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• Alternate Soundtrack: Super Star Soldier vs. MSTRKRFT

  I said it was one for another day, and I meant it. In celebration of Labor Day, I wanted a game that felt like mindless work, so I went with one of the most celebrated shoot 'em ups (or "shmups") of all time, Super Star Soldier for the Turbo Grafx 16 (PC Engine outside of North America). As the most popular entry in the most popular shmup series in gaming history, Super Star Soldier pretty much sets up the formula by which all other great shmups apply: you fly around, pretty much never stop shooting, destroy waves of enemies, collect power-ups that turn your ordinary gun into varying degrees of screen-filling destruction festivals, memorize increasingly complex enemy movement patterns, and then face a big bad boss with obvious weak points. It sounds simple until you fall over in an epileptic fit. Despite the fact that the game routinely kicks my ass every time I play it, I still come back because its just so much fun. My only qualm, as always, is the music, which just seems far too upbeat and standard. It sounds like Street Fighter II, which worked in the fighter because it was so goofy, but just comes across as out of place in a galaxy-hopping shooter. Read More... Posted Sep 02 2008, 10:30 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with no comments Filed under: alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, turbo-grafx, mstrkrft, death from above 1979, girlsareshort, super star soldier

• No Alternate Soundtrack: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat

  Nearly a full year before the first Guitar Hero introduced gamers to the now all-too familiar concept of game controllers shaped like musical instruments, Nintendo released Donkey Kong Jungle Beat for the Gamecube worldwide. The game was a platformer in the vein of Donkey Kong Country that overlooked the Gamecube controller in favor of the DK Bongo peripheral used earlier for Donkey Konga, a rhythm game that aped (oh god, sorry about that) its own development team's Taiko Drum Master series of games. Rather than come off as gimmicky as a result of this peripheral use, though, Jungle Beat felt fresh and intuitive and was praised by critics for its innovation. Years before the Wii would get gamers off their butts, Jungle Beat was moving players and causing them to work up a sweat, all while playing a traditional platformer. Read More... Posted Aug 26 2008, 11:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, wii, guitar hero, wii fit, donkey kong, taiko drum master, gamecube, super mario galaxy, wii sports, bongos, jungle beat

• Alternate Soundtrack: Orbital vs. The Notwist

  Orbital was one of the seven bit Generations games released in Japan for the Game Boy Advance in 2006. The bit Generations series was intended to demonstrate the artistic side of games by using graphics and sound that were simplified to the state of retro-stylish and controls that were basic yet compelling. Developed by skip ltd, Orbital has often been described as "Katamari Damacy in space" and that is not an entirely bad description. As the smallest object in a solar system, you must collect other small moons, planets, stars and whatnot in order to increase your own mass and gravitational pull until the galaxy's own sun orbits you. The challenge, though, comes from the fact that you do not directly control your movements but rather the charge of your gravitational field, either pulling you towards or away from nearby stars. Brilliant in its simplicity and so thoroughly addictive. Read More... Posted Aug 19 2008, 11:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, skip, bit generations, the notwist, game boy advance, orbital

• Alternate Soundtrack: StarTropics vs. Islands

  Some of our readers may recognize this pairing, as it was suggested by Rob waaaaaaaaaaay back in May. Yes, StarTropics holds a special place in the hearts of many Nintendo fans. Conceived as a western sister game to The Legend of Zelda, StarTropics was a linear adventure about an American teenager (he was a Seattle high school baseball star!) exploring the monster-filled caves of tropical islands in order to rescue his archeologist uncle from aliens. Proving how very western the game was, neither it nor its sequel Zoda's Revenge were ever released in Nintendo's native Japan. Read More... Posted Aug 12 2008, 10:30 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, the legend of zelda, nes, startropics, islands

• Alternate Soundtrack: Altered Beast vs. Natalie Portman's Shaved Head

  Altered Beast tells the story of a Centurian raised from the dead to rescue Athena from blahblahblah whatever. Altered Beast was an arcade beat 'em up from Sega in the 1980's, back when stories in video games existed but really served no purpose. Why did Donkey Kong kidnap Mario's girlfriend? Who cares? Climb to the top of the tower! And since when are Sega games known for their stories? Sonic the Hedgehog has a story, but all you care about is running real fast. NiGHTS has a story, but all you care about is flying around in circles. Crazy Taxi probably has a story, but it's even less important than the one in Sonic. In Altered Beast, you are a dude in a tunic who beats up zombie monsters. You collect power-ups which first transform you into an oiled-up beefcake of homoerotic manliness and then into one of several powerful man-beasts. Read More... Posted Aug 05 2008, 10:30 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, sega, genesis, arcade, altered beast

• No Alternate Soundtrack: Chibi-Robo

  There's no denying that music is an important part of games. There are some fan-favorite scores that initiate warm feelings outside of the games that bore them (Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man). There are some games where the music IS the gameplay (Rock Band, PaRappa the Rapper, Elite Beat Agents). And then there are a distinct few in which the sound is so irrevocably tethered to the gameplay that removing those sounds would render the game dull and lifeless. It is these games that I hope to spotlight in this new irregular feature – NO Alternate Soundtrack. Today, a personal favorite of mine, skip's quirky Gamecube platformer Chibi-Robo. Read More... Posted Jul 29 2008, 11:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, music, gamecube, chibi-robo, skip

• Alternate Soundtrack: Mighty Final Fight vs. Radio 4

  Conceived as a sequel to the original Street Fighter, Capcom's Final Fight was an admitted take-off of Technos' Double Dragon side-scrolling beat 'em ups. Already a hit in the arcades and 16-bit consoles, Capcom took the next logical step with its new gang violence franchise: rebuilding it with super-deformed style anime graphics for the 8-bit and obsolete Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. Comically playing through the story of a city under siege by roving street gangs and the three dudes who fight it (including the burly bodybuilder mayor), Mighty Final Fight plays wonderfully with Radio 4's 2002 sophomore LP, Gotham!, a post-punk opus to a ravaged and dilapidated New York City. Read More... Posted Jul 22 2008, 10:30 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with no comments Filed under: alternate soundtrack, street fighter, derrick sanskrit, capcom, nes, final fight, double dragon, mighty final fight, radio 4, dfa

• Alternate Soundtrack Redux: Super Street Fighter II vs. The Go! Team

  There's just way too much going on with E3 to complicate things even more by bringing up yet another classic game, so this week I've gone back and made a video to go along with the very first Alternate Soundtrack piece we ran, Super Street Fighter II vs. The Go! Team's "Proof of Youth". Especially fitting, since we're all super pumped for both Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Street Fighter IV, which are being played by crowds of excited gamers in Los Angeles as you read this. So enjoy the video below, click here to read the original write-up, stay tuned for more of our E3 reactions, and let us know what your alternate soundtracks are in the comments! Read More... Posted Jul 15 2008, 10:30 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: the go team, super street fighter 2, alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, capcom, street fighter 4, super street fighter 2 turbo hd remix

• Alternate Soundtrack: Streets of Rage 2 vs. Test Icicles

  The city that had been plagued with crime and violence was safe and peaceful. However, evil has once again cast its shadow over the city. So begins a Sega classic. In the 1990's, it seemed like all console games were desperately trying to ape one of three games. All platform games tried to be Super Mario Brothers. All fighting games tried to be Street Fighter II. All beat 'em up games tried to be Streets of Rage. And like all 1990's games, the story in Streets of Rage was present but completely unimportant. You chose a character, walked towards the right side of the screen, and beat up anybody who stood in your path. Pleasures don't get much simpler than this. Read More... Posted Jul 08 2008, 11:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, sega, genesis, test icicles, streets of rage

• Alternate Soundtrack: Kirby's Adventure vs. girlsareshort

  The sun is baking New York and tourists are everywhere all the time. Summer is definitely upon us, so this week's alternate soundtrack takes one of my favorite upbeat bubbly platformers and one of my favorite upbeat bubbly albums to make one delightfully bright summer experience. Though it was the second game in the Kirby series, Kirby's Adventure served as the introduction to what has become Kirby's signature ability: copying his enemies powers (only a select few items gave Kirby special powers in 1992's Kirby's Dream Land). Released very near the end of the Nintendo Entertainment System's lifespan, 1993's Kirby's Adventure really pushed the NES as far as it could go with lush graphics, a vast soundtrack, and dynamic gameplay. Read More... Posted Jul 01 2008, 11:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, mstrkrft, death from above 1979, kirby's adventure, girlsareshort, kirby

• Alternate Soundtrack: Mega Man X vs. The Knife

  It may be hard to believe at this point in the Blue Bomber's long and increasingly complex history, but 1994's Mega Man X was the first spin-off from the original Mega Man series. Set in an even more distant – and this time, dystopian – future, the X series saw a whole new Mega Man face off against waves of "Mavericks", intelligent robots that have gone human-killing crazy. The game played more or less identically to the previous Mega Man games, but X could upgrade parts of his robot anatomy in addition to gaining enemy abilities. New boots allowed X to dash, a new chestplate increased X's defense, et cetera. The music in Mega Man X, while in keeping with Capcom's fantastic production values, always struck me as being out of place. The technopunk soundtrack seemed a little too upbeat for the setting and story. Read More... Posted Jun 24 2008, 11:00 AM by Derrick Sanskrit with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, capcom, mega man, mega man x, the knife

• Make the Music With Your Games, Kids!

  Written by Derrick Sanskrit Yes, I'm paraphrasing Biz Markie in that title. Thanks for noticing. It should be obvious to readers of 61FPS that I love games where play and music collide. A personal favorite of mine,  Gunpey DS, is an engaging puzzler, but I would be lying if I said that the primary reason I picked it up wasn't its built-in sequencer (click the bottom-most button on the left hand side of this page to see it. No YouTube vids, somehow.) Well, after a year-and-a-half of misuse, it may well soon be time to give up my copy of Gunpey, because Korg DS-10 is coming out soon. Read More... Posted Jun 18 2008, 12:00 PM by John Constantine with | with no comments Filed under: alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, ost, warioware, gunpey, korg ds-10, parappa the rabber, band brothers, rhythm tengoku

• Alternate Soundtrack: Uniracers vs. Think About Life

  Video and words by Derrick Sanskrit My fellow 61FPSers know that I'm a big fan of the quirky 1994 SNES racer, Uniracers. Aside from starring self-aware, unmanned unicycles and having appropriately psycho-geometric backgrounds, the game ran at Sonic the Hedgehog speeds. It pioneered the whole doing-tricks-earns-points-and-makes-you-go-faster mechanic later popularized by the Tony Hawk: Pro Skater series and borrowed by every racing game from SSX to Mario Kart Wii. A lot of Uniracers' charm is explained by looking at the other work by its developer, DMA Design Limited. They broke onto the scene with the wildly popular Lemmings in 1990. That, along with Uniracers, won them some favor with Nintendo, who helped DMA with Body Harvest, a 3D vehicular action game for the Nintendo 64. DMA took everything they'd learned from Body Harvest to build the extremely controversial, unexpected hit Grand Theft Auto. Soon enough, DMA was bought out and renamed Rockstar North, where they continue to make Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt games to this day. So yeah, Uniracers is the senseless SNES racer by the people who made Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto 4. Interested yet? Read More... Posted Jun 17 2008, 11:00 AM by John Constantine with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, rockstar, snes, grand theft auto, manhunt, uniracers, lemmings, think about life

• Alternate Soundtrack: Sonic The Hedgehog vs. Ratatat

  Anybody who was a gamer during the 16-bit era remembers the intense rivalry between Nintendo and Sega. Much like Burger King today, Sega marketed itself as the hipper, more extreme company full of attitude compared to family-friendly Nintendo. Their mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, was the embodiment of the Sega image. He was fast. He was pointy. He was naked except for his sneakers. Most importantly, he had attitude. Just a few seconds of inactivity in his games and the blue hedgehog would stare at you through the screen. Sonic glared, tapping his foot, his furrowed brow exclaiming, "I'M WAITING, DUDE! COME ON, LET'S GO BREAK THINGS!" Ratatat are college radio's Sonic the Hedgehog. Read More... Posted Jun 03 2008, 12:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, sega, sonic the hedgehog, ratatat

• Alternate Soundtrack - Donkey Kong '94 vs. Les Savy Fav

  Words and video by Derrick Sanskrit The original Donkey Kong is justly considered one of the great landmarks in video game history. It popularized the now all-too familiar concept of platforming and introduced two of the most memorable video game characters of all time: the titular villainous ape and the overalls-clad carpenter named Jumpman, soon rebranded as the lovable plumber known Galaxy-wide as Mario. Even though the game was only four stages long, it demonstrated a clear story - ape abducts pretty lady, climbs up skyscraper, hero gives chase, avoiding obstacles - that resonated in the hearts of millions. After thirteen years, Donkey Kong was starting to feel a bit restricted and, as all teenagers do, decided to branch out to seem more exciting and relevant. The result was 1994's Donkey Kong for the Game Boy. It starts off with the original four stages but then continues for an astounding ninety-seven more that see Mario struggle across cityscapes, jungles, icebergs, valleys, and more outrageous environments. The soundtrack is sparse, with only a few sound effects for your actions and gentle musical clues to make you aware of time constraints. It is so elegantly simple that it induces a zen-like state; it invites a calm focus on the tasks ahead so you can rationally solve the puzzles before you. The only problem with this is that it’s completely unrealistic to be calm and rational when jumping across one-hundred-and-one stages in pursuit of your girlfriend and an enormous ape! Thankfully, this minimal soundtrack allows me to choose my own mood music without having to eliminate those all-important sound effects like I do with other games. Les Savy Fav are a lot like Donkey Kong, and not because their lead singer is a wild, hairy ape who climbs scaffolding (see Coachella 2008). Les Savy Fav are genre pioneers themselves, credited with creating the Brooklyn dance-punk sound that made bands like Liars and The Rapture famous years before their respective breakthroughs. While they are best known for their frenetic live shows and for 2004's Inches, it is 2001's Go Forth that is their best music for alternate soundtracking. Go Forth actually manages to take the innocently bizarre narrative scenario of Donkey Kong '94 and transform it into beautifully desperate drama. Read More... Posted May 27 2008, 10:00 AM by John Constantine with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: nintendo, alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, mario, donkey kong, les savy fav

• Alternate Soundtrack: Need For Speed: Underground vs Justice's †

  Written by Derrick Sanskrit Until 2003, the most serious racing game I'd played was probable F-Zero. This became a problem with my roommates, who LOVED racing games, and so I was baptized into the world with Need For Speed: Underground on the Playstation 2. Now, if your experience with this game was anything like ours, you loved every minute of gameplay to be found in NFS:U. The characters felt human and you felt genuine affection for Samantha and disdain for Eddie. The city felt alive, and oncoming traffic was a plaything to use to your advantage. Circuit races were intense, drift races were ego boosts, and drag races separated the hardcore from the wimps. Everything about the game just bubbled with glowing, neon awesome. Except for that soundtrack! Ugh! Read More... Posted May 20 2008, 10:00 AM by John Constantine with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: alternate soundtrack, derrick sanskrit, daft punk, new rave, playstation 2, need for speed, f-zero, justice

• Alternate Soundtrack: Super Street Fighter II vs. The Go! Team

  Written by Derrick Sanskrit I've developed a nasty habit that I like to call "Alternate Soundtracking". I think it stems from my wanton desire to multi-task as much as possible. Most of my gaming these days is on handhelds while I ride the train and when I've got an iPod full of new and classic tunes vying for my attention, the games' soundtracks just become redundant. This is a slightly different beast, though. Alternate soundtracking, for me, involves sitting down with a familiar game, turning down its volume, and queuing up my music library to find music that actually enhances the gaming experience. For the first entry, I'm going to keep things simple. This one's all about the raw youthful energy. Super Street Fighter II is one of the most popular fighting games of all time, but its popularity isn't thanks to violence. Read More... Posted May 13 2008, 12:00 PM by John Constantine with | with no comments Filed under: sagat, m. bison, the go team, ryu, ken, super street fighter 2, alternate soundtrack, street fighter, public enemy, chuck d, derrick sanskrit