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WARNING: This episode of Nitro Game Injection is so hardcore, so heavy, and so outrageously metal that it WILL beat you over the head, shred your ears, and melt your face off. If you aren’t into chugging rhythms, heavy solos, pounding drums, or other implements of awesomeness, it is strongly recommended that you do not listen to this episode. You have been warned.
Includes a pre-release preview track from MAVERICK RISING, the Mega Man X series OCR project!
==PLAYLIST==
1. SnappleMan – Contra 4: Rocked ‘n’ Loaded – Jungle Exploder (arrangement of ‘Jungle Normal’ from Contra 4 [DS] :: http://www.rockednloaded.com/ )
2. Sixto Sounds – The Secrets of Sosetsuken (arrangement of ‘Arrival of the Black Warriors’ from Double Dragon [SMS] :: http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01745/ )
3. Artificial Fear – Dark World Theme (arrangement from Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past [SNES] :: http://artificialfear.bandcamp.com/ )
4. VikingGuitar ft. Stemage – Sweep the Leg (medley arrangement of the Street Fighter series :: http://vikingguitar.bandcamp.com/ )
5. CROW’SCLAW [Taka] – Down To Big Bridge (arrangement of ‘Battle on the Big Bridge’ from Final Fantasy V [SNES] :: http://vgmdb.net/album/3632 )
6. norg – Black Ice (arrangement of ‘Chill Penguin Stage’ from Mega Man X [SNES] :: http://www.dwellingofduels.net/ )
7. The OneUps – Bowser Castle (arrangement from Super Mario Kart [SNES] :: http://vgmdb.net/album/13682 )
8. Demetori – Necrofantasia ~ Remix (arrangement from Touhou Youyoumu ~ Perfect Cherry Blossom [PC] :: http://vgmdb.net/album/6483 )
9. Retro Remix Revue – Big Blue (arrangement from F-Zero [SNES] :: http://vgmdb.net/album/10191 )
10. The Black Mages – The Rocking Grounds (arrangement of ‘Battle I’ from Final Fantasy III [NES] :: http://vgmdb.net/album/182 )
11. Thunderclash – The Pink Block (arrangement of ‘Green Greens’ from Kirby’s Dreamland [GB] and ‘Korobeiniki’ from Tetris [GB] :: http://eargasm.bandcamp.com/ )
12. Stemage – Crispy Crimson (arrangement of ‘Intro’ from Ninja Warriors :: http://iwadon.bandcamp.com/ )
13. BrainCells – Two Shadows Appear (arrangement from Shadow of the Ninja [NES] :: http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01445/ )
14. Dr. Manhattan – Duality (arrangement of ‘X Vs. Zero’ from Mega Man X5 :: NGI EXCLUSIVE FROM ‘MAVERICK RISING’ OCREMIX PROJECT )
15. Machinae Supremacy – Empire (original track from Redeemer: Underground Edition :: http://vgmdb.net/album/6143 )
16. Jake “virt” Kaufman – Contra 4: Rocked ‘n’ Loaded – B.E.I.G.L. (arrangement of ‘End Credits’ from Contra 4 [DS] :: http://www.rockednloaded.com/ )
That’s actually what I was getting at when I said they’d lost focus: They’d lost something to really focus on and were really scraping the barrel with the selections in their third outing. It’s a shame that they did overlook a few battle themes (like Dark Messenger, which is a personal favorite of mine, ) but I’m interested in hearing what Uematsu-san comes up with for the Earthbound Papas.
There were comments about The Black Mages losing focus on their third album, but the way I see it, they ran out of workable material. Only to miss one track that would have been truly worth hearing: FFIX:s Dark Messenger, battle theme of Trance Kuja. Thinking back to all the battle themes they’d previously done, that’s the only one I can recall that’s missing. So perhaps it wasn’t so much a loss of focus but a loss of tracks to cover?