This is sort of another lazy update. While adding the names of composers in the VIP, I gave some old OSTs a re-listen. These are games with some tracks already on the playlist. Code: StarCraft: Brood War - Terran Four StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - DSC - Terran 1 StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Terran 04 StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void - The Golden Armada Let's start with some good-old StarCraft. I was obsessed with this series back in the day, playing nothing but custom maps such as defense, dodgeball, zone control, risk, RPGs, and Aeon of Strife(the original DotA). Terran music always gives me a sense of loneliness and isolation. It's probably because of the bluesy guitars and prog rock-inspired melancholy. Code: Homeworld - Homeworld (The Ladder) Homeworld - Adagio for Strings Homeworld - Turanic Raiders Battle Music exiled from VIP Homeworld: Remastered Collection - Turanic Raiders Homeworld: Remastered Collection - Swarmers Attack Homeworld: Remastered Collection - The Keeper Homeworld: Remastered Collection - Battle For Sajuuk (remixed) Continuing with the space theme, here's some Homeworld. I remember hearing "Homeworld" in the endgame credits, and I was like, "why is there this weird rock song in this game by some weirdly named band?" It caught me off guard because it felt out of place amidst Ruskay's haunting, atmospheric OST. But I still listened the heck out of it. After some research, it turns out both "Homeworld" and this rendition of "Adagio for Strings" were specifically recorded for the game. The Remastered Collection has objectively better music. Paul Ruskay brushed off the original source tapes, made some high-quality rips, and enhanced them for higher fidelity. Too bad they got a "No" to Yes's "Homeworld". Code: Ragnarok Online - Kwon Goo-Hee - Streamside replacing Ragnarok Online - Streamside Ragnarok Online - Lee Seock-Jin - Plateau Ragnarok Online - Michiko Naruke - Splendid Dreams Ragnarok Online - Yasushi Asada - Kingdom Memories If there's two things I remember about Ragnarok Online, it's the music and the soul-crushing grind. I spent hundreds of hours on that shit until I eventually quit. Code: Shadow of the Colossus (2018) - Revived Power ~Battle with the Colossus~ Trauma Center: Under the Knife - Large Map 2: Last Half Sonic CD - Cash Cash - Stardust Speedway (Cash Cash vs. Jun Senoue) Meat Boy - Salt Factory Super Meat Boy - SongeLeReveur - Forest Funk Here are some tracks from other games. SotC's remastered OST has some extra instrumentation going on, according to Kow Otani. Because of this, some people actually prefer the purity of the original's OST. Code: Enthusia: Professional Racing - The Infinite End [LÖWENSEERING] Enthusia: Professional Racing - Shusei Murai - Prize (Arrange Version) R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 - Kohta Takahashi - Naked Glow (20th Anniv. Mix) R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 - Ryo Watanabe - Spiral Ahead (Ryo Watanabe Remix) Finally, more tracks for a couple of racing games that were in the playlist for an eternity.
I wasn't satisfied with the generic-ness of this update and wanted to make it Halloween-themed, so here's an AI-enhanced Halloween post. Title: Phantoms of the Past While exhuming the names of composers for the VIP, I disturbed the crypts of some older OSTs, compelling a re-listen. These games already haunt the playlist, but some restless spirits demanded inclusion. Code: StarCraft: Brood War - Terran Four StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - DSC - Terran 1 StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Terran 04 StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void - The Golden Armada We begin by descending into the sepulcher of StarCraft. I was possessed by this series back in the day, sacrificing unholy hours to its cursed custom maps: defense, dodgeball, zone control, risk, RPGs, and Aeon of Strife (the primordial ghost of DotA). Terran music always conjures a chilling sense of loneliness and isolation for me. It’s that bluesy, prog-rock melancholy that perfectly embodies the dread of being left for dead in the void. Code: Homeworld - Homeworld (The Ladder) Homeworld - Adagio for Strings Homeworld - Turanic Raiders Battle Music exiled from VIP Homeworld: Remastered Collection - Turanic Raiders Homeworld: Remastered Collection - Swarmers Attack Homeworld: Remastered Collection - The Keeper Homeworld: Remastered Collection - Battle For Sajuuk (remixed) Drifting further into the cold vacuum of space, we encounter the ghost-ship echoes of Homeworld. I recall the endgame credits, when a song from this cryptically named band manifested like a jarring apparition. This strange prog-rock poltergeist felt so out of place amidst Paul Ruskay's otherwise haunting, atmospheric score. Still, I listened until it possessed me. It turns out both it and the choral "Adagio for Strings" were conjured specifically for the game. The Remastered Collection is pure auditory necromancy. Paul Ruskay exhumed the original source tapes and reanimated them with terrifying fidelity. A shame they couldn't summon the rights to Yes's "Homeworld" for the re-release. Code: Ragnarok Online - Kwon Goo-Hee - Streamside replacing Ragnarok Online - Streamside Ragnarok Online - Lee Seock-Jin - Plateau Ragnarok Online - Michiko Naruke - Splendid Dreams Ragnarok Online - Yasushi Asada - Kingdom Memories If there are two things that claw their way out from the fever-dream memory of Ragnarok Online, it's the music and the soul-crushing grind. I spent hundreds of hours in that digital purgatory, a cursed existence I eventually had to exorcise myself from. Code: Shadow of the Colossus (2018) - Revived Power ~Battle with the Colossus~ Trauma Center: Under the Knife - Large Map 2: Last Half Sonic CD - Cash Cash - Stardust Speedway (Cash Cash vs. Jun Senoue) Meat Boy - Salt Factory Super Meat Boy - SongeLeReveur - Forest Funk Fresh meat, dragged in from other tombs. Fitting for the season, SotC is literally about slaying giants to perform a forbidden resurrection ritual. The remastered OST adds layers of new instrumentation - a fact Kow Otani himself confessed. Purists might find this monstrous, preferring the original's unadorned spirit, but some of the new blood is potent. Code: Enthusia: Professional Racing - The Infinite End [LÖWENSEERING] Enthusia: Professional Racing - Shusei Murai - Prize (Arrange Version) R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 - Kohta Takahashi - Naked Glow (20th Anniv. Mix) R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 - Ryo Watanabe - Spiral Ahead (Ryo Watanabe Remix) Finally, some racing games that have been rotting in the playlist for an eternity, now given a fresh coat of formaldehyde.
