orkybash

Final Fantasy IV 'Rydia's Chocobo' The first thing that hits me is NoppZ's usual and always appreciated reggae, then the original minor key version of the chocobo theme, which I found to be very creative. Though that was probably the highlight of the mix, the rest of it is good, save for the questionable transitions between the Choco theme and Rydia's theme, the fact that I really don't care for the flute sound used, and the fact that it's maybe a tad long. Still, I would definitely recommend this.

Street Fighter II' Champion Edition 'Credits Theme (One Credit Finish Mix)' Hah... it *is* Pachelbel's Canon! Which brings up the question: was that an addition by the remixer, or was it in the original? Anyway... Most of the intro seemed very dry to me, even after it turned into a fast techno mix, but this picks up towards the middle so it's all good! Overall I would really recommend this one, to Street Fighter and classical music fans alike!

Golden Axe 'Golden Axe 2002' This one could use some major EQ work, especially in the intro - sounds to me like higher frequencies are almost nonexistent! I also detected some clipping, which got annoying. Still, this is a very enjoyable remix - actually sounds like some of djp's stuff in terms of style. I would definitely recommend this, but tell Jose Acosta to get into the processing end of things first!

Final Fantasy 'Stronghold of Chaos' Though this one suffers from very questionable sample quality, and even more questionable transitions, DarkCecil13 shows off some very good arranging skills. There's some real power here, though some better samples would make it even stronger. I could have done without the fade out ending and the last little bit, though - that to me is the weakest part of the mix, and it's never good when the ending is the weakest part. Still, this song is well worth a download.

ActRaiser 'Fill More Funk' Well, maybe I'm not familiar with the funk genre, but for the most part this didn't sound as funky as it could have (though there *are* exceptions throughout the song). Still, it's a really fun listen, and something we don't normally hear from djp. Recommended.

Life Force 'Pharoah Land' What can I say? I'm a sucker for mixing techno and orchestral instruments, and this got the mixture right. Well, almost right. The drums are way to quiet for my taste - would add a lot to to the mix if they were mixed louder, IMHO. Also, the two breaks of silence are REALLY unnecessary. Dropouts are cool when done right, but these just serve to interrupt the slow in the mix and don't add anything at all. And WTF was up with that ending? Just sounded like it came out of nowhere - there's seriously no clues that this song is winding down unless you happen to be looking at WinAmp's seek bar. But I've criticized the mix enough - this really *is* very enjoyable, and well worth a download.

Super Metroid 'Mega Dance Mix 2002' Really not much to say, other than this is a damn fine remix, and does justice to a game that, until recently, really didn't get a whole lot of loving. Highly recommended.

Final Fantasy 'Crystal Rave' Dear Jesus... don't we have ENOUGH Preludes? Granted, this version is better than some I've heard. What we've got is a very high energy rave version of the prelude, which makes me want to turn of the lights, load up my WinAmp strobe light viz, and dance my ass off. I have three complaints about this: first off, there's a really annoying bass sound that's way too loud and doesn't even sound like it's playing the right notes. Second, it fades out, which does not work in a techno song IMHO - at least use the tried and true method of breaking it down to just drums than ending it. And lastly, it's a prelude remix, meaning go for it only if you care about originality, cause it's a song you're guaranteed to have heard at least 25938743495870968713 remixes of already.

Final Fantasy VI 'Mystic Forest (Back to the Roots Mix)' WTF is up with that intro? It starts to develop a very heavy sound, then... drops it, and doesn't develop it throughout the rest of the remix. Kinda odd, and the mix might be better without it, but I can live with it. The rest of the remix is a very nice version of the Phantom Forest theme from FF6, with just a distorted lead guitar and a clean (maybe even acoustic? I dunno, not very good at telling these things by ear) guitar doing the backups. Very simple, but that simplicity is what makes it so cool. Highly recommended, especially for FF fans.

Secret of Mana 'Dirge for the Frosty Plains' I would have to say that, more than anything, this mix will go down in OC history as the first mix Matt Pollard submitted after the ReMixer Exodus. But, I'm here to review music, not politics, so I'll just say that I would highly recommend this. Very ambient, soundtrackish... however you want to describe it, it's good. However, it's a bit to slow for something I'd listen to regularly - this is one of those songs that you just ride along with, not able to remember what happened 10 seconds ago except that you enjoyed it. So anyway, I'd download it cause it's cool, even though you might not listen to it as much as other remixes on the site.

Final Fantasy VII 'Suffering Planet' Intro sounds nice, though the synths that underscore it are kinda strange. It then transitions (poorly I might add) into a more upbeat, synthy version. Some creative arranging tricks here, including an unexpected piano interlude, which manage to keep it interesting. Overall this is an enjoyable rendition of the Cry of the Planet theme, and I recommend it to any FF fans.

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 'Crystals of Kakariko' When two excellent remixers like NoppZ and Protricity team up, you know you can't go wrong. This is one of the "Two in One" remixes that I enjoy so much, starting out with a remix of Kakariko Village, then Zelda's Lullabye after a short interlude, then it switches between them. It's a very effective combination, if I say so myself, and these mixers turn it into a very laid-back and very enjoyable mix. I only have three complaints: the sax in the beginning is a little out of place, especially considering the softer instruments that show up right after it, it tends to drag in some parts (probably too repetitive), and it *really* should be listed as a Zelda 64 mix, as Zelda's Theme did not to my knowledge appear in Link to the Past... could be wrong though. Anyway, well worth a download.

Killer Instinct 'Killer Instincts Enhanced' Enjoyable Killer Instinct remix from Jared. My only complaint here is that the guitar sample could use a lot of work - not to mention I recognize that sample (yes, I've used it too...) But other than that, there's nothing really holding this KI mix back. Give it a listen!

Let's see... piano intro goes on for too long, especially considering how that's not too great a piano sound. Freaky stuff going on with the piano after the drums come in. Some wrong notes, but I'm honestly not sure if that was intentional or not - but if the goal was to freak the listener out then Pisces succeeded (meant in a good way, honest!) and the wrong notes work. Good variation on the drum track, though it maybe could have used a tad more. Anyway, not exactly my cup of tea, but I think Pisces pulled this off well.

Green Beret 'HardCore' Sorry, but there is almost nothing of interest going on here. Drums get annoying fast. Melody is too repetitive, and without any harmony to back it up, the mix sounds extremely flat. The part around 2:00 actually works a little. Not enough to save the mix, but a little. Overall I really can't recommend this.

Super Thunder Blade 'Blue Chopper' This mix from Joe, while pretty good for what it is, is overall rather unremarkable. The only thing that really stuck with me is the the synths that pitch bend up and down in the background, and I found those kinda annoying anyway. So while some may like it, I'll pass.

Guardian Legend 'Liquid Corridor (Clean Mix)' Hmmm... at least this mix is very clean! But there's plenty I don't like here. The beatdrop is overused and about twice as loud as it needs to be. The samples sound like ass (or GM, whichever way you want to think of it! ). I gotta compliment Ryu7x on his sense of song structure here - the timing on everything seems just right, and it's hardly easy to get bored with this one. So I would say it's a fun tune, but no big loss if you skip over it.

Final Fantasy IX 'Jamming Loneliness' The title says it all: it's a remix of You're Not Alone, and it's jamming, I did a remix of this a few months ago (which is still waiting to get on the site as I write this), but sheesh... I think NoppZ beat the shit out of mine. The first part is expertly structured - an organ jams to the Not Alone chord progression, while occasionally pizzicato strings chime in with bits and pieces of the melody. My only complaint here is that the strings are kinda soft. Things then get improvised for a while, until an instrument I really can't identify comes in and plays the Not Alone theme straight out. Overall, not much to criticize here. Recommended.

Super Mario Bros. 2 'Super Buck II' Estradasphere's cooked up a swinging version of the Mario 2 main theme, whose main highlight is lots and lots and lots of brass, including a great sax solo early on. And damn, does it sound good! These are real instruments people (i'm 99% sure they are, at least), and IMHO, OverClocked ReMix is honored to be graced by this remix. *Does Jedi hand motion.* You WILL download this mix.

Lemmings 'Lounge Lemmings' Gotta love anyone who's able to take on Lemming's zany soundtrack and do it as much justice as Mazedude has. My only complaint is the vibes, which lag behind just a tad. I can see why Maze did this - to make it seem more "human," but it's done to such an extreme that it just sounds off. But other than that, it's a solid mix, and well worth a download.

Mario Paint 'Load/Save the Last Trip-Hop for Me' Gah - I'm loath to criticize anything that Disco Dan does, since I honestly love his stuff, but something about this song grates on my nerves. I can tell DD put effort into making this sound good, but I think he didn't have very great source material to work with here - listen to the song and you'll see what I mean. It's like trying to get a wonderful acting job using the Episode 2 script... the source material is crap to begin with, so there's not much you can do to make it wonderful. So I guess I'm saying I don't like this mix, but it's not DD's fault - it's Mario Paint's.

Mega Man 2 'Cranium Castle' This is a well put together techno song- sounds are high-quality, nothing sounds that out of place - but somehow I can't shake the feeling that I've heard it all before. I guess this isn't a bad song, it just doesn't strike me as a terribly original formula at all.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 'Tight Finale' This is pretty cool - Jivemaster works his magic on another sonic song. Not much to say here, other than it's almost complete ass-kickage. The repetitiveness keeps it from being *total* ass-kickage, but considering the source material Jivemaster had to work with (which sounds like a simple 3-chord progression to me, with a discernible melody coming in only near the very end) he did pretty good.

Speedball 'Matador' Interesting intro - sounds like this is supposed to continue seamlessly from a previous song or something (not saying that's necessarily the case, though). The rest of the remix is everything you'd expect from mutagene - sonic layer on sonic layer on sonic layer on sonic layer on sonic layer on sonic layer. I had to make an effort to focus on the notes and not get lost in the remix - I'll let you take that as you will. Also, I both love and hate the ending - it both sounds like it kind of dissolves (which is cool) and sounds like it just cuts off (which is not). But overall, I would definitely get this if I were you.

Astyanax 'Danger in Remlia' Though I've never even HEARD of this game until now, this is a very enjoyable remix from Protricity. If there's one thing this particular remixer is good at, it's mixing things up so things stay interesting throughout the entire song - in this case, all 5:06 of it. My only beef here is the sample quality - the drums in particular could use a bit more punch. However, that doesn't mean it isn't worth a download. Recommended.