shredders revenge soundtrack is amazing!

content/post/2022/06/shredders-revenges-soundtrack-is-amazing.md

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+---
+title: "Shredder's Revenge's Soundtrack Is Amazing"
+date: 2022-06-29T10:16:00+02:00
+categories:
+  - braindump
+tags:
+  - games
+  - credits
+  - music
+---
+
+Finally, a new _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ beat 'em up game arrived that aims to recapture the spirit of the nineties side-scrolling pixelated vibe that many arcade machines and home conversions offered---of which probably _Turtles In Time_ is one of the most revered. Decent attempts on the GBA have been made, but since then, nothing worth mentioning, besides perhaps on _Streets of Rage_ front. 
+
+Reviews have been mostly positive. You can [read my own review here](https://jefklakscodex.com/games/switch/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-shredders-revenge/): I was more than a little enthused thanks to the wonderful combination of beautifully animated pixel art and banger soundtrack. But the music seems to be something most reviewers hardly notice or only mention in passing. Here's Rock Paper Shotgun's abstract:
+
+> Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, a sidescrolling beat ‘em up that aims to recapture the spirit of the TMNT arcade games from decades past, is both incredibly simple and a breath of fresh air. It’s a basic button-mashing affair that offers nothing new, but that facilitated a good old chinwag that I didn't know I needed.
+
+Emphasis on "incredibly simple" followed by "a basic button-mashing affair" sounds quite harsh: of course it's a button masher, that's what the genre is all about! Not a single word about the music or the soundtrack. Zip, nada, nothing. Did they press mute on their TV remote while testing the game or is their subwoofer broken? How on earth can you ignore the iconic music in games like this? That's like playing _Streets of Rage_ without having anything to say about the amazing techno vibe it gives off---mostly thanks to the booming soundtrack. I expect a lot more from professional video game reporters.
+
+When I was typing out my thoughts about the game, I wrote "Other level soundtracks remind me of Sonic Mania, where the upbeat retro vibes also sent chills down my spine". I didn't think much of it, but after giving the soundtrack another listen yesterday, I discovered that both games actually share the same music composer, the brilliant [Tee Lopes](https://www.teelopesmusic.com/music)--who, by the way, also produced the music for _Streets of Rage 4: Mr X’s Nightmare_. Here's a concrete example.
+
+Consider _Studiopolis Zone Act 2_ from Sonic Mania:
+
+{{< youtube SCgE-xNxqV0 >}}
+
+Now listen to _Mall Meltdown_ from Shredder's Revenge:
+
+{{< youtube IttSTte5wa8 >}}
+
+Especially at `1:20` in the _Mall Meltdown_ song, that sequence gives me clear Sonic-like vibes. And by that I mean _good_ Sonic vibes---the good ol' 2D kind of Sonic vibes with clear jazzy synth influences that parhaps even are reminiscent of Epic's _Jazz Jackrabbit_. 
+
+In any case, I'm flabbergasted that so many reporters omit thinking and talking about music in video games. Shredder's Revenge has some big names attached to it: during the final boss battle, you can hear Ghostface Killah and Raekwon dropping rhymes in _We Ain't Come To Lose_. It's far from an instant Wu-tang classic, but it's an admirable effort and neatly fits the atmosphere of that moment. Mega Ran takes care of the ending credits music, which is a bit of a shame, as [most people tend to skip that](/post/2022/04/equality-in-game-credits). And Mega Ran certainly deserves a lot of credit: just listen to his Castlevania-inspired [Sweet Sorrow from Nocturnal Cantata](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMf3VjLl1gk).
+
+Yes, the game is very short: it takes about two to three hours to finish story mode. But it's currently `€22` and has a ton of replayability value, and is indeed best enjoyed with a few friends. If you, like me, love Tee Lopes' work, please consider [buying the OST on Bandcamp](https://kidkatanarecords.bandcamp.com/album/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-shredders-revenge-original-game-soundtrack). There's even a CD and vinyl edition for physical affictionados.  
+

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+        "content": "Commenter photo\n    \n    \n\n    \n\n        \n            \n                Roy Tang\n            \n            said...\n        \n        \n        I played in on Steam; I didn't notice any particular performance problems unless I was running something heavy ...",
+        "published": "2022-06-27T16:20:33+00:00",
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             "name": "https://lordmatt.co.uk/technology/the-internet/all-the-active-indieweb-sites-i-have-found-so-far-june-2022/",