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Post by Wyrdwad on Sept 21, 2014 23:14:51 GMT -5
Dunno what possessed me to do this, but I figure you guys might enjoy it, so... enjoy! Welcome to "Soundtrack Sleuth," a trivia challenge (emphasis on the word "challenge"!) designed to test your knowledge of video game, anime or other nerd culture soundtracks. The premise is simple: you'll be presented with short snippets of 20 tracks, and will be tasked with identifying what source each is from. These can include just about anything, common or obscure, and the snippets chosen aren't necessarily being played from the beginning, so you can't always rely on famous hooks or standout melodies to jog your memory. Answers will be revealed in the YouTube description for the next episode. This episode's theme: non-SquareSoft (nor modern Square Enix) battle themes from video games. I'm leaving out Square because, let's face it... that would make this way too easy. There is no pattern here, and absolutely anything is fair game. The only "rule" I'm following is that if I include music from any source that's not (and has never been) officially available in English at the time of this upload, it will be featured at the end of the list. There is no limit to the number of tracks I may include from non-English sources, however -- over half the songs could be from titles released only in Japan, or the entire list could represent titles available in English. This will vary from episode to episode based solely on my whims. How many are you able to figure out? Let's see just how hardcore (and hipster?) you are! -Tom
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Post by SkyeWelse on Sept 24, 2014 8:05:14 GMT -5
I've gotta admit Tom, I listen to a lot of Game Music and I can often recall many tunes that I've heard in the past with ease, but I think I only was able to get about 4 of these. It's a pretty good challenge. : ) Btw, if we get all of them correct collectively, does that earn us an Ys Vita Celceta patch for the Vita TV at all as a prize? I've got the LE version of the game, but no Vita and I'd prefer to go the cheaper route of the Vita TV. -Thomas
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Post by Wyrdwad on Sept 24, 2014 11:15:22 GMT -5
Theoretically, that will come eventually, but it's sort of up to Falcom -- they're the ones who need to basically create the patch, and they're so busy right now that they haven't even gotten around to Brandish yet! So we'll just have to keep pushing them for a free programmer or two after PSTV launches here. Also, I posted this on the XSEED forums, so I figure I'll post it here as well, and see if it sparks anything for you guys. Since answers have died down a bit, I'm going to give you guys some more info and see if you can suss out any of the others. So far, 13 out of 20 have been identified -- specifically, these 13 (put under spoiler tags in case you guys still want to try guessing): *01) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis/MegaDrive) *02) Revelations: Persona (PS1) *03) Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure (PSP & PC) *04) Baten Kaitos Origins (GameCube)
*06) Blue Dragon (Xbox 360) *07) The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PSP & PC) *08) Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (PS2) *09) Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii & PSP) *10) Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (PS2) *11) Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1) *12) Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner (PSP)
*16) Legend of the Mystical Ninja (SNES)
*19) **JPN ONLY** 7th Dragon (DS) The song snippets that no one's been able to identify just yet are numbers 5, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 20. Here are some hints that might help you figure them out: 05: A totally unfair one that I expected people would have trouble with. It's the final battle theme from an obscure RPG I've spoken about at great length before. 13: Actually kind of surprised no one's gotten this one yet. It's from a PS2 cult classic. 14: This one is composed by Yasunori Mitsuda. 15: It's from a popular SNES sequel, and is used both as bonus stage music and as the final battle theme -- though most people just know it as bonus stage music, since few have even been able to MAKE it to the final battle. 17: This one is composed by one of my favorite non-Japanese game musicians and is from a European-developed SNES title. 18: This is the one you guys are going to hate me for including, because it's about as obscure as they come. I can't imagine anyone will ever guess it. It's from the (Japan-only) fifth game in a series, though it's only the fourth game in canon -- one of its predecessors is largely regarded as a gaiden/spinoff. 20: This is from a game that was released on both PS2 and PSP, though neither version was ever localized. Good luck! -Tom
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Post by Gamemusicfreak on Sept 25, 2014 22:46:29 GMT -5
Hehehe, you did an awesome job with this! I was able to guess many of them, but I must say, the ones you listed above, that no one has guessed, I have never heard before, period. I don't want to look at the hints yet. I thought it would be a piece of cake! In addition to my nearly 800 physical albums, I have around 7,000 mp3s, but not those. So again, awesome job, eventually I would like to see the complete list.
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Post by Wyrdwad on Sept 26, 2014 0:19:49 GMT -5
You probably will this weekend. My plan is to turn this into a semi-regular thing, and each time to release the answer key for the previous episode in the YouTube description for the new one. ...BTW, all but two of the tracks have been identified now! The only two left are 13 and 18. And Pat Gann from RPGFan is on the case -- he was the one who finally figured out what 5 is, and he seems absolutely determined to get these last two as well. -Tom
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Post by Wyrdwad on Sept 27, 2014 20:01:03 GMT -5
Episode 2 is up! This episode's theme: ending credits music from video games. This refers specifically to music that plays during the "staff roll" sequences in games. Standard ending themes are not included in this list unless the same track continues playing over the credits scroll as well. Final answer key for the previous episode: 01) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis/MegaDrive) 02) Revelations: Persona (PS1) 03) Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure (PSP & PC) 04) Baten Kaitos Origins (GameCube) 05) Opoona (Wii) 06) Blue Dragon (Xbox 360) 07) The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PSP & PC) 08) Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (PS2) 09) Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii & PSP) 10) Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga (PS2) 11) Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1) 12) Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner (PSP) 13) Okage: Shadow King (PS2) 14) Tsugunai: Atonement (PS2) 15) Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES) 16) Legend of the Mystical Ninja (SNES) 17) Equinox (SNES) 18) **JPN ONLY** PopoloCrois: Tsuki no Okite no Bouken (PS2) 19) **JPN ONLY** 7th Dragon (DS) 20) **JPN ONLY** Venus & Braves (PS2 & PSP) Good luck! -Tom
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Post by Gamemusicfreak on Sept 28, 2014 19:58:28 GMT -5
I totally failed in this one! I can only get #5 and #20!
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Post by Wyrdwad on Sept 28, 2014 20:58:07 GMT -5
I totally failed in this one! I can only get #5 and #20! Well, that makes you the first one to get #5, then! Though jdkluv beat you to #20. So far, numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16 and 20 have been correctly identified. That leaves 12 more, though! If anybody wants hints, I'd be happy to provide. -Tom
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Post by SkyeWelse on Sept 29, 2014 7:42:57 GMT -5
Man, I can only get 8 and 18 in this one... These were easy for me since both are some of my favorite games of all time. I just had to hear a few seconds of each to know exactly what they were. : ) There are a few though that I can identify (Unless I'm completely wrong) are from certain types of chiptune sounds. One from the SNES and one that distinctly sounds Capcom NES.... But I'm not sure what it is. -Thomas
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Post by Wyrdwad on Sept 29, 2014 11:42:15 GMT -5
Assuming you're right on 8 and 18 (and I'm sure you are!), you're the first to get either of them. And MP83 was wrong on 2, but correct on 13 and 17 (he wrote 18 in his message here, but correctly said 17 in his PM). 13 was guessed by someone else after my last post in this topic, but he was the first to get 17.
With these answers, all the NES, SNES and Genesis titles on this list have been correctly identified.
-Tom
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Post by Wyrdwad on Sept 29, 2014 21:13:22 GMT -5
So... here's what people have figured out so far: *01) Golden Axe (Genesis/MegaDrive version) *03) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night *05) Ys III: Wanderers From Ys (SNES version) *06) Legacy of the Wizard (NES version) *08) Ico *13) Solstice: The Quest For the Staff of Demnos *14) QuackShot! starring Donald Duck *15) The Addams Family (SNES version) *16) Out of This World / Another World (SNES version) *17) Strider (NES version) *18) Space Channel 5 part 2 *20) **JPN ONLY** Zwei!! (original version) This leaves excerpts 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 19 unidentified. As before, I'm going to give hints for the remaining tracks. Read at your own risk! 02: This is me being super-mean. I... really can't say anything more, I don't think. You're on your own here. 04: A track from one of the strangest games I've ever played, by a man I'd identify as the most bizarre composer in the game music scene. I can't identify who he is, though, because his discography is so small (and limited more or less to one company's works) that I'd practically be giving away the answer. 07: Technically the most modern track to show up on either of my lists thus far. Not from a AAA title, and while the game is pretty popular, I'd guess that precious few people have actually made it all the way to the end credits. 09: Gamers playing this title would actually see a credits sequence set to this theme at the end of every chapter. 10: Believe it or not, this is from a Square title. 11: I chose the softest, most serene part of this credits song to throw you guys off-track, but in actuality, the entire first half of it is super-technoey and utterly hardcore, just like the game itself. 12: Surprised no one's figured this one out yet. Even if you've never beaten this game, it should be pretty easy to guess as long as you've played it at all, since the credits theme is based on several in-game tunes that players will hear roughly every 30-45 minutes or so (more frequently for some). 19: This is from a Japan-only cult classic that's pretty closely related to another title on this list (and co-composed by the same person). Good luck on the hunt... and be ready for something very different, come episode 3. -Tom
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Post by SkyeWelse on Sept 29, 2014 21:20:35 GMT -5
Assuming you're right on 8 and 18 (and I'm sure you are!), you're the first to get either of them. -Tom Really? But they are so easy!? Well... if you've you played those games that is. 8. ICO
18. Space Channel 5 Part 2 (President Peace finally gets to sing! And it really sticks in your brain once you hear it! -Thomas
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Post by Wyrdwad on Oct 3, 2014 4:12:17 GMT -5
Episode 3 is a go for this weekend, so I'm going to start dropping some hardcore hints for the six remaining unidentified tracks. Let's see what we can see! 02: If you guys don't guess this one correctly, you might experience a certain degree of deja vu. (And no, that's not a hint that this track is from Deja Vu or anything like that -- I mean it quite literally, as we've been down this road before...)
04: This game took YEARS to be released stateside, and the publisher claimed it was going to be completely uncensored when it was... but nope. They wound up having to give a little boy some underwear.
09: This game is a bit of a hybrid experience. It's an MMO, but it's fully enjoyable as a single-player RPG as well.
11: This is an absolute staple of the PS2 library, and is pretty much a AAA title (or close to it, anyway). It's arguably the most "mainstream" title on this entire list, in fact, and has spawned numerous sequels and rereleases all the way through the modern era -- though this is from the very first game.
12: Still surprised no one has gotten this one yet. It's from a survival horror classic.
19: This track was co-composed by the same guy who composed track 04. In fact, the game from which 04 was taken is very much a spiritual successor to this Japan-only PS1 title. Good luck! -Tom
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Post by Wyrdwad on Oct 4, 2014 2:31:54 GMT -5
In the end, all but track 2 were successfully identified... and I'm really excited about this next episode, so I decided I'd drop it on you guys a little early. All 2014, all the time! Each track on this list is taken from the original sound version of a retail game (be it AAA or indie) that saw its official debut somewhere in the world between January 1st, 2014 and today. This list does NOT include games that were released stateside in 2014 but debuted in other regions prior, nor does it include games that have yet to actually hit the market. It may, however, include titles that were beta-tested or otherwise saw unofficial releases in 2013 or before; as long as their official retail debuts were this year, they're eligible. Given how much trouble people had with episode 2, and how difficult a theme this is (since even the most hardcore of game music aficionados haven't had much time to get familiar with these tracks), I tried to cut the difficulty a bit by including more recognizable tracks or -- crucially -- recognizable styles of music that might make certain tracks easier to identify through educated guesses alone. ...In other words, don't be afraid to take a shot in the dark! And if you need to sleuth around on Google for answers, you're highly encouraged to this time around. Good luck! Oh, and for your reference, here's the full answer key to last week's episode: 01) Golden Axe (Genesis/MegaDrive version) 02) Okage: Shadow King 03) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night 04) Chulip 05) Ys III: Wanderers From Ys (SNES version) 06) Legacy of the Wizard (NES version) 07) La-Mulana (remake version) 08) Ico 09) Phantasy Star Universe 10) Chocobo Racing 11) Devil May Cry 12) Clock Tower (Clock Tower 2 Japan) 13) Solstice: The Quest For the Staff of Demnos 14) QuackShot! starring Donald Duck 15) The Addams Family (SNES version) 16) Out of This World / Another World (SNES version) 17) Strider (NES version) 18) Space Channel 5 part 2 19) **JPN ONLY** Moon: Remix RPG Adventure 20) **JPN ONLY** Zwei!! (original version) -Tom
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Post by Gamemusicfreak on Oct 5, 2014 0:02:24 GMT -5
Here are three I think I have the right answers for. They are 8,11, and 18. But I'm just taking a stab at 18. #8 - Shovel Knight, #11 - Child of Light, #18 - Project Diva?
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Post by Wyrdwad on Oct 5, 2014 0:11:37 GMT -5
Here are three I think I have the right answers for. They are 8,11, and 18. But I'm just taking a stab at 18. #8 - Shovel Knight, #11 - Child of Light, #18 - Project Diva? You fell into the same trap as everyone else with 18 -- that one is incorrect (ha HA!). The other two are correct, though, and you're the first to identify 11. Amazingly, less than 24 hours after posting this video, 13 out of 20 tracks have been successfully identified. The ones remaining are 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 12 and 13. Too soon to give hints, I think, but I will say that I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before 3, 12 and 13 are correctly guessed -- they're all relatively easy ones IMHO. The other four, however, may present a bit more of a challenge... but we shall see how well that prediction pans out! -Tom
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Post by SkyeWelse on Oct 7, 2014 10:54:43 GMT -5
I've heard 6 before somewhere.... I want to say "Azure Striker Gunvolt" but I could be wrong.... Track 8 is: Shovel Knight, GMF already answered that though. That's a pretty easy one. Track 9, I have no clue, but I really want to listen to the soundtrack now! : ) -Thomas
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Post by Wyrdwad on Oct 7, 2014 20:49:02 GMT -5
I've heard 6 before somewhere.... I want to say "Azure Striker Gunvolt" but I could be wrong.... Interesting guess, as there IS a track from that game in this quiz... but #6 ain't it. Correct on 8. The soundtrack to 9 is overall not as good as that particular song, as the game is almost entirely done in 8-bit using European-style PC synth. That just happens to be the one exception, and is also the track used in the game's trailer. Also, a slight screw-up on my part: I stated previously that "this list does NOT include games that were released stateside in 2014 but debuted in other regions prior, nor does it include games that have yet to actually hit the market. It may, however, include titles that were beta-tested or otherwise saw unofficial releases in 2013 or before; as long as their official retail debuts were this year, they're eligible." One track on the list, however, is from a Steam Early Access title. Which I guess isn't technically in opposition to these rules (it is still a game made available for retail purchase in 2014, after all), but does seem to go against the spirit of the rules I outlined, so I felt it was only fair to mention it. I won't identify exactly which track just yet, but it is one of the five remaining tracks that have not yet been identified (3, 5, 6, 10 and 12). -Tom
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Post by Wyrdwad on Oct 11, 2014 16:03:01 GMT -5
It's been over a week since this has been posted, and I don't have the next installment AT ALL ready just yet, so it'll be at least a few days before episode 4 is unveiled. In the meantime, I think it's about time to share the list of all the correctly-identified tracks, as well as hardcore hints for the remaining five unidentified tracks. Here's everything that's been sussed out so far: 01) 1001 Spikes 02) Transistor 03) 04) Kirby Triple Deluxe 05) 06) 07) Hyrule Warriors 08) Shovel Knight 09) Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge 10) 11) Child of Light 12) 13) Shadowgate 14) South Park: The Stick of Truth 15) Azure Striker Gunvolt 16) **JPN ONLY** Bayonetta 2 17) **JPN ONLY** Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd 18) **JPN ONLY** Utakumi 575 / Song Composer 575 19) **JPN ONLY** Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth 20) **JPN ONLY** Corpse Party: Blood Drive Aaaand, hardcore hints for 3, 5, 6, 10 and 12 (including track # identification of the aforementioned Steam Early Access title): 03: This soundtrack features arranged tracks from three previous titles, as well as completely original tracks. This is one of the completely original tracks, played during the first boss battle (which is included in the demo, so even if you've never purchased the game, you may have played that part!).
05: This is from a big-budget western-developed game that was made only about an hour's drive away from XSEED's offices in SoCal. I know a lot of the developers, in fact, because after the layoffs at my previous job (working on Warhammer Online at EA Mythic), a lot of my former coworkers wound up employed here.
06: This is from the same composer who scored Bunny Must Die, and gets my vote for game of the year 2014 (and soundtrack of the year 2014 as well!).
10: This was an iffy title to include on the list, as it's from a Steam Early Access game. Since it is widely available through retail channels, though, I figured it still counts as a 2014 release, even though it's technically unfinished. The game is notable for being playable using only the arrow keys (or D-pad).
12: Can you tell what language is being sung here? And about how old would you say this song sounds? Those are both BIG clues... but in case they're not enough: it's from the same developer as another title on this list, and uses the same fairly renowned graphics engine Good luck! -Tom
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Post by Wyrdwad on Oct 11, 2014 18:00:17 GMT -5
Yep! Figured that one might be a dead giveaway. 12 has been guessed now as well, on HG101. That leaves 3, 5 and 10. EDIT: Oh! 10's just been guessed as well, on my Facebook. So only 3 and 5 remain. -Tom
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