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3 Jun 2018
Project Loved: Week of June 3rd
Project Loved: Week of June 3rd
It's time for Project Loved once again! Check out the new batch of maps that could be Loved, and vote for your favourites!
Welcome to Project Loved's first round of voting for June 2018! You guys know the drill by know; we've selected 28 Loved beatmap candidates based on your submissions, and now you can vote whether or not you want each map to finally enter the Loved category. If a map has at least 75% positive votes for osu! or osu!taiko, or 80% for osu!catch or osu!mania, it'll make its way into the Loved beatmap listing!
If you're wondering why osu!catch and osu!mania have different percentage requirements, then you're on the same page as me when I was writing this post. I never understood why the 5% difference was necessary, so I asked osu!mania Loved captain Kamikaze if he could explain that to me.
Nice.
Unfortunately, for the third time in a row, we're not going to have videos in this post. We're not sure if our video editor is going to be available in the future, so we've contacted another party in hopes of working with them for the upcoming voting rounds. Sorry!
Lastly, as a reminder in case you don't read the end of this post, be sure to submit suggestions for beatmaps to be added to Loved using the Google form! All of the nominated beatmaps are chosen from submissions on this form.
Alright then, let's jump right in!
Navigation
osu!
The Cab - Angel With A Shotgun (Nightcore Mix) by Piscis, Giffen and Bakari
written by Toy
Here's a map dating back to 2012 and most recently updated in 2016. Piscis's Angel With A Shotgun can most likely attribute its 400+ favorites level of popularity to being a Nightcore Mix of a popular English song. However, this shouldn't detract from the mapset being of good quality. Even after receiving a healthy number of mods, the map never saw the ranked section. Now it has a chance to boast its own leaderboard featuring guest difficulties from Giffen and Bakari.
Morimori Atsushi - Paradigm Shift by Avena, P o M u T a and toybot
written by Kaifin
Paradigm Shift is one of Avena's most popular mapsets, and is a fitting map to mark his Loved debut. If you're a fan of his signature technical style seen in maps such as Internet Bitch and Critical Crystal, then you will surely enjoy this map as well! There's a full spread of difficulties, including a fantastic Extra by P o M u T a, which is definitely worth checking out!
onoken - Sagashi Mono(BMS Edit) by Ayakura Mei
written by Kaifin
Sagashi Mono is another beautiful keysounded masterpiece by the mapper who brought you Felys, one of the most notable keysounded maps ever. The map itself is interesting as well, featuring tricky rhythms and patterns that feel great to play despite their complexity. There isn't a lot to be said about this one except for the obvious: please DO NOT ignore beatmap hitsounds or you may be a little lost!!
Tinie Tempah ft. Ellie Goulding - Wonderman (Bare Noize Remix) by Norb
written by Toy
Keeping up the English song remix trend, Dubu (now known as Norb) made his own intense "Dubu'step" map for Wonderman. Sitting at 6.96*, this map was one of the toughest and most popular unranked maps of the time, and has remained to be an interesting look into old high SR 1/3 jump maps of the time. This map is more than just 1-2 back-and-forths, the angles in the kiai will send your aim hand into a tailspin.
IOSYS - Marisa wa Taihen na Mono wo Nusunde Ikimashita by DJPop
written by Kaifin
To say DJPop is a legendary mapper would be putting it lightly: he has 130 ranked beatmaps and has created some of osu!'s most iconic content, including several extremely popular TAG4 mapsets which basically laid the groundwork for the Loved category when they were given pp-less leaderboards back in 2015 after Kuvster's controversial touchscreen plays. Marisa wa Taihen na Mono wo Nusunde Ikimashita is a love letter to these old TAG4 mapsets by the master himself, and invokes extreme nostalgia with its three old-style grid snapped difficulties. The star of the set is the completely ridiculous TAG4 difficulty which clocks in at over ten stars and pushes TAG gameplay just about as far as it can go. Don't worry if you aren't -GN though, since there are still two SOLO difficulties below it for you to enjoy!
Helblinde - Dead End by Cancel
written by Toy
Maybe some of you remember this anime, or Helblinde's old musical style. Cancel's Dead End is a perfect snapshot of both. Though seemingly incomplete, the map features a basic storyboard and a mix of AR10 and 230BPM, an unlikely combination for 2013. Give it a whirl, as its 108 favorites aren't there just for show.
Yooh - LegenD. by Akali
written by Kaifin
"LegenD." is one of Akali's most iconic mapsets and has been a multiplayer and tournament favourite since it was first uploaded in 2015. If the only Akali maps you've seen are from 2017, then the more toned down mapping here may surprise you, however this change of pace is certainly welcome and allows for a much wider audience to enjoy the map! With a full spread of well mapped difficulties, this mapset appeals to tons of players and is an obvious choice for Loved.
dj MAX STEROID - Arabian Rave Night by jesse1412
written by Kaifin
Arabian Rave Night is one of the most notorious pass maps in the entire game, and for very good reason. The map is ridiculously brutal, featuring insane shifts in slider velocity and purposefully obtuse overlaps that are sure to confuse even the best technical players. If you've never seen this map in motion before, it's definitely a treat to see just how crazy it gets, and it will surely be a treat to see what insane scores will be set once it has a leaderboard!
Nanahoshi Kangengakudan - Meikaruza (inst) by ivvi
written by Toy
I remember one of the first times I checked the /r/osugame subreddit, there was a post titled something along the lines of "This is why I love graveyarded maps" with a link to this beatmap. I was blown away by how interesting a random unknown map could be that wasn't in the ranked section. Fast-forward four years and many variations of Meikaruza later, it seems people have forgotten, or never knew the original by ivvi. I can't stress enough just how enjoyable this map is for players of all skill levels despite only mapping part of the song. 100 favorites, 100% fun.
Tokisawa Nao - BRYNHILDR IN THE DARKNESS(tamame's bootleg edit) by ShiraKai
written by Toy
Another of my previous favorite mappers that seems to have been forgotten after he went missing is ShiraKai. This mapset for BRYNHILDR IN THE DARKNESS, from of the season's most popular anime, is one of my personal favorites. It does a fantastic job at feeling intense and fast even if the map itself isn't "difficult" to today's standards. Just be careful for the map's final jump/stream pattern, as it's been known to be the cause of many failed runs.
osu!taiko
t+pazolite - Boogie Woogie Splatter Show by 12358
written by Gezoda
Time to hop into the time machine to go back in 2012, with 12358's first osu!taiko beatmap to enter the polls, Boogie Woogie Splatter Show! Don't be fooled by the fairly simplistic style coming with this, because this monster really packs a punch! Picked by the mappool selectors for the semifinals of the osu!taiko World Cup 2017, the first two thirds of the beatmap will be a cakewalk for many people, but once the final kiai kicks in, an unforgiving stream mixing 1/4 with 1/6 will kill anyone unprepared for it, and the low OD will shatter any hope of passing the map.
tarolabo - NijiBishox1HadairoSenjoSenjo by Nyan
written by Backfire
This particular set has been brought back from the dead, just barely missing out on the then 80% threshold to be loved before. As our system has changed since then, we want to introduce a map that has been denied every now and then to give them another chance at being loved!
Beautifully mapped and well respected in the community, this set is a great introduction to the world of Nyan and tarolabo maps. The two have hooked up a lot in the past, and they're a very well known couple within the osu!taiko community. Nyan's abstract mapping compliments the abrasive style of music tarolabo makes, and with a full spread of difficulties, there should be something here for everyone.
t+pazolite - TANO*C TOUR 2012 the Anthem by Fraolinch
written by Gezoda
Let's give a warm welcome to Fraolinch, as it's their first time in the polls! And to start things off for them, here's TANO*C TOUR 2012 the Anthem, a great yet underrated beatmapset to the tune of one of the remixes of the original Anthem songs. If you love taiko, t+pazolite and difficult maps testing many skill sets, this is a must-play, and also a good introduction to their maps. It really shows that Fraolinch had a blast mapping this map, so it's definitely worth giving a try.
Camellia - Kono Hoshi de…. by Raphalge
written by Backfire
Let's start off with saying, this isn't the Camellia you may recognize. This song, commonly known as "Yume Nikki megamix", dates back all the way to 2010, and is a medley/homage to the video game, Yume Nikki. Before the wubs, Camellia made music a lot more similar to his favorite artist's, Nekomata Master. Now, this is important information because, Yume Nikki happens to be the favorite game of the map creator, Raphalge. As is a common case with Loved, we celebrate all types of passion, but most of the time, passion for songs is what drives the maps. With this map, you can really tell that Raphalge understands and loves the material he is working with. He allows the song to breathe a lot, while also emphasizing heavily the main melodies and more beautiful aspects of the song, and it perfectly meshes together to create a fun, exciting map throughout.
SasakureP - bokura no 16bit warz by DarkStoorM
written by Gezoda
What a magical week. DarkStoorM joins the "first time to the Loved pollings club" along with 12358 and Fraolinch and presents us a beatmap of what may be the most popular VOCALOID song from sasakureP, bokura no 16bit warz! This beatmap that may be the work of the Demon 16 as it is 6.66 stars and features stamina draining 244BPM streams, but these assumptions stops when the rest isn't as demonic: tame SVs, the one and only GUMI as well as great placement of the notes, giving the whole beatmap a fresh feeling!
YUC'e - Future Candy by KinomiCandy
written by Backfire
Not sure that when KinomiCandy created his name all the way back in 2010, he would have expected his most famous map to also be about Candy! Aside from the cute coincidence there, this map was the one that sparked off the entire "YUC'e + KinomiCandy" pairing that so many have come to know and love. Name a more iconic duo in the osu!taiko community than KinomiCandy and YUC'e maps? You really can't get any better than this. This is likely not the last time we will be seeing this duo either, but, for what is here, is the groundwork for most all of the YUC'e maps Kinomi makes in the future. Long streams, ninja kats for emphasis, 1/6 spam. You get it all, really!
IAHN - Transform (Original Mix) by asuasu_yura
written by Gezoda
After many insane gimmick beatmaps going into Loved polls, here's something more tame using a song that has been used (and abused) in the second osu! Aspire contest. This beatmap doesn't double-cross you with absurd ninjas or nigh-impossible reading, making it a good entry point to anyone not too familiar with gimmick maps. However, this doesn't mean you are allowed to let your guard down! SVs, 0 BPM and notes inside spinners are present in this beatmap asuasu_yura crafted with much love.
osu!catch
Camellia - R U Still xxxx? by INO and Milquar
written by SartNYAN OwO xD
This fast, break beatin' map from INO and Milquar has been one of the most well received and fun maps to play in multiplayer lobbies among high end players since its release in 2016. In this map you will find tons of difficult streaming, jumping and tap dashing sections, which will definitely satisfy and entertain you for quite a handful of tries, if you are skillful enough to actually play the map that is. With it's higher than average amount of favourites for an osu!catch map, this map definitely deserves a spot in the loved section in our opinion, so give it a spin!
Renard - Break by Emiru
written by SartNYAN OwO xD
Do you like stairs? Do you like jumps? Do you like left-rights? Are you in love with banging high BPM smashing your eardrums? Then here is the map for you! Break, one of Emiru's dan courses' maps has made its way into the loved selection. This being a map which you can quite often find in multiplayer lobbies, it honestly is no big surprise for this to have eventually gotten picked. As for the difficulty level, Break is quite a challenge to FC, yet fairly playable for most decent players. And trust me, it is more fun that you would think to smash your left-right keys to this beat than you might expect at first glance!
DJ TOTTO - Crystalia by - G i G a s -
written by SartNYAN OwO xD
- G i G a s -'s Crystalia is one of the more accessible picks from this week's batch of osu!catch maps. This calming song gets complimented by a map which really captures the essence of the music well: it is not straining and the patterns are plainly said very tranquil and soothing. Most of the low to high end player base should be able to put their teeth into this map, thanks to its fairly low difficulty, experienced players should have little struggle with FCing this. The map mainly consist of very straightforward left-right dash patterns with some occasional more jumpy sections. Altogether a very peaceful yet fun ride!
Aimer with chelly (EGOIST) - ninelie (REDSHiFT x Vesuvia remix) by Furely
written by Tenshichan
Whenever you hear Furely you're probably first thinking of his already-loved, more gimmicky maps like Avalon or Ikisugi Trap; this one, however, is way different. Furely does a great job in bringing the best out of this song. An excellent usage of patterns which compliment the drumstep style of the song make a great flow while not being too easy either. On the other hand it is not too hard which makes it accessible for players who are comfortable with playing overdose-level difficulties. Altogether a very enjoyable map with a neat design - you're in for an intense ride to fight the apocalypse!
osu!mania
3034 - NS18 by Fullerene-
written by Shoegazer
An extremely well-known chart in competitive circles, NS18 is a chart that is as straightforward as it can get: the chart is a non-stop barrage of fast jumpstream. It doesn't only have fast jumpstream, however. The chart speeds up, and it speeds up a lot. The chart starts at an already fast 230 BPM, and it speeds up in 5 BPM increments, up to a breakneck 255 BPM. The 245-255 BPM sections of the track are also far more intense, and the rise in intensity was captured excellently through significantly harder patterning and appropriately denser layering.
What makes NS18 stand out from other charts that are similarly popular in competitive circles is its strong structure. The layering is simple and effective, and certain sounds that could not be captured through density were captured through one hand minitrills. The execution of the layering and patterning schemes of the chart are about as good as you can get with a track like NS18, and the structure works with remarkable efficacy.
Camellia - Dans la mer de son by Jinjin and TheToaphster
written by Shoegazer
Camellia's Dans la mer de son is among Camellia's most progressive and atmospheric tracks, and it would make sense for it to be charted multiple times by multiple charters in osu!mania. Among all of the mapsets for Dans la mer de son, the mapset made by notorious PP 7K charter Jinjin and up-and-coming 4K charter TheToaphster stands out for not only the difficulties' musical relevance but also their memorability.
The 4K chart is a technical chart enthusiast's delight—the chart is a meticulously strung medley of patterns of multiple types: LNs of multiple types, chordjacking, fast bursts, SVs, they're all there. Due to the manifold personality of the chart, the chart is almost analogous to a final exam; are you skilled at everything that is competitively pursued in osu!mania to excel at this chart? The all-roundedness of the chart was not overlooked either; this chart as a tiebreaker for multiple tournaments, including the semi-finals stage of 4K MWC 2017. It certainly helps that, while the chart tests every skill in 4K, it is a very atmospheric experience with not much gratuitousness present.
The 7K chart utilises very similar concepts, which would make sense given that the 4K chart is heavily inspired by the 7K chart. For players and charters who were floored by I Can Fly In The Universe but find the chart to be too difficult and stress-inducing, this mapset should be a great mediatory point for you.
The Flashbulb - Back of the Yards by Halogen-
written by Shoegazer
Notorious for his SV-heavy charts such as Scrap Syndrome and Chloroplast Skin, we are nominating Halogen-'s chart for Back of the Yards. While this chart was originally made as a 4K tournament qualifier, this chart may be one of the best SV charts in the game for its tactfully executed yet challenging SVs.
The chart, without the SVs, is good in itself, perhaps unspectacular—pitch relevance was utilised quite well in some sections, and the constant use of repetition was a very nice touch. The SVs, however, add a completely different dimension to the chart. The chart turns from a lackadaisical walk to a high-speed chess game. The SVs are sudden, lightning fast, and will affect your performance if you don't anticipate them. However, the SVs get more predictable as you practice the chart more and more—there are many substantial cues for you to pick up on thanks to how the chart is structured, and getting a good score becomes a matter of being able to pick up all of those cues. The end result of the chart is a chart that is not intellectually demanding, but a chart that is also a very fair challenge.
There is a fine line between self-indulgence and challenge when it comes to SVs, and Halogen- does an excellent job in ensuring that the chart never falls under the former. That accomplishment, along with the atmosphere and structure of the chart outside of the SVs, is what we believe makes this a strong nominee for the Loved section.
The Ghost of 3.13 - Last Star In The Universe by Shoegazer
written by Kamikaze
We don't need to introduce him at this point. One of the most prolific and legendary 4K charters in the game is back into the list again, this time, it's Shoegazer's rendition of The Ghost of 3.13's Last Star In The Universe.
This chart, albeit on the easier side, is a great technical representation of the song, with many graces, short bursts, jacks, minijacks and all types of technical patterning that's difficult to get good accuracy on, while making it even more interesting to play. The Nocturne difficulty, originally charted in 2015 was featured in the osu!mania World Cup 2016 Group Stage and it's more heavily layered, focused more on anchoring around the bursts while the Serenade, charted in 2018, is a considerably lighter, more systematic rendition of the track, and it is considerably more "technical" than Nocturne.
The chart is a really popular chart to play for accuracy on nomod or for a challenge on DT/NC, its popularity has retained from the MWC 2016 days to this day onwards, hence we've now picked this chart for the Loved category!
Camellia - crystallized by Blocko
written by aitor98
Our mighty ET Blocko shows up here again, bringing us by his side a pretty popular map that goes by the name of crystallized by Camellia. This chart features a really good mix between long notes and chordstreams, apart from a very good pattern flow overall throughout the chart. It does have a well set difficulty spread, going from 1 star to almost 6 and a half, it becomes a set available for every kind of player, no matter their skill.
It also has an SV-based difficulty that makes everything much harder than it is; even though the SVs are not as pronounced as they could be, it is not a sightreadable chart at all. Definitely a map worthy enough for this section.
LeaF - Wizdomiot by pporse and bbu2
written by Kamikaze
Next up we have the Korean 7K charting machine pporse and for some, his most iconic chart being put up for the voting now: LeaF - Wizdomiot. This set features a full spread of difficulties for every level of players, from fairly beginner-friendly Normal, through rough streaming in Another, to brutal chordstreaming with bursts on Rational Punishment and to top it off we have bbu2's LN version of the top difficulty being the challenge for extreme masochists.
It really stands out as one of the most organized and neatly patterned high level chordstreaming charts out there, and it's popularity has retained over the years, being the staple of pporse's charting experience and we believe that it's a good pick for the Loved category!
nana mizuki - Vitalization by MoTeSolo and W_B
written by aitor98
Our last pick for the list comes from a long time osu!mania player, a Korean o2 master and charter MoTeSolo and it's one of his staples, Vitalization by nana mizuki. Coming up at ten and a half stars, it shows up how hard a long note chart can be. Shields, inverse chordstreams and staircases, dense chordstream sections mixed with long notes and way more things that will drive us crazy the further we reach into the map.
It also features a few scroll velocities that might be sightreadable, but if we compare it with the difficulty of the map, it becomes almost meaningless. It has a fair amount of dumb sections every here and there, which is the basis on every single high level long note charts, right? Be sure to check it out!
From everyone on the Project Loved team, we hope you enjoy this week's selection, and look forward to the next! The winning beatmaps will hit the Loved beatmap listing sometime next week and will be announced via @osugame on Twitter.
If you have any suggestions for beatmaps to be added to the Loved category, please submit them using the Google form!
—clayton
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