https://vipvgm.net The world hasn't been in a world war in almost 100 years, so chances are, we may be getting into one pretty soon. I'm closely monitoring the conflict in Ukraine almost to an obsession, and it's not because we're on the brink of WWIII, but for research purposes. I'm sure a lot of armchair generals are doing the same. That doesn't diminish from the fact that war sucks and humanity should do everything in its power to prevent it from happening. Sadly, mutual assured destruction is one of those "everything". So with the threat of nuclear war looming, I'm gonna try to make this a relatively good update. Code: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - Close in the Distance Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - Flow Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - On Blade's Edge Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - With Hearts Aligned I'm gonna start with the big one. The newest expansion for FFXIV came out, and it blew my goddamn mind. Endwalker is meant to be the end of the current story arc, an arc that lasted 8 freakin' years. This expansion had me in tears of joy and sadness, mostly the latter. The music heavily bolstered those emotions. It's improbable to think Masayoshi Soken would be able to top the previous expansion's music, but the legend actually did it. Many tracks combine leitmotifs from previous expansions, the same way the game brought back characters in an epic culmination of story and music. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm trying to tone down my 'gasms right now. "Close in the Distance" is what got me bawling. How it ends up playing in the game is brilliant. It starts out as an uncomfortable static, then layers get added as the story goes on, until the full song is revealed in the climax, as well my tears. I once noticed someone mentioning how it's literally Christian rock. That, I can't deny. I don't wanna suddenly sound all weird and serious (again), but this is the game I actually needed after my dad passed away. It has some truly pertinent life lessons on suffering, its inevitability, and the hope and happiness that balances it out. You can probably read an article on the subject (or even some Dostoevsky), but playing a dum weeb game is much more fun and emotional. Zepla, a FFXIV Twitch streamer, felt strength and comfort by reminding herself of some quotes from the game as she fled from her war-torn home in Ukraine. Code: Lost Ark - Nostalgia Lost Ark - Bern Castle Lost Ark - Song of Sunset Lost Ark - Aman's Theme Now it's time for the flavor of the month, Lost Ark. This game is a quandary. Yes, it's pay-to-win, but it's also fun to play. It's also an addictive casino that will take all your money if you're not careful. It is, after all, a Korean MMO. The music is surprisingly well done, very cinematic, almost LOTR-like. Code: Metal Wolf Chaos - Metal Wolf Chaos Theme I All rise for the real American National Anthem. No singing or anything, just wailing rock guitars and pure, manly, heterosexual moans. Brought to you by the makers of Elden Ring, Metal Wolf Chaos is a game that lets you play as the president. No, not those old goofs like Drumpf or Brandon, but the kind of president everyone imagines they could be. None of that boring shit like signing bills or reading briefs. No, this president is a man of action and solves problems using a giant robot and explosions. Despite being completely in American English, this game was only released in Japan for the Xbox. It has since been remastered and digitally released for all Americans to play. God bless Steam and America. Code: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Opening Titles Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Chase Ending Long Version exiled from VIP Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Code of Conduct Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Boneyard Flyby exiled from VIP Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Critical Hit - Battle for New York Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - MW3 End Credits Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Hamburg Invasion Uprising44: The Silent Shadows - W-Hour Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts - On Guard for Liberty Medal Of Honor - Medal Of Honor (Alternate Version) Medal Of Honor: Airborne - Unblocking Utah Medal of Honor (2010) - Heroes Aboard Can't have a proper world war without some world war music. The Modern Warfare series has some superb OSTs thanks to based Hans Zimmer. MW3 didn't have Hans Zimmer, but instead someone who is also somewhat legendary, Brian Tyler. I'm replacing MW2 rips with the higher audio quality and more dynamic OST versions. Code: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 - Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons - Hell March 2 & 3 Medley Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons - Militant Force Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons - Bigfoot replacing Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Bigfoot Command & Conquer - Frank Klepacki & The Tiberian Sons - Warfare / Full Stop replacing Command & Conquer - Warfare / Full Stop Russkies bad. It's up to you to eliminate them, commander. The Tiberian Sons are an extremely talented band. With Klepacki at the helm, they really did the remastered OST justice. Code: Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - The Tiberian Sons - The Devil's Spear replacing Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown - Daredevil I'm singling this one out. I cream my pants whenever I hear something truly epic that combines the best aspects of orchestra and metal. "The Devil's Spear" is one of those times and is one of THE EPICEST shit I've ever heard in my life. It's so good, it's the only Ace Combat arrangement in the VIP, replacing the equally epic "Daredevil"! Code: Uridium 2 - Matt Gray - Loading Theme The Duel: Test Drive II (Amiga) - Matt Gray - Amiga Intro Theme Matt Gray is at it again with the release of his newest C64/Amiga arrangement album just a few days ago. And he's already working on another one! TBH, I think he's running out of tracks to arrange, but them beats are still hella phat. Code: Octopath Traveler - FamilyJules, Adriana Figueroa - Daughter of the Dark God Octopath Traveler - Battle at Journey's End Octopath Traveler - Yuya Mori - The Gate of Finis Octopath Traveler - Yuya Mori - River of Life Octopath Traveler - Octopath Traveler -Main Theme- Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent - Yasunori Nishiki - Battle Advanced Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent - Master of Wealth It's probably a sin for me to ignore Octopath Traveler this long, but I finally got around to listening to the OST, and it's absolutely divine. Yasunori Nishiki knocked it out of the park with his first major release. The mobile game's OST is pretty good, too. The mobile game itself is soon releasing worldwide with the same gameplay, graphics, and music everyone knows and loves, just with freemium gacha-shit. Code: Neon Genesis Evangelion (N64) - Decisive Battle Neon Genesis Evangelion (N64) - Soul's Refrain Neon Genesis Evangelion (N64) - Komm, Susser Tod In true world-ending fashion, let's end with some Evangelion. This game is, for some reason, the only Evangelion game that follows the original anime's major battles from beginning to End [of Evangelion], complete with low-res anime clips and compressed music. Too bad the game is a load of crap. --- About the situation in Ukraine, I could do what everyone else is doing and link to a list of charities, but instead I'm going to shill my favorite charity, Doctors Without Borders. They already have a presence in Ukraine and the surrounding countries, including Belarus and Russia. They care for the innocent civilians on all sides who are suffering from this conflict, and I think that's beautiful.
