ReMix:Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master "Oboro Drive" 3:28

SHINOBI WHERE YOU BEEN, BRO??? This is our first Joe Musashi sighting this year, and while Mansoor's Revenge of Shinobi/Lost Odyssey mashup from last year was killer, the next latest after that was all the way back in 2005! It's like you people HATE NINJAS or something! Ryu Hayabusa ain't doin' much better, either... Esteemed ReMixers, I hereby beseech thee to address this insulting dearth, before the shadow dancers and ninjas gaiden of the world take notice & enact the blood pact of revenge. DusK knows what's good for him and has already taken measures to assuage their ancient anger with this sweet rock/metal arrangement of Shinobi 3:

"I wrote this remix in the middle of doing Generation Gap, to kinda stop me from getting burned out on remixing so much Sonic in such a short amount of time. I really shot for preserving the feel of the source; it has a rock attitude somewhere between leisurely and energetic, and I really wanted to capture that in the remix. Much of it ended up being me messing around with various solos and leads over that catchy chord progression, meshing various parts of the source together, and switching that chord progression up later in the track to give the "chorus" a more climactic feel."

Some judges had some beef, to varying degrees, on production, which I'll agree could have been a little crisper, but it wasn't a huge deal for me, nor for OA:

"This is a pretty solid take on a sweet source track. The opening builds well into the rockin, and it has a pretty solid and upfront attack. Tell those ninjas you mean business! It almost feels a touch too dry, but there is definite sound field, and there is a good blend of guitars and synths. Production could have stood to be a little punchier overall, but I think it gets the job done well enough.

The arrangement was a good mix up of source sections to always feel like it belonged, but had some fresh ways of presenting it. The drums changed patterns well and sounded interesting throughout. It felt like it ended way too soon, and I would have loved a completely shredding solo in there, but it's still pretty solid."

Definitely, and great to see some lesser-mixed games get some attention. There's a HUGE back catalog of amazing 8-bit & 16-bit VGM out there, and while I know the classics are amazing and have a certain attraction, I feel like there's so much untapped potential that goes less and less explored each year. If any ReMixers are being pre-emptive about their New Year's Resolutions, consider throwing in a goal to ReMix something from the Turbografx-16, or the Atari Lynx, or something by Alberto Jose Gonzalez (because he's awesome), or a Neo-Geo game, or... well, you get the idea. And of course, as Dustin did with this energetic, forecful rock arrangement, you'd be wise to throw a bone or two to some ninja games. That, or spend most of 2013 looking over your shoulder - your call ;) Solid stuff from DusK that gets the engines running - check out his aforementioned Sonic the Hedgehog album for more free tunage!