Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Introduction
Welcome to NeoGAF’s first video game soundtracks of the generation thread! This thread will serve to create a common point of reference for NeoGAF’s favourite game soundtracks during the “DC/PS2/GBA/GC/Xbox/PC 2000-2005/Arcade 2000-2005” era, place a spotlight on the industry’s musical talent, and expose people to great video game music that they haven’t heard before. It will also host a (hopefully) comprehensive archive of the generation’s game music and other related information.
Voting Rules
For your vote, select your ten favourite game soundtracks of the generation and rank them in the order of your preference. Your first pick will receive 10 points, your second pick will receive 9 points, your eight pick will receive 8 points, and so on. Your Honourable Mentions will not count for any points, but will still be tallied accordingly.
Please list at least 1-2 tracks you feel are your favourites from each soundtrack you vote for, as it will make the process of building the Archive much easier.
If you wish to do any sort of write-ups for your vote a la the Game of the Year thread, you may do so in any way you wish. Examples of such ballots in previous years are these: Jucksalbe, Papercuts, Levyne, Earthpainting, Nocturnowl, Thoraxes, Axelstream, and Yuterald. There are even more examples in previous threads linked at the bottom if you’d like to work through them to get an idea if you are relatively new to voting. If you do a write-up or make a small comment, I will go through and pick some of the most-encompassing ones to add to the Results Thread.
Voting will end on February 28th at 11:59 PM (PST). The votes will not be counted until after the voting period closes, so you may edit your post and change your vote as many times as you would like before then. Please be patient for the results thread, but we will try to make sure the TAT is efficient.
-----------------------------------
Soundtrack Eligibility
Ineligible Soundtracks:
Eligible Soundtracks:
Additionally, the VGMdb Calendar lists are as follows (you will have to click through each month as it isn’t as easy to use as Wiki is):
VGMdb January 2000 releases
VGMdb January 2001 releases
VGMdb January 2002 releases
VGMdb January 2003 releases
VGMdb January 2004 releases
VGMdb January 2005 releases
VGMdb January 2006 releases
To the extent that we’re hoping to celebrate new music from this generation and bring some attention to composers’ new works, there’s a bit of an implied “honour system” here; if you decide vote for a licensed soundtrack, an explanation as to why you think it was especially fitting for the game or thoughtfully compiled would be greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions about, or wish to discuss, a soundtrack’s eligibility, please feel free to send a PM to me and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible. Nine times out of ten, my answer will probably be “yes”, but if you’re unsure please message me. Anything regarding a soundtrack's eligibility will be added to the list here.
-----------------------------------
Thread Features
Archive
As the thread continues to grow, an archive of many of this generation’s soundtracks will be built up for people to explore. We will include every soundtrack mentioned in your posts (space permitting!). We will also work to include your favorite songs and your descriptions of the soundtracks. If you’re passionate about any music from this generation, take this as an opportunity to let people know! Because the generation is so built in depth and many selections, Ghaleon and I may not be able to house every single soundtrack posted about in the thread, but we will try to get a broad scope in the archive.
The format is as follows:
For the 15 soundtracks that receive the most points, we will provide a brief overview of the winning composers, including discographies. This will help to highlight the individuals that created the soundtracks and to encourage people to check out their past works.
When and if possible, we will also attempt to reach out to the winning composers and let them know how they did. If they're like Austin Wintory or Jake Kaufman, they may even feel compelled to join up.
So, good luck! Try to have fun when coming up with your ballots and happy listening, everyone!
-----------------------------------
Past Threads
2014 Results and Archive
2014 Voting Thread
2013 Results and Archive
2013 Voting Thread
2012 Results and Archive
2012 Voting Thread
2011 Results and Archive
2011 Voting Thread
2010 Results and Archive
2010 Voting Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archive
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Keiki Kobayashi, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Junichi Nakatsuru, Hiroshi Okubo
Zero
Excalibur
Glacial Skies
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
Keiki Kobayashi, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Junichi Nakatsuru, Hiroshi Okubo
The Unsung War
First Flight
Hrimfaxi
Advance Wars
Taishi Senda
Black Hole Coming
Andy’s Theme
Nell’s Theme
Amazing Island
Yuzo Koshiro
Beat’n Art
Battle Royale
Mach Runner
American McGee’s Alice
Chris Vrenna
Wonderland Woods
Time to Die
Taking Tea in Dreamland
Amplitude
Various
Cosmonaut Zero - Spaztik
Chris Child feat. Melissa Kaplan - Shades of Blue
The Baldwin Brothers - Urban Tumbleweed
Animal Crossing
Kazumi Totaka, Kenta Nagata, Toru Minegishi, Shinobu Tanaka
5 PM
K.K. Bossa
9 PM
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Ben Houge
Main Theme
Tarant
The Demise of the Zephyr
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Masahiro Andoh, Takayuki Hattori, Yuko Fukushima, Koji Sakurai, Takashi Harada
Ordeal
Natural Selection
Truth
Armoured Core: Last Raven
Yuki Ichiki, Ayako Minami, Hideyuki Eto
The Game
Five Point Five
I’ll Talk You
Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Michael Hoenig
Forest Battle I
Taverns
Waukeen’s Promenade
Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Howard Drossin, Inon Zur
Mellisan Battle
Sendai Battle
Main Theme
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Jeremy Soule
Elfsong Tavern
The Orb of the Undead
Chelimber’s Keep
Baten Kaitos
Motoi Sakuraba
Chaotic Dance
House of Cards
Valley of the Wind
Baten Kaitos Origins
Motoi Sakuraba
Le Ali del Principio
The True Mirror ~ Orchestral Version
Iconoclasm
Beatmania III
Various
Cyber Girl
mnemoniq
qingdao
Beyond Divinity
Kirill Pokrovsky
Beyond Divinity
Urge For Power
Sacred Cult
Beyond Good & Evil
Christophe Héral
Dancing With Domz
Hyllian Suite
Redemption
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
Mariko Nanba, Tomoya Ohtani
G.I.A.N.T.E.G.G!
Tumbling Xylophone
A Jack-in-the-Box!
Black & White
Russell Shaw
Creature Big Fight
Nemesis
Good
Border Down
Yasuhisa Watanabe
Girl of Power (Stage 2)
Prot #11 "Cage" (boss D)
Bye-bye Mars -take.II- (stage3G)
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Hitoshi Sakimoto, Chihiro Onitsuka
Strong Enemy
Opening
The More You Dig, The More...
Cannon Spike/Gunspike
Masaki Izutani, Toshiya Kobayashi, Kaori Kumakura, Kensuke Sato
Stage C - The Perished Town
Stage B, C, D Boss Theme #2
Stage J - Extreme Sphere & Final Boss - Metal Blade Nightmare
Capcom Fighting Evolution/Capcom Fighting Jam
Noriyuki Asakura
To Kill Time
GOES A SYOTEN-GAI!
Prospered Fatherhood
Capcom vs SNK: Millennium Fight 2000/Pro
Satoshi Ise
Stage of Final Fight - Needle
Final Round: To the Limit
Terry’s Stage -Higher and Higher
Capcom vs SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001/Millionaire Fighting 2001
Satoshi Ise
This is true love makin'
Stimulation
Real Eyes
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Soshiro Hokkai, Michiru Yamane, Takashi Yoshida
Castle Corridor
Heart of Fire Chapel
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Sotaro Tojima, Hiroshi Mitsuoka
Awake
Clockwork
Vampire Killer
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Michiru Yamane
Abandoned Castle
A Toccata into Blood-Stained Darkness
Young Nobleman of Madness
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Michiru Yamane
Ghostly Theatre
House of Sacred Remains
Melancholy Joachim
Chaos Field/Chaos Field New Order/Chaos Field Expanded
Ko Hayashi, Daisuke Nagata
Not Back To Time -Phase 1-
back in to the machine -phase 5-
despair -last boss-
Chaos Legion
Hideyuki Fukasawa, Toru Minami
Blood Remains
Bloody Truth
Choir of Curse
Crazy Taxi
Various
The Offspring - All I Want
The Offspring - Way Down the Line
Bad Religion - Them and Us
Crazy Taxi 2
Various
The Offspring - One Fine Day
The Offspring - Come Out Swinging
Methods of Mayhem - Who The Hell Cares
Dark Cloud
Tomohito Nishiura
Corridor of Time
Factory
Ice Queen
Dark Cloud 2
Tomohito Nishiura
Moon Flower Palace
Kazarov Stonehenge
Balance Valley
Deus Ex
Devil May Cry
Masami Ueda, Misao Senbongi, Masato Kouda
Lock & Load [Blade Appearance ~ Regular Battle 2]
Underwater Stage
Super Ultra Violet [Nelo Angelo Appearance ~ Battle Version 3]
Devil May Cry 2
Tetsuya Shibata, Satoshi Ise, Masato Kouda
Shoot the Works [Dante Battle 2]
Parasitic Evil [Jokatgulm Battle]
Of the Wind ~ Uppertown
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
Tetsuya Shibata, Kento Hasegawa
Vergil Battle 2
Battle–2
Devils Never Cry (Staff Roll)
Diablo II
Matt Uelman
Rogue
Zakarum
Tristram
Digital Devil Saga
Shoji Meguro, Kenichi Tsuchiya
Muladhara
Big Battle
Spider’s String - The Second Movement
Digital Devil Saga 2
Shoji Meguro, Kenichi Tsuchiya
Brahman
Battle for Survival
Heroic Battle
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (Multiplayer)
Masashi Hamauzu, Gackt C. (for REDEMPTION) (Ryo Yamazaki - MP)
REDEMPTION
LONGING
Calm Before the Storm
DJMAX Technika
Various
First Kiss
Access
Oblivion
DoDonPachi DaiOuJou
Manabu Namiki
East Asia (Stage 1)
Burn Yourself (Boss)
Red Bee (TrueLastBoss)
Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA)
David Wise
Waterfall
Nuts and Bolts
Rockface Rumble
Welcome to NeoGAF’s first video game soundtracks of the generation thread! This thread will serve to create a common point of reference for NeoGAF’s favourite game soundtracks during the “DC/PS2/GBA/GC/Xbox/PC 2000-2005/Arcade 2000-2005” era, place a spotlight on the industry’s musical talent, and expose people to great video game music that they haven’t heard before. It will also host a (hopefully) comprehensive archive of the generation’s game music and other related information.
Voting Rules
For your vote, select your ten favourite game soundtracks of the generation and rank them in the order of your preference. Your first pick will receive 10 points, your second pick will receive 9 points, your eight pick will receive 8 points, and so on. Your Honourable Mentions will not count for any points, but will still be tallied accordingly.
Please list at least 1-2 tracks you feel are your favourites from each soundtrack you vote for, as it will make the process of building the Archive much easier.
Code:
Sample Ballot
1. Game A (Will receive 10 points)
2. Game B (Will receive 9 points)
3. Game C (Will receive 8 points)
4. Game D (Will receive 7 points)
5. Game E (Will receive 6 points)
6. Game F (Will receive 5 points)
7. Game G (Will receive 4 points)
8. Game H (Will receive 3 points)
9. Game I (Will receive 2 points)
10. Game J (Will receive 1 point)
Honourable Mentions (if any)
If you wish to do any sort of write-ups for your vote a la the Game of the Year thread, you may do so in any way you wish. Examples of such ballots in previous years are these: Jucksalbe, Papercuts, Levyne, Earthpainting, Nocturnowl, Thoraxes, Axelstream, and Yuterald. There are even more examples in previous threads linked at the bottom if you’d like to work through them to get an idea if you are relatively new to voting. If you do a write-up or make a small comment, I will go through and pick some of the most-encompassing ones to add to the Results Thread.
Voting will end on February 28th at 11:59 PM (PST). The votes will not be counted until after the voting period closes, so you may edit your post and change your vote as many times as you would like before then. Please be patient for the results thread, but we will try to make sure the TAT is efficient.
-----------------------------------
Soundtrack Eligibility
Ineligible Soundtracks:
- PC/Arcade soundtracks for games released before the year 2000, or after the year 2005: We think this is pretty self-explanatory. If you have any questions about eligibility, just ask us.
- GBA Classics, Super Mario Advance ___, Mega Man & Bass GBA, Final Fantasy ___ Advance/Dawn of Souls, other SNES/GEN to GBA/WSC ports, etc. do not count. If you would like to still make these soundtracks part of your ballot, list them as honourable mentions.
Eligible Soundtracks:
- Platforms allowed: Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Gamecube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Wonderswan, Wonderswan Color/SwanCrystal, N-Gage, GP32, Tapwave Zodiac, PC 2000-2005, Arcades 2000-2005 will be eligible, including licensed and partially-licensed soundtracks.
- Eligible soundtracks asked about: Resident Evil Remake (GCN), Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA)
here is a list of notable releases from this generation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_in_video_gaming
Additionally, the VGMdb Calendar lists are as follows (you will have to click through each month as it isn’t as easy to use as Wiki is):
VGMdb January 2000 releases
VGMdb January 2001 releases
VGMdb January 2002 releases
VGMdb January 2003 releases
VGMdb January 2004 releases
VGMdb January 2005 releases
VGMdb January 2006 releases
To the extent that we’re hoping to celebrate new music from this generation and bring some attention to composers’ new works, there’s a bit of an implied “honour system” here; if you decide vote for a licensed soundtrack, an explanation as to why you think it was especially fitting for the game or thoughtfully compiled would be greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions about, or wish to discuss, a soundtrack’s eligibility, please feel free to send a PM to me and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible. Nine times out of ten, my answer will probably be “yes”, but if you’re unsure please message me. Anything regarding a soundtrack's eligibility will be added to the list here.
-----------------------------------
Thread Features
Archive
As the thread continues to grow, an archive of many of this generation’s soundtracks will be built up for people to explore. We will include every soundtrack mentioned in your posts (space permitting!). We will also work to include your favorite songs and your descriptions of the soundtracks. If you’re passionate about any music from this generation, take this as an opportunity to let people know! Because the generation is so built in depth and many selections, Ghaleon and I may not be able to house every single soundtrack posted about in the thread, but we will try to get a broad scope in the archive.
The format is as follows:
- Game Title (album information linked)
- Composer(s) (composer information linked)
- Sample Tracks (song titles with links to YouTube, Bandcamp and/or other appropriate websites)
For the 15 soundtracks that receive the most points, we will provide a brief overview of the winning composers, including discographies. This will help to highlight the individuals that created the soundtracks and to encourage people to check out their past works.
When and if possible, we will also attempt to reach out to the winning composers and let them know how they did. If they're like Austin Wintory or Jake Kaufman, they may even feel compelled to join up.
So, good luck! Try to have fun when coming up with your ballots and happy listening, everyone!
-----------------------------------
Past Threads
2014 Results and Archive
2014 Voting Thread
2013 Results and Archive
2013 Voting Thread
2012 Results and Archive
2012 Voting Thread
2011 Results and Archive
2011 Voting Thread
2010 Results and Archive
2010 Voting Thread
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Archive
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Keiki Kobayashi, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Junichi Nakatsuru, Hiroshi Okubo
Zero
Excalibur
Glacial Skies
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
Keiki Kobayashi, Tetsukazu Nakanishi, Junichi Nakatsuru, Hiroshi Okubo
The Unsung War
First Flight
Hrimfaxi
Advance Wars
Taishi Senda
Black Hole Coming
Andy’s Theme
Nell’s Theme
Amazing Island
Yuzo Koshiro
Beat’n Art
Battle Royale
Mach Runner
American McGee’s Alice
Chris Vrenna
Wonderland Woods
Time to Die
Taking Tea in Dreamland
Amplitude
Various
Cosmonaut Zero - Spaztik
Chris Child feat. Melissa Kaplan - Shades of Blue
The Baldwin Brothers - Urban Tumbleweed
Animal Crossing
Kazumi Totaka, Kenta Nagata, Toru Minegishi, Shinobu Tanaka
5 PM
K.K. Bossa
9 PM
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
Ben Houge
Main Theme
Tarant
The Demise of the Zephyr
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits
Masahiro Andoh, Takayuki Hattori, Yuko Fukushima, Koji Sakurai, Takashi Harada
Ordeal
Natural Selection
Truth
Armoured Core: Last Raven
Yuki Ichiki, Ayako Minami, Hideyuki Eto
The Game
Five Point Five
I’ll Talk You
Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Michael Hoenig
Forest Battle I
Taverns
Waukeen’s Promenade
Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Howard Drossin, Inon Zur
Mellisan Battle
Sendai Battle
Main Theme
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Jeremy Soule
Elfsong Tavern
The Orb of the Undead
Chelimber’s Keep
Baten Kaitos
Motoi Sakuraba
Chaotic Dance
House of Cards
Valley of the Wind
Baten Kaitos Origins
Motoi Sakuraba
Le Ali del Principio
The True Mirror ~ Orchestral Version
Iconoclasm
Beatmania III
Various
Cyber Girl
mnemoniq
qingdao
Beyond Divinity
Kirill Pokrovsky
Beyond Divinity
Urge For Power
Sacred Cult
Beyond Good & Evil
Christophe Héral
Dancing With Domz
Hyllian Suite
Redemption
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
Mariko Nanba, Tomoya Ohtani
G.I.A.N.T.E.G.G!
Tumbling Xylophone
A Jack-in-the-Box!
Black & White
Russell Shaw
Creature Big Fight
Nemesis
Good
Border Down
Yasuhisa Watanabe
Girl of Power (Stage 2)
Prot #11 "Cage" (boss D)
Bye-bye Mars -take.II- (stage3G)
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Hitoshi Sakimoto, Chihiro Onitsuka
Strong Enemy
Opening
The More You Dig, The More...
Cannon Spike/Gunspike
Masaki Izutani, Toshiya Kobayashi, Kaori Kumakura, Kensuke Sato
Stage C - The Perished Town
Stage B, C, D Boss Theme #2
Stage J - Extreme Sphere & Final Boss - Metal Blade Nightmare
Capcom Fighting Evolution/Capcom Fighting Jam
Noriyuki Asakura
To Kill Time
GOES A SYOTEN-GAI!
Prospered Fatherhood
Capcom vs SNK: Millennium Fight 2000/Pro
Satoshi Ise
Stage of Final Fight - Needle
Final Round: To the Limit
Terry’s Stage -Higher and Higher
Capcom vs SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium 2001/Millionaire Fighting 2001
Satoshi Ise
This is true love makin'
Stimulation
Real Eyes
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Soshiro Hokkai, Michiru Yamane, Takashi Yoshida
Castle Corridor
Heart of Fire Chapel
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Sotaro Tojima, Hiroshi Mitsuoka
Awake
Clockwork
Vampire Killer
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Michiru Yamane
Abandoned Castle
A Toccata into Blood-Stained Darkness
Young Nobleman of Madness
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
Michiru Yamane
Ghostly Theatre
House of Sacred Remains
Melancholy Joachim
Chaos Field/Chaos Field New Order/Chaos Field Expanded
Ko Hayashi, Daisuke Nagata
Not Back To Time -Phase 1-
back in to the machine -phase 5-
despair -last boss-
Chaos Legion
Hideyuki Fukasawa, Toru Minami
Blood Remains
Bloody Truth
Choir of Curse
Crazy Taxi
Various
The Offspring - All I Want
The Offspring - Way Down the Line
Bad Religion - Them and Us
Crazy Taxi 2
Various
The Offspring - One Fine Day
The Offspring - Come Out Swinging
Methods of Mayhem - Who The Hell Cares
Dark Cloud
Tomohito Nishiura
Corridor of Time
Factory
Ice Queen
Dark Cloud 2
Tomohito Nishiura
Moon Flower Palace
Kazarov Stonehenge
Balance Valley
Deus Ex
Devil May Cry
Masami Ueda, Misao Senbongi, Masato Kouda
Lock & Load [Blade Appearance ~ Regular Battle 2]
Underwater Stage
Super Ultra Violet [Nelo Angelo Appearance ~ Battle Version 3]
Devil May Cry 2
Tetsuya Shibata, Satoshi Ise, Masato Kouda
Shoot the Works [Dante Battle 2]
Parasitic Evil [Jokatgulm Battle]
Of the Wind ~ Uppertown
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
Tetsuya Shibata, Kento Hasegawa
Vergil Battle 2
Battle–2
Devils Never Cry (Staff Roll)
Diablo II
Matt Uelman
Rogue
Zakarum
Tristram
Digital Devil Saga
Shoji Meguro, Kenichi Tsuchiya
Muladhara
Big Battle
Spider’s String - The Second Movement
Digital Devil Saga 2
Shoji Meguro, Kenichi Tsuchiya
Brahman
Battle for Survival
Heroic Battle
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII (Multiplayer)
Masashi Hamauzu, Gackt C. (for REDEMPTION) (Ryo Yamazaki - MP)
REDEMPTION
LONGING
Calm Before the Storm
DJMAX Technika
Various
First Kiss
Access
Oblivion
DoDonPachi DaiOuJou
Manabu Namiki
East Asia (Stage 1)
Burn Yourself (Boss)
Red Bee (TrueLastBoss)
Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA)
David Wise
Waterfall
Nuts and Bolts
Rockface Rumble