SwordBreaker

The game had some insane tunes, indeed. I remember that it was extremely challenging back in the day. Believe it or not, but it's the game that introduced me to the animated feature, which remains to be one of my favorite movies of all time. Proud owner of the DVD. Anyway, http://dod.vgmix.com/past/sep07/ Download the 2nd place song. Awesome remix there. You just reminded me of another underrated game with an underrated soundtrack; The Boy and His Blob for NES. The whole game had like 3 tracks or something, but they were extremely catchy and very dynamic. Mazdude did a good job in his remix on OCR. I suggest you check that out.

The story is capable of evoking emotion...but did it actually do so in my case? Not really. There was awesome potential in the sub-story, which is why I hate the fact that they went with a storybook style and made it OPTIONAL instead of integrating it to the game in cut-scene and cinematic fashion. That's why I feel that the storyline isn't really attached to the game despite the cool concepts. If you ever get a PS3, get Ratchet and Clank Future. I never paid attention the the series...the PS3 installment is actually my first one, and I was AMAZED by the production values. Full voice acting, cut-scenes, insane humor with a couple of twists and turns...Nintendo can easily do the same thing with Mario platformers...we've seen excellent writing in the Paper Mario series and a deep storyline in Super Mario RPG, now all we need is a bit more production. I know I sound like a whiny bitch, but that's the way I see it. I'm SO glad that Nintendo finally went with an orchestrated soundtrack, and that alone tells me that they're taking big steps.

Man...the live albums are so worth importing. Awesome stuff there. I'm in the same boat as you. Star Ocean 2 is what initially introduced me to Sakuraba and Tri-Ace as a developer. When I first saw Tri-Ace attached to VP back in the PS1 days, I immediately bought the game. I just can't get enough of its soundtrack. Tracks like Valhalla, Distortions and the Void of Despair, All is Twilight, Battle with God Syndrome...so addicting... I just noticed that your VP track is going on overdrive thanks to the people collabing with you. Can't wait for the final result.

Good idea, BCG. It's the least we can do.

Covers are out there...it's an alternative to those who prefer straight-forward sound updates to their favorite tracks. While The NESkimos occasionally "remix" tracks in an excellent fashion (DOWNLOAD Kirby's Grape Adventure from their site NOW), about half of their music is mostly a rock cover done in superb quality. I love their Mega Man tunes, especially Bubble Man and Air Man. Of course, you all know Dwelling of Duels. Like the NESkimos, there's a mix of covers and remixes in that montly competition. Looking forward to the upcoming "Enix Month". Should have some really cool tunes. Then there's Zelda ReOrchestrated, or Z.R.E.O. for short. http://www.zreomusic.com Their aim is to update the sound of all the Zelda soundtracks. Initially it started with completing Ocarina of Time only, but then it spread out to the rest of the series. Again, about 95% of the tracks in there are simply straight-forward sound updates or orchestrations of the originals, and most of them are done REALLY well. There's a huge difference between the old and recent stuff, too. I'd recommend checking out some of the new stuff, like Twilight Princess, the "Redux" tunes, and the Soundscape albums first. Check out the updates on the main page to see what's new...additionally, one of the updates in the main page contains a cover of FF7's "Tifa's Theme" and "Anxious Heart"...I really suggest that you guys check those out. Tifa's Theme is especially done well...so for those who dislike David's version you'll find this as a better alternative. Not that I hate the one on VotL...I really liked it actually. But it's interesting to compare between OCR's take and this one. What's even more interesting is that they're pondering the idea of starting up an FF7 ReOrchestrated project. Anything you'd like to add?

This game definitely raised the bar in terms of platformers, Kiyosuki. Perhaps the only ones who can go further are Nintendo themselves and Insomniac, creators of Ratchet and Clank. All I know is that the next big step with Mario should be having a deeper storyline. Mario Galaxy's story pales in comparison to Ratchet and Clank Future. It doesn't need to have a deep story...it just has to be more cinematic and attached to the game. Hell, it can be funny like R&C and the Paper Mario series, which seem to be what's more suitable. On the other hand, I'd love to see something as good as Super Mario RPG applied to a Mario platformer. They should let the Zelda Team handle the scenario writing or something...that would kick ass...

RIP, Reuben Kee. My prayers go out to his family. Like most of you guys, I knew him only through his music. His Naruto remix is probably one of my favorite tunes that I still listen to. There are a couple of obscure stuff he posted in vgmix's forums like his take on the FF7 Battle theme which was awesome and overlooked. "To Far Away Times", his collab with Jill, is a fan-favorite and a really cool remix. I feel a bit frustrated because I can't say much about the man behind the music. Nonetheless, may God bless his soul. I know this sounds cheesy but his music will be here to stay thanks to communities like Overclocked ReMix.

Like I mentioned before, I think that Sakuraba is a love him/hate him composer. A lot of people don't like the fact that he reuses elements of his melodies in other soundtracks, while I think that's actually one of his coolest talents. Aside from Star Ocean 3 and the Tales Series, I love the soundtracks Sakuraba has worked on. I recently listened to a couple of Eternal Sonata tunes in the official website and was AMAZED by how soothing the soundtrack is. Again, Baten Kaitos and Valkyrie Profile are up there as my all time favorite game soundtracks. Believe it or not but Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour has one HELL of a soundtrack, too. I also imported his two live albums so I guess that makes me an avid fan of him. For those who listened to the live albums, nothing beats the really cool "Jam Session" tracks in each album, with lots of soloing from Sakuraba and his bandmates.

@ The Coop While I haven't played The Hyperstone Heist, I did play Turtles in Time and yes the game had a phenomenal soundtrack. In fact, aside from TMNT II for NES, I fell in love with most of the soundtracks of the NES/SNES era games. The first one for the NES had a pretty catchy overworld tune. The Manhattan Project had some really cool tunes, too. Tournament Fighters for SNES had AWESOME, AWESOME music (I occasionally hum Shredder's level to myself even though I haven't played this game in YEARS). Radical Rescue for the GB was an underrated Turtles game with an underrated soundtrack.

Indeed. I play the game for its music for crying out loud! This Neil Voss has to be one of the most underrated composers ever. Luckily, we have The Prophet trying to remix the whole soundtrack. Can't wait to see what comes of this project...

You know...I didn't really notice that until you mentioned it... Oh well, one more reason to love the game.

LOL. Couldn't help but spoil myself. Yeah...that is really weird. It was smart of them to alter the dialogue, but they should at least replaced Luigi with Mario or something.

Hell yes. That game had some mad catchy melodies. I haven't played this in 10 years and I still remember the basic melody of the first level. Sparkster for the SNES...good times, good times...

Should be track 11 on the first CD in the SH:C soundtrack. Full name: Town of Twilight ~ European Town. Acoustic and a very ambient track.

@Another Soundscape Please remix "Town of Twilight" from Shadow Hearts 2.

Thanks Imagery and Global-Trance. I ALWAYS forget about the extra boost when spinning in midair. Don't regularly use that unless I'm prompted to.

Even though it's not officially a "Winter" remix, I always get that vibe from Dragon Avenger and E-field's "Summoner's Love".

I enjoy Shadow Hearts 2's music, especially "Town of Twilight"...very addicting track...

I think I understand what you mean. Most of Sakuraba's battle and action music sound similar to each other or at least have common elements. While some may hate the lack of variety, I enjoy it sometimes. "Distortions and the Void of Dispair" from Valkyrie Profile has a nice melody with an excellent guitar riff in the background. Baten Kaitos' boss battle themes have infectious guitar riffs and I love the fact that there's more than one boss theme in the game, including that techno-based one which caught me off guard. But yeah...I wholeheartedly agree with you about the Town themes. They're A LOT cooler than the cinematic stuff. BK's "Gentle Wind" and "Bellflower" sound unbelievably awesome. Of course let's not forget Star Ocean 2's Theme of Rena, which has an awesome remixed by Dale on OCR.

There should be some option in the game to disable the Smash Ball item for those who enjoy "classic" Smash gameplay. I'm sure Sakurai will include this somehow. To be honest, I've NEVER truly heard of Wavedashing until recently. I didn't even bother to look up on the content of this technique, too. Never used it. Never will use it.

For those who said Vagrant Story, Valkyrie Profile, and F Zero GX...hell yes. Valkyrie Profile is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time and has some of the best stuff from Sakuraba. That reminds me of another underrated game but recognized Sakuraba soundtrack, Baten Kaitos. Epic stuff. Vagrant Story's tracks aren't as appealing as FF Tactics composition, but Sakimoto managed to attract me with tracks like "Factory" and "Sanctum". F-Zero GX is probably one of the best soundtracks to come out of Nintendo thanks to Sega's involvement in it. Lots of quality and production values thanks to the live sound. It rivals the recent Super Mario Galaxy soundtrack in terms of quality. I enjoy some of the characters' theme songs, and the tracks have some awesome techno/rock vibe to them that gets your adrenaline pumping while racing. I especially love the Fire Field and Mute City songs.

LOL yeah I just completed that. Started off the same way as you. Takes a few tries to speed up your game. Just know that you can skip the order of blue star thingies...don't need to touch every one...

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/54167 Just randomly googling around when I stumbled upon this. Made by somebody called Metaljonus. Street Fighter II, Zero's theme, and Green Hill Zone. I really enjoyed this remix! There are a couple of really cool stuff by this dude, too. Check out his other related submissions at the bottom left corner. I personally enjoyed his take on Ken's Theme and Sonic 2's Metropolis Zone. Thoughts?

I'm having a bit of trouble grabbing 100 purple coins in the Desert Galaxy (Dusty Dune if I recall correctly). There's this Throwmp that has 3 coins above it and I can't seem to reach them. I tried using the tornado helicopter Mario ability to get above the Throwmp but to no avail. Advice, anyone?

So are there any game soundtracks you feel that you're the only one paying attention to them? Super Mario Strikers and Mario Strikers Charged. Wow. Both games have very high-quality soundtracks for spin-offs. Charged has A LOT of variety. The intro track alone kicks ass. Some character theme songs are simply AWESOME, like Daisy, Mario, Bowser, and ESPECIALLY Luigi which sounds like something from Zorro or Kill Bill... Digital Devil Saga 1. Kick ass guitar-based music. Very moody stuff. Radiata Stories. The only Tri-Ace game that doesn't have Motoi Sakuraba as its composer. Noriyuki Iwadare takes the helm and does an excellent job. Lots of ragtime, jazzy, and orchestrated themes. There's also a really cool Spanish acoustic guitar track called "Wind".