Yoshi's Island led to a strong year for Yoshi as a character. IGN's Thomas added that the hand-drawn style of Yoshi's Island made the computer-generated Donkey Kong Country appear outdated, though both games sold well, and Rareware included a Yoshi cameo in their sequel, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, released that same year. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is a 2D platform game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, developed by Nintendo EAD. The game is the prequel to Super Mario World and chronologically the first in Mario franchise, and it stars Yoshi and the Yoshi clan who, while carrying Baby Mario, travel across Yoshi's Island to rescue Baby Luigi from Baby Bowser and his Magikoopa minion/caretaker.
Posted 2007-11-28, evaluated by the judges panel
I conveyed in a recently posted announcement my sadness in learning of Reuben Kee's passing; the community has been very supportive in expressing condolences to his family. I knew him more than some of you and not as well as others, but I think we all knew what mattered: Reu was a great guy, laid back, multi-talented, enthusiastic, and loved game music and anime music. He was generous in sharing that love, as expressed through his amazing arrangements, and since Thanksgiving was just last week, I'd like to express my belated thanks that we were able to know him for the all-too-brief time that we did. He will be missed.
Recently anointed judge Vinnie Prabhu, alias Palpable, gives us his first mix since joining the illustrious Judges Panel along with CHz. P writes:
'So here's the thing: I started with this grand idea in my head of remixing the Underground BGM with a stiff beat. I was really excited about it until I went to the site and saw that McVaffe had already done an incredible remix of that song, not too far off what I was intending. So instead I chose another great song from the game that somehow hadn't been remixed yet, and made it fit the same 4/4 beat in my head (which gave it a nice twist, since it's originally in 3/4). I think my ambitions probably exceed my talent on this one, but I'm still mostly happy with the result.'
McVaffe's mix is hot, no doubt about that, but this is excellent as well, and significantly different at the same time. Over top a thick 80's beat, the ReMixer layers numerous fx and melodic elements. What's cool about this mix, and most Palpable mixes in general, is that each synth element not only has its own unique texture, but there's discrete attention paid to levels, panning, and DSP as well. Combined, this really lends each element its own character... actually, you'd think such variance would make things too schizophrenic, and it definitely can be a VERY bad idea to micromanage and/or vary a wide spectrum of settings on a per-instrument basis. BUT if you can swing it, as Vinnie can, it can lend a mix a compelling production quality that sounds very refined, and keeps your ears interested throughout. Shariq writes:
'Major props for pulling of a time sig adaptation. I live for that kind of stuff (see: blue skies over guardia). ;) I like the sound design in this piece. It's got a cool electro groove, and that wild synth around 2:30ish is so spooky. The groove in this song is great, but the arrangement doesn't really rely on it; there's enough going on on top of that groove to really give the piece substance. dnb stuff at the end was a nice way to keep things fresh in the end. Much appreciated.'
It's great stuff, and I'll second Shariq that time signature adaptations, when pulled off successfully, always yield enjoyable results. Glad to have Vinnie on board, lending his ear and talents to the panel, but I hope he can continue to put together kickin' mixes like this at the same time.
― djpretzel