OCR01316 - Mega Man Zero 2 'Stranger in the Desert' [Archive]

HyperZell

02-20-2005, 06:32 AM

Fantastic. The piano reminds me of Ambient Gemini (DKC) as much as Aquatic Ambience, which is a very good thing. Very well done DarkeSword, please keep up the great work.

^_^

Wanderer

02-20-2005, 06:38 AM

Got this one quite a while ago, and according to my media player, it's my 5th most listened to song. Liked it for a long period, and didn't start losing interest until about the 90th listen. Excellent job of giving the source material a completely different feel to it. Next to Angel, this is probably my favorite Darkesword mix.

Kureejii Lea

02-20-2005, 07:13 AM

There are two things about DarkeSword that never fail to impress me - his ability to merge numerous songs seamlessly and his ability to make a song into something so completely different while keeping the source material easily recognisable. This song displays both aspects perfectly. While there is a notable difference between the sections in which the two different songs are used, they manage to build and flow in a way to compliment each other wonderfully. I love the soft, almost whimsical/carnival-like building piano, and the high, slightly warbling flute truly creates a feel of a worn, wind-blown desert loneliness, especially the light sprinkle of piano notes here and there. Certain "building" sections (especially using the choir-ish voices) add a feel of persistance and determination with a touch of mystery (such as the piano coming in around 2'12). Really a moody, beautiful piece of work. DarkeSword makes me smile.

BlueMage

02-20-2005, 08:18 AM

Whoa....nice. It's just got a feeling to it....hard to describe. A certain vibe that just makes it sound good.

Yeah, that sums it up best, methinks.

Dj Orange

02-20-2005, 11:31 AM

I am always amazed at how well Darkesword give his instruments their own space. I love how the panning is managed in this mix. Even though I'm not a big fan of the ambient new-age downtempo genre, I really admire this remix. The centre of this mix may be gooey and saccharine, but the edges are toasted golden brown. Great job.

DJ Skratch 'n' Sniff

02-20-2005, 12:16 PM

I've never heard the original...
And I can't imagine it being any better than this.
This is by far my favorite Darkesword mix yet.

benevolensaurus

02-20-2005, 04:34 PM

I've had this since I went to VGMix, looking for mixes from this game and from this original piece. I really like what DarkeSword did to this; the original was a more hard-hitting, classic Megaman-type piece (and very good, too, hence my search for said mixes), and he mixed it into something quite a bit more mellow and ambient. I always like it when people take a piece from one genre and successfully convert it into another one in their mixes.

Yeah, this is some good stuff.

Dafter

02-20-2005, 05:14 PM

A really great remix! The piano in the end reminds me of the first four minutes in Tubular Bells part 1 by Mike Oldfield =)! Very nice and relaxed, I think I´m gonna go after some more DarkeSword!

RoeTaKa

02-20-2005, 05:25 PM

Really interesting take on the ambient electronica style. The different rhythm styles and phrasing really make for interesting parts of this song. I'm a very big fan of ambient electronica music, this does the stuff and does it at a high quality. Pading effects, electronic sounds and use of classical instruments have been made to good effect that really isn't quite easy. Parts of this song reminded me of Shadow hearts soundtrack, which is very neglected I would have thought djpretzel would have mentioned about that in the review. Good song I'll be listening for a while. On another note, repetition is used very well in this, hard to pull off. Good stuff, MegaMan is definately good source material for ambient electronica.

Darangen

02-20-2005, 05:42 PM

Sweet stuff Darke. :)

Corporal Eschebone

02-20-2005, 06:08 PM

Simply superb. I love the flute and piano. Nice string work too. This also seems to be one of Darkesword's more relaxed pieces.

Artificial_AI

02-20-2005, 06:33 PM

This is really good.

Subz1987

02-20-2005, 07:42 PM

the vibes sound like the theme from torvus bog in Metroid Prime 2: echoes. almost alike. this is a great piece, and i love it

Harmon

02-20-2005, 09:27 PM

This is by far my favorite track from the Megaman Zero series. It doesn't surprise me that someone would choose to do a remix on this one. Excellent remix.

If you liked this, there's another arrangement of it on the Onimusha Buraiden OST.

Txai

02-20-2005, 09:54 PM

Great, DarkeSword. Beautiful instruments. Good composition. Pleasant stuff. ^ ^

Vercalos

02-20-2005, 10:03 PM

What a beautiful remix. Excellently done, it makes me want to go back and listen to the original just to get a basis for comparison. All an all an excellent piece for anyone to listen to, regardless of whether or not they've played the game.

PlastikBag

02-20-2005, 10:36 PM

Yeah, I've had this song from VGMix for quite some time. I love it, easily one of my favorites from Darkesword. It reminds me of Metroid Prime music, its got that ambient feel to it. Excellent work here.

Nintendo_Ace

02-21-2005, 12:52 AM

I remember when Darkesword first put up a 2 min version of this in the WIP forum. Listened to it then and Go thooked. I think i asked him about finishing it everytime he put up a topic too (oh well sorry abotu being excessive). So when he finally did finish this and post it I abotu had a heart attack. I was again amazed by this remix. Its just increibdle. It is without a doubt one of if not my favorite remix on this site. Increidble job Darke sword. this is amazing!

Brim

02-21-2005, 07:11 AM

I've been waiting for a remix out of the Megaman Zero 2 game, and I don't think I could've expected much better than this. Good job.

razor's edge

02-24-2005, 06:19 PM

Oh man. This reminds me of at least five of my favorite games...of which only one actually contains the source material :D -- love the piano and flute.

Ventrex

02-25-2005, 02:52 AM

I think this mix may end up joining the ranks of Pretzel's 'Sunken Suite' (Mario 64) and SuperGreenX's 'Frame of Mind' (Beyond Good & Evil) as a beautiful mix. I enjoyed the first two minutes immensely. Listening to them felt like being submerged in a vast oceanscape of bliss and beauty. To be honest, the middle felt a bit out of place, but I can't judge that since I haven't actually played this game. However, I feel this middle is necessary, as it acts as a transition and return to the oceanscape, incorporating all elements of the song into a shining whole.

Overall, a very melodic and inspiring piece. Great job, DarkeSword.

Quickstrike

02-25-2005, 11:00 PM

This exactly what remix's on this site should be. The artist did a very good job of making a new iteration of the original track - but he used different instuments to achieve this in a creative way that opened the doors to something new.

Very Good Job, DarkeSword.

Jabberbox

02-27-2005, 02:50 AM

I remember hearing the "work in progress version" on vgmix
big improvement in this one

Sesshomaru

02-27-2005, 09:22 AM

If I had a theme song for myself, this would be it. Excellent work, and great listening material - what more could you want?

I3lack Templar

02-28-2005, 05:08 AM

'For Endless Fight' and 'Departure'

At least thats what the officials Call those Level Themes.

Im loving it. You took Music with Very fast Tempo, Slowed it down AND made it work!

My hats off to yoU!

Hopefully we will see more Zero series Music in the future

Mongoosedog

02-28-2005, 05:56 AM

Darke Sword, this song inspired me while I was designing a signiture for my friend on a message board (his username is Maverick Hunter Zero) and I was so satisfied with the results that I thought I should thank you for making such an awesome song! I mean, just look at the end result after setting "Stranger in the Desert" on loop and going to town in photoshop:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/Noahsatoru/Mavhunterzerosig.jpg

amnesia

02-28-2005, 10:11 AM

Piano panned through both channels sound interesting and fit very well in all parts of the music.
The flute play so emotionally that makes me feel stranger when I heard the melody. There is no better word for the title, my only restriction is that it must be in the plural, because there are many strangers in the desert.
I hope someday I learn to play woodwinds like the judges here.
The piano fade out need no commentaries, pretty cool. :D

DarkeSword

02-28-2005, 03:55 PM

'For Endless Fight' and 'Departure'

At least thats what the officials Call those Level Themes.

Actually it's "For Endless Fight II." ;)

I3lack Templar

02-28-2005, 05:22 PM

Actually it's "For Endless Fight II."

My Mistake. You know, This Mix Makes for a Great Ending credits. Like for the up and comming Zero 4? Probably too late for that though. Oh well.

The Timeings for the Transitions (Especialy How the Tempo gets a Juiceing in 2:52) are spot on.

Bladewind

03-01-2005, 02:44 AM

You got me man. I love piano anything like this (I kinda have an appreciation for it BC I play it.) I have added it to a CD along with ZeroSky and StringMachine. Keep up the good work.

Nobbynob Littlun

03-03-2005, 02:08 AM

Very emotive, your best yet in my opinion Darkesword :)

It sounds like something I would hear at the climax of a good anime, movie, or game that would make me completely forget about anything but the song.

Zerokiller02

03-03-2005, 06:14 AM

is there the orginal ''stranger in the desert'' song from Megaman Zero 2?i would compare urs and the original.if u have plz reply to me.

DarkeSword

03-03-2005, 08:15 PM

is there the orginal ''stranger in the desert'' song from Megaman Zero 2?i would compare urs and the original.if u have plz reply to me.

The original song in Megaman Zero 2 is the opening stage music.

Zerokiller02

03-04-2005, 10:58 AM

i tried in lime wire and kazaa lite ,torrent storm and many more but most of the are urs?Although i like urs a lot,but i would like to listen to the original one.Plz and tq.

DarkeSword

03-04-2005, 04:24 PM

Zipp

03-04-2005, 04:45 PM

Darke, I'm a big fan. I have to say this one of my favorites from you. I hear a lot of different pieces in here, including, as Pretz pointed out, Metal Gear Solid and Aquatic Ambience. But the piano is all you, and it's beatiful. THANK YOU SO MUCH for staying low on the drums, I was afraid that they might come in heavy at some point and disrupt the flow.

Not much in terms of suggestion. There are two ways that I know once I've listened to something that it has reached perfection in my ears (cause does it ever reach perfection in the artist's ears?). One is that I will need at once to go play the piano and do an improvised remix. Another is that I suddenly feel I have to go play the game again. Your piece did both. Listening to it as I write this, and still loving it.

Zipp

TCK

03-04-2005, 11:19 PM

i tried in lime wire and kazaa lite ,torrent storm and many more but most of the are urs?Although i like urs a lot,but i would like to listen to the original one.Plz and tq.

This isn't really a request board. Also, don't search for Stranger in the Desert; search for Departure from Rockman Zero 2.

That's enough posting about where you can get the original, okay? Thank you.GSF Central (http://www.caitsith2.com/gsf/) - Megaman Zero 2 soundtrack (http://www.caitsith2.com/gsf/gsfs/mmzero2.rar)

I originally thought the track you were covering was Awakening World, but you're more or less right, it is Departure (Intro Stage), either works.

As for the mix itself, one of the best mixes in recent memory for me, and my favourite Darkesword mix.

meccaneer

03-06-2005, 01:42 PM

It's got a nice Michiru Yamane feel...

MonkeyHead79

03-29-2005, 03:43 AM

Very nice, especially for the first remix of the MM Zero series. Emotional yet relaxing, and I love the brief energetic part around 2:50. What frustrated me was that this is one of those tunes that you should be able to completely lose yourself in if you close your eyes, but it seems like most of the times the tune really seems to be building to something, it suddenly goes all quiet again.

Still, while it could have used some improvements here and there, it was quite enjoyable in the end. Thumbs up.

Bummerdude

01-07-2006, 12:12 PM

My first thought was that it sounded like the underwater theme in DKC. But then again, it was only a slight piano prelude, but it didn't make me think of a desert anyway.

But let's get back to the subject, I'm a complete loser for piano remixes, this one must be one of the most beautiful I've ever heard. It isn't two-handed, but those bright tunes just make me melt, like a scorching desert. HEY, I can make the connection now! Then there's also a lovely flute (which I happen to also to be a loser for, but not completely), and it puts that lonely mark on this remix. This is about a stranger, nowhere to go with only his cape and a bottle of water as company. The flute puts the dot above the i, making this a definite download for all those who has a keen ear for piano and flute arrangements. What can I say? DarkeSword has done it once again.

zilver

09-30-2006, 10:27 PM

This piece gives me shivers every time I listen to it.

Maybe I like it so much just because I've played the game and feel the emotional impact of the song, I don't know :roll:

Duo

05-03-2007, 07:26 PM

Everything about this piece is so good I don't know what to say. I got MMZ2 when it first came out and these two themes were clearly the best of the game (only a couple others are memorable...) and just love the entire feel and execution of the games intro. This takes it to an entire new level and although there are only 2 MMZ remixes, a song like this completely makes up for the lack of others. In a way, it fully encompasses what the Zero series is about, to me.

Inserio

03-12-2009, 01:20 AM

I finally figured out what the quicker part in the middle (around 2:50-3:14) reminds me of: some of the soundtrack by Kawai Kenji to the anime Fate/stay Night.

The melody is rather similar sounding, though it's been so long since I've played megaman--I don't remember most of the themes; so, it could just be that the composers wrote similar material.

Either way, it is just so catchy (especially those 32nd notes on the piano) and is definitely one of my favorites.

Crulex

02-19-2010, 03:48 PM

Ooohhhh.....yes. Just yes. This is beautiful in the beginning to 2:15 with the piano and the wind instrument together. I have a soft spot for those wind instruments, and more so when played like this. Then it gets into the faster sounding beat and I can really see how others could compare this to soundtrack/anime/intrumental CD's. Right after that it seems to be slow and calm again, but with more of a purpose. Oh yeah, this could work in a soundtrack or anime really well. Darn, good work, man.

04-26-2010, 10:25 PM

The first half is very subdued but determined, and then it starts to pick up and get even more determined. The piano left hand started out a little out of character for what the song ended up being, but overall I really enjoyed this one.

A single promise... A decisive battle... And time is running out...

Beautiful work. :-)