Lint

Well... this one day me and two of my friends decided to go on a hike. When we got to the top of the hike we sat around and decided to play though Secret of Mana with 3 players. After playing for a few hours I suddenly realize that we were listening to an OCRemix that was from the Secret of Mana soundtrack... and just happened to be in that zone too. I think it was Zeratul's track. I only remember because this was two weeks ago and it was awesome to realize that we were essentially playing the game with the OCRemix soundtrack running (at least for that zone). Hmmm... still need to sit down and finish that.

Really beautiful, poignant track. Might bring tears to my eyes in the right frame of mind. I definitely love the source tunes, but this deep (not too deep though) rendition with softly flowing drums is really enjoyable to listen to. This is a piece that could be turned down low and left in the background or turned up loud and it would just flow over the night like a calming wave. The string intro is really nicely done. I would have to say that this piece of music is very situational. There's certainly times where it just isn't appropriate mood music.

The music vaguely reminds me of a spaghetti western in parts. It also makes me think of steel strings, for whatever reason. It has an eerie transition at the very beginning. I enjoy the percussion throughout the track. Overall, I think it's alright. Somewhat enjoyable, somewhat eerie. Transient could apply.

I did the "Tetris Effect" visions with Lumines and DDR most recently. And I know several people that act like they're playing on a Guitar Hero controller whenever they air guitar. There was also like a week where all I did was see DoTA Allstars whenever I closed my eyes. There was a span of about three months where all I did was play fighting games, I would find myself repeating combo/super inputs to myself at work (and performing the appropriate motions). It was a lot like meditation, and it really made the day speed by. Isn't it possible to have that sort of meditative response to any regular action though? Dishwashing, cleaning, roofing, reading, and writing all relax me and haunt my dreams if I do them too much. Except I'm sore after roofing.

I really enjoy this track (now and when it was posted as an R:TS Mix). The beat is pumping and the melodies are really nicely arranged. That slowdown during the middle of the song is a neat part that makes the whole thing feel like some kind of slow-mo matrix leap over an enemy or something. Creative use of samples as well. Actually, listening to this track made me wonder why there aren't more remixes from Gameboy titles. ---------------- Now playing: chthonic, halcyon - Super Mario Land: Why So Serious? R:TS Mix via FoxyTunes

I really like how minimal this mix is. It seems like the source rhythm is just softly present throughout the piece, but no part of the track loses any poignancy by being too loud or soft. Everything present is just in a good state of balance (metaphorical balance).

Very electronic. I really like how each song segment is overlapping, so many of the parts seem to rise to the front and fade to the back at different times.

Really cool introduction that flows that 8-bit-esque sound into the drums and guitar that dominate this track. The background 2:20 brings the silence and piano juxtaposed with the synth in a nice bit of tension. I think that the drum starts to fade back in around 2:40, and the heavy return of the other instruments is nicely done. Overall the track is neat, but I'm not sure that it has any parts that really strike me as overwhelming in intensity. It keeps the head bobbing, but I just feel like it could do with some meat to it. This track is like an okay steak, it's certainly worth listening to but just doesn't have anything to make it a lasting memory.

Fast techno remix of FF7 Boss music. Check. Piece that is both nostalgic and pumped-up enough to sound like it has a proper home within the original game. Check. I like the track because I feel like I'm back in the game. It's intense, awesome, and the victory fanfare is nicely done. While I know that I've heard remixes done in the same basic style (just like I've heard many rock/metal remixes of this track), this one definitely has a 'right' feeling to it.

In the field of forum law, Mods > Users. I don't really think that it was an intentional system to make the bosses follow a similar patter, it's just how they usually do these things. It's not like any of the bosses are impossible to beat without their weakness, it just gets more difficult (sometimes exponentially so). Usually in a Mega Man game there's a few bosses that don't require anything more than the normal shot and well-timed jumps. And Metal Man's weapon in Mega Man 2 is really the most useful weapon you get. That could be because it's basically a better version of your normal shot. The X series is a little bit different, and I usually attribute that to the upgrade parts being more useful than the weapons you get from Mavericks. The ability to dash, dash-jump, and air dash make it so you can avoid getting hit by bosses altogether, so the weapon systems are just bonuses. tl;dr Mega Man 2 =/= Mega Man X2. The order bosses are beaten in is usually a bit similar. Adding new things isn't really at the core of the series, but rather keeping things the same but making them slightly different. I love Mega Man, but I'm not going to go out and claim that each new game is revolutionary.

This mix has been on my list of entertaining remixes for a while. The intro is a really neat use of beats and percussion that is followed by that moment of silence and the poignant sample. Really, I'm not sure that the sample itself is what's important, but rather the vaguely static tone of Keanu Reeves. I don't really respect him as any sort of emotional actor, but the way he speaks has a lot of odd little inflections that have worked really well in some of his roles (Neo, Bill, Bob Arctor). Back to the mix, the piano of "Far Promise" is really beautiful, and the strings that follow only make it seem more melancholy. When the beat kicks back in it gets a little bit more upbeat, but I really feel like the piano and strings are the beautiful part of this mix. The beat and the odd little synth noises are neat, but I really almost feel like a stripped down version of this would be just as pretty. Mixed feelings here, and the mix definitely strikes me as a very mood-driven piece. Sometimes I'll love it and sometimes I'll just want to skip to the next track. Rêve d'ordinateur is something like "dream/daydream of the computer" or "to dream of the computer". Really, you would have to ask the person who named it and not rely on the ramblings of someone who only learns french in his spare time. I think its clever, since it works as a reference to the quote, the medium used to create the song, the game Radical Dreamers, and anything else that you want to draw out of it. (I'm assuming this based on the fact that 'reve' without the accent is not actually a french word, and I know that ordinateur is computer in french. I figure that the tagging refused to allow the odd character, so it was simplified.) ---------------- Now playing: Metallica - Orion via FoxyTunes

Nice Mix. It rocks just hard enough. I think this is floating around in various packs of remixes that individuals put together. That could be a compliment, that people put it together with miscellaneous remixes and label the "best remixes ever" or something like that. I have to agree with loving the snare here, and the lead is in the perfect range to be a really cool-sounding piece.

Bouncy Bouncy! Definitely a delightful mix, which really takes the melancholy flow of Singing Mountain and merges it with the upbeat feeling of Delightful Spekkio and Guardia Millenial Fair. I really like what the tempo change has done and I think that this is a masterful, enjoyable piece.

Love you for remixing this song, even if you don't care for the game. The game has many flawed aspects, though the soundtrack was NEVER one of them. I think this mix's rock tone really emphasizes how incredibly powerful the battle music was (considering that the second Battle music is hardly in the game). The rough, rock intro bores into me and really pushes the song forward. I'm not sure how much the varying melody parts really stand out against the main line until 1:04 when it changes riff. I think it would be interesting to hear the quieter parts of the melody stand out (even though this is a driving rock ReMix. The drums fit, but don't really do anything special. The lead at 2:30 kind of feels out of place and I don't find it adding much. The silence and minimalist part starting at 3:03 I thought could have been extended - or even had something more intersting to it, though it might have taken away from the driving rock. Eh, Overall I thought it was a fair mix. It's not something I'll actively seek out, and I don't really appreciate this take on the source. I do think that Battle I is one of the "killa cuts" off of the album, and appreciate that this track has nothing to do with 12,000 B.C. (Schala, Zeal, Ocean Palace, Black Omen), Magus, 600 A.D., or the main theme. The soundtrack has so many cuts and too few of them are done justice.

So, is it bad that I've basically had a similar argument numerous times? The "Hardcore Gamer" is an idea that has been created by the concept of people who spent so much time devoted to something. Now, I used to really get into this definition and have to divide it into groups. So many different ideas arose from those kinds of arguments. For instance, how many of you really examine the systems in an RPG and how you can completely manipulate them in your favor? Is the fact that you deciphered that (with or without guides/gamefaqs/forums) an indicator, or is it the time consideration? Do you consider someone a "Hardcore Gamer" if they mastered the Bahamut Zero five times in order to have HP Absorb, MP Absorb, MP Turbo, Quadra Magic, Magic Counter? Or does that just mean they have way too much free time? Would spending hours discussing how to work stat growth vs. spell growth qualify? or is that an academic discussion. Maybe the elusive Hardcore Gamer is the one that does nothing else. This person provides nothing to society, plays video games, is not an active consumer, does not compete professionally, does not actually purchase video games but rather obtains them all illegally. They obviously have great emotional and mental investment into their past time, though the legality and sanity of their actions are open to question. Perhaps it's more like a "Pure Gamer", who plays games to find the flaws and then proceeds to either play the game without exploiting the flaw (if at all possible) or simply refuses to play it. Possibly even going so far as to hack the game (voiding their licensing agreement and possibly committing a crime) to attempt to rework the systems into something without exploits. Since there is no "Perfect Game" this person would inevitably play many many games looking for the perfect example. There are even people who seek complete perfection within a single game. Are they Hardcore Gamers? Or are they simply hobbyists that focus on one thing alone. Individuals with years logged on their MMO accounts (provided they continue regular play cycles) come to mind. Hell, that sort of mastery is impressive, even if it presents no opportunity to use those skills competitively. The media loves the "Hardcore Gamer" image because they have (in many cases) connected it to images of masculinity engaging in competition with clear victors. Is this a derivative of ancient social orders? The alpha being declared through a form of ritual combat with none to stand against him/her? (I don't mean to sound sexist there, but the general media image of so-called "hardcore gamers" does usually focus on men/boys. The stereotype of the "guy who lives in his mom's basement" is everlasting.) A problem with this idea is that it is now perfectly possible to engage in lasting, healthy, personal relationships within the confines of our networks. The former image of that one "hardcore" guy who only steps up to the DDR pad when some newcomer gets cocky... that's fading. Me, I flip flop. Sometimes I consider myself Hardcore because... being informed could be hardcore. Knowing some of the history and reminiscing about past games. Thinking about how things used to be and talking about these damn new kids that don't know (and could care less) about the past. Does that make me Hardcore? or does it just make me an old, jaded, jackass? If anything, I find it easy to accept the media's image of Hardcore gaming as a certain time period and state of mind. Going to a tournament puts everybody in that hardcore, half-suspicious, half-excited, mindset. Going to a friend's house and knowing that you'll spend the next twelve hours doing nothing but bouncing between all kinds of QCF+K, HCB+P, rockets, Graveyard decks, grenades, mock-guitar controllers, schoolgirls kicking the piss out of zombies, and debating idiotic things for fun. Games are meant to have fun with. Sometimes people get stuck playing games with someone that is a lot better than them at it, for whatever reason. That's life, turn on a handicap or make one up. It's not that they're hardcore, it's just that they're much more skilled (or they have the deck built to counter yours). Hardcore Gamer is just a term stolen by the media to try and sell things to people that were already having fun. So they hold a vague resemblence to me when I'm playing Halo, oh well. I'm not changing my habits around their advertisments, and it helps them sell product, who am I to object? It's not like anybody has a freaking patent on "Playing video games on a couch as a leisure activity, competition, or social interaction."

Hands down one of my favorite OC Remixes of all time. Now, the original melody is no slouch, and it definitely stands proud in this mix. I can't decide what I love the most here. The track has some amazing ethereal quality in its meandering nature that I love so much. Hearing the song come through distorted or piano... just all around awesome. This track could go on forever and I always find myself getting lost in it. If there is a DKC2 album being made, I love you guys even more. Kong in Concert was effing awesome. (I loved Mine Cart Misadventure and Rare Reminiscene too, mad props)

Hmmm... congratulations on releasing humongous project! That being said, I have yet to solidly devote a chunk of time to really digging into the tracks individually. I listened to the album straight through a few times, but then it was lost in shuffle. Initial impressions were something along the lines of "w00t, new album! mad guitars! thank you for lyrics! epic orchestral moments! poignant pianos! so many collaborations ; ;". Or something along those lines if I recall. I also haven't actually played a Tales game to its ending, I am usually put off by the battle system. Initial standout tracks were: No Better Time Than Now (This Isn't the Time) - the vocals brought the track some immediate attention, but the beat and mixture of lighter instruments over heavier synthesized sounds/samples/instruments is what really sold me on it. Deity (Martel) - I think this might be my favorite track on the album. A little bit of melancholy, a lot of beat, excellent flow. Just damn. I think that it was really the song that jumped out at me on my first listen as something that I would need to favorite. Go the Distance (I'll Go) - Cool. I think that covers everything. Chronometrical (Stream of Time) - Wow. Love the track. The clock was a nice touch, the whole thing is really pretty. Piano made the finale really great. Simplified Design (Take Up the Cross) - This track is such a driving guitar track. I swear there was some sort of accident when this ended up on my exercise playlist and I started kicking my own ass. Actually, the little break sections are really funny because they bring this creepy vibe to what otherwise seems like a straight up angry piece of work. Also, not something to play when expecting calm music. Very jarring. Riddles in the Dark (Morlia Gallery) - God damn, it reminds me of how music used to double-speed when you hit low life. A lot of different pieces here, it's sort of like a group of related musical pieces that bridge together. I dunno if the source does that too, but nice work. Altar Perception (Search a Seal) - Another group of connecting pieces, though this one seems more intertwined and convoluted. Hmmm... other positive tracks of note: Beyond Absentminded, Mirror Image, Frozen Heart, Antegenesis, The Koan of Drums, Airborne (I think this was my favorite piano piece actually), Crisis Healing Salve, as time goes on (purely instrumental this strikes me, the vocals seem to cast a shadow over most of the song), Sweet Dreams (pretty sax), and Gentry Is a Five Letter Word. Didn't care for Arche Angel or Momentary. Songs just didn't click. Lots of other songs, but I couldn't really do them justice right now. The Symphonia discs seem very nicely put together, and it definitely hits a climax immediately after My Secret Forest. Phantasia was interesting, since I haven't actually played that game, but a few standouts made me really enjoy those discs. Album that is so huge is difficult to absorb in anything but small amounts though. Thank you all very much for this wonderful album.

I totally have to credit listening to this mix to searching the word "Funk" and leaving iTunes on shuffle. This mix is a lot of fun. It brings back fond memories of downloading video game remixes on dial-up and hoping that the last 10 minutes weren't a total waste of my internet connection (fond memories of the 90's). Needless to say, this one wouldn't be a waste. It's got a neat dance beat going and some classic synths running over them with a couple samples filling in. Having listened to hundreds of 80's dance songs (due to cheap tapes found at garage sales), this piece is also a pretty iconic representation of them. I don't believe this song would pass the judges any more, but I genuinely enjoy it.

Funky Kong is a lovable character, and his theme has only made him that much more endearing. Initially, I was thrown off by this take on the song, since it takes a fairly different approach than bLiNd's. While the synths rock, and the drums keep it going, I just don't feel the connection to the source very well. Separating the song from any inclinations toward the source, I find it very enjoyable and a great listen, it has that awesome winding texture going that just slowly pulls together, releases a little bit, pulls closer together, and then explodes into awesome. The source material is one of those sacred childhood videogame tunes that always brings me back, so it will take time to see if this grows on me.

Alright, the mix definitely has some deep qualities here. A little bit of this and a little bit of that, with a great mix of backing sound running through the whole track. I have no idea how long the source tune is, but this definitely explores a variety of different ends to a classic "spaghetti western"-inspired piece The piano lead that comes in during the second half of the piece starts out really striking but I find myself losing some focus by the end of its reign. It feels kind of decaying, like an ancient statue in an overgrown baroque garden - when the piano starts I feel like the nature is overwhelming everything man-made in a maze of green. At 2:40, it's like time suddenly freezes or slows down, and I'm left watching as the head of a statue finally succumbs to the throes of erosion and gravity. It lacks any malicious texture, but it still represents the loss of humanity within a place formerly held in great esteem by mankind. Sorry for the bad example. Interesting mix though. ---------------- Now playing: ilp0 - Gun.Smoke Space Cowboy OC ReMix via FoxyTunes

The "every SHMUP you can find" motion seconded, if you're into those type of games. Also Space Channel 5, Power Stone, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Shenmue. Jet Grind Radio is fun and the soundtrack is addictive. Resident Evil: Code Veronica (if you haven't played it on a different system). Evolution 1 and 2 are decent RPGs. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is an amazing adventure game, even if the rest of the series has sucked hardcore (except Blood Omen). Project Justice Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Time Stalkers House of the Dead 2 (If you can find a light gun for it) Zombie Revenge is freaking awesome. Grandia II is an RPG so incredibly cliche it is hilarious to watch, and the battle system is no slouch. Skies of Arcadia is also awesome. Honestly, I can't really recommend Phantasy Star Online at this point - without the ONLINE part of the game it is a lot harder to manage. Imagine logging on to World of Warcraft and finding nobody there - that's what playing it offline is like. It is an amazing game... but without actually being online it has lost a lot of flavor.

This is a fun, poppy remix. That being said, I love listening to it every once in awhile, but it's too much sugar for me to listen to on a regular basis. It's a very well put together piece with good vocals, neat guitar work, and it's quite concise without being weak (a fatal flaw that many pop songs fall to). Mostly I think it's a fun piece that I definitely won't forget, but I also won't be hunting it down to listen to very often.

This mix is really bare-bones. It's a very simple and stylistic remake of the original track. It's a fun piece that I really enjoy listening to.

Very subdued and chilling. It has a very beautiful vibe at the front and back of the song. The beat is quite pretty and the song has the feeling of never beginning or ending to it.

Congratulations! May your child do many great things in life.