VGM Radio Blog

So Long, 2012

2012-12-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

I don't think it's a secret that VGM Radio has had a great year. Then again, VGM Radio was launched last January, so there really aren't any other years to compare it to! Still, the station has grown far beyond what I ever imagined it could in such a short time. To date, VGM Radio has seen over 6,649 different listeners across the globe. When I first started the station, I thought I'd be lucky to get even 100. Thanks a bundle for your great support throughout the year!

Of course, VGM Radio would have been doomed from the start if it weren't for the great music it plays. We celebrated the ten highest-rated songs of the year this past Saturday, and what a turnout! So many people tuned in that I actually ran out of bandwidth for December (don't tell my host)! If you missed it (or forgot), here's a rundown of the top ten songs for the year:

10) Castlevania: The Arcade - Cross on the Breast
Personally, I've never played a Castlevania game (a crime, I've been told), but I knew I'd need a lot of the series' music for a successful VGM station. Cross on the Breast is probably the most popular Castlevania song, but there are so many dang versions of it that I had to pick from. Castlevania: The Arcade's arrangement was definitely my favorite of the bunch (who doesn't love an orchestra?), so it was a no-brainer for me. It seems that I made the right choice!

9) Sonic Generations - Rooftop Run (Modern)
When Sonic Generations was released, I actually grabbed the soundtrack first and the game itself a week or so later. Actually, I had been listening to the soundtrack on YouTube well before the game was even released. I mean, who would miss the chance for deliciously redone Sonic music? Before I could even finish listening to all of the songs, one of my friends (who actually helped me get into video game music) basically forced me to put Rooftop Run on the playlist. He didn't have to be so assertive, though -- I would have gladly done it anyway!

8) Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Zero-Two
Back in the dark days before VGM Radio, there were a handful of video game songs that really stuck out to me. They were the songs that forced me to stop what I was doing and really listen to the music, because it was just too good to be distracted for. Zero-Two was one of those songs. In fact, part of the reason I started VGM Radio was because I wanted the world to hear these songs that I loved so much. It means a lot to me to Zero-Two on this list, because now I know other people love this song as much as I do.

7) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Fight Against Kajidoh
It wasn't until months after I added this song that I realized it was actually two songs in one file. I added "splitting Kajidoh into two songs" on my to-do list, but you know me -- I never actually get around to my to-do list. After a while, I kind of liked the two-for-one deal. The song was steadily gaining popularity, too, so I feared a listener backlash. Besides, how would I split the votes for one song across two? By seeing this song on this list, I'm assuming this is a sign that I should leave the song(s) be.

6) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Last Day
Remember how I said Zero-Two was one of the few songs that sent shivers down my spine? This was another one of those songs. Majora's Mask is my all-time favorite video game (and if it isn't yours you either haven't played it or are lying to yourself), and this song really sums up how emotional the game is. Koji Kondo, the legendary Nintendo composer responsible for the Super Mario Bros. theme song and countless other classics, somehow managed to perfectly convey the last six hours of existence in a song. It's not loud, it's not fast, it's not foreboding... it's just sad, giving you the sense that it's all over, there's no hope. It's even better in the game, were you can hear the clock tower chiming in the background. To me, this song represents how beautiful and emotional games can be, and I'm beyond excited to see that other listeners feel the same way.

5) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Hidden Village
Honestly, I never expected Hidden Village to take off with as much popularity as it has. It's a good song, no doubt, but it just feels like the odd man out on this list. To me, it's kind of a goofy song -- it even has a jaw harp! I'm not sure what listeners like so much about it: the silliness, the nostalgia, the western themes? I just added it to the station thinking it'd be a nice, non-serious song to lighten up the playlist. Never would I have dreamed it would become the #5 song of the year!

4) Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Song of Storms (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
The Song of Storms is, by far, my favorite song from Ocarina of Time. Ever since I was a kid, exploring Hyrule for the first time, this song captivated me. To this day, it still does, and I get overcome by a childlike sense of wonder whenever I hear it. Despite all of my knowledge of music theory and composition, I still can't figure out what makes this song tick, what makes it so much better than other songs I know. Needless to say, I was beyond thrilled when I unlocked this song while playing Brawl. I couldn't believe it got an entire arrangement! It's always been towards the top of the list since it debuted, and I think it'll stay there for a very long time.

3) Touhou Koumakyou: The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil - U.N. Owen Was Her?
There's actually a very long story on how this song got added to VGM Radio. I was browsing classical music on YouTube one day when I came across the "hardest piano song ever": Death Waltz. I thought the song was going to be a joke, but it turned out really good... I mean, really good (despite not actually being a waltz). I must have listened to it dozens of times. When I went to research more about it (because something that good must have a story to it), when I discovered it was actually an arrangement of another song under a different title. I absolutely hate it when arrangements change the title of the song, but upon further research, I found that the song was from Touhou. I was familiar with (and scared of) the Touhou series, but then it hit me: this song is from a video game. Which means I can put it on VGM Radio! I wasted almost no time finding the soundtrack for this game, just for this song. Granted, there were other songs that also made it on the station, but this was the one I needed people to hear. Quite frankly, I was embarrassed that I hadn't heard it sooner! I'm really glad it made it on the list, but let's be honest: was there any doubt it wasn't going to be?

2) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Hyrule Field
If there's one word that can accurately describe Hyrule Field, it'd be this: nostalgia. That's why I added this song, that's why people love it, that's why it's on this list. No doubt, everybody who first heard this song as a child was overcome by a sense of adventure. Hearing it over a decade later immediately brings this sense back and unleashes the inner child. Sure, it's a good song in and of itself, but it's less about what it is and more about what it represents. The adventure, the grand scale of the world, and most of all, the sheer wonder of exploring a whole world for the first time, with fresh eyes, not knowing what to expect. At first, I was a little surprised to see this song all the way at #2, but my surprise was quickly met by understanding. Looking back, I'd be more surprised if Hyrule Field wasn't on this list!

1) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Staff Credits
The Wind Waker holds a very special place in my heart. It was the first game I really, truly loved as a kid. I arrived late to the video game scene, and the GameCube was my first real console. For me, Wind Waker had the sense of adventure I mentioned about Ocarina of Time, but amplified to a completely different scale. All the places you went, all of the characters you met, it was simply too much to even try to summarize. Yet, the credits did it in under six minutes. The song itself is just an arrangement of the title theme, but yet, so very different. The title theme is more like a prelude to the adventure that's going to happen, a glimpse into what lies ahead. The credits, on the other hand, start with that same feeling of something big about to happen, but goes further, describing the adventure that happened. It's that nostalgia I talked about for Hyrule Field, but taken to the next level. I must have played through The Wind Waker over half a dozen times, and the credits are always the rewarding part for me. They serve as a reminder: you did it, you saved the world! ...But don't forget about everyone that made it possible. In a way, I guess this song also reminds me of the adventure of life. At the end of the day, I'd want to have this song play during my credits, to remind everyone (and myself!) what a great journey I had. I wouldn't put this song at any position but #1.

Overall, it's been a fantastic year for VGM Radio. In January, VGM Radio will turn one year old, which I'm very excited about! You've all been great to me and I love all of you in the non-creepiest way possible. I look forward to another year of great music and great listeners!

See you next year!

Edit: My host said I can ignore the bandwidth overage as a holiday gift. Thanks, bros!

Housecleaning

2012-11-26T23:38:00.000-05:00

First off: Woah! A blog post! Amazing, right?

Yeah, I know I've been pretty absent from the VGM Radio scene lately. I've been organizing Top Ten Countdowns, of course, but I haven't uploaded any new music in months. I want to let you know that I haven't abandoned the station -- rather, life hasn't been kind to my free time. The little time I've had has been donated to new features to the site (including no ads for donators), which you'll hopefully see before the end of the year.

Fortunately, however, the station's listenership has actually been growing in my absence. (Coincidence?) The new ratings system I put in over the summer has seen tremendous use, and currently tallies in at over 12,000 votes cast. Thank you! I'm very glad to see that most ratings come back positive. There are, of course, negative ratings, which I'd like to address today.

I just moved all of VGM Radio's data to a new database (if you didn't notice, that means I did it right), and decided to run some queries over it. I compiled a list of all songs with 25% or more negative ratings, and got back 39 results, which you can see below.

Game	Song	Negative	Total Ratings
TimeSplitters	Compound	50%	8
The World Ends With You	Lullaby For You	46%	46
Spyro the Dragon	Stone Hill	44%	9
The World Ends With You	Calling	43%	30
Kingdom Hearts	Simple and Clean	43%	35
Sonic 3D Blast	Panic Puppet (Act 2) (Saturn)	41%	17
The World Ends With You	Transformation	41%	39
The World Ends With You	Twister (Gang Mix)	40%	40
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater	Sailor	38%	21
The World Ends With You	Shibuya	38%	21
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect	Zeppelin	36%	25
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!	Zephyr	33%	12
Rayman	Blazing Brass	33%	6
Ragnarok Online	Mucho Gusto	32%	19
TimeSplitters	Spaceways	31%	26
Bastion	Build That Wall (Zia's Theme)	31%	26
Ragnarok Online	Theme of Moscovia	31%	13
TimeSplitters 2	Streets	29%	24
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater	Salty Catfish	29%	24
Touhou Youyoumu: Perfect Cherry Blossom	Border of Life	29%	31
BIT.TRIP RUNNER	Mermaid	29%	35
Crash Bandicoot	Heavy Machinery	29%	21
Spyro the Dragon	Icy Flight	29%	21
Super Metroid	Crateria: Main Theme	29%	14
Rayman	Picture Perfect	29%	7
Silent Hill 3	End of Small Sanctuary	28%	18
Sonic Colors	Tropical Resort (Act 3)	28%	18
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back	The Eel Deal, Sewer or Later, Hangin' Out	27%	22
The World Ends With You	Someday	27%	37
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back	Crash Dash, Crash Crush, Un-Bearable	27%	30
Rayman 2: The Great Escape	Pirate Machinery	27%	15
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped	Warp Room	27%	15
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars	Hello, Happy Kingdom	26%	19
Banjo-Tooie	Glitter Gulch Mine	26%	23
Banjo-Tooie	Atlantis	26%	23
Sonic Adventure 2	E.G.G.M.A.N. (Theme of Dr. Eggman)	26%	35
Ragnarok Online	Help Yourself	25%	20
Crash Bandicoot	Hog Wild, Whole Hog	25%	16
Ragnarok Online	Antique Cowboy	25%	12

Of course, I'm not going to remove all of these songs. In fact, there are two or three songs here that I absolutely refuse to part with. For the most part, though, these are the songs in consideration for retirement. I certainly don't want a lot of songs that people don't like on the station, and this will help free up some room for newer tracks. If you feel strongly about any of these songs (whether you want them to stay or leave), you can reach me through the usual means: Facebook, Twitter, e-mail (rob at vgmradio), or even in the comments below. I welcome all input during this process. I'm not sure when I'm going to make final decisions (like I said, life keeps getting in the way), but prepare for it in the coming weeks. See you later!

P.S. It's worth noting that only one The World Ends With You song isn't on this list. An interesting fact, considering how many requests I got for this game!

Important Announcement(s)

2012-09-17T21:15:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone, it's me! Rob!

It's been a while, huh? I mean, when was the last time I added more music to the station? Hahaha... hoo boy. Anyway, I guess you could say I took a little break from VGM Radio. But I'm back! And I never stopped reading all of those requests you guys sent in. Trust me, I read those.

Irregardlessness, I'm working on some new features for the site. I don't want to give away too much, but let's say donators might be able to turn off ads soon. Hint hint!

Don't worry, a lot of the improvements are free. I'm looking at adding user accounts to keep track of ratings, and a possible system to claim the ratings you've submitted already. Once user accounts are added, maybe some social features won't out of the question... but that's a ways off.

So basically, don't get mad that there haven't been many new songs added lately. Cool things are on the way! See you later.

P.S. Don't forget to donate!