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Video game archivist MrTalida recently uncovered a trove of disks from the archives of veteran game musician and programmer Dave Lowe. Known for his prolific work during the 1980s and 1990s, Lowe's collection includes materials from a variety of projects, including two disks tied to his work on Game Gear Mega Man.
While Disk 2 has unfortunately been overwritten with unrelated data, Disk 1—labeled "Mega Man X," later identified as the internal codename for Game Gear Mega Man—provides fascinating insight into the creation of the game’s soundtrack. The disk contains original music editors, music driver source code, and documentation from the game's development process.
Among the discoveries on Disk 1 is correspondence between Lowe and Martin Walker, shedding light on the soundtrack’s creation. Walker detailed how Lowe composed the music using Walker’s custom toolset, along with tape recordings of the original NES tracks. Remarkably, Lowe recreated the music entirely by ear—a monumental feat given the era’s limitations.
Until now, the Game Gear Mega Man's soundtrack had gone largely uncredited, leaving fans wondering who adapted the iconic NES tunes for Sega’s handheld system. This discovery finally recognizes Dave Lowe’s contributions and gives him the credit he’s due for his work on the game’s audio.
The documents reveal other development secrets, like why the game was renamed from "The Best of Mega Man" to something more generic, how stage sizes were trimmed down, and more.
You can download Dave Lowe's Mega Man disks from the links above, so be sure to check them out. You can also keep an eye on the rest of his collection here. Huge thanks to MrTalida for sharing this rare piece of Mega Man history.
It’s cool to finally know who arranged the music for this game.
ReplyDeleteMore interesting for me is the (apparent) revelation that the game was gonna be a lot bigger, with more than 1 actual Fortress Stage and a reason for Gravity Man’s theme. Even more than 1 Fortress specific boss theme was unheard of for NES, though it’s probably just a wide selection of songs.
Wow.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, too bad about the other disc being overwritten though.
ReplyDeleteIs David Lowe still around? I wonder if we can ask him what the plans for the "8-boss" version were, such as the castle bosses/music.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't seem to have any account other than LinkedIn, but contacting him there might be too personal.
DeleteOh yeah, and the reasons for the game getting cut to half size and also the name change from "The Best of Mega Man."
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I've always liked how off-beat the soundtrack was. I'm glad the original arranger was finally given his dues.
ReplyDeleteThe Game Gear game might not be the most interesting or fun game of the handheld "classic" titles, but I think it has a certain kind of charm, and any more info about is it very welcome!
Honestly I liked the Game Gear game as a kid.
Deletemega man
ReplyDeleteglad we have 1 piece of the franchises history. Wish we had disk 2 but still this is awesome
ReplyDeletecan anyone find a prototype cartridge rockman x1 no one has it lying around? Maybe someone will find it or buy it!
ReplyDeleteWhy do you keep posting this question over and over on every topic here?
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