Like the MGSI Results this post is a bit long. Read with caution.
Sorry for the long delay. The past few weeks have been very busy for myself and Windbreaker. But fear no longer because the results are finally in! Part of the delay was because I misplaced my notes, and just got back to rewriting them. Oops! Congratulations to Cryos and ukimalefu for creating 6 beautiful songs.
Overall Scores:
Cryos -- 202/210
ukimalefu -- 196/210
Again, my comments will be followed by scores in light blue and Windbreaker's comments will be followed by scores in green.
Cryos -- 202/210
Cataklyst:
The sounds effects are nice and the upbeat intro correlates well with this level beginning a new chapter. It also fits with the constant threat of pfhor fighters and cyborgs in this level. Dang, there's a lot. Overall, it's nice to listen to, but the music could be a bit softer.
Interpretation: 18/20 Musicality: 20/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 9/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 67/70
I thought something more rock-ish would fit with the first lava-based level, but this surprised me when I began playing, as it fit nicely with What About Bob?. It also sounds quite different from CryoS's previous songs from the last competition, so that earned originality points. Overall, a nice fit with the level.
Interpretation: 19/20 Musicality: 20/20 Creativity: 9/10 Sound Quality: 10/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 68/70
Temptation:
Very nice. Again, the choice of sound effects here is just right. It definitely fits a water-based level. The music is a bit too loud, but that's overshadowed by the pure awesomeness of the tune. The up-beat style may be a bit overboard, as I've always viewed this level as a more laid-back one if you explore the entire map. Good work though.
Interpretation: 18/20 Musicality: 20/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 9/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 67/70
This song's tempo goes well with the fast-paced action of the level. The shortness of the song also fits with how short the level is, if you do it right. Temptation is also a techno song and sounds a lot like CryoS's previous song, which loses some creativity points. We need variety! Not a bad song, though.
Interpretation: 20/20 Musicality: 20/20 Creativity: 8/10 Sound Quality: 10/10 Originality: 3/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 66/70
Dice:
For the third time, the sounds effects amaze me. At the beginning of this song, the slushing sound reminds me of someone wading through sewage which is what the player does to start of the map. The overall tone struck me as explorish, which fit in with the level's large and annoying structure. Well done. Still to loud though. At maximum listening pleasure volume, I could barely hear my pistol shots.
Interpretation: 19/20 Musicality: 20/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 9/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 68/70
My favorite CryoS song in this set. It has a lot of variety, and I like how it starts out with some cymbals, and some accents here and there before getting into the steady beat, which I think complements the large opening to this level. The only issue I saw was after the intro, the vibe of the song would fit better in a nighttime setting (which actually ends up fine when the player gets to the darker parts of the level), but when in daylight it doesn't quite fit together.
Interpretation: 18/20 Musicality: 20/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 10/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 68/70
Overall Total:
Total: 202/210 Total: 202/210 Score: 202/210
ukimalefu -- 196/210
Run Bob run:
This song has a nice groove to it. The instruments used fit the lava setting, but the song is a bit repetitive. I can feel the build up with the addition of instruments, but the song seems to go nowhere. That's ok though, because level seemed to go in a circle the first time I played it. Well done.
Interpretation: 18/20 Musicality: 18/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 10/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 66/70
This song seemed a little too soft to go with the lava-ness of What About Bob?, which as I said earlier I think should have a rougher-sounding song to go with it, and I think this song could have been a bit longer, with more to it. But, it is a great song as a stand-alone.
Interpretation: 16/20 Musicality: 20/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 10/10 Originality: 4/5 Length: 4/5 Total: 64/70
Codeine Cocktail:
Not too shabby. Come and take your medicine? Heh, I'd rather not. Compared to the other songs in this contest, this one was the most laid-back. Maybe even a little too lax. It's cool though, because I was grooving. Until I got naded in the face by a trooper. Nice work though.
Interpretation: 17/20 Musicality: 20/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 10/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 67/70
Ukimalefu does better job of making Codeine Cocktail fit well with it's level than Run Bob run. I like the atmosphere the song creates, and the influence it has on the level itself, even if I can get past the level in 20 seconds. However, as with CryoS's Dice, this song would be great if the level were only set at night! And, if Come And Take Your Medicine had a loon. That would be awesome.
Interpretation: 17/20 Musicality: 20/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 10/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 67/70
FORTHEHORDE:
Gotta love those hunters and S'pht. Oh yeah. This song had a groovy feeling. As with the first song, it was a bit repetitive. It was also a tad bit soft. The tone definitely fit a sewage map though. Noice.
Interpretation: 18/20 Musicality: 19/20 Creativity: 9/10 Sound Quality: 9/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 65/70
This song stayed basically the same throughout, in terms of dynamics, and was quiet! I had trouble hearing it while playing, even though I could hear the other songs fine at the same volume level. I didn't really even notice the song while playing the level, which is not a good thing. I think for a spacious level like this, the music should sound big as well (i.e., more bass, a distant sound, etc...), and this song had too much treble, in my opinion. Other than that, I liked the fade out.
Interpretation: 16/20 Musicality: 18/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 9/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 63/70
Overall Total:
Total: 198/210 Total: 194/210 Score: 196/210
In conclusion:
As I said last time, it is very hard to critique songs, since we have such a large array of differing opinions concerning music, so I basically critiqued each piece off my personal taste, and what I thought fit best with the textures of the level (textures as in atmosphere, sounds, wall textures, etc...). I liked each song as a stand alone, and I think each of the many, many participants that contributed did an excellent job creating music. One thing that would be cool to see if we have another competition: some actual recordings of real instruments! That would be a challenge.
Again, with some of the reviews Windbreaker and myself had different opinions, but between the two of us, I think we scored them pretty accurately. Thanks to Cryos and ukimalefu for producing this high quality album! The participation wasn't as great as I expected, but no problem. Hopefully more people will participate in the next MGS. You can download the Volunteers Album on Fileball or on Simplici7y.
The 3 songs that will be included in the Marathon 2 Soundtrack are:
Cataklyst -- 67.5/70 -- by Cryos
Codeine Cocktail -- 67/70 -- by ukimalefu
Dice -- 68/70 -- by Cryos
If you have any problems please let me know. I will post the criteria for MGSIII in a few weeks. Stay tuned.