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SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE

HAL Labs' explosive sequel to Super Smash Bros. featured an incredible selection of remixes from all of Nintendo's games, and the Metroid tracks are no exception. Arranged by the talented Shogo Sakai, Metroid's "Brinstar" gains an adventurous fanfare march, with some lovely flutes and a rocking guitar to keep the beat. There are even 8-bit samples! Sakai-san also arranged "Depths of Brinstar", an eerie dance through the fungus-filled labyrinths of Kraid's lair. The NES sound chip is back in force, particularly through the "Item Room" theme that breaks halfway through the loop. The epic organ and piano at the end make this my pick. Also included is the tense "Warning Siren" theme, which, while not exactly a Metroid track, plays during the escape sequence.

SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE: SMASHING...LIVE!

To celebrate the release of Melee, Nintendo held a special concert of the game's music in Tokyo in August 27, 2002, performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. This amazing concert was thankfully released on CD in the US to Nintendo Power subscribers and can be found sometimes through e-Bay. The epic "Depth of Brinstar ~ Brinstar" arrange was also done by Shogo Sakai. The track makes excellent use of percussion, particularly the metal bars in the "Kraid" section, and the transition to the explosive "Brinstar" arrange features a harsh, tense version of the "Title Theme". Sakai-san had this to say about the arrangement in the December 2002 issue of Famitsu Cube+Advance Magazine:

"Brinstar" is the area in which Samus first sets down in the Famicom version of Metroid. The Space Pirates of Planet Zebes wriggle and dash about inside, and if you take the eerie elevator down, you will arrive at Brinstar Depths, a world drooping with cells... The connection between these hit songs was impressive. With this version, I put in a chittering sound like an arthropod at the song's midpoint for the song of the elevator area. I want to say you won't hear much, but it adds to the performance.

We've also gotten our hands on a rare bootleg recording of the concert that includes the master conductor's introductions and comments on each song (in Japanese, of course). Included here are the MC's statements as well as the "Depth of Brinstar" arrange. Nowhere near as good as the official recording, but included here for completion. Special thanks to Secret Squirrel of Slightly Dark for the recording!