OCRA-0022 - Heroes vs. Villains (OC ReMix vs. The Bad Dudes)

[Liontamer]

ZOMG, what do you think? Post your opinions about this album!

[TGON]

Downloding right now so yeah...

[Brandon Strader]

Best. Album. Evar.

[Nearly]

MIND WELL AND TRULY BLOWN!

Without a doubt my Fave Ocremix album. The Legend of Zelda Tracks are epic. The Kirby Stuff Beastly, the Monkey Island stuff explosively, giddily funkiblobbily sexy.

Thanks to everyone for bringing thins monstah into the world.

Cannot gush with more praise. The best album on the site and that's no mean feat.

[linkspast]

Been waiting on this since I first heard about it a few month back.
I really want to leave class early so I can enjoy this.
Really looking forward to this.

[Nonamer]

I would download it, but my college has a goddamn torrent tracker. I'll download it at a starbucks or something.

[42]

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/42th/head-explode.jpg

[Chernabogue]

Let's go track by track (yeah I suck at reviewing) XD

01 - Samus
Got blasted, awesome intro for the album. The atmosphere kicks ass. That's it, nothing to add.

02 - Mother Brain
Digging the genre A LOT. Pads add a kinda 'maleficent' sound to the track. And WTF Vincent Price and chipmunk-thing laugh cameos. xD Enjoyed the track a lot.

03 - Guybrush Threepwood
Wasn't expecting metal for this one, but it is very well done. \m/ The vocals are very cool, reminds me of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' songs.

04 - LeChuck
Ethnic cool stuff, lovin' it. The chiptune break was awesome and unexpected. I was sure LeChuck's track would be a heavy metal arrangement, but this ReMix rocks.

05 - Kratos
BRAAAANDOON, yeah. \m/ I made so many headbangs listening to this. Great job, Mr. Strader, you prooved once more you can match OCR's big names! (Now get FF1 finished =P)

06 - Zeus
Wow, samples are amazing. Lot of drums in the intro, loved that. Interesting and weird track, mixing many genres at the same time.

07 - Axel
I was looking for some guitars from Will, but this electro arrangement is soooo cool. Reminds me zircon tracks and that's a good thing!

08 - Mr. X
zyk0 always takes interesting directions when remixing a song (*looking at some DoD entries and DKC2*), but they're always great. This one rocks. Loving the weird sequences too!

09 - Mega Man
Each time I'm hearing anosou's music (or whatever is your artist name now 8D), I discover something new. This take on the classic theme was so cool, good job!

10 - Dr. Wily
Again, I was thinking MM's and Wily's theme would be very epic electro stuff. But this take is very different from all other Wily ReMix and I appreciated a lot the direction taken.

11 - TMNT
Nothing to say on this one. bLiNd rocks once again and the track is truly epic and awesome.

12 - Shredder
Danimal Cannon! \m/Love how all the electro stuff was mixed with the metal stuff. Also, some weird moments not so necessary but adding a lot of fun to the track (I thought my PC was broken AGAIN lol)

13 - Link
Funny thing I listened to The Amazing BrandO's stuff on his website recently. This rap version of TLoZ is so cool and groovy I wanted to dance around my table (*dances around the table*)

14 - Ganon
The intro reminded metal albums intro (like Rhaposdy of Fire stuff). Vocals were a bit strangely mixed, but the take on the theme ins very strange and interesting to listen. Cool guitar stuff before the end.

15 - Ryu
zircon. One of my biggest ReMix heroes. And this track was great, loving the ethnic stuff and the calmness of the mix.

16 - Sagat
Yeah, acoustic track. Loving the way it was interpreted. Nothing to add to this, I enjoyed the track.

17 - Kirby
halc and Ben Briggs. This is an epic combination. Chiptune goodness pushed to the maximum. I lol'd at the Kirby SFX used, very fitting to the track.

18 - King Dedede
So, it's a chiptune-oriented battle, huh? I loved the way the brass + piano were mixed with the chiptune and electro stuff. The lead is a little bit muffled but the track very was enjoyable!

19 - Simon Belmont
Awesome. I thought SnappleMan was doing a metal cover of this one, but Mustin's version is sooo enjoyable I'm very happy with it! Simple but cool track.

20 - Dracula
Western/Morricone intro, the 'Illusionary Dance' (or is it 'Poison Mind'?) theme was very well introduced (reminds me a lot of virt's ClockWork DoD entry). And then METULZ! \m/ Slow metal, digging the 'Walk with Death' atmosphere. Nice ClockWork cameo at the end. Awesome track!

I'm really surprised by the quality of all these tracks. I was hopping for a great album... I got an epic one. Congrats and good job, everyone!

[SempaiMiles]

Hey all, Flozax here.

Thanks to Mazedude, Ktriton, The Bad Dudes and OCR for bringing me on board to do the album artwork. This was a ton of fun and I'm super stoked to listen to the results of everyone's hard work! I've put some high quality poster prints for sale on my website (http://randalldrew.com/?p=1641) if any of you are interested in a swanky, signed piece of art to hang on your wall! Rock on, Heroes and Villains alike!

[Kadosho]

Listening to the first VS theme.. wow I love the mix of melody vs action.
Feels like we're in the middle of a big fight (vs atmospheric instability!)

Still checking out each track 1 by 1 to compare. Amazing stuff!

[delbuster]

This is absolutely astounding

[Mazedude]

This project was a blast to put together, and hearing it in its entirety here, I freakin' love every moment of it. Even though I heard this came together every step of the way along with all the WIPs, I've put the finished product on loop here for the past several hours, and it's still an amazing listen.

Recipe for an amazing remix project:

1. Take a whole bunch of talented remixers

2. Put them at each other's throats so they really have to ramp up the talent

3. Enjoy the result!

[Subz1987]

This album blew my face off.

AWESOME beyond all imagination. Congratulations to everyone involved!

[halc]

FINALLY, my first OCR album appearance! :D

it's so exciting to be a part of this amazing album. listened to this in it's entirety and was highly impressed by pretty much every single mix. props to Diggi, bLiNd, anosou, & Mazedude (x2) for putting together some really mindblowing tracks .. and big congrats to everyone else as well! :nicework:

[HitoriJaNai]

I would just like to say that, whenever I go into an album, I go in with high hopes that every single track is absolutely amazing and is going to just knock my socks off. Normally, those high hopes are unrealistic.

But oh holy crap THIS ENTIRE ALBUM JUST KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF WTF MATE?!?!?

[JH Sounds]

This is astoundingly absolute

[RDX]

Sonic got scrapped huh? Sega's gon be pissed. I'll get around to listening to all it, but for the moment I did the obligatory one track taste test and it's pretty awesome. For some strange reason the Kirby track makes me want to...go shopping.

[Brandon Strader]

Sonic got scrapped huh? Sega's gon be pissed. I'll get around to listening to all it, but for the moment I did the obligatory one track taste test and it's pretty awesome. For some strange reason the Kirby track makes me want to...go shopping.
The Kirby track made me want to throw a bar mitzvah

[Geneson]

I can't help but just sit back and marvel. You guys made me skip one of my classes today so I could sit in a corner and just soak it all in. I couldn't help but smile half the time while listening...this album feels like a culmination of this community's amazing growth.

I love sports and it was this album's friendly-competitive nature that drew me to it from the beginning. The project directors put it best when they said that having a remixer at their throats ready to dual them brought out everyone's A-game, it's like everyone brought out their big guns as if their lives depended on it. I'm compelled to write track reviews with the hyperbole of a sports commentator.

There's been a lot of good vibes throughout the VGM community lately, with virt mixes showing up on OCR, OUS peeps showing a lot of love to the work of OCR artists, even Protricity offering to write code for VGmix. What better way to represent this new-found harmony than with the Bad Dudes and OCR trying to kick each other's asses in music supremacy. Enough talk, let's get to fightin'!

Round 1. FIGHT!

http://vgremix.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/samus.jpg?w=133VS http://vgremix.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/motherbrain.jpg?w=150

Hype Factor: 9/10
As the first announced match-up way back around the project's birth, the excitement level for this pairing was already pretty high given the track record of these two all-stars. Stylistically, you typically know what you're getting from BGC, and you know it's going to kick all kinds of ass. Mazedude, on the other hand, is notorious for adapting to any type of playing field you want to throw at him. So when the sneak peak came out on Youtube showing that he was turning Mother Brain's track into a COLOSSAL D'n'B track, the hype factor went up a further notch.

Commentary: You could not ask for a better kick off or opening pitch than BGC's track. The tone has been set, the gauntlet has been thrown down, and we know that OCR is not going down without a fight. We've all heard these sources before, and for the most part BGC doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, he just makes it sound even sharper and more atmospheric than ever before.

Mazedude counters with yet another one of his left-field, where-the-hell-did-that-come-from mixes that defy rational characterization. This is downright sinister stuff, a perfect counter to the tone of heroism that BGC brought with Samus. The end has a schizoid intensity that reminds me of Squarepusher. Frightening on so many levels, especially when I remember that this is the same guy who makes music as smooth as Sagat's Moonbike.

Verdict: SLIGHT SLIGHT edge to Mazedude. This match was as close as it gets. BGC delivered some serious shots that sent the Bad Dudes reeling but Mazedude's insane creativity gives him the tiniest edge, and it's as close as it gets after Round 1. I hate to pick a winner in any of these matchups since we're all winners like djp said, and this one was especially heartbreaking to decide. Both are A+++ mixes.

tbc...

[SubNormal J3]

w00t! 2011 is looking to be the best year for ocr yet.

[Mirby]

1. Big Giant Circles - Bounty of a Brain 3:55
Samus Aran (Metroid) - Super Metroid
It starts out classic BGC style; Mr. Hinson hasn't lost his touch at all. Everything builds and builds continually... intensity rises clear past the minute mark... 1:12 brings in some awesome guitar to really kick the album, and the battle, off. 1:29 or so gets the melody rockin' right on. 1:47 gets Samus' theme in the mix. 2:09 isolates the theme from the rest, only to reacquaint it with everything else bit by bit starting at 2:25. By 2:55 it's all back together, with more than it started with. A finale for the track seems imminent, as everything slows down at 3:20. Ambience kicks in shortly after, and carries the track through to the end.

2. Mazedude - Dieselbrainage 4:20
Mother Brain (Metroid) - Super Metroid
Ambience continues, picked up by the first of the Bad Dudes, Mazedude. Infamous for his quirky tracks, Mr. Getman really keeps the mood eerie right off the bat. 0:52 brings in some rhythm. The drums 'n bass genre works well for this track. Creepy sounds punctuate the soundscape like bats in a cave, only intensifying and amplifying the spooky atmosphere of the track. 1:59 brings in Samus' theme, but it's quickly silenced. After a brief breakdown at about 2:25, it all returns at about 2:58. Massive breakdowns much like the breaking of the glass around Mother Brain's dome are plentiful in the later seconds of the track. By 3:46 the speed has slowed down considerably. 3:56 starts off a very basic rhythm. One dude down, many more to go. On to the next battle!

3. audio fidelity feat. Eric Griffin, Derek Meler, Marcus Affeldt - Pirate Shout 3:32
Guybrush Threepwood (Monkey Island) - The Secret of Monkey Island
Ooh! Tropical! I like it already. And epic guitar at 0:13. audio fidelity didn't waste any time. Screams of YO and HO add to the piratey feel. There's awesome guitar and awesome chanting here. A flute comes in at about 2:20, only to be usurped by guitar again at 2:39. A PIRATE'S LIFE WAS MEANT FOR ME, TRIM THE SAILS AND ROAM THE SEA!! Think that's the lyrics... they work. Awesome guitar to end.

4. Diggi Dis feat. Alex Jones - Voodoo, Roots 'n Grog 3:45
LeChuck (Monkey Island) - The Secret of Monkey Island
Acoustic guitar now? And drums too? Awesome! This song has a nice rhythm... enjoyable. Some funky styling comes in at 1:03 or so, and the feel permeates the entire track. It's quite groovy as well. Oh damn, chiptunes at 1:55 or so. This song has everything! More traditional instruments return at 2:24, with some awesome piano. A very fun track to listen to, only for all the funk and groove and general awesomeness... To the next battle!

5. Brandon Strader - Born of Ashes, Baptized in Blood 5:25
Kratos (God of War) - God of War
Starts out very dramatically, worthy of the character this battle is for. The question is, is the battle for the music or for Kratos' very soul? Guitar comes in at 0:34 or so. Intensity builds at 1:05. Very nice guitar work done here by Mr. Strader. A bit of a mix comes about at about 2:20. Awesome bass at 2:44 or so. This song is more metal than the liquid metallic hydrogen seas of Jupiter. Yes, I mean the planet, not the Roman god, since this is Greek mythology-inspired. 4:35 brings in more melody, and it carries through to the end.

6. Kunal Majmudar - Wrath Industrial 3:01
Zeus (God of War) - God of War
Well the title's not far off... this does sound very industrial. And bagpipey too; how that's industrial I don't know but it works. A very ambient piece... some electronica sounds come in at about 0:50. Guitar at 1:05 or so, and strings at 1:20 or so. Also a very unique track. More guitar at 1:46. Charging at 2:20 for awesome guitar at 2:25 or so. Song ends with a descent at 2:55. To the next battle!

7. WillRock - Bare Knuckle Blitz 4:00
Axel (Streets of Rage) - Streets of Rage
Whoa! I thought this was from Streets of Rage, not Dance Clubs of Passion. Regardless, Mr. Harby comes through, and rocks this track from the start. Signature WillRock sounds permeate the track like Febreze in a small dorm, and it's a very good thing. 1:46 is an example of great guitar work by Will. This little bit continues until 2:14, when the main rhythm takes center stage. Everything breaks down for a bit unti 2:45 or so when it restarts in grand fashion. The song sort of takes a life of its own until 3:51 when the end begins.

8. zyko - Mr. Z 5:57
Mr. X (Streets of Rage) - Streets of Rage
Ah yes, zyko. A more versatile musician is hard to find, but we already have zyko so why bother looking? We've got some guitar, tense drumbeat, and electronic sound effects. Yep, it's zyko. Laughing at 1:48 breaks the music down, but it slowly builds back up. By 2:24 or so, it's back. Organ comes in at about 2:50. A solo of sorts busts out at about 3:05, with organ backing it up. Another sudden stop occurs at about 3:36... At 3:55 it all explodes back onto the scene. An awesome guitar solo picks up not long after, and continues more or less until 4:36. The end of the track is definitely building up. Sound clips from the game work well... after 4:45 or so weird effects and guitar go back and forth until the 5:25, when guitar comes back. It quickly vanishes and the main rhythm takes over and the end really does begin. To the next battle!

9. Mattias Häggström Gerdt - Screw Wily, I'm Taking a Vacation 4:08
Mega Man (Mega Man) - Mega Man 2
Piano and electronica. Typical of Mr. I-have-too-many-umlauts Gerdt. A very happy track worthy of a vacation. Some nice guitar comes in at about 0:53. The guitar comes back in at about 1:40 or so. I hear some Mega Man 9 title theme at 2:05 or so. This continues until 2:56 when a basic breakdown occurs. Everything returns back to the main source at 3:08 or so. The guitar takes prominence at about 3:18. More MM9 title at 3:40 or so. Heads up, last time Rock tried taking a vacation we got GUTSMAN'S ASS soo... yeah...

10. Joshua Morse - Screw Mega Man, I'm Taking Over The World 3:19
Dr. Wily (Mega Man) - Mega Man 4
Basic Morse style, and it's never been more beautiful. Many parts working in harmony to create beauty. 0:45 isolates the main rhythm, punctuates with some bass and horns, and returns it to normal at about 1:00. At 1:28 we have some Wily Stage 1 from MM2. 1:52 brings the main rhythm back. The instrumentation is magnificent in this track, not surprisingly. A quick simplification occurs at about 2:45 or so and continues until the end. To the next battle!

11. bLiNd - Go Ninja, Go 4:13
T.M.N.T. (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Go bLiNd go! We're halfway there! What a very mystical sounding track... it's beautiful and awesome. Everything starts to come in at 0:44 with epic guitar. A very fast-paced track, worthy of them heroes in a half-shell. Breakdown at 1:40 or so. Everything comes back at 2:11 with a solo of sorts. Breakdown again at 3:00 or so. I guess the turtles learned how to shred... suppose that cancels out Shredder's shredding or something... This very basic part continues until the end.

12. Danimal Cannon - Enter the Shredder 4:09
Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) - TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
Now can Shredder outshred the turtle's track? Let's see what Dan can do. Fast-paced guitar and drums starting at 0:03? Very epic. Forgive any future typos; my face might melt over my eyes blocking my vision. Super-fast stop at 0:54 and restart a second later. Another breakdown at about 1:40 or so. Chiptunish sound effects take over... guitar returns at 1:58 or so. More basic rhythm at 2:25. 2:49 brings a feminine voice clip saying Enter the Shredder, only to bring in one of Dan's signature solos immediately afterward. This solo continues on until the end of the track, only to start breaking down near the end much like the Technodrome does ALL THE TIME. Ends with laughing. To the next battle.

13. José the Bronx Rican feat. zyko - He Ain't a G 4:22
Link (Legend of Zelda) - The Legend of Zelda
José starts off rapping immediately. Good instrumentation. YOU MUST BE HIGH IF YOU WANT TO RULE. Okay, this song wins already. The lyrics are good, as is the rapping. I heard Treecko... I love all the double entendrés here. zyko takes over rapping at 2:14 or so. The echo effect on his voice works well. José takes over at 2:48. The only tracks on the entire disc to be worked on by all involved in the particular battle, and it's better for it. The track is passed on at 4:04 with instrumentation and the line, "Take this."

14. zyko feat. José the Bronx Rican - Bladewalker 7:19
Ganon (Legend of Zelda) - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
A basic retelling of A Link to the Past? Wouldn't surprise me, but that's why I like me some zyko. Randomness in music is his forte. And I mean that in the best way possible. Voiceovers like ones from a movie are played, and they're as well-written as the lyrics in the Link track before this one. A very basic rhythm plays throughout this part. The final battle theme takes over at about 2:00... 2:49 brings in some lyrics. They're as well-written as the previous vocal parts, and the instrumentation is good. 3:50 brings in some guitar. Each time the verse seems about to end, it continues. Very well-done. I AM ERROR. Okay, now the Link track has some competition. The guitar sounds very raw, and that fits Ganon's pure unbridled hate. Probably the reason it's so raw sounding. More spoken word at about 5:40. And then, José at 5:50 or so. I think. Organs at 6:33 or so. Laughter at 6:40 or so. From here everything slows down to the end. To the next battle!

15. zircon, Joshua Morse - Satsui no Koto 2:57
Ryu (Street Fighter) - Street Fighter II
Wait? JM is on both sides? Okay, guess that works. Very Japanese sounding. Nice instrumentation. A bit of a solo at 0:45. Chiptunes at 1:15 or so. More strings at 1:39. Electronica at 1:56... this sounds like Morse's part of the song. Piano at 2:08. Signature JM sound at 2:28 or so. Calmness through to the end.

16. posu yan, Joshua Morse feat. Stacy Morse - Coconut Milk 3:40
Sagat (Street Fighter) - Street Fighter II
After the introductory rhythm, main instruments come in at about 0:25. Another tropical track, moreso than the previous though. A very happy track too. A bit of an acoustic guitar solo at 1:34. More solo afterwards. Everything calms down at about 2:30. At 2:53 it picks back up. A finale is definitely imminent. Sure enough, it begins at 3:13. And it ends at 3:36. To the penultimate battle!

17. Insert Rupee (Benjamin Briggs, halc) - The Life and Death of Kirby 3:54
Kirby (Kirby) - Super Smash Bros.
It slowly builds... some nice bass and sound effects kick this off. Rhythm comes in at about 0:38, and melody at about 0:46. Chiptune champions Briggs and Wheeler take on this track with style and aplomb. It's a great rendition too; happy, fun, chippy... what else needs to be said? Still think the band name should've been halchthonic, though. Solo of sorts at 2:00 or so. 2:40 or so brings a bit of breakdown. It works magnificently, especially at 3:00 when it takes on a unique feel with removed notes; a wondrous sound it makes though. Everything slowly tapers to the end at 3:45.

18. Mazedude - Hot Air Penguin 3:37
King Dedede (Kirby) - Kirby Super Star
He's back for revenge!! Mr. Getman takes on Dedede's theme wonderfully. Everything kicks in at 0:27. Chiptunes are present here; guess it's a battle of the retro sound chips. At 1:11 the chippiness is really evident. Horns come in at 1:24. At 2:00 the horns and chips cohabitate the soundscape of the song. Piano is also used a lot here. 3:02 brings all instruments back for one final push. 3:15 signals the beginning of the end in piano chords. To the final battle! Who shall win? Let's see!

19. Mustin - The Prodigal Son Returns 3:49
Simon Belmont (Castlevania) - Super Castlevania IV
Mustin's not playing for the Bad Dudes here? Intriguing... just like the start of the track. Funky track for sure right here. 0:50 or so brings in some main source usage. 1:10 or so has piano for source usage. There's also a whip sound effect throughout the track. Fitting. 1:42 brings in some of Mustin's signature funk, probably borrowed from his own OneUp Studios hardware and/or software. Very mellow and calm. 2:17 signals a return of source usage... and whip. 3:08 brings in a solo, perfect for the end of the track.

20. Ailsean - A Walk with Death 4:16
Dracula (Castlevania) - Castlevania
And now, for the final song. Bad Dude vs. Bad Dude... who shall prevail? It's tough, for this track starts out slow and calm, with ahh-ing and stuff. 0:33 brings in some simple guitar. 0:49 brings in more complicated guitar, still acoustic though. 1:04 makes it electric to great effect. 1:36 brings in more source usage. 1:51 has some laughter in the background, and again at 1:59. 2:08 returns to a very basic rhythm, and the ahh-ing returns. 2:39 brings back the awesome guitar. I'm expecting some epic guitar soon, Ailsean. Please don't let me down. 3:11 returns the simplistic style of earlier in the track. 3:29 brings in what I was hoping for, epic guitar solo. Thanks for not letting me down man. Even though it stops at 3:45, it was still awesome. Acoustic returns at the four minute mark, only to stop at 4:10 to the end.

CONCLUSION
Well... it's a bit hard to tell who came out on top here. If it was Heroes vs. Villains, then both sides battled bravely and built a balanced bout. If it was Bad Dudes vs. OverClocked ReMix, then each side masterfully manipulated music to manhandle the melee they momentarily met with. All alliteration aside though, this was a phenomenal album.
The warning in the included readme file isn't far off, either. "But don't freak out when your face starts melting. We warned you." They most certainly did. Great work from all involved; I think this battle's a stalemate. Until next time, game on!

[big giant circles]

Awesome reviews, thanks all! Also, I don't mind Chris getting the edge, I bow in due respect and awe of his mazey-dudeness. ;)

[Z]

Very disapointed that sonic didn't make the cut, but I did like most of the tracks on here. That metroid track, and the two ninja turtle tracks were probably my favorite tracks. Thanks all, heroes should battle villains around here more often.

[ktriton]

Couldn't be happier with the music that came out of this. Thanks to all those who were a part of this and made it happen!

[PPXEXE]

Great Album you guy's, I don't think there was even 1 music piece that i didn't like, great work. ^_^

[TCSyd]

Cool concept and fantastic remixes across the album.

My favorites were zyko's "Mr. Z," and zircon and Joshua Morse's "Satsui no Koto."

Generally, I run screaming from VG rap (it's an exaggeration, but it tends to be too hammy for my tastes), but the two Zelda remixes kept me listening, which means a lot.

Lastly, a word of thanks goes out to all the collaborators; amazing job!

[luhny]

my sincerest congrats on this great album. i would give three thumbs up, if i had more than two!

[Swifthom]

This album coming out alone warranted me joining the forums here... After several years contributing reviews to some friends blogs, I decided recently to start somewhere I could store all my works by themselves. And the first 'original' piece i've done since starting this blog up is this album...
Post copied from here (http://imburningout.blogspot.com/2011/02/heroes-vs-villains-album-by-bad-dudes.html)


My mind feels like it’s just blown…

Things start explosively with the mindblowing combination of Samus and Mother Brain’s theme. Whilst Big Giant Circles goes down the great anthemic, albeit traditional, route of pumping up Samus’s theme with rocking guitars, Mazedude gives an incredible drum’n’bass remix to the Mother Brain theme, making excellent use of the unusual time signature. As opening tracks these do an incredible job of thrusting you into the mood for something epic and unlike anything OCRemix has provided before. If I’ve any complaint its that Mazedude’s track doesn’t go on longer, as it ends on a rather abrupt note, leaving me hungry for more…

Who’d have though Audio Fidelity would provide us with a Pirate Rock take on Guybrush Threepwood. The vocals clearly differentiate this track from its predecessors, full of all the melody and excitement of a life on the high seas. This is in stark contrast to Voodo, Roots’n’Grog, where Bad Dudes Diggi Dis responds with a brass heavy arrangement that’s notably more sombre than its predecessor, but none the less merry for it.

After four epic arrangements of classic video game songs, the God of War duet that follows is unusual as both songs I could almost picture as actually coming from the game. Brandon Strader effectively collects together some of the biggest motifs from Kratos’s games and gives us something anthemic and powerful. Kunal Majmudar however opts for a far more manufactured approach with ‘Wrath Industrual’ which sounds as though its being pumped out from the factory floor. Both excellent tracks well worth a listen.

WillRock provides a chiptunes esque take Streets of Rage, capturing the aggressive vibrancy of the original games. With fast, hard working guitars bopping away throughout the song’s main melody struggles to differentiate itself at times but no one familiar with the source will fail to be caught up in the sheer amount of energy on display – again it feels like it almost comes directly from the original game. This energy is reflected in a much more managed, focus way in Zyko’s response, which takes the theme in some very strange directions but is powerful and menacing at the same time.

The next track is called ‘Screw Willy, I’m Taking a Vacation’ and the song is just as shocking as the title. Smooth, jazzy, relaxed this sounds like the 8-bit equivalent of lemonade by the pool… Just as overindulgent as you could hope it to be. There’s evidence here Josua Morse and Mattias Häggström Gerdt must have communicated their ideas because these two tracks, the most relaxed in the album, are extremely well coordinated, the latter taking things in a very similar direction that sounds almost ‘casino-ish’.

bLiND throws a slight curveball three quarters of the way through the next track where things transform from a preppy-guitar driven blinder to a more downbeat dub bass that would sound excellent on speakers better than mine. As if deliberately outmatching it ‘Enter the Shredder’ throws an even greater curveball half way through its own electro/metal romp with a cute vocal sample and a downright ridiculous solo section. Completely mad but something done with this much talent and conviction succeeds on ambition alone. Amazing…

Proving this album’s ambition to go places no vg-remix has gone before, José the Bronx Rican and zyko provide a duet of battle-rap excellence to some of video games oldest themes. Well that’s the spirit of ‘He Ain’t a G’ but ‘Bladewalker’ takes things a little further with some epic soundtracking, giving some traditional fantasy-concept elements to this strange fusion of genres. I’ve no doubt these songs will be divisive but there’s some real talent on display in both.


Another acoustic pair follow and both provide relaxed, ethnic, enjoyable themes that take the time to flesh out the source tunes with style. Both very enjoyable and well deserves respites from the grandstanding of the rest of the album, but by the nature of the songs around to them probably destined to be overlooked.


Insert Rupee is the collaboration of electronic-chiptunesque maestro’s Benjamin Briggs and halc, who have both becomes OCRemix regulars of late, and they bring their best to Kirby’s theme with a demented yet epic beatboxing anthem that has an almost haunting property to it. Mazedude responds with his second track on the album, an all encompassing track that perhaps tries to do slightly too much to stand straight. This jazzy, piano-centric, brass-chiptunes behemoth heaves its way through verses with as much grace as its namesake, but amongst the chaotic fun there’s a real gem here.


The final duet features two Castlevania songs, one by Bad Dudes turncoat Mustin representing OCR, and the other from Ailsean. As the final tracks of one of the most ambitious vgremix album’s I’ve heard to date I was hoping for a little more from ‘The Prodigal Son Returns’ which is a very accomplished, technical, fun piece, but just a little to relaxed for its place on the album. Fortunately ‘A Walk With Death’ corrects this in just a few bars, with a concept piece that draws the listener in on a journey through the horror and out into the other side. Traditional metal guitars, ominous rising chords and an epic chorus… A very classy way to end.

Over twenty songs this album represents a broad spectrum of video games, from the early days right through to the current generation, and it’s clearly been a labour of love for its artists. The styles on display are as varied as the source material and all very accomplished. I’d say it potentially struggles to keep the momentum its first half generates but that would be nigh on impossible after the first few songs…


….


And as this is technically an OCR vs. Bad Dudes album… Whilst both sides have represented themselves fantastically with some very ambitious work I’d say the villains have it… just.



Great album, great site, great music. Keep up the good work.

[NegimaSonic]

I'm not a great reviewer I'm afraid, all I can say is I loved most of the album. Though for me, after reading some of the comments, I feel a little bad because I feel the heroes outright won (if you can compare) vs the villains. The four songs I deleted were the "Dieselbrainage", Enter the Shredder", "Bladewalker", and "Hot Air Penguin". Not all of these games am I familiar with the sources so that affects my judgment a bit.
I thought:
Enter the Shredder was good but...it shredded a bit too much for me and the (on purpose) glitch sounding guitar stuff at the end actually killed it for me.
Bladewalker was nice but the length of it and the way its done, its just something I know I wouldn't play on repeat much if ever again.
And the final two were done by the same guy, Mazedude. I generally like randomness but I couldn't get with it in either of those tracks. Hot Air Penguin did have me going for awhile but I think its the...trumpets? That ended it for me.

But I didn't really have any other issues with the other tracks and I appreciate all the effort that went into all of the songs.

[Swifthom]

And that's the best thing about an album like this that encompasses so many different things.
If I was rating the songs in order Dieselbrainage, Enter Shredder and Hot Air Penguin would number 1,2,3 as the best on the album. What I love about the latter most is that I actually get this picture of a giant behemoth literally 'wobbling' around when I listen to it. 8-O

[Chernabogue]

This year begins very well with an epic album featuring great tracks! Will OCR release 12 albums in 2011? :-P

[Geneson]

Round 2 ahoy!!

http://vgremix.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/guybrush.jpg?w=150 VS http://vgremix.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/lechuck.jpg?w=150

Hype Factor: 8/10
The original plan to have OA, audio fidelity, and Abadoss join forces in a mega collab for Guybrush made Diggi Dis seem like the baddest of all the Bad Dudes. If anyone can give Mazeude a run for his money in terms of versatility, it's Diggi Dis. A master of groove, disciple of phat hip hop beats, seducer of the Mamacitas with the Latin guitar...the man is a dangerous Swiss army knife wielding chiptunes, R&B, and a can opener of whoop-ass.

That hype deflated just a tad bit when it turned out that OA and Abadoss had dropped, leaving us all to wonder what audio fidelity had up his sleeves. His body of work is impressive, but I think we were all excited to hear the Monkey Island theme done with a rich array of instrumentation brought by three unique musicians. Needless to say, I think audio fidelity fulfilled that wish and then some by bringing a few other friends on board.

Bonus hype points for remixing Monkey Island and making the roster of games covered just slightly less mainstream and predictable. As much as we all love more Street Fighter and Mega Man coverage, I appreciate that an effort was made to scour the past for forgotten characters and themes, especially two that are beloved as this.

Commentary:
To be honest, I never imagined audio fidelity had an arrangement like this in him. djpretzel says he was sold at the first vocal 55 seconds in...I was sold five seconds in with the lush tropical sounds. So glad that both of these mixes fully embraced the pirate mentality, and delivered interpretations that I'm sure fans of the game will find nostalgic. As everyone else has already stated, this mix is pure FUN. I'm a big fan of the flute segment 2:15 in. The vocals MAKE the track folks, I can't imagine listening to the song without them.

Diggi Dis fires back with the grooviest track I've ever heard from him, utilizing a large range of his repertoire to lay down the funk. Funky funky bass, clavinet, trombone, and all the familiar Diggi Dis elements are at play here. Perfectly executed chiptune to boot. Many try their best to defy genres and incorporate crazy mish-mashes of different styles and textures, but to me nobody does it quite as naturally and effortlessly as Diggi Dis.

Verdict: These are probably my two favorite tracks on the whole shebang. That being said, I don't really hesitate too long in awarding Diggi Dis with the point. Objectively, it's arguably the best song on the album. The two closest matches, in my books, happen to be at the very front of the album, and audio fidelity delivered a humdinger that I hope everyone who played the game will have the chance to experience. Tough tough break for OCR and the Heroes to be edged 0-2 right at the start with some clooooose calls, but Diggi Dis prevails by another tiny margin by raising the bar yet again.

Will the Villains take a commanding 3-0 lead in the next battle, or can Brandon Strader save the day as Kratos? Tune in next time :tomatoface:

[kablammyman]

Finally, some love for the wily theme from megaman 4! I love that tune, and the remix is awesome! (im sure the others are great, but this is the first one I listened too, lol)

[SuperiorX]

This album is absolutely amazing. Probably my favorite OCR album yet. Really every track is great, but I particularly liked Mattias' Mega Man track (I'm a sucker for Mega Man and jazz) and Jose's Link track, which really surprised me. I didn't know what to expect, but I love the beat and the lyrics. Both of the TMNT tracks are also awesome (why don't we have more TMNT tracks on OCR!?).

I know I didn't go into much detail with this "review", but just wanted to say how great this album is! Awesome job everyone!

[Emperor Charlemagne]

gosh darn finally, a Wily stage mix from a game that's NOT Mega Man 2. AND it's from one of the best of them, too.

That's the only one I've had time to listen to thus far, but I'll just say that you already did tons better than the Complete Works remix of that song.

Can't wait to get out of this oppressive torrent-banned atmosphere and get me the rest of this!

[Sir_Downunder]

This album was awesome. Congratulations for all the artists that were involved in this project.

Could we see another one of these albums down the track? Will this become the OCR equivalent of Marvel vs. Capcom?

To get to the point. DJP, if there was enough buzz generated from this album, would you consider getting together with Mustin (and the rest of the Bad Dudes) and do another one of these albums?

[underthesun]

"Wrath Industrial" and "The bounty of a brain" is pretty damn epic.

The megaman theme (by matias) and "coconut milk" is great too.

I've not yet heard the whole album, but it's sounding pretty damn awesome so far.

[butalearner]

A massive thank you to the talented group of artists behind this album. Awesome, awesome stuff.

Also, I may not be in the majority here, but I *love* that FLAC versions are included. Back when the FF4 album was first released I only listened to the MP3s, and some time later I installed Rockbox on my iPod and loaded the FLACs. It was like a whole new album, and I mean that in the best way possible. To those of you only listening to the MP3s, you are really missing out on the brilliance behind these tracks.

[The Damned]

The album has been featured on Destructoid!

http://www.destructoid.com/the-bad-dudes-take-on-oc-remix-in-epic-musical-clash-193667.phtml

[elementc]

The two tracks for Zelda were huge disappointments.

Thankfully, the rest of the album makes up for it. Especially the two fricken amazing tracks from Monkey Island.

[Liontamer]

The two tracks for Zelda were huge disappointments.

I POO on your rap-hate!

[WillRock]

I POO on your rap-hate!

Rap iz teh wrst ting on teh whole plant I cnt stand it.

Oh great I have to review this now right...

Yeah... cool stuff, enjoyed the the remixes from Diggi Dis, AF and his crew of miscreants, bLiNd, Insert Rupee and Danimal Cannon. Best match up imo was Monkey Island, some fantastic stuff there. Not sure I dig the remastering that was done on my track so much but w/e you guys are promoting the SHIT out of it along with the whole album so i'm good :)

Great stuff guys, some really strong stuff overall. Might post match up reviews later, give some incite to my thoughts on who won each match up :P

[Brandon Strader]

I actually think the Zelda tracks are the highlight so EFF YOU

[zyko]

hahahahaha

[José the Bronx Rican]

Just like clockwork.

[ktriton]

Not sure I dig the remastering that was done on my track so much

Sorry Will, that would be my bad! I went with what I thought sounded best coming out of my monitors (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HS50M/) and headphones (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SRH440/), but I know how subjective mastering can be. Sorry that you didn't dig it...hope I didn't do too much damage to your track!

[WillRock]

Sorry Will, that would be my bad! I went with what I thought sounded best coming out of my monitors (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HS50M/) and headphones (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SRH440/), but I know how subjective mastering can be. Sorry that you didn't dig it...hope I didn't do too much damage to your track!

Nah man its cool, I'm really kinda fuzzy about anything like that, and no one else seemed to care so i'm cool with it :wink:

Seriously, no sorry needed.

[zyko]

Sorry Will, that would be my bad! I went with what I thought sounded best coming out of my monitors (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HS50M/) and headphones (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SRH440/), but I know how subjective mastering can be. Sorry that you didn't dig it...hope I didn't do too much damage to your track!

those are weak headphones bro :p

in other news, i'm actually really blown away with what you did with mr. z cuz that actually sounded like shit before lol

[Geneson]

From the depths of Hades, Round 3...

http://vgremix.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/kratos.jpg?w=150VS________http://vgremix.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/zeus.gif?w=150

Hype Factor: 6/10
Let's all be honest here. On paper, at the outset at least, this was the most lopsided of the announced match-ups. In one corner: ktriton, accomplished musician with some of the most creative and imaginative music on OCR and the Bad Dudes albums. In the other corner, after multiple artists declined taking on the Kratos theme: Brandon Strader, with no posted OCR songs on his resume at the time. Put to the monumental task of re-imagining the God of War soundtrack, it was easy to bet on the veteran over the newcomer.

Fast forward about 8 months later and that gap has narrowed somewhat, with Brandon adding 4 OCR tracks to the site and the release of Root of All Evil, which sort of flew under the radar as a pretty solid OCR album. I probably would have still bet the farm on ktriton winning the match-up though.

Let me also take this opportunity to shower some praise on Kunal, who I don't think has received enough credit for his role in bringing this album to fruition. Mustin may have conceived HvV, but I have a feeling it was Kunal's hard work that pushed this album to release in just a year. My guess is that the overall ordering of the tracks and consideration of flow (which are perfect, btw) were conducted under his supervision. I think we all owe him our thanks!

Commentary:
Brandon's track really surprised me here, he clearly busted his ass on this song. Large, satisfying buildups and lots of addictive riffs. Clever use of the GoW theme in a metal soundscape, especially when the most recognizable part comes in at 2:00. Would have liked the use of some more orchestral or choral samples throughout, but won't nitpick here; the track is very solid.

The way Kunal turned that heavy percussion intro on Wrath Devine into industrial drums was genius and perfectly executed. Love the thunder sample. From there on it's a bit of a mixed bag, with the choral elements of the original turned into electro and industrial sounds that feel less striking. It's an accomplished technical piece but I think I would have loved it more if it fully embraced the industrial context created at the beginning to turn the track into something truly ominous.

Verdict:
The Kratos situation is kind of like having your first, second, and third string quarterbacks all falling to injury and depending on your fourth string quarterback to save the day. I think the Heroes side would have been happy if Brandon simply dueled Kunal to a near draw, but in a stunning upset I think the winner here is actually Strader. Wrath Devine is certainly a colossal track to mix, but so is the GoW theme, and I thought Brandon did as well as you could ask for. The different elements in Kunal's mix didn't mesh as well as I would have liked, but it's still a marvel on a technical standpoint. Well done guys! 2-1 advantage villains in my books after 3 rounds.

[Didaji]

Nice album ! Keep up the good work.

I also have to say that i like the Zelda tracks :)

[Bahamut]

So I haven't posted my thoughts yet, but it wasn't for lack of appreciation - I've been listening to this album pretty much every day on loop while playing TF2 or doing other random tasks. I love this album quite a lot, and definitely ranks up there as one of my favorite albums on OCR so far.

Here's my breakdown on the matchups:

Samus (BGC) vs. Mother Brain (Mazedude)

This is a pretty awesome way to launch into the album - both tracks are great, but I have to side with Mazedude's here - Mazedude did some pretty crazy stuff and you really get the vibe of something scary & aggressive through this song, and a bit of a fight too with that notable brass section playing the fanfare & then switching back to the assault. Well done by both BGC & Mazedude, what an excellent beginning from a mellow song to a battle.

Guybrush Threepwood (audio fidelity) vs. LeChuck (Diggi Dis)

Sadly enough, I've never played the Monkey Island games despite owning them on Steam - it's on my to do list though!

More relevantly, this is one of the best matchups on the album. Jay crafts a great cheery pirate song while Diggi Dis brings the contrast. I think I have to give the slight edge to audio fidelity here, although I do wish it was a little longer. This matchup is probably my favorite matchup of the bunch though.

Kratos (Brandon Strader) vs. Zeus (Kunal Majmudar)

I'm going to be honest - this is the most underwhelming matchups IMO. Production/guitar recording really drags on Brandon's track (guitars don't have an in your face feel that the arrangement seems to call for), which makes Kunal's track the defacto winner of the battle for me. It does a great job in setting a big atmosphere, although it's a bit out of place with Brandon's as far as comparing & contrasting goes, which is certainly long.

Axel (WillRock) vs. Mr. X (zyko)

Oh hell yeah! Love both these tracks - WillRock brings his great synthwork to the forefront here, while zyko circles a dance of death with his. I, like WillRock, think the remastering did a number on Will's track in terms of the overall sound - I haven't heard the original, but it sounds off compared to all of the other tracks I've heard by him. In particular, the synth panning from left to right sounds more extreme than normal. zyko's track is also excellent, but it's a more darker/serious track and is harder to appreciate for many I feel.

This round is a push for me, I look forward to listening to both these tracks quite a bit.

Mega Man (Mattias Gerdt Haggstrom) vs. Dr. Wily (Joshua Morse)

Elevator music for the Mega Man matchup? This is the most surprising of the matchups, although if you looked at the artists beforehand you shouldn't be surprised. These are two solid tracks, although for this, I personally have to side with the more active one by Joshua Morse.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (bLiNd) vs. Shredder (Danimal Cannon)

Now this is a huge matchup! bLiNd vs. Danimal! bLiNd goes a non-trance/house route here, while Danimal goes for a hyperactive battle. For those not familiar with Jordan's capabilities, it should surprise them greatly that he is able to come up with a track like this, far from his typical electronic goodness, although I seem to remember him saying that he just prefers to make house music.

Danimal has a great song too, but admittedly I was not terribly interested in the first half, although part of that might be due to the compression on the album as a whole causing the synth to sound not as great as it should sound - the second half of the song is where things really get interesting and ascend the song to another level.

I have to go with bLiNd here for this one, his song is too solid throughout.


More to come sometime this week on the rest!

[SempaiMiles]

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5425497879_881643a7a5_z.jpg (http://randalldrew.com/?page_id=827)

Just so y'all know, I only have a few more posters available for sale (like, 4) It'll be a while before I can print another run of them so git on that shiz!

[42]

One of the things I really love about this album is the amount of chivalrous interplay between the tracks and artists, for example Mattias Häggström Gerdt and Joshua Morse mirroring each other's track titles, Zyko and José the Bronx Rican featuring each other on the other's track, Joshua Morse teaming up with Zircon for Ryu's theme, Insert Rupee titling their track "The Life and Death of Kirby", and Mustin titling his track "The Prodigal Son Returns".

It's the little things like that that make me grin big. :-D

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5133/5425497879_881643a7a5_z.jpg (http://randalldrew.com/?page_id=827)


Oh, wow. I love that album art so hard.
I won't lie: I wish I had it in a desktop wallpaper size. >.>

[Velocifero]

Kick ass album! Loving everything so far. I always thought Ridley was more of a nemesis than Mother Brain, though. :???: He was in over double the games, keeps coming back, and is constantly showing up at the worst times for Samus. I think he had his own theme?

[Mazedude]

Ah... feeling the love...

http://gamergyrl.com/news/heroes-vs-villains-will-melt-your-face-off/

http://www.squareenixmusic.com/reviews/matt/heroesvsvillains.shtml

http://www.destructoid.com/the-bad-dudes-take-on-oc-remix-in-epic-musical-clash-193667.phtml

... and we're LOVING that so many of you are getting into the "battle" aspect of the project; by all means, keep the reviews coming!

~ Mazedude

[morrigan666]

This is a pretty cool work guys. Although I am more addicted on samus aran track :D

[Bahamut]

And it's back to the reviews!

Link (Jose the Bronx Rican feat. zyko) vs. Ganon (zyko feat. Jose the Bronx Rican)

This is an amusing battle in that they both collab with each other for both their tracks. zyko's track doesn't really fit the battle mantra, which he knows as is evident from the comment section of the tags. Jose's track is solid, mocking Ganon throughout.

zyko's track on the other hand is a serious track & unusual in its combination of rapping and singing, along with a song structure that is out of the box for most hip hop with a fuller backing track that could evolve into a different song on its own.

I love this battle - it's one of my favorites on the album because I enjoy listening to both tracks. I have to give the edge to zyko here, but both tracks certainly deliver.

Ryu (zircon, Joshua Morse) vs. Sagat (posu yan, Joshua Morse)

Wait...Joshua Morse vs. Joshua Morse? Crazy. He certainly shows his influence on both tracks.

The zircon/Joshua Morse combo for Ryu is solid, keeping relatively conservative with the melody in comparison to the posu yan/Joshua Morse combo. The latter track is solid & fun, but for me I just enjoyed the Ryu one more for some reason so I have to go with zircon and Joshua Morse (JM wins either way it seems :lol: ).

Kirby (Insert Rupee, halc, cthtonic) vs. King Dedede (Mazedude)

This is an intriguing matchup. halc & cthtonic approach Kirby with the standard fare that you'd expect them to do, and then Mazedude goes completely off the wall with his source, although it might be harder for people to appreciate.

For me, the more traditional take by the Insert Rupee, halc, and cthtonic duo wins out, but I've been growing to like Mazedude's track more and more with each looping of the album.

Simon Belmont (Mustin) vs. Dracula (Ailsean)

For some reason, these two tracks is a strange way to end the album to me after all that transpires. They're both solid, but I find them harder to enjoy after the rest of the tracks in the given flow of the album. The styles are also drastically different - Mustin goes for the smooth sound while Ailsean goes with a dark & somber ballad.

I think I might actually prefer Mustin's track here, though both tracks are solid.


All in all, I enjoyed this album a lot. The album flow was weird at times since some of it was just people doing their own takes on songs, but that's fine. All of the tracks had a good deal of merit to them, so I'm just glad I got to listen to a good collection of music for free.

[Geneson]

Alright I got lazy with my reviews. Here's the rest of my decisions:

Streets of Rage: Thought WillRock won easily during the first couple of listens, but his track didn't hold up to repeated listens while zyko's just kept getting better. 'Go Straight' was melded into 'Fighting in the Street' pretty ingeniously. I'm a big fan of the source zyko got to work with and thought he had the right idea turning it into a big booming Latin club song, which he almost nailed. I'm not a fan of the lead guitar here carrying the song, I do find zyko's signature guitar sound unique and exemplary depending on the context, but here it completely drowned out that big booming beat that I love. The rhythm guitar sections do work really well though. Would have absolutely hit this one out of the park with some Latin guitar or something noodling around that sick booming bass. Nevertheless, advantage zyko.

Mega Man: LOVE the playful song titles. Good route for Mr. Gerdt turning the familiar MM2 theme into a lounge jazz tune. I wanted this piece a little bit more dynamic. Morse's track, on the other hand, moves in all kinds of crazy directions and IMO is one of his most fluid and fun arrangements. I'm slightly disappointed that JJT couldn't assume the Wily role, but more Morse is never a bad thing.

TMNT: Aside from the Zelda rap duel, I thought this was the matchup with the most hype. I was excited to hear the juxtaposition between one of the best electronic artists against one of the best rock/metal artists. Plus there was a little bit of extra motivation after the scuffle for the rights to the Shredder track...surely Danimal wanted to prove he was worthy of handling a song bLinD wanted so much. The end result is even more amazing than I had expected...both artists throw curveballs and briefly put on their opponent's hat! I thought Danimal's electronic elements worked better than bLinD's guitar sampling which came off a little bit too harsh for my tastes. On the first few listens I was definitely leaning Danimal; from 1:40 on, you can tell he completely pushed himself to new limits here. The guitar shredding on the theme is more interpretive than in the first minute, and I'm totally a HUGE fan of the glitchy CD-skip effects that close the track. I know a lot of people don't like them, but I thought it fit with Shredder's personality and the whole time-distortion aspect of Turtles in Time.

bLinD's track was an awesome homage to the radical turtles. In my head I can imagine different sections dedicated to each turtle; the meditative Asian sections are for Leonardo, the guitar parts for Mikey and Raph representing their dichotomy of free-flowing fun vs aggression, with the warbled dubstep segment reflecting Donatello's mechanical knowledge and calculating mind. That might just be my interpretation of it and I don't think bLiNd intended it that way, otherwise there would have been more distinct parts between Raphael and Mikey. Personally I can't get enough of the Asian sounds, everything else is just extra cheese on this wonderful pizza pie. I initially favored Danimal because he really pushed his creative powers to the limit on this matchup, but I find myself listening to the track from bLinD much more.

[Geneson]

Zelda: THE most hyped match of the whole thing in my mind. Rap battle was a genius idea and I had really high hopes for this one. The end result is fun and an awesome effort but perhaps made me realize my expectations were a bit too lofty. I think both these guys have done better rap songs in every facet, Niggaz 4 Life and Spittin Narcissism both exhibit better production, lyricism, and flow in my humble opinion...

zyko's 'Bladewalker' is an interesting companion piece to 'Rime of the Wanderin Seafarer' as Zelda storytelling songs, but I don't think the execution is as strong. The rap delivery in both songs felt a little bit off-beat and awkward at times. As far as guest verses go, zyko's verse on 'He Ain't a G' hit much harder than Jose's verse on 'Bladewalker.' Part of the reason for that though is because Jose provided an easier hip hop beat to rap on, I have no qualms about the Zelda theme arrangement and therefore proclaim Jose my winner here.

"nigga I'm a cavalry Hyrulian, chop you down as I cut through your whole fuckin battalion!"

Street Fighter: watermelon flava to the ice cream truck to garlic to...coconut milk? hell yeah. Lots of tasty treats from posu and Mr. Morse over the years, and this Sagat mix proves there's still boundaries untouched in the theme that will never die. zircon is no slouch either and I favor his song probably 4 out of 10 times...but my heart still says to go with the irresistible mix from posu and Morse, an undeniably infectious and groovy mix that feels so organic and alive.

[Geneson]

Kirby: Dudes, I love this matchup. Both songs sound drugged out as hell, like if Shnabubula decided one day to Play Kirby While Taking Mushrooms. And to read that Ben Briggs wrote the ending to the Kirby song while hella drunk? good shit. Wonder if that title is a play off of AnSo's Life and Death of the Mario Bros, which was originally intended for this album. But anyway, this is some next level chiptune madness with all kinds of crazy stutter effects. Bomb diggity. Mazedude's track is a bit of a miss for me once that trumpet comes in. Certainly I applaud you for your artistic bravery, but the Dedede theme is such a satisfying tune and I can never get used to the bizarre nature of the second half. The chorus of the source, which gets stuck in my head at random times, only comes in once in this song in chiptune mode, leaving me very unsatisfied. I think it could have worked beautifully if you closed the song with one more refrain of that chorus played by piano (Bladiator, where art thou). Regardless, still a very cool battle, who knew that Kirby would be the trippy druggie battle (would have been even more perfect if Dedede was in ACID jazz). Insert Rupee ftw.

Castlevania: Haha love the title to Mustin's song, so fitting for a traitor :P. Why can't I stop picturing Mustin as Hulk Hogan everytime this song comes on?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwr1dTrLbY0

"MUSTIN is here! MUSTIN IS IN THE BUILDING! Wait, who's side is he on?" *Mustin promptly dropkicks a fallen Mazedude* "OH MY GOD. Mustin has betrayed the Bad Dudes!"

But I have to say, this is an awesome twist, and a matchup with great old school flavor. While we're all disappointed we didn't get McVaffe vs Mustin or Snappelman vs Ailsean, Mustin vs Ailsean ain't bad. I go with Ailsean on this track though for a brooding arrangement topped off with unexpected use of Clockwork. It's not that Mustin's track is too relaxed, it's just a bit too predictable and less dynamic than I'd like it to be.

My final tally: 6-4 in favor of the Villains, but overall I thought the Heroes side was more consistently great while the Villains had the bigger standout tracks. Hold out on volume 2 for a couple years guys, I'm still trying to catch my breath from this collection.

[WesternZypher]

Posu Yan and Morse...is a match made in deliciousness, to echo Geneson's earlier comments...

please put more coconut milk on that watermelon flavored ice cream. Yes indeed.

[Studio Eden]

I know that this album has been out for a while and I'm probably late with my review (life has been a pain in the ass). I have been diligent in checking the site as often as I can and looking at all the new stuff. Sorry guys, though I'm just a run of the mill member I feel like my opinion doesn't matter sometimes. XD

Okay, I don't know how I would go about splitting this up so I guess I'll go by sections? Oh, and the album art/poster? Holy frackin' shit, it was amazing to look at and I stared at it for half an hour like the horrible fangirl I am. -laughs-

Metroid:


Samus Aran: The Bounty of a Brain - This was simply amazing. The haunting intro plus the digitized clicks really were a great way to start this song off. In all honest to goodness, I felt like I was playing Metroid Prime all over again. Samus has always been one of my favorite heroines in a video game since, well, I dunno ... she's so hardcore in her own silence? If that even makes any sense. But yes, the build up was incredible and when the main melody finally came into play, I was astounded. Percussion beat was well timed and guitar solo equates to phenomenal. The transition from hardcore to more mellowed out over halfway through the song was also great and I enjoyed it. It certainly gave it a more "Hero"esque feel for Samus, the conclusion closing out her theme perfectly for the following transition for Mother Brain's theme. Excellent job, Big Giant Circles - I shall make it a point to look forward to more of your works.
Mother Brain: Dieselbrainage - Perhaps this is the gamer in me subconsciously trying to rise to the surface and express my deep hatred for this villain ... but I love to hate this song. But in the same sense, I hate to love this song. The tone is dark, sinister, and almost menacing ... then the infamous 8-bit pops up and I am left slack-jawed for all of two seconds before hearing psychotic maniacal laughter in my ears (Btw, was that laughter track taken from Michael Jackson's "Thriller"? -applauds- Bravo). Yes, I am blinking in astonishment at this point. If that wasn't a serious blast from the past, I don't know what else it could have been. Great job, again, for reminding how much I completely hated this boss fight with a passion. -smirks- Again, I say this all in a positive light - very well done Mazedude.



Monkey Island


Guybrush Threepwood: Pirate Shout - I will admit, the beginning of this song had me thinking I was set up for a traditional "Pirate's Life For Me" sort of sound. Seconds end I come to find out that, again, I am mistaken and taken for a different spin. Heavy guitar and the actual shouts of a group of pirates was definitely a nice touch. I had to resist the urge to swing my arms in sync with the rhythm of their chorus ("Drink up me hearties, yo ho!" ^^) and opted for just bobbing my head instead. This is definitely a rich symphony of sounds using more guitar and metal influences. I enjoyed this piece greatly. Excellent job audio fidelity, Eric Griffin, Derek Meler, & Marcus Affeldt!
LeChuck: Voodoo, Roots 'n Grog - This was certainly a stark compliment to "Pirate Shout" simply because it was so bouncy, uplifting and made a grin break out on my face. I was suddenly wondering who was the bad guy and who was the good guy, but then I'm reminded, of course, of The Jungle Book and how "King Louis" was technically supposed to be the "baddie" in that particular scene. But "yoo hoo hoo, I wanna be like you" is certainly a song that we all recognize as fun, catchy, and something you woudln't expect an antagonist character to have. The gut guitar and groove beats remind me of Leo's theme when he was disguising himself as "Mystere" in Lunar 2: Eternal Blue. Also, is the 8-bit throw in going to be a reoccurring theme for the Villains in games of old because if so, I certainly am getting more excited as I listen and I'm only four tracks in! Conclusion of the song was timed well, ending Monkey Island and allowing us to enter into the next videogame series. Great job Digi Dis & Alex Jones.



God of War


Kratos: Born of Ashes, Baptized in Blood - From start to finish, this song fits Kratos perfectly and sets an overall tone of what the game's atmosphere is supposed to be like. I am impressed and do not think for one second that any of this does not fit his character in general. The deep and almost soulful guitar melody is flawless and again, suits Kratos's character. The seemingly soft transition to a more somber sound also makes me, the listener, feel like Kratos is taking a pause from his tumultuous atmosphere to enjoy the effects his chaos has reaped ... in a way. -laughs- Perhaps that is just the weirdo in me, who knows? Fantastic job, Brandon Strader.
Zeus: Wrath Industrial - Now just by looking at the title, I should have know that there was going to be some New Age influence in this - or at least some bits of electronica. However, seeing as this is Zeus, I expected more classic instruments. Again, I was not given what I was expected which, of course, is always a good thing. I enjoy surprises. The combination of orchestral sounds plus the digital effects were a welcome change of pace and I enjoyed the overall sound this gave the piece. Kunal Majmudar, I commend you.



Streets of Rage


Axel: Bare Knuckl Blitz - From 0:01 all the way to the end, this screamed "I am a hero dammit! Hear me roar!" I loved it! Willrock delivered the feel that was needed for this classic game and I felt that it truly brought out Axel's character. It's uplifting, powerful and gives the listener energy. Perfect fight scene music for those of us who cling to music for literary inspiration. Even though 8-bit was not introduced into this track, the tight syncopated beat was enough to give the illusion that it was there. All the sounds that play out 1:27 to 1:48 was enough to blow my mind. Everything had a different beat, sound and flavor but none of it was terrible to listen. In fact, it was exciting! Truly something worth listening to again and yes, I have repeated the track at least three times while trying to write out my little reivew here. Percussion is spectacular and the build up a minute and change before the end of the song was leaving me wanting more and Willrock granted my wish, even though he didn't even realize it. Excellent job!
Mr. X: Mr. Z - zyko, zyko, zyko ... he never ceases to amaze me. The menacing intro and the original sound bytes from the game are an excellent way to introduce this piece. Add that to the feel of it being a modernized/post-apocalyptic spaghetti western feel was enough to have me hooked. Add that to the guitar and steady tempo of the percussion beats had me already fearing for SoR's hero, Axel. But where there is a will, there is certainly a way ... but enough about our Hero. Let's get back to our villain. 1:04 to 1:20 inroduces us to what can only be assumed as a sick succession of guitar sound and sure enough, at 1:27, the guitar picks up with a taste of off-beat sounds to throw our senses a little off kilter but coming back to end it wonderfully with a hint of a build up at just shy of 2 minutes. We return to the rise in sound at about half past two and it is at this point that I am bobbing my head to the beat (the organ was a nice touch, zyko, by the way). Throw that in with a sparcity of different digital sound effects and we have ourselves a mixture of every kind of flavor you could possibly imagine (oh, and 3:52? -nods head in approval- Very nice job; a great way to pick the piece back up until its finish). Close it off with great guitar riffs and the "battle ensuing" and we've got ourselves another masterpiece. Again, zyko, bravo.



Mega Man II & IV


Mega Man: Screw Wily, I'm Taking a Vacation - Okay, the title to this just made me laugh. My friend and I (who, btw, claims that Mega Man is/will be her husband someday) thought these were very amusing. The laid back feel to this theme had me feeling like Mega Man just has no idea of the shit he's going to be having to deal with through out all the Mega Man series. He's wanting a vacation at II? What's he gonna need when he finally hits IV? A Sabbatical? But again, this had a very laid back, jazzy feel almost in sync with "Costa del Sol" from Final Fantasy VII. I could imagine Mega Man soaking up some sun, drinking a cocktail and putting on those infamous "goggles that do nothing." The percussion was tasteful, as was the bass and piano bits that were included. There are probably a few instruments in here that I'm missing, (did I mention electric piano? I probably failed to and for that apologize) but overall I was pleased with this piece. Including the well known jazz stinger at the end. Well done, Mattias Häggström Gerdt!
Dr. Wily: Screw Mega Man, I'm Taking Over the World - Again, title, love it. Also, the fact that the titles have anything to do with what kind of feel this piece will have just had me excited. After all, if I heard a jazzy laid back beat for Mega Man, can I expect a similar flow for this piece since the titles are so close in wording? I was not disappointed, not in the least. A mixture of groove, jazz and some funk just made this song exciting and upbeat. Fitting for Dr. Wily, though I wish that my dear Mega Man had not taken a vacation and showed us what his blue suited self was made of. Overall, I was pleased with the sound, especially piano and high points around 2:25 and onward. The fadeout was nice in transition to the stinger on Mega Man's piece. My only disappointment? ... I felt like this song ended sooner than I would have wished. But my love for it is still the same. Fantastic job, Joshua Morse! Oh, and do I hear Wily's Theme from Mega Man II scattered in here as well? -nods- Very well done.

[Part Two is to Follow]

[Studio Eden]

[Part Two Here:]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & T.M.N.T. IV: Turtles in Time


The Turtles: Go Ninja, Go - Oh. My. God. bLiNd has done it again! As an avid listener of OC Remix from its start back in nearly ten years ago (or is it eleven years now?), I have not been disappointed with any of bLiNd's work when I first stumbled across him. This time is no exception. I am completely amazed from start to finish of this song just how incredible this piece is. NES T.M.N.T. pissed me off so bad because the game was so freaking hard, especially for a girl who hadn't even made it past the 1st grade yet. But that's neither here nor there. At age six to sixteen, this game is still a nightmare for some of us gamers and this song made me forget just how badly it whooped my ass. The rhythm has a "cruise" sort of feel - like something you would just blast in your car, windows down and your car set on cruise control for the long stretch of highway. But of course, bLiNd is known for his unpredictability in his music and not even a minute into the song, he's changed gears on us. Still going with the feel of just racing down the street, I feel like the splash of the Turtles theme with heavy guitar and in a "challenging" way suited this perfectly. Then, just shy of 2 minutes, we've transitioned back into that lazy highway feel. Enjoying the "starry" sounds that envelope my ears, I try not to allow myself to get too comfortable in the sound because bLiNd won't let me fall into that lazy sync. No, he's going to make my ears work to enjoy this piece and that's exactly what happened again. But oh no, what is this? 3:00 ... is the song over? I think not! Changing it up once again, the song has gone a completely different direction with a heavier tone and even heavier bass line - the skips and glitch reminscent of finally settling into something - the last bits fading out with a nice feel. bLiNd, you never cease to amaze me and you certainly hit home with this one. I commend you!
Shredder: Enter The Shredder - Now when one thinks of "Shredder" in the musical sense, we think of some sick and killer guitar sounds. Danimal delivered flawlessly and on a theme from a classic game. God, Turtles in Time ... definitely an all time favorite for me - well, next to T.M.N.T. II. That one was always a bit closer to my heart than the others. Two minutes into the song, Danimal's changed up gears and added sound bits from the original game that go in perfectly with the song. In a way, it almost reminds me of a dirty mix. Add a sultry female voice saying "Enter the Shredder" and we'll all want to be flashing our Shredder Fanclub Membership cards. -laughs- The song goes on relatively in the same directed pace of heavy on the guitar and smooth on the percussion until we get toward the end of the song when things don't start syncing up anymore ... and then it sounds like a skippy CD to where, for once, I don'w want to freak out and whip out the CD cleaner to get the damn thing to play right. Danimal Cannon, great job, and I look forward to hearing more of your stuff.



The Legend of Zelda


Link: He Ain't a G - -laughs- The titles of some of these songs are amazing and José the Bronx Rican's is no different. I always enjoy his rhymes in songs and was actually first exposed to his work directly when he did a remix of Vega's theme for the "Blood on the Asphalt" OC Remix album collaboration. This is definitely the best of the best of some of his work. And the fact that the classic "Overworld" theme is used for the main beat of the battle rap. I can't help but feel like this scenario is like the Battle from "8 Mile" with B. Rabbit and Free World. O.O Is that zyko I hear? Wow, again I'm amazed. Staying true to the "battle" mentality, Link is throwing hits left and right at poor poor Ganon (and when I mean poor, I say this in the sense of sarcasm - I hated that guy). Even was he tries to come back, he is ultimately stomped down by Link (as it should be) and well - guess that's all she wrote. Great job again, José.
Ganon: Bladwalker - Oh Ganon, leave it to you to just well ... not do what needs to be done. The skit was amazing in the beginning, setting the stage up for Ganon's evil and cruel ways. Is he intimidating? Just a tad. But that's okay, because the rhymes he spits to battle back against Link may not be too terrible in dissing our hero, but they definitely have you worrying for the future. Stroking his ego to the max is probably what suits a villain best so zyko definitely played up and delivered that as well as it needed to. Great idea on the part of this being a "rap battle" and I think the feel was successful. I enjoyed this mix and though I would have to say that Link has won the battle once again, this is certainly something that I felt was different in flavor from zyko and a piece I thoroughly enjoyed. Again, well done!



Street Fighter


Ryu: Satsui no Koto - Now then, seeing as how I'm not only half Asian, but a pretty avid listener of traditional Asian music, the fact that "Koto" was in this song automatically got me excited. zircon is definitely one of my favorite OC Remix artists on the site and, like with bLiNd, I am never disappointed with any of the mixes that he comes up with. So, of course, I was excited about this piece for various reasons. That and he has already done the Street Fighter genre for "Blood on the Asphalt" (Fei Long's theme was incredible, zircon), so I knew that I was going to be getting gold. Gold was definitely what I received. Joining hands with Joshua Morse, zircon was able to create a fantastic mesh of traditional instruments, jazz flavor with a modern accent on the bass/percussion beats. I have heard so many renditions of Ryu's theme that it's not even funny and while RyuInterpretation by ReMixer Malcos is still my favorite, I will have to say that zircon's new mix is now a close second in that category. Again, great job and the piece ended just as beautifully as it opened up. Kudos to you, zircon and Joshua.
Sagat: Coconut Milk - Sagat? Are you getting ready to fight, or are you getting ready to offer Ryu some cool beverages near that expensive beach house you're showing off to everyone? -laughs- I enjoyed just how different this piece was in contrast to what I believed it to be. I mean, big and muscled up Sagat with such a pleasant, "Cheers" sort of theme feel? I admit, I was definitely caught off guard. Then again, what can I expect when the title is called "Coconut Milk", yes? I enjoyed the different instruments introduced in this song and my favorite part would have to be the xylophone (maybe?) solo followed by a deep bass transition that ultimately slowed the piece down. It soon picked up with the guitar, bass and upbeat of the percussion with the rim shots. Again, fantastic way to go about his theme and the change back down to piano with solid, reverb and tones to fill my ear drums was definitely an excellent bit. I do feel like the ending was a bit sudden, but the song in its entirety more than makes up for this. Applauds go to you posu yan and Joshua Morse.



Kirby


Kirby: The Life and Death of Kirby - The fact that the 8-bit is actually in the hero transition was definitely a nice change of pace. Tack that on with the fact that it's freaking KIRBY and we have to assume that this will be made of greatness. The hashed sound effects similar to what would be thrown into a dirty mix had me bobbing my head back and forth as if I was watching Kirby doing his thing - eating his way through this that and the other. However, despite it being a dirty mix that made me bounce my head here and there, it was nothing close to it being all "oh yay I'm Kirby and I'm a cute pink gumball," but more along the lines of "I'm Kirby bitch and I'm gonna knock you out." The sound was much darker on the edges than normal Kirby themes usually go. I was able to see that this truly stuck with the "Heroes vs Villains" aspect since he is, technically, battling it out with his nemesis. Wonderful all around and I enjoyed hearing Kirby finally kick some ass, Insert Rupee. Thank you for that.
King Dedede: Hot Air Penguin - Piano is a monster in this. Beastly and tied in great with the beats in the background - but don't get too excited. The sound mellows out with heavy percussion muffled in the back to give you the feel that yes, I'm taking a breather, but I'm coming back swinging hard. We hear the classic 8-bit (or similar) thrown into the mix and it's a nice little reminder that yes, the King has come a long way. Add that in with some jazzy drunken brass and I say we have something pretty fancy brewing here. Add to the fact that all of this sounds like one jumbled up mess and it just makes me happy. I wasn't upset or confused with the ... confusion. In fact, it just brought back old memories. Thank you, Mazedude, for another job well done.



Castlevania


Simon Belmont: The Prodigal son Returns - Yes, we all know the story. Could have it been told in a better fashion? I think not. I always imagined Belmont's sound being very ... noble, almost regal. But none of that stupid "trumpets sounding" and "war drums banging" sort of deal. After all, darkness is where some of his origins hail so why not have a very gut guitar and bass heavy theme with the softness of piano added into that. Throw in some classical church bell chimes and the infamous whip cracks and I say we have another well created reMix on our hands. Still holding true to the hero element of the theme presented, this is certainly a fantastic way to have our heroes end their share of the battle - Belmont cracking his whip one good time to signal that if he's going down, he's not going down without a fight and whip crack to your face! Mr. M, switching sides are you? Well you certainly played your part well and ended the fight for the Heroes in a noble, fiery finish. Great job!
Dracula: A Walk With Death - I daresay that the Villains will take this betrayal lightly and Ailsean is known for his sick guitar bits and seemingly haunting melodies. This is no exception and the fan in me of Ailsean wishes to cry out that this is easily a victory for the Villains in this battle. The stage has been set up and the ship has now docked (it is a ship, right? XD I fear my hearing is not picking up sound effects like they used to). Death is knocking on the doors of those foolish enough to open it and invite him in. Ailsean's dark, rumbling sound mixed with the guitar solos and chords are a welcome and expected sound for Dracula, the Lord of Darkness. Mixing that with the feel of, again, another Western scenario and I say that he will certainly be giving Belmont a run for his money. It just goes to show that Ailsean did not take this turn coating business as lightly as some would have hoped. Nice job, Ailsean!



Overall, as an album, this was another project well done. I am excited to see future collaborations between these two groups and am expecting great things (since all I have ever heard are great things at this point). This album shall surely be synced to my mp3 player as soon as I get done posting this review for you guys. Keep up the hard work! It's great and it's always a pleasure to know that this kind of thing - the things that you all love doing - are still available for free to the public for those of us too poor to be able to buy your albums ... at least right now. Though I may not post as fervently on the boards as I would like, know that I do support everything that you do at OC Remix and that what you all have given to the VGM community, we, as fans, will do our best to give back someday.

[Sansato]

I love it. It just oozes greatness from every track, even the ones I don't particularly like. Good stuff.

[Kuolema]

I've been enjoying this for a while now, but now that I go to burn it to CD, I find that it doesn't fit on one disk! Oh well, it's still a great album.

[Cash and Change]

Great work everyone, I'm loving it. My favorite tunes being Monkey Island, God of War, and Kirby.