Rexy

A 2001 mix, covering a very unmelodic source. I know it's Streets of Rage, but it makes it hard to evaluate in regards to arrangement standards. Admittedly there seems to be some good synth manipulation work with the amount of decay and variety of textures being brought into the track. It stays fairly well towards the source, but even then it only really used the accompaniment part as just the main beef for the track. The driving percussion actually feels really weak and muffled, and even then I felt really questioned about the ending with the voice samples in; seemed to feel out of place. In regards to setting, this one didn't quite age as gracefully as some of the other tracks I've seen around here. It can be fun if you like the game, but otherwise I can't really make a serious recommendation

I admit, clicking on his Wikipedia page made me want to take a quick OCR break just to hear some of his Guitar Hero based contributions to Video Games Live. Quite impressive! Onto the mix itself. It's a 16 measure source, so in spite of its simplicity I can see it working for a good rocking expansion. Hearing it, this has to be a very clean production with all the guitar parts being made distinctively clear, and that is already distinctively sick :3 In regards to arrangement, it starts out pretty well with a straight variation of the theme, then an original section, and repeated with a third and final variation for the ending. The original sections manage to refer to parts of the melody, though the real meat can be seen in the second original melody with that really precise finger-blistering solo - that had my jaw dropping so much at the sheer amount of attention being paid towards it That said, a short but VERY SWEET arrangement with a very highly polished set of production values to go with it. vertexguy managed to grasp the concept with this submission, and so I really hope he would come back again in the near future

Goa trance. The one genre that seemed to be a taboo subject when I was starting out. But hearing it as it is, it starts out pretty cool with the filtered rhythmic buzzed synth, and throughout we had this nice clean dance setup that managed to work out for the most part; nothing too spectacular but still a pleasant listen. What seems to be my biggest concern though is that it seemed as if most of it so ended up being a build entirely based on the first 4 bars of the source; a little difficult to make the identification. It does take a slightly more recognisable form at around 2:15 with the strings resembling the last 8 bars of the source, but even then the arrangement becomes really difficult to make out. I'd say it's a rather liberal arrangement, and thus I'm not too sure over how this managed to make the pass onto the site. Either way, I'm sure some fans of the game may probably identify the source better than I could; it's not a bad trance-sounding entry from ArseAssassin, but I'm just not really won over in regards to the arrangement and its liberalities taken. I'm sorry man

A more basic 2000 mix, and that can be noted pretty evidently with the sample quality and minimal processing (aside from some minor bass synth filtering and high-shelved drums at the 1 minute mark). It's got energy easily with the choice of sounds and use of expolosions (which I admit does get overdone as time goes on), and for its at-the-time stance I'd say it's a pretty cool take that seemed to age a little more gracefully than some of the other releases that year. Not bad stuff from Evil Horde

Not necessarily, Nonamer. Sometimes the pages are made BEFORE the Youtube videos are hosted (case in point: many of the Wild Arms mixposts last week), but usually the vid and mix post page are posted within hours of each other anyway, so there we go. And yes, do what these guys said and subscribe on Youtube/the RSS. It's good notification

As far as I know, Kefka never got that fanfare; his destruction led to the destruction of the Espers, hence why this seemed more appropriate as we, the Review Knights, keep reviewing our way out of Kefka-DarkKing-OA's tower as it is destroyed.

Doc Nano strikes again! My jaw dropped at his performance ability when I saw his debut on "Dancing Leaves", so I'm all set to see it happen again. So indeed the intro does indeed carry a similar moode to Godofsky's arrangement of "The Swan", while being able to use the intro's rhythm patterns into good effect. And even when the melody came in, there's been enough recognisability for the source while still meaning for going into interpretation of the source. The "Wind Scene" cameos at around 1:15 and later at 2:20 made brilliant bridges, and managed to help transition this added feeling of dynamic nature towards it, which is definitely a good thing to go for. Even the louder parts were well expressed for the most part, and managed to give in that good attentive nature to it. I do have one little tip if you're going to be using this dynamic contrast - try and watch the piano notes' attack when going louder. You managed to get this contrast working well, but I felt as if the attack was a little too soft to really match the full blown effect of the execution. If you can't cut the attack any further, then all I could really suggest was layer staccato notes over the top in post-production; it's a strange idea, but having handled piano production many times before it's definitely no easy task. Regardless, a wonderful arrangement from Emory and a very sweet performance from Doc Nano! I think it's a little too exciteable for me to weep at though, but your mileage may vary; either way, I'm game to see what either of you would come up with next

More like the other way round. My Plant Barrier can't do much other than be my line of defense, while you and your Top Spin has the potential to see everything.

Well, even with OA down, and still recovering from the status effect of Slow, I should still aim for a full 200 reviews before the month is out. I am sure I can do this - for the good of the people

I'm not really too sure about that thin snare intro (which similarly gets repeated in the interlude in the middle); there's definitely some good articulation, but it doesn't tend to provide that impending marching feel to it. But then with the guitars coming in with thicker drums and the shifting synth, that's where we can see that industrial metal influence to it; more Nine Inch Nails than KMFDM imo, but the texture managed to work shakingly well. Albeit, I'm not too sure about the break at 1:45 with the random switch to 909 percussion and lighter synths; it ended up switching the atmosphere completely from what had been intended. The writing itself was good with it though, and to see it move into the guitars for the end was firm enough in regards to the feel. I may have talked about the feel a lot, but that's what the source was hoping to ask. Luckily the arrangement was well structured and manipulated given the more chord-based nature of the source material, and the production (aside from some of the thinner drum notation) worked well for the most part. It's not often we see much love for the Command & Conquer series, but given that this seems to be a series favorite amongst fans, it's worth looking into and checking out surely for the nostalgia value for it. There may have been some production imperfections, but it also somehow stood up strong considering its age, which is definitely a plus. Should be worth checking out if you're a fan at least.

I remembered Ryu7x's works fondly from the VGMix era. They may have had a more simple way of writing trance even back then, but there were often moments of just plain lighthearted cheesy fun to be had with them. Though, given that this is indeed a 2002 track arranging what appeared to be a more complex fighting game based source than the usual, considerations are indeed taken in regards to writing and articulation. Indeed, the arrangement does show itself to be straight-forward, but enough extensions have been done to the structure to give in that more full-fledged touch to it. While the samples themselves feel wonderful for their time, they do indeed seem to age in regards to the articulation and presentation as nothing much had been done towards the synth texture, and this is made even more evident with a severe lack of punch during the fills. I can however compliment on something in regards to the production - the enveloping on the swelling strings at 2:25 were a cool touch and managed to pass in a more engaging texture. So indeed it may have shown its age, and may even be more cookie cutter now than it was back then, but it's a simple track that provides a set of fun towards arranging Pullum's theme and should be worth checking out if you're a fan of the game/source. Very sweet work

Steve Pordon had that imperfectionalist approach to his work, but often he brings in so many ideas in regards to arrangement and variation thereof. It's a difficult source to work with as well, since it's basically one big buildup on that same 16 note rhythm pattern for most of it. Thankfully there's been some good attention paid to it with some solid gate and filtering work done towards the countermelody synth that managed to give it some life, and some good shaking up of the progression throughout. It has this clean quality for even a 2001 mix, though it ended up similarly coming at a cost with a minimalist atmosphere and a subdued drum set that have made this age with time. It's a cute one to see if you're a Pulseman fan though. It's obvious that it's shown a considerable amount of age, but I still found it to be a pleasant listen, even if it's nothing really too revolutionary.

Eh, I may be prominent on the keys but I'm not entirely a Square-based player. But I can see it working for Dhsu's way of performance easily. I thought it would be hard to see it being interpreted just by the minimalism of the source material, but sometimes minimalism works best for sources like this. It starts off well being this dark and delicate interpretation of the source, with merely nothing but booming low octave notes supporting the notes. That minimalism was similarly maintained with the gentle hammered chords consisting of a fair chunk of the middle. There had been some more dynamic parts thrown in well, notably with bringing in the Chrono Cross "Dead Sea" source on the left hand at 1:20 being a genius way of expanding the soundscape that had been done, and the octave trills steadily building it into a more dynamic nature close to the 3 minute mark if only for a few moments. The last minute can be seen as a major highlight in regards to performance, really building it up on the left hand while supporting the melody and fitting in a sweet Prelude cameo to take the track back the way it started with the low booming octave notes. It's sparse, it fits the mood and I like it - that's how I associate Dhsu's style. Personally I would've said get Mustin to do your piano render instead of zircon, because from what I heard it sounds as if the note attack is too soft for a piece like this, and I felt it would work better on Mustin's pianos from what I later heard in the Tales project simply because they had this more dynamic punch that would've emphasized the dynamics tenfold. But that would be me and my tastes, I'm guessing. Still a beautiful performance for a more obscure FF7 source, and I'm game to see how Dhsu would keep going as a performer in the time to come. I still love you man

Recalling the source material, I can see it working well for Dj Redlight's more chilled stylings which were made similarly evident with future submissions to the site (particularly with Descent II "Revelation"). And it managed to do so now, playing moreso with overlapping the core melodic compents over a more laid back sole-chord progression. There's been some good manipulation work with the bass/rhythm/melodic synths that help keep it interesting for its genre too, and with the surprising amount of string expression - even if the strings themselves don't sound convincing as a standalone sample - it has shown that a lot of dynamic attention has been paid attention to. I'd say that it wasn't quite as attention grabbing as some of his later subs, but it's still a very firm way of working with the source material, and a definite insight to the roots of how Dj Redlight had developed during his time. Hopefully we'd get to see him back here soon

This one manages to follow the original pretty well with this nice more laid back groove. For its time, that's actually some very strong envelope work being done towards the trombone (and later on the high trumpet slides) and some even more charming echo part on the rhodes. The samples themselves may have aged somewhat, but for what they are they ended up giving the atmosphere of the track a ridiculous amount of character, complete with an appropriate amount of hall room for themselves that helped fill in some space for its time. Originally I wasn't really too keen with the minimalist drum writing and some of its weird syncopated transitions, and they tended to irk with me more when it's just that and the bass, but some of the additional source writing outside of that was actually very tasteful and complimented the setting. In spite of its shortcomings, the ageing on this one felt a little more graceful on this one, and with some classy enveloping (a lot of it established on otherwise not-so-stellar samples) that even felt rare for its time we have something that's fun and works. I'm digging this one

Back in the day, Kaijin had this quality of being able to work out these mellow tracks wonderfully. It may show its age now simply because of MIDI soundcard limitations, but what he did managed to show some good expression and interpretation for its time. With the Silver Star Story version coming in at 0:46 and the jazz guitar lead, later being utilised for the regular Silver Star version later on in the track, people may not quite be too sure about the quality of it, but I felt that that's actually some good sustain/decay work done towards it for its time; may not sound convincingly like the real thing, but it's something that works well. Even the little homage to Dale North right at the end, referencing "Dale Loves Mia" (not on OCR though ), was also a cute way to finalise it, especially considering both artists are in the Bad Dudes camp. So I'd say it's short but sweet; a charming take on a non-square RPG source, showing its age now due to structure and production techniques, but can still be worth looking into if you feel fond about Kaijin's work

Having thought fondly of 8-Bit Instrumental since Kyle's exposure of them on Nitro Game Injection, I'm good to see what they did here. This to me feels like a medley of 3 different songs, though credit where credit is due for making all the different segments as varied as each other. Safe as they may be, seeing the difference in style across all three themes made them all worthwhile. The first rockability section definitely had a lot of ideas packed in in regards to the performance stylistically, and definitely had some fun ideas especially with the panned pull-offs near the end of it. Didn't seem to cite any real problems with the performance there. I did however find the timing a little more problematic with the dark second segment, especially when following after the wah guitar section at 2:30, though again it managed to make up for with some strong ideas, especially in regards to processing ideas and drum performance. Thankfully that segment got tighter as it went on and showed more polish as a performance from the 3 minute segment onwards. And with the surf guitar finale at 5:08, it may still have its looseness and I even thought the lead guitar was a little overdone on the echo time, but again it's a fun idea that managed to work well charismatically. I may be somewhat critical about this one, but for a track that's bursting with ideas and creative flow, I dig it a lot. And it's even harder to get a bunch of real musicians working on sync, though that's one key thing that may be looked at in regards to 8-Bit Instrumental's future works - the field of studio engineering, to give it less of a garage band sound. But I know that they can make ideas work as a whole group, and so I hope they'll keep submitting material in the future

Again, not too familiar with the source, so I guess all I can do is just listen. Considering the sounds ended up coming out from a keyboard's soundbank (something that I admit that I used to do often x_X), it doesn't actually sound too bad, and it was indeed noted with some good expression on the bass synth. Outside from that, it seemed to feel rather quiet and minimalist; layering instruments would've easily helped give this one some added life, as well as doing any added processing on the sounds themselves. As it was for its time, it sounds fun and cute, but in regards to production technique it ended up suffering from the rising age moreso than some of the others from that era. It's still decent enough for fans of the game to check out, though that may be just about it.

Another 2001 track that I should probably go easy on in regards to arrangement standards. Indeed it starts out as a safe harpsichord adaptation of the source, but by the time the beat comes in (Rave party?! ) the focus does indeed shift to something more energetic while again still fitting with the source. I like that it manages to just mostly use the on-beat notation of the melody as opposed to the whole one; simple as it may be, but it works well in the context of the genre. It's not without its issues in regards to the writing though - the repetitive drum beat may be put aside simply because of its age, but then again I'm not too fond of the rhythm synth at 1:45 - it's nice and chippy sure, but I would've hoped for it to fit more with the chord structures of the track. Similarly the same can also be said wht the bass synth at around 2:30 - it's some nice variation, but it doesn't seem to fit in with the soundscape with that low a texture in the track. And also, rave fadeouts. Not a fan of them, it just cuts the energy off too quickly. But then again, your mileage may vary. For its time it definitely isn't a bad Wizards & Warriors entry, though in regards to the writing and strcucture it's really starting to get old. You could at least check it out if you're a fan of the game/source, though just be mindful with its stance as an early entry into the site.

Happy Christmas! Yes, it wasn't a white Christmas out here in the UK either (though we did have a hint of light snow last week), but with halc at the wheel it could soon be made whiter than Larry contracting the flu. So it starts out very different from the source with the rhythm part providing a different set of chords, before going into a more faithful adaptation of the source. And for the second go-around at around 1:30 it does start playing with a lot more melodic ideas that show his ways of improvisation. Even the ending felt gentle with the slightly thinner texture (made up for with some incredible stereo shifting work) going into the second phase of the melody, and the filtering out at 2:54 was neat too; a very subtle way to end the track and I dig it. Though, this track's guilty of having too much silence at the end - 10 seconds at that. I admit, I'm guilty of this too on one of my own subs, but it might be a fishy oversight for the casual listener. So in terms of halc arrangements, he had definitely stepped up arrangement-wise since this one, but it managed to stand the test of time well with the way the simple chiptune synths were handled and processed as they are. A very appropriate Christmas submission, so way to go

Well I didn't mean to force it down after what I stated x_X but eh, links are links, and thanks either way. If I'm remembering, we're coming into the late 20s (o__O). I'll tab up again once I review halc's latest. [EDIT: 27 reviews remaining. And I guess the fight now is more likely going to reach . ]

Merry Christmas, y'all! I felt good spending time with my family and various parts of my extended family, and there's still more to go by as the week goes on. True, didn't quite go as planned as we usually go to THEM but it ended up being the other way round and thus they end up leaving a bit early, but it was still fine. The one gift that I wanted this year was Rayman Origins, and I got it, and am doing well with it so far; about 30+ electoon cages broken out of nearly 250 on the first day, and I'm still game to see what I can do. Possibly the most hilarious present I opened was a puppet of Soo from The Sooty Show; I had puppets of Sooty and Sweep when I was younger and I STILL have them now, though I never had a proper Soo; had to make shift a regular panda puppet in the past. But seeing that simply left me in hysterics One that similarly got a hilarious amount of use was a Stylophone that was hidden away in the presents. A simple little thing, but it still feels very flexible and may find its uses somewhere; maybe not any serious remixes, but still. So yes, hopefully many others had solid Christmases as well, and still will be

Wrong game, Neblix. The Wily Gauntlet is THAT WAY. *points to Competitions forum* And yes, I admit it must've been a spur of the moment thing, and people can review what they want. But it's a part of my character that's difficult to change; it may take some time, mind.

There's a key reason why i particularly think less of myself - i could work so hard on providing quality arrangements for the people, but if they get passed by like a blur - just like BOTH of my recent releases - then the message i get is that i suck and should just quit everything. So basically i have no opinion on myself simply because of past experiences. Personally i don't care if it came off as a rant, but i'm just really annoyed by this right now and i have nowhere else to vent. But yes, less than 40 reviews. We'd defeat OA, but at the cost of a handful of underdogs

Aha, the more we know. I almost suspected that in the beginning but remembered the rhythm guitars in "Real American Hero" and soon thought Will contributed elsewhere. Nice insight