Semi-Final Round - Voting & Discussion (& Wildcard Winners)

[BLueSS]

Congratulations to the wildcard winners: [Link to full results]
DDR #1 - Ghost of Stephen Foster
DDR #2 - Aped (Wins over Sumire September Love due to a higher 1st round score)
ITG #1 - ONE CLICK HEADSHOT
ITG #2 - Hyadain No Joujou Yuujou


[Link] Semi-Final Round Matchups [/Link]

You have until 10pm PST Friday Sept 28th to Vote.

TO VOTE:
Make a post in this thread with the bracket # (DDR #2, ITG #4, etc..) followed by the two songs you want to move on to the final round. You can only vote for up to 2 files. Each vote is worth 1 point for advancing to the final round, which will use approval voting to determine the winner.

Discussion about what songs to vote for are plenty welcome too. You can feel free to edit your post to add more votes later, or make a new post.

As a reminder, if an author has more than 1 of their files get enough votes to be eligible for the final round, they must pick the 1 file they want to move on (1 file advancing per bracket - so you can have a file in the DDR and ITG files, but not 2 files in either). The next highest scoring file in the bracket that has the file that doesn't move on will advance instead.

Starting now in the tournament (and in the finals) entrants can vote for their own files.

[Juub005]

Hey, could you unlock the Google Doc please?

Also, to clarify, can you vote for fewer than two songs in a bracket if you want (including zero)?

[BLueSS]

Hey, could you unlock the Google Doc please?

Also, to clarify, can you vote for fewer than two songs in a bracket if you want (including zero)?

Url updated, try again!

And yes, you do not have to vote in every bracket, nor do you have to vote for 2 (but you can't vote for more than 2).

[Juub005]

It works now. Thanks :)

[Lisek]

DDR
Semi-Final #1 Space Truckin' ::: Umineko no Naku Koro ni
Semi-Final #2 Russian Unicorn ::: Ghost of Stephen Foster
Semi-Final #3 CANDY GIRL ::: MAX 300 takamatt MIN REMIX
Semi-Final #4 3y3s
Semi-Final #5 FIREFLIES
Semi-Final #6 TAKE OVER CONTROL ::: SPARKS FLY
Semi-Final #7 Tweet Tweet

ITG
Semi-Final #1 Twisted ::: SOUND OF DELIGHT
Semi-Final #2 Kung Fu Empire
Semi-Final #3 HAMMERHEAD
Semi-Final #4 Last Orgasm
Semi-Final #5 Rising ::: Setsugekka

Good luck everyone.

[joe2]

ITG
#1: Twisted, Sound of Delight
#2: Kung Fu Empire, Brilliant 2U (AKBK Remix)
#3: ANTI THE HOLIC, Muenzuka Set 02
#4: Last Orgasm, Gone Astray
#5: Rising, Setsugekka

[Hainaut]

DDR:
#1 - Space Truckin'
#2 - Russian Unicorn, Ghost of Stephen Foster
#3 - Candy Girl, Apricot Stone
#4 - Gangnam Style, Totalimmoral
#5 - Love In The Shadows, Fireflies
#6 - Vertex (Stage 1), Control Your Mind
#7 - Electric Shock, Canonloid -memorandum-

ITG:
#1 - Twisted, Sound of Delight
#2 - Kung Fu Empire, Major Demon
#3 - Hammerhead, Muenzuka Set 02 Oriental Dark Flight
#4 - Last Orgasm, Apocalypse
#5 - Hardkore of the North, Setsugekka

[aurae]

DDR:
#1 - Space Truckin'
#2 - Russian Unicorn & Bubble Pop
#3 - apricot stone & Fascination eXstacy
#4 - Gangnam Style
#5 - Teknopathetic & Love in the Shadows
#6 - Sparks Fly
#7 - Electric Shock & Tweet Tweet

ITG:
tba

[Telperion]

ITG
#1: Twisted — SOUND OF DELIGHT
#2: Kung-fu empire — ONE CLICK HEADSHOT THIS BRACKET. WHY
#3: Muenzuka Set 02 Oriental Dark Flight — HAMMERHEAD
#4: Gone Astray — Last Orgasm
#5: Rising — Setsugekka

I'll edit this post with my DDR votes later because I promised to say a few words about the files ;)

[Excel]

Edited. Didn't give as many words because with the solid selection of steps, I would just repeat myself a lot, even though I still do. :\
Didn't vote/make really clear explanations for all the brackets, sorry. :(

DDR:
#2: Bubble Pop, Ghost of Stephen Foster (wow this song)
#3: CANDY GIRL, MAX 300 takamatt MIN REMIX
#4: 3y3s, The Call Disconnected
#7: Tweet Tweet, ELECTRIC SHOCK

ITG:
#1: Twisted, Hyadain no Joujou Youjou
Twisted was probably one of my favorite files in the division. Apart from the gimmicks, the steps themselves were a really nice treat. I now find the Expert to be kind of an easy 10. SOUND OF DELIGHT had nice variation and good flow for the most part. Intelligent Life had some nice variety and footswitches, but there were some ambiguous steps that kinda threw me off. I really liked the steps in Hyadain no Joujou Youjou, although mines were kinda eh. Tough decision in the end.

#2: Kung Fu Empire, Brilliant 2U (AKBK Mix)
Everyone in this bracket had solid steps so it was still tough to choose. There weren't really any negatives about the songs other than really really picky differences.
Brilliant 2U (DOWN DOWN DOWN DOWN - didn't really affect my choice, but it was nice to include).

#3: Muenzuka Set 02 Oriental Dark Flight, ANTI THE∞HOLiC
Hammerhead had solid steps, but it had a little bit of ambiguous steps at times after jumps. Muenzuka Set 02 Oriental Dark Flight had good variation and solid steps. ANTI THE∞HOLiC is pretty much where I want it to be at the moment, except maybe adding a bit more flow to the first part of the Expert and changing Hard a bit to be a bit more standalone. chaosmaid had a pretty intense difficulty drop/rise between various parts of the chart and those 16th streams that I need to think of how to address. These were the envisioned steps I have though for the most part but it can be a bit offputting. I'll keep what I envisioned and modify what is left.

#4: Last Orgasm, Apocalypse
Last Orgasm has an amazing mash-up holy crap. But essentially the steps are solid. Apocalypse has great variation and a really nice buildup in difficulty. I think these were probably some of my favorite files, so it's kinda hard to stray away from them ehehe <.>

#5: Hardkore of the North, Setsugekka
I was pretty set on Hardkore of the North. The variation in Setsugekka won it for me. Good crossovers and complementary rhythms to the beat instead of the synth.

[Zounder]

With the exception of group #7, these choices were all fairly easy to make.

DDR:

Semi-Final 1: Space Truckin', I'll be there for you Zero no tsukaima F
-Umineko is good, but these two are among my favorites in the competition.

Semi-Final 2: Russian Unicorn, The Ultimate Grilling Restaurant!
-Stephen Foster deserved to move on to the semis, but its shortcomings make it fall short for being finals-worthy.

Semi-Final 3: CANDY GIRL, apricot stone
-Easiest choice of all. Really hope apricot stone advances.

Semi-Final 4: GANGNAM STYLE, 3y3s
-Even though I feel 3y3s doesn't stand out much, its very solid and deserves to move on.

Semi-Final 5: Teknopathetic, LOVE IN THE SHADOWS
-Another very easy choice.

Semi-Final 6: Vertex (Stage 1), CONTROL YOUR MIND
-Briefly considered TAKE OVER CONTROL, but these two files are awesome.

Semi-Final 7: ELECTRIC SHOCK, Canonloid -memorandum-
-Finally, a tough decision! Really, I feel like both Tweet Tweet and Canonloid have some shortcomings that make them less-than-finals-worthy, but I didn't want to just vote for my own file and nothing else. And hey, Canonloid and Tweet Tweet are both pretty darn good. It was REALLY close, but after multiple plays of each, I went with Canonloid.

[Hainaut]

Just to maybe generate a little more activity here, I'm going to post my reasonings for my votes, as Zounder did for his:

DDR #1 - I voted for Space Truckin' only because none of the other files in this battle particularly impressed me much. Umineko no Naku Koro ni is fairly good actually, but still far from the stunning quality of Space Truckin'. Aped has good steps in themselves, but it doesn't come together as an all-around effective package due to the incredibly repetitive and unbroken track. I'll Be There For You has cool graphics but is incredibly generic stepwise.

DDR #2 - This was one of the tougher battles for me to decide, since I really enjoy all four of these entries. My decision ultimately came down to the triumphant presentation factors of Russian Unicorn and Ghost of Stephen Foster, which set it apart from Bubble Pop and The Ultimate Grilling Restaurant. The Ultimate Grilling Restaurant is actually solid presentation-wise as well, but it doesn't quite have the same creative spark as the rest of its bracket.

DDR #3 - apricot stone has gotten a lot of criticism for being awkward, but in my opinion, its riskiness actually pays off and makes it quite fun. MAX 300 takamatt MIN REMIX has decent steps but isn't particularly exciting, while Fascination eXstacy is a good but not great boss simfile.

DDR #4 - Gangnam Style was a no-brainer here. I almost voted for 3y3s, but I ultimately decided that Totalimmoral is a bit more creative and thus slightly more memorable, as solid as 3y3s is. The Call Disconnected is good for what it is but still not really my cup of tea, sorry.

DDR #5 - Fireflies is really pretty exceptional and by far the most creative entry in all of Bracket 1. Teknopathetic is mostly good, but still a little repetitive placement-wise and it doesn't end well, either. Trip Machine PhoeniX Wright tries too hard to exploit a song that's already quite a train wreck.

DDR #6 - I feel bad not voting for Take Over Control here because it's very solid and one of the stronger entries in the contest. I went with Vertex (Stage 1) and Control Your Mind because I felt like they were a little less stiff and still all-around fun. Sparks Fly has some of the best graphics in the entire pack and boasts a promising song, but its steps rely too heavily upon unimaginative karaoke and therefore fall rather flat.

DDR #7 - Electric Shock is downright incredible, and Canonloid -memorandum- is not far behind, either. Although I do still enjoy Tweet Tweet as a simfile, the steps are honestly somewhat formulaic, even though they fit effectively. Not to mention, the song kind of drives me nuts, even though that doesn't really affect my evaluation of the file. Banzai Venus is also good, but it lacks the cleanliness and polish of Electric Shock and Canonloid -memorandum-.

ITG #1 - This was a very tough decision for me to make. Intelligent Life and Hyadain no Juujuu Yuujou both have exceptional Hard steps, but Sound of Delight is just one more step ahead in terms of presentation, while still boasting some of the most well-rounded and authentic Heavy steps as well. Twisted is also phenomenal, even though I don't personally care for the bpm gimmicks.

ITG #2 - Kung Fu Empire takes advantage of an awesome song choice with a lot of prose. It requires a lot of foot movement and isn't as reserved as some of the other files in the ITG pack, but it's still just a lot of fun. Major Demon, despite being a long version, is incredibly smooth and fun all the way through, even though I find the occasional ghost steps unnecessary. Brilliant 2U (AKBK Mix) suffers from excessive figure-8 movement and a lack of rhythmic breaks in places that needed them, while One Click Headshot's Hard steps have too many 16th jacks, even though it excels on the presentation front and has great Medium steps.

ITG #3 - Muenzuka Set 02 Oriental Dark Flight isn't my favorite ITG entry overall, but it's still a step above the good-but-not-great Anti The∞Holic, as well as the rather unremarkable Chaosmaid.

ITG #4 - Even though I love Pop - (-'Nsync Cover-), Last Orgasm and Apocalypse are two of my very favorites in the ITG division. Gone Astray unnecessarily overshoots its difficulty by following the 24th-laden guitar riffs.

ITG #5 - Hardkore of the North and Setsugekka are, in my eyes, two of the strongest entries for steps in the ITG division. Rising and Divine Bloodlines (Harmony of Despair) are both very good as well, but their competition is a bit too tough.

[Telperion]

A few words about the DDR semifinalists included with my votes.


Semi-Final #1
Aped: This file unfortunately falls into your "really good song but didn't translate well to DDR" category. The steps are difficult to rhythmically understand.
I'll be there for you Zero no tsukaima F: The placement was predictable to the point of being dry throughout the verse. The whole file was pretty karaoke stepped, but you didn't have a whole lot to work with so I'm not really worried about it.
＊ Space Truckin': My file.
＊ Umineko no Naku Koro ni: Solid, not a whole lot to say about this one. Personally I wouldn't have followed the pipes, but it works here.

Semi-Final #2
Bubble Pop: Steps are good outside of the choruses. Inside of the choruses, I'm still not sure what's going on and I've played through the file a few times now.
Ghost of Stephen Foster: I love the concept of this file to death, and the skeleton and extras are great, but the steps unfortunately don't measure up to the rest of it, and I still think steps are pretty important. Wonderful package if tweaked a bit though, and I'm glad this got a chance to move on.
＊ Russian Unicorn: I don't have anything bad to say about this one haha
＊ The Ultimate Grilling Restaurant!: Follows the music really well - almost too faithfully. A bit twisty.

Semi-Final #3
apricot stone: I really like this song, but the steps are all over the place, especially in the end. The turns are so sudden and the jumps don't lead into the following steps well sometimes.
＊ CANDY GIRL: I've lost three teeth to the cavities inflicted by this simfile and it's not even the final yet x_x
Fascination eXstacy: A very authentic DDR boss song experience (and a good remix to boot), but outside of that it's not a lot of fun.
＊ MAX 300 takamatt MIN REMIX: Really like the rhythms in this chart, they're spot-on. Not especially excited about the gimmicks but they don't break it for me.

Semi-Final #4
3y3s: Man...I think out of all the files in the semifinal, I'm most surprised that this one moved in. It's probably the most karaoke in the competition (not that it's a bad thing by default, but there's so much to work with here) and the placement in the entire second half rubs me so wrong.
The Call Disconnected: The mashup is the best idea but the mismatch of the keys makes me really sad :( Steps are okay but not stellar.
＊ GANGNAM STYLE: Very exacting with the rhythms which does leave the file with a karaoke feel, but it's not bad.
＊ Totalimmortal: I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this file, but compared to the rest of the bracket excepting GANGNAM STYLE, I would definitely prefer that this one moved on.

Semi-Final #5
FIREFLIES: I just don't follow what you're trying to do with the steps in this song. The rhythms make sense about half the time, and then change to do something else that fits less.
＊ LOVE IN THE SHADOWS: Each time I play this file I want it to be longer haha. Nice simple yet groovy steps to a mellow song.
＊ Teknopathetic: Probably my favorite file in the whole DDR comp. Tons of fun to read and play.
Trial Machine PheoniX WrighT: The steps aren't too bad (and definitely more reasonable than either of your other entries), but to be honest, the song really puts me off. I wouldn't dock this file any technical points for it, but I never really want to play this and it's only because of the music.

Semi-Final #6
CONTROL YOUR MIND: Not especially consistent with the rhythms it's following - there's a lack of rhythmic anchors and some of the steps just don't fit the music, overcomplicating the chart.
SPARKS FLY: As most people have complained, it is very karaoke, but I don't think it hurts this song to be karaoke stepped as much as it did a couple of the other entries. That said, I think TAKE OVER CONTROL barely edges this one out to move on, sorry :(
＊ TAKE OVER CONTROL: Very structured and I like most of the steps. The beginning's a bit experimental compared to the rest of the chart, I think, but not in an outright bad way. Also I really don't like the song haha
＊ Vertex (Stage 1): Too short. Otherwise I love it, haha. I didn't play it until just now since it was in my bracket, but this definitely deserved its slot among the top ranked files. Good use of breaks as negative space.

Semi-Final #7
Banzai Venus: Somewhat formulaic and not very exciting, but very approachable and a solid stepchart.
＊ Canonloid -memorandum-: A little long - the intro could have been cut down. Steps make good, heavy use of the song's repetition.
＊ ELECTRIC SHOCK: Straightforward and easy to predict but still lots of fun. I actually can safely say I prefer this to Gangnam Style.
Tweet Tweet: Love the song choice and presentation! but the steps, especially in the first half of the Heavy chart, are flat-out confusing and I don't know how to handle them :(

[Nusa]

DDR:
#1 - Space Truckin'
#2 - Russian Unicorn, Ghost of Stephen Foster
#3 - Apricot Stone
#4 - Gangnam Style, Totalimmoral
#5 - Love In The Shadows
#6 - Control Your Mind
#7 - Electric Shock

ITG:
#1 - Twisted, Sound of Delight
#2 - Kung Fu Empire
#3 - Hammerhead
#4 - Apocalypse
#5 - Setsugekka

[rikame]

In for last minute voting. Honestly, I don't know much about DDR files so I won't be voting for said category <.<'

ITG Brackets:

#1: Sound of Delight, Intelligent Life
#2: Kung Fu Empire, Brilliant 2U (AKBK Mix)
#3: Muenzuka Set 02 Oriental Dark Flight
#4: Last Orgasm
#5: Hardkore of the North