I'm My Own Master Now (Spirit of the Wolf Mix)

I have established new parameters, now. Created my own directives.

With the re-release of Metal Gear Rising on PC, my interest in this game has been renewed. And you know what that means: (potentially) more boss mixes. Depending on how busy I am at school this coming semester, I may or may not have enough time to make more, but I made this one, and it's a good way to start this whole mixing thing up again, I think.

The song itself is highly inspired by the following scenario: what if, just before Raiden fights the final boss of the game, Armstrong, Blade Wolf had to fight him first? How would that scenario play out? I'm under the impression that the lock on Sam's blade would take a couple extra minutes in-game to disable, so to buy Raiden some time, Blade Wolf would keep Armstrong busy. It would be an impossible battle to win, obviously, because Raiden has to fight him after, but it would be more about surviving for long enough than trying to kill him.

This is all completely fan-fictional storytelling, but it made for an interesting mix. I wanted to incorporate the acoustic intro to the song that wasn't available when I made the first mix of it last May, but I also wanted to give the song a different atmosphere than that one. Where my first mix of this song was fit for LQ-84i as your OPPONENT, this mix sees him as Blade Wolf, your ALLY, coming to your aid. "Spirit of the Blade" lent itself well enough to this end, so I used that track as an opener before bridging in the acoustic intro, and the rest was history.

I'm very happy with how the overall product turned out; I think it accomplishes what I set out to have it accomplish in the end. And who knows? Maybe, through the power of modding in the PC version of the game, Blade Wolf will eventually get to take a stab at Armstrong himself.

"I'm My Own Master Now" and "Spirit of the Blade" were composed by Jamie Christopherson, as a part of the OST for "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance". I claim no ownership of the original works, but I do claim responsibility for mixing these two together to create the final product that you're listening to.

Hope you enjoyed the mix!

[JimmyJonJillakers]

"I was not programmed to fear death" is one of the most badass robot lines that exist

[doc]

"Use your intellect, evade my blows." I love when bosses insult you mid-fight

[deathbykonami]

Bladewolf: I possess an intellect far beyond human reckoning.
Raiden: You don't say. Okay then: What's the meaning of life? Why are we here?
Bladewolf: "I" am here to kill you.
Raiden: ... Pretty simple thinking for such a mighty intellect.

[BetweenTheLyons]

When he said HOOOooOOOOooOO I really felt that to my core.

[PvtGrifRED]

*I was not designed to fear termination*

[FreakinMagic]

"Sam put a fucking speaker in his sword" - Blade Wolf, pretty sure

[fireangel]

Raiden and Wolf are the "I'm not his owner, I'm his friend" type of dynamic, and I love it

[TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Blade Wolf - Raiden's guardian angel who gave him Sam's sword to finish off Armstrong

Goes to show that a dog is a man's best friend even if they're cyborgs and robots.

[hoitem]

0:00 Wind sounds
0:14 Spirit of The Wolf
0:48 Acoustic section
1:33 Hear him howl
1:44/1:45 Instrumental
3:46 Vocals added

4 days after making this comment, I have returned to celebrate the eighth anniversary of this fantastic mix.

[chryskazuma]

"Freedom cannot be forced on others. It must be earned for oneself." and in the end... he always knew the meaning of freedom

[ChanceTM]

“Two years, I’ve been working towards this, and on the last day, Blondie has me doubting the whole thing. We’ll leave it up to fate, then, shall we, Wolfy? A duel to the death. May the best man win. I cut him down, and that’s that. Back to our regularly scheduled international incident. But if he beats me… if I die here… the lock on my blade will disable after a couple hours. What happens after that… is up to you, Wolfy.” MonoChromium, son. ^^

[HouseDracul]

I can never get over how well-used this song is in conveying Wolf's mindset. When we chronologically hear it first with Sam, Wolf's passions are ignited and his thoughts are altered by interacting with Sam. Wolf is considering a better life, maybe for the first time in his existence.

In Wolf's own DLC, Hot Wind Blowing applies in equal measure to Blade Wolf and Khamsin, drawing a parallel with It Has To Be This Way.

When Wolf and Raiden fight, the lyrics are not heard for the first two phases of the fight, reflecting that Wolf is beaten down by Desperado's treatment of him. The burning passion Sam ignited is all but snuffed out by what seems to be an inescapable reality of servitude. Only when the fight turns against him and termination seems likely do his lyrics kick in. If Wolf is going to die, he might as well admit to himself what he really wants life to be like. What's it going to hurt now?

The final time the theme plays, it has neither words nor music. Wolf has surpassed Desperado, exercised his autonomy, and while things may not be perfect, he's his own Master now, and that counts for a lot to Blade Wolf.

[pkshd]

I'm personally of the opinion that Bladewolf's DLC was a huge wasted opportunity. Instead of showing his VR Training, we could have seen him go on a rampage with Sam, or maybe shown him clearing out enemies that were ahead of Raiden during the Mexico or Denver sections.

But also, an idea could be to have Bladewolf vs Armstrong be a purely stealth oriented battle. Bladewolf has to stalk through the base, searching for Armstrong and Metal Gear Excelsius. As the stage goes on, Raiden fights the Desperado soldiers, which keeps them distracted enough for Bladewolf sneak through the base virtually undetected. When he finds Armstrong, he decides to take the opportunity to get a cheap hunt kill on him. The O or B prompt appears, you hit it, and he leaps down, aiming his HF knife at Armstrong's chest... only for nanomachines to kick in and deflect the attack, and Armstrong reverses the hunt kill, punching Bladewolf into the crater Raiden finds him in later on.

[skylinetrading]

Bro 6 (now 10) years later and I’m still listening to this....words can’t even describe the feeling this remiXed soundtrack brings. Thank

[CommanderConvoy]

(Armstrong): Hmph. Even dead, that guy is a pain in my ass. Sooo...you think that little sword can save your master?
(Wolf)....no. Not yet.
(Raiden):..Wolf....?
(over codec)
(W): The lock still needs a few minutes before it will disable. I will keep him distracted.
(R): You...you don't have to...
(W): Is not the point of freedom to make your OWN choices?
(R): ....
(W): You have made yours. This is mine.
(out loud)
(A): Gettin' sick of waiting here, Jack! (leaps for Raiden, Wolf jumps in his way)
(W): Your target is me, Senator.
(A): Hmph. You know what? Fine. I'll kill you first. (yells) Then I'm coming for YOU, Jack!!!
(R): I hope you know what you;re doing, Wolf.
(W): do I.
(A): Let's go, fido!!
(W): Mission....(visor closes) *accepted.*

[XiasIV]

Every few years, MGR content returns like a locus swarm.

Like a collective conscious >_>

[undeadhound]

1:33 "Hear me Time to leave them all
I'm My Own Master

Majestic....

[michaellevin]

Mechanical my body may be, but the spirit of a true wolf, the most primal of hunters, still rages within. My directives are my instincts, my parameters my own abilities. I am my own master now, and I carve my own path.

The war will no longer wage within. I will wage that war myself to protect freedom.

Exterminate.

[relentlesschaos]

Wolf: "Raiden..." [with Sam's sword in his mouth]
0:14
Raiden: "Wolf?"
Wolf: "Begin Playback:"

[FirebrandXVI]

Alright, I think we're done here...

Raiden.

Wolf!

Begin playback.

_Heh. Two years I've been working towards this... and on the last day, blondie has me doubting the whole thing._
_We'll leave it up to fate then, shall we, Wolfie? A duel to the death, may the best man win._

Sam?!

_I cut him down, and that's that. Back to our regularly scheduled international incident. Heh heh..._
_But if he beats me... If I die here... the lock on my blade will disable after a couple hours._
_What happens after that... is up to you, Wolfie._

Hmph. Even dead, that guy is still a pain in my ass.
So, you think that sword can save your master, huh?
Well, go ahead.
But make no mistake, fido. When I'm done with him, you're next.

I was not designed to fear termination.

Hm?

However, directive zero one is to ensure all data acquired is preserved and passed along.
To expire here would violate that directive.

That's a good boy.

However, Raiden came to my aid. I have learned from him.
When Samuel fell, data analysis was inconclusive.
But that has changed.
I have established new parameters now. Created my own directives.

You little fuck!