Polo

Love the trippy opening notes - it's like they're playing the theme half-drunk and half-asleep. The bouncy, cheese-flavored strums match the singing in exuberance and melodic zest. Lyrics are clear on the first listen, although the backup at 0:22 sounds like "the sound of my groooaaan" (but it's still fun like the background noises). While smell, sight, and sound are covered, it seems comparisons in taste and touch are better left to the imagination. Repeating the last syllable at the end proudly drives the groin home.

When I listen to this, I think and feel "autumn": leaves losing their green and falling to earth; the mid-to-late years in one's life; sitting on a front porch and watching the sun sink below the horizon... the whole mix brims with a relaxing joy. Moving from the source's ancient and mysterious feel to a more upbeat path almost turns the title theme into credits music even, ha ha. Simply magical.

Brainsick Metal seizes your mood and doesn't let go. Drums are super attentive as they fill in as 4ths, 8ths, 16ths, 32nds, and maybe even 64ths in sugar-pumped spurts. The guitar and square wave leads match their raw power with definitive grinds and wails of their own. Guided by a constant tempo, they tear up the sound field and thrash through the Maverick-infested levels. I imagine X not only running, but jumping and wall-jumping to the beat while the background changes to the level being remixed. Sources are loud and clear, with a few piecemeal embellishments to repeating portions using layered synths (i.e. the beginning of Storm Eagle's stage [2:28-2:48] and the prelude to Spark Mandrill's [4:16-4:36]). 1:47 and 2:07 both sound pensive and anticipating, the former by way of a hesitant, reverbed synth and the latter using what sounds like gated reverb and light strings. At 3:55 the lead mellows down into a siren-like herald to the final source, and the bells are brighter and more polished. And at the end, the waves from the guitar thrashes leave us out of breath but completely satisfied after a round of hard rockin'. Packed, pumpin', and powerful.

The synergy between instruments, lyrics, and voice modulation is inseparable and soul-touching. It feels like the marching drumwork replaces unanswered emotions with physical determination, and the guitar seems to echo the wishful sentiments that follow. Add the somber pace and brief silences and this mix not only invites empathy for a war general, but implicitly asks the listener to search for their own soul. My favorite details: - The high-note harp triplet at 0:36 and 2:37 is throat-constrictingly bittersweet. - "When you look at me, what do you see?" - Sounds like a tender cry for help. - "The red on my hands won't wash away, wash away" - This breeds a wealth of inner turmoil worse than any sword wound. - "So here now I lay my Roses of May" - Taken literally, it sounds like a grave visit. Maybe it's a metaphor for paying respects to one's "dead" (former) self? Introspective and interpretive.

Detailing my two favorite qualities about this mix... - Allowing different synths+notes to play in the same placeholders is really mood-satisfying. Crafty case in point: stage 2 is played first by the organ at 0:40 and then by the buzzy synth at 1:01. It revives the feeling of anticipation from atop a building, then carries it to a more relaxed, plan-in-the-works mindset, readying me for what comes next. - It seems the boss music decided it was too tough for the initial flow, so it waits for it to settle down before emerging in an underground cage fighting circuit or similar badass setting. Here we're treated to lotsa blips, a heightened tempo, and a bass that says "you lookin' at me? You better watch your back!" These factors make an already bouncy mix all the more groovalicious, so props to Propstricity.

1) Love ya for checking avatars for no pay, LT. *hug and smooch* 2) The following are taller than 32 pixels, so your discretion is advised. Ys I & II: Eternal Story - Adol Christin 30x44 Congo's Caper - Rookie 27x40 Plok 29x38 Shantae 24x36 LT: Too much over the limit. They just look way oversized, even compared to the few exceptions to 32x32. 3) The approved avatars here and here patiently await being uploaded. LT: Did those a while back.

I feel like I'm in the thick of an active volcano as soft and sharp illuminations (sparks, lava bursts, and glows) emphasize the ghostly darkness. Certain elements illustrate this preciously: the muted lead supporter (glows), the reverbed synth at 1:16 (ditto), the drum+cymbal quote at 1:26 and elsewhere (lava bursts), and the coital drum loops during the 2:15-2:38 breakdown (sparks galore). Hot stuff.

This mix functions like an effective war tactic: calculating in strategy, aggressive in attack, and noble in flag-bearing principle. It does the source justice AND gives it some balls. Multicolored, rolling drumwork sets a deliberate pace, and every pair of crashes followed by invigorating brasswork acts like a call to arms. Love the synth at 0:39 - sounds like the signal indicating a plane has been shot down - as well as the popping one at 1:34. I treasure 1:34-2:00; it offers a sympathetic glimpse of soldiers bidding their families farewell before fighting. The halfway section sounds like a general in an underground bunker taking stock of the situation above. 5:46 is the moment that we've won: they shot down our plane, so we shot down theirs. Medals all around.

This electrifies the living Frankenstein out of the source, imbuing it with sinister, mad scientist-like overtones. Starting off hazy, the fuzz soon metronomifies itself in order to ring in percussion loops that feel like unstable generators. Standouts include the big bad offbeats at 0:34, the abominable snowman-like breaths at 2:43, and the scattered blips at 3:20 and elsewhere. Shakeups to the otherwise tension-building arrangement include 1:24, 2:33, and the down-spiraling synth at 2:57. Fizzing out at the end like a loose wire shedding sparks is a nifty touch as well. Also, when I listen to the steep fade-in-and-fade-out motions, my face physically contorts as though several megawatts are pulsing through my head. +1 to this mix's attention-grabbing prowess.

When I consider this mix's title and its 4-iteration structure, my thoughts irrevocably turn to the Hoedown from Whose Line is it Anyway. Each actor sings some funny-cuz-it's-true observation about CV2 (Dracula's parts, the blocky day/night transitions, whatever), and the "all together now" chorus from the source functions like the one from the Irish Drinking Song. Colin gets the mellow-starting third iteration at 2:00 and Ryan wraps it up at 2:26 with a show-stopping ROFL rhyme. What a fun night to have a Hoedown.

The somber choir+bell intro adds a delicate counterbalance to the transitory bulk, from apprehensive to full-blown hectic. It totally exemplifies the danger of those areas with those skeletal birds dropping eggs on Rygar's head every screen. This time, Rygar's fighting back. HARD. And it puts a big smile on my face.

This emits a vibe that's both warm and chill, close and far, soft and dynamic. The Dragons (a.k.a. Gods of Land and Sea) is tugged in various notational directions while keeping its mythological feel. Every staccato note is like the flicker of a candle flame, dancing this way and that, and the tenuto swells/pads/hums feel like the presence of ancient spirits. I also dig the accented clashes/crashes in the percussion; they add a dominating, windy depth to the soundscape. Druidic.

Added to the Wiki! (sans picture and "OCR Mascot ###" redirect page, of course)

Ha ha, high compliments from one of the hardest workers in the community! Tap Runner (to be filled in by djp) Article by: Polo Pictured from: Let's Tap Created by: Prope First appearance: 2008 Bio Developed by Prope founder Yuji Naka and his colleagues and published by Sega, Let's Tap is a Wii title that eschews the common "handheld controller" conduit of gameplay. The Wiimote is placed facedown on a flat surface, one which the player taps with their hands, and the Wiimote responds to the pressure and frequency of the vibrations. This drumlike intuition is key to welcoming multiplayer gaming, emphasized in the five minigames of Let's Tap. The first minigame, Tap Runner, is played on a neon-like side-scrolling racecourse and features glowing stick figures of the same name (blue, pictured, is Player 1). On their way to the finish line, the Tap Runners are met with a myriad of hazards including hurdles, tightropes, falling blocks, and electric orbs, but also advantages like ramps, springs, warp points, and speed-booster rings. Judicious taps overcome each challenge: a hard tap makes a Tap Runner jump a hurdle or gain air when coming off a ramp; rhythmic taps keep him jogging or sprinting depending on the player's own speed; light taps keep one's balance on the tightropes; hasty taps fill up a balloon faster to fly farther along the course; and so on. As with the other minigames, it's all in the taps. Selected game appearances === Wii === Let's Tap ( 2008 ) References Wikipedia - "Let's Tap" Sega :: Games :: Let's Tap IGN.com - "TGS 2008: Let's Tap Hands-on" Eurogamer.net - "Let's Tap - Import Review by Keza MacDonald"

*raises hand* I'll give the Tap Runner a shot. Thanks for the sources!

Yes. Any mascots I make are for fun, but if djp uses one I "nominate" this way (made by his hand), awesome. Go ahead. Fix 'em up for great justice.

I'm interested, both in the post count bios and in LT's request(s). I should note that my computer's been bugging out on me lately, hindering my chances to get/stay online, so I can't guarantee submitting in a timely manner. Two questions: What would we do for Sheng Long? And is djp gonna change "Bonus-Kun" to "Bonus kun"?

The production feels free to color the vibe how it wants, when it wants, creating one show-stopping number after another. Sometimes it tweaks the arrangement by pitch bending notes on the leads (0:42, 0:54) or by adding rubbery countermelodies ( 0:14, 0:22, 1:08 ). Panning consciously distinctifies each player during the mainstream sections and polarizes the timely percussion hits. In-game sound effects work best when they segue into new sections (it occurred to me that the Mega Man 2 boss intro bears a passing resemblance to the start of the source tune. Maybe that's why the mix starts out that way and then detracts going "Wait, wrong source!"). While a few sound effects have a dose of reverb or are briefly chopped up, most of the cartoon voice clips are manipulated more liberally (splicing "Oh my" and "Boy, that's gratitude for you" is welcoming at 2:53). And the trigger-happy gating effectively bottles, builds, and bursts with energy as it silences one or more channels at a time. Some of my favorite moments: 1:24 - The explosion sound epitomizes the aforementioned release of tension like a cork popping off a champagne bottle. 2:01 - A spotlight on the drumwork is an easeful break like the wind+guitar section later. 2:10 - Viciously sped up "Proto Man" = LOL 2:44-2:48 - The vocal pitches in the unchopped " 'You're welcome!' 'Boy, that's gratitude for you' " echo the mood of the notes played, amusingly. Overall, it's malleable while it maintains a cohesive flow. "Works for me."

That's some smooth teamwork between the wailing guitar and the pearly synth. Set against a bed of reverbed drums and cymbal clashes, the two stars take turns playing Wicked Child, the first jamming through the more in-your-face parts of the melody and the second following up with the more sensible sections. The guitar gets wilder during the second iteration, bobbing its head and shaking vampire killer sweat loose in the process. Its liberal tour de force leads us into an anxious Bloody Tears, which sadly doesn't feel welcome enough to stay longer. It almost sounds like half the song has been cut - I imagine a "complete" version would explore Bloody Tears further, return to Wicked Child, and then rock out a solid closure. Maybe it's just teasing us with the message: "To be continued... in Castlevania 2..." Early fadeout notwithstanding, this is still some rockin' nostalgia.

There are spelling disagreements on the title of this mix. The variations are: CMS101LevelOne (mix page and overt file info) CMS-101-Level One (Winamp playlist info) CSM-101 Level One (Review and Judges Decisions thread titles)

This carries a lot of cinematic grit. A number of synths and percussion pieces sound robotically inclined to paint a future without humans. Guitar thrashes bare the mix's teeth while filtered howls prophesy danger from far away. The saxophone adds a groovy noir touch, and pads and strings offer a calm purity (or perhaps a post-apocalyptic unease) near the end. Even 2:46-3:46 plays in a lower key than 1:48-2:46 in the source to further accentuate the feel of a rundown future. I see no problem in keeping the source's "drop the song and pick it up again" tactic; the guitar seizes the opportunity to roar back to 2:25 as if to say, "Think you averted Judgment Day? Think again!" (Its wavy vibes really add to the apprehension.) Economic use of the T2 theme, as well. It fits where the source is driven more by Follin-esque percussion and atmosphere than a leading melody.

The chiptune chirps give off a perpetual vibe that's cute and bouncy, but at the same time sad and longing for something. I like how the blip-ish lead at 3:01 brings that same vibe to a more sensitive level. 3:54 is when the most elements play at once, making the lengthy buildup worthwhile. At 5:11, we say farewell to the beats as they walk into the sunset. Once they're out of earshot, we then hear Robocop call back a final time, putting a smile on our faces with the thought: "You know what? Things are gonna be all right!" A satisfying end. Of course, CPC Zone can benefit from more active embellishments along the way. For example, I would've liked the guitarwork from 2:10 to return at 3:54 and boost the collective energy a knob. Alternatively, it could act as a countermelodic bass, playing syncopated notes and bass runs, to actively guide the listener into the next measures (listen to 0:30-1:45 in track 2 of the GBS file to get an idea). The chiptune chirps might even try some lower-key iterations (like in track 3 of the GBS), or simply take a breather while other synths work out new combinations. Wishful thinking, yeah. But the aforementioned "longing" emotion is potent.

That's a curious drum loop claiming soundscape dominance. It sounds like an unorthodox combination of swift tongue spits, a robotic hiccup, and electro-industrial drum beats that move in a panning circle. Meanwhile, the synths playing the source change the feel of a brooding wasteland into a cause for alarm. But the lingering rumble effects really control the tone of the mix, sounding like meteors hitting the earth. I imagine Cloud running this way and that, alternating steps and changing directions every beat. At 1:40-1:55 and 3:27-3:53, the two electronic leads (of different octaves and textures) stabilize the beat and mellow down any untamed moods. The eerie, sudden quiet of 2:25 acts like an "are you afraid of the dark?" moment before another meteor strikes and lights up the sky. An alien warp sound flies by once, around 0:25-0:27, like a UFO (and like a UFO, I want it to appear again). And every time the death bell tolls or the choir sings, someone's soul returns to the planet. Encompassing stuff.

Every sound in the source (both melodic and percussive) has been brought over and given just the right Christmas-themed instrument to replicate. The widely panned bells have an eternal twinkle in their eyes and the drum/brass combo keeps the adrenaline pumping, while the other instruments work their magic whenever an opening presents itself. The tempo and general progression remain intact, but now the melody's colored like a lively, family-friendly cartoon. Kinda reminds me of Banjo-Kazooie. A grand and spirited production upgrade.

Those ambient pads are definitely befitting a haunted mansion. The bass synth seizes the bass from the source with both hands and amplifies it. A tense and thumping bass slowly rises and fits into every 16th beat, first prominently and then a bit subdued. That chewy, bubbly, filtered synth plays the lead in Dolls of Doom so, so discreetly (on beat, but slow). Twice does it howl the first half of its intro before vanishing like a ghost, then the third time (2:15) it figures "might as well go all the way." At this point, the initial bass synth goes off autopilot and varies the tail end of its loop until fadeout. So while not a lot of risks are taken, the groove, creepy vibe, and creative spark are there just the same.