You could say that this game is some sort of reboot and/or spiritual sequel to MadWorld. Meanwhile, Bandy Leggz, as the only female vocalist, feels aptly applied to showcase the ferocity (and cockiness) of the sole two female bosses in the game, RinRin and Elise, through her “You Don’t Know Me.” Doujah Raze’s “Come With It” and “Deathwatch” are a bit more somber. OX’s “Ride!!,” “Get It Up,” and “Breathe,” for example, are more upbeat. While each track has particular elements that fit with each in-game level theming-such as “Let’s Go!” utilizing Asian flair to its instrumentation being used in the Japanese-inspired level Bistro or the horror movie-like Mad Castle level’s background melody “Crazy” having lyrics talking about the full moon and wolves howling-everyone’s style of singing still managed to shine through. And it definitely shows in the end result. In an interview with Original Sound Version, Tanaka himself said that while he made the backtracks first, he gave all contributing artists the musical freedom when adding lyrics and performances to maximize their individual sounds. Each acted as perfect companion pieces to Jack Cayman’s bloody rampage as he participates in a death game called DeathWatch. PlatinumGames composer Naoto Tanaka collaborated with eight different American hip-hop and rap artists, including Sick-YG, OX, Doujah Raze, and Bandy Leggz, to produce 20 pieces of music (with a total length of 50 minutes). Released as a Wii-exclusive, PlatinumGames‘ debut title was a hidden gem not only for arcade-y action fans but unexpectedly also for hip-hop enthusiasts.

Music like the metal gear rising ost