OCRA-0031 - Wild Arms: ARMed and DANGerous

[redshojin]

They must be destroyed...

[Dark_T_Zeratul]

I hate to be the lone dissenting voice, but... I'm a bit disappointed. Mostly because such a large number of tracks so far (I'm about halfway through disc 2) all seem to be trance remixes. I guess I was just expecting a lot more variety in this album, especially since there's so much variety in the soundtrack.

[Dj Mokram]

I posted this in staffchat for them to look at. They're also apparently selling Badass and MegaMan9

Un-fucking-believable! 3 albums full of people's hard work being stolen and sold for profit by these scumbags.

Weren't the links taken down in less than a day last time, when the same case happened with LD?

They must be destroyed...

This cannot be stressed enough. For great justice!

(I'm about halfway through disc 2) all seem to be trance remixes. I guess I was just expecting a lot more variety in this album

Don't lose hope and keep listening. You might be surprised in a good way.

[redshojin]

Don't lose hope and keep listening. You might be surprised in a good way.

Actually, I had the same sort of sentiments. Don't get me wrong, I love the tracks - but it does take a while for the really awesome full orchestral stuff to pop up. But damn is that a cool moment. Some of my favorite tracks are on disc 3.

[Dark_T_Zeratul]

Having now gotten through the whole thing, I can definitely say there was a lot more cool stuff on discs 3 and 4.

[Zen Frazier]

I hate to be the lone dissenting voice, but... I'm a bit disappointed. Mostly because such a large number of tracks so far (I'm about halfway through disc 2) all seem to be trance remixes. I guess I was just expecting a lot more variety in this album, especially since there's so much variety in the soundtrack.

Funny this is the very reason I am loving the first 2 discs, but then again I am partial to electronic music. To be fair, I still haven't processed discs 3 and 4 yet so I can't compare, but I have really enjoyed the cohesive sound so far overall.

[Catharsis]

I only have a couple things to say. (Not much can be said with the talents of bLiNd (who I'm extremely biased for ) and everyone else who contributed to this project. There isn't a song I hate here.)

1) This album has convinced me to play Wild Arms from the PS store. I haven't purchased it yet, but will be. If it has inspired this many people to come together to do this many remixes, I don't need much more convincing, and I'm not even sure how I missed this RPG in the first place back then.

2) "Inner Light" is one of the most EPIC remixes I have ever heard from this site. Amazing job guys. I usually have to hear the source to appreciate a remix, but this is simply astounding on its own.

[MindWanderer]

Special shout-out to Gario for Rudy's Electronic Temptation. Easily my favorite piece of the album, and no mention of it so far in this thread.

[RiverSound]

Time to throw in some feedback. Been listening to the first two discs for a few days now, so I'm ready to lay down my thoughts about them. In general, it feels like these albums don't get a fair amount of reviewing, comments and feedback given the effort put into them. As of late, and at least in these threads, it's just too bad that many great albums go predominantly undiscussed. Is there a reason for the unactivity in here nowadays?

Anyhow, back to ARMed and DANGerous. I'll give my overall thoughts about each disc and point out some highlights or things that I found appealing in some tracks, so not going to be a track-by-track review.

Disc 1 – Courage

Its strength is variety which helps maintaining interest fairly well, and there's about 3 standout tracks which I feel is enough for one disc. Overall, I get the feel that it doesn't try to be anything spectacular yet, but more like a smooth/mellow, musically harmonious and easy-going introduction to the album, and in that regard, it works.

Succumb to the Wilderness:

Good opening track. Acoustic/clean electric guitars suit the melody perfectly and it has appropriate atmosphere considering the western theme. Then the distortion kicks in, and I gotta admit, after giving it many possibilities, it still sounds out of place and makes me uneasy. I think it's too middle-heavy, or at least in a sense that the rhythm/lead guitar sounds aren't distinct enough and it causes it to sound messy. Not sure if I'm expressing my thoughts successfully here, but I just find the distorted guitars the worst part of this otherwise great mix. Good arranging, opening and outro. Great job, Level99.

Up an' at 'Em:

Initially, I didn't consider this anything too special, but smooth arrangement/instrumentation, great melodies and peaceful feel altogether made this a standout for me. It's not always about the epicness and loud stuff. This time it's about easy livin' and ”I feel I'm recuperating from the fights of yesterday and lifting my eyes up in the skies, hoping for a better tomorrow.” Which seems to fit the source track fairly well;) Good stuff, Blue Magic.

Forlorn Warrior:

ilp0 always impresses me with his upbeat, versatile arrangements, solid production and great instrumentation. It just clicks and works every time. The only downside for me is that the tracks he mixes are rarely the ones I like much let alone my favorites, but he manages to make 'em enjoyable nonetheless. That goes for this one, too. Keep on jammin', buddy; hope you'd happen to tackle a favorite of mine some day.

The Way:

I think the best trance track of the first disc deserves a mention, even though it's not a genre I listen to much. Out of the few techno pieces on Courage, I find this one the most enjoyable. Again, it represents the overall feel of the disc well; nothing spectacular, but a smooth and easy-going mix with peaceful and hopeful melodies. Nice work, Jewbei.

Round the Cape of Good Hope:

Wow. Instant favorite. I'm not even sure why. Maybe I find the instrument choices very succesful and fitting, sax perfect, arrangement interesting throghout, production solid and all the performances great... Whatever, I love it and it makes the best song on disc 1. Outstanding job, guys.

There in My Dreams:

A brave take on the source. Whenever a vocal mix comes around, I respect the effort put into as it usually demands more skill and attention. The vocals sound a bit hollow in this one, though. I think further equalization and/or mastering could fix that and make it feel warmer and stronger. But at the end of the day, it doesn't bother me. This track embodies the feel of Courage; yet again smooth, hopeful, mellow, harmonious and beautiful with promises of more exciting discs. Excellent closure to Courage.

Disc 2 – Love

Definitely inferior to Courage IMO. It was fine and promised a lot with opening tracks, but once the trance marathon kicked in, my ears went numb. I would've hoped some breakdown tracks to cut a break during the techno roadcall. Considering my love for instrumental music, this disc, naturally, came off to me as a repetitive discoparty, excluding the last few tracks. This can be a good thing for many listeners, though: if the idea was to go by genre, then surely this disc is a treat for techno fans, while the first disc was very different and appeals to different listeners.

East Meets Western:

One of the best on the disc. Immediately caught my attention with the mellow guitars. Expands nicely into a piano-guitar duo with rising percussion. I expected an electric guitar lead at some point and was slightly let down when it turned out to be a synth lead, but it's not bad either after multiple listens. Surprising that this isn't posted on the site yet, I think it would make a nice debut for Artem Bank.

Rudy's Electronic Temptations:

Makes good use of sequenced brass elements and string action. The lead melody is enjoyable and has a thriving quality. There's even a flute later, which is nice. Overall, good sound choices make this a great and upbeat track. Nice one, Gario.

Desirous Sacrifice:

Jewbei once again draws my attention with melodies that I find rocking and thoroughly evolving beats. Alongside with Gario's track, this stands out during the trance marathon.

You Are (Not) Defeated:

Never would I have hoped to get this much music out of a source like this. Theophany creates an atmosphere that's full of different textures and instruments with a distant, eerie feel to it. Then rapid percussion kick in and provide a break from the sad, even haunting atmosphere. Slowly it returns and grows with some fitting synths backing up the authentic instruments. This track provides also a fitting drop from the trance/techno marathon. Not bad at all.

Relief for the Wanderer:

One of the best on the disc. Although I hear many similarities with this and Pot Hocket's FFIV remix, Relief of the Wanderer brings a whole new feel to the guitar duo and delivers feelings appropriately... Relieving? Soothing? Whatever you may call it, this track delivers. Enjoy.

Premonitions:

This track has been a grower for me. In fact, it's grown so much that it might be my favorite track from Love nowadays. The atmosphere present here is so magical and enchanting that it's impossible not to be attracted by it. Avaris introduces a whole new beautiful dimension of otherworldly ambiance and I'm totally sold. If this was the closure track for Love, I'd be more than satisfied. That female voice is just so gorgeous. Oh lala.

A Ring and a Promise:

This deserves recognition as well. It certainly fits to be the closure track, although my personal favorite for it would've been Premonitions. Vocals really hold this one up; bLiNd made a good job keeping the background optimal for singing to be on top. It's quite long but still easy to listen to, and for that I dig it. Beautiful voice she has, oh yeah.

Well, this turned out much longer than I thought. Sorry if the overall quality degrades towards the end. Hope the artists appreciate the feedback as I've enjoyed your music. When the time is right, I'll move on to the last two discs.

-Markus

[Genoism]

Just came here to say two things:

First off, that site is STILL selling the megaman remixes! Freaking cheating bastards I hope someone reports and sues the shit out of them.

Secondly, this entire album is AMAZING. I'm not a trance person, just a little, not much. But I loved this album for the most part. Just to list a few of my favorites,

Return to Dust

East Meets Western

Holding the line

Dust Trails

Forbidden perception

Inner light

Godspeed

and so he flew....

anyways many more great ones that i didn't list.

Frankly, I think this album has had much higher quality than the more recent albums. (Though the megaman one had a few very nice ones as well).

[SolarAsthma]

Amazing album. Loved the game, and the nostalgia from this set is incredible.

Also, legalsounds is STILL selling this album, among others.

[Neko069]

I'm about to end my WA Alter Code F game, and suddenly I discover THIS...

I don't know if it is because I'm so excited with this game (same as I was with the original), but I really LOVE this remixes. They're just awesome! I'm so glad and thankful that this project has been acomplished, that I really cannot find words to describe how pleasant is to hear all this collection of songs...

As we say in my country: "A la mierda, que discazo!"

10/10 no doubt !

[Zarggg]

I finally got around to adding this to my music library, and I noticed that the following FLAC files flag as corrupt (MD5 mismatch):

2.16 - bLiNd & Ashleigh Coryell - A Ring and a Promise [Lamentation and a Promise (Prologue 2)]

3.03 - Between Heaven and Earth (Isolated World)

3.04 - LuIzA - Forbidden Perception (Taboo Storyteller)

3.06 - Devastus - I'm a Force of Nature (The Power Which Supports the World)

3.07 - E-Bison - Holy Mother! (Dark Madonna)

3.10 - The Dual Dragons - Gunning the Metal Knight (Battle ZEIK)

3.11 - Radiowar - What's Left (Agitation to Destruction)

3.15 - Ergosonic - And So He Flew [Migratory Bird of the Wilderness (Rudy's Theme)]

4.03 - Theophany - Moonrise (A New Moon ~Malduke~)

4.08 - diotrans - The Ultimate Sacrifice ("Asgard Did His Best, Didn't He?")

4.11 - Jovette Rivera - The Eternal Journey (To the End of the Wilderness ~To a New Journey~)

Screenshot of scan results for these files.

Does anyone know if these files have been corrected, or if fixed versions exist?

[Liontamer]

I finally got around to adding this to my music library, and I noticed that the following FLAC files flag as corrupt (MD5 mismatch):

2.16 - bLiNd & Ashleigh Coryell - A Ring and a Promise [Lamentation and a Promise (Prologue 2)]

3.03 - Between Heaven and Earth (Isolated World)

3.04 - LuIzA - Forbidden Perception (Taboo Storyteller)

3.06 - Devastus - I'm a Force of Nature (The Power Which Supports the World)

3.07 - E-Bison - Holy Mother! (Dark Madonna)

3.10 - The Dual Dragons - Gunning the Metal Knight (Battle ZEIK)

3.11 - Radiowar - What's Left (Agitation to Destruction)

3.15 - Ergosonic - And So He Flew [Migratory Bird of the Wilderness (Rudy's Theme)]

4.03 - Theophany - Moonrise (A New Moon ~Malduke~)

4.08 - diotrans - The Ultimate Sacrifice ("Asgard Did His Best, Didn't He?")

4.11 - Jovette Rivera - The Eternal Journey (To the End of the Wilderness ~To a New Journey~)

Screenshot of scan results for these files.

Does anyone know if these files have been corrected, or if fixed versions exist?

Not sure if this is an actual issue or not, but if you torrent the FLACs again, this is still the result? Just need to ensure the problem definitely wasn't a corrupted download. Also, what program's being used here to perform the checks?

[Zarggg]

I used foobar2000's File Integrity Verifier.

I redownloaded those files, and scanned them right away. They didn't show an MD5 mismatch this time, so it was either an error present from an earlier form of the torrent or one I somehow introduced while adjusting tags and adding to my music library.

Sorry for jumping the gun there without full diligence.

[Liontamer]

I used foobar2000's File Integrity Verifier.

I redownloaded those files, and scanned them right away. They didn't show an MD5 mismatch this time, so it was either an error present from an earlier form of the torrent or one I somehow introduced while adjusting tags and adding to my music library.

Sorry for jumping the gun there without full diligence.

That's cool, no worries. I had scanned the FLACs with AudioTester before the release, and everything turned out fine, so it was definitely surprising to initially hear that issue.

I also scanned my copy of the FLACs with FileVerifier++ (thanks for making me aware of programs like these) before I replied, and didn't see any issue, so I just had to double check with you about if maybe it just was a corrupt DL.

[IronRex]

What should I do if the torrent keeps failing when I try to start downloading the album?

[Black_Doom]

This album is really full of absolutely different jams in different styles and each jam is certanly cool, but the most surprising mix for me is "I Now Pronnounce You Incorrectly". What started with some retro textures later evolved into edm piece with some strings here and there, which also evolved into dupstep piece and then it returned back to edm and then to a nice retro outro. Very good! Another favorite track is "Forbidden Perception". Awesome sweeping percussion. Love the funky guitar too. But heavy parts are not bad at all. The third favorite is RW's downbeat D'n'B ethnic jam "What's Left". Seriously, it's awesome. Full of sadness, darkness and tension. So, these tracks are my top-3 favorite. But other tracks aren't worse. I'm just too lazy to describe all my favorites

[Thin Crust]

There was a flash sale on PSN a couple weeks ago. 60 games all for under a dollar. Because of this album, I bought both Wild Arms 1 and 2. I just got past the first dungeon and it's interesting to hear so many familiar tunes in a game I've never played before.