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[Sats]

What are your favorite cases where popular songs were re-used in video games? I'm told this happened in Sonic games a bit, but here is my favorite example:

Dragon Ball Z Tournament

is a flash game that uses the main riff from

The Thong Song

 

[Lijik]

Genes theme from GODHAND is essentially the 80s Hawaii Five O theme

 

[Takao]

Incoming Kenji Yamamoto thread

 

[ascii42]

Several Mega Man songs are based on rock songs,

Like Flash Man being based on Metallica's seek and destroy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTNpKZs_Sao

 

[Not75Drops]

Didn't that whole Dragon Ball plagiarism incident get the composer fired?

There are also a lot of Pokemon themes that very similar to other games like Chrono Trigger.

 

[Alienous]

Good god, that flash game brings back memories.

Anyway, there's a ton.

 

[Iacobellis]

Just What I Needed by The Cars was in the first level of Comix Zone.

 

[yeehamuffins]

I remember playing one level in Doom and thinking "Wait, isn't that the riff to Mouth for War by Pantera?" Then finding out later that half the songs from the original Doom were MIDI versions of classic metal tunes.

 

[Mr. X]

MGS1 Theme

 

[richiek]

The game over music for the Kid Icarus games uses the beginning of the Bridal Chorus for some reason

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J38oG0hnpQ&list=PLD9D738A9FDC5DBC2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8t2VxWLGbI&list=SPD267B8CC48D06DF5

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

One that Seth Killian revealed on Talkradar years ago:

Parappa the rapper stealing from a German band called Can.

 

[MrT-Tar]

Robo's theme from Chrono Trigger sounds like RIck Astley - I never gonna give you up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEOSLHZwKwM

EDIT: Beaten

 

[bobbychalkers]

I remember that flash game as a kid. Played it on Cartoon Network.com all the time. To this day I'm still confused on why they used the Thong Song.

 

[richiek]

double post

 

[halfbeast]

Good god, that flash game brings back memories.

Anyway, there's a ton.

man, chrono trigger rickroll'd us before it was cool!

as for games I remember:

Apidya Stage 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5u58j7UA-M
James Brown is dead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIXqmt0zw3Y

yoshi's island music box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57Mjs5unId8
soviet national anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yDrtNEr_5M

 

[DukeBobby]

American Idiot in Deadly Premonition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aIyKkK31Wk

 

[Moxx19]

What are your favorite cases where popular songs were re-used in video games? I'm told this happened in Sonic games a bit, but here is my favorite example:

Dragon Ball Z Tournament

is a flash game that uses the main riff from

The Thong Song

The DBZ guy made ( lost a career) ripping off Stratovarius.

Anyway, anyone notice the opening theme from Super Mario 64 sounds like the beginning of One Vision by Queen

 

[deroli]

I usually hate those comparisons between different (vgm) tracks, BUT i've always thought that Metropolis Street Racers Let's Get It On Tonight sound awfully similar to Will Smith - Gettin Jiggy Wit It. Maybe both sampled the same original song?

 

[Caboose]

Wasn't MGS original theme semi-plagiarised?

 

[Sami+]

Incoming Kenji Yamamoto thread

Yep.

Bad Dog No Biscuits vs. Budokai 2's Story BGM?

Sonic doesn't really do it much at all, the only notable example off the top of my head is Sweet Sweet Sweet, but that was licensed and I believe the composer of the classic games was a member of that band? The Genesis' soundcard doesn't really do it justice, imo. It's a really pretty song.

 

[Marjar]

A song in Sonic Adventure samples a remix of a rap song.

 

[Alienous]

The DBZ guy made ( lost a career) ripping off Stratovarius.

Anyway, anyone notice the opening theme from Super Mario 64 sounds like the beginning of One Vision by Queen

Yeah, it was pretty blatant.

 

[thepotatoman]

You have to mention Earthbound/Mother for this topic.

Johnny B Goode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cAHVBcsIoM

Tequila
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KDDZL_QNbM

 

[Moxx19]

Robo's theme from Chrono Trigger sounds like RIck Astley - I never gonna give you up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEOSLHZwKwM

EDIT: Beaten

Interestingly when Mitsuda was asked about the similarities with NGYU, he said he had never heard it before.

 

[Cryoflar3]

I usually hate those comparisons between different (vgm) tracks, BUT i've always thought that Metropolis Street Racers Let's Get It On Tonight sound awfully similar to Will Smith - Gettin Jiggy Wit It. Maybe both sampled the same original song?

You're right. I was expecting for Will Smith to take the mice for a minute there.

 

[Takao]

Didn't that whole Dragon Ball plagiarism incident get the composer fired?

Yes, his name is Kenji Yamamoto. If you'd like to read up on his whole ordeal here. It has a bunch of audio samples. After his plagiarism was discovered (which was years after fans had made the connection ...) all of his work was wiped out. Video games that featured his music that received reprints had his score replaced such as Raging Blast 2, and the Budokai HD Collection. His work on Dragon Ball Kai had its music replaced with the original Dragon Ball Z score. Soundtrack CDs mysteriously went out of print, or were outright canceled.

He still works in the Japanese music industry, but no longer does composition work. He's working as an arranger for other people's music.

 

[Snakeyes]

The hook of Rock Howard's theme in Garou: MOTW is a homage to Robert Miles' Children.

 

[Red Chocobo]

Wasn't the Streets of Rage soundtrack all just covers of pop songs?

I remember watching a video comparing them all and they were uncanny. It broke my heart (I can't find it now)

 

[mdtauk]

Wasn't MGS original theme semi-plagiarised?

Metal Gear Solid vs Sviridov Winter Road Theme Comparison

 

[Glass Rebel]

Incoming Kenji Yamamoto thread

I thought you were talking about the Nintendo Kenji Yamamoto and got confused for a moment.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

I remember playing one level in Doom and thinking "Wait, isn't that the riff to Mouth for War by Pantera?" Then finding out later that half the songs from the original Doom were MIDI versions of classic metal tunes.

Yuuuup. It's amazing hearing 'Them Bones' while blowing up a long line of barrels amid the echoing howls of demonspawn.

 

[Marjar]

Also the majority of Doom's soundtrack is slightly altered versions of different rock/metal songs.

Apparently the guy who made the soundtrack was a lawyer, and knew exactly how much he needed to alter the songs so that he couldn't be sued.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Several Mega Man songs are based on rock songs,

Like Flash Man being based on Metallica's seek and destroy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTNpKZs_Sao

No wonder its awesome.

 

[MrSaturn99]

I remember playing that DBZ flash game, yet don't remember that song at all. Obligatory WTF at its origin.

And, yeah, Kenji Yamamoto*. Shame, too, since he was a pretty great composer in his own right.

*Not the same dude who worked on Metroid/DKCR, in case anyone was wondering.

 

[FStop7]

Kid Icarus Sky Palace - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjYvGiMiEbk&list=PLD9D738A9FDC5DBC2

You're in the Army Now - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gtvILZ-Kw8

 

[Cerebral Assassin]

There are a few of these in the mind-blowing facts thread, my favourites are these(although I guess that the VG tracks are far more famous than the "originals") :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnoMrUt4tlw (from 1.27)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-4XsDQYDi4

 

[Moxx19]

What about Tetris?

 

[pants]

What are your favorite cases where popular songs were re-used in video games? I'm told this happened in Sonic games a bit, but here is my favorite example:

Dragon Ball Z Tournament

is a flash game that uses the main riff from

The Thong Song

this example is cracking me the fuck up here, lol

Imagining piccolo shaking his booty to this

 

[pooch]

Garou: MOTW copying Robert Miles - Children. So awesome I used to fight on this stage again and again just to hear it!

 

[Tizoc]

MARIACHI MADNESS!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTB3blqFg3g
Come on it's gotta count right?

 

[sixteen-bit]

Venom's theme in Guilty Gear XX is quite similar to a Napalm Death song

 

[CrazyTank940]

What are your favorite cases where popular songs were re-used in video games? I'm told this happened in Sonic games a bit, but here is my favorite example:

Dragon Ball Z Tournament

is a flash game that uses the main riff from

The Thong Song

Holy crap I played this game so much as a kid, how did I forget about it lol

Of all the things a DBZ game could have taken from, it;s the Thong Song, I'm cracking up hard here

 

[Scrabble]

The only good track in Mass Effect 2 was ripped straight from a NFS game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuOOuarA7xA

 

[TheRealTalker]

Courtney Gears was suppose to imitate Britney Spears in Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIpKc27Bh_Y

 

[Kokonoe]

I'm not sure if this is one or not, but I found it funny when I heard both songs together.

Bowser's Road - Super Mario 64 (listen to first 10 seconds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJj6GGLaIfI

Crisis City - Sonic The Hedgehog (listen to first 10 seconds)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHY7b5H3duc

 

[AlexBasch]

Maximum Carnage.

Awww yisss.

 

[not_so_special]

wild arms map theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrFhD87di0I

the ectasy of gold ennio morricone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOr0na6mKJQ

 

[Maxim726X]

Maximum Carnage.

Awww yisss.

Might want to add the Sabbath song it rips off of...

 

[BGBW]

I like hearing classical music in games. As time has gone by and budgets for games have increased the reliance on the public domain has decreased so we don't get to hear these recognisable melodies anymore.

One example in Eine kleine Nachtmusik in Mario Bros. Now while that's only a few opening notes, what I do like is two remixes that have spawned from it as a result of later games referencing Mario Bros.

First is Mario Power Tennis and the second is Super Smash Bros Brawl. What I like about both of them is that they literally only remix the few notes from EKN that Mario Bros uses rather than the whole movement so the end result is these two quirky little ditties.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00mrFv2QbG0

I love Blade Runner's end credits in my video games.