrack to FFIV (it's shameful, I know :(), but I'd say there's a fairly good chance any nomination from the game would be shot down exceedingly quickly.

I've heard Brink of Time, but that's not why I don't think it should be eligible; I think it shouldn't be here because I've always thought that it's a high profile arrange album that many people have heard. If that's not the case, then it's eligible.

And to cut this one off at the pass, yes, I'm basing my opinion of GGXX SA solely on the fact that I have it, but as I said, I don't know about its obscurity, so that's all I have to go on. If I'm right, I'm right. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. That's why other people's opinions matter.


That's exactly what we've been doing: assuming. I assume many people have heard FFIV's soundtrack, but this might not be true. I assume many people have heard Brink of Time, but this might not be true. Hence the purpose of debate: to find everyone's opinion and figure out exactly what should and shouldn't be allowed. I don't pretend to be omniscient, far from it; since I'm lazy, I'd actually prefer to dump eligibility decisions on the masses than give up precious seconds of my time I could be using to replay Metroid Fusion. If enough people think my MintJam nomination is ineligible, I'll change it. It's really as simple as that.

[opinions=GoldfishX]Sound Alive-No problems with...We've allowed Guilty Gear tracks before. You wouldn't know it, since they never won anything, but they have showed up before. I'm not sure how much penetration the music has, outside of its' direct fans... Its' popularity seems to have hit something of a slump overall.

The 3rd Gig Nom-No problem...I'm unfamiliar with SD1/FFA music and it's from a doujin album, which needs exposure as is. However, I would agree some of the more known tracks from this album (FF7 Battle, Chrono Corridor) should not be eligible, as I know both have their individual following. And remember that Square basically wanted to improve sales in the US of the game, so they mislabeled their Game Boy games with the Final Fantasy name (sort of like how FF: Crystal Chronicles would be better off as a Mana game, but the 'Mana' name wouldn't sell as many copies...For that reason, I wouldn't oppose a CC nom either, as unlikely as I'd be to vote for one).

BoT-I, personally, don't have a problem with this one (for reasons stated before). But this is the official arrange album for one of the most famous (and somewhat overrated) game soundtracks in existence...It's downright easy to find its' existence and buy/download it (most people I talked to said this was among the first VGM CD's they've actually bought). I would probably vote 'No', were this to come to a poll.

FF arranges-vocal, Black Mages, etc: Same deal...Most people familiar with the games who have heard the original soundtracks should take a good healthy look on Game Music Revolution and more than likely, they'd be out to get these on their own. Again, vote of 'No'.

[/opinions]

I don't have a huge problem with the 3rd Gig album. Obscurity is relative and I think sometimes we forget to examine the larger picture. Since SotW is filled with VGM enthusiasts, it's very likely that any Seiken Densetsu arrangements will maintain a higher than normal profile, if only due to participants being immersed in the general subject matter.

But to the average video game player, would they know such a thing exists? I doubt it. I tend to feel that almost all arrangements fall into the realm of general obscurity and doujins especially so.

As long as the nominated arrangement isn't covering a phenomenally well-known tune (for example, I'd never, ever condone an arrangement of Liberi Fatali, no matter how obscure the album), then I don't see any major problems.

We ran into this with Suikoden, and it seems that the Suikoden clause is becoming the standard by which these things are judged. The familiarity of the source material doesn't always indicate wide recognition of the music.

I recently came across an arrangement of an unused track from Mega Man 5. It's pretty snazzy. But the original chiptune was never included in the final game. It was only resurrected for to be an interesting addition to the official arranged album. To me, this is pretty freakin' obscure. But would everyone discard the nomination just because Mega Man 5 is one the NES's hallmark titles?

Most people wouldn't consider Mega Man 5 one of the NES's hallmark titles. In fact, most people I don't think have ever bothered with it (Despiite it being the best one,) so i think it's be OK.

For my nom after the Suikoden track, would Mother 2/Earthbound be too well known you think? I saw the other Mother track, but (I think) that was from Mother 1.

I'm kinda borderline on EB...it's a fairly well-known soundtrack, but according to precedent, it seems that as long as SotW voters aren't familiar with it, it's a go. Although, right now no particular track on the OST is coming to mind that would have much of a chance of winning. :(

And I think this is my main issue with the current interpretation of the rules. If someone nominated a Liberi Fatali arrangement, they could just invoke the "Chocobo's Happy Christmas" clause again. Combined with the "Hanjuku Hero" clause, the arranger could be well-known too. So both the artist AND the source material could be famous, but as long as SotW voters haven't heard them together, it's completely eligible? Oh by the way, here's my next nomination!

Aiya, if there's no consensus or no clear cut resolution with current discussions, put the controversial nomination to the poll test and see if it passes. If it does, well and good. If not, then it's just as well.

And on to voting! Incredibly tough week, though.

(1 point) TimeSplitters (Game Rip) - 1970 Chinese
For some reason, I can't help but think of Hong Kong when I listen to this. And Chinese junks. But I must say the track gets better and better as it progresses. Very nicely put together. While the track might be a bit generic as oriental tracks go, "1970 Chinese" pulls off its orientalism rather well. Trust me, I've heard much, much worse.

(1 point) Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation
"Wake Up" is not ambient trash. :mad: But that's just my opinion. :P Might get slammed for saying this but I like "Wake Up" a touch more. However, "Revelation" is seriously very good as well, as with most other tracks from the album. I might have considered nominating "Revelation" myself at some point owing to its sublime melody and presentation. The last bit is particularly neat. In any case, THE SPICE MUST FLOW...

(1 point) CRISS CROSS ~ CROSS CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves
Fun, fun, fun. That's what "Airwaves" is all about (I think). Plus points for being refreshing. Er, wait, I ran out of points. Bummer.

(1 point) Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]
Fun: check. Upbeat: check. Great melody: check. High groove factor: check. Point: check.

(1 point) MechWarrior 2 - 31st Century Combat (Red Book Audio) - Track 08
Yikes, I never thought I'd see another MW2 nomination. This one is very sweet and hits all the right notes for me. It starts off fairly deceptive but it's terrific past the 30s mark. I do like the first track on the red book audio more, though. Unfortunately, I think it didn't too well last time it was nominated.

(1 point) REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto
Oh no. Will I run out of points?! This is very nice and refreshing. Love the instrumentation and melody. But I find it a bit strange for the track to be named after an invented language.

And the rest...

Transformation - Mahou Shoujo Ai 2 Full Arrange Album - title arrange 'difference for you'
You know, if I had 8 points to spare, this would get a point, too. Haven't heard electronica like this for a while now and I've to admit I like it quite a lot. But the fun tracks were too good to pass up. :(

Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean
Also point worthy. But I ran out of points. :( Why is this week so good??? The song's strong sense of adventure was a big draw for me and the vocals were a nice touch, very much in keeping with what I'd expect from pseudo-African tracks.

Nice. Week 63 is turning out to be one of my favourite weeks. :)

Bastard stole my nom!

We rejected an arrangement of a Super Metroid track a while ago, while we accepted that Wind Waker arrangement. The rules have been very patchy regarding arrangements of popular tracks.

Personally, I think it should be judged on a case by case basis on the criteria that the arrangement has to be significant and not rely on the original, based loosely on the OCReMix rules.

Haha, you can go ahead and have the nom. I wasn't (entirely) serious about it, and it'll leave me free to nominate something else. :)

My next nom:

Album: beatmania II DX 5th Style Original Soundtracks
Title: The Cube
Track Number: 02
Composer: DJ SUWAMI
Catalog Number: KMCA-106
Year: 2001
Source: http://www.chudahs-corner.com/soundt...talog=KMCA-106

It was my #2 nom for BSC, so it will most likely be in that contest. Depending on how it does and how soon it comes up in SotW, it may be considered ineligible for SotW. I have another nom ready if that happens.

Yeah, we've had two Mother 1 arrrangements, that and Wisdom of the World from Week 44.

Mother 2 is borderline, but I could see this being acceptable, possibly depending on the track. I remember Fourside was in last year's BSC, although if I remember correctly it didn't make it past the first round.

Just as well, since the OST version sucks. :(

Yes, that's exactly how the precedents work. There has been some other resistance to the Chocobo's Happy Christmas precedent besides yours though, most notably the giant amount of flak I took for the Dragon Roost arrange that TCK mentioned.

I'm just administering the precedent. If enough people think it should be changed, then tell me for Chrissake. Some people have shown an interest in rejecting arrangements of at least extremely well-known themes, but this sort of thing rarely comes up so this is the first major discussion we've had about it.

I don't see why you're so hung up on the composer, though. Should Revolter be denied because it was composed by Sakimoto? Or DynamiTracer because Uematsu wrote it? (Not that I think anything from DynamiTracer would do particularly well here at all. :() Sure, being written by a high profile composer increases the song's chances of being heard, but if people haven't heard it, let it in.

If people haven't heard it, let it in.

I suppose I'd better weigh in on the eligibility discussion that's broken out :)

The more people talk, the more I think that using precedents as an instant win/override is a bad idea. Case in point: using the "Chocobo's Happy Christmas" track to retroactively allow any track composed by anyone, anywhere, ever (I'm exaggerating a bit, but that's what is seems like :) )

The point of SoTW isn't to interpret the rules in such a way as to allow your favorite track to slide in on a technicality. Just because a nomination made it to voting doesn't mean it should have; lord knows I don't comb through the queue looking for noms to shoot down.

Much as I love them, I simply can't see Earthbound or Soule's "Squaresoft Variations" being in the spirit of obscurity. [/mytwocents]

Negative. :mad:

This is the kind of week I like. Real hard to make choices.

HAHAHA.

2 points for Airwaves
This song was.. really impressive, and kept me glued to it for quite a while.

2 points for South African Ocean
Dunno what's with this song that keeps me listening to it over and over again...

2 points for title arrange 'difference for you'
Techno? Pretty nice beat to it too.

Not so fast, Kaleb! I play the Chocobo's Happy Christmas card in defense mode and combine it with my Jet Black Hatred magic card! You've also triggered the SotW Precedent trap card I had face-down, which strikes Nomination Rule's weak point for massive damage! Sorry, but my life points nomination is quite safe!

Aha! Playing your Jet Black Hatred has activated my I'm A SotW Staff Member trap card! Surely I have you on the ropes now!

(3 points) Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South African Ocean: The sax is a little over the top, but that's a nitpicking misstep. Love the choral work, sedate and alluring enough to feel like a movie -- I'm exploring the coast as the camera zooms out, myself lost in the expansive view of never-ending blue and sand. Strong stuff.

(2 points) Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]: Very fun. Noodling guitar is always a plus, and the big brass is actually one time I enjoy it being a little over-the-top.

(1 point) Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation: I like Wake Up a little better, but this has its own strengths. It's a little more down-tempo, a tad more mysterious.

Everything else was enjoyable. Couldn't find one track I thought was an absolute waste.

I'm nominating:

Album Title: Hunks Work Shop! Original Sound Track
Track Title: Bonus Track
Composer: Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso
Disc Number: 1 (of 1)
Track Number: 27
Catalog Number: SRIN-1021
Year: 2005

Originally obtained through #gamemp3s
Memory refreshed on album from:
http://www.chudahs-corner.com/soundt...alog=SRIN-1021

I'm a huge fan of how this song is solid electronica, but also uses not just human voice, but whistling. There's a nice sense of playfulness here, yet it doesn't lose grip on its musical message either. This song has had some serious longevity in my playlist and I find it endlessly addictive. "Classic Hosoe", you might say, from one of his more obscure titles.

I uploaded it to my site, so you can download it here:
Hunks Work Shop! Original Sound Track - Bonus Track.mp3

Maybe while you're hiring for SotW, you can hire a couple of "lawyers" to argue for ana dgainst disputed tracks getting in. :biggrin:

Hope this isn't too well known...

Album: Dynasty Warriors 4 Original Soundtrack
Title: Eve
Track Number: 18
Composer: ???
Catalog No.: KECH-1233
Year: 2003
Source: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=KECH-1233

First off, "Jet Black Hatred" was from HH3D, which is definitely not popular. I don't think the fact that Uematsu composed it should account for much.

Second, I didn't fully agree with "Chocobo's Happy Christmas", but other people seemed not to mind it. Furthermore, I think the amount of arrangement Hamauzu did to it was substantial enough for it to be relieved of the fact that it's the Chocobo Theme.

Finally, Soule's arrangement of "Tina" has far less originality. To add to that, there has already been tons of exposure to it at OCR, here, and other places.

QED

Double Post:
And SotW Precedent isn't flawless because times change and rules are refined. Also, many things are entirely subjective. This isn't the SCOTUS.

Let's go ahead and take the next logical step and establish a Supreme SoTW Tribunal. Lengthy nonmination and confirmation battles equal more voting and more participation!

All nominations will have to be referred to a barrister in order to compile the neccessary precedents and case law before appearing before the Tribunal itself. Decked out in powdered wigs, regal black robes fluttering in the pure wind of justice, the court will usher in a new era of SoTW.

Nominators may represent themselves before the justices at the risk of being crushed by their laconic wit, or may desginate a counsel.

All tracks from "Phoenix Wright" will be banned as a conflict of interest :D

O RLY? When did it get exposure here? And even if it did way back when it was released, that's no guarantee that the current voters have ever heard it. It wouldn't matter if the track were absolutely legendary at OCR (as I'm sure MintJam has its own raving fanclub somewhere as well), it only has to be fairly unknown to the SotW community.

I think a combined poll for the Soule and MintJam tracks is in order. Remember that the source game, source tune, source composer, and arranger are all completely irrelevant as far as elegibility is concerned. The only issue at hand is whether the voters have heard these particular arrangements before.

Three pages and a minimal amount of votes. I don't think this was the purpose of SotW, to endlessly bicker minutae about eligibility.

Make some polls and end this already.

Before I get to my main point, I first need to say that I don't think Squaresoft Variation should be eligible. I believe Dhsu underestimates the amount of people here familiar with OCR, and that SV is one of the highest profile mixes on OCR and doesn't need particularly more exposure.

Now that that's out of the way...

I'm not going to make polls for the MintJam and Soule tracks right now because, surveying the thread:

MintJam
in favor: 5 (CHz, Dr. Uzuki, GoldfishX, Elorin, Crash Landon)
opposed: 1 (Dhsu)

Soule
in favor: 1 (Dhsu)
opposed: 3 (Kaleb.G, orion_mk3, CHz)

Loudness does not indicate the extent of an opinion. I currently have no reason to believe anyone other than Dhsu feels the way he does about the eligibility of these two tracks, and thus do not feel a poll is necessary. If other people step forward and think MintJam shouldn't be here or Soule should, then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But right now, the only thing I see as being poll-worthy is the Chocobo's Happy Christmas precedent, and I will make a poll and thread for further discussion some time soon.

I don't want to prolong the argument and open up another door of technicalities, but this just occured to me.

In the original conception of SotW, it was asked whether "fan-arrangements" would be allowed. With persuasive arguing from me :) the answer was no: OCR, VGMix and whatever else already had a forum in which these tracks got special recognition.

On one hand, Soule's arrangement doesn't exactly fit the typical idea of fan-arrangement cause he's professional. Fine. On the other hand, it's the very essence of the idea. More importantly, the whole point was we wouldn't poach from OCR, which is what Dhsu is exactly doing in this instance.

Those are my two cents.

But it does stand that Soule is a professional and all works by professionals - personal projects or not - are acceptable. The nature of the melody, that of a very recognized source, is what I find questionable.

I'll say right now that I lean toward opposing the Soule track, if only for its high profile on OCR. If it were a buried treasure, I'd be more willing to accept it. This is not the case, however.

It had a whole thread dedicated to it before the last crash. In fact, I believe it was I who started it.

Furthermore, OCR was not the only place Soule passed the track onto. He took it to some Square-related websites as well. Could have been several sites.

Also:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22sq...en-US:official

Compare the number of results to something like my nominaton:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...22&btnG=Search

Given, that's one unpublished arrangement versus an entire album.

Okay, regarding the concern that I'm circumventing a rule that was intended to prevent "poaching" from OCR, does not the VERY SAME RULE ban doujins? Is not CHz doing exactly the same thing I am, trying to weasel in what is essentially a fan-arrangement via the "professional" loophole?

To be honest, I have absolutely no problem with SV being rejected, nor am I at all "opposed" to MintJam being accepted. However, if BOTH these situations occur, there is a discrepancy somewhere. As of now, the oppositions to the SV nom seem to be kneejerk reactions and appeals to the HEART OF THE CARDSCONTEST rather than an adherence to established precedent (again, the notoriety of the source tune and arranger should have no bearing on eligibility). All I'm trying to do is get some clarification on the guidelines, and then see that they are enforced accordingly and consistently.

Edit:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...nt&btnG=Search

1080 results, over SV's 772. Also, like I said, having had exposure back then is no guarantee that any of the current voters have heard it. I'm sure the Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections had its share of exposure when it was released as well.

Okay.

Those amount to "Well it was popular at OCR," which shouldn't matter because this a GFF/STC contest; and "It was popular back then," which I addressed in my edit.

They won't be to that rigorous of an extent. You may be taking Song of the Week too seriously.

The event does have an intent to shine a spotlight on little known works. Whether or not every single nomination out of the gates hits that mark is nothing to get so passionate about, enough so to keep pounding away at the point. When making nominations for the implicit purpose of seeing how far the limits can be stretched, you cannot be so surprised and argumentative about them when they get shot down no matter how many clauses you have to cite.

Once again, questionable material will be dealt with on a case by case basis. The majority's opinion is what will count. If you disagree, be a good loser about it. I wasn't in favor of Suikoden but once the issue was settled, you didn't see me continue to try and force my views on everyone.

Chocobo's Happy Christmas precedent debate and voting can take place in this thread.

Double Post:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%223rd+gig+crescent%22
102.

Let's not use Google. We can use quotes and phrasing to prove pretty much whatever we want

I am not sure about most people have heard SV... the only ones which voiced their opinion so far were Crash, CHz and Kaleb from which I know they are familiar with OCRemix. I know SV and was actually the one who introduce orion to this song, so he knows it as well, thus probably the opposition.

Personally, I won't oppose to SV though (not that Dhsu was being serious with that nomination), as it's a good song enough to get exposure else where as well, if it gets placed. The whole point about SOTW is also that you posted the winners and runner ups for display on the SOTW main site, and I don't believe anyone who stumbles upon this will automatically know everything about OCRemix. It's not like SV is owned by OCRemix, Soule did it for the fans and he wants this track to have as much exposure as possible, it's mere coincidence that he posted it first at OCRemix.

Also I believe the exposure to OCRemix is way overrated. Everyone claims any SOTW participants knows about this remix site. Fact is only a few people really talk about it here, if others don't talk, I don't know whether they don't know or they don't care, or they simply don't want to talk. Also, it's not like OCRemix displayed SV as their flag track, because it wasn't what OCRemix is about in the first place. So if you stumble across this track it's rather by chance or by discussions like this.

To sum up, my opinion is that SV isn't as popular. Even though I know about it, I think it's good enough to get more attention.

As for the MintJam track, I am fine with this.

My objection to the SV track comes completely due to the unobscurity of the arrangement, rather than the source material. We did have a virt arrangement from VGMix nominated by Liontamer a while ago which I had reservations about letting in, but didn't really mention. That nomination can be justified better than the Soule nomination in my mind, due to the Soule nomination being made such a big deal throughout the remixing community as well as, I believe, the general VGM community.

Here's my nomination:

FM Sound Module Maniax <Yu Miyake> - [11] triple VOPM

Decent week, nothing very inspired.

(3 points) Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation
It's curious, "Wake Up" never did never anything for me and this nomination being of the same style has managed to enthral me. It's very similar to chill-out music, and the organic touches are pretty good. Electronica work is great.

(1 point) CRISS CROSS ~ CROSS CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves
The beginning is deceitful, I thought that was a rockish tune. Nevertheless, the synth leading the melody is equally good. Some strange transitions are my only complaint.

(1 point) REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto
More synthy action. The melody is quite catchy but the motif is excessively repeated with little variations. Just more melodic progression.

(1 point) Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean
It has the same flaw that the previous track, a melodic line is repeated one and other time again and again. The instrumentation is great and helps to recreate the atmosphere. Brilliant atmospheric music.

The rest of nominations are bland. And my next nomination will come later.

Here we go with the point spreading:

(2 points) CRISS CROSS ~ CROSS CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves
(1 point) Transformation - Mahou Shoujo Ai 2 Full Arrange Album - title arrange 'difference for you
(3 points) Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean


And my next nom:

Game: Air Zonk
Composer: Red & Hudson Soft
Title: Punk Cyborg Battle 1
Track: 15 from Disc 3, in Yummyfishman's server's gamerip compilation of Bonk's adventures

I'll upload it in a few minutes ;)

Whoa, just noticed this nomination now.

Shin Sangokumusou 3 is perfectly fine by my estimation; in fact, I was planning to nominate a track from it some time down the road. It's a great album; nice pick.

Eve was composed by Yasuhiro Misawa, by the way; check the GMR entry for the album for a full composer breakdown.

Also, as a result of the Suikoden poll, KyleDunamis's nomination will stand. :)

I'm taking your quote out of context for my own personal amusement, but maybe all the people not mentioning OCR are pro-techno or anti-techno. It really could be either one, depending on who you talk to.

In any case, OCR's deep, creative selection, specifically material in the past 2 1/2 years is better than any professional arrangement album or set of arrangement albums. I stand by that statement.

Next nomination:


Album: Namco Game Sound Express Vol. 10 - Cyber Sled
Title: Be warped time
Track Number: 6
Composer: Shinji Hosoe
Catalog No.: VICL-15024
Year: 1994
Source: http://chudahs-corner.com/soundtrack...log=VICL-15024

Go old-school Techno-Rock Hosoe !!! :edgarrock:

This week, while decent, has nothing I particularly find myself cheering for. Half the field I like about equally, which presents a problem when it comes to point distribution. Not sure whether I should shaft one track to give three twos or rank two higher than the others. Hmmmm. I'm really torn here.

2 points - CRISS†CROSS ~ CROSS†CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves
2 points - REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto
2 points - Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean

Couldn't be more apologetic - Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]

With no segue to speak of, here is some SMS chiptune for you all.

Nomination:

Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap
Title: The Last Dungeon
Track Number: NA/ .vgz file
Composer: Shinichi Sakamoto
Year: 1989

2 points - CRISS†CROSS ~ CROSS†CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves

2 points - Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean

1 point - TimeSplitters (Game Rip) - 1970 Chinese

1 point - REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto

My last "ace in the sleeve".


Artist(s): Michio Fujisawa (arrangement)
Composer(s): Falcom Sound Team JDK
Album: Falcom Special Box '90
Track Title: A Fast Flight to You
Disc Number: 3 (4 discs)
Track Number: 4
Catalog Number: 169A-7717~20
Year: 1989
Source(s): http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/falcomsb90/index.html

I disagree, I'm actually considering nominating a song from Radiata Stories (Unsure which one yet.) That soundtrack certainly isn't that popular, and I would sare say that it's UN-popular since many people were disappointed by it, and many never gave it a chance upon hearing about that.

Besides, would something like Portopia or World Runner be considered too popular?

I don't think you'll run into any problems with Radiata Stories, Portopia or World Runner nominations.

CRISS†CROSS ~ CROSS†CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves
Fun, and catchy. Solid track... Not much else to say, but it's pretty good. :)

Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation
Very, very nice. I love the ambience and beauty of this track. On par with Wake Up, probably (though I haven't listened to that one for a while now).

Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]
Pretty darn hip, and fun to listen to. I was almost expecting something epic like AWAKENING ~Nuerburgring Suite~, but was pleasantly surprised with this fun and catchy tune.

MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat (Red Book Audio) - Track 08
Eh, probably one of the weaker tracks this week.. But it's certainly not a bad one. Just lacks some necessary "oomph" to get points this week. D:

REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto
Awesome. ;D This one's pretty addictive, and I definitely enjoy the melody as well. Like Scrambled Egg Zone from a couple of weeks ago, it grabs my attention and doesn't let go. :)

TimeSplitters (Game Rip) - 1970 Chinese
This is decent. The melody is easy to get into, but it fails to appeal to me over some other tracks this week.

Transformation - Mahou Shoujo Ai 2 Full Arrange Album - title arrange "difference for you"
This reminds me of the Shanghai Alice games' music (Perfect Cherry Blossom, Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, etc), especially in the beginning. Definitely cool, but a little bit repetitive for me.

Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean
Good stuff. The African theme on this track works pretty well. This one didn't stand out much at first, but it developed into something really enjoyable after a few more listens.

3 Points ~ Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]
2 Points ~ Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation
1 Point ~ REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto


Next Nomination:

Artist(s): Minako Hamano & Norio Hanzawa
Album: Wario World (Gamecube Game Rip)
Track Title: Excitement Central - Greenhorn Forest
Disc Number: only one
Track Number: 5
Catalog Number: none
Year: 2003
Source(s): The tags in the mp3s that were acquired from Treasure Fanpage. Also: http://www.mrmonkeyman.com/treasure/ost/warioworld.txt


As far as the raging nomination debate goes, I personally never knew about Squaresoft Variation until reading about in this thread, or even that Jeremy Soule had arranged music from FFVI. D: But I'm hardly in tune with popular Squaresoft music and popular arrangements of said music, so that's probably why. Even so, I don't know if I'd support the nomination by Jeremy Soule. I can really understand both points of view here. :\
Never visited OCR much either; I tend to prefer VGMix, for some reason.

In fact, I was more familiar with MintJam's 3rd GIG #Crescent. I've listened to their first two GIG albums, and was planning to grab the third sometime in the near future. Basically, I'd heard of it, which is more than I can say for SV.

In case I don't come back in time for a proper post:

3 pts : REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto
2 pts : Transformation - Mahou Shoujo Ai 2 Full Arrange Album - title arrange "difference for you"
1 pt : Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]

Nomination time, finally~

Artist(s): Osamu Kubota
Album: Granado Espada Soundtrack CD
Track Title: Temptation
Disc Number: 1
Track Number: 12
Year: 2006

Edit: Oh, this comment made me wonder: "Number 12 “Temptation” comes right of a Castlevania OST!!!!" This person just meant that the track sounds similar to the Castlevania Soundtracks, not that it actually is a Castlevania track, right? =/

2 points - Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation
2 points - REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto
1 point - TimeSplitters (Game Rip) - 1970 Chinese
1 point - Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean

Having never heard the Granado Espada OST, I have no idea. The phrasing makes it sound like it's just a comparison, though.

I found this week to be quite average, with nothing really standing out (except for the Dune Spice Opera nom, and Enthusia of course.)

3 Points - Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation

2 Points - Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean

1 Points - Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]

Voting is closed.

1). [25] Uncharted Waters Online (Game Rip) - South african ocean
2). [22] REMASTERED TRACKS ROCKMAN ZERO Physis - Esperanto
3). [21/13] CRISS†CROSS ~ CROSS†CHANNEL Soundtrack Arrange Version - Airwaves
4). [21/11.5] Dune Spice Opera - Exxos - Revelation
5). [16] Transformation - Mahou Shoujo Ai 2 Full Arrange Album - title arrange "difference for you"
6). [14] Enthusia Professional Racing Original Soundtrack - Running To Horizon [OCEAN BRIDGE]
7). [9] TimeSplitters (Game Rip) - 1970 Chinese
8). [4] MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat (Red Book Audio) - Track 08

I feel bad that "Revelation" didn't make the cut, as it was some good stuff. Oh well, it's not like the album doesn't have "Wake Up" to fall back upon for representation.

I got 2nd! Yays! :)

:cussing:

Both Revelation and Esperanto had late pushes to push them into/near contention.

I was hoping Airwaves would get a similar push to finally get it ahead of South african ocean, but alas. :(

I'm actually surprised that "Esperanto" rallied as it did. I thought it was merely average.

I thought maybe "Airwaves" would take second and "Revelation" third.

Always surprises in SotW.

Hooray for mysterious bodies of water and thinly-veiled "Strangers on a Train" references!

I feel sorry for MechWarrior though. I almost wanted to give it sympathy points.