ReMix: Mega Man 3 'Serpent's Spiral'
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- Game: Mega Man 3 (Capcom, 1990, NES)
- ReMixer(s): Jakesnke17
- Composer(s): Harumi Fujita, Yasuaki Fujita
- Song(s): 'Snake Man Stage'
- Posted: 2011-12-29, evaluated by the judges
Newcomer Jakesnke17 (Jacob Diaz) writes:
"Man, I never thought I'd actually get around to sending a remix in...been a member for 2 years. Mega Man was definitely a series that I'd play over and over again, always loved the music...I always thought it could be more than beeps and bloops. Countless times, just sitting at the TV, popping in a controller and amusing one's self. I always thought about Mega Man II + III mainly...they just stick out as having some of the best music on the NES. About the remix, lots of stuff went into it, various VSTs, a ton of effects, crash cymbals, lots of drums....and it was all produced on FL Studio 10."
First off, congrats on submitting & getting posted; hopefully this can serve as another example to any lurkers, forumgoers, etc. that it's never too late to roll the dice & submit a mix! Personally, I was pretty happy listening to those original "beeps & bloops" - and still am - but Jacob's put together a sweet rock/chip 'Snake Man' groove that, as it happens, pays homage to & incorporates a lot of chiptune textures. There's also rock drums w/ shuffling hats, some cleaner, modern synth textures, and a bassline that - interestingly - only really actively contributes for the first half of the mix; the second half is more about dropouts & fluttering chip textures. OA writes:
"This kind of has a halc meets WillRock feel to it, with some lofi stuff, some hifi, and some pretty cool and interesting drum patterns. Melodically it starts out pretty similar to the source, but it branches out in a unique direction and features a semi-solo, a breakdown, and a few bridge sections. The lead sounds I would have preferred to be slightly higher-grade sounding, but the track feels pretty charming, and i love the multiple layers of percussion, even if at times it feels a little looped. Transitions are solid, the arrangement was fun, and though there could stand to be a touch more polish, and a better ending, I think this brought it pretty well."
Well said; this isn't a wunderkind, omg-i-just-wet-my-pants debut mix, but it's solid, varied, expressive, and does the source justice with a good combination of textures & and an arrangement that doesn't sit on an autopilot beat but is instead brave enough to go more ambient in the second half. Good start from Jakesnke17 that establishes a foundation; here's hoping he builds on it in 2012!
Discussion: Latest 11 comments/reviews; view the The song doesn't do overly complex things, but that isn't really necessary here. I would've liked to see some more instrumentation personally to keep things more interesting, although a lot of the sounds chosen seem to be more domineering.
A straightforward song for the most part.
- Bahamut on July 16, 2012
The arrangement isn't the most daring one, at least not in the first half of the mix, but it is very enjoyable.
Good stuff.
- Martin Penwald on April 12, 2012
You've really upped the production quality of your mixes. I enjoyed how it all fell into to place so perfectly with the chiptune-synth mix. Can't wait to hear more of your stuff!
- TychoRoc on January 12, 2012
- DusK on January 2, 2012
- MechaFone on January 1, 2012
- Crulex on December 31, 2011
- SuperiorX on December 31, 2011
So it starts out well with some pretty echoed square synths, probably a little overdone (might've preferred the echo feedback to be a little more reduced), but by the time the rest of the accompaniment comes in it starts providing a more mysterious atmosphere to it. It follows the source well for most of it, and manages to take some good liberties at 2:10 with some good original writing on top of the melody. I see it as a good chippy homage to Snake Man - a little simple, but it does indeed capture this peaceful "vertical" approach to the title quite well.
I have to say something; I am absolutely no fan of the almost constant padded drone at all (which I'm assuming was a heavily reverbed/softened e-piano). All it seemed to do was add writing-based mud towards it, which makes it really awkward to comprehend otherwise. If you were even hoping to keep it I would've recommended changing it to a different synth-like sound (some sort of chime?), reducing the volume and equalising when appropriate to make it more identifiable within the instrument roster. But as it is I could live with it, though whether I'd be comfortable with it remains to be seen.
I may have been quite critical with this one, but having witnessed some of your works since, I am sure that you're able to up your game in future submissions, especially since you also guided Snake Man through the Grand Robot Master Remix Battle 2011 and had a submission from there passed; and I have every confidence that you'd get in there and take everything you learnt into new exciting ventures. For now, welcome to the clan :)
- Rexy on December 29, 2011
- ectogemia on December 29, 2011
