Final Release: March 26, 2018
Production Years: 2011, 2014, 2018
Genre: Electronic, Video Game Music
Album Length: 39 Minutes
Availability: mr4music.com
Summary: Game Covers is a collection of songs based on songs that were originally featured in video games. If you are a big fan of video games this might tickle your fancy. If you have no interest in video games this will do nothing for your fancy. Some of the tracks are true covers meaning I did not alter from the original beyond the sound of the instruments. Other tracks I took the liberty of doing more of a remix by changing up arrangements or adding other motifs that were featured in the game. Song selection was based on old games from my childhood.
Production: This project began in 2011 as a training exercise to get familiar with Pro Tools. I had created a couple cover songs and after very little thought, I decided to do an entire album worth of video game cover songs. I had created ten tracks and then shelved the project. I dusted off the album in 2014 to try and improve it. All I ended up doing was altering the songs without actually improving them, A little trick I learned from George Lucas. Similar to other music projects during this time, Game Covers went through development hell due to my lack of production experience. In 2018 Game Covers was once again in the works to be given the stamp of completion with three final songs being added to the collection. The newer additions to the project are Age of Empires II, Top Gear Rally, and Super Mario 64.
Final Thoughts: This was a fun project but had a similar long and dreadful production process as my Social Phobia album. Both albums were started when I really had no idea what I was doing. Instead of leaving it as is and moving on I had to keep revisiting it in an attempt to turn it into something I would want to listen to.
Track Information
Guile Theme - This theme goes with everything, even Super Street Fighter 2. Still very similar to the original, arrangements have been moved around and I added a lot more Sonic Boom!
Metal Gear Solid - This is a mix of 3 songs from Metal Gear Solid merged together: Introduction, Mantis' Hymn, and Warhead Storage. I didn't want to stray to far away from the original sound.
Dire Dire Docks - We got Super Mario 64 up in here! Same Song, No drums.
Mountain - One of the more obscure and older songs on the album. Originally featured in Jurassic Park on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
Peril (guitar cover) - From Halo 2, the most current out of this collection. This cover song was an experiment. Instead of trying to improve on the original which was already perfect I decided to replicate it exactly but using only guitars (and a bass guitar and a very faint string synth). Mission Accomplished!
Goldeneye 007 - N64 Goldeneye 007, what a classic. This is a combination of different songs from the game. Original songs being covered are Surface, Cradle, Facility, Main Theme, and some other stuff.
Iron Piston - Oldschool PC gamers might recognize this from Mechwarrior 2. Song originally composed by Jeehun Hwang. I love the low tempo hip-hop feel of the drums in this one.
Act On instinct - This track came out a little too odd for my liking. Orginally featured in Command & Conquer and composed by Frank Klepacki.
Simple Rating - I have never played the game that went with this song (Street Fighter Alpha 3). It was a request by a fan of my guile theme. So I decided to give it a try and try I did. I might have jumped too far away from the original.
Scouting - Another Command & Conquer related track, this one is from Tiberian Sun, my personal favorite in the C&C series. With this one I did some major changes from the original as far as instrumentation within the song.
Menu Theme - Top Gear Rally might not have been a very popular game, or even a good one, but I sure did like the music in it. The NTSC-J version of this game had a didfferent Menu theme. This cover is from the NTSC-U version.
Grabbage - I feel I should have done a normal cover of this instead of a piano melody. Original version of this song is the main theme for Duke Nukem 3D. I decided to cover this using only pianos and it may have become too distant. On the other hand it's something different and that is always lovely.
Shamburger - This song has nothing to do with hamburgers. Its the iconic first track in Age of Empires II. This is a simple copy of the original but with different instruments in use.
