Monthly MIDI Contest #8 - April 2012 - RESULTS RELEASED

[reversalmushroom]

That "casual gamer" remark was only a jest; I hope I didn't offend you. And I should have remembered the whole "Mario vs Sonic" rivalry that took place during the 90's and that there was actually another gaming company out there besides Nintendo.

A few other things:

1) In retrospect, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Anger of the Guardians should not have been on this list, because it is not memorable; but for some reason I still find it enjoyable, at least during actual gameplay, so I choose to include it. There were a few other songs that I'd thought about adding, such as Star Fox's Boss (Corneria), Boss (Titania), Boss (Venom Base 1), and Boss (Venom Base 2), but I didn't because those songs aren't actually memorable either. And yet I still like listening to them. I don't understand it. In most cases unmemorable = bad, and yet a very small number of unmemorable songs are still enjoyable for me. Like the SPC7 songs. Even though none of them have memorable themes, they still somehow manage to be catchy.

2) I don't want to spoil anything, so all I'm going to say is that Super R-Type comes before R-Type III, and that the games should be played and music listened to in that order. Fun fact: Super R-Type is a semi port of R-Type and R-Type II, while R-Type III is actually a sequel to the arcade classics.

3) If you haven't heard Super Bomberman 2 - Dastardly Bomber's Machine, you've missed out. Super Bomberman 2 - Dastardly Bomber's Machine is the greatest song that has ever been composed or ever will be composed. In every conceivable dimension or multiverse. My life is now complete. I could die alone, having never achieved anything after living to be 1OO, and I would still leave this world a happy and fulfilled man and/or woman.

4) Axelay is a shmup. So is Super Earth Defense Force.

5) I agree with you that X3's two Sigma boss battle themes are terrible. But then again, that's why they didn't make it into a list of good video game music.

6) If you're a Bomberman fan, then you should visit the Bomberman wiki sometime.

7) If you ever listen to any of the other songs, please let me know what you think.

[Charybdizs]

Okay, no hard feelings. It's just that jests like that don't come across right over the internet.

I think the reason unmemorable songs are still enjoyable is because of the nostalgia that goes with them.

[reversalmushroom]

I think that songs that are not "memorable" can still elicit an emotional response. Listen to the soundtracks of Bomberman 64, Portal 2, and Super Mario 64. Now, yes, each game has songs in it that have memorable themes, but I am talking about the OSTs as a whole. The majority of the music in those 3 games is emotional mood-fitting music, yet I still enjoy listening to it and I consider those games to have quality soundtracks; I'm actually tempted to put some of it onto my MP3 player, and even the ones that I wouldn't want to download still make the game more fun, which is really the most important thing. But 9 times out of 10, the music will devolve into generic filler. The industry as a whole has forgotten the purpose of music in video games. The purpose of music in video games is to enhance the gameplay. A great way to do this is by having songs that are catchy and memorable (like Mega Man's 1-4), but this can also be done by helping to portray and enhance certain emotions. But the problem is that very few of these songs have ever been able to pull this off. The other 99.99% of them are equivalent to film score: they match the setting, but the songs themselves are boring and you don't care about them at all. Video game music isn't just supposed to match the game play, it's supposed to add to it. Songs that aren't theme songs need to be able to convey emotion. If they don't have that, then they don't have anything.

Games that I feel have been able to pull this off the right way are:

Bomberman 64
Donkey Kong Country
Mario Kart 64
Paper Mario
Portal 2
Star Fox
Super Mario 64

(Sample Pack Contest VII also accomplishes this)

Games that crash and burn:

Bomberman Hero
Donkey Kong Country 3
Gradius 4
Megaman 8
Megaman X4
Megaman X5
Super Mario Galaxy 2

...and much, MUCH, MORE!

In fact, I would even go so far as to say that that first set of 7 games and SPC7 sound better than some games where the music has themes. Games such as:

Mario Kart 7
Mario Kart Double Dash!!
Megaman 5
Pac-In-Time
Rockman & Forte

...and much, MUCH, MORE!

[EnergeticEssence]

@reversalmushroom

It's quite interesting, the songs you mention are quite the songs I love to listen to. Seems like there is a type of music that every one seems to enjoy, or at least a majority of people.

@all

Don't worry guys, if you're working on something and you are in a hurry because of the deadline, don't rush it. The deadline may be extended. Even though it's not planned, if it's necessary, I'll give you more time of course.

[AnthonyMorgan]

Blah.

Less talk, more music.

This month's theme didn't suit me at all but still I submitted something to help make the contest happen.

[EnergeticEssence]

Blah.

Less talk, more music.

This month's theme didn't suit me at all but still I submitted something to help make the contest happen.

I totally agree with you. Even if people think that their themes are not that good, just submit them. I mean, it's just a contest, and it's supposed to be fun. If we keep running these contests, we'll have one each month, so you'll have a chance to give your best each month. I must say, I enjoy the themes, that have been submitted so far. I've always loved boss themes from games (especially from Star Fox, Super Mario Galaxy, Chrono Trigger etc.).

[Dentelle]

I'll start today, and will finish the 30th... I guess the deadline will be ok for me.
I choose a game which was only released in Japan.

Charybdizs > I'm confused, I wrote a private message to you yesterday ......... and I don't remind if I really sent it or not. (something tells me that I probably closed the browser before sending the message though .........). I will write another one today or tomorrow if I really don't send it ...

[BlueWarrior]

3) If you haven't heard Super Bomberman 2 - Dastardly Bomber's Machine, you've missed out. Super Bomberman 2 - Dastardly Bomber's Machine is the greatest song that has ever been composed or ever will be composed. In every conceivable dimension or multiverse. My life is now complete. I could die alone, having never achieved anything after living to be 1OO, and I would still leave this world a happy and fulfilled man and/or woman.

Hmm....

This is a bit off-topic, but do you listen to Kansas, by any chance?

[Charybdizs]

Aye, Kansas is one band everyone should listen to. A few years ago I got to see them live in concert at a park nearby. And oh, that violinist! What an awesome blend of talent and charisma!

[Blitz Lunar]

I'll just leave this Rumi Shishido song here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez-GWJCXFzQ
(Yasuhiko Fukuda)

[EnergeticEssence]

Alright, today is deadline and not everyone has submitted their entries. I'm going to have to extend the deadline. There are a few people I'd really love to hear entries from.

[EnergeticEssence]

New deadline: May 10th!

[Dentelle]

I submitted the entry.

[EnergeticEssence]

Alright, it seems like entries from only two participants are missing. MicroProcessor and Zenkusa, two musicians whose SPC VII entries I really enjoyed. I'd really like to hear something from you!

[Zenkusa]

Sorry, team project's been eating up my days and nights mercilessly. I could definitely put something together this weekend.