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Music licenses are a tricky thing. When many of these games were first developed, it almost certainly never occurred to the original developers that they’d see re-releases on other platforms in the far future. When agreements like these are made, they’re likely done without much concern for the long-term consequences.
Unfortunately, these deals can’t last forever. Sometimes, the costs to cover such fees just aren’t regarded as justifiable expenditures to the bean counters calling the shots. These remastered games weren’t able to secure the rights to their original music and suffered because of this.
10 Sonic CD Had Localized Soundtracks
Sonic CD isn’t just one of the most well-regarded games in the franchise, it’s also an interesting case of gaming localization. Much to the chagrin of overseas fans and critics, the American release had a completely different soundtrack than the original Japanese and European versions. In 2011, Sega released an HD remaster to digital storefronts, promising fans that it would feature both soundtracks.
That was partly true, but not quite. Both the opening and closing Japanese songs had their vocals removed and the reasons why remain undisclosed.
9 Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc Lost “Madder” During Its Remaster
Some might find English electronic duo Groove Armada to be an odd choice for an opening theme to a cartoony 3D platformer starring a limbless hero. However, the inclusion of their song “Madder” proved to be popular with fans of Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havok. The game was later remastered as Rayman 3 HD and the original PC version found its way to GOG.
However, both versions excised “Madder” as well as the intro cinematic that accompanied it. Its omission from the HD re-release doesn’t hinder the game, as it’s otherwise just the same as the original with crisper textures and more solid framerate.
8 Halo 2 Replaced Classic Songs With Originals
Where the first remaster felt more like a glorified asset swap, Halo 2 Anniversary did an admirable job of updating the visuals without losing the original title’s feel. However, there is one change that might prove to be controversial. The original release featured songs from Breaking Benjamin, Incubus, and Hoobastank, but these were replaced with original songs in the remaster.
Many fans recall entering the covenant ship, getting surrounded by brutes and hunters, and hearing “Blow Me Away” blaring in the background. Players can still switch to the original version if so inclined.
7 Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 Lost “Bring The Noise”
The first two Pro Skater games had an abundance of licensed tracks, so it was pretty much a given that there had to be some cuts from the recent remaster. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 does do an admirable job of retaining fan favorites such as Goldfinger’s “Superman” and Rage Against the Machine’s “Guerilla Radio.” Only five songs from the first two games failed to make the cut, which is pretty impressive.
However, it’s a shame that one of those songs had to be the collaboration between hip hop legends Public Enemy and Metal band Anthrax as “Bring the Noise” was, unfortunately, one of the casualties of this remaster.
6 Grand Theft Auto IV Was Stripped Of A Lot Of Its Radio Hits
Shortly after the original game’s April 2008 release on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto IV was released on PC in November that year. In 2018, an update to the Steam release removed over 50 songs from the game, with radio station Vladivostok FM getting the brunt of it.
In addition, tracks from David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Fat Joe, and Electric Light Orchestra were the casualties of this update. This change is particularly egregious as the radio stations in GTA IV are a huge part of immersing players in world of Liberty City.
5 Crazy Taxi Feels Different Without The Offspring
The Offspring and Bad Religion are two things that come to many gamers’ minds whenever Sega’s arcade classic, Crazy Taxi, is brought up in conversation. The intro screen is even perfectly synched to The Offspring’s “All I want.” It’s hard to imagine one without the other.
While the Dreamcast and GameCube ports retained the original soundtrack, the HD rerelease on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and Steam had an entirely new soundtrack. While the new tracks do a fine job of complimenting the onscreen action, the absence of The Offspring is still felt.
4 Super Meat Boy’s New Tracks Don’t Create The Same Vibe
Super Meat Boy for the Xbox 360 featured a soundtrack composed by Danny Baranowsky of The Binding of Isaac and Crypt of the NecroDancer fame. In 2015, Baranowsky announced that he no longer had a working relationship with Team Meat. As such, the subsequent versions of the game would no longer feature his works.
The versions released for PlayStation 4 and Vita were the first ports to feature a brand new soundtrack. Lamentably, the new tracks just aren’t as melodic and they lack the chiptune vibe that was instrumental to the title’s retro feel.
3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Uses Remixes And Originals
The Konami Beat ’em Up Turtles in Time has seen two re-releases. An emulated version of it was unlockable in the otherwise forgettable Mutant Nightmare for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. In 2009, a remake called Turtles in time ReShelled surfaced on digital marketplaces courtesy of Ubisoft.
Unfortunately, both versions had a completely different soundtrack. The version found in Mutant Nightmare uses entirely original compositions while the ReShelled version uses slightly remixed but legally distinct versions of the original songs. Neither one features a tune that’s as memorable as the ones in the original.
2 Spy Hunter Did Not Replace The Lost Music
What’s worse than the wrong music accompanying a game? How about no music? Midway’s Spy Hunter was an action-packed vertically scrolling vehicular shooter. The Arcade and Nintendo Entertainment System versions featured Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn Theme.” However, when the game was re-released in a Game Boy Advance bundle with Super Sprint, the developers elected to just remove the music and not even replace it with a new composition.
Needless to say, dead silence isn’t exactly the proper backdrop to a high-speed car chase with machine guns and attack choppers.
1 Quake Made Gamers Play In Silence
In yet another example of a game choosing the silent treatment, Quake’s re-release on GOG and Steam completely excised the soundtrack by Nine Inch Nails and didn’t even bother replacing it with some new songs. The Nintendo 64 port scrubbed every trace of Nine Inch Nails as well, but at least it had a fantastic substitute soundtrack courtesy of Aubrey Hodges, so Id Software’s decision to go with no music at all for the re-release is a baffling one.
Thank Shub Niggurath and Nightdive Studios that the new remaster will feature Trent Reznor’s music as well as his many screams.
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