Bronze Match:
Contra – Jungle Theme (8) vs Super Mario Bros. – Overworld (19)
Finals:
Mega Man 2 – Dr. Wily Stage 1 (14) vs Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest – Bloody Tears (14)
First things first, you might have noticed that we had a tie in the final round! It was clear throughout the tournament that we loved these two songs more than all others, and when it came down to it we couldn’t decide which we loved more. I have cast a tiebreaking vote for Wily Stage 1; if you need there to be only one champion that’s the one. However, there’s nothing after this, so if you prefer a split title you may ignore my vote.
Second things second, SMB’s Overworld won bronze in convincing fashion. We might have had little patience for many traditional favorites of the era, but in the end we couldn’t deny the most iconic game song of all time at least some recognition. (Plus not even we are iconoclastic enough to say SMB Overworld is less good than Some Song From Contra)
Last things last, I’ve made a short postmortem survey to gather opinions about how the tournament ran, with an eye towards the future. Feel free to also discuss things in the comments. Next tournament will be starting in early January and will focus on 1990-1995. We’ll probably be getting a LOT of nominations for that one, so it’ll put our process to the test for sure.