34 Theme Songs of Christmas (Day 18) - We're back with day eighteen of the 34 Theme Songs of Christmas! Toasty!! Today we're going back to the arcade for Mortal Kombat II, the killer sequel to one of the most controversial games of all time. Is this theme better than Street Fighter II? Find out what our music critics think when you read the 18th episode of the 34 Theme Songs of Christmas!
It's the time of the year when the days get shorter, retailers stay open longer, big games are released and there seems to be a holiday every other week. Defunct Games wants to ring in this festive season with a look at the most memorable video game themes of all time. For five weeks straight, Cyril Lachel and Kevin Bailey will share their thoughts on themes from the last thirty years. Join us every day between November 22 and December 25 for The 34 Game Themes of Christmas!
Synopsis:
Not content to turn the entire U.S. government against video games, Midway decided to up the ante with this bigger, badder and gorier sequel. Mortal Kombat II gives fans what they want -- gallons of blood, gruesome fatalities and more secrets than any one person could hope to find. It also gave us this darker take on the Street Fighter II theme song. Let's find out which theme our critics liked more ...
Cyril:
With the exception of last year's excellent reboot, there's always been something unfinished about Mortal Kombat. It's as if the game shipped a few weeks too early and you can still see the temporary placeholders. You can almost year Ed Boon screaming from a distance about how they didn't have time to tweak this or add that Toasty guy as a playable character. There's something about this Mortal Kombat II theme that doesn't sound quite right. This sounds like somebody's first stab at a theme song. The tribal drums and short notes don't lead up anywhere, and the abrupt ending undercuts what could have been a good intro. Considering how good the rest of the music is, this Mortal Kombat II theme is a real disappointment.
Kevin:
Despite its brevity, I had a hard time figuring out where to start with this theme. But I've got it now: it feels like it was just slapped together. It's not cohesive. It took me a few listens to realize it, but the melody doesn't actually repeat the second time. They cut off half a measure right in the middle of it. Compositionally speaking, this can be done to great effect and really make a song stand out, but here it's very jarring. In addition to that, the ending just feels tacked on. There's no transition there at all. Top that off with the fact that this theme barely clocks in at fifteen seconds, and you've got a complete dud on your hands. The melody does not achieve its potential at all.
What's Next?
The aliens are coming and it's up to two guys to save the world. The stakes are high and the challenge is extreme, but our heroes can take it ... they have a special cheat code that gives them thirty lives!
It's the time of the year when the days get shorter, retailers stay open longer, big games are released and there seems to be a holiday every other week. Defunct Games wants to ring in this festive season with a look at the most memorable video game themes of all time. For five weeks straight, Cyril Lachel and Kevin Bailey will share their thoughts on themes from the last thirty years. Join us every day between November 22 and December 25 for The 34 Game Themes of Christmas!
Synopsis:
Not content to turn the entire U.S. government against video games, Midway decided to up the ante with this bigger, badder and gorier sequel. Mortal Kombat II gives fans what they want -- gallons of blood, gruesome fatalities and more secrets than any one person could hope to find. It also gave us this darker take on the Street Fighter II theme song. Let's find out which theme our critics liked more ...
Cyril:
With the exception of last year's excellent reboot, there's always been something unfinished about Mortal Kombat. It's as if the game shipped a few weeks too early and you can still see the temporary placeholders. You can almost year Ed Boon screaming from a distance about how they didn't have time to tweak this or add that Toasty guy as a playable character. There's something about this Mortal Kombat II theme that doesn't sound quite right. This sounds like somebody's first stab at a theme song. The tribal drums and short notes don't lead up anywhere, and the abrupt ending undercuts what could have been a good intro. Considering how good the rest of the music is, this Mortal Kombat II theme is a real disappointment.
Kevin:
Despite its brevity, I had a hard time figuring out where to start with this theme. But I've got it now: it feels like it was just slapped together. It's not cohesive. It took me a few listens to realize it, but the melody doesn't actually repeat the second time. They cut off half a measure right in the middle of it. Compositionally speaking, this can be done to great effect and really make a song stand out, but here it's very jarring. In addition to that, the ending just feels tacked on. There's no transition there at all. Top that off with the fact that this theme barely clocks in at fifteen seconds, and you've got a complete dud on your hands. The melody does not achieve its potential at all.
What's Next?
The aliens are coming and it's up to two guys to save the world. The stakes are high and the challenge is extreme, but our heroes can take it ... they have a special cheat code that gives them thirty lives!
It's the time of the year when the days get shorter, retailers stay open longer, big games are released and there seems to be a holiday every other week. Defunct Games wants to ring in this festive season with a look at the most memorable video game themes of all time. For five weeks straight, Cyril Lachel and Kevin Bailey will share their thoughts on themes from the last thirty years. Join us every day between November 22 and December 25 for The 34 Game Themes of Christmas!
Synopsis:
Not content to turn the entire U.S. government against video games, Midway decided to up the ante with this bigger, badder and gorier sequel. Mortal Kombat II gives fans what they want -- gallons of blood, gruesome fatalities and more secrets than any one person could hope to find. It also gave us this darker take on the Street Fighter II theme song. Let's find out which theme our critics liked more ...
Cyril:
With the exception of last year's excellent reboot, there's always been something unfinished about Mortal Kombat. It's as if the game shipped a few weeks too early and you can still see the temporary placeholders. You can almost year Ed Boon screaming from a distance about how they didn't have time to tweak this or add that Toasty guy as a playable character. There's something about this Mortal Kombat II theme that doesn't sound quite right. This sounds like somebody's first stab at a theme song. The tribal drums and short notes don't lead up anywhere, and the abrupt ending undercuts what could have been a good intro. Considering how good the rest of the music is, this Mortal Kombat II theme is a real disappointment.
Kevin:
Despite its brevity, I had a hard time figuring out where to start with this theme. But I've got it now: it feels like it was just slapped together. It's not cohesive. It took me a few listens to realize it, but the melody doesn't actually repeat the second time. They cut off half a measure right in the middle of it. Compositionally speaking, this can be done to great effect and really make a song stand out, but here it's very jarring. In addition to that, the ending just feels tacked on. There's no transition there at all. Top that off with the fact that this theme barely clocks in at fifteen seconds, and you've got a complete dud on your hands. The melody does not achieve its potential at all.
What's Next?
The aliens are coming and it's up to two guys to save the world. The stakes are high and the challenge is extreme, but our heroes can take it ... they have a special cheat code that gives them thirty lives!
It's the time of the year when the days get shorter, retailers stay open longer, big games are released and there seems to be a holiday every other week. Defunct Games wants to ring in this festive season with a look at the most memorable video game themes of all time. For five weeks straight, Cyril Lachel and Kevin Bailey will share their thoughts on themes from the last thirty years. Join us every day between November 22 and December 25 for The 34 Game Themes of Christmas!
Synopsis:
Not content to turn the entire U.S. government against video games, Midway decided to up the ante with this bigger, badder and gorier sequel. Mortal Kombat II gives fans what they want -- gallons of blood, gruesome fatalities and more secrets than any one person could hope to find. It also gave us this darker take on the Street Fighter II theme song. Let's find out which theme our critics liked more ...
Cyril:
With the exception of last year's excellent reboot, there's always been something unfinished about Mortal Kombat. It's as if the game shipped a few weeks too early and you can still see the temporary placeholders. You can almost year Ed Boon screaming from a distance about how they didn't have time to tweak this or add that Toasty guy as a playable character. There's something about this Mortal Kombat II theme that doesn't sound quite right. This sounds like somebody's first stab at a theme song. The tribal drums and short notes don't lead up anywhere, and the abrupt ending undercuts what could have been a good intro. Considering how good the rest of the music is, this Mortal Kombat II theme is a real disappointment.
Kevin:
Despite its brevity, I had a hard time figuring out where to start with this theme. But I've got it now: it feels like it was just slapped together. It's not cohesive. It took me a few listens to realize it, but the melody doesn't actually repeat the second time. They cut off half a measure right in the middle of it. Compositionally speaking, this can be done to great effect and really make a song stand out, but here it's very jarring. In addition to that, the ending just feels tacked on. There's no transition there at all. Top that off with the fact that this theme barely clocks in at fifteen seconds, and you've got a complete dud on your hands. The melody does not achieve its potential at all.
What's Next?
The aliens are coming and it's up to two guys to save the world. The stakes are high and the challenge is extreme, but our heroes can take it ... they have a special cheat code that gives them thirty lives!
It's the time of the year when the days get shorter, retailers stay open longer, big games are released and there seems to be a holiday every other week. Defunct Games wants to ring in this festive season with a look at the most memorable video game themes of all time. For five weeks straight, Cyril Lachel and Kevin Bailey will share their thoughts on themes from the last thirty years. Join us every day between November 22 and December 25 for The 34 Game Themes of Christmas!
Synopsis:
Not content to turn the entire U.S. government against video games, Midway decided to up the ante with this bigger, badder and gorier sequel. Mortal Kombat II gives fans what they want -- gallons of blood, gruesome fatalities and more secrets than any one person could hope to find. It also gave us this darker take on the Street Fighter II theme song. Let's find out which theme our critics liked more ...
Cyril:
With the exception of last year's excellent reboot, there's always been something unfinished about Mortal Kombat. It's as if the game shipped a few weeks too early and you can still see the temporary placeholders. You can almost year Ed Boon screaming from a distance about how they didn't have time to tweak this or add that Toasty guy as a playable character. There's something about this Mortal Kombat II theme that doesn't sound quite right. This sounds like somebody's first stab at a theme song. The tribal drums and short notes don't lead up anywhere, and the abrupt ending undercuts what could have been a good intro. Considering how good the rest of the music is, this Mortal Kombat II theme is a real disappointment.
Kevin:
Despite its brevity, I had a hard time figuring out where to start with this theme. But I've got it now: it feels like it was just slapped together. It's not cohesive. It took me a few listens to realize it, but the melody doesn't actually repeat the second time. They cut off half a measure right in the middle of it. Compositionally speaking, this can be done to great effect and really make a song stand out, but here it's very jarring. In addition to that, the ending just feels tacked on. There's no transition there at all. Top that off with the fact that this theme barely clocks in at fifteen seconds, and you've got a complete dud on your hands. The melody does not achieve its potential at all.
What's Next?
The aliens are coming and it's up to two guys to save the world. The stakes are high and the challenge is extreme, but our heroes can take it ... they have a special cheat code that gives them thirty lives!
