orkybash

Punch-Out!! 'Little Mac's Confession' I'll just start by saying this: I'm generally opposed to adding lyrics to instrumental video game music, since I think the music should be able to speak for its self. Nevertheless, this song is VERY well done, and the lyrics add a lot to it (except for the "Punch out!", which I found more than a little cheesy). This is definitely something I would listen to again, so give it a try regardless of your stance on lyrics. And if you like your VG music with lyrics, then there shouldn't be any doubt, should there?

Shadowgate 'Death Rave' Pretty mediocre techno music here. It's good, but it didn't have the edge that a song titles "Death Rave" probably should - it wasn't intense, it wasn't energetic, and it made me want to keep sitting in front of my computer instead of getting up and dancing. So download it, enjoy it, but know that I've heard much better.

Revenge of Shinobi 'Chinatown (Bad Sushi)' djpretzel succeeds in merging his usual technofunk (if that's even the right way to describe it) style with a very oriental sound and flavor to produce one of his more interesting remixes. Everything's spot on here, as it is with most of da dj's work - I really can't find a single element to criticize. Recommended.

Ninja Gaiden 'Emulated' Nice mix from Jose Acosta. This is a short one, but manages to make it feel complete (which seems to be a rare accomplishment for remixes that are under 2 minutes long). My only complaint would be the samples, in particular the synth hits, but overall this is a worthy download.

Super R-Type 'Solitary Flight 2002' This remix is catchy, but to be honest, it ain't anything that special. The best part is the pizzicato strings that come in near the end, but other than that I really don't hear anything that makes this really stand out.

Xenogears 'Koiji na Shi no Genchou Not the best mix I've heard, but there's not much to complain about, either. The parts where the melody is present are superb, but it could have been developed a bit more, as it sounds empty for most of the time. But as it is, I think this works.

Sonic CD (JP) 'Li'l Blue Bastard' Joe Redifer's latest mix is fun, high quality, and... short. Too short, in fact. As I've said before, I have no problems with short mixes, as long as they don't feel *incomplete* which, sorry to say, this one does. But what's here is good, and well worth a download.

Soul Blazer 'Tears for a Moonlit Knight' Drums seemed a bit overpowering, but that's about the only bad thing I can say here. People, this is a damn near perfect mix, which is even more amazing considering it's a first time submission. Get it. Now.

Mega Man 2 'Crashed Men' *VERY* strange intro, but somehow , this mix wouldn't be the same without it. Now that I mention it, very strange remix, but in a fun way. Lots of stuff going on in the background with the drums and the bass which almost upstages the melody, but not quite. On the technical side of things, I noticed a bit of clipping near the. But overall, this is a really fun remix, and deserves a listen from everyone at least once.

Combatribes '74 Floors' K. Praslowicz serves up another hit! This one starts out very soft and ambient, but you can tell it's building to something... then the drums hit and you realize you were right. This isn't one of those mixes that grabs energy and doesn't let go - instead it ebbs and flows, like the use of cheesy cliches (). Enough variation is provided to keep it interesting, and then some. You really have to experience this one to believe it. Highly recommended.

Chrono Trigger 'Ruined World (Eternal Derelict)' This is, in my opinion. one of CotMM's best tracks. Definitely sounds like it's from the soundtrack of a CT movie. Sets up some GREAT ambiance, then builds a slow-moving (in a good way) melody on top of it. Then just as it starts to get boring, CotMM changes it up, first shifting out the melody and adding in some de-tuned bells, then bringing in a new melody (this one from The Day the World Revived). I would LOVE to know what CotMM had in mind with this, as it sounds like there was definitely a concept behind it that goes beyond the music. Highly recommended.

Zanac 'X-Mix' Great attempt from Jose Acosta, who brings us a fun, Zanac remix. Not anything particularly new or exciting, but a nice listen. I especially like the bass work, and the less techno-y interlude (which I would have liked to see expanded on).

Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike 'Jungle Jazz' It's McVaffe - what do you expect? Quality, that's what! This remix starts with a well-played (or VERY well synthesized) piano solo, then adds jungle drum loops on top of it. Personally, I liked the piano better than the drum loops, as the drums sounded like every other jungle loop. But overall, another winner from McVaffe. Recommended.

Gaiares 'Stage 1 Theme (The T-Braster Mix)' Good variation in this remix - I especially loved the key change around 2:40, a trick that works well but is largely ignored by most remixers. Some of the samples were a little thin, especially the piano at the beginning and end, and the sample that carries the melody through the key change. But all in all, this is a well done mix.

Mega Man X 'Brainsick Metal' Protricity might as well be called the next Scott Peeples at the rate he's going! This time he serves up a synthrock medley from Mega Man X which is so intense that I could honestly see myself speeding, oh, 30-40 mph over while listening to this if I wasn't careful! The guitars can sound a tad synthy at times, but that's my only complaint. All in all, this is a must-download.

Lagoon 'Dwarfunk' Organ sample could use a little work here, but other than that it sounds good to me! Nice funky remix, and well worth a download.

Donkey Kong Country 2 'Mechanical Swamp' Dear God. The only excuse for not having this remix on your hard drive is that you have less than 4.8 megs of space left... and even then, delete something else for it! If you haven't caught on, this remix is so honest-to-God amazing that it should be ILLEGAL not to listen to it. Download NOW.

Xenogears 'Uncaptured Jewel' Very moving and creative take on this song. Though the samples could have been a bit better to give the African sections an extra punch that they really could have used, I would overall really recommend this remix.

Doom II 'Barrels o' Fun' This song is a bit... heavier than I'm used to listening to, but I really appreciate the high production values, and the intricacies in the special effects (by the way, I urge everyone not to give away a certain effect... it's much less cool if you know it's coming!) Anyway, just know that this mix is probably the coolest "thrill ride" on OC, and gets a highly recommended from Orkybash.

Donkey Kong Country 2 'Brambly Rivers' Interesting stuff here - Wintermute's more upbeat version of the Bramble theme is a lot more complex than it first seems. Though I don't care much for the samples, it is overall a worthwhile listen.

Super Mario Bros. 2 'The DarK Underground' This really ain't my cup of tea. The background chord is really annoying, and it takes far too long to develop (almost three minutes!) And I'm sorry, you can't make a repetitive theme stretch 6 minutes just by adding and subtracting elements! So unfortunately, this mix really doesn't do it for me, and I can't recommend it.

Secret of Mana 'Whispering Prayers' This one is much improved from VitF's first remix in that, though it's still short, it doesn't feel so, and seems more like a complete remix than the intro to one. Though there's nothing outstanding here, what there is is good enough that this remix is very enjoyable. Recommended.

Chrono Trigger 'To Far Away Timescapes' Funny how people complain about the Zeal theme being done to the death, yet keep quiet when another Far Away Times remix comes along. This one's good, though it's not as creative as it could have been. Too many Far Away times mixes, including this one, just follow the original exactly - why not change it up some? Also, is it just my computer, or are there *major* skips here? Probably just my computer... *heads off to run scandisk...*

Top Gear 3000 'Shop Mix' Suggestion: GET A BETTER BASS SAMPLE! That really killed the mix for me. The rest of it was pretty enjoyable, if a bit repetitive. Coulda used a bit more reverb too. But overall it's obvious Collaborator put some effort into this one, which is too bad because some minor problems really make it only about .001% as enjoyable as it could have been.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'Memories of Saria' It's a tough call, but in the end I really can't say I recommend this. Almost none of the sounds are very high quality, and some are downright annoying. It's a bit repetitive, and the slow-down ending, while good, really doesn't fit the song and is much too drawn out. It has its moments, yes, but I think the bad outweighs the good here. Though as I said, it's a really tough call.