Thanks! I get a kick out of reading that every time.

It's a shame that another big name song is going to come down to a coin toss this turn. We've had a hard time getting a fifth person to hang around lately. I built a sort of second chance safety net into the WoW rumble for just this sort of problem. Maybe we should do the same for future ones.

Totems of the Grizzlemaw (4-0) advances! We're on to the final match-up of the opening round in Warcraft.

Round 1, Fight 40 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Allegiances (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcDbiELOz10), from Warlords of Draenor

vs.

Way of the Monk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g-wBrU9keE), from Mists of Pandaria

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

Way of the Monk

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

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

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

Overworld (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpEzYEoV9qY), from Legend of Zelda

vs.

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

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

This is yet another tough one for me, but I think I have to side with the classic this go around. Overworld

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

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

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

Intro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyMKWJ5e1kg), from Legend of Zelda

vs.

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

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

Trouble on the Raft is the upstart #21 seed which upset #12 Hidden Village (TP) and #8 seed Last Day (MM) to get to the round of 32. It is one of two 20+ seeds alive in this region (the other being #22 Forest from ALttP). Overworld cruised over #32 The Sacred Grove before surviving a game challenge from #16 Deku Palace (MM). I don't think this test is NEARLY as treacherous as the second round's was.

The Legend of Zelda, Mists of Pandaria

Way of the Monk

Overworld

Way of the Monk

Overworld

Just in case you all aren't aware, the 5th annual favorite Final Fantasy character thread is going on in General Final Fantasy. It's a stickied thread.

Thanks. I wasn't aware it had come back.

Friends, thanks so much for the last six years. Obviously, without you, it wouldn't have been possible. But not so obviously, without you, it wouldn't have been so much fun.

I took a little trip down memory lane a couple days ago--completely unintentionally. But it was nevertheless nice and sometimes hilarious to see how all of us first connected with one another in old threads. Thanks for latching on to this project and sticking it out. What a gift to have Shad as a leader.

Also, we now average 42.5 views per post, which is twice as much as what it was when I retired. To the silent majority, thank you. We appreciate the attention. But please consider voting as well. Since Shad posted the latest fight, we have had 5 posts (including this one) but almost 250 views. You should vote. You should vote. We would love to have your participation.

Six years and going strong. Cheers!

Well, heads won, which is getting kind of awkward because the underdog track is winning almost every 2-2 tie lately. I would have been pretty content to see Intro advance, but I'm not changing my vote. Farewell Hyrule King (2-2), Overworld (4-0), and Way of the Monk (4-0) move on.

Stats? Stats!

I randomized the World of Warcraft selections in a way that would minimize the chances of a repeat of the FF rumble, where half of FF9 fought each other in the first round. It worked out even better than I'd hoped, and only one fight out of the first 40 paired tracks from the same expansion.

Wrath of the Lich King had 5 more entries than any other expansion. That turned out to be a good idea, because it saw the best performance by far, winning 66% of its match-ups with a 12-6-1 record and advancing the tie on a coin flip. This success was in large part due to the huge performance of Call of the Crusade, composed by David Arkenstone.

While Vanilla WoW (7-5) and Burning Crusade (6-4-2) had identical win percentages of 58, Burning Crusade saw more close calls, earning 56% of votes compared to Vanilla's 54%. This paid off, and BC ultimately won two coin flips to advance 8 tracks, while Vanilla saw 5 songs eliminated outright and only advanced 7.

Cataclysm's performance parallels the game's divisive standing among fans. It was my personal favorite expansion in the game, while many regard it as the worst. Accordingly, it won exactly 50% of its match-ups with a 6-6-2 record. Cataclysm had the second most entries at 14. Of these, 7 advanced and 6 were eliminated.

Warlords of Draenor suffered most, perhaps, from being new. It was more difficult to choose the best songs, as I only had a month to experience them. With that in mind, 2-5-3 was not terrible at all. If it weren't for extremely bad luck with the coin, WoD could have seen half of its ten entries advance. As it stands, only half are eliminated, but three of the remaining five will have to overcome a lot of hurdles to stay alive. Surprisingly, given this scenario, the game only won 36% of the votes. When it lost a fight, it tended to lose hard.

World of Warcraft began to lose a lot of players near the end of Cataclysm, and the effect snowballed. Smaller servers were disproportionately impacted and soon became unplayable just as Mists of Pandaria was preparing to go live. Blizzard hesitated to offer alternatives, hoping that the new expansion would draw players back, but it didn't. Increasingly more players on small servers quit rather than pay hundreds of dollars to transfer all of their characters, and MoP became the only expansion to see a decrease in players during its launch month. This also destabilized healthy servers, which became hubs for refugees willing to pay for transfers. After eight years, most WoW servers had developed their own unique traits and personalities. Most of these were ruined by Blizzard's inadequate response to the situation. Mists of Pandaria subsequently left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths, but that does not account for the soundtrack's abysmal 2-9-2 performance. Of its 13 entries, MoP advanced only two, and 9 tracks were eliminated. Its 23% win rate was the worst by far, but its vote percentage of 32 was not far behind Warlords of Draenor.


Round 2, Fight 1 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Dalaran (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrUkZdtPohc), from Wrath of the Lich King

vs.

Darkmoon Faire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzMGHWiofbw), from Assault on Blackwing Lair

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

Round 2 kicks off with a tough one. Both of these tracks are ideal for their in-game settings. I have to take Dalaran, though I hate to see DMF lose so early on. It was always fun to stumble upon that music in-game and realize the fair was in town.

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

Termina Round 3, Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Dungeon Color!

Dalaran

Dungeon Color

Dalaran

Dungeon Color

I can't vote for Color Dungeon here (which is the technically correct name of the level/track). I'm surprised to see such broad support after its superior parent track Underworld was swept out rather unceremoniously in the first round of the rumble if memory serves me correct. It is a great throwback, but I find Ikana Valley to be superlatively spooky and appropriate for its place in Majora's Mask.

The WoW rumble I feel is MUCH more evenly matched. Both tracks are very strong and hold their own in their respective expansions and areas. I give the nod to the Faire however.

Nothing like standing on your own eh?

World of Warcraft, Majora's Mask

I appreciate the well done stat breakdown for the WoW rumble!

Dalaran (3-1) and Color Dungeon (3-1) advance!

Round 2, Fight 2 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Way of the Monk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g-wBrU9keE), from Mists of Pandaria

vs.

Totems of the Grizzlemaw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGmIWA7LADk), from Wrath of the Lich King

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

Totems of the Grizzlemaw

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

Underworld Round 3, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Faron Woods

Way of the Monk

Faron Woods

I'm getting a big kick out of JohnnyMercyside's character rumble in General Final Fantasy, and I got to thinking, would any of you be interested in making our FF music rumble an annual gig? The last one ended June 2014. I would follow pretty much the same format Johnny's using--posting a bunch of match-ups at once and leaving voting open for a long time. This will be really lame if it only consists of me, Arthur, and Feral (I'm assuming Link wouldn't be interested), but I could make it a general rule that each round stays open until at least 5 people vote. I mean, we'd have half a year to finish the thing technically.

I feel bad about this Mists of Pandaria track drawing such a tough opponent so early in the rumble. I think it is one of the few MoP songs I have heard that can truly stand with the great music of the franchise. But I can't pick it over the anthem of Grizzly Hills.

In the Zelda rumble, #13 seed Faron Woods from Skyward Sword advanced after knocking out #20 seed Mt. Tamaranch from Link's Awakening in the first round, and then winning an all forest theme battle in the second by upsetting #4 seed Kokiri Forest from Ocarina of Time. #24 seed Ganon's Castle is actually the highest seed remaining in the rumble after upsetting #9 Knowledge of the Maku Trees (OoS) in the first round and then continuing the dismal showing for Gerudo and Desert themes in the rumble with a knockout win over #5 Gerudo Desert in the second round (Twilight Princess).

In a statistical anomaly... there is one more #24 seed left... also from Ocarina of Time... and ALSO from Ganon's Castle: Ganon's Castle Tower... and it should be featured in our next match. Unlike Ganon's Castle, it is scheduled to face a rather strong #4 seed.

As you all know, I vote with my heart, not based on the music or the seed. Here, I go upset for Ganon's Castle. Quite possibly the best use of a piano in any evil theme I've ever heard.

Wrath of the Lich King, Ocarina of Time.

@Shad: I'll always be interested in doing rumbles around the FF series. But I would want to continue doing other themes as well. I think participation, promotion, and the length of the FF rumble would be things to think about.

Oh, it definitely would not be a part of this thread, or have any impact on it really.

I'm kind of crossing my fingers that participation would happen, figure I can just let it rot if hardly anyone replies. I don't know if all of our regulars have vanished over the past year or if they are just not interested in the current themes. The FF rumble saw as many as 9 voters at times. But asking people to choose between so many tracks at once is a tall order, even as a casual "don't put too much thought into this" popularity contest. It's not the two-minute process that picking a bunch of favorite characters is, and if it feels like a chore then it defeats the purpose. So I guess I'm asking: would you enjoy taking an hour or so to basically re-vote the FF rumble with different starting match-ups to see what happens and revisit the music, maybe annually if it works out? Pity participation does not count. :P

Haha. Yes, I would. :D

hmm... it looks like there is one mystery track in the old mix thanks to the copyright ban hammer. Do you happen to know what song "track 27" from Final Fantasy XIV (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/video-game-music-trivia-66197/6.html#post1615734) was? Apparently it sounded like a song from Edward Scissorhands.

It's called Starlight Celebration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jkZrSW4bE4)

Thanks!

---------- Post added 06-01-2015 at 12:36 AM ---------- Previous post was 05-31-2015 at 11:44 PM ----------

And done. This is what happens when you have to stay up until 5am watching a baby. (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/final-fantasy-rumble-redux-vote-your-favorite-190139)

I'll try and advertise it a bit tomorrow.

Way of the Monk

Faron Woods


Long time no see guys :D Glad to see this rumble still going :)

Whoaaaaa! Hey Szczepan! Good to see you. :D

:o Welcome back! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hihEhsdwiIk)

I'm not interested in the Final Fantasy stuff, but I will try to participate as I can. I think it is good to participate even if the subject matter isn't interesting to me.

FF Rumble - Count me In.

FF Rumble - Count me In.

It's already up! (Thread 190139)

Totems of the Grizzlemaw

Ganon's Dungeon

I'm all for an annual FF music rumble!

Totems of the Grizzlemaw (3-2) and Faron Woods (3-2) advance!

Round 2, Fight 3 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Enchanted Forest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r7iz-9v9bA), from World of Warcraft

vs.

The Argent Tournament (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYg5FK237qY), from Call of the Crusade

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

The Argent Tournament

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

Hyrule Round 3, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Spirit Temple

The Argent Tournament

Spirit Temple

No surprise here - down with the Argent Tournament.

Ganon's Castle Tower is now the highest seed remaining in the rumble. I don't see it lasting very long against what should be considered a strong contender at this point to win the whole thing - Spirit Temple.

World of Warcraft, Spirit Temple.

Enchanted Forest

Spirit Temple

The Video Game Hall of Fame in New York announced its inaugural class, with a relevant inclusion:

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu301/arthurgolden/11108260_10153374298383988_6792903666349087267_n_z psilf1evfo.jpg

Brief essays on each inductee can be found here (http://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/games).

Interesting. While none of those entries surprise me, I do feel like including both Pac-Man and Tetris leans a bit too heavily on the old school. I might give Pac-Man a slight edge for its role in popularizing video games generally, but neither came to define a lasting new style of gameplay, and this list is super US-centric. I would have probably made Tetris sit a year and picked Command & Conquer, Dragon Quest, or maybe The Legend of Zelda. Especially since they're pushing the Game Boy version of Tetris. I remember playing it ~1992 and thinking "wow, this is lame". It had already lost its relevance.

Edit: Or maybe not. I tend to forget how popular puzzle games have become again thanks to smart phone demand for short simple play you can put down on a moment's notice.

I don't think there is a credible case for keeping any of the games selected out. Perhaps to get a different game in earlier, but it is hard for me to see.

The Video Game Hall of Fame in New York announced its inaugural class, with a relevant inclusion:

Brief essays on each inductee can be found here (http://www.worldvideogamehalloffame.org/games).

I had some fun writing up a review of this today. (http://unobtainium13.com/2015/06/05/nmy-vs-the-world-video-game-hall-of-fame-class-of-2015/)

Spirit Temple (4-0) advances!

Round 2, Fight 4 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

The Shattering (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADmPpY_oC2k), from Cataclysm

vs.

Outlands Alliance Base (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJXIjKZaip4), from The Burning Crusade

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

The Shattering! It was the best of the log-in themes in my opinion. (WotLK comes close, and I may have actually said this same thing about it. <_<)

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

The Golden Land Round 3, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

Dark World (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sslj06K-Nlw), from A Link to the Past

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

Dark World

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

TIE-BREAKER: Round 2, Fight 3 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Enchanted Forest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r7iz-9v9bA), from World of Warcraft

vs.

The Argent Tournament (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYg5FK237qY), from Call of the Crusade

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

The Shattering

Dark World


Also: Kumi Tanioka, Nobuo Uematsu, and Michiko Naruke hanging out last night

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu301/arthurgolden/10403721_861773827248546_4624204039554430033_n_zps xeymfuhn.jpg

The Shattering

Dark World

I am SOOOOOOO sad about the way this rumble is going thus far. I believe Outlands Alliance Base is one of the most soulful pieces in the entire game. I would not put The Shattering in my top three log-in themes with The Burning Crusade, vanilla, and Wrath of the Lich King all outdistancing it (in order, by a mile, half a mile, and 100 yards). I'm not sure when eliminated songs come back in for the wild card format, but this one MUST top the list.

I also go Hyrule Night Theme here. Very sad to see this go out as well. I'm not as surprised at this one. Dark World is a worthy theme, but I have always felt that the gameplay/story/music on ALttP is vastly overrated by Zelda fans (I must report that I am in the minority of Zelda fans who don't think ALttP is one of the top 3-4 games in the series).

The Burning Crusade, Twilight Princess

I'm not sure when eliminated songs come back in for the wild card format, but this one MUST top the list.

Remind me of this when round 4 ends. I'm not sure how many properly eliminated tracks will have a second shot, but there should be room for at least one.

Sure thing - will do.

Sharing this with you guys. FFT Metal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIrP5mJIGBM

Tails wins the toss. Enchanted Forest (2-2), The Shattering (3-1), and Dark World (3-1) advance!


Round 2, Fight 5 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Naxxramas Walk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddcDtn0GyrQ), from Shadow of the Necropolis

vs.

Jaina's Ode to Theramore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-vNMKBoiCM), from Landfall

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

Naxxramas Walk

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

Termina Round 3, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Tarm Ruins/The Lost Woods

Jaina's Ode to There more

Ocean

Jaina's Ode to Theramore

Ocean

The intro to Naxxramus Walking is my favorite dungeon music in the entire series. It is perfection. Kel'Thuzad's hordes of undead are descending upon the Eastern Plaguelands under the direction of the Lich King and only YOU can stop him. So good.

In the Zelda rumble, this is a matchup of what I believ eare two very strong tracks. #4 seed Ocean from Wind Waker blew out #29 Goron City in the first round, then snuck by an upstart #20 River game in the second round. It faces Tarm Ruins/The Lost Woods from Oracle of Seasons, the only track from that game to even survive the first round - a win over #28 Prologue - Legend of the Goddess from Skyward Sword. The draw for Tarm Ruins was brutal, but it survived #9 Midna's Desperation of Twilight Princess in the second round.

I feel bad for Tarm Ruins here, Ocean is one of the great non-traditional Overworld themes in the Zelda musical library and I have to go for the favorite here... but not by much. If Tarm falls here, it would be the final game from the Oracles series in the rumble and the second straight #5 seed to fall (Hyrule Field Night lost to Dark World from ALttP in the last matchup). That would be an ending too soon for what I believe are perhaps the most underappreciated games in the series musically - Oracle of Ages and Seasons.

World of Warcraft, The Wind Waker

Composer obsessed with authenticity mods an NES and splits the audio output to create "stereo" music. The whole video is interesting, but this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTVfWGNMWHY#t=03m40s) will skip to the sound test of the stereo splitting.

Ocean (3-1) advances. Kind of a surprise, I thought the OoS track would ride clean through.

Round 2, Fight 6 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Ironforge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1eU2usWg3M), from World of Warcraft

vs.

Echoes of the Past (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfJYzZ-PC9g), from The Burning Crusade

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

Echoes of the Past

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

Underworld Round 3, Fight 3 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

Hyrule Castle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uR7doemZD0), from A Link to the Past

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

Forest Temple

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

TIE BREAKER: Round 2, Fight 5 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Naxxramas Walk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddcDtn0GyrQ), from Shadow of the Necropolis

vs.

Jaina's Ode to Theramore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-vNMKBoiCM), from Landfall

Echoes of the Past

Forest Temple

Echoes of the Past

Hyrule Castle

Very sad to see Ironforge fall here - probably the music that players who were on the side of the Alliance listened to MOST in their Vanilla days and MAYBE in their WoW careers even to this day. Very happy to vote for Forest Temple!!

World of Warcraft, Ocarina of Time

Heads wins the toss. Naxxramas Walk (2-2), Echoes of the Past (3-1), and Forest Temple advance!

Round 2, Fight 7 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Xaxas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLw5MX7bZqI), from Cataclysm

vs.

The Horse and Lance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng-jbVkLSFM&feature=player_detailpage#t=4621), from Call of the Crusade

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

Xaxas

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

Hyrule Round 3, Fight 3 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Palace, easiest decision I've made all game.

Xaxas

Palace, although I like both tracks

Xaxas

Palace

I'll leave this open a few days for Link.

Looks like this is decided! Sorry for being tardy. I agree with the consensus on the WoW rumble... and on the Zelda rumble too.

So your patience was wasted.

SORRY!

Cataclysm, Zelda II.

Haha, I didn't even look at the votes to realize it was already decided.

I'll update Monday probably, won't have much time tomorrow.

Happy Father's Day to Shad and any other fathers out there. :D

EDIT: On another note, man crochets badass Super Mario Bros. 3 blanket (http://www.dailydot.com/geek/kjetil-nordin-super-mario-3-blanket/?fb=dd) for six years.

Xaxas (4-0) and Palace (4-0) advance!

Round 2, Fight 8 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Northrend Transport Night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RVuH7w73D0), from Wrath of the Lich King

vs.

The Siege (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHKa6o_e5bU), from Secrets of Ulduar

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

I'll vote in a bit.

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

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

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

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

vs.

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

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

Sword Search

The Siege!

Sword Search

The Siege

Overworld

The Siege

Welcome, Moonboy65! Glad to see a new participant in here. You might also be interested in the Final Fantasy rumble (Thread 190139) going on right now. It's a sort of condensed version of the same game. All voting is still open for a few more days.

Northrend Transport Night

Overworld

I do find the World of Warcraft matchup a bit lopsided, as Northrend Transport Night is trying to hold off an ONSLAUGHT of Ulduar music. That 9 minute clip is at LEAST 16 individual Ulduar tracks (and perhaps more) competing as a single entity - it hardly seems fair.

Ulduar is great and I loved the music in there, but Northrend Transport is perfect for its job and is a better single track.

Could the momentum be slipping away from A Link to the Past? Such a strong start to the game, but perhaps weak competition was the reason for the game's early dominance? Looking back, it got a TON of favorable matchups (according to the seeding) and perhaps that explains its early round success!

Northrend Transport (Night), Link's Awakening.

The Siege

Welcome, Moonboy65! Glad to see a new participant in here. You might also be interested in the Final Fantasy rumble (Thread 190139) going on right now. It's a sort of condensed version of the same game. All voting is still open for a few more days.

thanks, i'm not really a Final Fantasy fan tho

Link! 6 ties in the FF rumble if you care to break them, getting ready to move on to round 2. I linked them at the end of the thread.

haha - alright. I fell behind and was like... I can't catch up for Final Fantasy.

But... I will do it... FOR YOU.

<3

The Siege (3-2) and Sword Search (3-2) advance!

Round 2, Fight 9 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

The Storm Summit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qXEAcq4PTE), from Black Temple

vs.

Bloodlord Mandokir (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGuIIRW-B1A), from Rise of the Zandalari

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

Bloodlord Mandokir

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

Termina Round 3, Fight 3 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

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)

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

Before the Journey

Bloodlord Mandokir

Before the Journey

Bloodlord Mandokir

I can't get the Skyword Sword link to work for me, so I'm going to hold off on voting.

Did you copy/paste the entire link and delete the extra spaces? This is necessary because FFShrine blocks all direct links to that website.

There should be a youtube version of it out there, I just don't know what the common name for the song is.

Thank you ArthurGolden, that worked!

Before the Journey

Bloodlord Mandokir

Before the Journey

Bloodlord Mandokir (4-0) and Before the Journey (4-0) advance!

Round 2, Fight 10 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Garden of Life (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3E3Vf_7iNU), from Wrath of the Lich King

vs.

Legends of Azeroth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqsazZUbt9s), from World of Warcraft

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

Garden of Life

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

Underworld Round 3, Fight 4 // Zelda Rumble

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

Church (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9WESbPAf4o), from A Link to the Past

vs.

Midna's Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXEnAuzjgKU), from Twilight Princess

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

Church

Garden of Life - Came down to do I appreciate this as music or as sound production? The line blurred the more I thought about it.

Church - Really tough choice between two good tracks.

For the official record - I went Black Temple and Dragon Roost Island in the last rumble (I was on vacation).

Minority again - who could have predicted that.

In this rumble, Legends of Azeroth is still perhaps the quintessential login music in my opinion and some of the best music in the whole game. In the other matchup, two very deserving tracks, but Midna's Theme is far more nuanced and tells a much bigger story than Church.

World of Warcraft, Twilight Princess.

Legends of Azeroth

Midna's Theme

Legends of Azeroth

Midna's Theme

Legends of Azeroth (3-2) and Midna's Theme (3-2) advance!

Round 2, Fight 11 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Hellfire Peninsula (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7XA-JvK6kg), from The Burning Crusade

vs.

The Black Knight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POiirseCs_Q), from Call of the Crusade

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

Hellfire Peninsula

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

Hyrule Round 3, Fight 4 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

Hyrule Field Main Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRHoPxAfy_Q), from Twilight Princess

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

Koume & Kotake's Theme

Man... that Zelda rumble... that's tough. I would take K&K over the Ocarina of Time Hyrule Field... but I'm giving the narrowest of margin here to TP. I'll be equally happy with either moving on.

That's a brual choice there.

The Burning Crusade, Twilight Princess.

Hellfire Peninsula

Hyrule Field Main Theme

Hellfire Peninsula

Hyrule Field Main Theme

The Black Knight

Koume& Kotake's Theme

Random observation: that was your 1000th post in this thread, Arthur

Whoa. Wow! Where does it tell you how many posts you have in a thread?

"Replies: 4,837", click the number.

Top 10:
1001 arthurgolden
473 Shad
442 Smarty
427 Link006
415 topopoz
345 feralanima
326 Szczepan
255 aces4839
190 wolfmaster913
125 nibbish

---------- Post added at 08:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:56 AM ----------

Link, round 2 ties are up in the Final Fantasy rumble if you're interested. (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/final-fantasy-rumble-redux-vote-your-favorite-190139/4.html#post2996457)

Oh I SUPPOSE I could do something about that....

Plus I need to get my post number up in this thread apparently - slacking!

"Replies: 4,837", click the number.

Top 10:
1001 arthurgolden
473 Shad
442 Smarty
427 Link006
415 topopoz
345 feralanima
326 Szczepan
255 aces4839
190 wolfmaster913
125 nibbish[COLOR="Silver"]

I CAN'T BELIEVE I NEVER KNEW ABOUT THAT. Thanks! That's a really cool feature. A thousand posts. That's insane.

EDIT: It's great to see some of those names again, too.

428 of my 619 posts are in this thread.

Pretty crazy.

It really puts things in perspective...

Hellfire Peninsula (4-1) and Hyrule Field Main Theme (3-2) advance!

Round 2, Fight 12 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

San'layn (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xm7WYlQyCo), from Fall of the Lich King

vs.

Tides of War (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIsXMGFDHiY), from Warlords of Draenor

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

Tides of War

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

The Golden Land Round 3, Fight 4 // Zelda Rumble

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

Forest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx6L5b-ACVk), from A Link to the Past

vs.

Last Battle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b_QS5xoN44), from Ocarina of Time

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

Forest, but ouch, this one is tough.

Tides of War

Forest

Tides of War

Forest

Wrath of the Lich King, Ocarina of Time.

I thought both entrants in the WoW rumble were kind of weak in this matchup.

Tides of War

Forest

Link, in every match-up

Somebody's got to fight for truth, justice, and the American way!

Tides of War (4-1) and Forest (4-1) advance!

Round 2, Fight 12 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Thaurissan's Reach (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ejk7iCQFVw), from Cataclysm

vs.

Stormwind (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPjeNWDsszw), from Wotld of Warcraft

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

Stormwind deserves to win this, but I really dig Thaurissan's Reach. Maybe because I haven't heard it 500 times already. <_<

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

The Golden Land Round 3, Fight 4 // Zelda Rumble

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

Kakariko is Saved (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVZcvnItkdw), from Twilight Princess

vs.

Stone Tower Temple (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz_NK5HgR6Q), from Ocarina of Time

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

Stone Tower Temple!

And that's it for round 3 of the Zelda rumble.

Thaurissan's Reach

Kakariko is Saved - I found this to be a really difficult choice this round, and I don't have the gaming experience of either game to help me decide.

Thaurissan's Reach is by far the best I've heard from Cataclysm... but over Stormwind? As John McEnroe says... YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

I'm still sore at Kakariko taking out a Lanayru tune last round... still losing sleep over that one.

World of Warcraft, Majora's Mask.

Giving Arthur and Moonboy65 another day to vote. I'm a bit busy now anyway.

Sorry for the delay! Was out of town for a week at my sister-in-law's wedding.

Stormwind

Kakariko is Saved

And...I unintentionally created a double tie.

Ties everywhere! Two carrying over here, plus 5 ties to be decided in the FF Rumble (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/final-fantasy-rumble-redux-vote-your-favorite-190139/5.html#post3003474). *poke poke*

Round 2, Fight 13 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Victory (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-d9YnScRW0), from The Gods of Zul'Aman

vs.

A Hero's Sacrifice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1sT6O5vAsw), from Warlords of Draenor

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

A Hero's Sacrifice

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

Underworld Semi-Final, Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Title

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

TIE-BREAKER: Round 2, Fight 12 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Thaurissan's Reach (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ejk7iCQFVw), from Cataclysm

vs.

Stormwind (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPjeNWDsszw), from Wotld of Warcraft

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

TIE-BREAKER: Termina Round 3, Fight 4 // Zelda Rumble

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

Kakariko is Saved (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVZcvnItkdw), from Twilight Princess

vs.

Stone Tower Temple (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz_NK5HgR6Q), from Ocarina of Time

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

for the first 2 rounds i'm voting:
A Hero's Sacrifice

Faron Woods

for the 2 last rounds i'll vote:
Thaurissan's Reach

Kakariko is Saved

Victory

Faron Woods

Warlords of Draenor, The Wind Waker.

I will post a full stat recap once the tie is resolved!

A Hero's Sacrifice

Faron Woods

Arthur, is there any way you can un-hide the old FF thread in the rumble group? I'm already amusing myself with plans for next year and I'd like to see which tracks barely missed the cut.

I can't figure out a way, but here is a copy/paste of the the thread.

Shad:

Here is a preliminary list of 64. There are more songs to add; I only covered 4-7, 9, and 10. Make some suggestions of what can be cut.


Final Fantasy I-III
I have no experience in these games.

Final Fantasy IV (11)
Prelude
Red Wings
Prologue
Main Theme
Fight 2
Mystic Mysidia
The Dreadful Fight
Troian Beauty
The Lunarians
Within the Giant
The Final Battle

Final Fantasy V (6)
(It's not that FFV lacks any nostalgia; I played it in 97 or 98. Its soundtrack just always sounded like FF4 B-sides to me--the epic Gilgamesh battle aside, a very unambitious collection compared to 4 and 6.)
Sealed Away
Cursed Earth
Harvest
The Day Will Come
Battle in the Big Bridge
Dear Friends

Final Fantasy VI (15)
Opening Theme
The Mines of Narshe
Kefka
Troops March On
Phantom Train
Wild West
Save Them!
The Decisive Battle
Slam Shuffle
The Empire Gestahl
Devil's Lab
New Continent
The Fierce Battle
Last Dungeon
Dancing Mad (part 4, we'll need a link for the entire song)

Final Fantasy VII (15)
Bombing Mission
Still More Fighting
Chasing the Black-Caped Man
J-E-N-O-V-A
Gold Saucer
Valley of the Fallen Star
The Nightmare Begins
Cid's Theme
The Forested Temple
Aerith's Theme
Off the Edge of Despair
On the Other Side of the Mountain
JENOVA Absolute
Birth of the God
One-Winged Angel

Final Fantasy VIII
Hated this game, leaving it for someone else.

Final Fantasy IX (12)
The Place I'll Return To
Vivi's Theme
Vamo Alla Flamenco
Awakened Forest
Frontier Village Dali
Song of Memories
Freija's Theme
Kuja's Theme
Theme of the Tantalus
Eternal Harvest
Dark Messenger
Final Battle

Final Fantasy X (5)
(I listened to the entire soundtrack when I made this, and I played the game when it first came out; The list is short because FFX's soundtrack is quite frankly pretty bad.)
The Silence Before the Storm
Attack (Raid)
Seymour Battle
Otherworld
Decisive Battle

Final Fantasy XI-XIV
Never played them. Hell, I thought they only made 12.


arthurgolden:

I'm going to throw some ideas out there to cover the skipped soundtracks. That might make cutting songs easier, looking at everything at once--plus we can decide if we want 64 or 128.


Final Fantasy I (6)
Cornelia Castle
Main Theme
Town
Matoya�s Cavern
Gurg Volcano
Battle

Final Fantasy II (5)
Time of Revival
Main Theme
Imperial Army�s Theme
Tower of Mages
Ancient Castle

Final Fantasy III (10)
Eternal Wind
Boss Battle
Town of Water
The Invincible
This Is the Last Battle
Deep Under the Water
Elia the Maiden of Water
Jinn the Fire
My Home Town
Crystal Room

As many faults as there are in the game, I think FF8 has one of the best soundtracks of the series.

Final Fantasy VIII (16)
Liberi Fatali
Blue Fields
The Extreme
Maybe I�m a Lion
Breezy
The Spy
Succession of Witches
The Man with the Machine Gun
The Castle
Balamb Garden
Find Your Way
Martial Law
Force Your Way
Under Her Control
Silence and Motion
Eyes on Me

Final Fantasy XI (6)
Chateau d'Oraguille
Selbina
Airship
Anxiety
Sometime, Somewhere
Despair

Final Fantasy XII (13)
Secret Practice
Naivety
Signs of a Change
Rabanastre Downtown
Rebellion
Nalbina Fortress Underground Prison
The Skycity of Bhujerba
The Tomb of Raithwall
A Moment's Rest
Seeking Power
Eruyt Village
Clash on the Big Bridge
The Phon Coast

That puts us at 120, without even touching FF13 or 14 (which we might not include anyway).

This seems close. We need to get a satisfactory list of 128, then check the links. Shad hasn't logged in since October, so this is open to anyone's suggestion/influence. Is anyone interested in doing a FF music rumble?

The updated list...


Final Fantasy I (6)
Cornelia Castle
Main Theme
Town
Matoya�s Cavern
Gurg Volcano
Battle

Final Fantasy II (4)
Main Theme
Imperial Army�s Theme
Tower of Mages
Ancient Castle

Final Fantasy III (8)
Eternal Wind
Boss Battle
Town of Water
The Invincible
This Is the Last Battle
Deep Under the Water
Elia the Maiden of Water
Jinn the Fire

Final Fantasy IV (11)
Prelude
Red Wings
Prologue
Main Theme
Fight 2
Mystic Mysidia
The Dreadful Fight
Troian Beauty
The Lunarians
Within the Giant
The Final Battle

Final Fantasy V (6)
Sealed Away
Cursed Earth
Harvest
The Day Will Come
Battle in the Big Bridge
Dear Friends

Final Fantasy VI (15)
The Omen
The Mines of Narshe
Kefka
Troops March On
Phantom Train
Wild West
Save Them!
The Decisive Battle
Slam Shuffle
The Empire Gestahl
Devil's Lab
New Continent
The Fierce Battle
Last Dungeon
Dancing Mad

Final Fantasy VII (15)
Bombing Mission
Still More Fighting
Chasing the Black-Caped Man
J-E-N-O-V-A
Gold Saucer
Valley of the Fallen Star
The Nightmare Begins
Cid's Theme
The Forested Temple
Aerith's Theme
Off the Edge of Despair
On the Other Side of the Mountain
JENOVA Absolute
Birth of the God
One-Winged Angel

Final Fantasy VIII (15)
Liberi Fatali
Blue Fields
The Extreme
Maybe I�m a Lion
Breezy
The Spy
The Man with the Machine Gun
The Castle
Balamb Garden
Find Your Way
Martial Law
Force Your Way
Under Her Control
Silence and Motion
Eyes on Me

Final Fantasy IX (12)
The Place I'll Return To
Vivi's Theme
Vamo Alla Flamenco
Awakened Forest
Frontier Village Dali
Song of Memories
Freija's Theme
Kuja's Theme
Theme of the Tantalus
Eternal Harvest
Dark Messenger
Final Battle

Final Fantasy X (5)
The Silence Before the Storm
Attack (Raid)
Seymour Battle
Otherworld
Decisive Battle

Final Fantasy XI (5)
Chateau d'Oraguille
Airship
Anxiety
Sometime, Somewhere
Despair

Final Fantasy XII (13)
Secret Practice
Naivety
Signs of a Change
Rabanastre Downtown
Rebellion
Nalbina Fortress Underground Prison
The Skycity of Bhujerba
The Tomb of Raithwall
A Moment's Rest
Seeking Power
Eruyt Village
Clash on the Big Bridge
The Phon Coast

Final Fantasy XIII (8)
Will to Fight
Taejin's Tower
Born Anew
All the Word Against Us
Primarch Dynasty
Fabula Nova Crystallis
Blinded by Light
Mysteries Abound

Final Fantasy XIV (5)
Track 13
Track 23
Track 26
Track 27
Track 42


Smarty:

I have some suggestions regarding Final Fantasy XII. It would be better, imo, if the list looked like this:


Final Fantasy XII(14):
Signs of a Change
Rabanastre Downtown
Rebellion
Nalbina Fortress Underground Prison
The Skycity of BhujerbaSeeking Power
Eruyt Village
Clash on the Big Bridge
The Phon Coast
The Royal City Of Rabanastre
The Forgotten Capital
Esper Battle
Theme Of The Empire
Ashe's Theme
To The Place Of Gods

Let me know what you think.


arthurgolden:

Those changes are fine with me.


Remove:
Secret Practice
Naivety
The Tomb of Raithwall
A Moment's Rest

Add:
The Royal City Of Rabanastre
The Forgotten Capital
Esper Battle
Theme Of The Empire
Ashe's Theme
To The Place Of Gods


Smarty:

Added links for them, too:


Signs Of A Change
Rabanastre Downtown
Rebellion
Nalbina Fortress Underground Prison
The Skycity Of Bhujerba
Seeking Power
Eruyt Village
Clash On The Big Bridge
The Phon Coast
The Royal City Of Rabanastre
The Forgotten Capital
Esper Battle
Theme Of The Empire
Ashe's Theme
To The Place Of Gods


Shad:

Hearing some of the music which followed Final Fantasy X has greatly increased my opinion of it in comparison, and 5 tracks for one of the most famous games in the series just seems inappropriate anyway. I cut FF12's Clash on the Big Bridge because it is a repeat of 5 and 5 has far fewer selections. I also cut a lot of tracks from the first 3 games in the series, which I think we can probably agree just don't match up. (Uematsu was not, for all he accomplished in his career, an outstanding NES composer). From FF8 I'm cutting "Balamb Garden" and "Silence and Motion". I need to remove one more song, and it's going to have to be from FF13 because it currently has more selections than any games but 6 and 7. I'm loath to wield the axe because I think it's the best soundtrack since 9. Let me know if there's one in particular you're least fond of, otherwise I'll make the call when the contested spot comes up in the rumble.

Having listened to them all again, I'm going to go ahead and cut "Signs of a Change" for now. Let me know if you want me to switch it out with another.

Nice, thanks, that gives me a lot to work with.

By the way, Link, ties are up already. :P It's getting down to the end so moving faster now.

First of all, hello! I'm back!

And i'm in a tie match, how interesting...

I enjoy A Hero's Sacrifice

Faron Woods

Thaurissan's Reach (it was a hard one, but this is my vote)

Kakariko is Saved (another hard one)

Welcome back!

(Just in time to finish out the annual FF rumble with us maybe? :))

Welcome back!

(Just in time to finish out the annual FF rumble with us maybe? :))

-nods- its what i wanted right? I can't remember when I said that, but i remember saying "How about an FF rumble" I just had an FF moment, cause i flicked on "Symphonic Odysseys" - Nobuo Uematsu tribute.

Apropos of our previous discussions about metal: 1980s Metalhead Kids Are All Right: New Study Suggests They Became Well-Adjusted Adults (http://www.openculture.com/2015/07/1980s-metalhead-kids-are-all-right.html)

There are, of course, parallels between the article's larger themes and the mid-nineties debates over video games that persist today.

A Hero's Sacrifice (5-1), Thaurissan's Reach (4-2), Kakariko is Saved (4-2), and Faron Woods (4-2) all advance!

Round 2, Fight 14 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Air (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3-W8SbIl0Y), from Rage of the Firelands

vs.

Karazhan Opera House (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dedMP7eda2E), from The Burning Crusade

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

Ouch. Karazhan Opera House, but Air is also one of my favorites. When heard in-game it was really striking.

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

Hyrule Semi-Final, Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Farewell Hyrule King

---------- Post added at 12:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 PM ----------


Apropos of our previous discussions about metal: 1980s Metalhead Kids Are All Right: New Study Suggests They Became Well-Adjusted Adults (http://www.openculture.com/2015/07/1980s-metalhead-kids-are-all-right.html)

There are, of course, parallels between the article's larger themes and the mid-nineties debates over video games that persist today.

Eeeewwwww, 80s metal. :P

Karazhan Opera House

Spirit Temple

Air

Farewell Hyrule King

Cataclysm, Ocarina of Time.

Air

Farewell Hyrule King

My recap and analysis of the Zelda rumble:

We're at the Sweet 16 of The Big Dance. Only one No. 1 seed remains in the tournament.

Things spiraled downhill for A Link to the Past in the third round. A look at the earlier schedule for ALttP shows a t rend of unusually easy matchups during the first three rounds, with only a handful that the game wasn't favored to win. The SNES classic is down to its last two games after a 2-4 showing in round number three. The game moves to 18-9 in the tournament.

In a stunning upset, one of the two remaining top seeds (both belonging to the original Zelda) fell last round with the original Intro falling to No. 25 seed Farewell Hyrule King from the Wind Waker. The Overworld theme powered past Oracle of Ages' Trouble on the Raft to give the original a 1-1 round and the highest seed left in the tournament. The NES game that started it all is now 6-3 in the tournament.

The Wind Waker for the most part continued its strong performance. Besides the shocking upset mentioned earlier, No. 4 seed Ocean is the highest seed left in the Termina region. It is one of two games with songs remaining in three different regions (Twilight Princess). TWW was 3-1 in the round and is now 12-7 in the rumble.

Ocarina of Time has two heavy favorites left - the exceptionally strong No. 3 seed Forest Temple and No. 4 seed Spirit Temple. Spirit Temple should be favored in its match up. The game was close to getting the most tracks into the regional semis but came up short in a couple of critical votes, and managed to go just 2-4 in the round. That leaves the game 22-21 for the tournament, still the tournament high for wins.

Majora's Mask, likely the most underrated and underappreciated game of the series, similarly didn't feel the love in the Zelda rumble. The Nintendo 64 follow up to what many consider the seminal classic of the series was eliminated in the third round. MM lost both votes in the round and ends the tournament at 7-12.

Skyward Sword still has multiple hopes alive in the tournament and they're both in different regions. It won both matchups and notches back above .500 at 8-7 headed into the Sweet 16.

Similarly to Majora's Mask, the road ended for the Oracles games this past round. Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages both lost their last matchups of the tournament. OoS finishes 2-8, OoA at 6-8.

Zelda II stayed alive with its last game, No. 10 seed Palace, defeating No. 14 seed Wind Fish's Egg from LA. AoL is 5-6 in the tournament.

Link's Awakening also stayed alive and is by far the best performing handheld of the event. LA went 2-1 to enter the round 10-9.

Twilight Princess must be considered the favorite to win the tournament at this point. The game boasts three entries still alive and two of them are No. 2 seeds. TP went 3-1 and is back above .500 at 16-15.



TWW = 3
TP = 3
ALttP = 2
SS = 2
OoT = 2
LA = 2
LoZ = 1
AoL = 1

The higher seed was 10-6 and is now 69-41 in the tournament. Of the 16 tracks remaining, 12 were favored to win in the first round.

Air (3-2) and Farewell Hyrule King (3-2) advance!

Round 2, Fight 16 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Into the Coliseum (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdF1qrN1QEw), from Call of the Crusade

vs.

Angrathar's Shadow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9LWT-tQFt0), from Wrath of the Lich King

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

Angrathar's Shadow

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

The Golden Land Semi-Final, Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

Overworld (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpEzYEoV9qY), from Legend of Zelda

vs.

Dark World (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sslj06K-Nlw), from A Link to the Past

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

Dark World

Into the Colosseum

Dark World

Spirit Temple losing is a profoundly sad outcome.

Overworld is the last top seed alive in the tournament. Dark World is decent, but it can't hold up to the original classic.

In the other matchup... of course... Call of the Crusade must die.

Angrathar's Shadow, Legend of Zelda

Shad: This should be Round 2 Fight 16 for WoW. Both Tides of War's victory (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/official-video-game-music-rumble-66118/97.html#post2997611) and Thaurissan's Reach's victory (http://forums.ffshrine.org/f63/official-video-game-music-rumble-66118/98.html#post2999989) were listed as Round 2 Fight 12, creating the error.

Into the Colosseum

Overworld

Ah, gotcha. I guess that would explain why there are only four match-ups left in the round. <_<

WotLK

Legend of Zelda

Angrathar's Shadow (3-2) and Overworld (3-2) advance!

Round 2, Fight 17 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Outlands Horde Base (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd9JRYqzpqI#t=1m20s), from The Burning Crusade

vs.

Isle of Conquest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-YbfdLYFiU), from Call of the Crusade

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

will vote later

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

Termina Semi-Final, Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Color Dungeon, make it happen. I love this track. :)

Isle of Conquest

Isle of Conquest

Ocean :D Can't do it.

Please REMEMBER that the beginning of that linked track is in fact the ALLIANCE music. The Horde Music starts at 1:20 (which the link goes direct to). I'm definitely going this way - this is one of my favorites from the whole series (maybe behind the Outlands Alliance music). I think The Burning Crusade is my favorite expansion musically (and it is probably the most underrated too).

Definitely going Ocean. I don't understand Color Dungeon lasted longer than the (superior) track it was inspired by - the original Underworld from the NES Zelda!! Good track, but Ocean is perhaps the most unique overworld theme in the series and singlehandedly made sailing fun for me.

The Burning Crusade, The Wind Waker.

Outlands Horde Base

Color Dungeon

And I just created a double tie...whoops

Round 2, Fight 18 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Slaughtered Lamb (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZbXGkNPof0), from World of Warcraft

vs.

Depths of Vashj'ir (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myTFIzlpGDs), from Cataclysm

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

Slaughtered Lamb

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

Underworld Semi-Final, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

Midna's Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3mhU2XEOOs), from Twilight Princess

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

Forest Temple

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

TIE-BREAKER: Round 2, Fight 17 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Outlands Horde Base (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd9JRYqzpqI#t=1m20s), from The Burning Crusade

vs.

Isle of Conquest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-YbfdLYFiU), from Call of the Crusade

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

TIE-BREAKER: Termina Semi-Final, Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Slaughtered Lamb

Forest Temple

Slaughtered Lamb!

Forest Temple - Tough call

UGH.... UGH.

I hate this round in Zelda SO much. This is the lowest combined rank of ANY matchup in the rumble thus far - #2 seed Midna's Theme vs. #3 seed Forest Temple.

Cataclysm, Ocarina of Time.

I really want to avoid flipping any coins at this point in the Zelda rumble. We have two other occasional participants floating around out there. I'm going to leave Zelda tie-breakers open until the end of the round.

Tails wins the toss! Outlands Horde Base (2-2), Slaughtered Lamb (3-1), and Forest Temple (4-0) advance!


Round 2, Fight 19 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Distraction at the Dead Scar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=506jM_O4j2M), from Fury of the Sunwell

vs.

Wrath of the Lich King (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Dh_IOIkRUw), from Wrath of the Lich King

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

will vote later

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

Hyrule Semi-Final, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

Hyrule Field Main Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRHoPxAfy_Q), from Twilight Princess

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

Palace

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

TIE-BREAKER: Termina Semi-Final, Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Wrath of the Lich King

Palace

Distraction at the Dead Scar

Palace

The Burning Crusade, Twilight Princess.

Distraction at the Dead Scar

I wanted to record something in time for the last fight, but I've really had my hands full with the baby. Figures after years without a camera I'd finally get one when I have no free time whatsoever. Well, I had an hour or two to spare tonight, so I recorded two songs I think you'll recognize. It was like 90 degrees in my room because I had to shut everything down to cut out the background noise, so I didn't really mess around with multiple takes. Sloppy? You bet. Wretched quality? I'll try this again in daylight and buy a decent microphone, maybe. But I've been itching to put a few recordings out there, so here goes:

World of Warcraft - Slaughtered Lamb (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbk2PLLat60)
Chrono Trigger - Millennial Fair (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V30CpmjVyoY)

Yessir! Lovely renditions. Thanks for sharing! It'd be great to hear more.

Distraction at the Dead Scar

Hyrule Field

You didn't break the tie. ;_;

Make the right choice!

Yes.... DO make the right choice.....

You know where my vote goes, but i'm not going to say because it would be instant win :)

Distraction at the Dead Scar (4-1) and Palace (3-2) advance!

PforPianist, I honestly don't know which you would probably choose off the top of my head, but when no one breaks a tie I end up flipping a coin to determine which advances, so if you have a preference, well, that's why I started leaving ties open for an extra round in the first place. I'd rather see the track I prefer lose than let luck settle the matter. :)

Round 2, Fight 20 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Thrall's Might (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbpEBkN36B0), from Hour of Twilight

vs.

Stormlords on the March (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTEVPrA90I0), from Warlords of Draenor

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

Ouch. Round 2's ending with two outstanding tracks. I think I have to take Thrall's Might here. It reminds me of Summoning, one of my favorite bands.

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

The Golden Land Semi-Final, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

Forest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1CKttAmNKA), from A Link to the Past

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

Forest

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

TIE-BREAKER: Termina Semi-Final, Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Stormlords on the March

Forest

Thrall's Might

Sword Search

Warlords of Draenor, Link's Awakening

Last call to break these ties! Next turn I'm flipping coins for all of them if no one else has voted. (And if I have time I'll post up a stats breakdown for WoW round 2)

Round 3, Fight 1 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Bloodlord Mandokir (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGuIIRW-B1A), from Rise of the Zandalari

vs.

Enchanted Forest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r7iz-9v9bA), from World of Warcraft

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

Enchanted Forest

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

Termina Semi-Final, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

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)

vs.

Kakariko is Saved (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVZcvnItkdw), from Twilight Princess

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

Kakariko is Saved

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

TIE-BREAKER: Round 2, Fight 20 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Thrall's Might (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbpEBkN36B0), from Hour of Twilight vs. Stormlords on the March (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTEVPrA90I0), from Warlords of Draenor

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

TIE-BREAKER: The Golden Land Semi-Final, Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

Sword Search (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3VXcML6Hf0), from Link's Awakening vs. Forest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1CKttAmNKA), from A Link to the Past

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

TIE-BREAKER: Termina Semi-Final, Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

Color Dungeon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN5EXLqG3Z8), from Link's Awakening DX vs. Ocean (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN_x1rpGbY8), from Wind Waker

Not enthused about either of these Zelda tracks being here - I feel there were several far more deserving that should be here. In WoW - gotta stick with the classics!

I guess if I HAVE to pick a Zelda one....

World of Warcraft, Skyward Sword.

Though if both lose and a Lanayru track reappears in the bracket I won't complain.

Enchanted Forest

Kakariko is Saved

Enchanted Forest

Kakariko is Saved

Though if both lose and a Lanayru track reappears in the bracket I won't complain.

Chipping in my protest vote for Ancient Lanayru here as well :)

And let the coins commence.

Heads Heads Tails means that Thrall's Might (2-2), Forest (2-2), and Ocean (2-2) advance, along with Enchanted Forest (4-0) and Kakariko is Saved (3-1).

Round 3, Fight 2 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Angrathar's Shadow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9LWT-tQFt0), from Wrath of the Lich King

vs.

Hellfire Peninsula (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7XA-JvK6kg), from The Burning Crusade

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

Angrathar's Shadow

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

Underworld Final! // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Forest Temple

Bummer that it had to come to coin flips, but definitely necessary. The logjam had to be resolved.

Angrathar's Shadow

Forest Temple

Angrathar's Shadow

Faron Woods

So excited that Hellfire Peninsula, a last-second addition made it this far. I still think it is superior here and I don't mind being in the minority... obviously.

All forest matchup in the other rumble, and I take Forest Temple.

The Burning Crusade, Ocarina of Time.

---------- Post added at 08:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:39 PM ----------

We're down to the Elite 8 in the Zelda Rumble.

It is interesting to note that no game has more than two left and that is somehow The Wind Waker. Wind Waker has the highest seed left (No. 25 Farewell Hyrule King) & a No. 4 seed (Ocean). Adventure of Link's Palace is a #10 seed. Skyward Sword's only entry is in battle currently as a #13 seed while Ocarina of Time, which started the rumble with the most entries, has a #3 seed left (Forest Temple).

On the other half of the bracket, the top seed remaining in the entire rumble is Overworld from the original Legend of Zelda (it was the #2 seed overall). It will try to usher out #22 seed Forest from A Link to the Past to complete that game's epic collapse over the last two rounds. There are two #22 seeds left somehow, as Kakariko is Saved somehow survived a very strong Termina bracket to face off with #4 seed Ocean from the Wind Waker.

Off-Topic: Video Games Live did an all-Blizzard concert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=182&v=30E9FeL41BA) yesterday

Angrathar's Shadow

Forest Temple

Off-Topic: Hey guys, how's it going? I haven't been on here for a while. I just wanted to share the most ridiculous thing I heard recently. It's a russian rap song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FqxdbV-wXU). But wait...

Nothing harder than "Killing Time" blasting through a...parking lot?

:o It's Smarty

probably won't update until tomorrow, kind of busy

While we're off-topic, something dumb to shake your head at...

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu301/arthurgolden/10505377_840801215931297_3422588213365432959_n_zps i5tke8dm.jpg

/facepalm

Update coming in a bit. I unintentionally ended up in two games of forum mafia (http://wiki.mafiascum.net/index.php?title=Main_Page) simultaneously and it's eating up every free minute of my life for the next week or two.

---------- Post added at 09:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:48 PM ----------

Angrathar's Shadow (4-1) and Forest Temple (4-1) advance!

Round 3, Fight 3 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Outlands Horde Base (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd9JRYqzpqI#t=1m20s), from Burning Crusade

vs.

Air (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3-W8SbIl0Y), from Rage of the Firelands

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

Air

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

Hyrule Final! // Zelda Rumble

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

Farewell Hyrule King (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmqf1Fztvr8), from Wind Waker

vs.

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

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

Palace! But both are pretty great.

Air

Palace

Outlands Horde Base

Farewell Hyrule King

Certainly not the tracks I thought would be here in the Zelda rumble. I can justify Adventure of Link more than The Wind Waker though.

The Burning Crusade, Zelda II.

Palace (3-1) advances!

Round 3, Fight 4 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

The Siege (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHKa6o_e5bU), from Secrets of Ulduar

vs.

Legends of Azeroth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqsazZUbt9s), from World of Warcraft

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

Ouch... The Siege

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

The Golden Land Final! // Zelda Rumble

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

Overworld (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpEzYEoV9qY), from Legend of Zelda

vs.

Forest (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1CKttAmNKA), from A Link to the Past

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

Forest

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

TIE-BREAKER: Round 3, Fight 3 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Outlands Horde Base (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd9JRYqzpqI#t=1m20s), from Burning Crusade

vs.

Air (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3-W8SbIl0Y), from Rage of the Firelands

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

Legends of Azeroth

Overworld

Going old school on both counts:

World of Warcraft, Legend of Zelda.

Legends of Azeroth

Overworld

Off-topic: If you can forgive the cheeseball backing track, holy shit does this kid tear the roof off Eternal Wind (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRIfT2NUV8s)

Heads wins the toss! Air (2-2), Legends of Azeroth (3-1), and Overworld (3-1) advance!

Round 3, Fight 4 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Thrall's Might (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbpEBkN36B0), from Hour of Twilight

vs.

The Shattering (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADmPpY_oC2k), from Cataclysm

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

I'll vote later.

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

Termina Final! // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

Kakariko is Saved (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVZcvnItkdw), from Twilight Princess

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

I'll vote later.

The Shattering

Kakariko is Saved

Not really in the mood right now for the style of music in the WoW match-up, voting Thrall's Might but might reconsider.

Ocean

I'm with Shad - not feeling either WoW track....

The Shattering, The Wind Waker (This is a track I AM feeling!)

The Shattering - I like this one quite a bit, it reminds me of classical music, specifically the Firebird Suite by Stravinski.

Kakariko is Saved

forming ancient symbols above his monitor, Shad attempts to summon Smarty from the depths of the internet to resolve a late-game tie

The Shattering

Ocean

Thanks Jessie! #hero

Now that was unexpected. *checks the alignment of his pentagrams*

The Shattering (4-1) and Ocean (3-2) advance!

Round 3, Fight 5 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Distraction at the Dead Scar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=506jM_O4j2M), from Fury of the Sunwell

vs.

Slaughtered Lamb (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZbXGkNPof0), from World of Warcraft

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

Slaughtered Lamb

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

Semi-Final Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

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

Palace

Slaughtered Lamb

Forest Temple

Slaughtered Lamb

Palace

We're in the Final Four of the Big Dance.

All the Cinderella's bubbles have been burst. The highest seed remaining is in action this round (No. 10 seed Palace). Four titles from four very different games. Two 3D, two 2D. The collapse of A Link to the Past is complete - it's mid-round success shown to be the product of a statistically easy schedule. The favorite Ocarina of Time (with the most entries) is still alive with a No. 3 seed (Forest Temple). One top seed remains - no surprise that it is Overworld from the NES classic. It faces off another top-5 seed contender; No. 4 seed Ocean from The Wind Waker. Which will reign supreme?

Too strong to call it a dark horse pick, but I think few would have thought Forest Temple's flutes and haunting melody would carry it this far. Palace has certainly proved itself worthy... but I think Forest Temple gets the nod.

I'm not sure how many Burning Crusade tracks are left in the WoW rumble... but it is probably too few for my tastes. The Burning Crusade strengthened music in WoW - respecting the game's music legacy and history while setting new themes (Blood Elves) that would reappear time and again. My favorite and I believe the most underappreciated musical expansion of the game.

The Burning Crusade, Ocarina of Time.

Another tie? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A)

:(

Sorry for the delay! I should have time to update today.

Slaughtered Lamb (3-1) advances!

Round 3, Fight 7 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Dalaran (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrUkZdtPohc), from Wrath of the Lich King

vs.

Naxxramas Walk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddcDtn0GyrQ), from Shadow of the Necropolis

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

Dalaran

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

Semi-Final Fight 2 // Zelda Rumble

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

Overworld (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpEzYEoV9qY), from Legend of Zelda

vs.

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

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

I'm not nearly as excited about these two tracks as the other semi-final. Overworld is overrated. Ocean is pretty solid, wouldn't have put it in the final 4 though.

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

TIE-BREAKER: Semi-Final Fight 1 // Zelda Rumble

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

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

vs.

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

Dalaran

Overworld

A matchup on two of Zelda's Overworld tracks in the final semi. Both I think are exceptional, but there no more seminal Zelda track than the original.

World of Warcraft, Legend of Zelda.

Dalaran

Overworld I really like both of these

Heads wins the toss, so Palace (2-2) advances to the final on a flip. Reeeally wish we had a 5th person active in here again. Dalaran (3-1) and Overworld (3-1) advance!


And this is it! We've got an old school showdown in the final round of the Zelda rumble:

Final // Zelda Rumble

VS

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

Overworld (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpEzYEoV9qY), from Legend of Zelda

vs.

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

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

Should be pretty obvious where my vote is landing by now. Palace!

Take my response as answering your last request.

I think i've gone for overworld at any chance that I had, but this time, I'm voting for Palace. What a game this is to have a track like this in it. I can appreciate the textures they use to keep people in the zone and playing because they enjoy it. Something's about to happen i think (having never played the game that's what i think anyway)

Man, that's a really disappointing coin flip right there. I was very much looking forward to a Forest Temple/Overworld matchup. I'm very excited that Forest Temple received that much respect (made it much further than I thought it would.

Instead we do get a matchup of two NES games for all the marbles in the Big Dance. Palace is a very solid theme, but Overworld is seeded #1 for a reason. Palace is a theme that is not repeated in any subsequent game. Does that lend to its charm and uniqueness? I would argue yes. But Overworld is a track that is by far more quintessentially Zelda than ANY other track in the rumble and I don't think it is close.

The Legend of Zelda.

It's pretty close, but I think Palace is the better composed song.

Again, I really like both of these. I think I've voted for Overworld every time, and I don't think I'm going to change that. Overworld

Overworld

WE HAVE A TIEEEEEEEEEEE

It will never end.

Overworld

We have a winner!



Overworld (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpEzYEoV9qY), from Legend of Zelda beat out Palace (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a7Sh82Mzdc), from Adventure of Link 4-3 to become the 23rd rumble champion!

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

Round 3, Fight 8 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Xaxas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLw5MX7bZqI), from Cataclysm

vs.

Tides of War (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Gw7TiJFuk), from Warlords of Draenor

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

Xaxas

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

Future Rumble

It's time for a new match-up, and to be honest there isn't much on the table right now. Arthur mentioned earlier that he'd prefer a shorter rumble next, and I have to agree there. We have three Custom 16 rumbles available: mine, Arthur's, and NARFNra's. 16-track rumbles which have been proposed but not yet built include Final Fantasy XIII songs, soundtracks for Nihon Falcom titles, and games composed by Akira Yamaoka, Yoko Shimomura, and David Wise. What would you all prefer?

Many thanks to our beneficent wolf mod for the tiebreaker. Long may you reign.

For WoW: Xaxas

For the next rumble: My first preference is Custom 16, which I'm pretty excited about. Two other options: I'd be happy with the C64 rumble, if it's ready to go. The 7th Gen rumble is ready, but 64 soundtracks long, making it only somewhat shorter than what we've been doing.

*By the way, the line-up for each person's Custom 16 rumble can be found on the group page here (http://forums.ffshrine.org/groups/vgm-rumble-group-procrastination-station/custom-16-rumbles-486/). All participants are, of course, welcome to make one for a future rumble.

Tider of War

I agree with going for a shorter rumble. Personally, I would really like an Akira Yamaoka or Yoko Shimomura rumble. If enough people are interested, I'm sure we can make one in just a couple of days in the group page.

Xaxas

A short rumble sounds good. I'm cool with doing one of the custom rumbles, but I would like to do Akira Yamaoka or Yoko Shimomura rumbles as well in the future if not now.

Topopoz asked me to send in his vote since he has limited internet access while he moves. He voted for "Yamaoka, Shimomura, Nihon Falcom" but also suggested we "Run 2 or three of those at the same time. I think that would be the best." I would guess he temporarily forgot we're still doing the Warcraft rumble, but I thought it was an interesting idea to put on the table: potentially 3 simultaneous rumbles if all of them are just individual songs.

I know updates don't take much but I think I'd fall behind a day or two a lot more often if we're running three. I'd like to keep it at two.

3 votes for the composers says that's probably where we're headed. I'd knock out a custom first myself but I'm most interested in NARFNra's and he's been MIA for a few months now. I can help organize a Yoko Shimomura rumble. Not very familiar with Akira Yamaoka.

I can offer suggestions for Shimomura or Yamaoka, but I would need someone else to lead the discussion.

A comeback victory for the #1 seed in the Zelda rumble! This result pleases me greatly. I would have loved to see Forest Temple in the final matchup, but Overworld is timeless. I will post a full Zelda rumble recap in the coming days. Thanks to all who participated in The Big Dance.

In the WoW rumble... Cataclysm.

Great!



Overworld (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpEzYEoV9qY)

Celebrates by playing itself. I could see myself playing this and dancing around for the celebration of this song. Such good celebration music.

I'm going for Tides of War this time. Im in a sad mood, so it is a meaningful song at the moment.

Custom 16 gets my vote now.

Sorry for the delay. I've been real busy lately. Next rumble's going to have to wait for the next update. Xaxas advances 4-2!

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

Round 3, Fight 9 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Echoes of the Past (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfJYzZ-PC9g), from The Burning Crusade

vs.

Totems of the Grizzlemaw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGmIWA7LADk), from Wrath of the Lich King

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

Totems of the Grizzlemaw

Totems of the Grizzlemaw

What is the next rumble? Shimomura or Yamaoka?

Echoes of the Past

Figure one of those two. I'll start a thread to build it over the next few days if I have time. If not, I'll random.org the custom 16s and start one of them so we aren't sitting around with just one game going.

Okay. I'll keep an eye open for the a new group page thread. I should be able to contribute, too.

ugh, I'm starting to realize how much more work it is to put together a soundtrack rumble as opposed to individual tracks

As I've mentioned before, I am a big proponent of running two at a time from the same rumble in the interim in between rounds.

Wrath of the Lich King.

As far as the next one... I can offer no opinion as I've not heard of any of the possible options.

I think it's fair to say Shimomura and/or Yamaoka are not going to be the next rumble unless people pitch in on the group page (http://forums.ffshrine.org/groups/vgm-rumble-group-procrastination-station/). The other themes are ready to go because they were spearheaded by one or two people and developed over several months. Taking a theme that covers a composer's entire career and bringing it to fruition will take time unless there's a concerted, collaborative effort.

I see no problem with doing some of the Custom 16 rumbles so that way the Shimomura and Yamaoka rumbles can be built.

Random.org chose Arthur. Is yours ready to roll?

Echos of the past

I'm actually sad I didn't vote for Totems of the Grizzlemaw. But history trumps the new music this time.

It's ready with working links on the group page, and I can do write-ups on the selections as we go along if that works.

Totems of the Grizzlemaw advances 3-2! Time has nnnnnnnot been on my side recently and I don't see that changing until October. Here's an update to keep the blood flowing in here, will hopefully kick off the next rumble plus the WoW "wild card" rounds in a reasonable timeframe.

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

Round 3, Fight 10 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Thaurissan's Reach (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ejk7iCQFVw), from Cataclysm

vs.

A Hero's Sacrifice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1sT6O5vAsw), from Warlords of Draenor

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

will vote later

Thaurissan's Reach

Thaurissan's Reach

Thaurissan's Reach

I'll show A Hero's Sacrifice some love.

Hi friends,

As you may be aware, Sarah (the owner of FFShrine and Galbadia Hotel) has become a target for hackers, doxxers, and other forms of harassment. That campaign led to the forum's recent hack (everyone has been advised to change their passwords) and also revealed that Sarah is heavily in debt. While the motivating factors and implications of this information are the subject of emotionally intense discussions in other parts of the forums, for our purposes, it's worth noting that...

1) The harassment could escalate from here, given that Sarah is writing publicly about these matters
2) Sarah does not have the finances to keep the forums afloat on her own and, in the event that she does need to request donations, will likely face suspicion from past donors and others about the donation process

I think we're all aware of the systems of communication in place in case the forums go down, and I'm certainly not saying they will. Those of us who have been here for many years have seen past drama amount to nothing. But given the determination her attackers have shown so far in bringing Sarah down and the now public knowledge that she is in some significant financial trouble, it may be prudent to save what you need to save in case these are, as another member predicted, the final days of the Shrine.

Cataclysm.

Luckily my email was from college for an address that doesn't exist anymore... haha... SUCKERS!

Hack removes the "Like" and "Reputation" buttons?

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu301/arthurgolden/200_s_zpskufopdah.gif

Hack removes the "Like" and "Reputation" buttons?

http://i658.photobucket.com/albums/uu301/arthurgolden/200_s_zpskufopdah.gif





I like what you did there!

Thaurissan's Reach advances 4-1! Time to kick off Arthur's Custom 16 rumble! Also, we're moving into the first round of the World of Warcraft wild card match-ups! Two tracks that lost to a coin flip (and Outland Alliance Base upon request) will have a second shot at advancing to the next stage of the game. The first wild card round will be a Pick 2 selection from six tracks. After that there will be a run-off if necessary and then it will all be head-to-head.

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

Round 1, Fight 1 // Arthur's Custom 16

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

First Step Towards Adventure (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWcnX77j6zE), from Mystic Ark

vs.

Luna Ascension (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp9eRncVbcY), from Tower of Heaven

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

Oh my. This is pretty awesome: Luna Ascension

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

Wild Card Round 1 // World of Warcraft Rumble

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

Pick Two!

For the Alliance (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESA4CMrP9zo), from Landfall

Family (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzXatGNb0UM), from Warlords of Draenor

Outlands Alliance Base (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJXIjKZaip4), from Burning Crusade

Wolf at the Gates (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twUq_l3g3NI), from Warlords of Draenor

The Dark Moon Faire's Merry-Go-Round (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF7CpyIwJiY), from Landfall

Kezan/Lost Isles 09 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D9UtRZ2Bec#t=156), from Cataclysm

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

I'm tentatively picking The Dark Moon Faire's Merry-Go-Round and Kezan/Lost Isles 09, but that may change when I get a chance to listen to them all again.

The goals of a Custom Rumble:
For those who haven't seen the original thread on the group page, this is not meant to be a list of favorite songs, per se. Rather, it's meant to be a list of songs that haven't previously been in a rumble, or haven't made it very far in a previous rumble, or are unlikely to find a home in a future rumble, but that the creator of the list nevertheless finds interesting, compelling, of personal significance, or otherwise worthy of others' attention. I chose mine with those criteria in mind.

Why these two:
First Step Towards Adventure is admittedly not a very complex song. But it represents the best part of one of my hobbies: experiencing the joy of discovery while playing SNES repros (which are Japanese-only SFC releases that were fan-translated into English and reproduced in functioning SNES carts). Although there are a lot of reasons a game might not make it overseas that have nothing to do with its quality, Mystic Ark (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUtkCfl297M) probably was just not interesting enough to merit the development costs of sending it worldwide. The game is an RPG in the style of 7th Saga that requires you to search every surface for cryptic clues that lead you on force-marches across overworld plains and into dungeons with punishing encounter rates and mind-numbingly repetitive battle strategies. It's got little to offer us in 2015, except for the music. When I first heard the above song, I loved the pensiveness, weariness, and determination it shared with one of my other favorite SNES overworld songs: Final Fantasy IV's Main Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8PBB5Oixlk). Like so many SNES soundtracks for mediocre games, it lends nobility and drama and emotional complexity to the events on screen. I went on to trudge through the rest of the game solely because Akihiko Mori kept dishing out track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGZQ1cqK3fU&index=11) after track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVVP2nN5Mrs) after track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvt1FzrwHZ4&index=4) with brilliant sample resolution and strong arrangements. This song is a great lead-off for those who are interested in listening to the whole soundtrack.

In a similar vein, I love to discover flash games and freeware that rise above the typical fare. In fact, I once made a thread (http://forums.ffshrine.org/showthread.php?t=83658&highlight=) about my favorites�although it went nowhere. Nevertheless, Tower of Heaven (http://www.kongregate.com/games/flashygoodness/tower-of-heaven) is awesome, and flashygoodness should be much more well-known (along with Rich Vreeland, Terence Lee, Matthew Valente, Morgan David King, Whitaker Trebella, Jools Watsham, Karl Brueggemann, etc.). The game is a platformer with a challenging, but always fun difficulty rate, a visual style inspired by the Game Boy, rules that change every level, great death animations, memorable cinematic moments at the end, and several secrets to justify a replay once you've beaten it. This particular track is a speedy arrangement of the game's main theme. For the full effect, I'd strongly recommend hearing it in context with the game's full soundtrack (http://store.flashygoodness.com/album/tower-of-heaven-original-soundtrack), which has a total running time of less than 20 minutes. If you do play the game, just wait for Level 9. ;-)

Luna Ascension

Kezan/Lost Isles 09

For the Alliance

Nifty tunes from the custom rumble:

Luna Ascension, Mists of Pandaria (For the Alliance), The Burning Crusade (Outlands Alliance Base).

In a similar vein, I love to discover flash games and freeware that rise above the typical fare. In fact, I once made a thread (http://forums.ffshrine.org/showthread.php?t=83658&highlight=) about my favorites�although it went nowhere. Nevertheless, Tower of Heaven (http://www.kongregate.com/games/flashygoodness/tower-of-heaven) is awesome, and flashygoodness should be much more well-known (along with Rich Vreeland, Terence Lee, Matthew Valente, Morgan David King, Whitaker Trebella, Jools Watsham, Karl Brueggemann, etc.). The game is a platformer with a challenging, but always fun difficulty rate, a visual style inspired by the Game Boy, rules that change every level, great death animations, memorable cinematic moments at the end, and several secrets to justify a replay once you've beaten it. This particular track is a speedy arrangement of the game's main theme. For the full effect, I'd strongly recommend hearing it in context with the game's full soundtrack (http://store.flashygoodness.com/album/tower-of-heaven-original-soundtrack), which has a total running time of less than 20 minutes. If you do play the game, just wait for Level 9. ;-)

Now that was a dollar well spent.

(Well ok, I gave him 5...)

First Step Towards Adventure

For the Alliance

The Dark Moon Faire's Merry-Go-Round

Somehow my reply double-posted.

Luna Ascension

Family and Wolf At The Gates

Luna Ascension
For the Alliance
Wolf at the Gates

been listening to these songs on repeat, they're so good!

Obviously I took your advice Arthur. Thanks for helping me find out about new songs and appreciate them based on how notable they are and letting my friends listen to them too

Glad people found something to like. :D

Luna Ascension (5-1) advances!

For the Alliance easily overcame its coin toss woes to advance to round 2 of the WoW rumble. The second winner will be decided in a run-off. I imagine most of you will choose the same track you did last time, which is going to lead to another tie more likely than not. So I'll do what I should have done the first time around here: Pick two of the three remaining tracks in order. If an outright winner is not determined by the #1 picks, I'll assign 2 points for each #1 slot and 1 point for each #2 slot. If there is still a tie I'll switch my vote so we can progress.

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Round 1, Fight 2 // Arthur's Custom 16

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Elvish Piper Academy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIKoLRV6lHA), from Dustforce

vs.

The Great Wall Has Fallen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qs5JmLAElg), from Guild Wars 2

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Elvish Piper Academy is not what I expected by the name, but I dig it. It's a pretty tough call, but I'm more in the mood for The Great Wall Has Fallen right now.

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Wild Card Round 1 Run-Off // World of Warcraft Rumble

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Pick Two In Order!

Wolf at the Gates (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twUq_l3g3NI), from Warlords of Draenor

The Dark Moon Faire's Merry-Go-Round (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF7CpyIwJiY), from Landfall

Kezan/Lost Isles 09 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D9UtRZ2Bec#t=156), from Cataclysm

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1: The Dark Moon Faire's Merry-Go-Round

2: Kezan/Lost Isles 09

Why these two:
Dustforce continues the indie game kick with a gorgeous tune off a soundtrack (https://lifeformed.bandcamp.com/album/fastfall) rich with gorgeous tunes. From what I understand, the game (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS8bmh_U1RU) is a platformer not unlike Super Meat Boy or VVVVVV, except in this scenario you...dust stuff. In a way, it also reminds me of the relatively unknown but very good SNES game The Firemen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjKsn7k2xg8), which is not a platformer but requires you to clear areas of (in this case) fire in order to reach the exit. I found the soundtrack while digging around "Best of" lists and fell in love. You wouldn't accuse it of having the kind of world-traversing variety found in, say, an RPG soundtrack. There's definitely a set mood, with guidelines around the types of sounds to be used and how. And it neatly falls into a mini-trend right now with similarities to the work of Rich Vreeland (http://music.disasterpeace.com/album/fez-ost) and 8-Bit Collective. But in no way am I complaining that there are so many opportunities to hear dance-y electronic music with simple, engaging motifs and tremendous amoeboid reverb effects that filter through your walls.

As was the case with Dustforce, as was the case with most of the songs in this rumble, The Great Wall Has Fallen was a song that piqued my interest, I added to a vgm playlist to turn into a mix CD for my friend, and while making that mix CD I started to listen to obsessively. My initial impression was very simple. Its mood was similar to something I'd heard while sitting at the table at my parents' house�what I later found out was the theme song for a show called Downton Abbey. And while I don't have any interest in the show and can't say I even remembered how the title theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ULKKJ5UpI) went off the top of my head, the effect created by the strings has lingered. Here, the strings are a little stabbier, but you get those nice harps and woodwinds to soften the edges, and the overall effect is somehow a little tense, but also a little calming. Strange. It's made by no less a talent than Jeremy Soule, a bit of a mystic and romantic dreamer if you've ever talked to him or friended him on Facebook. Here, I think, his powers are at full force. Music can, of course, immediately transform a mood. Additionally, it's an art form that can, because of its portability, more easily than others alter perception as experiences are taking place. A film, a painting, a book, or a video game to some extent command your eyes and/or limit your movement. Music goes with you, and because of that we might de-prioritize some of the other things it can do besides controlling mood, like evoking a setting. To be clear, I've never played Guild Wars 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkPwxUu6kSI), and only just learned as I was typing this sentence that it's an MMORPG. Nevertheless, I have a distinct image of the situation, the people, the place, the emotion, the lighting, and the camera movement for when, where, and how this music could be used with great effect. I admire that, and also its subtlety. It's the kind of piece you can listen to many times over in a row and still hear something new.

Elvish Piper Academy

1: Kezan/Lost Isles 09

2: Wolf at the Gates

Guild Wars 2 - Great Wall has Fallen
1: Wolf at the Gates
2: Kezan/Lost Isles 09

The intro text for The Firemen had me cracking up. "The year is 2010. Civilization has progressed little in the last 20 years." It's pretty much all down hill from there.

Haha. It's a beautiful thing.

Elvish Piper Academy I've never even heard of this game but I really like this track!


#1 The Dark Moon Faire's Merry-Go-Round

#2 Wolf at the Gates