Mega Man

Chip Music, Game Music, Japanese

Mega Man Soundtrack Volumes 1 – 10 Are Receiving a Western Release

August 6, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | 1 Comment Share this

Fellow fans of Mega Man music, this will be a good year for us. Thanks to a deal with Sumthing Else Music Works and Capcom, there will be a digital release of the original Mega Man soundtracks in the west. Each volume consists of music from one of the Mega Man games, meaning that there will be individual digital soundtracks available for Mega Man 1-10. In addition to the NES versions of the music, the soundtrack volumes also include tracks from the PlayStation versions of the games.

The first four volumes are currently available, with the remaining six due to come out this year. Two volumes are planned to be released every month up through November of 2014. These volumes are based off of the 25th Anniversary “Rockcan” box set that was previously released in Japan. While it’s a shame that the west won’t have a physical release of the set, it’s nice to see that we will still be able to obtain the official digital soundtracks. The first four Mega Man soundtrack volumes can be purchased on Amazon, iTunes, and the Sumthing Else Music website.
Game Music

This Smooth Jazz Track Sounds Like Flashman From Mega Man 2

April 15, 2013 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on This Smooth Jazz Track Sounds Like Flashman From Mega Man 2 Share this

Okay, so maybe only briefly. Skip to 1:30, and you’ll hear how similar the chorus sections are. Not that the melody from Mega Man 2’s “Flashman” is groundbreakingly original, but after hearing this song several times on the radio and thinking, “Man, this sounds like Mega Man,” I thought I’d share.

What do you think? Know much about smooth jazz artist Mindi Abair? She’s all over the radio lately despite having been at the smooth jazz thing for awhile.
Indie Music

Know Your MAG: Protomen

November 22, 2012 | Patrick Gann | Comments Off on Know Your MAG: Protomen Share this Know Your MAG: Protomen

Within the MAGFest lineup, “Protomen” are the odd men out. While pretty much everyone else is doing game music covers, instrumental or vocal, in a variety of styles, this rock-opera band has all-original music.

However, the story behind their music, captured eloquently in the lyrics and the album liner notes, is loosely based on the Mega Man universe. The first album tells the story of Mega Man and his brother Proto Man. The second album, a prequel, tells of the fallout between Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Wily, and also introduces the characters Emily and Joe. The themes of their music are man vs machine, humanity as a species that needs or desires rule, and how that falls into conflict with the desire for independence.

Protomen first played at MAGFest 9 in 2011. They played two nights in a row, in fact, and they blew my mind. Their fanbase is almost cult-like; the level of zeal is incredible. This year, I too will join that fanbase, singing along to every single lyric, and probably begging for information on the final act, which will bring a close to the Protomen trilogy.

Two years ago I wrote a lengthy bio on the band, fed by about 2 hours’ worth of raw recorded interview time with different members of the band, juggling their time with me and a signing line in the late afternoon before their second show. Be sure to read if you want even more info on this great band!
Doujin, Game Music, Reviews

Super Fighting Robots: Mega Man – The Robot Museum (Review)

April 25, 2011 | Matthew Gregg | 29 Comments Share this

Another Mega Man fan album. Cynical people like myself will likely look at this release and think ‘’Do remixers only play the same games?’’ Still, it’s Mega Man music so let’s all open our minds as well as our ears!

Frequent OCR contributor Joshua Morse (Castlevania: Symphony of the Damned, Heroes vs. Villains, Bound Together) has taken one song from each original Mega Man game and has the unenviable task of turning them into themes for a ‘Robot Museum.’ Points for originality at least.

Read the review after the jump! (more…)
Indie Music

Just Who Are The Protomen? Let’s Find Out!

February 1, 2011 | Patrick Gann | 4 Comments Share this

The most surprising act of MAGFest 9 came in the form of “The Protomen.” They actually played two shows, doing Act I and Act II (released as separate albums) back-to-back. But before they got started, I had no idea who they were.

All I knew was that there was a lot of buzz around the convention floor about how amazing they are, especially live. I figured they were just going to do a bunch of Mega Man cover tunes. Boy, was I wrong.

This 10-person rock band developed their own multi-act rock opera based very loosely around the major characters of the Mega Man franchise. The music is entirely original, and entirely crazy. This was some of the most insane performance art I think I will ever see at a convention. Stage props, speaking roles, and a die-hard fanbase that could sing along to every last word. To say that I was intrigued after first seeing them perform is a gross understatement.

But am I really the only one to have not known about them? As it turns out, I wasn’t alone at all. Though The Protomen do have a relatively large cult following, I’d estimate that about half of the MAGFest attendees, the “regulars,” were in the same boat as me. Some where disgruntled over the fact that they weren’t the same “kind” of band as the others. Other Protomen newbies became instant acolytes, diving into their strange, dark, exotic and fun brand of rock and roll.

You can count me with the latter.

It’s primarily because so many in the game music fan-scene haven’t yet heard of The Protomen that I’ve decided to put together a short biographical featurette, which you can find after the jump. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this. (more…)
Doujin, Game Music, Indie Music

(Almost) Live From MAGFest 9: Night Two Concerts (Photos)

January 18, 2011 | Patrick Gann | 7 Comments Share this

Alright, MAGFest 9 is officially over, and all the OSV staff that attended are trying to catch up on sleep. To everyone that missed it but lived close enough to have reasonably attended, let me say two things to you:

1) Sorry you couldn’t make it.
2) Thanks for not coming, because parking was terrible and the event has become popular enough now that it has easily outgrown the Alexandria / Mark Center Hilton.

We’re already getting word that MAGFest 10 will take place at a new location (nothing confirmed, just word on the street). And that’s good, because cops showed up Friday night, allegedly because of complaints that the concert area (the size of a large conference room) had far exceeded maximum occupancy and was a fire safety hazard. Saturday night the security staff started to keep count for the larger shows and were offering an additional “viewing room” in Panel 2. At least, signs were up saying this was the case.

The bunch of us from OSV that were at MAGFest will be bringing you tons of coverage from the event over the course of this week. Josh Kopstein already reported on Thursday night’s shows, and I’m here to tell you about Friday night. Included are many wonderful photos of the concert taken by Emi Spicer. Check it all out after the jump! (more…)
Doujin, Game Music

Meet Hyadain Part 2: Mega Man 2 – Crash Man

May 11, 2010 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Wow, I can’t believe “Part 1” of our “Meet Hyadain” series was posted all the way back in December. I guess we’ve been busy with other stuff. Last time we featured my favorite Hyadain arrangement, “The Dreadful Fight” from Final Fantasy IV. I have such a huge backlog of Hyadain videos that I want to post that I haven’t even had time to check in to see if he’s done anything new!

This time we’re taking a look at the short but incredibly fun “CRASH! (Let’s do it),” which is another of my favorites from Hyadain. Just as with the Final Fantasy IV, there are gay jokes aplenty, as this entire track is Crash Man’s plea to Mega Man to be his lover. I particularly enjoy the line, “My bomb is about to go off!,” and the little whistle at the end of each verse. Check out the above video and feel free to scour YouTube and Nico Nico Douga for other Hyadain remixes. Hopefully it won’t be 5 months before we post the next video in our series.

Do you have a favorite Hyadain arrangement?