hm, I feel like taking up the cudgels for the DKC2 album. for my part, i considered SMB brilliant, especially since it chose to stray from the music that david wise had already composed and brilliantly arranged himself. I was never one to care for album consistency, as i meticulously nitpick the tracks i like on any oc album, anyway, so maybe the experience wasn't streamlined for those who cared, what with the borderline-cheesy intro song by lloyd (pretzl).
As someone who knows the sources as well as I did (and I did spend my time on DKC2), I appreciate an approach that takes them for granted and works with them, say, like Shore can do in the 5.-9. hours of the lord of the rings (before becoming all mainstreamy-cuddly at the end).
As such, I also appreciated things like the animal counterpoint from the latest Zelda OCR album, though I think Reich, and also prophetik, can do better. I just love to see the community reaching beyond the jukeboxes of the typical concert series (VGLive, PLAY!, I even daresay OGC). Whether this will bring longevity to that music we probably all have grown up with, I cannot tell; it deserves respect in any case.
I prepare listening in turn to FinalFanTim's FFVII re-synthy-ing (like so, methinks: [HTML]
http://forums.qhimm.com/index.php?topic=8160.0 [HTML]) and the F1N4LF4NT4S7Z3R0 album - that I cannot get a hold on right now, a mashup of ff7 tracks with the whole of nine inch nail's year zero - to explore the music of that game over the actual Voices of the Lifestream Album, which just tried too hard at times, despite having some very good tracks. Which leads to pretentious: Black Wing Metamorphosis. I don't think this needs commenting. Just to say, I could hardly get past Godiva in the Desert the last few times I tried to listen to KiC, a couple of years ago, for the sheer drop in awesomeness. I think SMB was the actual follow up to that track.
As for lyrics, I do not know why people complain, though oc remix has had some weak tracks (think: Everclear Hangover) in that area, and is simply low on good singers (but Dream Theater has always been, as well :-), so singing isn't their strong point, similar to -- video game music in general (Kiss me Goodbye, 3rd Birthday you name it). I need to stop digressing, though...
There are always people arguing either way, obviously, and I'm on the side of those that push towards progress. In the end, it is probably a gut feeling and like epends on what will attract the mixers that defines what will be heard on album. Novelty always has to fight its way into the brains of adults/adolescents, and I guess my comfort zone is quite large at the brainsy end by now (Gnomes Exotiques, hurray). That's why it is good to have a panel of judges rather than a single blabbermouth :-)
Best of luck on the release to the DTT team.