Tag Archives: return of samus

Romhack In-depth Review: Metroid: Rogue Dawn

The best Rom hack of 2017 is already here. Metroid: Rogue Dawn is a prequel to the events of the original NES Metroid. This ambitious Rom hack pushes the limits of what the NES can do. You will forget this isn’t a Super Metroid romhack after a short journey into this epic game.

metroid_rogue_dawn_beta_3_nintendo_entertainment_system

 

Continue reading Romhack In-depth Review: Metroid: Rogue Dawn

Tutorial: Pick Apart a Gameboy Song with an Emulator / Recreate in LSDJ: Metroid II Return of Samus

It's not the perfect sequel to the original, but it's a solid and atmospheric game that continued the traditions of Metroid.
It’s not the perfect sequel to the original, but it’s a solid and atmospheric game that continued the traditions of Metroid.

The Metroid series is known for its awesome music. I think I fell in love with NES music after hearing the Brinstar theme for the first time. I’ve also never been so terrified as the first time I entered a Chozo Room area and heard that creepy, alien noise start playing. It only got better as time went on; Super Metroid and Metroid Prime are two of the most amazing game soundtracks ever.

Metroid II: Return of Samus, for the most part, does not measure up to the rest of the series. However, it does have an AWESOME song in the first area. Surface of  SR388 is one of the most uplifting and exciting songs I’ve ever hard on the Gameboy.

I decided I’d try my hand at building it in LSDJ just to get a handle on how it was composed. This video will walk you though it if you’d like to give it a shot. You’ll learn a lot of core concepts of LSDJ in the process. This video isn’t meant to be a full blown tutorial but it will help you look at the composing element of creating music with the Gameboy.

Sadly, the rest of Metroid II has pretty irritating music. I get that they wanted to make erie alien noises but most of it is just annoying screeches and random bits of music that just get annoying. Even with its faults, though, this is one of the best Gameboy games out there. I think it feels more alien and claustrophobic than the other Metroid titles due to the limited palette and graphics on the Gameboy.

BeatScribeFaceBeatscribe is a full time indie composer, musician and writer. By day he creates soundtracks for various mobile gaming companies, by night creates megaman-inspired chiptunes, in the afternoons he drinks tea.  Check out his latest releases, tutorials and retro ruminations at www.beatscribe.com.