I've not played / heard much of Assault, mostly because I read on this forum that Namco Museum Vol.4's port runs at half speed... so I wrote it off for now. Will have to give it a listen, as Hosoe's Namco stuff regularly blows my goddamn socks off with both its quality and eclecticism. I'd never have guessed the same guy was involved with Dragon Spirit/Saber and Ridge Racer Revolution.
Yeah CIT - it's amazing what a difference a good composer / programmer could make on the MD. I've been playing The Super Shinobi and Splatterhouse III this week, both games that make me crank the stereo right up... so many lesser MD sound works have precisely the opposite effect on me.
edit: see also lunatic stuff lke Contra Hard Corps'
"Format X." I refuse to play this game too late at night now, since the neighbour is a nice old granny, and hearing that song's "photocopier fucking a fax machine" staccato power chords (puncutated by regular car-crash explosion sfx) at anything less than shouting volume is simply unsatisfactory.