I think I'm coming at the Zelda rumble a lot like you were with Final Fantasy. I played A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening, and I very briefly tapped into Ocarina of Time, but it's not really a series I'm familiar with. So I for one heard Gerudo Valley without any in-game context and experienced what I would consider pretty standard flamenco limited in its zest by the confines of the N64's sound capacity. Would I pick Vaati to go very far in the rumble? Probably not, but its chippy tones appeal to me a lot more than the N64's uncanny valley effect.

Whoa. I can't believe New Tetris is getting bowled over. That's one of my favorite soundtracks on the system. Polyasia, Pyramid, Giali, Thread 6, Haluci, Maya, Greece, Celtic...good game, too. I still play it from time to time with friends on the 4-player mode.

Top Floor/General Onox's Castle

My main issue with New Tetris is that its music seems kinda... I don't want to say samey, because the tracks are obviously pretty different, but it has a similar tone to them all that just doesn't really appeal to me. The quality of the compositions and such seems nice altogether, but it's not really the sort of thing I'd choose to listen to. As someone who hasn't played either Perfect Dark or New Tetris, I learned towards PD.

And yeah, I do feel that Ganondorf's Theme is an excellent cutscene theme, not so excellent song in general even if it is the kind of thing I like to listen to. I do enjoy a lot of the Oracle games osts even if they tend to be short and repetitive.

Oracle of Ages - Top Floor/General Onox's Castle (4-1) and Perfect Dark (4-1) advance.

Round 1, Fight 16 // N64 Rumble

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

Bomberman Hero (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkVTavDbJM4&list=PL54D6882B076D3531), by Jun Chikuma

vs.

Quake II (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZF1S4WL3Uw&list=PL9B61CA3E61A79AD7), by Ken Richmond

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

The N64 seems to have a lot of beat-centric soundtracks, but only a handful of them haven't sounded like cheap imitations to me. Quake II is so ambient that it barely qualifies as music, but had I played this game I think it would have had a positive influence on my experience.


The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

Deku's Palace (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f72iBfWWqlE), from Majora's Mask

vs.

Outset Island (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJsviRJ4voc), from Wind Waker

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

These are both nice. I'll take Deku's Palace.

Hmm. I like Bomberman Hero better, I think.

Deku Palace is one of my favs from the 64 era.

Bomberman

Deku's Palace

I don't know if it is the better quality music, but for my personal preferences, I like Quake quite a bit better than Bomberman.

This is, in my estimation, probably the closest matchup between two tracks in the Zelda rumble in the first round (and as a #16/#17 match up, it should be). I find that both songs fit in perfectly with what they are designed to do. They are perfect at their points in the game (Outset Island at the very beginning of a grand adventure while Deku Palace in the first part of the game as well and conveys drama that matches the gameplay and and mood of the Deku). Two very good songs. It is too bad Outset is going to lose in the first round.

Quake II, Majora's Mask

Bomberman Hero

Outset Island

Majora's Mask - Deku's Palace (5-1) and Bomberman Hero (4-2) advance.

Round 1, Fight 17 // N64 Rumble

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

Gex 64: Enter the Gecko (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY7nEIAhFDk&list=PLA5C9DC20E7CFE5EC), by Ted Allen, Kurt Harland, & Jim Hedges

vs.

Doom 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2MWISK-apQ&list=PL25F47CA6F3F95562), by Aubrey Hodges

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

Similar in atmosphere to Quake II, Doom 64 sounds a lot more convincing to me.


Termina Round 1, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

Ikana Valley (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuYCxuVKZkc), from Majora's Mask

vs.

House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaK9OSSOqQM), from Ocarina of Time

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

The Majora's Mask soundtrack has been growing on me lately. I wish I could go back and change my vote against it in the N64 rumble. Ikana Valley

Doom 64. Gex is a bit too tinny for me.

I really love the way Ikana Valley's theme sets the tone for the area (Also one of my favorites in the series). Ocarina of Time's house theme isn't bad or anything, but it's nothing special either.

This is the final #16/#17 matchup of the first round of the tournament. Ikana Valley is definitely a sleeper pick now because this is in the Termina bracket where Vaati unseated top seed Gerudo Valley in the top round. To use a tennis term, this section of the draw is WIDE open now. Whoever emerges here one would think could have a decent chance to run into the 3rd round.

There's no doubt that House is far more iconic and has been copied many times later in the series either in tone or damn near note for note, but Ikana Valley seems to have that special something that all Majora's Mask offerings do. The most underrated game in the series delivers for me.

I was disappointed with DOOM 64, only because I was expecting something similar to DOOM and DOOM II - those are all-time great PC soundtracks. But, I still give it the nod over Gex.

DOOM 64, Majora's Mask

DOOM 64

Ocarina of Time - House

Doom 64

Ikana Valley

DOOM 64

Ocarina of Time - House

Doom 64

Ocarina of Time - House

Love the new voters! Tell your friends - link in your sig! Let's build this back up to the level of rumbles of old!

Majora's Mask - Ikana Valley (4-3) and Doom 64 (7-0) advance.

Round 1, Fight 18 // N64 Rumble

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Snowboard Kids (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i76c2_yjcEA&list=PL022DCE54D4960AA9), by Isao Kasai & Tomohiko Satou

vs.

Blast Corps (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPhakfGboH4&list=PLA6C96611FE88951A), by Graeme Norgate

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

I'll listen and vote later today.


Underworld Round 1, Fight 3 // Zelda Rumble

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

Level 1 - Tail Cave (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3LBVyO_4cs), from Link's Awakening

vs.

Blizzeta Battle Second Half (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jsAo8uE9dU), from Twilight Princess

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

I'll listen and vote later today.

This N64 one is actually pretty hard to choose on, hmm. I liked Snowboard Kids a lot more than I expected from the name, but Blast Corps kinda impressed me since I was expecting another ambient dark background theme game like a few we've seen before and was pleasantly surprised. Gonna have to go Blast Corps. Both of these are really nice imo, but I think it wins out overall even if Snowboard Kids is easier to listen to.

As much as I like Link's Awakening's ost, Tail Cave isn't a particular favorite of mine, and it's up against one of my favorite 3d LoZ boss themes. Blizzeta Battle Second Half.

Blast Corps

Blizzeta Battle Second Half

Definitely Blast Corps (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O364jC97sQs&list=PLA6C96611FE88951A&index=9)

Blizzeta Battle Second Half

Blast Corps

Blizzeta Battle Second Half

Blast Corps was a game I never played but always wanted to.

We are not into the third set of seeding battles in the Zelda rumble with #12 seed Tail Cave taking on #21 seed Blizzeta. I was really thrown by Tail Cave when I entered it for the first time - it is a big difference from the fast-paced Sword Search music and the LA Overworld Theme (at least one of which is in this rumble). It really got my attention and told me that it was time to get serious.

I go that way, but Blizzeta is a very enjoyable battle track from TP, which has the strongest music top to bottom in the series in my opinion (and consequently, the most entries into the rumble as well).

Blast Corps, Link's Awakening

Definitely Blast Corps (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O364jC97sQs&list=PLA6C96611FE88951A&index=9)

Blizzeta Battle Second Half

Twilight Princess - Blizzeta Battle Second Half (5-1) and Blast Corps (6-0) advance.

Round 1, Fight 19 // N64 Rumble

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

Buck Bumble (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0HoiN7iwpE&list=PLAE6A9DB766EC799E), by Justin Scharvona

vs.

Diddy Kong Racing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzshtgcpo6M&list=PL5A2C06C48A25D21E), by Dave Wise

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

Dave Wise did kiddie game music way better than most, but Buck Bumble had me convinced pretty much from the get-go. I started to question its lack of diversity in the beat as the soundtrack progressed, but I think I'll stand by it for this round.


Hyrule Round 1, Fight 3 // Zelda Rumble

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

Ghost Attack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35FJlnl_kYA), from Majora's Mask

vs.

Fire Temple (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZSi6FdBnlQ), from Ocarina of Time

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

Fire Temple is really awesome.

Buck Bumble

Fire Temple

Buck Bumble

Fire Temple

Fire Temple

Diddy Kong Racing

Ghost Attack

Mr. Bumblebee was too repetitive for me.

Another great matchup in the Zelda rumble - the track posted actually is one of the biggest controversies in the history of the franchise. The track posted is the updated version of the Fire Temple music introduced in Ocarina of Time version 1.2. Some felt that the original version of the track (available here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5blHw6C4Ax4) sounded like an Islamic prayer. The track was edited to appease them. As an editorial request, I'd like the original music to be used for the rumble in subsequent rounds if that is OK (it appears the Fire Temple will win). I think the chanting provides INCREDIBLE depth to the track that the new one just doesn't have. I'd love to hear which people like best.

I was really sad when the seeds came up this way, because I REALLY like Ghost Attack.

Between the original Fire Temple and Ghost Attack, I'll take Fire Temple, but I'll vote for Ghost Attack against the updated version before it gets put out to pasture.

Diddy Kong Racing, Majora's Mask

I've read another version of the story, documented here (http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Fire_Temple_%28Ocarina_of_Time%29#Controversy). Regardless, it doesn't seem like the composer (or, as is just as likely the case, the project director making demands of the composer) thought it through when they grabbed that sample.

On another note, other samples used in Zelda games (http://www.zeldauniverse.net/forums/nes-snes-n64-zelda/152182-samples-that-koji-kondo-used-for-scoring.html).

Honestly, if we're going with the version you just linked I'm changing my vote to Ghost Attack. The samples kind of ruin everything I liked about the song.

I am happy to switch my vote to Fire Temple then. :)

---------- Post added at 05:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:32 PM ----------

Man, great post on those samples Arthur - I had no idea those were used in the sound tracks. Some of my favorites from the series are on that list. I think it really gives the tracks (especially Fire Temple and Forest Temple) added depth and "life" that they would otherwise be missing (especially Fire Temple). SO glad I have a 1.0 Ocarina of Time cart. Ganondorf bleeds red damnit!

Buck Bumble (3-2) advances. We'll do a revote of the previous Zelda fight, because I linked the wrong version of the song.

Round 1, Fight 20 // N64 Rumble

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

Ridge Racer 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aojsj9zEQDE&list=PLF79E37B947E4B8E9), by Keith Arem

vs.

Magical Tetris Challenge (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO0366H7fHE&list=PLCDA895370AB9D9C5), by Masato Koda

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

Magical Tetris Challenge


The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 3 // Zelda Rumble

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

Hidden Village (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgnKbFSySfk), from Twilight Princess

vs.

Trouble on the Raft! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDi98MxmzSE), from Oracle of Ages

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

Trouble on the Raft


REVOTE: Hyrule Round 1, Fight 3 // Zelda Rumble

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

Ghost Attack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35FJlnl_kYA), from Majora's Mask

vs.

Fire Temple (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5blHw6C4Ax4), from Ocarina of Time

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

What sold Fire Temple for me was the track they added in place of the Islamic prayer samples featured in its original version. I'll take Ghost Attack

Ridge Racer 64

Trouble on the Raft

Ghost Attack

Hidden Village was also featured in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Ridge Racer 64, Twilight Princess, Ocarina of Time.

Magical Tetris Challenge

Trouble on the Raft

Fire Temple

Well, I extended the last fight an extra day to no avail. Trouble on the Raft (3-1) advances, and everything else is left in a bit of a mess. If you didn't vote last fight, feel free to chip in on the tie breakers. Otherwise they'll be decided on coin tosses in three days.

Round 1, Fight 21 // N64 Rumble

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

1080� Snowboarding (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPyNIhN6Y1w&list=PLB2560954D0DCDD77), by Kenta Nagata

vs.

Mario Golf (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Bv1Z3eDfc&list=PLhHcMbVmbwCc9dJe9CnZbbmrzHEo04snx), by Motoi Sakuraba

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

Mario Golf

Termina Round 1, Fight 3 // Zelda Rumble

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

Dungeon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN5EXLqG3Z8), from Link's Awakening DX Color

vs.

Castor Wilds (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTiAUhmUqPk), from Minish Cap

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

Dungeon

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

TIE-BREAKER: Round 1, Fight 20 // N64 Rumble

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

Ridge Racer 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aojsj9zEQDE&list=PLF79E37B947E4B8E9), by Keith Arem

vs.

Magical Tetris Challenge (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO0366H7fHE&list=PLCDA895370AB9D9C5), by Masato Koda

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

TIE-BREAKER: REVOTE: Hyrule Round 1, Fight 3 // Zelda Rumble

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

Ghost Attack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35FJlnl_kYA), from Majora's Mask

vs.

Fire Temple (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5blHw6C4Ax4), from Ocarina of Time

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

Please keep in mind that the Fire Temple track here is not the one originally linked two fights ago.

1080� Snowboarding

Dungeon

What an exciting round of the Video game rumble: The first ever Quadruple Header in history!

In this round, we have our only submission from Link's Awakening DX. This was the remake of Link's Awakening for the Game Boy Color and featured a brand new dungeon known as the Color Dungeon. This dungeon featured color-sensitive monsters and puzzles to take advantage of the new Game Boy's color screen. The music featured is a remake of the original Zelda's Underworld. Also interesting to note is that the Color Dungeon is the only dungeon in the series to feature green Rupees that are valued at 5 instead of the normal 1.

To recap my votes for this insane 4-header round (Gleeok - Zelda Wiki (http://zeldawiki.org/Gleeok)), 1080 Snowboarding, Link's Awakening DX, Ridge Racer 64, Ocarina of Time.

1080 Snowboarding

Castor Wilds

Fire Temple for Zelda the tie-breaker. I'll let someone else take the N64 rumble tie-breaker.

Feralanima had already voted in that Zelda rumble, which means both of those fights are still at 2-2 ties. I thought for sure someone else would show up by now. It's weird how we seem to go in bursts of 6, 7, even 8 votes, then bounce down to 3 or 4 without much in between. Oh well, the coin it is! A Heads on the first flip and Tails on the second means Magical Tetris Challenge (2-2) and Fire Temple (2-2) advance! 1080� Snowboarding (3-1) and Dungeon (3-1) will also be moving on.

Round 1, Fight 22 // N64 Rumble

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

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRgv4B7o8Vw&list=PLDD9924C80C9384A9), by Shigeru Araki, Yusuke Kato, Saiko Miki, & Yasumasa Kitagawa

vs.

F-Zero X (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZsN4SUttc&list=PL59B49F36D76385AC), by Taro Bando & Hajime Wakai

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

I'm pretty disappointed with this match-up. F-Zero X's idea of "let's take the classic soundtrack and overlay it with really stereotypical heavy metal" never impressed me when a thousand fans did the same for every other vgm song imaginable on youtube. (I think Black Mages are pretty dull too.) Granted this was 1998, historical significance doesn't make it any less boring to me. On the other hand, the Goemon series has traditionally been a bastion of incredible soundtracks. I thought my vote here would be a no brainer until I loaded Mystical Ninja up and waited, and waited, and waited for the slightest hint of the series' classic sound. It took me to the 13th track in the mix to find anything approaching the Goemon greatness of old, and I listened all the way to the 50th counting only seven songs worth a damn. Konami totally botched this one. F-Zero X at least did exactly what it was supposed to, whether I care for it much or not.

Underworld Round 1, Fight 4 // Zelda Rumble

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

Title (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o78T9-I4OGA), from Wind Waker

vs.

Deepwood Shrine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40omKnCX9C8), from Minish Cap

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

Title


On another note, I recently picked up Guitar Pro 6 and thought I'd have a go at some vgm fingerstyle tabs. My first attempt was a request fill for Higashino's Homesickness from Suikoden II (http://www.gametabs.net/suikoden-2/homesickness). I've got my version of Festival of Stars from CT all written out now, but I'm kind of holding off for a better mic so I can record the example audio instead of posting my midi.

F-Zero X

Wind Waker

missed a few fights :/

F-Zero X

Title

Glad to see Fire Temple move on for sure! Really surprised it was that close... though I do like me some Ghost Attack. Also, allow me to belatedly mourn for Hidden Village. One of my all-time TP favorites and certainly one of the tracks that best captures what you're doing in the game (literally an old-style Western shootout).

The Wind Waker has one of the most unique title screen themes in the series. It is appropriately fitting as it is a very different feeling Zelda than many of the others.

F-Zero X, The Wind Waker

Sidenote: Yoshi's full name is T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas, and other recently revealed Nintendo facts (http://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/8/7/5978739/nintendo-yoshisaur-munchakoopas-mario-homo-nintendonus)

F-Zero X

Title

Sorry about that Shad, I thought anybody could break the tie breaker if they wanted. I forgot that it had to be someone who hadn't voted yet.

F-Zero X (5-0) and Wind Waker Title (5-0) advance with ease.


Round 1, Fight 23 // N64 Rumble

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

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LEujLtZlco&list=PL57A45E0900C2E224), by Masahiko Kimura

vs.

Mario Party 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNXs6QpgcPA&list=PLAMARO3zXahPAOWneuFlAEasyb57Ouy-_), by Ichiro Shimakura

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

My computer has about 10 minutes of life left in it. I'll vote when I can.

Hyrule Round 1, Fight 4 // Zelda Rumble

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

A Beast in the Village (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX7Ns4R_Z58), from Twilight Princess

vs.

Ganon's Castle Tower (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S4h1gcCMBc), from Ocarina of Time

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

My computer has about 10 minutes of life left in it. I'll vote when I can.

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness

Ganon's Castle Tower

Castelvania: Legacy of Darkness - I like Deep Blooper Sea (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW4LvlzvIdw) and Creepy Cavern (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_jI_03DQAs&index=18) off MP3, but Castlevania is the better soundtrack

Ganon's Castle Tower

Just a note that this is the 8 seed from Twilight Princess vs. the #25 seed from Ocarina of Time.

After listening to the two songs on their own, it appears very obvious to me that I seeded A Beast in the Village based on its placement in the game and it's perfect accompaniment to the mission and time/place in the game. Link has recently been turned into a wolf and is slinking around a village in order to stay hidden and not irk the villagers. I think the mood and pacing is perfect, but it really breaks down without the gameplay to go along with it. Compare that to what many consider to be the definitive version of the Ganon's Tower theme. In Ocarina of Time, the tower comes inside the final level of the game, Ganon's Castle (hence the name, Ganon's Castle Tower). It is a strong candidate and based on that, I'm going with the upset this round.

Castlevania, Ocarina of Time

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness

A Beast in the Village

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness

Ganon's Castle Tower

I've missed a couple of fights, haven't I? Sorry, it's summer. I've been travelling quite a bit, not much access to the internet these days.

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (5-0) and Ganon's Castle Tower (4-1) advance. I apologize for screwing up the seeding on this last match-up. I was in a big hurry because my laptop had about 10 minutes of battery life left and was no longer recognizing any power cables. (I ended up getting a new computer Sunday.) It would appear that I paired a Hyrule fight 4 entry with a Hyrule fight 6 entry. Luckily the seeding difference was very modest (8-24 and 9-25 instead of 8-25 and 9-24). If Link doesn't mind, I'll just put #25 where #24 was supposed to be.


Round 1, Fight 24 // N64 Rumble

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

Spiderman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuGtmdFJg_s&list=PL11223E46082CC8ED), by Tommy Tallarico & Howard Ulyate

vs.

Killer Instinct Gold (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VvPKCp6dxE&list=PL3F9642BD3201AE00), by Robin Beanland

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

Tough call. I'll take Killer Instinct Gold

The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 4 // Zelda Rumble

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

Last Day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyGVXAXxmBA), from Majora's Mask

vs.

Priest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnqQQlmtMEk), from A Link to the Past

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

Last Day

Spiderman

Last Day

No problem Shad - I actually PM'd you exactly that suggestion anyway. :)

Great matchup here between two tracks I really like. You'll recognize the Priest tune is actually Ganondorf's theme later on the series! This is the first usage of the theme. I'm not sure why they later on decided to make this more closely associated with Ganondorf Dragmire. In A Link to the Past, the theme actually belongs to Agahnim, a mysterious wizard who solves the problems of flooding and other natural disasters in Hyrule and becomes an advisor to the Hyrulean King, whom he then betrays by capturing the seven maidens (including Zelda). In the end it is revealed that Agahnim was trying to resurrect Ganon (and is successful before Link destroys the dark lord, again). Ganon claims Agahnim was an alter-ego, but I find that to be more of a boast than actual truth.

At any rate, I like both songs, but Last Day is one of my closet favorites in the entire series. Another track featuring sampled music (see the Fire Temple controversy a few pages back), this is beautifully integrated into the story and is almost MORE chilling when combined with the final tolls of the bells of the clock in Clock Town as the Moon descends upon Termina.

Good stuff this round!

Killer Instinct, Majora's Mask

Killer Instinct Gold

Last Day

Killer Instinct Gold

Last Day

Killer Instinct Gold (4-1) and Last Day (5-0) advance!


Round 1, Fight 25 // N64 Rumble

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

Hydro Thunder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuhtqjcvj8I&list=PLTmomcjY1VRyHjF24_0ZFoHjnl7GNqtEL), by Neil Baldwin & Guy Crockfort

vs.

Pilotwings 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV_0d4KfpK0&list=PL0315B88FBAEA6999), by Dan Hess

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

My initial reaction upon hearing the title theme to what appears from the box art to be a boat racing game was "wtf, did Tim Follin compose this or something?" Of course the credits were nearly impossible to come by, but when I finally found them in an image scan of the instruction manual it turned out I was pretty damn close. Midway couldn't even be bothered spelling chiptune legend Neil Baldwin's name correctly (it's listed as Baldin), but I think I've found my soundtrack to rally behind for the remainder of this rumble. Go go Hydro Thunder and Turok 2 in the final. :)


Termina Round 1, Fight 4 // Zelda Rumble

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

Molgera (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlF0-Qs2xkI), from Wind Waker

vs.

Potion Shop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35M7xhA-oVo), from Ocarina of Time

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

I could not find ANY reference to a song called Molgera from Majora's Mask. Based on the rumble discussion thread, I assume you meant this song from Wind Waker, which is pretty awesome.

Hydro Thunder - Orchestra hits all the way, although here's an interesting interview (http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/08/interview_dan_hess_on_composing_the_pilotwings_64_ soundtrack) with the Pilotwings 64 composer (the interview picks up at the "What was the biggest challenge that you personally faced during the development of the game?" question)

Molgera

Sidenote: I ran across this playlist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu_nQwZn02E&list=PLiJt7rSKcs3ghqLEP7ibbrzd67VQEAA0c&index=72) of old video game commercials and had a blast clicking through them. The link goes to a 1080p Ocarina of Time commercial, which is the last video in the playlist. For those who weren't around in the 90s, this Play It Loud commercial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FArjEUhBgP4&list=PLiJt7rSKcs3ghqLEP7ibbrzd67VQEAA0c&index=19) is your ticket to that special time and place.

Hydra Thunder

Potion Shop

Wow, some of those take me back. Funny that I've never seen the Final Fantasy VI one before.

It's really easy to forget the extent to which video games defined the experience of growing up in the 90s. If you think about which kids had all the friends, they were the ones with the most game cartridges and the coolest system (which was ALWAYS a Nintendo product no matter how hard Sega tried to change that culture.) Games were expensive back then, and not everyone had a copy of Super Mario Bros. or later TMNT 3 laying around. The SNES wasn't quite as much of a social system, but the glory days of the RPG coincided with the birth of the internet. When I think of Play It Loud, I think of The Loud House (https://web.archive.org/web/19961222145752/http://www.nintendo.com/hallway/registration/registration.html), and I'm probably not alone. It's easy to marginalize Nintendo in the history of the internet, because only a privileged few of us had regular online access back in the mid-90s, but every kid with a dial-up modem from 1995 through about 1998 was heading straight to Nintendo.com or its AOL equivalent. That place was a fascinating study in child group behavior and role play in the absence of rules or direct physical contact.

Back then, the mods were powertripping to put Lowtax to shame. They were just college kids performing a role half of us have done for free at some point, but Nintendo called them "cyberjocks", they got their faces plastered all over the Nintendo Power magazine every month, and to be on a shortened-screen-name basis with one was every kid's dream. Oh if only one day NOA Amy might address me as "Shad" and not "Shadow4000". :swoon: I remember causing a huge ruckus at Camp Hyrule one year just to have the honor of being personally banned by NOA Dan. On the Loud House you had what was, by mid-90s standards, an unprecedented forum population of mostly pre to early teen boys, a rule system structured around 1990s moral codes with zero recognition of the changes this new frontier of communication entailed, and almost no checks and balances to prevent actions that are prevented by design on modern websites. The @ and $ symbols were blocked for fear that someone might type @$$hole, but it took months for them to catch on that anyone could register as "NOAShadow", for instance, and impersonate a moderator.

The whole community was divided into factions. If you didn't end your post with "L4 Paladin of the NES Knights", or Zelda Alliance, or H.A.W.C., or another equivalent, you were liable to be completely ignored. Nearly everyone's password was "password", and we would routinely hack each other's accounts not as a prank, but to stir up real conflict in an opposing faction. I remember the NES Knights were sworn to protect against heretical statements regarding the N64, and any post casting the Playstation in a positive light was liable to be met with "YOURE [never ur] SO STUPID YOU DONT DESERVE TO LIVE, N64 FOR LIFE! *CASTS THUNDER 2*". The hate was real peer rejection, and if you didn't go along with the attached roleplay you sealed your fate as an outcast. Nintendo's mods discouraged NONE of this. They were concerned with making sure we didn't swear or personally insult them.

Oh, growing up on the old internet....

Yep, that would be a typo Shad and one that shouldn't have been made - Molgera is one of the most unique boss fight themes in the entire series. It doesn't bombard you with big notes or volume - it is appropriately up-tempo and quite well done! Potion Shop's first appearance in the game was in a quaint alley of Kakariko Village when Link was young, but it is one of the first musical piece you hear in the second "half" of the game after Link grows up as the only theme you hear in the formerly bustling Hyrule Castle Town is the battle theme caused by ReDeads. In an old storage shed, a mysterious figure known as the Ghost Hunter sends Link on a side quest to rid the darkened land of Hyrule of its nighttime plague of Big Poes. It was side quests like these and Biggoron's Sword that gave Ocarina of Time it's Adventure-game charm that fans loved.

But, in the battle of music, Molgera has got to win here... though I like the Potion Shop tune! It fits well.

Hydro Thunder, Wind Waker.

Hydro Thunder (4-0) and Molgera (3-1) advance!


Round 1, Fight 26 // N64 Rumble

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

Tetrisphere (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfExUY0qRX4&list=PL84ECA4F9801D5D27), by Neil Voss

vs.

Quake 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLsAdQE-RhY&list=PL4960705F8261A427), by Aubrey Hodges

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

Tetris Attack and Tetrisphere were my two favorite Nintendo-sanctioned Tetris spinoffs, and they had the two best soundtracks. Coincidence?


Underworld Round 1, Fight 5 // Zelda Rumble

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

Gerudo Desert (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBE4IqApdAA), from Twilight Princess

vs.

Majora's Mask Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AzNTt-boS4), from Majora's Mask

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

Tough call, but I think I'm feeling Majora's Mask Battle

Tetrisphere

Gerudo Desert

This is the first of three Majora's Mask themes in the final battle against the sinister mask. Most Zelda gamers thought that this fight was a bit on the easy side, especially compared go Ganon in Ocarina of Time (the only other 3D Zelda at the time). Of course with the Fierce Diety's Mask, every fight becomes trivial for a player of even average skill (don't mess with the god form of Link... you will lose).

Gerudo Desert expertly calls upon some of the themes set for the Gerudo by Gerudo Valley in Ocarina of Time (still can't believe that first-round casualty) while blending in new elements to keep it fresh. I prefer THIS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr338YlKD94) cut of the music, because the link takes you in at the proper beginning of the track whereas the other awkwardly drops you off in the middle. I'm not sure why they elected to cut it that way.

Tetrisphere, Twilight Princess.

Tetrisphere (3-0) and Gerudo Desert (2-1) advance!


Round 1, Fight 27 // N64 Rumble

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

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvVEaEk7fpw&list=PL65674D59A772CAE2), by Jun Ishikawa & Hirokazu Ando

vs.

Body Harvest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9cHPvaP1w4&list=PLC6BC35FD59A7BD1B), by Stuart Ross & Allan Walker

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

Nintendo made the right decision to bring back the staple Kirby series composers rather than handing this to one of their newer and mostly meh N64 sound teams. I'm really impressed by the tonal quality of this score. It seems to carry on in chip-based Nintendo soundtrack tradition rather than treating the N64 as the boundless sound machine that, unlike the Playstation, it really wasn't. Body Harvest never stood a chance. Kirby 64


Hyrule Round 1, Fight 5 // Zelda Rumble

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

Neyru's Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynIuao60Tkg), from Oracle of Ages

vs.

Hunting the Monkey (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Dml2nIrea0), from Twilight Princess

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

Neyru's Song

Totally agree about the Kirby 64 soundtrack. I will say one thing for Body Harvest. I was pleasantly surprised by the standalone soundtrack, since the game sucks so bad. It's worth a listen. But I can't vote for it here.

Hunting the Monkey

Kirby 64

Hunting the Monkey

Hunting the Monkey is one of the first times Link is called upon to be a hero in Twilight Princess. I like the emotion that Nayru's Song conveys, but I go with TP here.

Kirby 64, Twilight Princess.

Kirby 64 (4-0) and Hunting the Monkey (3-1) advance!


Round 1, Fight 28 // N64 Rumble

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

Chameleon Twist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0aqH4YvtNc&list=PL0PI6kk5SBhN6qBtV4Dh2ymrADgnFUDxp), by Takashi Sugioka, Takashi Makino, Yuuji Nakao, Nobutoshi Ichimiya, Koki Tochio, Tsutomu Washijima, Hiroshi Takami, & Fumihiko Yamada

vs.

Star Fox 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW-7Em3BYiA&list=PLFB2A17E7429EF5C3), by Hajime Wakai & Koji Kondo

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

Having the longest list of composers I've ever seen didn't spare Chameleon Twist from its due place in the waste bin of history. Not that many games have a chance against Star Fox 64. I'm not a huge Koji Kondo fan, but he nailed this one.


The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 5 // Zelda Rumble

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

Hyrule Field Night Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeUAPGZ3imQ), from Twilight Princess

vs.

Dark Grotto (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVhtzTI1KCw), from Twilight Princess

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

Hyrule Field Night Theme

Two of my all-time favorites in this matchup! Twilight Princess broke the mold of the 3D Zeldas by including a night theme for the main overworld and I think it was executed masterfully. I also think Dark Grotto is the best of the series' "Grotto" themes by quite a ways.

TP on TP crime here, but I go with the Night Shift.

Star Fox 64, Hyrule Field Night Theme

Star Fox 64

Hyrule Field Night Theme

Could be two blow-outs this time around.

Star Fox 64

Hyrule Field Night Theme

Could be two blow-outs this time around.

It looks that way doesn't it?!

Sidenote: I'm a regular at Speed Demos Archive (http://speeddemosarchive.com/), and a recent record was posted for a game called Jazz Punk (http://speeddemosarchive.com/Jazzpunk.html). Unfortunately, I just don't have time to keep my finger on the pulse of current games anymore, I barely have any free time to play, and so speed demos are a nice way for me to efficiently experience at least a small selection of the games that have come out the last few years. I know next to nothing about Jazz Punk, but I fell in love with its art direction, voice acting, music, and sense of humor almost immediately while watching its 18-minute speed run. It's totally bizarre and engaging. Plus, it has a memorable and appropriately strange final battle that parodies one N64 game appearing in this rumble, besides some other hallmarks of Nintendo's 90s experiments. Via the above link, there's an embedded video plus an additional link to download the movie file.

As expected, Star Fox 64 and Hyrule Field Night Theme both advance (4-0).


Round 1, Fight 29 // N64 Rumble

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

Donkey Kong 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_OW8wXRLRk&list=PL31C6A2E714B1708F), by Grant Kirkhope

vs.

Wipeout 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7GHvhe5iGM&list=PL32F0178E49B97ED5), by Rob Lord & Mark Bandola

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

I don't have a great deal of patience for soundtracks like Wipeout 64. They seem to be a dime a dozen on the N64, and for all their efforts to overwhelm, I've found most of them rather dull. Donkey Kong 64 is nothing I would ever sit down and listen to for enjoyment, but there's no denying its creativity.


Termina Round 1, Fight 5 // Zelda Rumble

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

Tarm Ruins/The Lost Woods (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_b4586GCQI), from Oracle of Seasons

vs.

Prologue - Legend of the Goddess (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTLQSi8K8_w), from Skyward Sword

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

Legend of the Goddess

Donkey Kong 64

Tarm Ruins/The Lost Woods

This thread needs some jumper cables. NARFNra vanished way too soon and most of the regular are MIA.

I think it is understandable - it was Labor Day Weekend - I certainly wasn't thinking about this - in a couple days people will be back in the groove.

I will admit that the numbers have declined, even during the most popular rumble we could have run on the site (a Final Fantasy one). Not sure what to do about it though - could be indicative of decreased use of this forum on the whole (more people just here to download possibly rather than interact).

Enough commentary for now though - I really like the simplicity of the Game Boy track in this matchup. Nintendo was able to coax some surprisingly emotional tunes out of the Game Boy Color and the Oracle Zelda games were no exception. In fact, I believe it represents some of the best handheld work they've done (along with Link's Awakening.

Wipeout, Oracle of Seasons.

Donkey Kong 64 (2-1) and Tarm Ruins/The Lost Woods (2-1) advance.


Round 1, Fight 30 // N64 Rumble

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

Shadow Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCzhwZ0JjEQ&list=PL035D096DCFBE41E1), by Tim Haywood

vs.

Paper Mario (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEgJW233lpM&list=PLD767FE328147BD8D), by Yuka Tsujiyoko & Taishi Senda

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

Shadow Man might be the best ambient-themed soundtrack I've heard on the N64. It gives me a really vivid image of each stage despite the fact that I've never played the game. Asylum: Lava Ducts is especially disturbing.


Underworld Round 1, Fight 6 // Zelda Rumble

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

Knowledge of the Maku Trees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPl5mZqeTxM), from Oracle of Seasons

vs.

Ganon's Castle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwQu3PrxJ5s), from Ocarina of Time

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

Edit: The previous link was an incorrectly titled video. Corrected as of 9/4. Feral will need to revote. I'm switching to Ganon's Castle

Paper Mario

Knowledge of the Maku Trees

School starting back up and a bit of holiday has made me forget to check on here and miss the last rumble.

Shadow Man - Surprised myself with this vote

Knowledge of the Maku Trees

The track listed there is NOT Ganon's Castle. That is Ganon's Castle Tower, which has already appeared in the rumble, advancing with a 4-1 win over A Beast in the Village from Twilight Princess. That fight started on page 172 and ended on 173 of the thread. The track you're looking for here can be found at the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwQu3PrxJ5s&index=73&list=PL8D1E4637261C45EF

That is the theme to Ganon's Castle. It harkens back to Dodongo's Cavern to be sure, but the ominous notes of the piano and serve to make it one of my favorite evil themes of the series.

A lot of gamers don't know the difference between Ganon's Castle and Ganon's Castle Tower, which often leads to misleading or incorrect music titles.

I will abstain until Shad decides how to proceed.

In the other matchup, Shadow Man.

This is an easy one to fix, as far as I can see. That just means Shad, feral, and I need to make sure we'd still vote the way we did. And for me, that's a yes.

I thought it sounded incredibly familiar. The next fight is Friday. What I'll do is put up the next two as usual and leave Underworld 6 open unless you and Feral get your votes in between now and them. I love the old-school appeal of Knowledge of the Maku Trees, but I think I'm going to have to switch to Ganon's Castle.

I'm going to switch my vote to Ganon's Castle.

Shadow Man

Ganon's Castle

Shadow Man (4-1) advances. I'll take additional Zelda votes during this next fight due to the confusion, but at 3-1, Ganon's Castle is pretty much in the books too.


Round 1, Fight 31 // N64 Rumble

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

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbKVc5hmErA&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE), by Tomohiko Kira, Yasunori Mitsuda, Hidenobu Otsuki, Tomori Kudo, Hiroyo Yamanaka, Yoshitaka Hirota, & Kenji Hiramatsu

vs.

Castlevania 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWItZCy73yw&list=PL9EC108E92392460D), by Masahiko Kimura, Motoaki Furukawa, & Mariko Egawa

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

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack right now, but I'll definitely have to give both of these a start to finish playthrough tonight. Unlike a lot of the other "wall of composer" soundtracks here, I really feel like everyone must have contributed something worth while to B64. And based on tracks like "Stage Select", it sounds like Mitsuda got over whatever was bugging him on Mario Party and returned to full form.

Hyrule Round 1, Fight 6 // Zelda Rumble

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

Ordon Ranch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1x-WoLHK9k), from Twilight Princess

vs.

Farewell Hyrule King (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq7LrougGYk), from Wind Waker

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

Farewell Hyrule King might not be an original melody, but I love this take on it.

The N64 match-up is brutal. These are both really good soundtracks. But with tracks like Stage Select (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWaCYMg99BI), Aquanet 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avZ2ViM9LuA), Warship Noah (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL-TLBpMSRc&index=25), and Rukifelth's Battle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwcfpAT448w), Bomberman 64: The Second Attack gets my vote.


Here's what I wrote about it way back during the Mitsuda rumble (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/official-video-game-music-rumble-66118/39.html#post1579072) semifinals: "By no means is this Mitsuda�s first collaboration, but it�s interesting that he was the wily veteran this time, drafting a rookie composer (and childhood friend) so similar to himself circa Chrono Trigger. Previously, Yoshitaka Hirota had done sound design work for Squaresoft, just like Mitsuda, primarily on RPGs, just like Mitusda, and was waiting around for someone to give him a vote of confidence, just like Mitsuda. When he got that chance, he also shined just like Mitsuda. What he most prominently brings to the table is the bass. You�ll notice a lot of songs have a buzzy low-pitch bass-line reminiscent of Mitsuda�s Gun Hazard work. A sort of snarling, snaky skeleton to the songs. That�s mostly Hirota, although Mitsuda does his job, too. There�s another track that seems like a rough draft of �Jellyfish Sea� from Chrono Cross, and the boss songs show some of the most typical Mitsuda gestures�both in the way he constructs melodies, the sounds he uses, and the experimentation with time signatures. That spirit of experimentation carries over into the stage tracks, too, which each have two versions (mostly to try out different patches). All that aside, though, this soundtrack�s real importance is that its successes made later successes possible. Hirota himself said that he studied music technology production during this project (specifically recording and compression techniques) that later enabled him to co-compose Shadow Hearts with our guy."

What's interesting to me now is re-learning that Hirota studied compression techniques while making this, because the compression (nerd alert) is one of the things I thought about when listening to this soundtrack again. Although tracks like LD Angel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShdNZk2xG0A) still demonstrate in its first 10 seconds the typical, bloodless, plateaued N64 dynamic range that we've heard a lot this rumble, there are several counterexamples on this soundtrack, particularly ones with the bass lines I described above. That's as much of an achievement as, say, sampling the bass in Gimmick! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU0GEcU63qw) on the NES with such high resolution and elasticity (unlike the more famous bass sample in Journey to Silius two years earlier, which always sounded like a tapped note, lacking any bend or natural decay). It feels like the console's hidden layers have been revealed.

Farewell Hyrule King

The N64 battle is really tough, but I think I'm going to go with Castlevania 64.

And another vote for Farewell Hyrule King

My post didn't save for some reason....

Anyway, I recalled hearing some of those Castlevania songs in Circle of the Moon (my favorite Castlevania game of all time). Good stuff.

Ordon Ranch is one of the first tunes you'll hear in Twilight Princess and sets the stage perfectly - peace and tranquility with no threat of danger just before an impending adventure - a lot like the Hobbit theme does in Lord of the Rings. Farewell Hyrule King is a good one, but I'll go for the Ranch here.

Castlevania 64, Twilight Princess.

In the previous round, I'll take Ganon's Castle.

Star Fox 64

Hyrule Field Night Theme

Farewell Hyrule King (3-1) advances. The N64 fight will stay open for a tie-breaker. We're down to the final fight of the opening N64 round, so you've heard them all now.


Round 1, Fight 32 // N64 Rumble

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

Wave Race 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci1_OiNfV2g&list=PLABAB0A4DA954AB9C), by Kazumi Totaka

vs.

Mystical Ninja 2 Starring Goemon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_2lTBD8SA4&list=PL0D877BD1284957FB), by Shigeru Araki, Kato Yusuke, Saiko Miki, & Yasumasa Kitagawa

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

While I'm still not thrilled with Konami's poppier approach in N64 Goemon titles, they at least didn't make it painful to listen to this time around. I don't know if I can vote for a soundtrack that does something I like poorly over one that sounds good without any need for excuses though. Wave Race 64

The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 6 // Zelda Rumble

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

Sadness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU5pqZgZyak), from Oracle of Ages

vs.

Death Mountain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps3jZCfha4c), from Legend of Zelda

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

Death Mountain


TIE BREAKER: Round 1, Fight 31 // N64 Rumble

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

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbKVc5hmErA&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE), by Tomohiko Kira, Yasunori Mitsuda, Hidenobu Otsuki, Tomori Kudo, Hiroyo Yamanaka, Yoshitaka Hirota, & Kenji Hiramatsu

vs.

Castlevania 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWItZCy73yw&list=PL9EC108E92392460D), by Masahiko Kimura, Motoaki Furukawa, & Mariko Egawa

I have a two-part question about the Zelda fight. The link posted seems to be of an arranged version of Death Mountain. So the link should go to the original sound version. But is Death Mountain even a track on the Ocarina of Time soundtrack? Or is it the same thing as Goron City, which already has a separate listing on the Zelda rumble song list?

EDIT: See below for my votes after the correction.

I thought that sounded too good for the N64, but I figured they just managed to pull off something special on it. I'm more impressed now that I hear what they had to work with. That's the sort of stuff I was composing on midi keyboards when I was 14. >_>

To be honest, a lot of the tracks in the Zelda rumble don't have matches on youtube. I've had to dig six or seven pages deep for a lot of them to find something that boasts that name and claims to be from the OST. That's what threw off Ganon's Castle two fights ago too.

Mystical Ninja 2 Starring Goemon

Death Mountain

To be honest, a lot of the tracks in the Zelda rumble don't have matches on youtube. I've had to dig six or seven pages deep for a lot of them to find something that boasts that name and claims to be from the OST. That's what threw off Ganon's Castle two fights ago too.

I hear ya. So that's probably a question for Link006, who designed this rumble. If Goron City and Death Mountain are the same track from Ocarina of Time, we need a replacement track for the song list posted on the OP and for you to use later in the first round.

That is an issue with people generally not using the correct name of the track when titling it on YouTube. Official soundtracks are horrible about this, especially Blizzard ones. The tracks ought to be named for where they occur in the games, not the "title" of the song. Then you have the Oracle games where songs generally appear in both games and have a different name in each.

In this case though, I believe it is clear that this was not anything super hard to understand - it was a typo by yours truly. The track name is correct - the GAME name is wrong. The track should be Death Mountain from The Legend of Zelda... but I put it as OoT in the sheet instead of LoZ.

My mistake. As I've mentioned, I know that it's tough to figure some of this stuff out if you're not a huge fan of the series and didn't put the rumble together yourself like I did. Anytime you have a question, I'm more than happy to help.

The track you're looking for is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps3jZCfha4c.

IN the other fight, I got Wave Race 64. Whether or not you choose to go with Goron City here and leave it as is or switch Death Mountain in to replace it, I choose Sadness either way (though Goron City is nice and poppy and I like it!)

Death Mountain was a real shock to your system in the original Zelda. All you knew was that you had found a cave (miraculously) - the infamous Spectacle Rock. Going inside, players likely thought they'd found a coin game. The only sounds you'd heard to that point were the title, Overworld, and Underworld themes. This definitely put players on edge and let them know that something was different... more evil on this ancient mount. The Prince of Darkness was lurking.

Glad we got it sorted out. I don't want to mess up your seeding; I'll leave it open for an extra fight like I did before and start the vote count from your post. I'll take Death Mountain. The correct link/info has been edited into the main post.

Mystical Ninja 2 Starring Goemon and Death Mountain are still my votes. I've also updated the OP.

I'm going to stick with my votes as well.

Heads won the toss. Bomberman 64 (2-2) advances along with Death Mountain (3-1). N64 fight 32 leaves us with another tie, so it will remain open. Moving on to round two!

Round 2, Fight 1 // N64 Rumble

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

San Francisco Rush 2049 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2xXXe8SqAE&list=PL6611721F517C8C2E), by Barry Leitch

vs.

Bomberman Hero (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkVTavDbJM4&list=PL54D6882B076D3531), by Jun Chikuma

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

San Francisco Rush 2049


Termina Round 1, Fight 6 // Zelda Rumble

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

Midna's Desperation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4o683oc6Qc), from Twilight Princess

vs.

Vaati (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvDPzCmIdQA), from Minish Cap

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

Midna's Desperation


TIE BREAKER: Round 1, Fight 32 // N64 Rumble

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

Wave Race 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci1_OiNfV2g&list=PLABAB0A4DA954AB9C), by Kazumi Totaka

vs.

Mystical Ninja 2 Starring Goemon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_2lTBD8SA4&list=PL0D877BD1284957FB), by Shigeru Araki, Kato Yusuke, Saiko Miki, & Yasumasa Kitagawa

Midna's Desperation plays when the titular character is injured and Link is racing through the Twilight Realm as a wolf to bring her to safety. It carries quite a bit of emotion and conveys the sense of urgency well without being overdramatic.

San Francisco Rush 2049, Twilight Princess.

San Francisco Rush 2049

Midna's Desperation

Bomberman Hero

Midna's Desperation

Heads won again. Wave Race 64 (2-2) advances along with San Francisco Rush 2049 (3-1) and Midna's Desperation (4-0)

Round 2, Fight 2 // N64 Rumble

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

Tetrisphere (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfExUY0qRX4&list=PL84ECA4F9801D5D27), by Neil Voss

vs.

Armorines: Project SWARM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xNDWZFSl9Q&list=PL0119504F38FBEC03), by Simon Robertson

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

Tetrisphere


Underworld Round 1, Fight 7 // Zelda Rumble

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

Faron Woods (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_2zBH30HJU), from Skyward Sword

vs.

Mt. Tamaranch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F9ww-VoZF8), from Link's Awakening

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

That's a pretty brutal match-up. But I'd see Tal Tal Heights through to the final round. Mt. Tamaranch!

Tetrisphere - Easy

Faron Woods - Brutal

Tetrisphere

Faron Woods - That was a brutal match-up!

Tetrisphere

Faron Woods

Tetrisphere (4-0) and Faron Woods (3-1) advance.

Round 2, Fight 3 // N64 Rumble

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

Perfect Dark (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3jIDf7cRvQ&list=PL561A40AE5860D871), by Grant Kirkhope, Graeme Norgate, & David Clynick

vs.

GoldenEye 007 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oL7VN78Zz8&list=PLAA1F6AE3357F26CB), by Graeme Norgate, Grant Kirkhope, Robin Beanland

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

Perfect Dark


Hyrule Round 1, Fight 7 // Zelda Rumble

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

Deku Tree (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtV72jNFejA), from Ocarina of Time

vs.

Majora's Wrath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6AY_5UyHR4), from Majora's Mask

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

Deku Tree

Perfect Dark

Deku Tree - This song takes me back

Perfect Dark

Deku Tree

Perfect Dark

Deku Tree

Perfect Dark and Ocarina of Time.

Sorry for making the last Zelda one so hard on you! I too would have gone with Faron Woods, giving it a 4-1 victory - Mt. Tamaranch is one of the most iconic of any Game Boy Zelda game!

Not much competition that time. Perfect Dark and Deku Tree both advance 5-0.

Round 2, Fight 4 // N64 Rumble

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

F-Zero X (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZsN4SUttc&list=PL59B49F36D76385AC), by Taro Bando & Hajime Wakai

vs.

Doom 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2MWISK-apQ&list=PL25F47CA6F3F95562), by Aubrey Hodges

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

Doom 64


The Golden Lands Round 1, Fight 7 // Zelda Rumble

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

Dark World (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BStjuHfP238), from A Link to the Past

vs.

Mayor's Meeting (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilQfVHGszWs), from Majora's Mask

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

Dark World

F-Zero X

DARK WORLD

I really like Mayor's Meeting, but I can't deny the all-time classic status Dark World has.

F-Zero X, A Link to the Past.

F-Zero X

Mayor's Meeting

F-Zero X (3-1) and Dark World (3-1) advance.

Round 2, Fight 5 // N64 Rumble

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

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LEujLtZlco&list=PL57A45E0900C2E224), by Masahiko Kimura

vs.

Super Mario 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhadLMDWcGA&list=PL5DFFB80A07748DE3), by Koji Kondo

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

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness


Termina Round 1, Fight 7 // Zelda Rumble

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

The Legendary Hero (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TOZwZIgPtI), from Wind Waker

vs.

River Game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPvRU7PCThE), from Twilight Princess

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

River Game. The Legendary Hero's spin on a series classic isn't quite convincing enough for me to pick it over a solid original composition. River Game kind of gives me a Suikoden vibe, too.

Two very different soundtracks in the N64 fight. I'm going with Super Mario 64.

River Game

Super Mario 64

The Legendary Hero

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness

The Legendary Hero

Double tie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km6bFBSVty4)

Interesting! I missed the last two Sundays and I'm really hoping the WoW rumble can kick off in conjunction with the launch of Warlords of Draenor, so I'm going to end this one on schedule, but I'll hold off until tonight to update it in case Link can sneak his votes in. Otherwise these two will stay open through the next fight.

Of course I say that and then the site goes down for a day. Both of our previous fights will remain open on a 2-2 tiebreaker!


Round 2, Fight 6 // N64 Rumble

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

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOdo4oAJzo&list=PL1EEFA82475BD0D5A), by Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, & Hayato Matsuo

vs.

Magical Tetris Challenge (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO0366H7fHE&list=PLCDA895370AB9D9C5), by Masato Koda

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

Call me crazy, but I think Magical Tetris Challenge has a really good thing going. I certainly don't expect it to win this fight--and if it came down to it I would give Ogre Battle 64 a much more thorough listen and reconsider my vote--but I'll not see it lose in a shutout.


Underworld Round 1, Fight 8 // Zelda Rumble

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

Kokiri Forest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3I1fx1GOuc), from Ocarina of Time

vs.

Chamber of the Sages (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POfJokA0fLc), from Ocarina of Time

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

Kokiri Forest


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


TIEBREAKER: Round 2, Fight 5 // N64 Rumble

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

Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LEujLtZlco&list=PL57A45E0900C2E224), by Masahiko Kimura

vs.

Super Mario 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhadLMDWcGA&list=PL5DFFB80A07748DE3), by Koji Kondo

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

TIEBREAKER: Termina Round 1, Fight 7 // Zelda Rumble

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

The Legendary Hero (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TOZwZIgPtI), from Wind Waker

vs.

River Game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPvRU7PCThE), from Twilight Princess

You're crazy. :D Ogre Battle 64

Kokiri Forest

Quadruple header following the site shutdown... and I possibly get the deciding votes on BOTH rumbles! SUCH POWER.

Ogre Battle 64 and Kokiri Forest in the all-Ocarina of Time matchup.

For Tiebreaker #1: This one is rough - really a style a like vs. nostalgia. Nostalgia won - Super Mario 64

For Tiebreaker #2: Very different style of tracks here - one a game intro, the other is a minigame. Their purpose in the game is VERY different - one setting the mood, one fitting the action. I don't know why, but River Game has always resounded with me.

Twilight Princess.

Ogre Battle 64

Kokiri Forest

Ogre Battle 64

Kokiri Forest

Both our tie breakers got resolved, and there aren't any new ones. River Game (3-2), Kokiri Forest (5-0), Super Mario 64 (3-2), and Ogre Battle 64 (4-1) all advance!

Round 2, Fight 7 // N64 Rumble

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

Wave Race 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci1_OiNfV2g&list=PLABAB0A4DA954AB9C), by Kazumi Totaka

vs.

Space Station Silicon Valley (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkRS-rJ2iRg&list=PL121E34A022B4C381), by Stuart Ross

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

Wave Race 64


Hyrule Round 1, Fight 8 // Zelda Rumble

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

Spirit Temple (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEWOeiUmFgA), from Ocarina of Time

vs.

Duel at the Temple of Time ~ Impa vs. Ghirahim (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sesRQvEqWQ8), from Skyward Sword

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

The video I linked for the second choice was the closest name match I could find. We'll revote if it turns out to be the wrong one. Spirit Temple

Space Station Silicon Valley - I think this album has a lot of charm the deeper you go into it.

For the second fight, I googled "Duel at the Temple of Time ~ Impa vs. Ghirahim" and found a page on the K-H Insider's website that had a matching mp3 off The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Expanded soundtrack. I can't directly link to it because the Shrine blocks all links to that particular website by automatically adding asterisks into the URL. :-\ Regardless, that single track, Duel at the Temple of Time ~ Impa vs. Ghirahim, is actually Disrupted Ritual (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSU4sNnKwpo) and Zelda Escapes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuLDwWXSiWs) put together. So, if all of this is correct, your above link is the second half of the song. What it is missing is the 45-second intro of "Disrupted Ritual." So maybe just add a Part 1 and Part 2 link to the fight?

I'll vote for Duel at the Temple of Time ~ Impa vs. Ghirahim

Another folly of the Zelda series - people will sometimes make two tracks and give them separate names for no reason whatsoever. I agree with Arthur, people should listen to both before making their decision (the soundtrack I have has it all as one track - how profoundly annoying).

Good job Shad.

Fortunately, I'm with you on this one - Spirit Temple is SO GOOD!

I thought both N64 tracks this round were pretty junky so... by default:

Wave Race 64, Ocarina of Time.

Wave Race 64

Spirit Temple

Wave Race 64 (3-1) and Spirit Temple (3-1) advance!

Round 2, Fight 8 // N64 Rumble

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

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbKVc5hmErA&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE), by Tomohiko Kira, Yasunori Mitsuda, Hidenobu Otsuki, Tomori Kudo, Hiroyo Yamanaka, Yoshitaka Hirota, & Kenji Hiramatsu

vs.

Super Smash Bros. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6U1b9SSd68&list=PLB1DE9CC5D8EF63C1), by Hirokazu Ando

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

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack is an outstanding soundtrack--maybe the N64's finest. Is that composer list accurate? Some of the talk in the first round makes me think there are only two or three composers and the rest is the sound effects team.


The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 8 // Zelda Rumble

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

Ballad of the Wind Fish (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H9YBMtCv-A), from Link's Awakening

vs.

Lost Woods (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uInmFU6JkU), from Ocarina of Time

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

Lost Woods was the first track that proved Link could be gangsta (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XD4EjeXe1A). (And I really liked it before that too.)

OH Shad... I feel so sorry for you... you are going to hate me so much...

The track you posted is indeed the "Ballad of the Wind Fish"... but that is the flute song from the game, not the game track. The "Ballad of the Wind Fish" track includes the full complement of instruments just as Link head's into the mountain for his final battle to wake up from Koholint Island. That track is here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H9YBMtCv-A).

I don't even know how to express my apology at the internet's sheer ineptitude when it comes to labeling Zelda tracks.

But, since you and I are the only votes, I don't see why you can't just quickly replace the link with no harm done to this round because, again, I'm going with you on that matchup.

Super Smash Bros., Ocarina of Time

The link's been corrected. Funny thing is Link's Awakening is one of the few Zelda games I've actually played. The flute-only version was so familiar to me that I never even remembered there being a multi-track version.

Bomberman 64

Lost Woods

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack is an outstanding soundtrack--maybe the N64's finest. Is that composer list accurate? Some of the talk in the first round makes me think there are only two or three composers and the rest is the sound effects team.

I gave it the old college try, but I can't track down my notes on the composer credits and couldn't find a track-by-track credit list online. :-\

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack

Lost Woods

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (3-1) and Lost Woods (4-0) advance!

Round 2, Fight 9 // N64 Rumble

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

Rayman 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJep_bDgC94&list=PLgl6fbabd1rjBEXON8rOkEkTssKmMWO7d), by Eric Chevalier

vs.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw3Uxwlznp0&list=PLF40B1D5A82D3740D), by Koji Kondo

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

This might seem like a really tough call, but I personally like the Majora's Mask soundtrack substantially more than Ocarina of Time. I still picked Rayman 2 in that match-up, and I'll do it again. This game, B64 2, Hydro Thunder, Turok 2, and Shadowman were my favorite soundtracks of round 1. Surprisingly, maybe, I'd never played any of them before.

Termina Round 1, Fight 8 // Zelda Rumble

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

Ocean (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN_x1rpGbY8), from Wind Waker

vs.

Goron City (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zip3u016uXE), from Ocarina of Time

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

Ocean

Come on... do you really need to ask?

Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker

PS - still mourning Majora's Mask's defeat last round. So much pain.

I like Rayman 2, but Ocarina of Time gave us the House theme, Hyrule Field, Lost Woods, Zora’s Domain, Temple of Time, Windmill Hut, Gerudo Valley, Bolero of Fire, Spirit Temple, Goron City, Inside Jabu Jabu’s Belly, and Sheik’s Theme, just to mention a few.

Ocean

Ocarina Of Time

Ocean

Rayman 2

Ocean

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3-2) and Ocean (5-0) advance!

Round 2, Fight 10 // N64 Rumble

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

Animal Crossing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUebQUIP50M&list=PL46AAE9DF81FADE09), by Kazumi Totaka, Shinobu Tanaka, Toru Minegishi, & Kenta Nagata

vs.

Banjo-Tooie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP2mKpUvXl4&list=PL7EFB226AC90A54D3), by Grant Kirkhope

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

Banjo-Tooie. It's a shame Rayman 2 didn't get to face one of these two in the second round.

Underworld Round 1, Fight 9 // Zelda Rumble

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

Forest Temple (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmsZyC0UXUU), from Ocarina of Time

vs.

Great Palace (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aestxjrB60), from Adventure of Link

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

I'm loving Forest Temple

Banjo-Tooie

Forest Temple

Just in case you were wondering where we were in the bracket, Forest Temple is the #3 seed in its bracket facing the #30 seed from Adventure of Link.

Forest Temple is Adult Link's first challenge after emerging from the Temple of Time following 7 years of Ganondorf's uncontested reign of Hyrule. The music's mood tells the player that something is different... that the game has shifted gears and that it's time to strap in for a wild second act. I love that it accomplishes this without relying on the normal methods of overbearing percussion or bass. Featuring the Poe Sisters, Walfos, Stalfos, Bubbles, and the Phantom of Ganon himself! Gears shifted indeed.

I wasn't enamored with either choice in the other matchup.

Banjo-Kazooie, Ocarina of Time.

Banjo-Tooie

Great Palace

Banjo-Tooie (4-0) and Forest Temple (3-1) advance!

Round 2, Fight 11 // N64 Rumble

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

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEPfdYoefeA&list=PL7B33C49E1B81E18F), by Darren Mitchell

vs.

Shadow Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCzhwZ0JjEQ&list=PL035D096DCFBE41E1), by Tim Haywood

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

Ouch. Round 2 has not been kind to this rumble. Wave Race 64 and Banjo-Tooie move on, Rayman 2 and one of these two soundtracks stay behind. I'll chip in my support for Shadow Man.

Hyrule Round 1, Fight 9 // Zelda Rumble

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

Underworld (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh9taxESHoM), from Legend of Zelda

vs.

Zora's Domain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUyqvUG0ypA), from Ocarina of Time

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

Zora's Domain

Shadow Man

Zora's Domain

Turok

Zora's Domain

A very interesting battle in the Zelda rumble this round. Two iconic tracks for their games that have each become iconic in their own ways. Underworld for being the single most recognizeable dungeon theme in the series and Zora's Domain for becoming a de facto Zora theme for the race in the series. I like Zora's Domain a lot, but Underworld succeeds at having such a great theme that is so short, but doesn't wear you out hearing it dungeon after dungeon. I'm going old school on this one.

Shadow Man, The Legend of Zelda.

Shadow Man (3-1) and Zora's Domain (3-1) advance!

Round 2, Fight 12 // N64 Rumble

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

Buck Bumble (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0HoiN7iwpE&list=PLAE6A9DB766EC799E), by Justin Scharvona

vs.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvVEaEk7fpw&list=PL65674D59A772CAE2), by Jun Ishikawa & Hirokazu Ando

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

I had all but forgotten about Kirby 64 after round 1. It doesn't have the most memorable N64 songs over all, but excellent mixing/sound quality carries it well beyond Buck Bumble's repetitive catalog for me. It's a shame that game couldn't maintain more of the uniqueness we hear in its opening track.

The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 9 // Zelda Rumble

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

Overworld (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkH2zETKqws), from A Link to the Past

vs.

Great Fairy Fountain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IljKQ1BdHKI), from Ocarina of Time

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

I mean, Fairy Fountain is an unmistakable Zelda classic, but this will be a blow out. Overworld

Agree on both accounts.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Overworld

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards There was that awesome and unique opening track, and then there was the rest of the soundtrack.

Overworld

Good to be back! Here's something that helped get me my fix the last few days: every Game Boy start-up screen in alphabetical order (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkePLvdnFps).

Arthur, did you say this group had a facebook page in case this place ever does go down permanently?

This is another #3 vs. #30 seed matchup and one would expect that it wouldn't be close... but after Gerudo Valley lost... anything is possible.

Kirby 64, A Link to the Past.

Yay! We can finally move on. Kirby 64 (4-0) and Overworld (4-0) advance!

Round 2, Fight 13 // N64 Rumble

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

Banjo-Kazooie (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COM4bdU0R4I&list=PL840312217AF11534&index=2), by Grant Kirkhope

vs.

Star Fox 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW-7Em3BYiA&list=PLFB2A17E7429EF5C3), by Hajime Wakai & Koji Kondo

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

I am still impressed by how appropriate Banjo-Kazooie feels for the sort of kids' game I take it to be, but this is hardly a contest. Star Fox 64.

Termina Round 1, Fight 9 // Zelda Rumble

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

Title Theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AortGYe1sTI), from Majora's Mask

vs.

The Twilight Realm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSaH6pjl1oQ), from Twilight Princess

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

These are both really interesting tracks, but I definitely have to take Title Theme. Majora's Mask has nearly solidified its standing as my favorite Zelda soundtrack at this point, never mind that I didn't play it. Something about Title Theme sounds not quite right from the very beginning. It's just a little too meek, a little too timid, for a start menu. This isn't Harvest Moon we're booting up; it's almost a nervous song in context. You KNOW it's hiding something. And then, a good minute and 40 seconds into the song, you realize you were right.

Arthur, did you say this group had a facebook page in case this place ever does go down permanently?

Yes! I just PMed the link. I know some may not have Facebook or may not wish to join the group. But it's important we know where to meet up should the worst case scenario happen. This most recent outage had me worried.

Star Fox 64

Twilight Realm - Brilliant description of MM's Title theme, Shad. I just have too much invested in the Twilight Realm's theme to vote against it.

After listening to both tracks, I find it hard to believe that Twilight Realm was seeded 30th.... it is a really good tune and fits the Twilight Realm perfectly... but the Title Theme of Majora's Mask was so surprising at the end that I'll have to go with the favorite in this matchup.

In N64... Buh-lowout.

Star Fox 64, Majora's Mask.

Maybe it's a consequence of growing up in the days when anonymity was the highest internet virtue, I don't know, but I absolutely hate Facebook and can never bring myself to maintain an account on it for long. I'll forget about the site for months and then go back to realize I've forgotten my password and registration email, so it's impossible for me to maintain connections on it. If the shit hits the fan, you can always find me on irc. I have Shad registered on Rizon (not a bad catch for a server with 25,000 people currently online) and I'm idling there any time my computer's turned on. You'll find me in #ffgurus and #suikox among others. I hop on Clevernet for #ffshrine when I think of it.

I don't really maintain anything on there. One social medium is enough for me (I use twitter).

Sure. That's fair. Everybody's gotta figure out for themselves if the pros outweigh the cons. Facebook is run by a man who at least initially considered those who trusted him dumb f***s (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/09/20/the-face-of-facebook?currentPage=all). They have serious issues with transparency about how your information is used, and those unfamiliar with the labyrinthine setting controls can inadvertently leave themselves vulnerable to spam and predation.

But if you make yourself unsearchable or searchable only within a preferred network, if you tailor who sees which of your posts, if you limit what shows up on your newsfeed, if you have an ad blocker on your browser, if you're attentive to what you click on, and if you have people in your life who (a) don't turn into psychopaths online and (b) are trustworthy with your information, Facebook is a beautiful thing. At that point, Facebook makes possible things that were not possible 20 years ago. Most of my grandparents' generation had few if any opportunities to ever see their childhood friends again, unless they lived in the same area or exerted the effort of keeping in regular contact. In the 21st century, you get the opportunity to say, "Hey, our friendship was real important to me at a time when there was a lot else going on. Thank you for that." It makes it possible to say, "Hey, I'm sorry things worked out the way they did. You have a beautiful family now. I wish you all the best." It makes it possible to say, "Dear [insert favorite VGM composer], I love your music." In the 21st century, human relationships are freed from the constraints of geographic location, educational background, financial status, and even language. I speak regularly with people on every continent in the world, many of whom aren't fluent in English. We share some rudimentary vocabulary and rely on translation services for the rest. And it works. Not perfectly. But it works. That's insane. What a gift. Now, you still have to be careful over the lifespan of your membership--not just every once in a while. Even with the group page, I felt hesitant. Breaking my anonymity on that was something I otherwise would never, ever do. But I trusted the rest of the gang, and I'm so glad I've gotten to talk to them. I've learned tons from them. And it's been fun.

Facebook offers nothing that would not exist on the internet without it, except perhaps some keenly targeted advertisements. It is massive because since its popularization millions of more people have gained internet access. But it does greatly limit what people can do on the internet. Take Suikox. We had an incredibly imaginative text-based Suikoden spin-off going that would collect dozens of variables concerning your posting and chatting behavior and use them to generate your character's statistics. You joined a "nation", and that nation had its own sub-forum. In-game strategy and out-of-character socializing overlapped as nation leaders banned you from their sub-forum or allowed you in to control how your posting behavior effected their collective outcome when in-game actions were chosen and the numbers were run at the end of every month. Thousands of people participated in this, and it wasn't just some anonymous game you logged in to. You had to be an active member of the social community to participate. Something like that could never happen on Facebook. A TON of highly inventive websites and ideas came crashing down as Facebook stole their participants out from under them. Why do you think it is so hard to find new people interested in this VGM rumble? And keep in mind, Suikox had a huge global community, with tons of members from across Europe and Asia as well as North America. The game was what called upon me to interact with them, and learn about them, and abandon all of the stereotypes American society had caused me to initially form about them. On Facebook, most people's contacts belong to the same isolated community they see at work or church or school every week. They have no incentive to seek out communities that extend beyond these narrow confines.

In a similar discussion on another forum I posted that "[social media sites] encourage children to see the internet as an extension of their pre-established social persona rather than as a means to create new identity. Online communities that offer diverse opportunity are much harder to find today because kids have no incentive to seek them out and my generation drifts away to job and family. The kid with the stutter or bad aim no longer loses that stigma upon getting home from school, and a wonderful opportunity is lost." I'll stand by that. I would be a wretched little white supremacist today if I hadn't had the internet as a child to show me that the world my parents had created for me was not the only truth out there. Now I look at my nephew Kyle. He'll have a Facebook page in a few more years, and on it he'll be that chubby-cheeked, sweet kid who shit his pants twice in first grade but has cool grandparents and lots of toys. And that's the end of it. He'll learn to love NASCAR and the NRA, and maybe cocaine and heroin, and he'll be like everyone else in his rural, backwards home town. He will never have the opportunity to learn how to think and explore new things, unless we as responsible aunt and uncle teach him that, but even then we act only in the faint hope that our influences outweigh those of his parents and the rest of his community. Most of the people in that town are definitely not responsible, and the cycle will continue with their children. In my childhood, the internet opened a world of diversity that he will never seek out when Facebook makes it so much easier to remain chubby-cheeked Kyle. Anonymity isn't about hiding "who I really am". It's about discovering who I really am and showing you that individual without a bunch of social misconceptions ramming sterotypes about me down your throat first. But kids raised in the Facebook age will never know that.

Eh, facebook doesn't make people do (or stop people from) doing anything. The only reason I'm on facebook is so old friends can contact me. I disagree that it is a disincentive to seeking out new friends/communities. I find that I felt more incentive to get out and meet people after seeing pictures of friends out hanging out and having a good time. It depends on how you use it I suppose.

And trust me, this is coming from a guy who is NOT a heavy user. I'm talking checking twice a month - I had lived in my new city for two years before I updated my profile to say I had moved!

Star Fox 64

Title Theme

Star Fox 64 (4-0) and Majora's Mask - Title Theme (3-1) advance!

Round 2, Fight 14 // N64 Rumble

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

1080� Snowboarding (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPyNIhN6Y1w&list=PLB2560954D0DCDD77), by Kenta Nagata

vs.

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLIQOVOEFng&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2), by Darren Mitchell

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

Turok 2!

Underworld Round 1, Fight 10 // Zelda Rumble

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

House (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB8lnyScMvU), from Adventure of Link

vs.

Windfall Island (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go_XgaJNVgg), from Wind Waker

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

Windfall Island isn't the most convincing take on the classic Link to the Past Kakariko Village theme, but I'll take it over the competition.

Turok 2

Windfall Island

I don't know why but that House theme just sounds a little bit off to me. THIS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUdV1yzPhBc&index=2&list=PLF36A6E3E939C1986) is how I remember it. I have seen that version linked in a couple other video lists on YouTube, but I have not heard it while watching gameplay videos. The main melody is very muted and shortened. I seem to recall that maybe it plays in one specific house in the game, but is not mainly used. I seem to remember this issue happening in a previous rumble back in the day with the Battletoads Title Theme - one was posted and everybody thought it was fine, but it was NOT the theme that I heard out of MY NES growing up.

ON the other hand, I had NEVER made the connection between Kakariko Village and Windfall Island. Instrumentally they are very similar in the Ocarina of Time version (when Link is young) and this one. Certainly the pacing is off, but I can hear remnants of it in the same melody. It doesn't jump out at me but in the comments many people say it does to them so what do I know? Also, unbeknownst to me, Nintendo significantly changed the music between the original Gamecube version and the Wii U's HD remake. Here is the updated version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1GJSIn77l4). Try it out and see which you like better.

I guess my point is that I didn't judge it as a descendant of Kakariko Village because I had never heard it that way or considered it that way until today. I don't think it's a very convincing theme when judged by that standard, but when judged on its own, I think it is very strong. Well composed and good choice of instruments and percussion. I'd say it's a top 10 theme from that game for me.

My opinion:

I think the HD remake is GARBAGE.

On a positive note, I actually liked both N64 soundtracks this round!

Turok 2, Wind Waker.

TUROK 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXLMuvVQg54)

Windfall Island

Ah, I imagine that's because in Japan The Adventure of Link was released on the Famicom Disk System, a major upgrade to the classic Famicom that never made it over to the US or Europe. It had an improved sound system, and accounts for a lot of the differences you hear between some Famicom soundtracks and their NES equivalents. I just linked the first youtube result for the track title.

Yeah, the FDS allowed for a whole extra sound channel and more flexibility in tailoring the sounds.

Kid Icarus (NES) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM-1r-D2tk4) versus Kid Icarus (FDS) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p08wyrAYMrs)

Plenty of interesting differences I had no idea about!

Check them out HERE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9jThfBhP5A)!

For me, I VASTLY prefer the NES title theme to the Famicom version.

Happy Halloween FFShrine! Turok 2 (4-0) and Windfall Island (4-0) advance.

Round 2, Fight 15 // N64 Rumble

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

Blast Corps (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPhakfGboH4&list=PLA6C96611FE88951A), by Graeme Norgate

vs.

Killer Instinct Gold (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VvPKCp6dxE&list=PL3F9642BD3201AE00), by Robin Beanland

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

Blast Corps

Hyrule Round 1, Fight 10 // Zelda Rumble

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

Wind Fish's Egg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skRsgS5HtZE), from Link's Awakening

vs.

Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvgexxw7pjc), from Adventure of Link

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

Wind Fish's Egg

Happy Halloween!

Blast Corps

Wind Fish's Egg

Favorite scary movie votes? The Shining

The Shining is definitely up there. I have to give my love to Night of the Living Dead.

Blast Corps

Battle Theme

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!

On we go. Blast Corps (3-0) and Wind Fish's Egg (2-1) advance.

Round 2, Fight 16 // N64 Rumble

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

Hydro Thunder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuhtqjcvj8I&list=PLTmomcjY1VRyHjF24_0ZFoHjnl7GNqtEL), by Neil Baldwin & Guy Crockfort

vs.

Donkey Kong 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_OW8wXRLRk&list=PL31C6A2E714B1708F), by Grant Kirkhope

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

Still loving Hydro Thunder. I hope this one goes far.

The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 10 // Zelda Rumble

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

Clock Town (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0kXVfqPrLs), from Majora's Mask

vs.

Nightmare Battles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyLNQsGTby8), from Link's Awakening

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

I'm not sure if the Majora's Mask selection is correct, because a lot of it is the same as the game's title theme. Anyway, Nightmare Battles is really cool and I think I'll take it.

Hydro Thunder

Nightmare Battles

EDIT: Bonus Nobuo post from his tour
oh=a9e4a055b41098c63aa1b4975dcb2f93&oe=54D6B163&__gda__=1423742726_66343f9b9363ad50176a482557c0cfd 4

Very Glad that Wind Fish's Egg went through - one of my favorite themes from any handheld version of the game! I posted a vote I thought... I'm not sure why it didn't stick - Give it a 3-1 victory!

Shad - that is correct - the link you have is actually three tracks in one - Clock Town, Day 1; Clock Town, Day 2; and Clock Town, Day 3. All are variations on the same theme depending on the day in game.

I'm going Game Boy for the first time in back-to-back rumbles in this series however! Link's Awakening really had it going on.

Hydro Thunder, Link's Awakening.

Hydra Thunder Hail Hydra

Nightmare Battles

Hydro Thunder (4-0) and Nightmare Battles (4-0) advance. It's time for Round 3 in the N64 rumble!

Round 3, Fight 1 // N64 Rumble

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

Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbKVc5hmErA&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE), by Tomohiko Kira, Yasunori Mitsuda, Hidenobu Otsuki, Tomori Kudo, Hiroyo Yamanaka, Yoshitaka Hirota, & Kenji Hiramatsu

vs.

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLIQOVOEFng&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2), by Darren Mitchell

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

Yikes. This is a tough one, but I think I have to take Bomberman 64: The Second Attack.

Termina Round 1, Fight 10 // Zelda Rumble

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

Lake Hylia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdgEIRBsTaU), from Twilight Princess

vs.

Dragon Roost Island (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRWq53IFXVQ), from Wind Waker

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

Every reference to Dragon Roost Island that I have found so far has been from Wind Waker, not Majora's Mask, so I am going to assume this is the right track until I'm told otherwise.

Right you are Shad -

I find Dragon Roost Island to be probably the most overrated song in the entire franchise. Don't get me wrong - I like the song a LOT... but I don't think it is a Top 10 track like so many people seem to. Dragon Roost Island was seeded 19th in this #14/#19 battle here.

Turok 2, The Wind Waker

Uh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WX0fll8_4k&index=15&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWaCYMg99BI&index=3&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLIQOVOEFng&index=1&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhgj_IISdSE&index=13&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USe0I1dJkdc&index=2&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ETnb-hhho8&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE&index=19)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivKN72rWsoc&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2&index=3)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL-TLBpMSRc&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE&index=25)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9m6ZQtjFMo&index=10&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO566Afptck&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE&index=27)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21MRPZHtkEY&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2&index=11)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwcfpAT448w&index=30&list=PL33954FBF28AF09BE)hh (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HFZzn6AONs&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2&index=12)h. Turok 2, final answer.

Dragon Roost

Turok 2

Lake Hylia

Turok 2 (3-1) and Dragon Roost Island (3-1) advance!

Round 3, Fight 2 // N64 Rumble

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

Star Fox 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW-7Em3BYiA&list=PLFB2A17E7429EF5C3), by Hajime Wakai & Koji Kondo

vs.

Super Mario 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhadLMDWcGA&list=PL5DFFB80A07748DE3), by Koji Kondo

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

Super Mario 64 is a good example of how perspectives on a soundtrack can change drastically the longer it hangs around in a rumble. This game and GoldenEye 007 accounted for probably 90% of the time I have ever spent playing an N64; the songs were engrained in me to the point that I wasn't hearing them so much as as visualizing the levels and situations they appear in. That did not help the game much when up against songs and games I had never experienced before. I gave Pok�mon Stadium its only vote in round 1, and I was one of two to pick Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness in round 2. I like Star Fox 64 more than either of those soundtracks, so the choice should be easy, right?

But after three opportunities to go over the Super Mario 64 soundtrack, I am finally starting to hear the songs beyond their in-game context. They're pretty good.

Underworld Round 1, Fight 11 // Zelda Rumble

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

Hyrule Castle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuN9Y7MNJW8), from A Link to the Past

vs.

Kakariko Village (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agR5aaQL2PY), from Ocarina of Time

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

Hyrule Castle

Super Mario 64

Hyrule Castle

A Link to the Past featured the first ever theme for Hyrule Castle, and it's been reused by the series many times, but for many fans, the first iteration did it the best!

Star Fox 64, A Link to the Past.

A Link to the Past did a lot of things the best for me. That game had some magic to it.

I know a lot of Zelda fans feel that way. I am quite atypical as I don't have it as one of my top 5 games in the series - in fact I'd say it is one of my least favorite, even when you just consider the 2D Zeldas in their own category.

Super Mario 64 (2-1) and Hyrule Castle (3-0) advance!

Round 3, Fight 3 // N64 Rumble

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

Tetrisphere (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfExUY0qRX4&list=PL84ECA4F9801D5D27), by Neil Voss

vs.

San Francisco Rush 2049 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2xXXe8SqAE&list=PL6611721F517C8C2E), by Barry Leitch

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

San Francisco Rush 2049

Hyrule Round 1, Fight 11 // Zelda Rumble

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

Palace (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a7Sh82Mzdc), from Adventure of Link

vs.

Sealed Hyrule Castle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg3kZaEnvBw), from Wind Waker

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

Palace is the one Adventure of Link track that has always stood out to me.

Two easy choices, in my opinion.

San Francisco Rush 2049

Palace

San Francisco Rush 2049

Palace

San Francisco Rush 2049

Palace

Sad to see a sweep because I do think that Sealed Hyrule Castle is a great piece of audio - it certainly blurs the line between music and audio but it is an excellent piece of SOUND. It conveys the spookiness of entering a Hyrule Castle from the past that appears stuck in time.

But, Palace is, as others have affirmed, possibly Zelda II's most classic and beloved track.

San Francisco Rush 2049, Adventure of Link

For your perusal: AVGN's Top 5 Worst NES Music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWittDpPoZ4)

Hah, 4 out of 5 of those were spot on, but I heard the Dracula one and thought "crap, or some carefully crafted weirdness?" Looked it up and the composer's Jeroen Tel. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIYemMemcJw) <3

5-0 blowouts for San Francisco Rush 2049 and Palace!

Round 3, Fight 4 // N64 Rumble

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

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw3Uxwlznp0&list=PLF40B1D5A82D3740D), by Koji Kondo

vs.

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOdo4oAJzo&list=PL1EEFA82475BD0D5A), by Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, & Hayato Matsuo


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

Yikes. This is an easy one for me, but probably not for most of you. Ogre Battle 64

The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 11 // Zelda Rumble

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

Sword Search (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3VXcML6Hf0), from Link's Awakening

vs.

Battle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRGii05yILI), from Wind Waker

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

Sword Search!

Ogre Battle 64 - As absurd as it sounds to cut Ocarina of Time in the third round, I think this is the better soundtrack and among the best of what the N64 had to offer. Gorgeous and thrilling.

Sword Search

The only place Sword Search happens is at the beginning of Link's Awakening when he leaves Marin's home to find his sword, which has washed up on the beach following his shipwreck on Koholint Island. It sets the stage for a grand adventure, suggesting danger and mystery. Most interestingly, it perpetually plays, overriding other music until the sword is found. Also, this track has not been used in ANY other Zelda game to date to my knowledge, which is rare in the series and makes it that much more special.

As far as the N64 battle goes... do you really need to ask? In a BLOWOUT.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link's Awakening

Ocarina of Time - This was a tough choice.

Battle

Oops, looks like I lost track of the days. Sword Search advances 3-1.

Round 3, Fight 5 // N64 Rumble

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

Banjo-Tooie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP2mKpUvXl4&list=PL7EFB226AC90A54D3), by Grant Kirkhope

vs.

Hydro Thunder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuhtqjcvj8I&list=PLTmomcjY1VRyHjF24_0ZFoHjnl7GNqtEL), by Neil Baldwin & Guy Crockfort


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

Hydro Thunder

Termina Round 1, Fight 11 // Zelda Rumble

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

Mysterious Forest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1INAjr44Q_Y), from Link's Awakening

vs.

, from Skyward Sword

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

I can't even take a good guess at what Before the Journey is. Not a single youtube search result with it in quotes.

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

TIE-BREAKER: Round 3, Fight 4 // N64 Rumble

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

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw3Uxwlznp0&list=PLF40B1D5A82D3740D]Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (]Before the Journey[/url), by Koji Kondo

vs.

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOdo4oAJzo&list=PL1EEFA82475BD0D5A), by Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, & Hayato Matsuo

Banjo-Tooie

I'll wait to see if Link006 has a video for the Zelda rumble. I don't know the songs well enough to vote without them.

Last time this happened (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/official-video-game-music-rumble-66118/88.html#post2785998) with the Skyward Sword soundtrack, I found the answer at the K-H insider soundtrack listing. Same deal here. The forums block me from directly linking to that site, so here's a link to a Google search results page (https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=skyward+sword+%22before+the+journey% 22). Click the first result, then click on Track 34.

Because these titles only appear on that one site which we can't link to, finding a usable link for the rumble means listening to the song there, opening a YouTube video of the entire soundtrack, then clicking through until you find a match by ear.

Link: to prevent this from happening again, would you please locate the remaining Skyward Sword songs and provide YouTube links for them?

Skyward Sword � Ancient Lanayru
Skyward Sword � Before the Journey
Skyward Sword � Lanayru Desert
Skyward Sword � Mini Boss Battle 2 ~ Lizalfos
Skyward Sword � The Demon King Demise Battle ~Finale~

Cheers, thanks for doing some research I didn't have time to. I'll put in my vote for Before the Journey.

No problem. My votes:

Banjo-Tooie

Mysterious Forest

I will work on those.

Hydro Thunder, Link's Awakening

---------- Post added at 10:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 PM ----------

Here is Ancient Lanayru (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo8Ml0tYoSQ).

For a treat, here is the same track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWhu8PXVjVA) done with an SNES!

This is Lanayru Desert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LfAcKnDYWQ").

This is the Lizalfos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SapYObP6o3w) theme.

And here is the Demise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR-rX20UCHE) Theme.

Thanks Arthurgolden! I'll put in my other vote for Before the Journey

Can anyone manage to drag back one of our old participants to end this sudden sea of ties?


Round 3, Fight 6 // N64 Rumble

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

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvVEaEk7fpw&list=PL65674D59A772CAE2), by Jun Ishikawa & Hirokazu Ando

vs.

Blast Corps (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPhakfGboH4&list=PLA6C96611FE88951A), by Graeme Norgate


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

Kirby 64

Underworld Round 1, Fight 12 // Zelda Rumble

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

Hyrule Field Main (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjbi2w81zB8), from Ocarina of Time

vs.

Dungeon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVWpFXtHhPc), from A Link to the Past

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

Dungeon



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



TIE-BREAKER: Round 3, Fight 4 // N64 Rumble

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

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw3Uxwlznp0&list=PLF40B1D5A82D3740D), by Koji Kondo

vs.

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOdo4oAJzo&list=PL1EEFA82475BD0D5A), by Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, & Hayato Matsuo[/QUOTE]


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


TIE-BREAKER: Round 3, Fight 5 // N64 Rumble

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

Banjo-Tooie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP2mKpUvXl4&list=PL7EFB226AC90A54D3), by Grant Kirkhope

vs.

Hydro Thunder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuhtqjcvj8I&list=PLTmomcjY1VRyHjF24_0ZFoHjnl7GNqtEL), by Neil Baldwin & Guy Crockfort


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


TIE-BREAKER: Termina Round 1, Fight 11 // Zelda Rumble

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

Mysterious Forest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1INAjr44Q_Y), from Link's Awakening

vs.

Before the Journey, from Skyward Sword
(http://downloads.k h i n s i d e r.com/game-soundtracks/album/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword-expanded/1-34-before-the-journey.mp3)

Man those Tie-Breakers!

Ogre Battle

Kirby 64

Even though I'm watching Carnival of Souls and Dungeon is hitting that mood perfectly, I gotta go with Hyrule Field.

EDIT: By the way, when I made the N64 soundtrack list, I never ever thought Ocarina of Time would be absent from the finals, much less out in the third round. Things just got interesting.

A devastating and disappointing loss to be sure. I can't say I understand how Ogre Battle 64 was the one to turn the trick, but alas, it has happened.

Not quite on par with the Ninja Gaiden III debacle back in the day... but this may be the closest.

Blast Corps, Ocarina of Time.

Kirby 64

Hyrule Field Main Theme

Hydro Thunder

Before The Journey

Smarty and topopoz with the incredible save! :D

Blast Corps

World Dungeon

Could it be? All of our ties have been resolved!

Ogre Battle 64 advances over Ocarina of Time 3-2.
Hydro Thunder advances over Banjo-Tooie 3-2.
Skyward Sword - Before the Journey advances over Link's Awakening - Mysterious Forest 3-2.
Kirby 64 advances over Blast Corps 3-2.
Ocarina of Time - Hyrule Field Main advances over A Link to the Past - Dungeon 3-2.

Close matches much? That was fun. I think 5+ is the magic number of participants for keeping this thing healthy.


Round 3, Fight 7 // N64 Rumble

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

F-Zero X (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaZsN4SUttc&list=PL59B49F36D76385AC), by Taro Bando & Hajime Wakai

vs.

Shadow Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCzhwZ0JjEQ&list=PL035D096DCFBE41E1), by Tim Haywood


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

Shadow Man by a mile.

Hyrule Round 1, Fight 12 // Zelda Rumble

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

Temple Ruins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMGyF25Siqc), from Oracle of Seasons

vs.

Queen Ambi's Palace (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buSd77h-sqc), from Oracle of Ages

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

I really like both of these. Queen Ambi's Palace

As do I! The Oracle games really did a great job of capturing the essence of Link's Awakening and then stretching it.

Shadow Man, Oracle of Seasons.

Shadow Man

Queen Ambi's Palace

Shadow Man

Queen Ambi's Palace

Shadow Man (4-0) and Queen Ambi's Palace (3-1) advance!


Round 3, Fight 8 // N64 Rumble

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

Wave Race 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci1_OiNfV2g&list=PLABAB0A4DA954AB9C), by Kazumi Totaka

vs.

Perfect Dark (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3jIDf7cRvQ&list=PL561A40AE5860D871), by Grant Kirkhope, Graeme Norgate, & David Clynick

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

Perfect Dark (4-0) advances to the quarterfinals! Oh wait, I'm not supposed to say that until Monday...



The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 12 // Zelda Rumble

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

Secret Maze on the Sea of No Return (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqmijj3-Xbw), from Oracle of Ages

vs.

Battle with Ganon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfISliRCnO0), from A Link to the Past

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

Battle with Ganon

Haha, well, I'll oblige.. but just this once.

Perfect Dark, Oracle of Ages.

Perfect Dark

Battle with Ganon

Perfect Dark

Secret Maze on the Sea of No Return

Looking like another tie. Where is that sea of extra voters that only come out when we need them?

Perfect Dark (4-0) advances to the quarterfinals!

Round 4, Fight 1 // N64 Rumble

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

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLIQOVOEFng&list=PLA1AE456B3FC54CD2), by Darren Mitchell

vs.

Shadow Man (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCzhwZ0JjEQ&list=PL035D096DCFBE41E1), by Tim Haywood

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

I am beginning to doubt whether Shadow Man is legit. I went digging around for a larger track selection and everything I could find claimed to be from the PC game. A lot of this music sounded identical to what we've been using in the rumble. The two (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLfHQ3PCewM) tracks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKZJJxNN8Bw) that did claim to be from the N64 sounded... different -- more industrial than atmospheric. (Compare Main Theme to Deadside: Wasteland). I can't listen to a few of the Shadow Man playlist tracks because they are "private", and some of them openly state that they are from the PC version. I don't know; I think the game might have been my constant pick thus far for the simple reason that I'm hearing songs for a more advanced sound system than the N64. When dealing with a work as creative as Turok 2, it is difficult to ignore the grey area surrounding Shadow Man's legitimacy and vote for it anyway.


Termina Round 1, Fight 12 // Zelda Rumble

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

Overworld (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyMluaZDRik), from Adventure of Link

vs.

Mini Boss Battle 2 - Lizalfos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SapYObP6o3w), from Skyward Sword

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

Overworld



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


TIE-BREAKER: The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 12 // Zelda Rumble

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

Secret Maze on the Sea of No Return (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqmijj3-Xbw), from Oracle of Ages

vs.

Battle with Ganon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfISliRCnO0), from A Link to the Past

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

I remember having the same concerns about Shadow Man, and I remember digging up comparison tracks and deciding the YouTube list was representative of the N64 soundtrack. To be honest, though, I don't remember how rigorous those comparisons were since that was over 2 years ago now. It might be the case that the linked Shadow Man tracks unfairly sound better on the whole than what was on the N64. Something for people to keep in mind. Regardless, my vote is for Turok 2.

Overworld

Just as an aside, that Turok link takes me to Wave Race 64...

Shadow Man, Zelda II.

Whoops. Always make a point to check my links, but I must have failed this time. It's fixed now.

Turok 2

Overworld

Turok 2 (3-1) and Overworld (4-0) advance! Tails wins the toss, so Secret Maze on the Sea of No Return (2-2) moves on as well.

Round 4, Fight 2 // N64 Rumble

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

Perfect Dark (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3jIDf7cRvQ&list=PL561A40AE5860D871), by Grant Kirkhope, Graeme Norgate, & David Clynick

vs.

San Francisco Rush 2049 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2xXXe8SqAE&list=PL6611721F517C8C2E), by Barry Leitch

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

Perfect Dark


Underworld Round 1, Fight 13 // Zelda Rumble

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

Lanayru Desert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LfAcKnDYWQ%22), from Skyward Sword

vs.

Ikana Castle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stOk2nqUHFI), from Majora's Mask

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

Lanayru Desert

Perfect Dark

Lanaryu Desert

San Francisco Rush 2049

Perfect Dark

Lanayru Desert

Perfect Dark, Skyward Sword.

Perfect Dark

Lanaryu Desert

Consensus! (almost)

Perfect Dark (5-1) and Lanayru Village (5-0) advance!

Round 4, Fight 3 // N64 Rumble

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

Hydro Thunder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vuhtqjcvj8I&list=PLTmomcjY1VRyHjF24_0ZFoHjnl7GNqtEL), by Neil Baldwin & Guy Crockfort

vs.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvVEaEk7fpw&list=PL65674D59A772CAE2), by Jun Ishikawa & Hirokazu Ando

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

Hydro Thunder! I left this playlist on repeat for like three hours last round and had every track sticking in my head. Best underdog game of this rumble by far.


Hyrule Round 1, Fight 13 // Zelda Rumble

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

Koume & Kotake's Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_3VXOAbOyY), from Ocarina of Time

vs.

Miniboss Battle! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jislmDBGfyM), from Oracle of Seasons

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

Koume & Kotake's Theme

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Koume & Kotake's Theme

I actually really like Miniboss Battle! It is only about 19 seconds of music, but it is perfectly crafted for what it is used for in the game.

That said, it gets a bad draw against one of the sleeper titles in the entire rumble. Koume & Kotake's Theme came appropriately as the game neared its climax with the Hero of Time approaching the Spirit Temple to claim the final medallion needed to challenge the Prince of Darkness. Timeless.

Hydro Thunder, Ocarina of Time

Hydro Thunder, Kotake and Koume. Man this song in particular takes me back to Zelda!
Hydro Thunder, i was impressed with the soundtrack, having never heard it before. Some notable tracks in there.

Hydro Thunder

Koume and Kotake's Theme

Hydro Thunder (4-1) and Koume & Kotake's Theme (5-0) advance!

Round 4, Fight 4 // N64 Rumble

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

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOdo4oAJzo&list=PL1EEFA82475BD0D5A), by Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, & Hayato Matsuo

vs.

Super Mario 64 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhadLMDWcGA&list=PL5DFFB80A07748DE3), by Koji Kondo

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

Ogre Battle 64 has had a rough ride. After squeaking by Ocarina of Time 3-2, it's up against another major favorite to go the whole way in Super Mario 64. Ogre Battle 64 has the significant advantage of being the only N64 soundtrack to actually feel like a traditional RPG (the Zelda series has always had its own unique sound that ignores genre norms), but I think beyond that it is a really solid RPG ost in its own right. I get a sort of Final Fantasy Tactics vibe, and I love it.

Edit: No kidding I get a Final Fantasy Tactics vibe. Masaharu Iwata and Hitoshi Sakimoto are two of the three composers. >_<


The Golden Land Round 1, Fight 13 // Zelda Rumble

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

Ganondorf Battle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKjEwQeGAEU), from Ocarina of Time

vs.

Boss (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYEN-lEZ-9M), from A Link to the Past

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

I find both a little bland to be honest. A Link to the Past gets my nostalgia vote.

:D Yeah, there's a definite reason for that!

All right. This is how much I love the Ogre Battle series. When I was a kid, I traveled halfway across the United States to get a copy of the SNES Ogre Battle from a FuncoLand in Virginia with money I had saved up for over a year. I later wrote a story about that experience for my Master's thesis and did a public reading and talk about the game. This vote isn't automatic by any means, though. I STILL play Super Mario 64 about once a year and would have given it the edge before listening to the soundtracks side by side. I just can't justify voting for a handful of extremely catchy 30-second jingles from an all-time classic game over this masterfully arranged, richly layered, technically brilliant, and equally catchy soundtrack. Gotta go with Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber.

Boss

By the way, if you like RPGs, Suikoden II is available on PSN (http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2014/12/08-1/classic-psone-rpg-suikoden-ii-will-be-available-on-psn-this-week). One of my all-time favorites.

Ogre Battle 64

Ganondorf Battle

Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time.

Ogre Battle 64

Boss

Ogre Battle 64 (4-1) and Boss (3-2) advance!

Well, we're on to the semi-finals, and the remaining titles aren't quite what you'd expect. No Super Mario 64, no Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, no Castlevania games, no Star Fox. Just four games I never knew existed this time a year ago. Ogre Battle 64 took the toughest path by far, but it came out shining. Perfect Dark arrived here somewhat untested, while Turok 2 and Hydro Thunder faced challenges somewhere in between.

Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (13-4)
Gauntlet Legends (3-2)
1080� Snowboarding (4-0)
Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (3-1)
Shadow Man (3-1)

Perfect Dark (18-2)
New Tetris (4-1)
GoldenEye 007 (5-0)
Wave Race 64 (4-0)
San Francisco Rush 2049 (5-1)

Hydro Thunder (15-3)
Pilotwings 64 (4-0)
Donkey Kong 64 (4-0)
Banjo-Tooie (3-2)
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (4-1)

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (17-6)
Mario Kart 64 (6-2)
Magical Tetris Challenge (4-1)
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3-2)
Super Mario 64 (4-1)


Round 5, Fight 1 // N64 Rumble

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Perfect Dark (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3jIDf7cRvQ&list=PL561A40AE5860D871), by Grant Kirkhope, Graeme Norgate, & David Clynick

vs.

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoOdo4oAJzo&list=PL1EEFA82475BD0D5A), by Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, & Hayato Matsuo

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Ogre Battle 64

Termina Round 1, Fight 13 // Zelda Rumble

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Ancient Lanayru (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo8Ml0tYoSQ), from Skyward Sword

vs.

Kanalet Castle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cipaoY8nKhY), from Link's Awakening

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Ancient Lanayru

Perfect Dark

Ancient Lanayru

I have voted against Ogre Battle 64 in every round of the rumble, save for Magical Tetris Challenge. I am elated to vote against it again.

I REALLY like the hook from Kanalet Castle, but I think Ancient Lanayru is one of the best desert themes in the entire series and is perhaps the best new original theme in any 3D Zelda game since Ocarina of Time.

Perfect Dark, Skyward Sword.