A Third Thread in Which To Share Gaming Music - What does "official" even mean in an independent forum with like 20 users?

We've got two active music threads now, but one has started with Vibe Week and the other's started with Sonic music (that's not Windy Hill), so: this one it is!  I'll comment on Buska's picks, then try to pick a tune or two from games I played this year that fit the vibe.

Day 1:
Hard to comment on the first two of these, and Kokiri Forest: they're just classics aren't they?  Everything that could be said feels like it has been said.  Cerulean City too to an extent I guess, but if I want pure happiness from that franchise's first generation, I'm probably going here.  Is Moo Moo Meadows happier than Moo Moo farm (ignore the title), or have we just memed it that way?
Balla's picks:
- We got the best version of Sky Garden this year in the Booster Course, and it's an absolute champion.  Shout out to Waluigi Pinball on this front as well.
- Whatever I may think about Pokémon SV and especially their towns, the main one has a joyful tune that fits this to a tee.  The postgame tournament by Toby Fox has this vibe
- Honourable mention: The real world theme from Omori doesn't quite have this vibe, it's more a lost childhood happiness than outright joy, but it's lovely so I'm mentioning it here.

Day 2  
First up: the best sad piece in gaming?  It might be, you know.  Lavender Town is more creepy than downright depressing, and I don't know if that's what we're going for here, even if the Let's Go version leans into sadness a bit more.  Forest of Hope is a sad banger, really plucks at the heartstrings; and of course Hotel Dusk's entire vibe is this.  Great stuff.
I saw that Nontendo* piece. Very sad though.
Balla's picks:
- Omori's real world to the fore again, this time with a good-bye-in-the-evening piece.
- Oddly Elec-Head's later levels piece has a melancholic feel to me.  

I feel like I've missed some obvious picks.  Didn't play Splatoon 3 for one thing.


*...I just saw that the title doesn't have 'Nintendo' in it!  Stuff this, I'm off into Andy's thread.

Guys if this is Vibe week, why haven't I heard a single vibraphone?

But uh... say something constructive to the conversation James, uh...

I do really like this idea! You don't need me to recommend other things that are "happy" or "sad" but you can't go wrong with the ol' Yoshi's Island SNES main level music, Flower Garden? OK I guess that's the title. Looking forward to the other days, providing you can all find the other topic and remember what they are.

Vibe Week runs through Christmas, I can't hope to compete...

It's alright Andy, I'll repurpose your thread to a more noble cause.

Vibe Week is really confusing the images in the recent images section on the home page.

Balladeer wrote:

- We got the best version of Sky Garden this year

Quote :

the main one has a joyful tune

Quote :

The real world theme from Omori

Quote :

Omori's real world

Quote :

Elec-Head's later levels piece

Crumpy Andy wrote:

Vibe Week is really confusing the images in the recent images section on the home page.

That Arms theme, every time it has no business being as cool as it is...

And I get to keep my Gamer Card as I did that bit in Celeste.

Blasphemous submission here: the Yoshi's Island DS equivalent is better than the original one.


Day 3
Starting off with three absolute classics... but enough about My Hero Academia, the tunes are top.  (That's a very doll-faced girl on the exercise bike, almost Uncanny Valley.)  The Mario tunes are decent, but for pumpy Bowser music?  Got to be this.  
Balla's picks:
- There's a standout here, and it's the boss theme from Live-A-Live.  (Squeenix is even worse than Nintendo at YouTube, so you'll have to play the left sound file on this Wiki page.)  It's amazing, and my pick of the entire year.
- It's time for Xenoblade 3 to get a go: the chain attack music is much better when listened to on its own, and not interrupting another battle theme.

Day 4: 
Ah so here's where we get the full Lavender Town experience.  Between that and some Majora's Mask we've pretty well got this category done already, although I'd always pick day 3 for creepy music.  Weirdly I don't find Alsos that scary, despite the distortion it still has a warmth to it.  Never played Sonic, I'm pretty sure that tune would be cursed if I had.
Balla's picks:
- Omori rocks this throughout.  It's almost a case of, pick any given choice off the list.  Here's an example.  Here's a more subtle one.
- Frightening tunes aren't my favourites, but I do have another contribution: from Pokémon Legends Arceus no less.  Spoilers in the track title I guess!

Balladeer wrote:

it's the boss theme from Live-A-Live.

Quote :

- It's time for Xenoblade 3 to get a go: the chain attack music is much better when listened to on its own, and not interrupting another battle theme.

Quote :

- Omori rocks this throughout.  It's almost a case of, pick any given choice off the list.  Here's an example.  Here's a more subtle one.

Quote :

- Frightening tunes aren't my favourites, but I do have another contribution: from Pokémon Legends Arceus no less.  Spoilers in the track title I guess!

Day 5  
I'm a terrible cheater: if it's going to a game over, 9 times out of ten I'll hit restart first. So, I don't have much experience with this bunch. SF64 is my favourite of the lot I think, because after the sad start it's definitely picking itself up to try again. MHGU and MGS3 are good too.
Balla's picks:
- Lovely little sting from Arceus, which I did actually hear a couple of times after plummeting to my doom.
- This isn't a game over or death theme (or is it?), but this late-game pick from Tinykin very much could be. I'm not going to pretend I remembered this though, needed to hunt it out.

Day 6
This is more my speed! And again, we start with three stone-cold classics. The Mario Kart pick probably is good, but I've heard it so many times it no longer means much to me. The Bayonetta one isn't my genre, but I can't deny the triumph in it.
Balla's picks:
- Pokémon SV is the obvious pick here. A classic updated.
- Can't actually find any more victory picks, but the top-left theme here has the same energy. Vibes, whatever.

Day 7
Acht you've taken the obvious Christmas theme from this year. It is very nice though. Freezeezy and Cool Cool are classics, I did not expect that out of Bayo , imagine playing Circhester in Sword and having the rock-type leader in this town (more just cold than festive though), and... ah, what a note to finish on. Lovely.
Balla's picks:
- Big Christmas vibes from Legends Arceus here with yet another background song I never got to hear because suddenly wild Pokémon.
- Two from the same game, why not. This is actually from an icy area too. Bit more Silent Night than Hark the Heralds.

Merry Christmas Buska!

I'm-a-catchin' up - but... the Splatoon 2 defeat theme is still too much of a banger to be really game-over-y!

Well done Mr. S. for the vibes this week. Especially the last one; really Freezeezy Peak's theme should be used on TV all the time.


Now for this week's
VIBES week
All Vibraphone, all week

No 1: Treetop Rock - Donkey Kong Country
Er, I couldn't think of a second one

The start of that tune did feel like I'd drunk far too much and was about to fall over. Good vibraphone tunes after that though!

I've just realised that I didn't manage to mention my gaming soundtrack of 2022, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, once during vibe week. I know Mas has already done the best numbers in the previous thread, but here are my top two anyway: the intro theme, and my favourite 'sing when you're winning' number.

Not really sure what vibe week is/was, but I liked

Kokiri Forest from day one
Majula from day two
Suicide Mission from day three
Alsos from day four
Quest Failed from day five
Let's Dance boys from day six
Cool Cool Mountain from day seven

I'm not sure what my soundtrack of the year 2022 is, as 13S has some great ones but so does XC3 then things such as Behind the Frame or Life is Strange Remasters

To get everyone excited for 18 days time

The number 1 Persona track according to a fan vote


Everyday's Great At Your Junes!

For obvious reasons I won't be touching those for a good long while. I hope I enjoy them!

But they're meant to get ya hyped

A JRPG with great music? It's more likely than you'd think. Best route, best town, best battle, and Ace Attorney-aping themes for y'all to enjoy.

Metroid Prime then! To my mind it has exactly three standout pieces, and the rest are basically all kind of forgettable. Here are those three, then: one of the best title themes ever, Zebes but chill, and the music from when the original really became magic.