Round 5 (D)

Listen to the tracks and make your selection.

Download Links:

001 Ace Combat Zero — Zero (A)
018 Phantasy Star Online episode III C.A.R.D. Revolution — ''IDOLA'' The Strange Fruits (E)

This is a tough call.

Zero is, admittedly, a top-notch track. I think the Ace Combat chain is pure silliness, but Zero is still one of the few AC tracks I actually enjoy.

But IDOLA. Wow. I've known about this track for a long time and it has yet to grow boring. It's quite inventive and has a great electronica-inspired sound. IDOLA narrowly gets my vote for being the less predictable of the two tracks.

Another vote for IDOLA. It's the only song in the top 16 that I can really call a favorite--its hard-edged electronica is nine kinds of cool, and I'm delighted to see it come this far. Zero never did much for me--I think it's gotten this far largely thanks to a combination of its relative newness and the game's popularity.

Zero was a disappointment. IDOLA sounds like something out of a dream.

9.5/10 Ace Combat Zero — Zero
9.5/10 Phantasy Star Online episode III C.A.R.D. Revolution — ''IDOLA'' The Strange Fruits

Ouch. This decision is probably one of the hardest I'm going to have to make. I really like Zero and IDOLA equally, and the both are on my repertoire of songs to listen when I go to classes and return home every single day. IDOLA's expertise is in the realm of electronica, and is unique because the instruments sound so digitally made. But the song is different for anyone who listens to this song, because the melody is very complex.

I like Zero not because of it's very simple phrase that is absolutely haunting throughout the song. You know you'd like Zero if you can listen to Avalon and absolutely like that song (it includes haunting references to the main theme that never truly pop out). The most special parts about Zero are the crisp guitar that plays throughout the song and the bridges throughout the song. I admit the choir is pretty much not that special in this song (except the lone female). But it's the instrumentals and the melody that make the song amazing.

I think I'll go for IDOLA just this time.

I'm very surprised and extremely pleased IDOLA has held on this far. Let's hope it goes onward from here as well <3

Both have grown on me immensely since the start of the contest and both tracks are just the type that need time to grow. It's just that Idola has grown on me just a LITTLE bit more than Zero. That part from 1:30 until the loop is damn sexy. There's no one part of either I dislike, but that part seals up a vote for Idola.

Yay for IDOLA!

Even though "Zero" is probably my favourite out of all the AC tracks in the comp., "''IDOLA'' The Strange Fruits" just controls my mind when I listen to it. An amazing piece of work by Masamichi Amano.

I really don't get the hype about Zero; IDOLA is the much more interesting track and it really deserves to proceed to the next round, although I figure it will be difficult.

Idola has grown on me since making a bad first impression, but I like the feel of (most of) Zero more.

I'm sorry but I just do not like Zero. I never have and I never will. Compared to Unsung war or Magnus Dei it fails to deliver. There are other tracks from Ace Combat Zero that are much better than this.

I wasn't very impressed by Idola at first. But after listening to it more I began to like it. I also think it's a better track than Zero so it gets my vote.

IDOLA already beat this in round one. Zero's great. IDOLA's better.

http://www.gamingforce.org/gffarchiv...ad.php?t=50036

Not to dwell on the past, but Strange Fruits certainly has come a long way. I must've had bad speakers back then...

I voted against IDOLA as well, though its opponent was one of my nominations. But a year's worth of listening makes all the difference, eh?

Heh, same here. Don't know what I was thinking at the time, but I do remember shortly after my lukewarm initial reaction to the track, it grew on me by a huge margin.

The first time I heard "IDOLA", I found it annoying. Now, I think it's a lot nicer. Don't know why, but it sounds cooler now. Must be my headphones or something.

But even so, "Zero" is more of my type of music. I like the way the guitars and the choir blends together and doesn't sound awkward or strange at all.

The composer of IDOLA, is there any relationship between him and the composer of Ace Combat Zero?

By the way, IDOLA is very cool. It was a difficult choice.

(And what happened to all those capital letters people?)

Ace Combat week is over.

For that matter, are either of them related to the composer of Panzer Dragoon Azel?