ReMix:Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals "Last Chance" 3:34

By OceansAndrew

Arranging the music of one song...

"Battle Theme #2"

Primary Game: Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (Natsume , 1995, SNES), music by Yasunori Shiono

Posted 2009-01-05, evaluated by the judges panel


So, M7 was epic. Video footage will eventually trickle out from Jamspace, and we recorded our own panel and also conducted some ReMixer interviews, but one definite highlight for me was Shael and I participating in a "Game Audio Industry Professionals" panel with Jake, Tommy, Howard, Grant, and others. Yeah, neither Shael and I are truly in the game audio industry, or particularly professional even, but we talked about HD Remix and the whole thing, for the relative few who caught it, was rather win. There was also the OCR panel, which was an amalgam of new and old, with a mini HDR tourney that pitted audience vs. HD Remixer, and a sneak preview of Final Fantasy IV: Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption, a new OCR '09 album that's looking very hot. Spearheading said album is none other than OA, who's also wrapping up the site design for Summoning of Spirits, which DOES exist and should be seeing the light of day in Q1 '09, safely preempting Duke Nukem Forever (but not Chinese Democracy).

Basically, 2009 is our tenth anniversary, and it's seriously looking like it'll be the best year yet for OC ReMix, and one of the key folks making that so is Mr. Luers, so I thought it fitting to kick off the year with a mix of his. This is actually the third time in two years he's submitted this Lufia II ReMix; while the arrangement has always been there, the production finally caught up. He writes:

"Third time's the charm? This was the second song I ever tried to remix, almost 2 years ago. The production was terrible, but I always thought the arrangement was pretty good, even if the melody was pretty much the same. I kept it, the bass, and redid all of the counterpoint and drum rhythms, as well as added a few new sections. I didn't mess with the arrangement much from 2 years back because I still think it is interpretive enough, if a bit on the conservative side. Hopefully the production is better. >_>"

Third time is indeed the charm. I'm also glad we're kicking '09 off with a resub, because I think in the last few months, especially with n00bfl00d, we've seen that resubmissions can and do result in pieces that are every bit as good or better than mixes that are approved on their first try. This mix intros upbeat, major-key electronica, but pulls out a more anthematic synth-rock vibe circa 0'37" and goes even more guit at 1'22". Vinnie left MAG with a pain in his leg that turned out to be tendonitis... we all hope he'll be feeling better soon - use the Vicadin if you have to, man! He says:

"LOVE the arrangement, Andrew. The combination of instruments is a little unusual (especially that weird hard-left-panned synth) but it completely works. The jumpy 0:59 section is like a sudden injection of energy, and I just love the dynamic contrast and thrills this song offers. I can see why you kept going back to this one."

Jimmy adds:

"Great arrangement, and lots of energy! Honestly, I was so distracted by the sheer intensity of the mix that I didn't even notice whether it had extra headroom or not. There's a small amount of portamento synth abuse here, but considering the effectiveness of the piece otherwise, I really don't feel compelled to gripe about it. Despite whatever production issues have been mentioned by my fellow J's, I can hear the drums, bass, pads, guitars, and leads just fine throughout, so that to me says that there's no need for necessary conditional voting here. I like it, great work from one of the nicest dudes in the community!"

Of course, Jimmy himself is also one of the nicest dudes in the community, which is why it was poetic/ironic/amusing when OA, in a ruthless bid to win a download code for HD Remix, challenged Jimmy during the panel tournament, and won. It was a genuine "Clash of the Amiable, Considerate, and Otherwise Agreeable Fellows"... and also just good, clean fun. As is this mix; for a boss theme arrangement, it's actually kinda positive/upbeat, but rocks out quite a bit as well, with generous portions of synth lead, meaty guitar, elaborate drums, and quality arrangement. Here's to Vinnie feeling better, OA kicking ass on multiple fronts, everyone we saw at MAG, and a badass outlook for OCR 2009!

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Crulex
on 2011-12-19 16:17:44

Man, when this ReMix opens up with those driving guitars, this piece rocks HARD! I'm a real fan of the rocking melody being backed up by all the synths, drums and bass. Great take on the Boss theme. I gotta say, normally I don't like high synth sounding openings like that, but thankfully it wasn't out alone for too long, and once everything emerged to follow its lead, I enjoyed it. Terrific ReMix, OA.

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Bahamut
on 2011-12-16 16:18:50

A Lufia 2 mix!

I'm personally not a fan of the extended start how synth-centric it is while not containing any source, the mix goes into the classic boss melody. Similarly, I don't like when that synth reenters as the lead. It just bothers me for some reason :( . Otherwise, the song is alright - I wish there were more Lufia 2 mixes so it's always nice to see some coverage.

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WillRock
on 2010-07-02 20:05:41

Probably my favorite OA mix to date, this is one of his more heavy remixes.

Production is solid, altho the drums are times sound strangely distant.

Great balance between guitar and synth parts, which really balances things out. Guitar playing is very solid, but at the same time seems like it lacks expression :/

Very enjoyable however, strongly recommended :D

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Red88Rex
on 2010-05-14 17:46:11

Hey man, I joined just to tell you how blown away I was by this remix. Lufia 2 is one of my favorite games, and the Battle 2 track is my favorite of the soundtrack. It's actually some of the best boss music I've heard, and you remixed it perfectly. Seriously, couldn't have been better. Everytime I hear it, all I can think about is playing the game and how much I love it. Very well done. I love all of your stuff, hope to see more soon!

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yosh
on 2010-05-05 17:01:44

im so extremely stunned by this, plain awesome.

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Otakatt
on 2009-12-02 07:43:05

Sometimes it's harder for me to review tracks that are top notch as opposed to having things I can point out and say "I don't like this." or "I don't like that." It just doesn't feel right to me to just be like "Man this totally rawked! ^o^" even if that is the case. XD

I like that this doesn't jump immediately into the battle theme and that OA does some creative music-y stuff at the beginning and a little past the midway point. It gives the mix a nice lead up to the main parts I think. And I really liked the piano-y parts. It was a nice, subtle way to add some softness to the piece without overwhelming it, but still smoothly transitioned back to the rawk.

I think Lufia fans will love this and even if you've not heard of Lufia or the music this is still a great piece of music.

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jezon2000
on 2009-07-17 23:37:05

OA: This owns so furiously. Lufia may be seriously under-remixed, but the mixes that have been posted so far are of epic quality, yours included. I hope the mix I am currently working on will also be added to the list, when it's done and submitted. Two Lufia mixes in the same year? Now that would be progress. I think Lufia fans have had to wait long time since the last mix was posted, so I'm glad to see that your mix got posted. It's got great energy, and when you break into the source material, it's fucking poetry.

Damn sick job, it's a great track that sorely needed remixing. LUFIA FTW.

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Bliven731
on 2009-06-13 02:02:10

This is by far my favorite remix. I keep humming this song at worked and getting looked at weirdly.

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OA
on 2009-06-09 12:56:45

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the nice comments.

Good to know there are so many Lufia fans out there! :-)

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ocremixfan
on 2009-03-25 10:19:06

TOTALLY ROCKIN'!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!

I'm listening to this mix since its earlier WIP versions, and it was already one of my favourite OCR mixes, and just now I discover that it got approved!

Awesome job, OA! Congratulations!

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glasfen
on 2009-02-20 15:27:41

Sweet guitars and chippiness! I love it!

I spent the good part of a month playing this game. Every time I'd try The Ancient Cave, I'd put on Lareine (J-rock) in the background. This mix is like a blending of those two aspects of my Lufia II experience.

Rockin'.

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Martin Penwald
on 2009-01-21 05:38:29

My favourite OA tune so far. Rock on.

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Ronyn
on 2009-01-15 22:59:12

Guess the measure of a good remix is how badly I want to play the game again. In that case, epic mix bro. You actually gave me flashbacks.

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MichaelTheCrow
on 2009-01-11 17:26:40

Oh wow, what a mix!

I like what you've done, made an awesome track and beefed it up into this wonderful piece :), this has inspired me to listen to remixes more often.

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StormSkuggan
on 2009-01-08 16:36:05

Yes! Finally a lufia remix. i've been praying for one in ages and now it's here and it kicks ass.

Great job with the mix!

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (Natsume , 1995, SNES)
Music by Yasunori Shiono
Songs:
"Battle Theme #2"

Tags (4)


Genre:
Rock
Mood:
Instrumentation:
Electric Guitar,Synth
Additional:
Origin > Resubmission

File Information


Name:
Lufia_2_Last_Chance_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
5,227,283 bytes
MD5:
df6afbbf460af1088d0124c243dc8d51
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
3:34

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