[Attention] Project: The Top 500 VGM Releases of All Time

Okay, we all have our favorite albums and anyone can make a list of them. But what happens when the VGM community as a whole gives their favorites? Directly inspired by Martin Popoff’s “Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All-Time” book, for the first time ever, I’d like to try to compile a list of the top 500 VGM releases of all time, based on the VGM community’s picks.

How this is going to work: Everyone nominates their top 30 VGM releases of all-time, ranked from 1 to 30 in order of preference. I compile a list of everyone’s nominations, telling where they rank and how many points they get, based on the rankings. Simple as that.

Things to keep in mind:

-I will be making threads for this project at the following boards: Soundtrackcentral, Gamingforce, Chudahs Corner, Slightly Dark and Squareenixmusic. Please nominate at ONLY one of these.

-Nominations will be open until 11:59PM on August 31, 2008. This should be enough time for people to notice this thread and make their list. You may edit your list up until this time as much as you want. IF I SEE YOU EDIT YOUR LIST ON A DATE AFTER August 31, 2008, YOUR ENTIRE LIST WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!

-You must nominate at least 10 releases, but no more than 30. Lists with fewer than 10 releases will be booted.

-The following counts as a VGM album: An official original soundtrack (or sound version), an official arranged album, a gamerip, a soundtrack that has been given a digital release online, an emulated set of files (.SPC, .NSF, etc), the redbook audio from a game, a doujin or fan-arranged album, a recognized project from fan arrangers, whether it was released on CD or not (such as Voices of the Lifestream). If you so desire, you may nominate drama albums. If there’s something I’m leaving out, feel free to ask, but it’s probably eligible.

-You may not nominate solo albums by VGM artists. You must nominate either soundtracks or arranged albums for games.

-For soundtrack compilations, you can only nominate the music within a compilation. For example, you could nominate the soundtrack for Rockman 2 from the Rockman 1-6 Boxset, but you couldn’t put down the whole boxset as your nomination. I’ve decided that it would be unfair to give compilations an unfair advantage by simply having music from more than a single game.

For releases that contain both an OST (or multiple OST’s) and an arrange, such as Phantasy Star Sound Collection 1 or Falcom Special Box 91, you must specify what you are nominating from it. You can’t nominate the whole thing in one slot, only the arrangement or one of the soundtracks from it.

For arrangement compilations, such as Falcom Special Box 89, you can just nominate the whole thing and not the individual discs (I picked FSB 89 as a complex example because it was originally released as one collection, THEN it was divided into individual CD’s). There simply aren’t enough multi-disc arrange albums in existence to make this too relevant.

-If a soundtrack contains more than 10% licensed music, it is ineligible. So Dead or Alive 3 is fine (it had an Aerosmith song added for the opening), but the Guitar Hero and DDR games are a no-no, despite them having some original content.

-Music-making games are ineligible for nomination. So no Mario Paint or Electroplankton, despite them having original music of their own.

-You may nominate multiple versions of a score, such as Guilty Gear X (the arcade version) and Guilty Gear X Heavy Rock Tracks (the console version). They will be tallied and ranked separately.

-I’m not stressing variety here. If your Top 20 picks all are Final Fantasy albums, so be it. I’d like to get an accurate count, not necessarily one that reflects one trying to be more varied than they actually are.

- I’d much rather have the lists public and not via PM or email. However, I will not present my method of calculating points until the final list is released. This is to try to keep the lists fairly honest. Bear in mind: Stacking your list based on someone else’s picks will not necessarily mean a higher placement for the release.

-I have the right to disqualify lists that don’t meet the above rules or are clearly gag nominations. If I see the soundtrack for Duck Hunt or a bunch of Legend of Heroes Drama albums on your list, there’s a good chance I’m going to boot the entire thing. If you care enough to register a dupe account at one or more boards in order to nominate more stuff, all of your lists will be disqualified.

-Feel free to drop a one-line comment about a release or even each release on your list, especially if you’re likely to be the only one nominating a particular one. When I compile the list for the final project, I’ll try to include some of them.

-If people think of additional rules or needed clarifications, I will edit the rule list accordingly.

So have fun and start nominating! There’s a ton of releases I can’t wait to see where they end up.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Goldfish from Hell

Directly inspired by Martin Popoff’s “Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All-Time” book,

-I have the right to disqualify lists that don’t meet the above rules or are clearly gag nominations. If I see the soundtrack for Duck Hunt or a bunch of Legend of Heroes Drama albums on your list, there’s a good chance I’m going to boot the entire thing.

<Diss> It made me wish I had two heads so I could facepalm with both hands at once

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Gamera 2000 has to be in there somewhere!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

This was a lot harder than it seems. I havent had any real favorites for a long time, but these all are awesome, if you ask me.

1.- Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim
2.- Toshinden 2
3.- King of Fighters Maximun impact
4.- Racing Enthusia
5.- Dynamite Headdy
6.- Sonic 2
7.- Castlevania
8.- Xenogears Creid
9.- Streets of Rage
10.- Vagrant Story
11.- Soul Blade (Khan Super Session)
12.- Super Street Fighter 2
13.- Bari Arms (android assault)
14.- Terranigma
15.- Rocket Knight Adventures
16.- Jurasic Park: The lost World
17.- Zwei Super Arrange version
18.- Gran Turismo
19.- Revenge of the Shinobi
20.- Wild Arms 3
21.- Sonic 3
22.- Grandia
23.- Senko no ronde
24.- Tokimeki Memorial
25.- Blaster Master
26.- We love Katamari Damacy
27.- Ridge Racer
28.- Metal Gear Solid
29.- Suikoden II
30.- Ninja Warriors

Uff...

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Just a note: I've changed the number of nominations from 20 to 30. Hopefully this will make it easier on folks to pick.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Goldfish from Hell

I have the right to disqualify lists that ... are clearly gag nominations.

Dammit, why didn't I think of this

How ya doing, buddy?

No particular order, my top 20 (+10):

1. Jurassic Park: Lost World
2. Chrono Cross
3. Skullmonkeys
4. Tommy Tallarico's Greatest Hits vol 1
5. Mega Man 2
6. Super Mario Bros 3
7. Final Fantasy 8 Piano Collections
8. Chrono Trigger Brink of Time
9. Guild Wars
10. Starcraft
11. Vandal Hearts 2
12. Sonic the Hedgehog 1
13. The OneUps Vol 1
14. Shadow of the Colossus
15. Katamari Damacy
16. Drammatica -Best of Yoko Shimomura
17. Final Fantasy 8 Fithos Lusec Withos Vinosec
18. Cyberspeed
19. Castlevania Symphony of the Night
20. Final Fantasy VII OST
21. Xenogears Creid
22. Final Fantasy VII Piano Collections
23. Medal of Honor Underground
24. Final Fantasy Dear Friends Concert
25. Vagrant Story
26. Final Fantasy Tactics
27. Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion
28. Parappa The Rapper
29. Metal Gear Solid 2
30. Kingdom Hearts


I had a real hard time narrowing this down to "Best albums" without including stuff for nostalgia's sake. I love Rocket Knight Adventures, Lunar: Eternal Blue (Sega CD), Cool Spot, and Battletoads but when I actually thought about it I couldn't hum a single theme from them. The music means a lot to me emotionally, but as standalone pieces they don't really work.

And there are so many albums with a great song or two, but the rest of the album doesn't cut it. I LOVE the orchestral ending themes to Parasite Eve and Vagrant Story (oops, originally included only 20, VS is in my top 30), but the rest of the soundtrack just doesn't hold up a decade later as much as the others do.

Most amazing jew boots

Sorry, they need to be ranked in order from 1-30. I'll be assigning points based on the rankings. Thank you for putting down a list though.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Can I stack my votes?

1. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
2. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
3. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
4. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
5. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
6. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
7. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
8. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
9. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
10. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
11. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
12. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
13. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
14. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
15. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
16. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
17. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
18. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
19. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
20. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
21. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
22. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
23. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
24. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
25. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
26. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
27. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
28. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
29. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin
30. Baba Yetu, from Civilization IV, by Christopher Tin

How ya doing, buddy?

me smells a gag nom list >=[

I'm a bit disheartened by the gag nomination rule; waaay to subjective a factor to even consider IMO. I mean, people might have certain nostalgic attachments to certain soundtracks, even if they are hideously awful on a musical level. "Man this tune's so catchy...I'm so putting it on a top-20-game-soundtracks-of-all-time list when I grow up!" - Duck Hunt music fan, age 6.

Don't shatter the Duck Hunt music fan's dearest dream.

Quote:

If your Top 20 picks all are Final Fantasy albums, so be it.

You're contradicting yourself, sir. What you just stated is the very definition of a gag nom list!

Otherwise, nice project idea! I might post a list later if I get around to it~

There's nowhere I can't reach.

My list:

#1 Final Fantasy VII
#1 Final Fantasy IX
#2 Final Fantasy XII
#3 Final Fantasy X
#4 Final Fantasy VI
#5 Final Fantasy I
#6 Final Fantasy II
#7 Final Fantasy III
#8 Final Fantasy IV
#9 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
#10 Final Fantasy V
#11 Final Fantasy VIII
#12 Final Fantasy XI


More to follow as I think of them.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Off I go then:

1.Ninja Gaiden (NES)
2.FF VI
3.Seikken Densetsu 2
4.Castlevania
5.Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
6.Donkey Kong Country
7.Sonic the Hedgehog 1
8.Super Mario RPG
9.Chrono Trigger
10.Pokemon:Gold and Silver
11.Minibosses - Brass
12.Wizards & Warriors 1
13.Super Mario 64
14.Donkey Kong 64
15.The Secret of Monkey Island
16.The Dig
17.Diablo II
18.Toejam & Earl: Panic on Funkatron
19.Runescape (Collectively)
20.Megaman 3
21.Katamari Damacy
22.Final Fantasy VII
23.Super Mario Bros 2
25.Megaman 2

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Why not.

1. Mystic Ark Soundtrack
2. Seven-Bridge (Game Rip)
3. LEGEND OF HEROES IV "A Tear of Vermilion" Original Sound Track
4. Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack
5. Popotan BGM Collection
6. Muv-Luv Alternative Original Sound Track Vol.1
7. Otogirisou Soseihen Arrange & Original Soundtrack
8. ELYSION Music Diary ~from St. Maria
9. Rudra's Hidden Treasure Original Sound Version
10. Mutation of J.B. (Game Rip)

I don't see those changing anything in the Top 500 but it was helpful for making an ultimate foobar playlist, so I post them here for my personal reference.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I plan on nominating this week, and I hope more people nominate for this.

(Edit) I'm a man of my word. Whittling down to 30 was tougher than ordering them. Yes it's Square-heavy at the top. Deal with it.
1. Chrono Cross
2. Chrono Trigger
3. Final Fantasy VI
4. Secret of Mana
5. Xenogears
6. Megaman 2
7. Final Fantasy VII
8. Project Majestic Mix - The Trance Album
9. Jet Force Gemini
10. Perfect Selection Dracula Battle I
11. Perfect Selection Dracula Battle II
12. Megaman 3
13. Soukaigi
14. Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collections
15. Street Fighter II Alph-Lyla with Yuji Toriyama
16. Katamari Damacy
17. Metal of Honor Frontline
18. SimCity 4 Rush Hour
19. Soul Calibur
20. Xenogears Creid
21. The Black Mages
22. Skies Of Arcadia
23. F-Zero X Guitar Album
24. Guilty Gear XX
25. OneUp Studios - Xenogears Light
26. Jet Grind Radio
27. Mario and Zelda Big Band
28. Freedom Fighters
29. Silent Hill 2
30. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

well...no in particular orden...

1-silent hill
2-silent hill 2
3-silent hill 3
4-silent hill 4 the room
5-silent hill origins
6-castlevania symphony of the night
7-final fantasy tactics
8-guilty gear XX
9-soul calibur 2
10-katamary madacy
11-skullmonkey
12-increible crisis
13-jet grind radio
14-chrono trigger
15-legend of zelda: ocarina of time
16-indigo prophecy
17-lumines
18-super metroid 4
19-resident evil 2
20-okami
21-grim fandango
22-wild arms
23-god hand
24-medal of honor frontline
25-ECHOCHROME!
26-super rally x
27-discworld noir
28-devil may cry
29-tactics ogre
30-suikoden 2


yeh, yeh,-sorry for the 26

FELIPE NO

Notice: I'm extending the deadline for the nominations until August 31, 2008. You may alter your lists accordingly and new nominations will be accepted up until this time.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Pretty cool idea here.

I'll submit a list off the top of my head, although I'll probably change things up later, like order and add more.

1) Megaman X (SNES)
2) Streets of Rage 2
3) Metal Gear Solid
4) Castlevania Symphony of the Night
5) Donkey Kong Country 1
7) Soul Calibur 2
8) Megaman 2
9) StarCraft
10) Command and Conquer Red Alert
11) Command and Conquer 1
12) F-Zero
13) Guilty Gear XX
14) Ikaruga
15) Heroes of Might and Magic 3
16) Heroes of Might and Magic 4
17) Grandia 2
18) Viewtiful Joe

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by DRAKO

well...no in particular orden...

If you get a chance, please order your list or I won't be able to accept it. I need them ordered for the scoring system to work.

Newbie: Thank you for submitting. For Grandia 2, it was released in 2 OST volumes (Deus and Povo). I need those submitted seperately if you get a chance. Thanks!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Sorry for the dumb question, but why do they need to be ordered? Surely an album that features in two lists will get 2 points, appears on 5 different lists, 5 points, etc. Maybe it dosn't matter about particular orders?

There's probably a big point i'm missing, huh?



Here's a list that I will order after I get a reply about this, heh -

Icewind Dale
Guild Wars Prophecies
Metal Gear Solid 2
Giants Citizen Kabuto
Dungeon Siege I
Baldur's Gate II - Shadows of Amn
Halo I
Half Life II
Splinter Cell III - Chaos Theory
Silent Hill 3
Lineage II
Call of Duty 4
Elder Scrolls III - Morrowind
Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I like the idea, hopefully it will be fruitful enough.

01. Xenogears Creid
02. Castlevania : Symphony Of The Night
03. Final Fantasy VI
04. Ace Combat V : The Unsung War
05. Soul Calibur III
06. Chrono Trigger : The Brink Of Time
07. The Black Mages - The Black Mages
08. Seiken Densetsu 3
09. Gradius V
10. Golden Sun 2 : The Lost Age
11. God Of War 2
12. Castlevania : Portrait Of Ruin
13. Guilty Gear XX
14. Valkyrie Profile
15. Arc The Lad : Twilight Of The Spirits
16. The Legend Of Zelda : Oracle Of Seasons (GameRip)
17. Final Fantasy Tactics
18. Zone Of The Enders: The 2nd Runner (Anubis)
19. Genso Suikoden II
20. Wild Arms - Alter code -F-
21. Chrono Cross
22. Genso Suikoden ~ Ongakushu (Arrange Album)
23. Genso Suikoden Music Collection (By Kentaro Haneda)
24. Xenogears
25. Opoona (GameRip for now)
26. Final Fantasy X - Piano Collection
27. Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite
28. Painkiller (for a change)
29. Metal Gear Solid 3
30. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2

... Brainstorming for now. Definetly not my finalized list, I already need to sort the titles.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Here we go:

01. Actraiser Symphonic Suite
02. Chrono Trigger OSV
03. Mega Man 2 (game rip)
04. Final Fantasy VI OSV
05. Genso Suikoden II OGS Complete
06. Mario & Zelda Big Band Live CD
07. Ace Combat 5 The Unsung War OST
08. Motoi Sakuraba Live Concert Star Ocean & Valkyrie Profile
09. Xenogears CREID
10. Genso Suikoden II Music Collection ~Orrizonte~
11. Akumajo Dracula Best Vol. 2 (Disc 1: Super Castlevania)
12. Dracula Battle Perfect Selection
13. "Guilty Gear XX" Original Soundtrack
14. The Legend of Zelda Sound & Drama (Disc 2, A Link to the Past)
15. Seiken Densetsu 2 OST
16. Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections (Orchestral part)
17. Ys VI THE ARK OF NAPISHTIM OST
18. Valkyrie Profile Original Soundtrack
19. Xenogears Original Soundtrack
20. Zuntata Live 1998 - güten Talk from the earth
21. Okami Original Soundtrack
22. Ys Eternal I+II (Windows game rip)
23. Falcom JDK Band 1
24. Soukaigi Original Soundtrack
25. Mage Man 3 (game rip)
26. Killer7 original sound track
27. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Hyrule Symphony
28. Metroid Prime OST
29. F-ZERO X Guitar Arrange Edition
30. Konami Shooting Battle II Perfect Selection

Most amazing jew boots

Note: Extending the deadline until 12:59 September 30th. Please doublecheck your lists and make sure:

1. They're ordered from 1-30 in order of preferance (or however many you have)
2. Volumized soundtracks are counted seperately.

These are the most common issues I've seen with the lists. Non-ordered ones will not be counted towards the total, while ones that have multiple volumes released will be dropped from your list if they aren't adjusted (I'll move everything else up though, to make up for the dead spot).

Thank you for everyone that has participated so far.

Most amazing jew boots

You've had three months and you're no where close to the 500 count. I don't think extending the deadline is going to help you that much, buddy.

FELIPE NO

That's actually not the reason I'm extending the deadline, asshole. Feel free to nominate if you're that concerned about it, though.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Hey, cockbag, I wasn't being malicious. I was just saying you might want to find another way to promote this thing. Like a sig link or something.

I couldn't really care about your silly project with it's hilarious arbitrary rules, I'm just making a comment. Yeesh.

How ya doing, buddy?