The Coop

Being a big fan of the original Shadow of the Beast in game music, I was looking forward to hearing this. Having done so several times, I'm not sure how to feel. The work behind this piece shows, of that there is no question. But, I don't recognize... anything, of any songs from the original game here. I' m wondering if maybe this song from from SotB II, as there is a song in that game that I could see this being a remix of (namely, the beginning sections of the title screen song). But, that may just be my inability to recognize the original song in this remix. I also didn't find the style to my liking. I just couldn't get into the song as nothing really gave me the feeling that this song was moving forward and developing. Again, it's not from the lack of work on this song as it definitely reflects a lot time being taken to make it. It just didn't strike a chord with me... no pun intended

I like what was done with this tune. But I'm going to have to agree with the others here and say it's definitely too short. Just as the song gets going, and builds to what could be a new area not found in the original or perhaps some variation on the originals theme, it fades out. It left me feeling like it wasn't done... like it was ended prematurely. I think this is a cool sounding remix that was brought to a finish before it was ready to be done.

Hmmmm.... This one just didn't do anything for me. It never really builds up, and it seems to stay in place for most of the song. I mean, it sounds alright and whatnot (samples aren't shitty and the beat is steady), but it's just.... boring. For some reason I kept waiting for it to break out into a Wip3out song with that one sample going.

Well made tune there Rize. Metal mixes are kinda hard to come by it seems and this one was worth seraching for. Great guitar work and a well crafted piece all around.

Like the last one, this tune is a nice mix of retro gameboy chips sounds mixed in with techno-esque beats and a gothic flavoring behind the harmonies. but this one goes a step further by adding in a good sounding chorus later in the song. Like the first one, I would have liked to have heard it have an ending rather than a fade, but it's minor. Another cool tune

Nice. Very nice. A well blended mix of ambient background synths with a driving lead guitar that is wonderfully played... all while the gothic background of the series stays lurking behind it all so that it can poke it's head out from time to time (like during the end of the song with the chorus). Well done guys. Konami would be proud

O-kay. I'm probably the only person who will ever say that this boss was tough.... Dracula at the end of Castlevania: Circle of the Moon I can't beat this shithead. I have a decent number of the cards and so forth, but no combination seems to allow me to get past his second form. Oh his first form is quite easy. But his second form? Hands me my ass everytime. I learned how to dodge the attack where he shoots across the screen quickly, I manage to avoid the bats or whatever the hell they are most of the time. But I can never seem to get in more than one or two shots every minute. No matter how long I last, that floating eyeball out lives me. Someday I'll figure it all out, and I'll probably kick myself for not realizing it sooner as it'll likely be something painfully simple. But for right now, I just watch that poor little dimly lit dude die again and again

I'll be honest... I liked their Castlevania Remix better. This one seemed at bit... sloppier? Something just didn't feel as tight as their other one. I think it was the synths, as the guitar playing sounded good. There seems to be a few spots where the synth harmonies are off (like the notes at 1:56 and 2:03) and the synth has an attack time that makes it fade in a bit too slowly.... making it feel like it's off the tempo at times. Also, if this thing is running at 192kn/s, why do the cymbal crashes swim so much? It's a cool enough song and all, and the guitars are good, good stuff. I just think the synths could use some cleaning up. Just my opinion...

Kudos to you two guys for taking the road less traveled musically. The synths sound nice and the guitar playing is top notch. I really don't have anything bad to say except... why can't this be longer? When this level of playing comes together, you kinda want it to last longer. Hell... it could be a simple repeating and I wouldn't care when it sounds like this Either way, very guys.

Kouryu... This infestation, is the final boss in the game Last Blade 2 on the DC. This guy, is... just a complete tool. He carries a big sword... which means he has a long reach. He's suprizingly fast for being one of the largest characters in the game. He, in traditional SNK style, does copious amounts of damage to you when he hits. Because of his speed, he can trap you in a corner very easily and just keep hitting you while you block (you move, he hits you full on... you block, you're chipped away at). And God help you if you try and jump... he follows you constantly. No breaks, no pauses... just hounding you until you're dead and done. This guy is a pain on "3" for difficulty. "8" must be a fighting game lovers hell...

Guess what I found? It's a new handy dandy ass handing machine called... hell, I don't know what it's called. In Panzer Dragoon Orta (great game btw), there's this cat-like skeletal thing at the end of stage 3 or 4... I'm not sure which because I've been fighting him for a couple weeks and I don't remember the level number. There seems to be a weak spot on the things face (what there is of it) that you're supposed to attack after you've blasted all the armor off from the rear. I say seems because I've hit the thing with a berzerk blast and barely saw that health bar go down. Of course, the fact that you're always dodging jelly shots and it jumping at you when you're in front of it makes this in no way any easier. Oh yeah... hard boss...

Ghouls & Ghosts... one boss that is so cheap it's not funny. The BIG fly that your have to fight before you enter the chamber and battle Loki... Beelzebub(sp). They should have made this little putz the final boss, as Loki is a cakewalk compared to Beelzebub. This huge fly foirms from dozens of little flies, then begins to float about the room for a short time spitting green larva eggs that spin end over end. Then, it changes back into the little flies... and God help you from there. I've watch Aurther get reduced to pile of bones so many times on this part, I could scream. Those little flies go anywhere... randomly. There's no pattern to avoid, and if you're on the lowest part of the floor and these flies stream across the screen at you, there's a 90% chance you're getting hit... twice. You can't avoid it as the stream is too long to jump over and a wall stops you from running any further. All you can do is get hit. This part just hands you your ass so readily...

First off... kudos for the guitar work. Well handled and nicely performed. I enjoyed the opening, the return to the same style of guitar work at the end and the riffs that were being pounded out at the 3:00 mark on. I thought these areas were the strongest compositionally. The transition at the 1:00 mark lead me to believe that there was heavily metalization heading my way... but nothing hit until the 3:00 mark. For me, this extended build up was the weak point. I'm not speaking of the guitar playing, as it was good through out... agains, kudos there. I'm speaking compositionally. During that two minutes (1:00 - 3:00), it seems to build up, then return right back to the beginning of a build up. By the time the dual metal guitar riffs start at 3:00, they feel too delayed in their arrival and then overwith far too early. Listening, I thought those dual guitars should have had at least a minute of that two minute stretch, to really give them time to thrive in the spotlight, and to contain the build up into them. Despite my feelings on that point, a good mix with some great guitar work.

Well, feeling the urge to go a bit retro, I started playing Doom II on my PC. You know what I found out? That I forgot about probably one of the single, most unfair bosses out there. The Demon on the final level Jesus Christ is that thing is brutal. You get no clues as to just where the hell to hit it, BIG TIME monsters like Arch Viles, Revenants, Mancubus' and Pain Elementals are popping up all over the place (damn those Arch Viles for making Revenants like they were going out of style), and there's a tall elevator to ride on... that way you get killed at varying heights instead of just ground level. To say it took me a while before I figured out what to do is would be misleading, as it took a gamefaws to figure it out after watching my guy get splattered so many times, Jackson Pollock could have used him for one of his paintings. How do you do it? For those who have yet to play, I won't ruin the "fun".

Hey all. Anyone here have the game Draconus: Cult of the Wyrm? Yeah, it's not the best game in the world, but it is pretty fun... until you get to the BIG dragon at the end. I can't remember that last time I watched my life bar go down like that. While the dragon is cool looking, and it doesn't have a lot of different attacks, the ones it does have do enough damage to make up for that fact. Long range fire, short range bites... OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH the fun. Granted, beating the thing gives you a nifty real time cinema, but... Definitely a nasty boss...

Well, I found new friend today. His name is Igniz... and he's the final boss in King of Fighters 2001 on the Dreamcast. In case you haven't guessed, I'm being sarcastic This guy, is SO fucking unfair. He has no striker characters, as he doesn't need one. He has a special move that uses his cape like a slicer and takes about a third of your health bar off. He also has a Super Move that once used, is nearly guaranteed to hurt you... as even if you block it, another character is summoned up to hit you while you're blocking, which then enables the Super Move to start hitting you. Unfair to be sure. He also has a Lion he can summon up to attack you, normal attacks that do much damage, and in general... the guy's a pain in the ass. And I thought Rugal was a bitch...

Anyone remember a game called Hexen? Anyone ever get to the final boss, Korax? Fun huh? I really don't wanna think how many times I've had to reload a game save against that boss. First you get a big room FULL of enemies to fight through. Once you're done with them and nicely weakened, out comes the serpent rider, Korax. Oh what fun he is. Teleporting from spot to spot, his energy shots aren't that hard to avoid, but he takes FOREVER to get rid of. You'll run out of both mana types before he's half dead. Then you get to try and run up to him so you can strike him... that's where it gets hard. He's only in place for a few seconds to fire before he warps off to another spot, so you'll only get a couple hits in. To say this is tough, is the truth. Pray that you have lots of healing vials to use... you'll need them.

How many remember the Genesis game Battletech? Anyone remember the final stage? How about the little shit that calls that place home? Yeah, him. The stage is hard enough on its own merits, but throw in the mech that you're supposed to make it to so you can destroy him and win... and then make him a nasty little bastard to boot... well, you got a hard boss right there. Eventually, I beat the game, but not before seeing that ending screen with your mech laying on its side and your pilot hanging dead out the cockpit window WAY too many times

I'm probably the only one who had trouble with his thing, but the werewolf boss in Castlevania Chronicles (I think ) that jumps around a clock face, pulling pieces off and throwing them at you. I had so much trouble avoiding those clock chunks long enough to any damage to the damn beast, but then trying to hit it after it ran out of ammo wasn't overly simple either. I don't even wanna think about how many times I fought that damn thing before I finally got past it...

Here's a boss for ya. For the proud few who have gotten to play this beast of a game, the stealth bomber-like jet in Battle Garegga. First you have to fight five small versions that die easily enough. Then, you mean the main jet... and the party starts. He's got three or four type of firing patterns, and one of then (where the bullets sweep back and forth a few times) is nearly a guarenteed kill for that boss. But, if you manage to beat it, you face it again two stages later... more armor, faster shots, more types of shot patterns and MUCH faster movement. You will loose ships on v2 of that boss, and you will loose many. If you manage to beat it, then you march on to the final boss, who's actually easier

Well, I sent this to Streets of Rage bum a while ago, but I figured I'd put it up here too... just in case someone else got a little confused. Just a touch of TF IV history Thunder Force IV was released in Japan by Technosoft in 1992. By that time, their American branch was dead and gone (it was that branch of theirs that brought out Thunder Force II, Thunder Force III and Herzog Zwei to The States). So, Sega bought the rights to it and brought the game to The States as Lightening Force. Why they didn't go with "Lightning" I don't know (sounds cooler), but they called it "Lightening". I prefer the Japanese name myself anyways And thanks for the feedback thus far guys .

Got another one. Anyone ever played G-Darius on the Playstation? Even go up against the boss that's at the end of the level who's Greek letter looks like a lowercase "N"? You know the one... it looks like a giant sea horse. This boss, is hard. I don't know how many times I died fighting it, but I ran out of continues after fifteen minutes. It has somewhere in the realm of about 5 or 6 different modes of attack... including one where it circles the edges of the screen (its circling gets faster and faster with each time it does it). I must have hit that thing was a dozen super blasts, and it was still going strong. I think part of it's head came off at one point, but that just seemed to piss it off more and it began attacking with a new attack method on top of the older ones. I don't think it liked me much

The Lich at the end of Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom. I have died, SO many times fighting that little shit. It's almost impossible to hit him with your weapon, and the fact that he has magic coming out of his ass doesn't make things any easier. He casts spells left and right and knocks you down with ANY attack he uses. Even when you do hit him, he takes a little damage, and most magic spells are useless against him. Someone with a sick sense of humor made that boss.

New boss... The Eternal Champion in the Genesis version of Eternal Champions. The Sega CD version kinda toned this guy down, but the Genesis version of him shows no mercy whatsoever. He's fast, does a lot of damage with just a weak hit and not only do you have to beat him, you have to beat him 5 TIMES!!!!! That's once for each form If he beats you, game's over. No continues, no nothing. GAME OVER!!!! That's just damn cold...

O-kay. This one, is simply pure insanity. Serious Sam: The Second Encounter. The final level is made up of two parts. The first, is the HUGE area before an equally HUGE cathedral. A storm rolls in, and with lightning, thunder and fire raining down, a twenty minute battle begins... where you fight EVERY kind of enemy in the game, and large multiples of them. Should you survive all this, you go in the cathedral walls where you fight the final boss. This BIG wizard casts a spell that conjures up enemies. As you progressively do more damage to him, the monsters he conjures up get more or more powerful. Since they're more powerful, they take more damage to kill. So, while you're trying to hit the wizard and hold back the higher Hit Pointed monsters, they keep piling up until you're surrounded by hordes of creatures as the wizard reappears safely far away... and summons more of the damn things. That's one helluva boss fight.