Berserker – “Mega Man X: Sigma Level 1” (NESkimos)

The Neskimos are another popular vgm rock covers band. Their rendition of “Sigma Level 1” from Mega Man X (1991) is pretty cool and matched by the awesomeness of their album cover with its Viking bearing NES heraldry of Berserker (2004).

NESkimo Battle – “Mega Man X: Sigma Level 1” (NESkimos)

“Sigma Level 1” is full of both determination and loss. The NESkimos’ interpretation has some great emptiness to the track due to the low number of instruments, and what are there (drums, guitars, sax) serve to further accent the notes. In this phase of the game, Mega Man X and his friend, Zero, finally arrive at Sigma’s fortress, a barren, rocky outcrop over a vast abyss with the crags of cruel, cold mountains in the distance. The setting is a wasteland, product of Sigma’s war with the humans, and at the top lies his mechanical fortress full of mechanical monsters. However, the theme becomes fully melancholic in the decisive battle with Sigma’s henchman, the Boba Fett-esque Vile, who attacks with his ridiculously overpowered Ride Armor and defeats both X and Zero in battle. Zero manages to jump on the back of the Ride Armor and detonates his beam saber, destroying the mech. X regains his energy and defeats Vile, but Zero, who was blown in half by the explosion, dies. All of this is packed into the theme, which sets the stage for the final showdown with Sigma.

While it’s not like Zero ever did anything in this game (other than having a pretty cool – if short – theme song), I think his death touched a chord with a lot of younger players.

Rastan (rem. Glyn R. Brown)

One of the best arcade soundtracks of the 1980s has to be Taito’s Rastan (Arcade, 1987). The original chiptunes probably don’t sound like much by today’s standards, but they were pretty amazing at the time, especially for their orchestral quality, which was something new to game music. With the release of Metroid (Hirokazu “Hip” Tanaka) and The Legend of Zelda (Koji Kondo) in 1986, vgm was completely redefined by a move away from pop music and more towards atmospheric and orchestral music that would match the on-screen action and help emotion ooze from every screen. Here is a remix revisiting some of those first early flowerings of the art form:

“Rastan” (arr. Glyn R. Brown)

I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it. While it doesn’t have the pulse-pounding beat of the original, Glyn R. Brown’s mix of Masahiko Takaki‘s (Darius II, The Ninja Warriors) “Aggressive World” is a more sweepingly epic rendering of Rastan‘s Frazetta-esque barbarian vs lizard man action. Ok, the theme also evokes wide open country, hero-land with mountains and forest and desert, the kind of place a warrior can jump on a horse and ride through and seek his fortune. It’s a place ruled by sword and fang where stereotypical/archetypal supermen do what they’re designed to do and all the rest of the normal girly-men can imagine being in Conan’s shoes. Or leggings. I’m sure the woman singing the vocals is doing a great job telling us about Rastan’s mighty deeds, and some prophecy or somesuch. In any event, the drums, strings, and war horns are the “Blood and Trumpets” so fitting of an action game of this caliber.

“Forest Interlude” is now back up

Had some slight problems with the server, but “Forest Interlude” from Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest is now back up!