Biaxident (Kil) - HEAVY ONLY - Perfect blend of pattern rule, pattern variation, and objective technical accuracy for patterns. Making the piano so accurate added to the experience because it made it easier to differentiate between other patterns. Wonderful use of freezes, especially on the closed hi hat notes. The graphics are pretty dull, but this is a simfile competition, not a graphics competition. While I might be able to with enough time, I honestly can't find any real flaws in this simfile. This is what a "keyboard simfile" should be. 10/10

Carmen's Prelude (phenomega) - HEAVY ONLY - You employed decent use of pattern rule and variation, but for the most part you did not employ it enough. For a song like this, where the pattern is repeated for so much of the song, pattern variation and pattern rule are essential. On the main pattern used, 6824286, the ending pattern with a 6 hold arrow should have been something different, like an up arrow. While this is a good effort, it still has a lot of flaws. 6.5/10

Flashman (Bursurk Lurk) - HEAVY ONLY - WOW. THIS IS INCREDIBLE. Not only did you have perfect pattern variation/rule but you also managed to be objective, which is difficult because the piece is hard to "compress" into 4 arrows, and perfectly sync it too. If there are flaws in this, I would need a MIDI and a lot of time to find them. I can't praise this enough, the graphics are outstanding and fit the emotion of the piece perfectly - graphics are subjective however, and I am not counting them towards the score. I am relieved, not only to have played something so masterfully done but to be able to leave the Bemani scene knowing that there is someone that knows exactly what they're doing when they make a stepfile. As egotistical as this may sound to you, never have I encountered simfile where I thought I couldn't do better job than the person who did it if I put enough time and effort into it, but this is definitely the case after playing Bursurk Lurk's file to "Flashman". 10/10

Holic (Bounce Connected) (plasmix) - HEAVY ONLY - This is a perfect example where pattern rule and pattern variation are the most important. Plasmix obviously knows what he's doing in both uses of these techniques - however, he did not really take advantage of all of the sounds in the song. He could have progressed and added on sounds, or chose to "go all out" with sounds, but he follows the same sounds for the entire song. This is why "rhythm choice" is important. This is a very solid simfile, and it is by no means bad, but it's nothing that wowed me. 8/10

Insect Digestion Melancholy (The Rai Rai) - HEAVY ONLY - Let me start out by saying this could have won the competition. This is very, very well crafted. Rai Rai has undoubtedly one of the best "ears" in the simfile creation scene, and he knows how to work patterns very tastefully and objectively. The reason this is not getting anywhere though, is the BPM change. Oh my god, the BPM change. It is uneccessary, to say the least. 7/10

Meridian Dance (Kil) - HEAVY ONLY - My biggest problem with this is that you didn't really take advantage of the sounds as much as you could have, and didn't use the patterns to follow the music nearly as well as you did in Biaxident. This is a good simfile, don't get me wrong, but it's not anywhere near the quality level that "Biaxident was". 8.5/10

Milky Way Overworld (flamingspinach) - HEAVY ONLY - Maybe plasmix could have taken a few tips from flamingspinach as far as progression goes. While it may seem like "BS" to the unknowing, this is a very thought-out simfile, very well constructed, and possibly the best example on how to make the most of a song with a simple, repetitive melody. 9/10

Mr12000 is a Lie (The Rai Rai) - HEAVY ONLY - Again with the uneccessary BPM changes! Why you are so fascinated with these is beyond me, but they ruin the simfile. You were very accurate with your rhythms, and they illustrate your articulate ear very clearly. Here's a tip, if you, like me and many other people, don't have "perfect pitch": when you hear a note, a chord, or simply just a sound that sounds exactly like another one, use that as a guide. The beginning of this simfile, I think, exemplified your confusion in this case. Inaccuracies and blatant BPMwanking make this simfile a dud. 6/10

Mr12000 is Sad Most of the Time (The Rai Rai) - HEAVY ONLY - Now this is what I'm talking about! This is probably one of the most complex simfiles, at least rhythmically, in the entire competition. There is a good degree of depth to this - I am not sure that everyone will be able to appreciate this to the fullest degree. My main problem with the simfile is that you used a very slow beginning BPM with 32nds. You could have doubled the beginning bpm and used 16ths instead of 32nds - it would have fit a LOT better. 9.5/10

Nice Nice Noise (Vospi) - HEAVY ONLY - For the most part, all you did was repeat the same pattern way too much. There is mediocre use of pattern rule, and little use of pattern variation. You didn't make use of the piano chords displayed later in the song, either. With a song this repetitive, it needs lots of variation, and there was little of it. 5/10

Renaissance (Melonman67) - HEAVY & CHALLENGE - This is a very very good simfile, and EXTREMELY accurate both rhythmically and in terms of melodic compression. The challenge isn't much different than the heavy except it uses a more "freeform" set of arrow patterns. I am extremely set back by the sounds, though, - it felt like you were "holding back" in some parts. If anyone ever tells you that you can't be "accurate" with melodic compression, point them to this simfile. 9.5/10

Ripple Star (Kilgamayan) - HEAVY ONLY - Kilgamayan is probably the luckiest person in this contest - lucky that I am not judging graphics, because if I was, this would be bottom 3 material, to be sure. This is a very good... and very hard simfile. Kilga blends patterns very well in this one, and uses excellent pattern variation, while holding nothing back... except the ending. The ending should have been more of a 424626 or 424686 (each repeating in 24ths, respectively) but the simfile holds back for a few measures and then spits out a freeform pattern. This cripples its rating tremendously, but it's still very well-made. 9/10

Sahti-Waari (PolarFox) - HEAVY ONLY - This is, predictably, like most power metal simfiles. Freeform variation, very little pattern rule, very little use of the song's rhythms, and very long 16th streams. 4/10

Sarah's Song (PolarFox) - HEAVY ONLY - Freeform variation, nonexistant pattern rule, and no progression or rhythm complexities given how repetitive the song is. Most experienced simfile creators could churn something like this out in less than 10 or 20 minutes. 3/10

Sea Air (KgZ) - HEAVY ONLY - Before I played this, I told Kilgamayan on AIM that if this simfile was good, I would punch myself in the nuts. Halfway through, I was a bit worried because I don't like getting punched in the nuts. It had solid pattern variation, progression, and was pretty decently crafted. Thankfully, after that halfway mark, it switched to almost completely freeform and I can only imagine that KgZ let NVLM_ZK take over. 2/10

Sepia (cluelessmorgan) - HEAVY ONLY - You didn't really take full advantage of all of the song's sounds. Your patterns, were, for the most part, accurate, except for a few parts which I question. Your pattern variation was fine, although you could have used more in some parts. I don't know if these problems are because of you, or because of your sound system which makes you interpret the song differently, because in some parts you seem to know what you're doing and in others this doesn't seem to be the case. Decent. 7.5/10

Sonata Claro De Luna (Hayden) - HEAVY ONLY - While you did attempt to be technical and objective, for the most part, there were many ways that you could have variated on the scale while still being accurate. Many patterns would have fit the music better than certain ones that you used - I am not talking about the "easy" parts but rather the "streamy" parts. For instance, when you use 868284828 the notes other than 8 should repeat because the notes on piano do not repeat in that fashion. This, in the right respect, is what happens when someone that is used to making heavily freeform stepfiles attempts to be objective. You should have looked for a MIDI and gone off of that. 7/10

Swivel (Maftaxd) - HEAVY ONLY - Awesome! You used pattern rule VERY well, and the pattern variation was rock-solid as well. The accuracy was great. While many Stepmania fans are not familiar with Maftaxd, if he makes things like this, they should be. As a side note, I liked the graphics, they seemed to compliment the lovely, happy, mischievous emotion of this song. The only problem I had was that you switched rhythms all over the place, but you did it completely in line with your pattern rule, so I won't count it against you too much. 9.5/10

TetrimaX (KgZ) - HEAVY ONLY - You like Tetris? That's cool. I'm guessing you like strategic, intellectually stimulating games then. Maybe you should pick up something else as a hobby, like Chess. This isn't working out for you. Your variation, rule, progression, rhythmic complexity, and everything else that makes a simfile good did not exist in this simfile. The only thing I can give you credit for was that it was rhythmically accurate, but that's all. 1.5/10

Tetris (Techno Edit) (skipsmusic) - HEAVY & CHALLENGE -  Oh my god. Take everything I just said about KgZ's TetrimaX and place it here, and then put extra emphasis on it. I...uh... wow. This isn't even accurate rhythmically. If you had concentrated every bit of effort that you spread throughout the simfile into the heavy steps, you might have gotten a decent score. Unfortunately, and I know this sounds like hyperbole but I PROMISE you it is not, I give this simfile a -2/10.

That Is Fair (Vospi) - HEAVY ONLY - Rhythm choice could have used improvement, but your pattern rule and pattern variation were exercised very nicely. There were a few points where you could have used stops too, in the 32nd 686 484 type patterns midway through the song. Other than that, "solid" is the best way I can describe this. 7/10

TKM (Loki) - HEAVY ONLY - This was good for the majority of the song. There is large 16th stream in the middle, which, from what I can tell, seems to turn into freeform, when, for the most part, everything that had been done before it is very thought-out and had a lot of attention devoted to it. After the stream, there are a few parts in which I question your rhythm choice. Good effort overall, though, and a good simfile. 9/10

Wild Horses (The Rai Rai) - HEAVY ONLY - One time, I told Rai Rai that this was one of the first songs I ever remember listening to, or even getting into, because my parents played it on their stereo when I was extremely young. After telling him how lame the song was and sending him the MP3, I think he said he'd make a simfile for it.. I laughed, because I thought he was joking. Rai Rai, you fucking bastard. It's actually good too. Fuck you, Rai Rai. -Fuck- you. My main problem is that the simfile does not follow the vocals at ALL, and instead opts for pure IIDX-like instrumentals, and doesn't make much use of pattern variation. It's very accurate, however. Still.. ugh. Rai Rai, I hope a camel shits on your face. 8.5/10

Wizards In Winter (skauert) - HEAVY & CHALLENGE - You could have used a better quality sound file, don't you think? Oh well, it's my fault for not including anything about sound files in the rules. Anyways, with the Christmas lights video out, one would think you'd be able to make better use of the sounds in the song. Your pattern rule needs work, while you had a decent grasp of it, there were a LOT of holes in the simfile, so it comes off as freeform, even though you obviously have the right direction. This was a good effort, and I wish I could rate it higher. 5.5/10

You Wanna Me (Vospi) - HEAVY ONLY - Very nice! You have a lot of talent as a musician, and this was a very enjoyable song. The stepfile was, thankfully, much more enjoyable than Nice Nice Noise. The only questionable part is between measures 30 and 31... but overall, you did a great job, and there aren't really any flaws otherwise. Excellent job Vospi, you are a skilled musician and a skilled simfile creator. 9.5/10