“We are ROCK-MEN! 2″ Expanding its Horizons
Are you excited for the new album by Capcom’s own ROCK-MEN? Last year, the crew produced a CD covering a delicious variety of Mega Man and Mega Man X tunes, as well as a track from Mega Man Legends. For this new album, while we still don’t have a track list, it sounds like the variety of content will be pushed even further.
Capcom of Japan’s summary of the new arranged soundtrack states “On top of a foundation of classic Mega Man and Mega Man X tunes blasted in rock and techno, there are richly arranged tracks from series up to Battle Network and Star Force adding to the variety!”
Honestly, I’m both excited and frustrated by this news. I love variety in my arranged soundtracks, and Battle Network is especially overdue in having some sweet arranges. However, the original “We are ROCK-MEN!” was pretty loaded at 17 tracks, and adding more series may mean fewer available songs from each. Man… there are so many arranges I’d love to hear! What would you want to see in this multi-series music tsunami?
Tags: album, arranged, Battle Network, Music, Soundtrack, Star Force, We are ROCK-MEN! 2
Filed under: Mega Man News
Though truth be told, as much as I love Battle Network music, what would blow my mind the most is a Legends arrangement that ISN’T Flutter Vs. Gesellschaft.
Considering that my main Mega Man interests are the Classic series and the early X series, anything else is just filler or noise to me. More Classic, I say!
@Heat Man: Agreed. And honestly, their arrangement of Flutter Vs. Gesellscheft was so solid and amazing on the last album that I don’t think it can be topped. It’s the best arrangement I’ve heard of that song…
As for BN and SF… I can’t think of a lot of BN and SF tunes that really stick out for me other than the main themes (and everything from Transmission)… But I appreciate the variety, because after all, there are other Mega Men celebrating this anniversary…
Yeah. We Are ROCK-MEN was pretty loaded at 17 tracks. Nevermind three of them were Darkman’s stage. There’s no room for other series.
Stoked about the news. It’d be sweet if they mixed in Zero and ZX too.
Hey, you’re already getting a big helping of classic MM and MMX on this one, so it’s all good there. However, I still stand by my statement that BN has some fantastic tunes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cplRj1b2b9c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuMDZGcEYE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ64XYw4HLg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLj1LhSMbsw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_xe4yuR9gA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVGLWZoTxME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKymeuwwtAk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKnOHmKR11s
I have no complaints about this recent turn of events. None at all. While I don’t care about ZX, having never played those games, I bear no ill-will to the series appearing on this CD, either. The more the merrier I say.
Now if only they’d cover the Fusion CD sample from Legends…
@Heat Man: You know, it’s been so long since I played BN, I’d completely forgotten about how much I enjoyed the OST (other than the main theme and the town theme). Man. Good stuff. It seems like it takes the classic spirit and adapts to a techno style rather than the rock feel of the NES games.
I’d love to see arranges of BN4′s Battle Pressure and SF2′s Wave Battle (Boss Theme).
The battle themes are the main EXE/SS tunes that stick out for me, too (and Transmission as a whole).
It just feels like 90% of EXE/SS tunes are boring filler. Uncatchy, super basic melodies you feel like you’ve fell asleep to a trillion times before, with that same annoying arpeggio alternating between L/R in the same rhythm on almost every track. Meh. I don’t know. I just don’t like it. Maybe my intense dislike for the series’ art, characters, and story is affecting my judgment on it’s music.
I want them to do some Soccer tunes. The actual SOUND of the SNES originals is probably weak and ugly to most people, but they have a lot of potential! They just need someone to love them, fix them up, and fill them out, with modern synths / real instruments.
What else do I want to see? Tengu Man from SS version of 8. Divine Hammer from ZXA. Opening stage of X3. Storm Eagle. X vs Zero. A Vava Medley. Umm… everything?
The originals track list may have been “loaded” at 17 tracks but I think a greater part of that was that three of them were all arrangements of the same song.
Sweet, they’re giving some of the less popular Mega Man sagas some love!
Yes, Smokey Field was stuck in my head a while when I first heard it. Break the Storm, Surge of Power man the entirety of EXE6 needs remixes. I love the way most of the tracks have proper melodies, and work well with the capacity limitations of the technology they were use with.
@Heat Man
I can’t help but feel that your comment on Legends was a zing. I mean outside of the atmospheric and rhythm lacking sounds of the underground digging places, dungeons and such it only leaves you with a handful of others. The battle themes are not very melodic, and are on the loopy side. They feel like BGMs to fill in the background of the game and can’t be listened to on their own for me. Uhh … I can’t even think of any others except arrangements of arranged classical music…
MMX2 X Hunter stages and Crystal Snail need more love in these remix albums.
Oooh! If they’re doing some Tracks from Battle Network I hope they do the theme BN used from BN1-BN3! The closest thing I’ve heard to an awesome arranged version of it is the version they used for Onimusha Blade Warriors…..If there was a ROCK-MEN Version I’d be super happy! =D
@Jhooge, as far as I know, I don’t think the tunes are intended to be anything but filler between battles. It’s just there to fill the sonic space as you’re running around doing RPG stuff.
@RedrazerZero You are correct after a fashion, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other songs work arranging. The Bonnes themselves have a couple of nice themes. A good deal of the battle music is pretty good. And it would always be possible to do a medley.
This is great news cuz
1. I love both series
2. I love the music of both series
3. Both series don’t get enough love, sometimes because of LEGAL reasons!
Color me hyped!
Yeah, if they can restrain themselves to just one version of Dark Man’s theme this time they should have plenty of room.
(seriously, Dark Man? what the heck?)
It’s about time Battle Network got some remixing done. Hope they at least remix BN2′s Boss theme, Battle Spirit.
Oh, and Great Battlers from BN3 too. Looking at Heat’s list is bringing back good memories…
Arranged Battle Network is actually going to be a thing now?
Wooot!
Because Jhooqe is half right, those tunes are so basic- would disagree as their being boring, but most certainly basic- that someone needs to throw something behind them.
Non-melodic =/= not worthy of remixing. Nor does it equal “bad music”.
I honestly wouldn’t mind hearing another rendition of the F vs. G theme. While the previous one was great, it still left a little nitpicky things to be desired.
@SomeGuy: I actually liked all the Darkman themes. I’m glad they were made. And, I think the Rockman 25th anniversary Arrange album had a couple more Darkman remixes, lol. I guess he’s really popular over there in Japan. Certainly better than 3 arrangements of Dr. Wily 2.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind if this track could get some love in a future “We are Rockmen” album.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xET8DT0Cy7w&feature=g-vrec
I was slightly disappointed that nothing from Mega Man 4 was represented in the first album. I’m glad someone did the Dark Man theme, but 4 will always have a place in my heart musically wise.
Really? 17 Tracks that clock in at around 47 minutes of music is loaded? I like my loaded CDs over an hour, like Inti’s 9/10 and Zero ASTs . And I’d be happy to get one like that from these guys, with a good 20-25 tracks.
Glad to hear there will be a variety, to get something more like a franchise anniversary album, compared to the Rock/Techno ones. It should be a good compliment to them then, IMO.
As far as some EXE/RnR tracks I hope get mixed:
RnR2 – Prelude to Battle+Wave Battle, Mu Continent
EXE 6 – Surge of Power, Break the Storm
EXE 5 – Nebula
EXE 4 – Versus+Battle Pressure, Heel’s Paradise…AND Navi Customizer…XD (What’s Annoying? This is…)
I would dearly love to hear them do a mix of Gate’s Theme from X6, a Sigma Battle theme, some Rockman World stuff, including Ballade’s Theme, or more Wily Capsule. We need more rockin’ Wily Capsules. 7 and 5 want their spotlight.
@Sketch
Well, I’m not big on the GBA and it’s music, but last I checked you were running around doing RPG things in the GBA Pokemon games (and Mother 3!), and most of that music is catchy/atmospheric and wonderful. Worlds apart from EXE. It’s not just that EXE’s composition, it’s also the way they used the GBA hardware. It’s boring, and most of it sounds the same crap over and over.
Yeah, not all music is going to be catchy and melodic, but these fail at creating interesting and unique atmospheres too. It sounds like the same tune all the time. And it’s not just the limitations of the hardware, obviously. Many games (like Mother 1) on NES had catchy AND atmospheric music that did weird and cool things with the NES sound. Way more interesting than boring old EXE.
(Cue annoying trill alternating L/R in the same pattern on every track over same-y melody.)
I haven’t really listened to them in awhile, and I am probably exaggerating. Skimming through them again right now, most of it ain’t so bad. I think the main offenders who fit in most with what I was saying is 2, 3, and 5.
1, 4, 4.5, and 6 are pretty good. I mean, NONE of it’s BAD, just… meh. Meh-diocre. Maybe it’ll grow on me. These days I try really hard to find something to like in any kind of music.
Like I said before, my intense dislike of other aspects of the series are probably affecting my judgment. I’ve played it some, and the gameplay seems fun enough, but… I can’t get past the “smell”.
Alright, enough rambling from me for a good while.
I’m expecting Kitagawa to be a major force this time around, with Running Through the Cyber World (MMBN), Virus Busting (MMBN2) and Great Battlers (MMBN3), though in all likelihood it’ll just be the first. As for Star Force it’s most likely gonna be Shooting Star (that would sound pretty good in a rock arrange).
I’m also gonna guess they’ll be taking from the Opening Stages of X4 with an X2 stage for good measure.
I would honestly love to see a few Megaman ZX additions to the album.
Seek a cord. Break The Storm. Rivals Unite. Every virus battle and boss theme. I cannot wait to hear what gets in there.