ReMix: Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master 'Whirlwind (Gale Force Mix)'

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As a fan of the original and a bigger fan of Revenge, I never quite got into Shinobi 3 or Shadow Dancer too much. Honestly, I think it was the difficulty level, because they still had many of the same qualities that made the others great - classic 2D ninja action, good tunes, and most importantly . . . Ninja Magic! This latest mix from Rayza is very hybridized work that transitions from spacey, electric-piano driven contemporary jazz to synth-driven trance, and manages to make such transitions sound fairly natural. Given the discrepancy between those two genres, that's an impressive feat. The melody is fairly simple and is not elaborated upon wildly, other than the sense that it's been skillfully adapted to not one but two alternate genres. Jazzy portions feature a mellow EP, half-tempo drums with a nice rim shot, and very new age pads and falling synth effects, whereas the upbeat dancish bits have pulsing synth chords, a synth arpeggio that hops around the stereo field, and a nice monoglide synth lead. The melody itself has some really tasteful intervals that exhibit some good range, and it's nice to hear it so emphasized and also covered by two different lead timbres. I initially thought the ending was gonna be a letdown, but things abruptly fade back in for a good "gotcha" that concludes things with quality punctuation. The main attraction here would seem to be the genre-alternation, which does work quite well and which in the end is enough to "sell" the arrangement; it's good enough, though, that Rayza could have elaborated more and taken a bit more poetic license, for my money, in cooking up some new harmony, lead, or counter-melody. Still a great mix of a good, memorable melody that deserved resurrection and works well with the style-hop transitions. Recommended.

― djpretzel

Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
Haha, that's Rank 1 alright.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3qxFW6aJhY#t=0m46s

- Liontamer on July 5, 2011
A 2003 remix!? Not freakin' bad. Good, catchy stuff with seemless, exciting transitions indeed. Much better than stuff I hear on the radio nowadays, yet more than half of it's in the same genre XD

- TheCorty on November 14, 2010
Dr. Luke damned near yanked this hook for Tik Tok. =P

- esden9 on March 29, 2010
Every Rayza remix I listen to lately ends with me saying: "That's the most Rayza mix ever." And this was no exception.
The thing I like about Rayza is that he takes a genre of music that allows for repetition and lack of progression, but goes against that and offers incredible variation and hooks galore.
What is achieved is the signature high wall-of-sound that we all expect, but with surprisingly touching elements woven in. It all travels so fluently that the fast-slow, rollercoaster-like structure flies over you. It's probably the easiest Rayza mix to just sit back to, and forget you are listening to meticulously remixed videogame music. That's a pretty cool thing to be able to pull off.

- Marmiduke on June 26, 2009
Starting with a chill epiano, I was thinking I had accidentally clicked the wrong remix- this doesn't sound like a gale force to me. Then it shifts to a catchy syncopated riff, and then has an extended cliffhanger.
Big opening, and the mix is really underway. This is well produced, but really what makes this mix great is the interplay between the sections. The builds are good, and though the beats are a little standard, but workable, and the synths are great.
Once it hits the end and all the themes mesh together is where the mix really shines. Fantastic stuff all around; this track made me download the .gym for Shinobi 3. Highly recommended. :-)

- OA on June 25, 2009
Shinobi III was the best Sega Genesis game of all time, in my opinion. Thanks for a great memory revamped!

- Vertigo88 on April 23, 2006
Can't think of why I didn't comment on this other than the fact that I don't frequent ReViews too often. But I remember back when this came out that Protricity felt this was Rayza's best work here so far, and I definitely agree with that, though it's a close call now with Sonik Electronik out there.
In any case, the thing I appreciated the most was how skillfully Hayden mixed in the source tune with his own original ideas. The new material was worked in so seamlessly that I was surprised to listen to the original later and realize that some of the stuff in there wasn't derived from the game soundtrack. Always a good listen after a couple of years.

- Liontamer on September 23, 2005
Shinobi 3 has been my favourite game of all time on the Mega Drive (Genesis) but after reading the other threads and listening to the song a few times more I agree its a damn fine piece but I cant relate to it in any way like the original.
I have an emulator and I have the rom (Yes I own the actual cartridge and still have the Mega Drive (Genesis) lying around somewhere) and I started to listen to original again and the second you hear the original's beginning gives a totaly different feeling to the remix, just makes you want to jump up and dance.
I understand its just that... a remix but would have like to see a fast rock beat simliar to the original other than that, for all intents and purposes if I have never heard the original... awesome remix! :D
This is friendly criticism no offence intended.
Prophet65

- Prophet65 on September 23, 2005
Nice. Its got a real groove to it. This is Rayza at his best. The peice just flows well together and is an excellent retooling of the original peice. Good stuff!

- Pip is uh..... on March 11, 2005
O_O...*drool*... omg, I love this remix. *bows to rayza*

- NewTypeOne on February 13, 2005
Shinobi 3. Great game! I liked this stuff. Is a good trance for who likes Shinobi. Rayza has talent, "club del toro" is your best remix. Nice work!

- Txai on January 13, 2005
This is still one of the best remixes ever.

- esden9 on December 12, 2003
An excelent remix. At first I didn't like it too much, but after listening to it for a few times it grew on me.

- DarkWolf on July 11, 2003
This is very smooth. I love the vibe of this mix, in part helped by the great instrument selection. Nice change of pace from Rayza's more agressive mixes. I think, this just may be my favorite of his. Great work.

- GrayLightning on June 26, 2003
This is my favorite reMix so far here! I love the soft music that it starts with and the slow buildup to the part where it has a jump where the bass kicks in and REALLY starts to build up, and the choice of which level's music to ReMix couldnt have been better. This is also one of my all time favorite games to boot, and the music just brought back fond memories of playing this game. :D I havent played it in so long, but I could tell what level the music was from right away, even though it has a lot of great new additions to the music too. Great job, Rayza! There should definitley be more Shinobi 3 ReMix's available.

- NeoLutherus on June 8, 2003