MrBogus

This track is simply astounding. The Phish flavor is definitely there. Damn this is catchy. I'll be having this on loop for the next few hours.

Darkesword, the arrangement and composition on this song is simply amazing. It could not be better in my opinion. With that said, I feel the production quality is lacking. Namely, I'm refering to the xylophone-like lead instrument that starts at 0:20 and is especially noticeable at 0:34. It is, for a lack of a better word ... fake. The piano at 1:07 starts out spectacularly, but then when the long runs start hitting the higher registers at 1:35-1:58, the effect is jarring. I don't mean to tell you what to do, but if you were going for the laid back feel, I feel this track would be more at home if it had used the instrumentation showcased in this Rockman X remix album, particularly tracks 01 and 08. The album has more of a smooth jazz flavor, but it's clear that the instruments are much more well defined and crisp. Obviously I'm not looking for you to emulate this track. But still, using something like an acoustic or a clean electric or a sax or even a heavily reverbed piano (all heavily muted as to not be overpowering) as a substitute for the xylophone, as well as a more realistic sample for the solo, would have improved this remix significantly. Again, this is a solid arrangement and I like this song. But with a few changes in the instrument lineup, I feel this remix could have made much more of an impact, even if it is meant to be laid back and peaceful.

This is pure balls to the wall metal. The intro is completely badass. And the synth dropoff at 1:19 combined with those crunchy, menacing guitars? Holy shit.

First, the bad -- I have to agree with the majority of the listeners regarding this mix. Aside from the general "noodling" as previously mentioned, the production values are sorely lacking. It sounds like someone doing a demo in his room and recording it onto a cassette tape. I have wavered numerous times between keeping this mix and outright deleting it from my collection. With that said, you guys definitely need to check out SAiNT's homepage: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/saint420. He took the time to actually remaster this track. Although the basic structure is still the same and there will inevitably still be complaints of rambling notes, SAiNT ups the production factor by no less than 10x. The lead guitar is re-EQed, the track is remastered at a super-high bitrate, drums and a bass are added, the SoS theme is revisted more flavorfully after the 2nd solo, and the song finishes on a strong ending. This should have been the definitive version posted to OCR. Grab this now, before yet another independent artist's webpage goes the wayside of the 404 error. By the way, also grab his Duck Tales remix there while your at it. Somewhat coarse on the drums, but good nonetheless. SAiNT, I didn't think much of your playing before, due mostly to the aforementioned issues on the original lackluster recording, but my opinion has done a 180 U-turn since. If you ever read this, keep churning out the good stuff. Props.

Holy shit, there is just so much awesome packed into this 3-minute capsule. The kickass synth guitar, the rhythm, the electronic beats, the bridge, and especially the key change at 1:47 -- everything just blows me away. You've churned out quite a few gems in the past, zircon, but this is clearly the 6000-carat blue diamond. Major props. Wow.

This took me a while to ease into, but once I did ... smooth sailing, my friend. This would have been even better if played live by a band, but that's a minor gripe. The arrangement of the source tune makes me think this would fit perfectly into an episode of Get Smart or something along those lines. Awesome work ktriton, even if I can't pronounce your name.

Maybe my mind has been polluted by the soundtrack of Gladiator*, but this song hits the Greek flavor in quite a few places, but misses in some other areas. Overall, when I hear a new piece by Vurez, I get more of a feeling like I'm in the Wild West, as in the type Clint Eastwood is famously associated with. Nothing wrong with that in itself. I've listened to all of Vurez's released mixes on both OCR as well as vgmix, and sometimes his style works well with the source tunes, and other times not so well. I can gladly say that this lies in the former camp. Beautiful in the same mystic way that girls with olive skin and piercing green eyes are exotic. Mmmmmm. On second thought, I guess this mix does a better job of capturing the Greek essence than I had originally thought. Awesome. * Gladiator was a movie about the Roman empire, but I'll be damned if the soundtrack didn't sound Greek-ish.

Robo dude kicks ass. Freakin hilarious. I was surprised Mythril sounds like a white dude instead of the big black bouncer he looks like, but I have to admit his voice matches the flow of this verse perfectly. This is chock full of awesome. I would have liked it if somehow this tied to the game content, but I guess rapping about throwing papers and being chased by dogs doesn't present a lot of material to work with. In any case, sweet groove, sweet mix. paperboy. You best get your ass up out his way. Indeed, robot dude, indeed.

I've tried listening to this many times, and it just doesn't jive in my head. I'm sure there are boatloads of structural nuances I'm missing, but this is one of Shna's mixes that is too inaccessible for me.

This is nothing short of pure velvety goodness. There is so much going on, I want to take all of it in at once. To be limited by time and space to the present is simply a crime. It's like inhaling the most decadent chocolate bar in one mouthful ... it's that damn good. And yes, to the disappointment of many listeners, Ashley is a guy. Don't let that stop you from experiencing the can of whoopass that is Dj Redlight. Props.

Wholeheartedly agreed. The accordian, the harp, the bass ... beyond perfection. This song is damn sexy. Wasn't too fond of the static like some others, but aside from that, HOT CAKES. This is the perfect song to chill out to. I can just imagine myself back in Paris, slouching in an oversized chair in an outdoor patio, with this sexy beast playing loud and clear, an espresso in one hand and a dark hefty beer in the other, and watching the fine women go about their way. What I wouldn't give for that experience right now.

Each new funk piece DJP releases is better than the last, and this one is no exception. Even on my crappy laptop speakers, I'm finding that my head is DJPing by itself. I can't wait to blast this on my subwoofer. Funkalicious work.

The piano solo was kickass. The rest was meh.

Uh ... this is a heavy metal remix. Heavy metal is not subtle. Heavy metal is not soft. Heavy metal is not background music. It's something you blast over your speakers. This is a heavy metal remix of a song taken from a game about a badass vampire killer. goat is a badass guitarist. It has every reason to be loud. Does this really need to be explained? Are you an asshole or completely inept? When you wrote this did you read it over? a duhh...

I've been listening to this for a while, and I've come to the decision that it's just not my cup of tea. I'm generally a fan of GL's work (his "Drifting Towards the Stars" mix from The Secret of Mana remains my absolute favorite), but I feel that his trademark new-age style simply does not work here. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but the first thing I focus on in any Final Fantasy soundtrack is the boss music -- fast and adrenaline-pumped, usually melodic and memorable. Something that screams for a remixed makeover with heavy guitars. Now I'm definitely not against reinterpreting an original composition or its genre, but GL's decision to employ a tribal theme and completely change up the tempo of piece, particularly the length and timing of most of the critical notes of "The Decisive Battle", just did not jive with me at all. I did enjoy the synth arpeggio, up until the point where it breaks off into 32nd(?) notes, which I felt was a less than ideal ending. Sorry for breaking up the feel-good train, and I hope this didn't come off as too negative.

There is no question regarding either the polish of this mix or Quinn's talent. With that said, in my opinion, when you're dealing with a soundtrack that contains some of the most legendary and recognizable melodies in VG music history, it would be a shame not to use them to their fullest capacity. What I'm specifically referring to here is the constant and abrupt trailoffs from the original melodies into the bridges, where greater liberties are taken with interpretation. We shift into high gear with a portion of Flash Man's theme at 0:40 before down-shifting at 0:54 into a more subtle interpretation of the same portion all the way through 1:35. During this 40 second bridge, the melody takes more effort to recognize, perhaps to the point where it becomes overly ethereal. The melody bursts onto the scene again at 1:35, only to delve back into another bridge, this time DnB-based at 1:49. The same issue occurs with Bubble Man's theme, which starts at 2:44 and then quickly passes the baton to another bridge a mere 14 seconds later. What this did for me was build up a sense of false anticipation, where the trailoff from the main themes into the bridges had me believe that something greater was coming down the road, only to realize that the bridges themselves were the destination. I was also disappointed to see that for both themes, only 5-second snippets were used from the original melodies, then repeated throughout the song in different flavors. As with the first issue, it gave me a sense of incompleteness. I guess I've griped enough about what I felt were shortcomings with the piece. I do enjoy this mix a great deal. It's just that I felt it could have been so much more.

Hmm, I guess I'm the only one who loves this remix. I agree, the first half of the song could have been shortened considerably, but the thing to remember about this piece is the atmosphere. It's a very trippy take on the underground theme from SMB2. It's not something you would listen to actively; it's more accustomed to background music while studying or chilling out. In any case, it will always hold its place on my roster of classics. In case you don't know, DarK has remastered the piece and posted it on vgmix. If you didn't like the original, you may not like the remastered version, but for all fans of the original, the update is some nice ear candy.

I seem to post reviews only on controversial pieces ... Yes, technically the piece is repetitive, with the groove beat omnipresent except in a few places. However, once you let the song loop for a while, the beat almost melts into the background, letting the minimalist lead melodies reveal themselves. The groove is an important component of the piece, but it still plays merely a supporting role. What I don't understand is how people can rag on this and yet there exists a significant portion of hip-hop and rap built on a repeating 2-bar loop. I understand that these artists layer on soul and some slick rhymes, but the difference lies in the intended atmosphere of the song, not in its quality. This piece is groove based. And it's damn good. Props to Mr. Star.

I can't believe all the negative press on this piece. THIS SONG KICKS SOME SERIOUS ASS. I loved the version posted on vgmix -- "The Man who broke his Smile" -- and I love this one just as much. As zyko pointed out in his submission email, this is a different take on the same theme(s). I never liked any of zyko's previous guitar work, but this quite simply broke my bias in half. Very chill, ultra cool. My hat's off to you, zyko. Keep up the awesome work. Oh yeah, for those of you who actually enjoyed the sound bites, you'll like the vgmix version. Edit: nevermind, I got confused and was referring to another of zyko's pieces.

I guess I'm blessed that my ears aren't sensitive by any means. Aside from a somewhat grating guitar, I didn't notice anything wrong with this. Ignorance is bliss, as they say, and this truly is bliss. Great work, Ryan, and my condolences.

Very nice. Old school and contemporary at the same time. I think a good companion to it (on the opposite side, on the same folded piece of paper, facing the CD when closed) would be a mosaic using each of Kirby's powerups as tiles. I don't have Photoshop, but I'm thinking it should be run through an interpolation filter to remove the jaggies. The picture probably wouldn't be suitable as a cover for the back of the CD, due to the difficulty of overlaying the track titles. On a side note, the management aspect of this project is simply fascinating. Props to DS for leading the project as well as coming up with the unique theme concept. Lastly, good luck to all the remixers. Go forth and kick much ass. I know I won't be disappointed.

No offense to zyko, but I felt the guitar solos at 2:09 and 4:10 were completely out of place. The off-beat rhythm and generall overkill style of playing did not jive with the rest of the piece at all. I hate to say this, but the version posted on vgmix is superior. (Interestingly enough, Destiny's homepage carries the version posted here.) It is of a higher bitrate and eschews the real guitar for a high quality synth all the way through, which in my honest opinion, stays truer to the Celtic flavor of the overall piece. I think the composition by Destiny is superb, but you're better off sticking to the cleaner, smoother version posted on vgmix. On a side note, I am saddened by the low number of reviews of this piece. I am truly amazed at how much Destiny was able to transform the source material. Regardless of which version you eventually choose, you need to download this right now. Like djp stated, do not let the obscure title of the game deter you from being mesmerized by the genius at work here.

Sorry to break the feel good atmosphere here, but this just wasn't my cup of tea. It was, as someone stated earlier, too "dirty" for me. Although of a high overall caliber, for lack of a better description, it was somewhat cacophonous, especially near the end.

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the first half of the piece is Rainbow Road, whereas the second half is Frappe Snowland. Thus, the hybrid title. I'm not a big fan of piano pieces, but I know quality when I hear it, and this is quality stuff. Like others have noted, the mastering could have been better, and I think it's too soft in general, but otherwise this is solid.