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https://youtu.be/JSjXXrYRHHk My first sub 2 minute remix, but still contains so many elements and variations. This could also be the most fun song I ever took under my wings. With the original reggae style I could easily add jazz and some blues elements, and spice it up with a pinch of synthwave. SMB3 was (and still is I think) my favourite Super Mario game so far. But then I haven't even played any Super Mario from the 21st century except New Super Mario Bros for Wii U. SMB3 on NES and on SNES All Stars was so much joy and they hold so many memories from those days. The soundtrack is timeless and simple yet so memorable and fresh, I could imagine me remixing the whole SMB3 OST some day. Some of the "easter eggs" in this remix: After the solos the SMB3 Underwater theme intro is used but restyled - 1:32 And at the end of the Underwater theme the SMB3 "Enter level" sound is played with a lot of reverb, but pitched down a whole tone to fit the key signature - 1:34 I used african skin percussive together with GameBoy drums on several parts I hope you enjoy listen to this, I really enjoyed creating it. And if it goes well I definitely will do more of this kind. There are many Super Mario themes that could apply for this style. /Neon X

the POint aboUT using your DAW optimally is great InDEED: imAGINE if all composers for SNES, N64 And SiMILar CarTrIDGE BASeD, sAmpler UsiNG, spAcE SaVinG midi-like sySTemS WERE OFFEReD TO REMasTer THeIR OsTs fOR A FAntaSy consOle that ofFERs All THe miXING wiZArDRY of SAY, a modern cubase, But the BASe sAmPles anD SAmPliNg funCTIonaLitY HAVE to stAy the Same. IT WOULD BE quite interesting. (there's ReAlLy A KOBOLD INSide MY KEyBoARD DoINg capsLOCK sHenaNigANS, I KiD yoU NOT; bUt I aM running with it.)

What might also help you to get a deeper imagination of what your VSTis and synths are capable of pretty fast is by writing a little test MIDI as just a simple sound check music project. This MIDI should be around 25 to 30 seconds long, play within around 1 or maximally 2 octaves and contain at least following things: 1) a little groovy melody sequence which contains a big variety of velocity dynamics which you can set for each note between the values 1 to 127 (so, for example, create a melody line where the values of the following notes are around 85, 62, 90, 112, 127, 103, 74, 54, 27, 1, 16, 33, 49, 95, 57, 68 - with the help of this you can get a glimpse on how much effort the developers put in the sampling of different velocity dynamics and different expressions which come with it)... 2) a few chord progressions ('cause VSTis and synths may sound very different with just a one-line melody and complex chords - so, you can get a better vision for the later use of the VSTi or synth in your later music projects)... 3) and at least one very long (around 15 seconds long) legato note (with the help of this you can check out how the long played notes will behave - depending on the VSTis and synths I have checked and which I use myself, legato notes of different VSTis and synths might behave kinda differently - so, some will just fade out in silence after a while, some might behave like endless loops which won't drop the volume at all and others tend to behave rather irregularly but can create pretty cool effects sometimes. With such a little self-written test MIDI, you can get a very quick and deep look into the potential of the samples behind your VSTis and electronic synths. Just select the VSTi or synth you want to check in the track with the test MIDI, and then maybe set the right octave of your notes to match the VSTis and synths. Make sure that you have activated the loop mode on your MIDI object (so that it will be played over and over again). After a preset of the VSTi or synthesizer has been played completely through the MIDI object, check the various key combinations of your VSTi or synthesizer for the next passes and then move on to the next presets. At least that's what I do after I want to check out some new (or old) VSTis and synths in a very fast and efficient way.

I'm not a commercial games composer, but I'd say it really depends on the type of game and the overall sound needed to make that game work. You already mentioned a few (pixel based) games that work well with retro sounds, and then sample quality isn't really a thing (especially if you're just using/emulating old sound chips). A modern looking game will usually require a more modern sound, with more polished samples though. It's just expectations that people will have, based on a game's art style and gameplay, I guess. But at the end of the day -in my opinion- the samples are just a tool, and it's the composition and arrangement and how you write for/use your samples that will make a big difference. Better samples just make your life easier.