ReMix: Metroid II: Return of Samus 'Anthem of a Metroid Hunter'
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- Game: Metroid II: Return of Samus (Nintendo, 1992, GB)
- ReMixer(s): Big Giant Circles
- Composer(s): Ryoji Yoshitomi
- Song(s): 'Ending', 'Escape'
- Posted: 2004-12-26, evaluated by djpretzel
I trust everyone had a happy Xmas/Festivus/non-denominational embrace of consumerism and got everything they wished for (and, to a lesser extent, gave that for which was wished)... the Internet access at my holiday location cut out Saturday morning, so I was unable to do any sort of seasonal posting of mixes or what not; Verizon said it was a borked DSL modem, and who am I to question their wisdom. At any rate, I'm back home now, with an assortment of much-needed clothes, LOTR:ROTK EE, a bigass bar of Toblerone chocolate, and various other sundries. Gag gifts included a bottle of "BOD" body wash, simply because my sisters and I share a common appreciation of the unintended hilarity of their commercials, and from my father a talking Jar-Jar Binks "Tickle-Me Elmo"-style doll he found for a buck fifty at the Salvation Army. Truly inspired. I get a large number of emails, mostly positive, about OCR, but this Christmas message from S. Blue I thought was worth sharing, as sometimes such comments don't make it specifically to the judges' ears:
"I just wanted to take the time to email you and say that I truly appreciate what you've created here over at OCRemix. The music scene has come to a decline in quality as of late, and to be quite honest it's hard to find something new and remotely interesting (not to take away credit for things I've not heard yet, of course...). I love the fact that you've not only presented a forum where artists are free to post and receive reviews on the very music they create, you've also presented them with the challenge of making the music truly original. To you and your panel of judges, I give you all a great deal of thanks."
So, this holiday season, give the judges panel some of that holiday spirit and support, and don't be hatin' - be lovin'. Or at least likin'. Though not particularly Xmassy, the latest, second submission from Big Giant Circles delivers on the promise of the ReMixer's initial submission with some great Metroid 2 electronica fanfare. As a melody-addict, this is an especially appealing mix for me, as it has some "power motifs" that get in your head, which the ReMixer does a great job of elaborating on. The entire, well-constructed intro, complete with ambient effects and swirling, cross-panned synth patterns, is but an extended lead-in (for me at least) to the first incarnation of the tres-heroic theme at 1'46" - love the snare patterns immediately preceding, and the general feeling of warm-fuzziness you get when the main melody finally does drop. Filter break at 2'30" where you can really hear how successfully acoustic drums have been integrated with an overall electronic feel, and then BGC brings in orchestral elements - it was varied enough already, and this just adds to the fun with its seamless integration of a broadened tonal palette. The ReMixer writes:
"I did my best to make this piece as "epic" and "grandioso" as I possibly could--and what better way to portray an intergalactically renowned girl who has just conquered a planet that spawned some of the most deadly and mysterious creatures ever devised? I chose the title "Anthem of a Metroid Hunter" for this reason, and when I think of the word Anthem, this is the feeling I have. A hero.
I did my best to mix several elements in this arrangement, including style, sound effects, rhythm, and instrumentation. The song jumps around from ambient, to "electronica", to rock, to symphonic, but IMO manages to maintain the epic/grand feel I mentioned above. I did my best to keep the arrangement such that even knowing the source tune, one could not predict EXACTLY which direction the tune was heading, but still maintained the imagery of a persevering heroine, who has faced impossible odds and prevailed.
Concerning the sound effects, particularly at the end, I thought I should comment. Despite recent games *cough*Metroid Prime*cough* where Samus merely rips off her helmet like a ski mask, the sounds I threw in are always how I personally imagined the way it might sound when Samus was removing her suit. Lets face it. She can survive in the vacuum of space, so it MUST be pressurized, at the very least...
And the "ka-clank" is where I pictured her dropping it on the floor after an exhausting day of single-handedly conquering a planet, much in the same way we might drop our book bag on the floor of our room after a hard day of classes/work/etc. I've also discovered that the sounds could work either to portray how she removes her helmet, OR her arm cannon. So take your pick."
Great explanation there from Jimmy; this mix is really well put-together, never gets boring, and has the feeling of being effortless but at the same time refined. In other words, it's very natural, enjoyable, etc. but not because it's overly obvious, simplified, or derivative. Some of the percussion work especially is very detailed and layered, with multiple kits each being used to their respective strenghts. Jimmy's done due diligence to this theme with a mix that's got a little something for everyone and is very celebratory. Excellent, invigorating work.
Discussion: Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the This mix is quite versitile. The introduction is very drawn out, yet pretty appropriate in how the left ear sounds during it, mainly.
When the melody comes in at 1:10, however, I feel a bit of melodyitus, in that the melody doesn't really seem to fit with the rest of the intro (which sounds more game-boy metroid-like). I know purists of the original like the post above have a completely opposite look (wait, I just looked at his post again and he [i]also[/i] said 1:10 didn't fit), but as for me, I've never played this part of the game, so it sounds more like the ending to a Mario game. The softness of this section is well-anticipated, but the start of the "Mario melody" doesn't fit.
The rest, I don't really know what to say except that it never gets boring, unless you don't like the genre of the whole piece, which is very one-genre-ish due to the sample sets. Fun.
- Audity on November 25, 2006
Let me say that this remix is very good. [i]But[/i], because of how much I love the original, I can't help but hold a very high standard for what a remix of it should be. So I have a criticism.
Basically I don't feel the remix was opened properly. Anthem spends 1'09 covering what was, in the original, an 0'08 lead in. That's not necessarily a problem, but for someone who's familiar with the original it builds up a lot of anticipation.
My problem with Anthem comes at 1'10, when the anticipation built up over the past minute just falls flat. In the original, after the opening bit the theme comes in immediately with a sort of energetic fanfare-ish sound. In the remix, however, there's this sort of winding-down noise, after which the theme fades in, becoming recognizable a few seconds later. I found it to be a big let down.
The bit from 4'19 to 4'25 shares the same problem, but not nearly as much, because the theme [i]is[/i] picked up again that time.
Other than that the only complaint I can make is that at some points it felt like the melody was too soft relative to the beat.
Now, I'm not trying to say that that ruins the remix. That would be a gross overstatement. In fact, from 1'18 to 4'18 the remix is [i]very, very good[/i]. But it took a long time to shake the feeling that something was missing.
- philomory on July 31, 2005
- Ham On Rye on January 27, 2005
Really creative when someone can make such a great remix from a gameboy title (I love gameboy themes, but to make an in-depth remix like this from one it takes a lot of talent). Good job.
- Random Fox Thought on January 22, 2005
- so good sounds design, especially for the lead
- filter use from 1'10 to 1'29
- wha-wha filter fx @2'30
- the drums rolls which are very reallistic (but sometimes a bit loud, fox example @2'26)
- the bass glide @2'34
- the end with the various arp.
Conclusion: this mix enters my favorite ORC mixes collection.
- Coucou on January 11, 2005
This was one of the lost gems in the GB collection.
Plus it was an alright game too.
It may not have been like its older sister, but it really felt like another level of Metroid for a different system.
+====+
BGC's cover "Anthem of a Bounty Hunter"
Nicely done piece, it also reflects the end credits theme too. After the missions done, she can relax.
Its also laidback, but in a cool progressive way.
Great job BGC! 8)
- Kadosho on January 6, 2005
(Can't wait to listen to this puppy on my iPod)
- wingd on January 1, 2005
- BladeForever on December 31, 2004
- Nigel Simmons on December 30, 2004
- the biz on December 29, 2004
As a side note, Ziwtra remixed the FIRST overworld music, and BGC remixed the SECOND overworld music. Don't know if anyone else noticed that...
(actually, Z-man remixed the 1st overworld theme, and I remixed a boss battle theme. There are 3 main boss battle themes, and I did the 2nd one.)
But I appreciate your comments, bro :)
- big giant circles on December 29, 2004
- the biz on December 29, 2004
and Ziwtra has no Metroid remixes period.
I believe he was actually referring to the fact that my first remix was for the game Final Fantasy Adventure, which at the time had only one previous mix by Ziwtra. His mix is exceptionally awesome, and mine, in comparison, was only so-so (I think so, anyway).
I was still fairly new to FL Studio at the time I arranged Begin the End of the Beginning (still am, in comparison to most people ;) ) but I do think that "Anthem..." is a decent step up the scale of mixing capability. Hopefully, I'll continue to make progress. I'm learning new things all the time, not just about FL, but about audio in general. I take no offense at all if someone says that I mixed a song from a game that someone else has mixed from, and my mix seems inferior to whatever degree to the other.
I don't think there is a veteran mixer on this site who sounds exactly the same as their first mix did. That's what this is all about. Learning and improving. I listen to "Begin the End..." now, and I can pick out 50 things right off hand that I would have done different if I had known how. But, again, that was my first one, and I'm happy to feel like I'm improving.
I thank everyone for all the kind comments in regard to my mix(es), and I'll do my best to keep raising the bar in quality!
- big giant circles on December 29, 2004
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