Posted 2001-02-28, evaluated by djpretzel


Been awhile on the Ninja Gaiden front, and we STILL don't have a track from the first game (can't tell ya how many times I played that one), but Jaxx's Ninja Gaiden II ReMix is indeed worthy, and especially cool because it his first track using soundfonts and MIDI instead of tracking. You certainly can't tell he's new at it though, as everything's in place (he had some guidance from Kaijin, I think ^^) the sounds are high quality, and the piece has a muted, travelling feel to it. Love the stereo separation, and the pad used is very clean and well-chosen as well. Confession: does anyone remember the cheesy 'Ninja Gaiden' book that was published? I actually read it. And liked it. Yeah, it was sad. And now Jaxx has reopened that painful wound by bringing back the memories :) Can't blame him though - tis good stuff. Note that although this says trance, it's a very piano-centric piece in my opinion.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 12 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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TillyFun
on 2016-02-18 18:33:57

It feels chill with some intensity. Altogether, I'm surprised at how pleasant he made this piece given how urgent the original is. It's a good treatment of the original, and even though the samples are simple, the melody is done really well. The instruments occasionally remind me of Phendrana Drifts in Metroid Prime.

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Bahamut
on 2009-09-11 11:34:44

I do wish something different was chosen for the backing beat...it makes my head hurt :-( . While this might not actually be trance, as OA mentioned, it does accomplish getting people to zone out. I feel like much more could've been done with this though.

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Master_Yoshi
on 2008-12-30 17:59:47

I had never heard this song before today, and I wish I had. I'd have instantly commented on how good this mix was. It has its faults, it sounds dated, and it just otherwise doesn't really have a lot of lustre to it.

All that said, I love this piece. It makes me want to run along rooftops stealing stuff and assassinating feudal lords while this plays in the background, and at certain points I'll make sure to do a kickin pose under the moonlight.

At least that's what I think of when I close my eyes and listen to this. This is some good stuff, it definitely needs more love.

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Lint
on 2008-12-11 12:36:04

Lo an behold, I think that this mix has been in my favorite tracks for the last few years.

That initial piano lead with the slow cymbal sample is a nice intro that leads into the beat backing everything up. When the song kicks it up a notch, the piano keeps pace relentlessly while the beat sets the pace. A few background elements popping up and a slowdown minimize the piano for a little bit while the beat pulses behind the melody.

A cool piano part over an intense techno beat. Still one of my favorite tracks.

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DJMetal
on 2008-12-02 13:18:00

At 0:30 when the beat jumps in, I start digging this remix. The piano in the opening is nice, but lonely and very robotic. I'd look for something with a little more flourish or something to accompany it. Other than those first 30 seconds, though, I'm a HUGE fan of this one. Solid, right up to the end.

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maelkashishi
on 2007-12-19 16:17:19

A pale mix, not fitting it all together well, with many parts too generic. The idea was appareantly supposed to be trance, even when the genre is not, but actually, the song is at its best at parts that are the least healthy to the designation, namely in some short piano sections. The background is definitely weak, using too many disparate instrument/ambient layers to feel anything but cluttered.

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big giant circles
on 2007-12-06 20:12:32

Right off the bat, the piano was uber mechanical. And the tempo transition at :28 was in fact a bit jarring. Soundscape left the piano too exposed. All in all, this one definitely could have used more beef. Fairly bland mix across the board...

Nothing personal, Jaxx. Just sounds like you were in too much of a hurry to wrap it up and didn't pay enough attention to detail and textures. As Larry said, good enough for back in the day, and I can definitely respect that.

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DragonAvenger
on 2007-12-03 18:53:23

Right away I don't really like the straight chords in the piano, they feel too rigid. They fit in better once the groove of the piece starts, but I would have liked a different opening.

I don't know the source, but this mix seems a bit cookie-cutter to me. Not that that's a bad thing, but I feel like it lacks a hook to really get me interested. OA mentioned that you felt like you were in a trance, and I agree with that statement. Nothing is sticking out, but I'm still drawn into the piece.

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OA
on 2007-05-04 10:27:04

well, the genre of music isn't trance, but the effect the song has on me pretty accurately describes what this mix does to me. I felt myself dozing off a little while listening; not because the track is boring, but it is seemingly specially formulated to but you in a trance-like state, and I bet somewhere in there is a hidden message to do something nefarious, like steal people's gas caps or not replace the water cooler in the break room if you have the lsat of the water.

Jaxx, i'm onto you...

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Liontamer
on 2006-05-01 15:57:29

Dunno why this was ever named "Trance". Construction is rather simplistic, but got the job done back in the day. Piano was sequenced rather rigidly, but sounded fairly nice when mixed with the synth and pads during some points in the track. The bass kicks/thumps here felt pretty out of place, but other than that the ideas were ok. This could have used some more supporting elements to fill this out.

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Deryck Khusial
on 2003-04-18 04:33:55

without a doubt my favorite JAXX mix. it ain’t trance; it's a simple mix really. man, those breaks at 1:05, 2:15 own me. Endless. Flowing. i love the way the bass drops out and the beat pounds away. piano has the same aforementioned qualities as well, and complements the whole mix excellently

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m68030
on 2002-06-01 02:18:09

Ninja Gaiden II 'Trance'

jaxx always produces high-quality stuff.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (Tecmo , 1990, NES)
Music by Keiji Yamagishi,Mayuko Okamura,Mikio Saito,Ryuichi Nitta
Songs:
"The Parasprinter"

Tags (7)


Genre:
Trance
Mood:
Sad
Instrumentation:
Piano,Strings,Synth
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature
Time > Tempo: Fast

File Information


Name:
Ninja_Gaiden_2_Trance_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,209,418 bytes
MD5:
5f1a55bb3c3e685ee66792b8e9f34525
Bitrate:
160Kbps
Duration:
3:26

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