Love them or hate them, the MSU-1 audio enhancement patches are here to stay and the effervescent, passionate community of hobbyist hackers and music producers at Zeldix have been on a non-stop roll of releases during this month.
We've rounded up most of those projects on this news post and who knows, one of your old favourites might have just got an audio makeover.
It is an odd coincidence we have Irem's Super R-Type featuring in the news not once but twice in the same month. This early-generation Super Nintendo shmup can now be played to the soundtrack of the Playstation 4 exclusive R-Type Dimensions thanks to the combined efforts of PepilloPEV and FullGameZone.
While we eagerly wait for Nintendo to once again return us to video gaming's most famous flight club, you could do worse then replay the original Super Nintendo Pilotwings to a new soundtrack. Credit for this one is all on Kurrono.
Speaking of Kurrono, he also takes full credit for making Ultraman: Towards the Future slightly more tolerable for anyone outside of hardcore tokusatsu fans by replacing the game's soundtrack with the music from the TV show. The game remains awful, but at least it sounds epic.
Another first party Nintendo title and a massive undertaking by Conn, Kurrono and Enmet since Super Mario All-stars soundtrack features over ninety tracks spread across all four games. You are now able to replay some of the finest platform games ever made to a brand new, high quality soundtrack.
Warning: A huge MSU1 audio patch is approaching! (sorry, we couldn't help ourselves...). A new MSU1 shmup audio enhancement means that PepilloPEV has been on a roll as of late. Despite some technical difficulties that have stumped even Conn, you can now enjoy Taito's Darius Twin to the soundtrack of Darius Burst Chronicles (a game we would certainly welcome on the Switch, hint hint). If you are familiar with Zuntata's work you already know why this one is rather special.
Yuzo Koshiro is a celebrated music genius not only because of his mastery of chiptunes but because of his versatility and ability to get the possible best sound out of different hardware. Case in point: Super Adventure Island's unique tropical themed soundtrack, different in style to the Streets of Rage techno anthems or ActRaiser's symphonic suites. You can now give this soundtrack a new spin thanks to the efforts of PepilloPEV and Kurrono. Master Higgins approves!
The Super Nintendo version of SimCity is rather special; while keeping true to Will Wright's original city management simulator it also offers "the Nintendo touch" in several aspects of the game, such as your advisor Dr. Wright, Bowser replacing the unnamed giant lizard creature that attacks your city, the way the colours shift according to the seasons and the delightful soundtrack by Soyo Oka. Thanks to the combined efforts of PepilloPEV, FullGameZone and Car FlightGames you can now manage your city to success or ruin to a lovely high quality soundtrack.
Disney Pixar's revolutionary Toy Story can now be played to the PC CD-Rom red book audio or Sega Mega Drive's chiptune soundtrack thanks to PepilloPEV and Enmet. To infinity and beyond, indeed.
We will never truly get a definitive conclusion on whether Disney's Aladdin is a better game on Super Nintendo or Mega Drive - both are excellent in different ways. One thing we can be certain of is that by adding voice overs and the movie soundtrack to Capcom's version of the game, it is taken to the next level of brilliance. What was the that old saying again? "Arabian nights, like Arabian days,More often than not, Are hotter than hot In a lot of good ways!"
Last but not least is another huge undertaking by Conn along with daniloroxette who managed to replace the entire soundtrack of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble with the Overclocked Remix album Double the Trouble. If you ever needed a excuse to replay Rare's final accomplishment on the Super Nintendo, this is a great one.
Any of your old favourites made the cut this time? What other Super Nintendo classics would you like to play along with digital audio? The comments sections is yours.
Comments 30
Nothing that's been worked on yet that has my interest.
@Kalmaro Thank you for your honest answer.
I just want a release of Sim City on SNES on Wii U.
@Shiryu Haha, most of those games I never got a chance to play and the few I have the music wouldn't impress me much. Except maybe the Kirby games.
@Fuz It's a pretty common English phrase. He's not literally stating that people hate them.
Woohoo!! I love these articles. Thanks Shiryu.
I think the MSU1 technology is great, working on real SNES hardware as it does, but otherwise I'm really not a fan. The updated music just doesn't sit right with the games in my opinion, especially how many of these SNES games have some of the best music in videogames that have stood the test of time. And that video intro for a Link to the Past I find to be an abomination! I am very much in the purist camp of retro gaming, such as preferring original hardware and CRT TVs, so no doubt that standpoint colours my opinion.
It's still amazing what the retro gaming community are capable of though.
@Jack_Goetz My pleasure. Watch out for next week... :x
I think I’ve asked this before but what do these do? They upgrade the music?
@Fuz I sort of "hate" it. I don't hate that people are doing it. I'm not outraged or anything. I can really appreciate the drive to do stuff like this. I just really strongly dislike the final product for most of the tracks I've heard and I completely disagree with the entire premise that this is an "enhancement" over what we had before. Because these tracks weren't written to be heard in this sound format. They were written to be heard in the way we originally heard them, and I think that's what works best with the games they accompany.
It's not like these soundtracks were composed and recorded with CD-quality orchestra-grade playback in mind and then downgraded against anyone's will and held hostage by the soundchip, they were written specifically with their final output on the SNES in mind. So with most of these tracks, it's like if you were to play a heavy metal song that was written for electric guitar with a really heavy distortion effect and maybe some reverb on top of it. You write the song with those effects in mind, knowing exactly how the song will sound with those effects, and knowing that without the right effects it would sound very strange. But then someone comes along and switches off your effects pedals so you're just playing an unaltered smooth guitar tone and says "I just enhanced your song, so you're totally welcome."
@SimplyCinnamon53 Indeed you have. It replaces the original chiptune music with streamable high quality PCM audio, uncompressed CD quality sound. The MSU1 media enhancement chip also allows to stream video so it is possible to insert animated cut scenes at points in the game, but these are far more uncommon than these audio enhancement patches.
Not too sure who this is supposed to be for but okay.
No. Just no.
@Shiryu, I was really amazed and in awe of the possibilities when MSU-1 was first released, and it's a shame that labeling the audio as "enhancement" instead of "arrangement" has really left a sour taste in peoples' mouths. I agree with some of the criticism, that a lot of the arrangements don't really jive well with the source game. In my opinion, the MSU hacks that work out best are the ones that use as official of arrangements as possible instead of wildly different remixes or lowfi MIDI recreations. But as other people have stated, these are optional anyway. I know how much effort it takes just from the few songs I looped from the Zelda 25th anniversary CD and the official Link to the Past soundtrack: http://www.videogamescrapbook.com/download/the_legend_of_zelda_a_link_to_the_past_msu.php
I don't know if we're allowed to ask, but where do we download these MSU-1 patches? I'd love to try some.
Tying mid/late 70's jazz fusion with a flight simulator is why Pilot Wings was an incredible artistic achievement. I would be so happy if Nintendo revisited this game. For me it would be like dying and going to heaven if Nintendo hired Thundercat (six string bass playing soul hip-hop jazz genius) to write the soundtrack.
Every time I hear this Thundercat song, I think of Pilot Wings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lHjeEkS1WE
@Shiryu Toy Story one using the CD version is a nice touch, do you think you could possibly work on Earthworm Jim 1 or 2? I wish I knew ASM and the SPC700 better XD
I love the experimentation, & drive to complete these interesting things on actual hardware limitations. I don't really like the final output sound, though. But, I still think the concept is cool.
It's cool that the option is there but nearly all the ones I've listened to just change the music feels & sounds way too much. The best one's so far are Link to the Past, Mega Man X, Chrono Trigger, & Super Metroid.
@mikegamer I believe there are people already looking into those. It is definitely on the "to do" list using the Mega CD soundtracks.
@Shiryu Sweet, I have high respect for those who take the time to delve into SPC700/S-SMP ASM to create these soundtracks
@mikegamer The guys appreciate it.
@Shiryu keep up the good work, man
I wasn't even aware this was such a trend. I thought most retro gamers tended to be purists who want as close to the original quality as they can get.
Way to massacre the best video game musics of all times.
The originals sound so great that i hardly understand why those guys are losing time to make this...Its more conventional at the best, but often it just sound bad...
Im such a fan of SNES musics, i love the special touch most of them have, this very special tone, soft and deep... I dont find that magic in those MSU-1 versions.
These are always interesting but rarely are they better than the original, IMO. But, I must say, I want a download of that Sim City music. It's always meant to be relaxing background music and, given how long it takes to do some things in that game (loading maps), having the fresher music actually kinda helps, heh.
@The2ndQuest I love that soundtrack and I I will work on SimCity in the future but meanwhile I invite you to discover the joys of my old album SNES XX.
The joy is discovered, thanks.
I would love see RPG classic Sailor Moon: Another Story get the MSU1 treatment.
Not only do I love limited palettes and pixel art but I love chip-tunes. This is a big no no for me. Why would anyone even bother? Oh well. To each their own.
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