:: orochinagi

http://www.team-e.co.jp/sp/snk/kof.html

To be released on May 14th.

I think the Songs in '98 UM specifies team combinations as well...

Disc 1
嵐のサキソフォン (Arashi no Saxophone) ('95 Yagami Team: Iori, Eiji and Billy, Since Iori's Theme (with edit characters) in '98 UM is Arashi no Saxophone 2 unlike in '98.)

Disc 2
FUNKY ESAKA (Alt Theme of Japan Team: EX Kyo, Benimaru, Daimon, Must be all of Them)
CLUB-M ～青空にフルート (Flute in the Sky) ～ (EX Fatal Fury Team: EX Terry, EX Andy, EX Joe, Must be all of Them)
Get'n Up ('96 Women Team: Kasumi, Mai and King)
龍虎の変 (Ryuko no Hen) ('94 Art of Fighting Team: Ryo (both), Robert (both), Takuma)
かみきり虫 (Kamikirimushi) (EX Art of Fighting Team: EX Ryo, EX Robert, EX Yuri, Must be all of Them)
DESERT REQUIEM ('94 Ikari Team: Heidern, Ralf, Clark, but it's already stated before)
サイコソルジャ (Psycho Soldier) ー REMIX'96 (Athena in a Edit Team ?)

We need an AST. Pronto.

Seriously, the arranged tracks in the PS2 version are definitely more hits than misses. After so many years, I didn't think they could rehash Esaka?, but the arranged version in UM does sound pretty good. Personally, I don't think there are any real misses to the arranged tracks, although Rhythmic Hallucination sounds wacky with the cheap ghostly sound effects (it sounds awesome otherwise). I didn't like the treatment for The Origin of Mind as well: this one deserves a lush orchestra, not a rock track. Same goes for Geese ni Shouyu. The original RBFFS version is my favourite Geese track ever, so I was hoping for a reworked flute and traditional track similar to his Regulation A stage. It sounds OK as an acid rock track, but the arranged version of Geese ni Katanori sounds way more badass and is my arranged Geese track of choice. Most of the tracks for the pre-'97 tracks sound a lot better than the original MVS versions too (or at least they don't sound so out of place). Funky Esaka remains a little too.... funky for my liking though.

Criticisms aside, it would be a tragic waste if the new arranged tracks didn't get compiled into a 2-disc AST, since the OST is really just a compilation of older tracks with a barely 5 minutes of new compositions.

Just wondering, are the arranged tracks for the classic 98 teams taken from the '98 AST as well, or were all the arranged tracks completely redone for UM? I don't own any of the 94-97 ASTs, so I wouldn't know.

Uh... almost all of the 98 arranged tracks in UM (not including added songs from other SNK games for this game, only the tunes that were originally featured in the game) are the old ones used in 98 for PSOne and Dreamcast. I think the biggest surprise was Korea Team's, which is actually an ARRANGED version of the 98 Theme and not the 96 one (both tracks are different).

O.Iori's and Leona's, Goenitz' and Orochi's arranged tracks were directly taken from 96 and 97.

Actually, if I'm not wrong SNKP almost didn't have to work to make new arranged tracks (except Korea's and who knows what else, I couldn't check the entire AST in the Sound test), since practically ALL the arranged tracks featured in this game already existed. Yes, even EX Geese's arranged theme (filled with that insane guitar) is older than you can imagine.

Well, that's a surprise. I didn't know there were arrange soundtracks for Real Bout and Art of Fighting. Then again, I wasn't paying attention to soundtrack releases at the time, so I didn't think any KOF game before '97 had an arranged soundtrack. So that pretty much means all the new music in UM are just the intermission tracks, intro and credits?

Yes, probably.

Also, new arranged Korea theme. At least I don't remember that tune being arranged before, and the song they used in the PS1 and DC version was KOF96 Korea song for some reason.

I can't say I like the arranged Korean team track though. That 96 version sounded cooler IMHO. Still, I'd rather fork out money getting an AST than the OST. normal Geese, Goenitz, the Riot of The Blood characters, Bloody, Esaka? and the Orochi team's theme are worth the price of admission.

Yes, EVERY KoF and SNK fighter in general has had arranged tracks because SNK was producing them for the Neo CD versions. And 98 itself was just a mishmash of arranged tracks from previous KoFs (the only exception being uncles team), which is probably why they used 96 Korea instead of a new arranged theme. Nice to see the mistake corrected after all these years though.

Wait a second, was 98 also released for NGCD? Didn't know that

Of course. Every KoF had a NeoCD version up until 99.

Never had the chance to play it. Only ones I could try were 94-97, but I never played 98

BTW, then is the arranged 98 Korea theme the only "new" track made by SNKP?

The intermission tracks are new, though they're too short to really count, so I suppose the only real new arranged music to UM besides the Korean team's theme (which doesn't exactly sound great) is the end credits.