THE ANSWERS ------------ The difficulty rating [LowMediumHigh]
- Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout (Switch, PS4 and PC) - Bainan Style
Found by: SirChasm and Nabe
Half-Found by: Jesuiscontent and Bean
From the most recent Atelier game, Atelier Ryza knocked it out of the park with this boss theme. Probably one of my favorite games of the year and a series that I've enjoyed quite a bit. I couldn't help but put at least one track from the games into this contest. - Super Buster Bros. (ARC and SNES) - Canada
Found by: Nobody!
"Oh Canada, our home and stage with a lot of penguins for some reason~?" This is an alright SNES game, but it's also one of those games where you play to beat it once and just never end up picking it up again. Well, at least in my case anyway. - Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (PS4, Vita, PC and Switch) -The Anticipated New World
Found by: SirChasm (Solo)
Haha! This was both a significant track in the game as it played during a serious scene and it doubled as a sorta fakeout with using Antonin Dvorak's 9th Symphony, 4th Movement at the start. I'm glad these games were able to make it over to NA and EU, we were hurting for a new localized Digimon game during the time. - Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis, Game Gear, PS3, Xbox360, Wii and PC) - Ending (Good End)
Found by: KobaBeach and Kshaard
Man, now this is an ending theme that just captures the feeling of success. Streets of Rage 2 is still a personal favorite beat 'em up for me. Playing it with so many different friends really helped me see how games like this can bring people together. If you haven't played this in awhile, it's definitely worth a revisiting. - Guilty Gear Strive (PS4) - Smell of the Game
Found by: Almost everyone!
This game isn't out yet, that is true. But I couldn't possibly pass up putting an amazing song like this into the contest. Guilty Gear has always been a solid series with fun games except GG2 Overture. Daisuke Ishiwatari nailed it with this main theme and has plenty of folks hyped for the next entry. Do you know the smell of the game? - Kirby Super Star (SNES, DS and Wii U) - Together with Spring Breeze (Credits)
Found by: Almost everyone!
(Seasonal)A classic credits song, with credits that scroll by way too fast. Since this game had shown up on multiple consoles, one of which being a slight update with a different soundchip, I felt that as long as folks were on the general spot for this that it would earn points. If you're curious, the version used in this contest is from the DS version. Kirby songs sure are nice though~ - Super Robot Wars T (PS4, Switch and PC) - Tank!
Found by: Nobody!
Half-Found by: Almost everyone!
Hohoh, now this was a fun one to place in the VGM contest. Not everyone watches anime, but there's a decent chance they've heard Cowboy Bebop's opening song. I'm aware of the PS1 and PS2 game, but the SRW T version is what's here. The Super Robot Wars game are starting to become a bit more accessible for folks due to the English SEA versions of the games that can get past licensing of certain series that show up in the games. They're a bit pricey to import, but they're a delight for SRPG and mecha fans alike. Ein sure is a cute dog. - Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (ARC) - Overture ~ Cadillacs -The 4 Heroes-
Found by: Nobody!
A bit of an obscure beat 'em up. The first time I had played this was with a friend on MAME. She knew that I liked dinosaurs and beat 'em ups, which caused one thing to lead to another, next thing I know is that I'm laughing while beating up on thugs, dinosaurs and Blanka clones!? To be fair, I had a blast and kinda wish Capcom would go back and make something wacky like this again. - Slayers (Super Famicom/SNES) - Laberino Village
Found by: Bean (Solo)
A fan-translated gem of an RPG. Despite being restricted to Japan in it's release, some passionate folks made a darn good translation patch for the game. You don't have to be a Slayers fan to enjoy this, as it's a standalone adventure that's still set in a familiar enough magical world setting. If you're looking for a SNES RPG that you haven't played, this isn't too bad of a pick. I certainly had a pleasant time playing it. - No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Wii) - Philistine
Found by: SirChasm and Nabe
The first two No More Heroes games are so much fun. While I may like the story told in the first more compared to it's sequel, Suda51 made an interesting series. I orginially wanted to use an 8-Bit version of Pleather for Breakfast from NMH:TSB, however I found that the original was used in a previous VGM contest, so I held off on that. Fun fact - This is the JPN/PAL version of Philistine, the NA release had gotten a different version. I like this version over what the NA release had gotten. - Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost (ARC and PS3) - Divine Act -THE EXTREME-
Found by: Nobody!
Alright, so I goofed up. This song technically qualifies for fighting game points, as EXVS is a 3D arcade fighting game. But the contest was already near it's deadline before I realized and I didn't think revising the rules to include this with the 10 to make 11 would be right. I didn't want to remove this song either, as it sounds amazing and holds some significance to me. In 2014 I made some life long friends just by playing this game and I wouldn't change that for anything. This happens to be Extreme Gundam's theme and plays while fighting the boss in arcade mode. (To those who guessed this as a fighting game, I acknowledge you, I apologize that I can't give a point for this one) - Rez (PS2, PS4, Xbox360, Dreamcast and PC) - Rock Is Sponge
Found by: Validon98, Kshaard and Nabe
It's got a pretty nice beat to it. I had played my cousin's copy of the game and the lyrics to this song just seem to be forever present in our minds. "Rock is spongeeee~" - Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth (3DS) - Pull the Trigger
Found by: Almost everyone!
Half-Found by: KobaBeach and Validon98
Just like the other Persona Q2 group tracks capturing the musical style of each game, Pull the Trigger nails the sound of P3P's music. The introduction of Minako/Hamuko joining the squad with this playing for your first joint encounter is truly a delight. I'm sure the lyrics of the song gave folks an idea of where this song might be from. - Waku Waku 7 (ARC, Sega Saturn, NEO-GEO and PS2) - The Excitement Never Stops
Found by: PiesonCreation (Solo)
An obscure fighter, but has seen it rounds on a decent few consoles. It's a solid Sega Saturn fighter, that much is certain. This is an arrange of the song, yet the vocals remain the same. I'm thankful I used this version, rather than the PS2 version, that one is way too cutesy. - Ape Escape 3 (PS2) - Alert
Found by: Nobody!
Half-Found by: Almost everyone!
Yeah, this is an unusual pick. I've always liked the Ape Escape games and the Mesal Gear Solid minigame was really well put together. Heck, it could've passed as a standalone game if it wasn't for the fact that it was just a parody of MGS. Look up the ending if you've got the time, it's amusing to say the least. - Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (3DS, Wii U, Switch, PS4, Xbone and PC) - Scorching Dunes
Found by: Cyril and El_Yosh
Half-Found by: Almost everyone!
Mmm! A song that'll have you start dancing! Jake Kaufman has been making music for the Shantae games since it's first entry, but I really like how Scorching Dunes sounds. It just encapsulates an eastern vibe and a beat to traversing the desert~ - Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (PC, All PS consoles ex.PS1/PSP, DS, Switch and GBA) - Fascism
Found by: Nobody!
This sound visual novel is probably more known for it's anime, but my first exposure to it was the VN. Playing through that first chapter is enough to get the mind racing, let alone the rest of the chapters. I'm not entirely sure how this might sound like Professor Layton, but I've yet to properly play those games so that might be why. It still weirds me out that there's an unofficial GBA port of Higurashi. - Vandal Hearts (PS1, Sega Saturn and PC) - Warlock (Confrontation With Warlock Belasko)
Found by: Sanct (Solo)
When I hear this song, I can only think back to how pissed Kane was for what Ash had done. Vandal Hearts is a fun TRPG, I would easily place it in my top 10 favorite PS1 games. This was also a great LP I watched from user Dario8676. - Tekken Tag Tournament (ARC, PS2 and PS3) - Xiaoyu Theme
Found by: Nobody!
Now this is a song with some funk to it. I've never like Xiaoyu as a character, but I will not deny that her theme in this game is just fantastic. I can only imagine what it was like to hear this song blast in the arcades back in the day. Is Tekken hokey? Yeah, probably, still a nice fighting game I feel. - Shatterhand (NES and Playchoice10/ARC) - Area 4/Final Area
Found by: Nobody!
Good game, kinda obscure. Not gonna lie, I definetly have had trouble playing Shatterhand. Some folks just breeze through it, but I always find myself tripping up on jumps near the spiked balls. I wonder if playing the original Tokkyū Shirei Solbrain would've been easier. Prolly not~ - Z.H.P: Unlosing Ranger vs. DarkDeath Evilman (PSP) - Fight! Unlosing Ranger!
Found by: Jesuiscontent (Solo)
UWOAH! Truly a song that'll set your soul ablaze! This TRPG with mixed dungeon crawling gameplay is a blast to play. Despite it being a love letter to many forms of media, I feel that it was one of the last games made in NIS's golden run. A hot-blooded song indeed. - Metroid Fusion (GBA) - Sector 4 (AQA)
Found by: Sanct and Kshaard
Between this and Metroid Prime, I think I like Fusion just a tad bit more. This track pairs nicely with the area that you've gotta travel through. Watch out for those spikey dudes while you're rolling. - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game (PS3 and Xbox360) - Another Winter
Found by: Piesonscreation, Kshaard, SirChasm, Bean and Nabe
(Seasonal)Anamanaguchi returns! Not as an intruder song or another vgm song, but as this nice jam that plays throughout the first stage of the game. I've played this particular beat 'em up way too many times, so I've heard this song plenty of times too. Bring SPvTW game to Steam, cowards! - Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1 and PSP) - Ultima, The Nice Body
Found by: KobaBeach, Kshaard, SirChasm and Nabe
Half-Found by: Cyril
Final Fantasy Tactics really blew me away after beating it. The story that is told in FFT is amazing and the music to accompany the moments made it all the better. Whenever I think of the name of this song, I can't help but kind of chuckle. Nice body, pfftt. - River City Girls (Switch, PS4, Xbone and PC) - Dollar Signs
Found by: Validon98 and Bean
We've got another recent game, with a bit of a mixed opinion due to the ending. My two cents on that is I'll accept it as what it was and thought it was a neat way to play with localization/regional series differences. This track is really swell, but I could've picked any song out of this OST as it's fabulous! All the composers nailed the feel of the OST, Megan McDuffee in particular with her stage songs. - Atomic Runner Chelnov (ARC and Genesis) - Keep Running
Found by: Nobody
The Soviet Atomic Runner! The Nuclear Man of Fighting! It's Chelnov! This is a weird pick, that's for sure. But I do have fond memories of being introduced to this game by a friend. I like Data East games and he had mentioned this game while we were talking about Karnov. I gave it a go and it was as silly as I thought it was going to be. Keep Running sure is a catchy tune, perfect for running a marathon. - Koihime Enbu 恋姫†演武 (ARC, PS4 and PC) - Shūtai's Theme
Found by: Nobody!
WOO! Now this is a fighting game song that'll get the excitement rolling! I'm so glad the contest is over now though, I can finally share this amazing song in it's entirety. Koihime Enbu goes on sale frequently, both on Steam and PSN, so it's worth considering. A great FG for sure. - Twinkle Star Sprites (ARC and NEO-GEO) - Love Me
Found by: Nabe (Solo)
Never really got around to playing it until the Switch release of the NEO-GEO version. It's nice, fairly cutesy with it's art style. A solid shmup thru and thru. - Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox) - Funky Dealer
Found by: Almost everyone!
Funky Dealer is truly funky. Hideki Naganuma had been making music for awhile now, but I look forward to what he'll be whippin' up in Streets of Rage 4, along with all the other composers creating tracks for the game. - Resident Evil 2 Remake (PS4, Xbone and PC) - Looming Dread
Found by Nabe (Solo)
The Resident Evil 2 Remake was quite the game to kick off 2019. Being a fan of the original, I did have worries of what RE2 could be. But my hopes for it being a lot of fun easily dwarfed those worries. Once I played this version of the 4th Survivor, this song swept me off my feet. Much different to the track from the original, Looming Dread is exhilarating and cranks up the tension to 11. - Dragon Quest IV (NES, PS1 and DS) - Wagon Wheel's March
Found by: Jesuiscontent, Bean and Nabe
Half-Found by: Sanct and El_Yosh
Playing DQ4 with my younger brother on a long weekend was great. It was just really charming and probably one of the first RPGs he had beaten. I choose this version of Wagon Wheel's March just cause I like how the trumpet doots sound on the PS1. - Medabots RPG Metabee/Rokusho Version (GBA and WiiU) - Medashow
Found by: Nabe (Solo)
Unfortunate that this was released late in the WiiU's life when GBA games were being put on the store. It's a nice RPG, althrough it's technically a remake of one of the GB games. I always remember hearing this track play since it's always in the early game cutscenes. I kept see those scenes since the save battery in my GBA cartridge died out haha. - The King of Fighters 98' (ARC, NEO-GEO, PS, PS2 and Dreamcast) - Arashi no Saxaphone
Found by: Sir Chasm (Solo)
Half-Found by: Bean
The KoF series has plenty of great tracks, but I always find Iori Yagami gets some great ones involving some great composition. Too bad the NEO-GEO doesn't always mesh well with outputting a song. That's exactly why I chose the arrange version of this song and why it's a little more difficult to pin down compared to it's original version. - Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 (DS and 3DS) - Connected Hearts
Found by: Cyril and Nabe
Not Persona, but a pretty enjoyable SMT game nonetheless. Between this and Nocturne, I'd say I like Nocturne a bit more. This is the kind of track that could be used as a home base theme or maybe a hospital setting, as noted with some guesses being Trauma Center. - Fate/Grand Order (IOS and Android) - Samba de Island ~SUMMER BATTLE~
Found by: Nobody!
(Seasonal)The only gacha mobile game for the VGM list! Despite being a side thing, I like playing FGO. I wouldn't dare spend any cash on it, but I'm sure the game is doing fine with the millions of whales out there keeping it going. Primarily chose this track as I remember hearing it a lot during the Summer event as I fought hermit crabs. - Pokémo Sword & Shield (Switch) - Gym Leader Battle
Found by: Sanct, Cyril, SirChasm and Nabe
I really like what SnS did with the gym leader battle theme. It matches up great with Galar region and it's plenty exciting to hear in-game. For a little background, the game wasn't out yet when I had got this song, but a leaked version was around. Problem was that leaked version split this song into 3-4 separate audio files, leading me to just use a preexisting short ver. that was around instead. - Akatsuki Blitzkampf Ausf Achse (ARC and PC) - Precepts
Found by: Nobody!
Don't you ever mess with the gun nun. Ever. - Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive (PS4, Switch and PC) - Shinjuku Stage 4
Found by: Jesuiscontent and Nabe
Phantom Breaker Battle Grounds is kinda interesting, considering it's a beat 'em up that spun off from the fighting game. But I vastly perfer this beat 'em up over the fighting game, as it's got a decent bit of content and Kurisu from Steins;Gate is a playable character. - Mogeko Castle (PC) - Sinken (Moge-ko's Theme)
Found by: Nobody
I can't remember how long it's been since I played Mogeko Castle, but I do remember thinking it was pretty alright. I have no idea if that side story of the game had been finished or released. But if it is out there now, I'd probably take a look at it. Also, I learned what prosciutto was after playing this game. - Killer Instinct: Season 2 (Xbone and PC) - I'm Back (to Rise) (feat. Omega Sparx)
Found by: Kshaard, SirChasm, Bean, El_Yosh and Nabe
Considering how badass of a beat this song has, I tried to keep as few of the lyrics in this snippit. It's an amazing song though, I love how all the fighters have theme personalized to them, kinda like how SF does their songs. The folks who made this Killer Instinct game was Double Helix and Iron Galaxy for the majority of post content. It has plenty of callbacks to the original games and some supervising with the Rare devs - Zupapa! (NEO-GEO and ARC) - Japan Stage
Found by: Nobody!
A funny NEO-GEO game. A friend of mine who's a classic video game collector that's now moved onto speedrunning, liked this game. I'm a bit on the fence with it, but I thought the music was always on point. - Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate/G (3DS and WiiU) - Fearless Indigo (Brachydios' Theme)
Found by: Jesuiscontent (Solo)
Half-Found by: El_Yosh
Ahhhh, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. I have a lot of fond memories of hunting in the game. This is probably the MH game that I had put most hours into, with 500+ or so. I made some great friends and hunting buddies while playing this game and it still has some of my favorite monster additions to the series. Brachydios being one of them, I knew it's theme had to making it into the contest. - Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (PS1 and DS) - Little Love
Found by: Hatkid (Solo)
What!? Two NIS games had made the list!? That's correct, with Rhapsody snagging a spot here. This game was made in the early days of NIS life as a game developer, with only a few other game preceding it. It's not a favorite of mine, but I still thought of it as an enjoyable RPG on the PS1. It's not all that long, so you could probably beat it within a day if you tried. Not crazy about it's DS post, but eh, that's no biggie. - [INTRUDER!] Ominashii - Sorceress of the Mind [INTRUDER!]
Found by: Nobody!
https://ominashii.tumblr.com/post/15920 ... u-chose-to
Mmm, what is this Intruder song? Well, it's a battle song for an OC by the user named ominashii Despite the post having a different artist listed. Omi has made a few songs for OCs and they're all pretty solid. I liked this once since it's very Touhouesque, but still different enough. It does use a few tasofro samples, so that does makes sense. Funnily enough, I think I had a harder time determining where I would place the song on the list compared to actually getting an intruder song, so there's that for ya heh. - Jigoku Kisetsukan: Sense of the Seasons (PC) - H8 U 2
Found by: Nabe (Solo)
Ok, so this game is fairly difficult. Like, I've played my fair share of shmups and Touhou too. But dang, I got my butt handed to me in some of these fights. This is a cool game though, with a very varied OST too. It's free on Steam too, so you can pick it up with no worries~ - Tokyo Xanadu eX (PS4 and PC) - Autumn Sunshine
Found by: Hatkid and Jesuiscontent
(Seasonal)Despite not being the most popular recent Falcom game, I liked what Tokyo Xanadu had delivered. Some note worthy things it brings to the table aside from it's gameplay and story, was this nice OST. Autumn Sunshine being a particular favorite of mine, since it captures such a relaxing and peppy vibe while you walk about the town. You did good by me, Tokyo Xanadu. - E's laf (PC) - Alcott's Theme
Found by: Nobody!
I like Alcott's Theme, it's just got a fun ad goofy beat to it. E's laf is another fighting game, but with the caveat being that it was developed by one person - Free. They made a nice game, that's for sure. After dabbling with it, I can definitely see myself going back to it for a one off or two. - Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny (Sega Saturn) - THUNDER CLAP
Found by: Nobody!
Mrm, I've got mixed feelings on this pick. On one hand, it's from a pretty notable Side Story from Gundam. But on the other hand, I originally wanted to use a track from the Bandai Namco RPG MS Saga: A New Dawn, however I could not find the OST for the life of me. I just settled for THUNDER CLAP as it's well composed, even when running on the Sega Saturn's soudchip. Not too shabby of a SS game too. - Stella Glow (3DS) - Fiery Night (Sakuya's 2nd Song)
Found by: Jesuiscontent and Nabe
Imageepoch's parting gift to video games before they left the industry! It's an outstanding RPG that's sorta stuck on the 3DS. The combat is a bit straightforward, but it offers enough to mix things up. The OST is fantastic though, I could sit down and listen to it anytime if it started playing. All in all, I'm glad the game exist and hope Imageepoch makes return, wether that be as a new company or as it's original self. - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch) - Central Highway (Opening Stage for Mega Man X)
Found by: Almost everyone!
Oho, looks like we've got another Smash Ultimate song in a VGM contest. But this time around, it's for the Mega Man series! Mega Man has a plethora of great songs to pick from, but I like this remix we got in SSBU. It keeps the composition in tact, but gives it a great heavy guitar bump to it to round it all out. Watch out for that Bee Blader, X! - Final Fantasy XIV (PS4 and PC) - Desert Moon Defied
Found by: Nobody!
This is an amazing track from FFXIV Ver. 1.0, before ARR. I believe it was a battle or boss theme used for Ul'dah areas, but that's what I've heard. I felt the FFXIV OST was pretty amazing, both before ARR and after. - Touhou: The Genius of Sappherios (PC and Vita) - Boss 1
Found by: Validon98 and Jesuiscontent
Saving best for almost last, one of the boss themes from The Genius of Sappherios! This is a superb Touhou RPG as it's reminiscent to Square's SaGa game, but giving it a Touhou spin to it. I love this take on Eastern Youkai Beauty, it's perfect to dance to or having some hectic rave. - Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late [st] (ARC, PS3, PS4, Vita and PC) - End of Dawn
Found by: SirChasm and Nabe
Besides having a title that a friend would ask "Come again?" thrice, it's a fantastic fighting game. Raito is a great composer and I'm glad I'm able to listen to the unist OST on Spotify. But something about End of Dawn sticks out in my mind compared to the other opening songs. Not that it's the only one with a short version, but something about it just resonates really nicely. - Wild ARMs 5: the Vth Vanguard (PS2) - The Street Corner at Sunset
Found by: Nobody!
Thanks for all the memories. I had a wonderful time playing this with you, friend. - Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning? (Dreamcast, PC and PS2) - Paris Floral Assault Group, Debut!
Found by: Nobody!
Alright, so the final track of this VGM contest ended up being a song to a Sakura Wars game. Obscure? Yes. A bad game? Hell naw! Granted, I had only played Sakura Wars 3 just this year, but after 18 years from it's release, I can say in all honesty that it holds up in being a great game. It makes sense why the original trilogy of games were held in such a high light for the folks in Japan and the fans. Out of all the tracks I could've picked from SW3, the debut song that's used for the first fight get's whoever is playing fired up! You don't have the whole squad with you at the time, but with Oogami, Erica and Clycine, this track fuels their first teamwork effort to protect Paris' streets! Kohei Tanaka really outdid himself with the SW songs, but this one stands out in my mind excluding Geki! Teikoku Kagekidan which will always be #1. I'm happy that this year and the next have been the time for Sakura Wars to return in a bombastic way. Looking forward to Shin Sakura Wars release in 2020 for North America and Europe.