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Battletoads (the NES version at least) was a pretty damn good looking and good sounding game for its time. Of course we have David Wise, and incredible composer in his own right, to thank for the sound. I wanted to share this because this video has David Wise talking about the process of how the Battletoads music had to be recorded, and the limitations he faced when composing music for the NES (such as how many notes David was limited to). And you also get to see him playing some Battletoads music on the piano at the end

I agree with @evktalo, while the acoustics did sound nice, there were times where the harmony and melody together were a little more distracting than atmospheric. And sometimes there would be those bubbly synth noises in the background that made me think "what's going on now?" Those took me away from the atmosphere this track was trying to create as well. It's not a bad track, it's just not as relaxing/atmospheric as it could have been IMO.

Good luck to everyone! I'm looking forward to hearing what gets submitted to this contest

This is a pretty nice, and mellow arrangement. Definitely suitable for those down time periods. The production here is great, and I think 3 1/2 minutes is a good length for what this track offers. The only thing I could have done without was the sort of high pitched synth sounds you hear at the very beginning, and lingers throughout. It struck me as a contrast to how the rest of the track was produced, and not a very good one. It isn't a deal breaker for me though, as that calm mood is still carried throughout the entire track. Nice work.

Man what a trip this was! Very conservative way to reel us in, leading into that amazing and fast paced experimental arrangement. For something that contains SO MUCH (original sound clips, choir, chiptunes, killer percussion, killer guitar, wub wubs, super fast synthesized harpsicord, need I go on?) it's organized so well. Great work, I'm already a huge fan of yours.

When I reviewed Vampire Variations, I didn't include this track as one of volume II's "strengths." But by no means is this a bad track. The guitar solos, especially the one near the very middle of the track, are stellar. It's great how well something that's played when you enter your name can turn into a rocking performance with some creative guitar work.

Oh my God, Vectorman. Day one download for me now

It's almost as if Zangief's theme traveled back to the 80s, did a workout to an exercise tape, then did a training montage, and then came back to the 90s to kick everyone's ass. That's what I get out of this addictive ear worm of an arrangement. Not only is it a great arrangement, but it does a great job capturing the feel of the Street Fighter series.

Very well written and produced arrangement. It sounds so haunting, and dark. And the lyrics definitely did the Desert Wasteland justice. I could really feel the emotional impact behind what Barrett went through with Dyne. The only thing that really disappointed me was the autotuning. Not because I don't like the idea of autotuning, I just didn't think it was necessary for this arrangement. It would have been nice to hear you sing these wonderful lyrics written for this wonderful arrangement without relying on autotune. Despite that issue, I still enjoyed this track.

They showed this on A-Kon's "channel" in the hotel rooms last year, and I think it only took two minutes for me to nearly die of hysterics. Although I think I came closer to dying of laughter when they showed the panda cheese commercials.

Love it. What makes this a great arrangement is that yeah it's a metal arrangement of a relaxing water level theme, but it's a subtle metal arrangement. It doesn't rely on fast solos, intense percussion work, or anything remotely aggressive. Aquatic Ambiance is a very mellow and peaceful track. So to be able to make a mostly conservative metal arrangement of such a mellow and peaceful track is quite an impressive accomplishment. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to lament at the fact that I will never have the chance to go to this bar that @Flexstyle mentioned on the detail page

Adding to the list of recommendations (though I personally prefer the original Bubblegum Crisis over the 2040 one)... -Armitage III -Iria: Zeiram the Animation -Dominion: Tank Police -Key the Metal Idol And for something that isn't quite as old as the others already mentioned, the first season of Psycho Pass.

Thanks for clarifying @Liontamer . I wanted to believe it was on purpose cause in a weird way, it kinda added another layer to that whole "lucid" experience. Now that it's intentional as you say, the ending strikes me as that feeling you get when you immediately wake up in the middle of a dream, or...something, I dunno. All this lucid talk is making me more tired than I already am

Does it seem like the track cuts off abruptly at the end for anyone else, or is it just me? Because it feels like there was a few more seconds left until the track ended...and then it just cuts off. That nitpick aside, this feels very lucid. You're asleep, and then throughout the first minute, you're taken to that lucid state of mind. The distorted background work sounds like a representation of reality, while the music in the foreground represents the dream. It's very fascinating. The piano sounded very pleasant, wasn't really a fan of the percussion work, but it isn't distracting enough to ruin the track for me. It just doesn't make me feel "relaxed" compared to the rest of the production work. I was honestly more distracted by how the track ended. I wanna believe that it represents waking up from that lucid state, but it's tough to say for sure without knowing for sure if I'm just hearing things. Anyway, it's still a nice, creative, and dreamy track.

First, I wanna get the nitpicks out of the way. Sometimes, the choir sounded a bit too synthesized and unnatural to me. And the instruments playing the low chords at 1:39 - 1:52 sounded a tad too hot. The drums, while okay when they were first brought in, didn't sound like it could keep up with the energy of the guitar once that was brought in (and at times, it's kind of hard to hear the drum work). Those nitpicks could be just me though, as they don't take away from how wonderful this sounds. I saw on the YouTube upload that someone compared this to the musical style of Jeremy Soule. And I can totally hear that comparison in this arrangement as well. What really sold me on this arrangement was 2:33 - 3:09. That piano sounded so natural, beautiful, and mesmerizing. The rock ballad ending was quite interesting, like more than half of this track was building up to that finale. I can't say what emotions you went through when producing this (and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), but it almost sounds like the rock ballad part was representation of encouragement and uplifted spirits after the more sorrowful sections that preceded it. That's what I got out of the structure at least, based on what was written in the bio. All in all, I am amazed with what you were able to do with the Temple of Time theme, which always struck me as one of the most basic/least interesting tracks in Ocarina of Time. Definitely a great debut for you.

I also wanted to give the original source a listen after hearing this one. I can honestly say, compared to this arrangement, the original source puts me to sleep. That's how great this arrangement is. This sounds more appropriate for an EDM style final battle theme. It's a fun jam, while retaining the dramatic sense of a final battle scenario, especially from 2:38 to 3:19 when tension starts to build. I think my favorite parts were the percussion, and how you remixed the vocal samples.

Yeah, that part really brought out the dramatic element of the track in a good way. Another reason to enjoy and listen to it ;D

I feel like when I listen to this, I'm listening to how NES games did "spooky" BGMs, outside of the Castlevania series. Which is to say, this sounds like it's trying to have a lot of fun being spooky. The melody gets stuck in your head really easily, and I also enjoyed the melody trade off after the 2:52 mark. Great work.

This is really nice from beginning to end. It's so ethereal electronica, if that's even a suitable way to describe something. The way you arranged everything in the order that you did almost makes me think I'm listening to music from Xenoblade Chronicles. I love it, great work.

It sounds like in this track, you were using as many trance ideas as you could come up with in one track. It didn't flow very well, like I was listening to a medley of the same track with no smooth transition. However, I did love the transition you did at the 4:00 to 4:05 mark, that was fun. At the 2:34 to 3:00 mark, I get what you were trying to do with the main melody. But even with the main melody faded in all the way (so to speak), it still sounded like the rhythm synths were trying to overpower the melody. The rock guitar at the end doesn't compliment what you had produced in the rest of the track, especially if you were going for that "glitch" sound. I liked the violin way more than the guitar, but you can barely hear it, so that was a little disappointing for me. As it is right now, it's okay. The structure of the track could be better IMO, but your production skills are pretty good for the most part (at least in this track). So it's not like this track won't get better if you work on it some more.

General Overview: Going through December Reviews month, I found that the album that contained most of the tracks I reviewed came from this album. So I figured that this album would be worth a download/listen/review. It totally was, as this is by far the most eclectic compilation album anyone can listen to. Nearly every music genre that could possibly be represented is represented in this album. I guess it shouldn't surprise as the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack has always been eclectic, but Overclocked took that about ten steps further with this specific album. It's not perfect, and I don't expect everyone to go through the entire album from beginning and end due lack of preference in other genres. But this is definitely worth investing in for many reasons (if you like DKC series, if you like DKC3, general Overclocked fan, music fan, video game music fan, etc etc etc). I'm an elementary student teacher, and I would totally use this album to help kids discover what music genre's appeal to them, and which ones don't. I also appreciate this album as until last month, I didn't even know that the Game Boy Advance port had unique music. So I had nothing to compare any of the "GBA" tracks to, and I still enjoyed them. It made me more curious about the GBA version of the game. Moral here is, you miss out on a lot of good Overclocked tracks (and albums) if you choose not to download it just because you've never heard the original before. Album Strengths (AKA Personal Favs): Track 1-4: Unbearable (Brothers Bear) by Brandon Strader This was already a fun track, so it's nice to hear Brandon retain that fun factor even while making the track his own. Track 1-6: Purewater Pressure (Stilt Village) by WillRock Very relaxing and light hearted. It just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Track 1-7: Bash the Bastards! (Bonus Time) by WillRock, Level 99 I was expecting something much more intense with a title like that, but I still enjoyed the relaxing folk rock vibe I got out of this. Track 1-8: Funky's Joint (Hangin' at Funky's) by Brandon Strader Compared to DKC 1 and 2, I didn't really care for Funky's theme in DKC3. But this interpretation of Funky's theme actually makes me appreciate it more. How do I describe this without using any funky puns....damn it. Track 1-13: Banana Revolution (Live in Kongcert) [Cranky’s Showdown] by Jason Covenant feat. AkumajoBelmont Loved the "'live performance" vibe. Almost sounds like this was actually recorded live at a venue of sorts. Track 1-14: Permafrost (Frosty Frolics) by Draconiator, Flexstyle I was still humming this version of Frosty Frolics when I reviewed this last month. It gets stuck in your head quite easily. Lucky for this track, it's a good song to keep in your head. Track 1-18: Shenanigans Bananigans (Jungle Jitter) by Archangel Very creative arrangement. For someone who had never done a "cartoon-chase" style theme at the time this was being produced, you sure made it seem effortless. Track 1-19: Cliffside Clamber (Rockface Rumble) by Ergosonic The percussion made this track a 10, and then the rock guitar at around the 4 minute mark took it to 11. Track 1-20: mojo gogo (Jangle Bells) by prophetik Said it in the original, but I'll repeat it here. Very Motown, very comparable to the Contours, all around excellent arrangement. Track 2-7: Water Warped (Water World) by GSlicer, The Scarborough Joker .ti evoL .dica ni gnimmiws retfa lanimilbus lla tca ot tnaw em sekam kcart sihT Track 2-10: Wrinkly's Nightcap (Wrinkly 64) by Doc Nano This was such a sweet track. Very Claude Debussy-esq. Track 2-11: The Mighty Junglol (Chase) by Jason Covenant I feel like this track was made for the purpose of starting a meme of some sort. But outside of being reminded of YTMND, I did like this track. The narration track reminded me of how narration was delivered in old LucasArts adventure titles. Track 2-16: Friendships Through Dark and Light (Crazy Calypso, Crystal Chasm) by Vampire Hunter Dan This sounds like it would have made the best ending theme to a Donkey Kong Country game ever. Track 3-2: Treehouse Campfire (Treetop Tumble GBA) by Level 99 Wanna go camping in the wilderness? Wanna bring a guitar? Is the weather clear and starry? If you said yes to all three, then this should be the music to represent such a trip. Track 3-4: Thump Brothers (Brothers Bear GBA) by Flexstyle I love this track, and the beat-boxing. But still, it makes me want to hear the damn bears rap about themselves. Track 3-9: Funky's Tricks (Funky's Game GBA) by Malcos I loved the fun electronic/chill vibe this track creates. The beats are fabulous, and the main melody is so soothing. Track 3-11: Arichnophobia (Arich Boss) by Flexstyle feat. Paul Capps When I reviewed this last month, I had to hear the original because if this boss truly did have its own theme, it's gotta sound good, right? All I can say is, I wish that the original...well...GBA original theme sounded half as good as this arrangement does. Track 3-13: Post-Apocalyptic Society (Boss Boogie GBA) by Harjawaldar And then you get this boss battle theme which just sounds like it was made to motivate the bad guys more than the good guys. But that's okay, because it's fun to be bad, and to hear what represents the bad sometimes. Track 3-14: Nutz in the Head (Nuts and Bolts GBA) by zykO I actually liked the weirdness of the track. The distorted drums really added to the track, and really captured that "in the head" feeling. Track 4-1: Undercurrent (Enchanted River GBA) by Pot Hocket This is such a soothing, innocent new age stroll in the water. Very nice. Track 4-3: Heart of the Cave (Cavern Caprice GBA) by Rozovian ....wait, Super Metroid was used in this? Huh, interesting. I guess that makes kind of sense. Still a nice, pretty track. Track 4-7: Spanish Jitters (Jungle Jitter GBA) by David Wise feat. Robin Beanland, OC ReMixers Damn this track is incredible. You really have to hear for yourself how incredible this track is. So much effort from so many people in one track, and it all pays off. It's so good, it made me worry that my experience with the rest of the album would be tainted by comparison XD Track 4-8: Sea Breeze Concerto (Stilt Village GBA) by Monkey Kong feat. David Wise A little bit new age, a little bit rock, a little bit fusion jazz, a little bit 80s pop, a lot of it fun to listen to. Track 4-9: Beneath the Moonlight (Stilt Village GBA) by Theophany feat. Harmony, some1namedjeff, Fishy Back to back Stilt Village? Okay, I'll take it. Very grand arrangement here. I didn't get that "ending theme" vibe from it, but I still got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Track 5-2: Jitterbug System (Jungle Jitter) by Flexstyle I loved the percussion work here. It's so addictive, and catchy. Track 5-4: Treetop Intense (Treetop Tumble) by Danton F. The heavy metal vibe brought into this track works really well. Now I have a second reason to associate "intense" with Treetop Tumble (the first being that saw blade level). Track 5-5: Joyful Jungle Jig (Jungle Jitter) by Chernabogue I'm amazed that I recognized this as being from Chernabogue. Guess that what happens when you go through Vampire Variations in a week. The percussion and flute work done here are so good. The synth melodies make the jungles seem a little twisted. Like you'll lose your mind if you stick around too long. Track 5-7: Canopy Crawl (Jungle Jitter GBA) by Evory feat. Gintokipianist (Man, Jungle Jitter brings out the best in Overclocked, doesn't it?) This track makes me think I'm listening to audio from a silent film. Very fun, and very natural sounding.

That piano. Bah gawd that piano. At first I had written this off as just you adding piano to the original track, but that's not the case at all. The chiptunes do sound updated, and more refined than the original. But man that piano is something else. I'm too blown away by the piano to concentrate on anything else about this track. So before I enter "rambling" mode, I'll just say this was a terrific track.

This was really nice. So peaceful, and relaxing. The only issue I had with it was the panning, as it sounded somewhat awkward having the notes jump back and forth from one ear to the other, especially during the beginning of the track. It sounded more synthesized than natural to me, like you programmed two different piano tracks. But, as the track progressed, the panning problems became less and less noticeable. I still liked it Sorry the album it was supposed to be on didn't work out.

Other Nintendo-related anniversaries: *Dragon Quest (30th) *Super Mario RPG (20th) 2016 really is full of amazing anniversaries. And man I was already feeling old when people were celebrating Kingdom Heart's 10th anniversary, and hearing about how it was their first game XD

If you intended to just do an updated remaster, then you succeeded in that. The main problem with this is if you're only performing this as just an updated version of the original, you're not going to stand out. Even a unique intro, or outro would have made a difference in being unique, and distinguishable. You're good at what you do, you know how to make video game music (at least GBA music) sound modern. However, if you don't restrain yourself to how the original version is composed, then who knows how far you could go as an artist.