Preliminary Match #14

Listen to all five songs and select the one you like best.

The Sims - Since We Met
Uncharted Waters Online - Forest
Phantasy Star II - Restration
Driver - Miami Night Cop
The Sims - Neighborhood 2

Since We Met: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:
Forest: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:
Restration: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:
Miami Night Cop: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:
Neighborhood 2: Get the Flash Player to play this audio file:

The Sims - Since We Met
First contestant in our Sims grudge match is very familiar. I think I knew it under a different name, but the fact remains that it's one of the better pieces of piano jazz that I've heard. It's structured enough to avoid the more blase aspects of the genre, but at the same time has an improvisational flair that keeps it fresh.

Uncharted Waters Online - Forest
Forest tracks tend to be quite good, being the perfect chance for composers to get their ethereal or pastoral on. This lush track mixes the two to great effect, with a few electronic beats thrown in for good measure. Terrific stuff, very heady and beautiful.

Phantasy Star II - Restration
The track with a million versions, all of them correct! I'm afraid the fuss was for naught; while the melody is decent, the presentation lacks depth.

Driver - Miami Night Cop
With a title like that, I expect a full dose of 70's and/or 80's funk, but the song doesn't kick into the really fun and tuneful bit until it's almost half over. A little more time spent developing that, and less dull buildup, would have made it a strong contender.

The Sims - Neighborhood 2
I remember this one too, though somewhat less fondly than the previous contender in this Simmish Grudge match. While this adds more instruments into the mix, it's less structured and the melody isn't as good. Not bad by any means, but it suffers a bit in comparison.

A good bunch overall, and a tough call. I think the lush sound of UWO puts it over the top, though.

1: Uncharted Waters Online
2: Sims 2, Since We Met
3: Sims 2, Neighborhood 2
4: Driver
5: Phantasy Star II

The Sims - Since We Met
Great piano play. This song goes into my library. I especially like the repeated, accentuated septime note.

Uncharted Waters Online - Forest
Haven't heard this one yet. It's good. Hugeness of strings with a nice touch of bagpipe to accompany the big crescendo. Goes into the library.

Phantasy Star II - Restration
No comment. It doesn't get my attention.

Driver - Miami Night Cop
This genre is not my thing.

The Sims - Neighborhood 2
There are pretty neat things in the harmony. Goes into the library.


Okay, it's between the two sims songs and uncharted waters.
The most difficult song to make was uncharted waters, I'll give credit to its composer by nominating that.

Since we met - nice playing, but I never want to hear a 1, 4, or 5, again after this -_-

Forest - Nice mix of subdued electronic beats and orchestra. Melody is a bit pedestrian, but I like it overall.

Restration - Has a few good sections in it, but doesn't strike me as being excellent.

Miami Night Cop - I hate songs like this that sound like they are sound clips being taped together of instrument samples. it gets a little better in the middle, but it can't hang with some of these other tracks.

Neighborhood 2 - Decent but a bit dull for my tastes.


I'm going with Forest.

Originally Posted by katchum

The most difficult song to make was uncharted waters, I'll give credit to its composer by nominating that.

Christ, are you such a robot that you cannot base a decision upon anything even remotely aesthetic? It doesn't have to be much, perhaps a "I like cello, so this is nice" or a "this song was upbeat and perky, which is cool." - these would be just fine!

Rather than trust your own (gasp!) emotions, the deciding factor is something so banal and pedantic as how much obtuse musical theory was crammed into each particular track? What an extraodinarily dull method!

This seems to be a recurring problem with people who delve too deeply into music study: they learn so much technical mumbo-jumbo that they lose the ability to stand back and simply enjoy music without dissecting and categorizing every note.

To put it into context, if this were a cooking competition, you wouldn't award the blue ribbon to a souffle that tasted like shit just because it happened to be a difficult failure. Well, maybe you would but 99% of reasonable humans would give it to the nice cherry cobbler instead.

Complexity does not constitute superiority.

Originally Posted by Crash Landon

It doesn't have to be much, perhaps a "I like cello, so this is nice" or a "this song was upbeat and perky, which is cool."

Or maybe "it's not asian"

Wait, there's a rip out there of The Sims with actual track titles?! More info plz. =| "Since We Met", or as I know it "Building Theme 3", has always been a favourite of mine, and as such is bundled with nostalgic value. The delicate piano playing is wonderful in its simplistic splendor, and the melodies are <3. Gosh I don't know how many times I've listened to this one. Probably too many times. =D

It'll take something special to top the previous track...and no, "Forest" isn't the special track to do that. It just seems to wander a bit too aimlessly for my liking, although it does establish a nice soundscape and piece of scenery. Not really my cup of tea. btw, it's too epic and pretentious for a forest track. Me no likes.

"Restration" is cute, in all its percussion-whacking glory. <3 A really nice melody always means win to a certain extent in my books~

"Miami Night Cop" is...bitchin'. It's got a fantastic attitude, some brilliant sounds at work and a great B-section (50 seconds or thereabouts). I'm definitely saving this one to the ol' computer.

Another The Sims tune I'm familiar with, "Neighborhood 2" is easily my favourite of the neighborhood themes. I forgot how much I love this track; it's got a warm, amiable and outdoorsy air to it, and a wonderful elevator-esque melody. Ah, I love all this rediscovering of old favourites.

"Since We Met" - 9/10
"Forest" - 4.5/10
"Restration" - 7.5/10
"Miami Night Cop" - 8.5/10
"Neighborhood 2" - 8.5/10

Since we met is very pretty but it develops very slowly and although it does seem to have a destination I feel it loses sight of it somewhat in the duration of the track, brings back many a happy Sims memory though; Forest is very serene indeed and I love the orchestration however any composer who thinks using bagpipes is a good idea... oh how many pieces that instrument has ruined; Restration... meh, lacks focus, finesse and ... oh darn my alliteration stops there, not a very impressive effort (by me or the track); I feel I should enjoy Miami Cop more but there is something off-putting about its presentation although the melody is great; veeeeeeery smooth, perhaps a bit too smooth, Neighbourhood 2 suffers from its own elevatory-muzakiness although it is well put together and the tune is nice.

I think, in spite of the bagpipes, forest will get my vote here.

The superior Sim track here is Since We Met, so addicting and that piano...ohh...that piano.

Miami Night Cop and Restration don't even come close to touching the above. Forest at least competes and very hard not to like it.

This is another very tough group, something I'm glad there have been an excess of for the early round. Both Sims tracks are beautiful, and I'm having a tough time deciding which one I like amongst the two. Forest, in all its difficult-to-make and technically sound composition, also is pleasing to the ears and enjoyable. And Restoration is from Phantasy Star 2, which is full of wonderful chiptunes, and perhaps if this was a different PS2 song or up against some weaker competition, it would get my vote. But the Driver song barely edges out the others. It captures the style of 70's police movies perfectly, taking some of the campy style and making it fun. It's a good sign when you find yourself unconsciously grinning through a song.

After this match, I've decided I need to check out the Driver soundtrack. I very much enjoy what I've heard from the game's two songs in the preliminaries.

The silent majority is killing me here. Who are these people voting for Miami? Unbelievable.

I've been one of Since We Met's biggest proponents from the start, and that doesn't change one bit here. Forest is a fine track that would have garnered my votes elsewhere, but I gotta do right and stand by my own.

Since We Met - Ah yes, fond memories of calmly building a dream home, counterbalanced with bitter memories of whining sims who couldn't escape their rooms. Piano tracks generally please me, but usually win out only when they're virtuosic or the other tracks are average.

Forest - Even if it offends me with a touch of "epic," it is overall generally interesting.

Restration - Ow again. I don't like these Phantasy Star II noms because of the instrumentation which hurts my ears with the exploding chiptune snares.

Miami Night Cop - Shakers are a plus for me. Sounds a bit carnival-like at the sections where the brass blares though. Overall decent.

Neighbourhood 2 - I do quite enjoy the kitschy elevator/lounge mood of the piece. I'll have to toss a vote for this over "Since We Met."

I just noticed that there's a hiccup in my copy of "Since We Met." One of those annoying Windows system sounds plays at 4:46--and I know it's not my computer since it happened every time and I use a Mac.

Anyone else notice this, and any chance of getting a clean copy?

Hmm, yeah I notice it too. I've got a The Sims rip lying around on my computer, in which this track contains no clicks such as the one in this "Since We Met" version. It's encoded in 128 CBR and it's tagged "Building Theme 3", but it still sounds fine. Care for an upload?

Edit: Well, I went and uploaded it anyway in case you're interested. Send big files the easy way. Files too large for email attachments? No problem!

Sorry about that, I'll upload a clean version tomorrow.

Also, for the curious, I got the title for the song from Jerry Martin's website.

Originally Posted by Drakken

Also, for the curious, I got the title for the song from Jerry Martin's website.

Cool! Does that mean you got the file and its bleep there too? I actually found a bleep in another composer audio sample just the other day, in a Sean Beeson track.

No, the bleep was my fault.

What's up with the results here? Two awesome Sims songs and Miami Night Cop is winning? Yikes.