K.B.

Sweet. You guys are awesome. I was about to post some requests for DKC2 but decided to check the project forum first and voila! So many awesome tracks left to be done (at least on ocr), or redone as the case may be. Blows my mind that a non-rpg has music with such passion. So thanks for taking this on! I'll now be quiet and impatiently await the release. EDIT (take two), to avoid dual-posting: I wasn't trying to say RPG soundtracks were the pinnacle of vg music, rather that the good ones have music that can tug on your heart strings and really make you feel one way or another for a character... that's what I meant by passion. I also should have said RPG/adventure games. To me, the DKC2 soundtrack almost sounds out-of-place at times because there is so much feeling in the music, and maybe it's just me but I don't get that out of a Castlevania or a Mega Man... great tunes but of a completely different sort. Anyway, all I really wanted to do was compliment the folks here for doing the time-consuming and what sometimes must be ungratifying work of remixing and for doing it on a great game.

Love the chiptune aesthetic! The source tunes are nice to begin with, but you did some nifty things to expand upon them and make them your own. Your mix is light and fun, but what really grabs me is how it also sounds hopeful and uplifting, especially the bits after 0:54 and 2:56... you put some heart in here and it shows. I dig all your remixes. Please keep mixing and submitting! And everyone else, do yourself a favor and check out halcyon's other works that haven't made it here (yet?); they don't disappoint.

Could someone please contact Mr. Elfman? That's a pretty sweet remix; we should ask him to submit it. BTW: there's a lot more to Uematsu's tune than just that bit, and that bit is so small that it's reasonable to think it's been used more than once before... see (shamelessly stolen from an older thread).EDIT: I post too slowly. See previous two posts.

That's it! Thanks! Many quarters spent on that one, good times... sure wish it had a port though.

Question, if I may pick your collective brains. What are some other well-known side-scrolling WWII-1980s aircraft smups? I'm trying to remember what the name of the one that I remember loving (I think from an arcade, but I could be mistaken), I can't quite remember the era planes that were used but I'm thinking it was WWII, I also remember one part where you shoot your way through city buildings, and no it's definitely not Area 88/UN Squadron. Any ideas? Never did get top-scrollers... it's like playing football/soccer the wrong way! I need more lead time! Arghdeadwaytoosoon... And in the spirit of showing one's age, I went and dusted off Sky Shark not too long ago (awesome music!). Played it many times actually - even got to the final boss a couple times - then gave up in frustration (with emphatically throwing my controller into the floor!). I remember having way more patience as a kid.

Hahaha... so bad. Also, notice at 2:41 that mega man is playing Nintendo. Think he's playing his own game... training?

Another Soundscape, I really like your stuff, but I have to say you missed your mark on this. You see, with pointless internet phenomena, one must be truly horrid at their craft to do due tribute. See: all your base, numa numa. You, through your work here, have disowned the very thing you seek to promote. You have created something good. By adding legitimate awesomeness to this trend, you helped it toward its demise, as nothing good can last on the internet. For shame. BTW: best use of You Are Not Alone ever. And seriously, you bring the funk. It is awesome.

Star Fox!!!!1!1!! I own an Ace Combat but I still go back and play Star Fox about ten times more often. EDIT: This qualifies, right?

Hooray humane killing! More humane killings for all! Hee hee... I see the argument though; some living conditions are appalling, and death is always appalling. But yes, at some point you have to draw a line below which you devalue life enough to kill it and eat it. "This beautiful creature must die". I think it's important to consider to truly understand our nature... to truly understand your nature... and to better appreciate life. Not saying you folks haven't, but if you haven't it's worthy subject to ponder.

Hi, my name's David, and I'm an alcoholic. Wait, am I in the right place? BTW you old folks are creepy in a grandma/endearing sort of way... keep you at arm's length to avoid pinching or any other nonsense.

You see, this is what happens when you don't take off your shoes at the security checkpoint.

Three butt-kicking boss themes: Ifrit (efreet) Wyvern Anthemic bgm (starting at 1:49 you can take on the world): Limestone Quarry Four boss battles come to mind: Ifrit (Efreet), Wyvern, Dragon (Greyland Event Climax part 8/h), and Dullahan. They're already well-done, but if you're looking to rock the remix then these are prime candidates. Ifrit is, hands down, my favorite. Limestone Quarry is another good choice; it's fairly anthemic. For more atmospheric tunes, check out Workshop, Abandoned Mines 1&2, Undercity, or Rosencrantz. And Truth is moving. http://www.zophar.net/music/psf/vagrant-story.html Solid game with good music that deserves some ocr lovin'.

Touche. I hadn't even considered the suspension of disbelief, which I guess we have to do to a certain extent, more so with story-driven games but at least a bit with all games. So yeah, nevermind. I'm gonna go eat some pizza now, and I hope I do a better job of that than I seem to do with philosophical arguments. If not, I will ocr fifty bucks (null and void after successful devouring of said pizza).

Your work is so very, very good. And thank you for posting here so newbs (yes, I am that old... I guess) like me can stumble upon it. Interesting theory, especially on the philosophical level. But, to be honest, I don't think this applies to gaming. Mori's postulate is based on simulating the real, as he did with robotics, whereas the gaming industry seeks to achieve the hyper-real. Should anyone doubt this, ask yourself if you would want to play a game where you spend a half hour buying groceries and waiting at the checkout counter. Right, not a chance. You want to get to the part where you do something, well, interesting! Everyone, barring very young children, knows that games are not real. This is prior knowledge. So when a game verges on simulating the real but falls short in some respect, the gamer is not startled or horrified as someone might be if they suddenly realized that they were shaking hands with an android and not a human (I'm borrowing heavily from Mori's writings in this example). I contend that gaming will never go past the intial 'peak' in Mori's graph because the gamer will always be cognizant that the game is, in fact, fake. Any hangup, such as the awkward movement of an otherwise seemingly-real character, will always be an annoyance, never a downfall of reality. There is no reality; there is only simulacra. So if companies want to continue making games look more and more real (ahem, hyper-real), I say they should go for it! I don't think they have to fear anyone becoming repulsed at a near-likeness. It's simply a matter of return-on-investment, and at some point it won't pay to make a game look any more real. If any of this sounded overly critical I apologize. I only investigated this because of your video. And yes, I am another among the horde who had not heard of this concept before, so I again thank you for enlightening me. Your videos rock - once I watched one I had to watch the rest. I concur with Stargem. But I must say, I've seen Pooh twice in your videos, but Tigger not once. You need more Tigger.

Several people made great points, but I have to second Shadow Wolf's thoughts (ahem, those on reviewing, that is). I'd guess that the majority of folks on ocremix, myself included, aren't remixers at all. Personally, I don't think I have the right to criticize a remix even if I think it's poo. Someone put in many, many hours of work to learn their craft and create their remix and then has provided it for folks like me to enjoy for free, so who am I to say it's anything other than enjoyable? Sides, even if I were to be critical, I think it would be prickish of me to announce it to the world... praise in public, criticize in private. And there's plenty here to praise. Oh, and speaking of panel reviews, I believe there was one review on which a certain judge countered his outstanding balance of "NO"s in one fell, multicolored swoop. It was quite hilarious. If only I could find it again...

Lions and tigers and... chocobos? Oh, my! I definitely hear Ukulele de Chocobo (FF9) in this mix. Whether this is due to an intentional combination of two vastly dissimilar tracks or simply a coincidence of cosmic proportions, I agree that this remix is very clever... and very fun! Steelpans make me happy.

Can you PM me then? Thanks!

No Flesh Allowed... or pretty much any CV from goat (def check out his CV3 album Unchosen Paths on his site if you like his stuff). Yeah, CV all the way. Can't go wrong there, old-school originals or remixes. And make sure to do some Vampire Spank(er)ing as the night winds down, especially if you have a lady friend... in which case I guess it would be Vampiress Spanking.

You guys are awesome! This is my favorite game of all time and I am simply ecstatic to hear you all are remixing the soundtrack. I hope to hear lots of harp. Oh - and brass! And, and... ok, I'll stop and leave the remixing calls to those with talent, actually doing the remixes. If anyone's still interested about versions... between the SNES, PS1, and Famicom (the original 'hardtype' one) versions, play the Famicom one - there's an excellent fan translation out there, plus it has the challenge and a few other small bits that were taken out of the SNES version. Look for FF4, not FF2. Just trying so save you all from buying the PS1 version thinking it was the hardtype version (not even close) or an accurate translation (it's better than the SNES's, but the fan translation is best, IMO). I haven't played the other versions... Jade, what's this added bit at the end of the DS version you're talking about? Think it's on YouTube? Anyway, thanks ahead of time everyone for your work on this album. This is gonna be sweet! Oh, and fair to say someone really likes Rydia? Haha... album art picture >> 16-bit sprite. Or perhaps I was just too young back then...

Rock concert movement number two!

It never ceases to amaze me how vastly different people's tastes can be. One of my most favorite vg remixes passes by a hair's breadth. Incredible. I suppose I'm just a sucker for what I've dubbed 'dream trance': a heavy, rhythmic beat with higher-pitched instruments, especially a bright piano, that are used in a minimalist framework to create 'dreamy' atmosphere. That's exactly what this track is. And I love it. To try to be a bit objective, I gave this a couple critical listens before I commented, and the only blemish I noticed was that the deepest bass notes fuzzed-out a bit. But that might be from my speakers. Every little sound, every added instrument and effect... they all belonged. I liked the tiny bit of dissonance. I especially liked how this mix didn't try to do too much; it didn't throw you about, it gently carried you to another place. Hope, longing, sadness, and a quiet persistence all came through my speakers. Doing so without live instruments is a triumph; I don't think it easy to squeeze emotions out of a computer, and though Palpable isn't the only remixer here to have accomplished this, it's still a commendable feat. Perhaps my evaluation reveals my ignorance of music theory and of music sequencing. And that's fair. But ultimately, to me, it seems there is a disconnect between how the remixer intended his creation to be heard and what many in the audience expected to hear. This isn't an overtly technical piece; in fact, if it were challenging, it would betray its very purpose. The complexity lies in the addition and layering of sounds while still maintaining the invitingly-simple overall structure... to dab with color to enhance the atmosphere, but not to paint over it. To each his own? Well, I'll take it! Thank you, Mr Prabhu.

I find this nothing short of brilliant. There are at least two source tunes present: The Prelude and Prologue. The Prelude starts at 0:14, runs intermittently throughout, and is done in a relatively straightforward manner. The brilliance, as I see it, is mp's interpretation of Prologue, which comprises the majority of this remix and is either altered or subdued so much that it's nearly impossible to spot. The countermelody of Prologue can be easily heard at 1:02; and a 2x speed melody, with a good portion of the notes omitted, can be heard at the beginning. Interpretations of Prologue comprise the rest of the mix. I can't speak to production, but I think the arrangement is gorgeous. The handoff between the cello and the piano at 0:30 is seamless, and the voices at 1:22 give an ethereal, haunting aura. The static is a nice touch - it gives a distant feeling, which plays to the solemness of the piece. The rather inspiring originals have become very somber... it is as if hope remains but is guised - shrouded by the seemingly endless path of tribulations that await. If I were to save the world, I would want to start my quest to this song. Thank you, Mr Pollard.

This is a game I grew up on that apparently only four people besides myself know about (going off of the number of gamefaqs reviews). But I'm confident that my bias only somewhat colors my perception of the soundtrack: put on the nsf and it will speak for itself. If you aren't hooked within a minute of listening to the first track, then disregard; it might not be the best, but it's the most memorable. Then again, that's probably because it has seeped the deepest into my subconscious from the repeated dying and restarting, since the game is so effing hard that making it to the fourth level is a monumental achievement. In fact, my only memory surrounding track four is the adrenaline rush from the excitement and nervousness I got the few times I made it far enough in the game to actually hear that tune... I honestly attest that, even today, I have a Pavlovian jump in heart rate every time this track comes on. Putting on my objectivity shoes... Sky Shark's soundtrack might not be great, as those of Castlevania, Contra, and Mario 3 are (or at least arguably are). But it beats a kick in the pants. I mean... it's good. Darn good for an nes soundtrack. If you don't judge on quantity, that is: it only has five tracks! But pound for pound... you get the idea. The nearest comparison I can make is that parts of each track sound akin to those of early Mega Mans in pacing and in the sound of some of the samples. And just like the tracks from those games, these readily lend themselves to remixing in various electronic styles. Guitar rock could work as well. Of course, anything is possible. A full blown band with guitar, base, drums, and keyboard could lend some serious sickness to these tunes... just throwing that out there. The five tracks are ordered in the nsf as one-four and six. Track five is the same as track one, and the rest are simply blurbs. Track six is the ending (I presume; I never beat the game) and is vastly different from tracks one-four (and is cheesybad imo). Track one is the only track with an introductory portion: the first 22 seconds do not repeat (and oh yes, the beat is dropped (ok perhaps technically it isn't dropped since the meter remains unbroken)). All of the tracks are rather long for their day: the shortest loop is 1:13 (on track one). The longest loop is 1:42 (on track three). So they all meander a bit more than one might expect on an nes action game, but after a couple listens I think you'll find it all makes sense. Except for track one, which is a juxtaposition of awesomeness and left field. I think there's a lot to work with here. Plus it's nes: these tracks are begging for a sound-quality overhaul, so a large time expenditure on a radical reinterpretation isn't requisite, all that is needed is a straight-up, solid remix. Also note that, unlike many other good soundtracks with few/no remixes, such as Ys 1, there aren't any manufacturer-released remix albums to be had. So this is an all-around legit request. But if no one takes this on be warned: I will dust off my keyboard and learn my way around FL Studio and remix at least one of these tracks myself in two years (or however long it takes me to acquire some measure of skill from scratch). Not much of a threat, I know, but by Apollo I swear it isn't an idle one. Don't miss out, potential remix glory is going fast... nsf can be found at Zophar's: http://www.zophar.net/download.php?file=nsf/skyshark.zip Best tracks on the nsf, imo, rank-ordered: 3,4,1,2,....6 Realization upon further googling: the composer is Tim Follin. The atypically high compositional quality in an average nes game now makes sense. Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Follin EDIT: There's a Tim Follin tribute album project in the works, so a Sky Shark remix could be submitted with that. But a remix can still be submitted on its own, and albums take a long time to complete, so the single-digit fan base would love it if a remixer would decide to undertake this now instead of keeping all in suspense as to if there will even be a Sky Shark remix in a project's distant future...