Last year, Sonic Colors showed me that 3D Sonic games could be fun again. Of course, this was the very same year that Sonic 4 dashed my hopes of a quality 2D Sonic experience. So when it was announced that the next game in the series would feature both styles of play, I was skeptical of SEGA’s ability to handle the classic stages.

It turns out they actually learned from their mistakes… well, most of them anyway. Sonic Generations, while not perfect, manages to be a rather successful blend of old and new Sonic gameplay that’s fun in spite of its shortcomings.

But it wouldn’t be a modern Sonic game without an attempt to explain why there are two Sonics revisiting levels of the past. And so silly tales of time travel and time eaters try their darndest to make you care about what’s happening. It all feels rather unnecessary, but it’s also fairly unintrusive, so each time a cutscene presents itself you’ll be back to playing the game before you know it.

The worlds of Generations are divided into three distinct eras starting with the SEGA Genesis and ending with the current console generation. At first, it seems like a brief setup with each Sonic only getting one Act per world (18 stages in total) with a boss capping off each era. But 90 challenge stages scattered throughout each world add much more longevity to the experience.

Anybody who played with the incredibly broken physics of Sonic 4 is undoubtedly wondering how classic Sonic controls. While it doesn’t feel exactly like playing the Genesis games, it does manage to feel surprisingly good. Momentum is actually kept properly without constant micromanagement and Sonic isn’t constantly unrolling his body to leave himself vulnerable; two huge problems with Sonic 4. It isn’t without its faults, though. Sonic takes an unusually long time to get up after being hit. But the controls do enough right to feel like a good approximation of the games everybody loves.

Modern Sonic plays about as good as he did in Sonic Colors (minus the powerups). That is to say he plays as well as the levels he inhabits. When it works, you get an exhilarating sense of speed while still having plenty of pathways to explore. But when it doesn’t, your clipping through the environment, getting the camera stuck behind an obstacle, or slowly walking backwards (involuntarily) down the side of a very tall building toward your death.

Sounds awful right? But just like with all aspects of the game, the good manages to outweigh the bad. These faults, though glaring when present, managed to happen pretty seldom in my extensive time with the game. Modern Sonic can still occasionally feel a little too automatic as the levels ping pong you around in a flashy display of speed. They didn’t reinvent his style of play. But it’s a further refinement of the previous games and there are usually enough branching paths and 2D sections mixed in to keep things entertaining.

Challenge stages have a surprising amount of enjoyable features, considering their optional nature. Some have you using the elemental shields from Sonic 3 to get past obstacles, even allowing you to unlock the shields as part of your customizable ability set for use in the main levels. Others have you calling in tails to help you fly through Chemical Plant or hitting buttons to toggle an array of walls and platforms in a psuedo-puzzle platformer stage. But they can’t all be good. With a full 90 challenge stages, there are some real stinkers, too.

Speaking of stinkers, the final boss of Sonic Generations is, by a wide margin, the lowest point in the game. It is a complete mess. It’s hard to believe it was ever playtested. The rest of the game’s bosses are generally decent, though a bit repetitive. If nothing else, they at least don’t reuse slight variations of the same fight over and over like Colors.

And of course, there’s the nostalgia. Ultimately, Sonic Generations is a celebration of the franchise and is jam packed with fan service. Aside from the stages themselves, there are plenty of remixes of classic and not so classic tunes, some of which are a real treat to hear (and some of which will at least give you a good laugh). You can also unlock extra artwork and music from across the franchise’s history that can be used in place of the default themes. Playing a level to Jet Grind Radio composer Hideki Naganuma’s Sonic Rush score certainly put a smile on my face.

Sometimes the choices of what to represent is a bit questionable. One of the worlds is taken from Sonic 2006 which is hated pretty unanimously and the rocket powerup used in the Planet Wisp stage is arguably one of Sonic Colors‘ least interesting items. But trips through stages such as the Chemical Plant (Sonic 2) and Speed Highway (Sonic Adventure) make up for these odd choices.

Aside from a few framerate issues in small sections of certain stages, Generations is delicious eye candy.  The modern version of Planet Wisp in particular is absolutely gorgeous as you make your way through the alien vegetation in the early part of the stage. No matter which version of Sonic you’re playing as, there’s always a lot to look at to the point where it can occasionally be distracting. But one thing it is definitely not is boring.

The same can be said about the game itself. Even after finishing off the main game, it still had its hooks in me. The brief nature of the challenge stages have a powerful “just one more” effect. I found playing through the main stages a second time arguably even more enjoyable as I had a better grasp of how to effectively navigate them as fast as possible or take more time to explore and find hidden red rings.

Sonic Generations may not be as creative as last year’s Sonic Colors. It doesn’t really have any new mechanics to spice things up and all the stages are reinterpretations of existing material. But what’s there manages to feel tighter than its 3D predecessors and the inclusion of 2D stages that actually work are a welcome change. Is it still flawed? Sure. But I’d be lying if said I didn’t have a damn fun time playing through it.

This review is based on the PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Generations provided to the reviewer by SEGA.

It’s so tough to take an objective look at Sonic games these days. The series seems better known for the arguing and turmoil following a new title’s announcement than the games themselves (which, in fairness, are more often than not mediocre). I haven’t even been looking forward to Sonic Generations, if anything for a want of staying out of the muck. But while strolling through SEGA’s setup for the title, which I’ll admit was pretty nice with its little museum of Sonic memorabilia over the ages, I spotted an unattended demo on a 3DS system and gave it a whirl.

The demo was split into three segments: an Act I, an Act II and a boss battle. Act I has you playing in classic Sonic the Hedgehog style while Act II was built as the speedier, reflex-oriented modern Sonic. This confused me a little; I wasn’t sure if the demo was implying that each zone would be split into an act of playing classic, then an act of playing modern. This would be really disorienting since both Sonics have different control schemes. Sadly, I couldn’t find a SEGA rep nearby to clear this issue up.

Selecting Act I, the first thing that struck me was the immensely long loading time before the stage began. It was a good 10-12 seconds, and I’m really hoping this was just a symptom of being a demo build. The stage was the typical Green Hill Zone-esque affair, with trademark fish, bee and chameleon robot enemies (if Sonic and Mario have anything in common in lieu of their being rivals, it’s that their classic revivals reuse far too much content). The frame rate also seemed just a little bit choppy, and this was with 3D off (I played the majority of the 3DS games without 3D on).

Classic Sonic seemed to control alright, and I didn’t notice any of the weird physical gaffes Sonic the Hedgehog 4 had save for one. If you curl into a ball and spin up a ledge, you’ll roll out of ball form as you fly into the air, making you completely vulnerable to anything that happens to be in your way. For the life of me I don’t know why this continues to be an issue. Other than that it felt alright, although the stage was pretty short to allow a good look at things.

Act II’s modern Sonic played what I would suppose is fine; I have very little experience playing these types of Sonic games. Immediately following Act I, I tried to make modern Sonic crouch and spinball forward, but he simply boosted ahead instead, owing to the changed controls. Targeting attacks and rail grinding were also present, and surprisingly the stage kept a fairly 2D perspective for the most part. I don’t think I even recall any fast time situations. Despite my unfamiliarity with modern Sonic, the stage was pretty easy to clear.

The boss stage was a battle with a Robotnik mecha called Big Arms, which I recognized as the last boss from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The battle returned control to classic Sonic. It got a bit drawn out, however, since after the initial phase of the battle, Robotnik spent a lot of the time hanging out in the background where he couldn’t be hit.

All in all, I was unimpressed with Sonic Generations, although that may owe a little to the version I played. A friend who tried it on one of the HD consoles didn’t report any issues with long loading times or choppy frame rates, and remarked that the game looks gorgeous. I imagine the gameplay, both the good and the bad, is more or less the same, though. With some polish and work, and maybe a clearer direction, I could see Sonic Generations not being so bad, though SEGA doesn’t have a lot of time. Sonic Generations is set to release this holiday season on Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and Nintendo 3DS.

Now, almost five years later, the remix trilogy will finally be complete with The Sound of Speed, an album of new interpretations of the music from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. The thirteen track album marks the community’s 25th project release.

With fifteen different contributing artists, you’ll find a variety of genres including rock, bossa nova, electronica, and funk fusion. As with all OCR albums, you can download it completely free of charge. Go to the official site to grab it or check out the trailer below.

Well, it happened. We got a 3D Sonic game that’s actually pretty fun. Now that we’ve grabbed some sweet rings, saved an alien race of marketable creatures, and spouted off the cheesiest of dialogue, it’s time to pass the torch to you.

That’s right, we’re giving away our review copy of Sonic Colors (Wii) to one lucky reader. Just read the rules below and let us know your favorite color in the comments. It doesn’t have to be one of the colors represented in Sonic Colors. If “Puke Green” or “Neon Brown” is your favorite, go for it (you weirdo). A winner could be you!

Contest Rules:

1. Leave a comment below and tell us your favorite color
2. Limit one entry per person
3. All entries must be made by legal U.S. residents
4. Entries must be accepted by 5:00pm PST on Friday, December 17th. We will then randomly select one winner

Good luck! And don’t forget to check out our review!

"Sonic Colors gets rid of the stuff nobody asked for in the first place."

If you went back in time and asked me if I’d rather play yet another 3D Sonic or a new 2D Sonic on an HD console, I would have definitely chosen the latter. But here we are at the tail end of 2010. Both Sonic 4 and Sonic Colors have released and it’s the 3D entry I’ll be looking back on more fondly.

The premise is simple enough. Dr. Robotnik claims to have changed his ways and has created an amusement park in space to make up for his misdeeds. Of course, Robotnik is still evil afterall (even the characters themselves make light of his predictability) and it’s up to Sonic (with a little support on the sidelines from Tails) to put a stop to his diabolical plan.

The cutscenes definitely have a cheesy, Saturday morning cartoon vibe meant for a younger audience. Occasionally, there will be a mildly amusing line, but most of the dialogue is filled with groaners. In fact, one of the “gags” is literally based around the fact that one of the characters is annoying.

But Sonic Colors doesn’t force its story down your throat. In fact, the moment you select New Game, you will be playing the first stage without seeing so much as a single cutscene. And when the cutscenes do show up (which are very reasonable in both their frequency and length), you can easily skip them if you want.

Getting straight to the point is a common theme in Colors. There’s no hub world to wade through. Instead you’ll have an easily navigable map screen. You also won’t have the hassle of dealing with the crazy ideas nobody asked for. There are no werehogs or swords. Instead, you have speedy, but explorable stages… and lots of ‘em!

That isn’t to say Sonic Colors is devoid of gimmicks. That role is filled by the aliens known as “wisps” that temporarily grant Sonic special powers. The key difference is that the wisps actually serve to enhance the gameplay rather than get in the way of it.

Wisps range in both function and fun. The needle wisp, which allows you to stick to walls and perform dash rolls, as well as the surprisingly fast digging ability granted by the drill wisp, give you a very satisfying sense of freedom and speed. Not all abilities are as thrilling, though. For example, shooting into the sky with a rocket wisp can be useful for getting to high areas, but doesn’t exactly generate the same kind of excitement. Still, the wisps are enjoyable more often than not.

But you won’t have access to every wisp type right away. While playing stages, you’ll see empty slots floating where a wisp would be, had you unlocked it; a method of teasing the player, reminiscent of the colored exclamation blocks found in Super Mario World.  Unlocking wisps requires no special effort on your part, though. Simply progressing through the game will do the trick.

At first, you’ll really feel like you’re missing out on experiencing all that each stage has to offer. Scattered throughout each stage is five red rings needed for unlocking extra optional stages. Your first time through the game, particularly in the earlier stages, you just won’t have the necessary wisps required to access some of them. While it definitely gives you a reason to come back to stages, it results in them being significantly less interesting the first time around. Of course, as you progress and unlock more wisps, this problem shrinks until it disappears completely.

Stages are made up of a balanced (for the most part) mix of 2D platforming, free-roam 3D running, and 3D “Quick Step” running. There are also rare moments where, after hitting a large jump, you’ll need to keep tapping a button for Sonic to perform tricks while the announcer shouts positive reinforcement at you. It doesn’t come up often, but every time it did I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why is this here?” as it doesn’t add anything useful and just interrupts the flow of the experience for a bit. It’s far from being a deal breaker, but it’s an odd design choice none the less.

I found my enjoyment of Sonic Colors fluctuating as I jumped from level to level. Frankly, some stages are just better designed than others; striking that perfect balance between the slower, more precise 2D platforming segments and lightning fast 3D sections. Others rely too heavily on one or the other, even occasionally making use of a cheap death or two.

The boss design tends to be on the underwhelming side, especially when the game starts churning out slight variations on bosses you already fought. By a stark contrast, I found the final showdown very engaging. I only wish the other bosses came closer to that level of quality.

The controls take some getting use to. Sonic’s jump can feel pretty hesitant in the slower sections. You have a double jump when there aren’t enemies to home in on, but it’s more about adding horizontal distance as the extra altitude it provides is pretty negligible. Sonic can also perform a wall jump, but it has to be one of the most rigid wall jumps I’ve ever experienced and is rather unpleasant to use as a result. Fortunately, after playing for awhile, these gripes become fairly easy to forgive, especially when Sonic gets up to speed.

But while the controls feel like they could use an extra layer of polish, the aesthetics are far from lacking. Seeing Sonic Colors for the first time at PAX actually made me forget it wasn’t on one of the HD consoles. The stage themes are no slouch either. Most of them are suitably catchy and have high production values.

There are two ways to look at Sonic Colors. Compared to other modern Sonic games, it’s simply fantastic and definitely one of the best 3D Sonic games out there (if not the best). But when compared to its contemporaries in the genre like Super Mario Galaxy 2, its weaker areas such as uneven controls and level design quality start to become more apparent. Even still, Sonic Colors is a big step in the right direction and is certainly an enjoyable platformer if you can forgive its shortcomings. It displays a winning formula that just needs a little more polish in its execution before attaining that “Must Have” status.

This review is based on a copy of the Wii version of Sonic Colors provided to us by SEGA.

When I stepped up to the Sonic Colors station at the SEGA booth, I expected to leave with the same distaste of modern Sonic that many (including myself) have nursed for years. To my surprise, I left the Sonic Colors station wanting to play more (which I did after waiting in line a second time).

What’s odd is that few of the ideas are new. What made my time with Sonic Colors so enjoyable was how much better executed these ideas were. I’ve heard the comparison made that Sonic Colors is like playing the daytime stages in Sonic Unleashed. I can understand what these people are trying to say, but the big difference is that what I’ve played of Colors was actually fun.

But what makes Colors succeed where so many other games have failed? If I had to pick the one most important ingredient in the formula, I’d have to say level design. For one, levels aren’t littered with objects at the end of blind corners waiting to stop you unexpectedly and ruin the flow of the game. Even if you do loose your momentum, you can get it back really easily with a boost from the B trigger.

The good games in the series weren’t full speed ahead all the time and neither is Colors. Each level has plenty of slower platforming sections seamlessly mixed in; a series staple from the Genesis games that many modern entries forget to include. These sections break up the pacing of the stages in a positive way rather than feeling like interruptions.

"The drill powerup allows you to burrow through soft ground at incredible speed."

Another very important aspect of the old games that Sonic Colors has in spades is branching paths. The stages of the Genesis games were not linear race tracks, they were a complex network of pathways. Sonic Colors embraces this idea, even adding five secret red rings in each level that encourage you to explore every corner of the stages.

The stages seamlessly transition between a third person view (allowing full, 3D control) and a 2D side-scrolling view. This works really well and serves as another way to successfully break up the pacing, never having you do the same thing for too long.

Oh, and there are aliens. Don’t worry, you don’t have to play as them instead of Sonic. Each colored “Wisp” grants Sonic a new powerup. What’s great about the powerups is that they don’t feel like necessary tools to complete the level. Instead, they act as powerups should, allowing you to get through sections easier and get to secret areas.

One powerup turned me into a drill, able to dig speedily through soft ground where giant gobs of rings and other secrets lay in wait. Failing to grab the powerup would result not only in missing out on the rewards, but not even realizing many of them were there as I ran along the surface of the level.

"Sonic... IN SPACE!!"

Another powerup shot Sonic like a laser in the direction of my choosing. This not only allowed me to travel great distances at lightning speed, but also let me ricochet off surfaces in a near-instantaneous wall jump to access higher areas.

Once you’ve picked up one of the game’s powerups, you aren’t forced to use it right away. You can save it and activate it at the moment of your choosing. All the powerups were, however, one time use. So don’t expect to drill or laser your way through an entire level.

Sonic Colors is no slouch visually either. The great use of shaders makes the game look slick while also running at silky smooth framerates. The stages are also very colorful and interesting to look at, whether it’s a more traditional grassland or a world made of hamburgers.

Immediately after playing Sonic Colors, I played Sonic 4. I know Sonic 4 is what all of us jaded, grumpy fans of the Genesis games have been asking for, but after having played both games, Sonic Colors turned out to be the much more interesting of the two. I can only hope that the full version of Colors doesn’t bog itself down with unnecessary elements as so many past games have. If it dodges that bullet, we might have a good 3D Sonic game on our hands.

Not too long ago an interesting question was proposed. Who would take the individual offices of the state if video game characters ran the United States government?

The rules were simple. The nominees could not be characters that originated in other media, or people that existed in real life. Sorry Spongebob and Madden, perhaps you can form your own super team and take over Cuba. I hear that place is beautiful in the summertime.

Also, the nominees must fit their position of power. No nominating Cloud for president just because he is everyone’s favorite emo kid. So without further ado, I bring you your new heads of office.

President: Leon Kennedy

Leon has the determination, the drive, and a sweet haircut. Not to mention he also carries the Kennedy name so it is almost as if he were destined for the position. Although, now I have the feeling I just gave away the plot for Resident Evil 6. The only question is, he has survived hordes of zombies but can he survive the Kennedy curse?

Vice President: Luigi

What better position for the number one number two than that of vice president? He will be there to back the president up in any situation, and if the need be, save the president from a nefarious gang of ghosts.

Chief of Staff: Andrew Ryan

The Chief of Staff is often described as the second most powerful man in America, and Andrew Ryan’s political experience and expertise more than fulfills the requirements. His ability to manipulate those around him will definitely come in handy. We just have to make sure he does not try for an underwater dystopia.

Secretary of State: Samus Aran

How does Ms. Aran handle diplomacy? With a freeze beam and 200 rapid firing rockets. Not to mention, she is great for photo ops.

Secretary of Treasury: Wario

Wario is perhaps one of the greediest characters in video games. He is always coming up with new schemes to take the public’s money and hoard it like Tyra Banks on an ego trip. We have to pay back China somehow.

Secretary of Defense: Kratos

He is the god of war. How is this not the obvious choice? Hell, you do not even need an army. Just send Kratos into the battlefield and let nature take its course. We will have that “Mission accomplished” sign up in no time.

Attorney General: Phoenix Wright

Attorneys in video games are a rarity, and by rarity I mean there is only one series that features them. Therefore, I had to choose Phoenix Wright as the man for the job. Sure, there are other lawyers in the Phoenix Wright series but there is only one whose yelling can win the case. Besides, I hear Miles Edgeworth beats children.

Secretary of the Interior: Turok

Who better to handle Native American affairs than one that fights dinosaurs and the Civil War generals that ride them? Also, should the bear population ever become a problem he has the cerebral bore.

Secretary of Agriculture: The protagonist from Harvest Moon

A master of both farm and food, this guy will get the job done. We will just have to come up with a suitable name for him. I have a feeling people will get tired of referring to him as “the protagonist from Harvest Moon”. My suggestion, Ellsworth Purrington. Do not ask me why.

Secretary of Commerce: Wall Street Kid

I have no idea. This was Dave‘s’ idea. Ask him. I assume the “Kid” knows his way around money.

[So what if you youngsters have no memory of his game. The "Kid" was wheeling and dealing his way down Wall Street buying million dollar houses and yachts for his trophy wife, while Mario was busy collecting coins. –ed.]

Aren’t I only a few years younger than you, sir?

[Yeah but a few years in video game time is a long time. Four years can take you through almost an entire console generation. Also, it was long enough for you to have missed out on "Wall Street Kid", apparently.-ed.]

Yeah, I am pretty sure a five-year-old child would not have been able to understand finances. If I did I would be running Microsoft right about now. At the very least, one of our fine failing banks. Any who, moving on.

Secretary of Labor: Abe

Abe refused to allow he and his people to be turned into the next version of soylent green at the fine place of employment/enslavement known as Walmart Rupture Farms. I have little doubt that he could accomplish the very same feat nationwide. At the very least he would amuse us by farting on some CEO’s.

Secretary of Transportation: Sonic

Sonic, fast but unreliable. Yet, still an improvement.

Secretary of Energy: Pikachu

I will be honest. Pikachu would not have the knowledge to manage the nation’s energy reserves. Hell, all he can say is “Pikachu”. I say we just attach him and a bunch of his friends to a machine and force them to power the country. It will be easy. All we have to do is convince them that if they do not do as we say we will kill Ash. Of course, the role of Ash will be played by Kanye West.  That way if Pikachu still refuses we will have at least rid the planet of a giant douche.

Secretary of Education: Carmen Sandiego

If this is any indication of the effectiveness of our public education system then we could clearly use a figure who knows her way around the world.

Secretary of Homeland Security: Solid Snake

Snake has saved the country from giant mechs and nuclear holocaust numerous times. I am confident he can continue that trend in a political office.

Surgeon General: Faust

To hell with Dr. Mario. His answer to everything is to shove more pills down the throat. Faust is a much better physician. Never mind the fact that he will brutally murder your children. He still has that much needed medical know-how.

Press Secretary: Professor Layton

“Sure, I can answer your question, but first solve this puzzle.”

There you have it. These fine folks are the ones that will lead us into the next generation. Well, if they were real that is (I am working on that.) I realize I am missing a few of the cabinet positions, but who really cares about the secretary of veterans’ affairs other than Eric Shinseki?

Feel free to leave your nominations in the comment section below. However, if any of you say Master Chief, prepare yourself for the glaring of a lifetime. Many thanks to Dave for his input in this article.

Do you guys remember Captain Caveman?

On a very special thirty-first episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, Wes asks that thought provoking question. Sadly, we are too busy talking about PAX Pox, our first PAX giveaway, and random gaming nonsense to pay it much attention.

None of us have been playing as much this week compared to normal, but Jesse did find time to start his play-through of the excellent 2D action/RPG: Muramasa, Wes has been obsessing over his iPhone games, and Jonah… well let’s just say his band of Hobbits is just getting off the ground.

We also see the return of “Let’s Play Together”, our segment that focuses on multiplayer games. Jesse and Jonah played co-op through the newly released Contra: ReBirth and give their thoughts on what it takes to be a manly Contra man.

In the news we discuss NIS’s decision to release discounted version of their PSP games on the Playstation Network (for a limited time), the possibility of a new HD 2D Sonic the Hedgehog game actually being good, and a whole lot more. There is even a brief Mega Man News Roundup.

We also take a little bit of time to reminisce about our favorite console, The Dreamcast, in honor of our big Dreamcast retrospective day.

All this an a whole lot more on the latest episode.

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Outro Music – “Fortuna (Star Fox)” by The OneUps

2D, HD Sonic
Reading Rainbow
Metroid Metal

"...and it only took me 5 years!"

Aside from being a writer here at Wing Damage, I like to spend my time making electronica music (hosted at MainFinger.com) in my home studio. As I’ve mentioned in the past couple podcasts, I have been very hard at work, both finishing up my new album and building a completely new site. I’ve finally launched the site with the new album on it, available for download and streamable, absolutely free! I do, however, accept donations via PayPal if you feel so inclined. The donation button is located on the sidebar of my site.

In case you’re wondering how this relates to Wing Damage, a majority of the songs on the album are videogame remixes. The tracks range from well known series’ such as Zelda, Metroid and Sonic the Hedgehog to lesser known titles like Section Z. Each track differs greatly in style so there’s a lot of variety to enjoy.

Mode7 has, by far, shown the largest improvement for me in quality between albums. This album is 5 years in the making. It was slowed down by being mixed mostly on a computer that was almost a decade out of date.

During that time, I’ve read up on Sound Engineering. This has greatly increased the clarity of my mixes. On top of that, I’ve acquired a lot of new software and hardware since the last album. This allowed me to include fairly believable orchestral sounds, 8bit sounds, and more powerful drum tracks than ever before. I’ve taken this album much more seriously than any album before it. Click on the links below to download individual songs, click here to download the whole album in a zip file, or visit MainFinger.com to stream them right in your browser.

01. Unpleasant Noise (A James Brown Tribute) [3.33meg - 2:38] This song is made using a sample from Godzilla vs. Monster Zero and samples from as many different James Brown songs as I could cram together. I’ve been wanting to use that Godzilla clip for a long time and finally got around to it. I’m a huge fan of James Brown’s music and wanted to pay my respects in song.

02. Carnival Cave (originally from Sonic the Hedgehog 2) [4.64meg 3:11] The Mystic Cave Zone is quite possibly my favorite song from the entire Sonic series. I’ve attempted to remix it several times and failed. Finally, I was able to make a remix of it I was truly happy with it. You might notice a certain homage to a famous song in the solo.

03. Doomsday Village (originally from American McGee’s Alice) [3.31meg 2:37] The soundtrack to American McGee’s Alice is largely ambient. Village of the Doomed was definitely the standout track for me. Even before the album’s release, this song started to get a bit of a cult following.

04. Relaxin’ in Hyrule (originally from Zelda 2: The Adventures of Link) [2.99meg 2:25] This song contains a guitar sample of Mountain Con’s “I Woke Up and the Morning was Grey”. In fact, when I listened to that song, I immediately thought of the House music from Zelda 2. Right then, I knew I wanted to make a remix of it using the sample. Though the song starts with vibraphones, it evolves into Chip Hop midway through.

05. Passion (Punch Drunk Mix) (originally from Kingdom Hearts 2) [8.78meg 6:34] I got the soundtrack to Kingdom Hearts 2 before the game came to the states. In fact, the original version of my remix came out long before the game released here. It’s a trance mix of the opening/ending theme. The American version is labeled Sanctuary, but since the Japanese version that I remixed is labeled as Passion, I went with that name instead.

06. Don Your Armor, Armadillo (originally from Mega Man X) [4.57meg 2:49] This song starts with a triumphant orchestral intro leading into a fast-paced drum ‘n bass frenzy. I actually ripped the SPC guitar from the original SNES audio, layered it with effects, and used it to make both solos featured in the song.

07. Beware of the Stalker (originally from Castlevania & Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse) [5.90meg 4:06] This is actually a combination of many different Castlevania songs. The most dominant are Stalker (hence the name) and Evergreen. At many points, riffs of different songs from the series are overlapped to create some interesting combinations.

08. Dentists Unite [3.33meg 3:10] There is an interesting story behind this song. I am a web developer by trade and many of the sites I’ve worked on have been for cosmetic dentists. A lot of these sites have background music. What I did here is took several of these dental website loops, sliced them up together, and added my own instruments on top of it all.

09. Enter the Shrine (originally by The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening) [3.37meg 2:30] Even using the GameBoy’s crude sound chip, the Face Shrine in Link’s Awakening had a tune that gave me the creeps. It was eerie, but addicting. My remix is much faster than the original, reducing a bit of the creepy factor, but giving it my own unique take on it.

10. A Timeline Eliminated (originally from Chrono Cross & Chrono Trigger) [4.18meg 3:03] Interestingly enough, this remix started out double the speed it is now. Part way through writing it, I went to half speed for some reason and liked the way it sounded much better. This is a combination of The Dead Sea and Sealed Door with a little bit of Schala mixed in. I’m happy with how well all 3 of these songs meld together into one. I don’t believe it even feels like a medley, though technically it is.

11. Balance of Power (originally from Metroid Prime 2 & Metroid) [3.99meg 3:04] The rhythm distortion in this song is actually my keytar ran through a distortion pedal with some effects layered onto it. This made for a rather interesting sound. It combines the intro tracks from both Prime 2 and the original Metroid.

12. Shootin’ Both Ways (originally from Section Z) [4.29meg 3:01] The stage music from Section Z has been a favorite of mine since childhood. This started out as an original song until Geoffio pointed out the disturbing similarity to Section Z in what I had written so far. Rather than get disheartened at the work of my subconscious, I decided to go along with it and evolve it into a full blown Section Z remix.

13. Doomsday Village (Thin Sliced Mix) (originally from American McGee’s Alice) [3.23meg 2:36] Because of the popularity of the preview version of my original Doomsday Village, I was reluctant to change it too much when revising all of the tracks. I had ideas I wanted to try, but didn’t want to upset the people who had already become so attached to the original. My solution was to create an alternate remix. This way, I would be free to make as many changes as I wanted, no matter how radical. This version is full of hip hop beats and lots of slicing.

14. Requiem of Lost Beats [4.55meg 2:57] When I first purchased Miroslav Philharmonik (my orchestral VST of choice), I felt the need to make an original song that used it heavily. It’s a mix of heavy beats, synth arpegios, and digital orchestral performances done via my MIDI keyboard.

15. The Brink of Time [1.70meg 1:33] This is a bonus track only available on physical copies of the album. This was the first thing I did to test out my new orchestral plugin. It’s a fully orchestrated rendition of The Brink of Time from Chrono Trigger. All of the tracks (with the exception of a few minimilistic ones) were played by me on my MIDI keyboard. In fact, several of the instruments were played simultaneously and simply assigned to different hands. I chose to do this song since I already knew how to play it on piano by memory.

"What have I become?"

In a very special fifth episode of “Barrel Roll! A Video Game Podcast”, we discuss the abomination that is “Sonic Unleashed”. Jesse shares his thoughts on “Gradius Rebirth”, while Jonah has been playing “Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp”. Luke tells us all about violence the game… I mean “Mad World” for the Wii.

In the news, we talk about the upcoming Chrono Cross Arrange Album coming out for the games 10th anniversary, and we even play a clip in the break. There is more Fable 2 DLC on the way? Good times! Also Bioshock 2 and more.

In “Let’s Talk About Stuff”, the worst named podcast segment ever invented, Luke is not happy about the upcoming “Resident Evil 5″ DLC, and in Bargain Bin, Jonah talks about why “Dark Sector” was not worth the $5 he paid for it.

All this and more on this exciting episode of “Barrel Roll!”

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