[OCR01205 - Shenmue "Dreaming While I Wake"]

Well, to not be a jerk about a remix I don't really like... Honestly, I have to say once again that it seems like the Shenmue theme is hardly the subject here. It sounds decent but the entire..purpose of the remix seems to draw your attention to the vocals. And no offense to the artist, but they just do not tickle my fancy whatsoever. I don't have anything against this type of thing, but the lyrics just sound...incredibly stereotypic to me, sadly, and after being spoiled by the lords of everything that are "The Postal Service," this whole half dreaming voice thing doesn't cut it for me. Sorry.

[OCR01172 - Secret of Mana "Return to Elysian Lands"]

Three seconds into the remix I basically had to compose myself so as to avoid an immediate seizure. Mana was my first RPG, and to this day the mysticism and majesty of that world holds tight with me, and this remix carries on that spirit strong. This remix just draws you right into the title scene, the majesty of that gigantic tree, the backstory of destruction and rebirth rolling on slowly, and I'll be damned when those bells ring I can see flocks of those pink birds fluttering across a majestic forest with sunlight peeking through the boughs of the mana tree. Utterly fantastic, here.

I could imagine this done to a fully animated opening with a quality so high it'd put Studio Ghibli to shame. Bravo, man.