Mega Man Legends 2 Capcom Special Selection

Rating: ★★★½☆ (3.5/5)

Overview

Whether it’s the world of video game music or something else entirely, it’s safe to say that surprises are usually a welcome affair. This can be especially true when they come out of the blue, much like the release of Capcom’s Mega Man Legends 2 Special Collection. When one is honest, however, the Mega Man Legends series hasn’t been neglected in its native Japan like it has abroad — from the 2005 PSP re-releases to an all-new, original cell phone game in 2008 — perhaps it is not so surprising that Capcom has decided to officially release some more music from the series, a series whose last official soundtrack release was over a decade ago in 1998.

Overdue as it may be, even those familiar with the series’ music may be unaware of the changes that occurred between Mega Man Legends and Mega Man Legends 2 when Toshihiko Horiyama took on composing duties for The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. Wanting to make the series’ music take on a more homogeneous nature than Tomozawa’s original effort, Horiyama added the use of overarching themes to the mix. To this end, the score’s pieces adopted a behavior similar to Tsuyoshi Sekito’s in Brave Fencer Musashiden, with variation upon variation of prominent themes used to create connective cohesion between the game’s various scenes, characters and locations.

Upon returning to score Mega Man Legends 2, this element of Horiyama’s work was quickly integrated into Makoto Tomozawa’s work as well. Unfortunately, the negative effects of this theme-driven approach — which can more or less be observed by acknowledging the lack of accolades the Brave Fencer Musashiden Original Soundtrack has received over the years — were that the sacrificed individuality on a track-by-track basis made soundtrack releases for either game very unlikely, even more unlikely than for the first game’s score which, if it weren’t for the well-timed formation of Capcom’s Suleputer record label at the time, most likely would have been left to the ages as well.

Anyway, regardless of the hand fate may have dealt it in the past, we now find ourselves presented with a small cross-section — seventeen out of about eighty pieces — of what Mega Man Legends 2 has to offer. With such limitations, did the best tracks make the cut? Read on to find out!

Body

Right off the bat, with the title theme, the Mega Man Legends 2 Special Collection presents us with an improvement over its forbearer by, ironically, offering something that isn’t new. This disc offers up the original Flutter theme from the first game and legitimizes its position as the series’ titular theme with its unapologetic, happy-go-lucky nature. In doing so, it forms a bridge between the two games with its pleasing nature despite its utter simplicity. A softer, more relaxing version, “The Flutter” thereafter paints a picture of the humble living quarters aboard the Casket’s newly renovated airship. While “humbleness” may be the overall sentiment one can take away from this piece, it’s what one can find when digging a bit deeper that’s the real prize — weariness. By placing two variations of the same theme back-to-back, the disc’s strong opening is inadvertently prolonged in a slightly unfortunate manner.

Representing a calm and peaceful winter wonderland, “Yosyonke Town” is another track with the ability to nail the sweet spot between simplistic and underdeveloped that many of the series’ best themes take all the way to the bank. Again, it’s clear that the environment being portrayed here is fun-filled and cold, but the message on display here is hardly one-dimensional. Emitting a simultaneous sense of warmth that manages not to betray the true nature of its surroundings, a campfire-like togetherness creeps out from the woodwork. Despite the duality of its message, “Yosyonke Town” still doesn’t ask too much of the listener, but then there is no real need to decrypt what is here either. “Yosyonke Abandoned Mine” also happens to be one of the score’s most uninspired and trivial dungeon themes. It’s true this typical “mine-like” number may have enough drive and power to make it a decent piece, yet it stands as a painful reminder of the pieces — pieces with far more to offer — that remain relegated to the game rip to this day. Perhaps most disturbing is that it almost seems the person behind the selection process was aware of this, but chose it as a cheap prefix to the next selection rather than on its own merits.

The inclusion of what is effectively known as “Glyde’s Theme” wasn’t so much a question of “if” it would appear as much as it was of “which version” would represent it. Thinking about it in retrospect, was there any doubt that the horn-filled, free-for-all that is “Glyde Drache Ace” would take prominence? Not really. Be that as it may, as fun and energetic as this battle theme may seem on a stand-alone basis, there are things beyond this initial impression that drive it forward. It’s mainly the performance of horns that leads one to eventually pick away at the surface layer of amusement and expose the overwhelming sense of pride and entitlement that’s just below its surface. It’s all about vanity, or, more specifically, the vanity of an overconfident adversary. This is what sets “Glyde Drache Ace” and Glyde himself apart from the Bonnes and their respective themes; both may be prideful, but where the Bonnes portray a healthy sense of pride in what they can accomplish together (despite its legality), Glyde’s are prideful to represent a characteristic fault.

More than any other track on the Mega Man Legends 2 Special Collection, “Jaiwan” dies at the hands of its original context. This is despite the fact that it is composed solely of the ingredients one would expect to find in any other Reaverbot battle theme. The fear and drama that presides over the proceedings in “Jaiwan” blows what is a minor, inconsequential scuffle out of proportion to the point where it is almost laughable. Such misdirection will obviously go undetected by those who have never played the game and take each track for what it is at face value, but to those who have, Tomozawa’s gaffe will cause alarm. “Gargarfummi,” meanwhile, lacks the credentials to change hearts and minds when it comes to the unflattering stereotypes that surround Reaverbot battle themes. That said, it should be obvious that there is a lot to be gained from avoiding the pretentiousness that ran rampant throughout “Jaiwan,” and in this respect the track delivers, steering clear of completely exasperating the player with worry. However, beyond the forward drive possibly reminding listeners of similar pieces like “Garudoriten!” from the original, everything comes right back to that underlying theme in the end, perhaps explaining why it is a little more resilient than most of its brethren.

A tightly wrought, anxiety-based number, “Bola” exposes the stubbornness that lies deep within many of the compositional builds and norms used throughout the music of the Legends series. In an attempt to create a musical calling card for a new kind of adversary, Tomozawa tones down the bold doom and gloom of the standard Reaverbot battle theme to create what could essentially be considered a more methodical and reserved “Reaverbot Light.” That said, there still isn’t enough space between these “musical identities” to promote the idea that there is no connection between this character and the aforementioned creatures. “Klaymoor” thereafter is a slower and even more listless version of “Bola” that surrenders any chance there might have been to rescue the piece. Illustrating a wanton, wreck-loose battle with a comedic edge, “Jagd Krabbe Rev.” is also rife with connections to past and present material. The most important of these — its affiliation with “Feldynaught!” from the first game — works both visually and musically. But where previous attempts at applying an “overabundance” of intensity in a musical fashion brought tracks like “Jaiwan” to their knees, the same cannot be said here.

To say that “Blitzkrieg” is a track that delivers the kind of hard-hitting action its name implies would be somewhat of an overstatement, because while all the strife and drama one would expect to experience during a real-life blitzkrieg (a sudden or surprise military offensive) is present, it’s far from unrestrained. Being another example of the “reserved tenacity” that ends up dictating the pace in many of Tomozawa’s battle themes, the careful application of this technique can pay huge dividends, much like it did in “Marlwolf!” and “The Gesellschaft!” from the Mega Man Legends Original Soundtrack. This requires a poignant theme with an easily repeatable rhythm, and it’s not long before the musical tug-of-war quality of this piece reveals itself not only to be in such a league but to be at the top of it, perfectly summing up the quagmire of limitations Mega Man finds placed upon him in this particular battle. Combine this with the piercing percussion that accompanies and resets the track on the loop and it’s plain to see its inclusion on this disc was an absolute must. It is easily one of the most defining moments in Legends music history.

If one were to take “Wojigairon” solely on the eight-second intro that opens it, there is little doubt that the phrase “you’re screwed” would immediately pop into the minds of most people. Musically, there are no real surprises; the intensity is once again kept in check as the presidio-militaristic style beats reflect the disjointed movements of a mal-proportioned behemoth. “Hover Gustaff” is another track whose appearance may not have been guaranteed, yet was much more likely than the majority of those that didn’t. As a relatively high-octane number by Legends standards, the flailing silliness of “Jagd Krabbe Rev.” is ditched in exchange for an upbeat and focused channel of controlled tenacity. The “controlled tenacity” exhibited here doesn’t directly relate to the “reserved tenacity” within “Blitzkrieg” as one would expect; however, it does demonstrate how a minor adjustment in forward velocity can make two similar tracks very diverse.

Numbers like “Continent of Calinca” stand to exemplify the extreme degree Tomozawa is willing to take in his implementation of minimalism within the music of Mega Man Legends 2. Important as it may be to present this side of the score to those listening, given the small size of the canvas available for painting, this two-and-a-half-minute “crystalline hymn” (which doesn’t benefit from being looped in the slightest) is a poor choice in a situation that calls for much more discrimination in what does and what doesn’t make the cut. However, looking beyond the limitations placed upon it here, a better option may have been to switch to the more upbeat “attack” variation on the loop to break up the overly sterile and serene sense of stillness while covertly adding another track to the proceedings. Coming off as a more appropriate choice than its icy counterpart “Continent of Calinca,” the angelic female harmonies found within “Mother Area” reinforce the concept of one last reprieve before a final showdown. It hits the nail right on the head, and unlike “Yosyonke Abandoned Mine” is not a cheap prefix to a subsequent battle theme. At the same time, however, the final battle theme on this disc doesn’t bring the pound-for-pound power that the omitted “Sera Computer Terminal Battle 1st Form” would have; power that would have created some truly commanding contrast.

Another piece whose appearance on this disc is nothing short of a necessity, “Geetz” may indeed be the greatest Reaverbot battle theme to grace the series. With the gothic styling of the keys, the experience feels a lot more intense than it really is; it’s right in your face but at the same time it’s not. Brilliant. There really isn’t any more to say; along with “Blitzkrieg,” “Geetz” is simply the epitome of what Mega Man Legends 2 has to offer the listener. Sadly, if you were to take all the rapid-fire drumming, adrenaline and power out of “Geetz” and add a more-than-generous helping of “angelic hymn” to what remained, you would be left with “Sera Computer Terminal Battle 2nd Form,” a uninspired variation of the game’s most pivotal battle theme. Reflecting back on this particular battle, it should be noted that Tomozawa is not really misguided in the direction he wants to take this track — the idea of presenting dead and empty space in a musically abstract way is dead-on considering the environment it’s played in — but the general concept that beauty can be found in simplicity starts to run out of gas here, mainly because it limits the composition’s ability to be engaging.

Summary

As expected, Capcom’s Mega Man Legends 2: Special Collection is mainly aimed at satisfying the series’ small yet dedicated faction of fans. While it may be a more than welcome treat, the limited amount of material presented makes for a mix of tunes that range from “they couldn’t pick anything better?” to “damn right!” that cumulatively equals out to an “I’m just glad to finally get something on an official disc!” The positive side of such a dilemma is that this turns the album into a mini history lesson, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of this particular score (and, indirectly, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne) when taken in as a whole. To this end, exploring what is here is time well spent, but only those who are infatuated with the world of Legends will stay.