I know that Sonic's going in a new direction and all that, but I'd still really like to hear Crush 40 again. I like Endless Possibilities and Reach for the Stars just fine, but it doesn't even compare to Live and Learn or Knight of the Wind.
I'd prefer if we kept these http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-CJ3kPrZrU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrPBXYywFNA but still had stuff like youtube.com/watch?v=u9zZus_1_ag + - That's Live and Learn. Thanks Retro for only allowing me to post two YouTube embeds
I agree. While Sonic games have been lame for over a decade, the music has been uncommonly good. If They make a crappy game and Crush 40 does all the music, it would be worth it. Even Sonic 2006 was redeemable purely because of the music. Lost worlds needs a good main theme. Sonic colors' theme was cute and fuzzy and unleashed's theme was alright, but they didn't have the power behind it that only crush 40 provides. Open Your Heart, Live and Learn, and What I'm Made of, are still phenomenal songs.
It wouldn't, but there still has to be some place for awesome rock. I've heard people say orchestrated versions of the main theme for the final boss are a little tired now, so going back to letting me headbang while fighting could be nice, assuming the boss design would allow for music like that.
I still find it a shame that Crush 40 can't cover Endless Possibilities (Due to copyright reasons) and won't cover Reach for the Stars (Something about it not being their style of music). Maybe they'll do a cover of whatever theme comes out of Lost World.
People are tired of this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcCrHZAKfPI Even if they'd change it up though, it really shouldn't be Crush 40 butt rock. Games like Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow and Black Knight were games that tried to be darker than what Sonic originally was like and cheesy Crush 40 butt rock fit in with that. Lost World is seemingly trying to be more like a silly saturday morning cartoon with it's style, and Crush 40's music would clash with that. Sonic's expression on the cover has even changed from trying to look cool to being happy.
You can't tell me that Sonic Heroes was trying to be more serious (or maybe you can, I never played it much, my copy doesn't work right). Yet Crush 40 still worked pretty well, because Sonic Heroes didn't sound like their other songs. What I'm Made Of does more, so Lost World could follow that approach, a lighthearted game with a darker final boss (well, I think Metal Overlord looks cool. And that's an awesome name. Why did I think it was Metal Monstrosity?).
If you've ever ehard Crush 40's earlier work, and even soem of their work in Black Knight, it's not always serious. "Watch Me Fly" is a perfect example of a QUEEN-like track which is quite lighthearted and calm. I miss Crush 40, I really liked their tracks on the endings, and I really dislike this orchestral stuff. When I'm playing a videogame and button mashing some huge evil monster I don't want to be listening to classical music, I want something that's going to reflect the mood and setting. Sonic games work with a variety of music, the whole game could be scored like Sonic Colours, but still have the end theme as Crush 40. It kinda sucks that theyv'e dropped them- it's been since about 2008 since they've last been heard (Black Knight) and for a proper game 2005 (Shadow). They still show their faces at conventions, why can't they just release another track for a game?
>getting tired of awesome orchestral remixes of the main theme of the game I love it every time, especially after a menacing part 1. Only boss that could have benefited from a musical change like that was the Time Eater, but that one was quickly fixed by setting it to Endless Possibility for massive Saturday Morning cartoon final battle scene. Open Your Heart and Live and Learn only serve to jack you up for the fight but quickly melt away. Perfect Chaos switches to his stage 2 theme and Live and Learn sort of gets drowned out by the banter between characters and concentrating on not getting hit by lasers/eggs. Everything else up until Sonic 2006 was rather unmemorable (irony~) and the storybook games either abused their theme by plastering it on EVERYTHING or hiring some really bad sounding female band.
I'd disagree, I think Open Your Heart, Live and Learn and What I'm Made Of are very memorable. I'm not saying they should get rid of orchestral themes completely, but there's room for rock music or music which pumps you for the fight. As you said, it "Jacks you up" for the fight, and that's exactly what it's supposed to do. I can't tell you how weak and flimsy the boss in Sonic Unelashed feels because there's no feeling of power to it, and the same goes for The Time Eater, which is also terribly designed, but that's another matter. Colours wasn't too bad and I think that worked quite well, but then the whole setting fitted the music style perfectly anyway for the entire game, and at least the meteor level was quite rock-y and pumped you up for the finale.
I should probably note that while Jun Senoue is known for busting out guitar solos, he's skilled with other instruments as well. Especially the keyboard as well as probably a few other instruments I can't remember. (watch the Sonic Adventure instrument credits) Also, other lighthearted sounding Crush 40 themes: Live Life and Is it You. So they're capable of it, it's just that most fans want that RAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA music pace.
While it wasn't on the game itself, Crush 40's most recent Sonic track was a cover of Free from Sonic Free Riders.
Super Mario Galaxy had too much orchestral shit. I mean, listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa4YdMz5j2g Shit like that should be replaced with awesome Crush 40 butt rock. Spoiler I get that Mario Galaxy isn't really like Sonic Lost World in tone and style, but come on guys.
Thing is that the majority of the fan base thinks that he is only a guitar man who does every single Sonic track in existence when that really isn't the case. Did he do all the music for Sonic 3D Blast? Absolutely not but a lot of people think that he did because of the few tracks remixed in Sonic Adventure! Did you know that Crush 40 didn't just do Sonic stuff? They did racing stuff before Sonic. People wanting him involved in major games again should realise that the days of Sonic Adventure are over. The current sound team from Sonic 06 and upwards have been able to create a variety of great tracks and Senoue isn't even involved. Okay, he worked on Sonic 4 (where it was clear that someone such as Naofumi Hataya should have been handling that soundtrack) and Sonic Generations (well, it was a special title) but the days are over.
My issue with the with the orchestral tracks in recent Sonic games has nothing to do with them being orchestral, and everything to do with the overall sound they achieved; not all orchestral music is created equal. It's tough to describe exactly what I didn't like about it, but it almost sounds like it's being run through cotton balls. Not a harsh sound anywhere to balance it out. Mario Galaxy was orchestral, but had a lot of variety to it; some songs were heavy on bowed strings, some on strummed, some on brass, some on woodwinds... they weren't afraid to have both harsh and soft sounds, depending on what fit the tune. I dunno, maybe Colors and Unleashed just needed better mastering or different EQ. But something about the instrumentation and overall sound balance just didn't suit my fancy at all, even where Generations did just fine.
You're missing one lovely point here- Sonic isn't Mario. Sonic was created as a punkier, faster guy with an attitude, who in the old games always looked a bit frowny and whizzed around wagging his finger and doing all sorts of moves. His music was more stylized with funky beats and experimental sounds, going so far as to even include Michael Jackson-styled stuff and later rock and nu-jazz. Lately, the whole scene has mellowed and they've mostly remoevd any traces of his exagerrated attitude. Sonic Generations was awesome because it brought back funky tunes from the past, and I fangasm'd when I walked up to one of the White World portals and the riff from E.G.G.M.A.N started playing. It's not that orchestral music doesn't work, it's that they're not implementing it right. Take Perfect Chaos for example. At first, the music was rocky and got you in to the fight, and then it switched to orchestral, the contrast of which felt much better than just having one type of music as it gave a sense of urgency and change. They need to mix it up a bit.
