soundtrack comparison: Blaster Master vs. Blaster Master: Overdrive
After having played through Blaster Master: Overdrive a few times, I can safely confirm that it is not exactly the Super Metroid of the series that fans were hoping it would be. However, despite having controls that needed work and sporting level and enemy designs that were somewhat bland, it still felt like a Blaster Master game, sporting many of the gameplay elements longtime fans would expect.
Unfortunately, while the remixed soundtrack was easily recognizable by those familiar with the original title, it was nowhere near as good as it was in the NES classic. When fans complain that an updated track cannot compare to the chiptune version it took inspiration from, something is wrong. I believe that, while the remixes in Overdrive aren't necessarily bad, most lack the charm that their NES counterparts exuded, with some verging on bad OC ReMix-level quality. Check out both versions down below to hear it for yourself.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
downloadThe original is one of my favorite stage songs of all time. There's just something about it that always makes me happy. Consequently, it was this remix that I most wanted to hear in Overdrive. For some reason, the developers decided to shuffle a few of the songs around, and this one ended up being moved from area 3 to area 7, so I was beginning to lose hope that I would hear an updated version as I made my way through the later levels. But maybe it was good that this song was moved back, as this remix wasn't particularly good. Just listen to it - they discofied one of the most memorable songs of the NES era!
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
downloadSounds ok, but it isn't as creepy as the original. And why didn't they include the frog croak?
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
downloadThis is my favorite remix of the bunch. I get visions of navigating the Sophia through the water every time I hear it. It's just too bad that the song's impact is wasted due to the fact that water is heavily underutilized in Overdrive's level design.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
downloadI honestly thought that the remix was a new song until I started putting this article together and ended up with these two as unmatched pairs.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
download
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
downloadThis one sounds pretty good too, though I wish that they had kept the part at the end where the song is about to loop. Without it, the new version sounds much more repetitive.
tags: Blaster Master