Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Five

Welcome to the final part of Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites for a little while. We have been through forty of my favorite soundtracks with me cherry-picking the best pieces from each game and broaching a bit about them. Today is no different as I have ten more terrific soundtracks to share from various different platforms including the Xbox 360, the Wii, and the Dreamcast. How about we get to steppin'?

Viva Pinata (360)

I mentioned this game's sequel in my top ten list of Rare-developed games, but the original Viva Pinata was the archetype for that game. Trouble in Paradise merely built upon the preexisting foundation that Viva Pinata created to make a better game. Viva Pinata is the kind of game that harks back to when Rare was in top form. The colorful charm and wild whimsy that their past successes with Nintendo were known for shined brightly with this title. The music was beautifully orchestrated with soothing strings, majestic-at-day, tranquil-at-night themes, and quaint melodies. You can clearly hear what I'm talking about with pieces like Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Night 2, and Night 3. There's a childlike sense of wonder to each song, don't you think?

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Wii)

A game that came out of nowhere, NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams featured a return to the familiar gameplay of the Sega Saturn classic with some adjustments in the form of new gameplay and the bad decision of allowing the two child protagonists, Will and Helen, to explore hub worlds. The new additions weren't necessary as fans just wanted pure NiGHTS gameplay. Leave it to Sonic Team to push more gameplay styles than they are fit to handle. If anything, Journey of Dreams gave players an outstanding soundtrack to listen to with songs like Eloquent Echo, Drifing Donbalon, Wandering Wildness, Electrical Entertainment, Merry Memory Go Round, Queen Bella's Ball, and the theme song for the series, Dreams, Dreams.

Chrono Cross (PS1)

Yasunori Mitsuda (Xenogears, Chrono Trigger) has yet another tremendous-sounding score with his work on Chrono Cross, one of the better PlayStation One era RPGs-- and there were a lot of them! Yes, some might argue that there were far too many extraneous party members to track down and take care of, but the world itself was enjoyable enough to explore, the story was gripping enough to be entertained by, and the music was and still is truly terrific. When you have tracks like the opening theme of Time's Scar, a brilliant boss theme in Dragon God, the sad The Girl Who Stole the Stars, both versions of the first town in the game, Arni Village with Home and Another, the shanty of Another Termina, and Forest of Illusion, how could you not get fully encompassed by Chrono Cross?

Breath of Fire (SNES, GBA)

Breath of Fire is truly a role-playing classic. It brought about a simple story of redemption, war, and dragons, an adventure-filled world, and plenty of enemies to slay. The music (done in part by Yoko Shimomura of Kingdom Hearts fame) is equally as wonderful. The Super Nintendo sound output always came off as better to me than the Sega Genesis's as most Genesis titles came off as rough and metallic. Blood Relations, Fate, Day and Night, Gentle Breeze, A Road, Battling, and Music City show off the brilliant musical minds of the composers included.

Sonic Adventure (DC)

With a new generation to be had and a transition into an all-new adventure in full 3D, Sonic Adventure led the charge and was one of the two most prominent Dreamcast launch titles, alongside SoulCalibur. Some didn't like the focus on rock of the soundtrack, but the bright and bouncy music was perfect for speeding through sparkling shores, racing down snowy mountains, and breaking all kinds of traffic laws in Speed Highway. Perhaps the best songs from Sonic Adventure include Welcome to Station Square, Azure Blue World, Windy Hill, Be Cool, Be Wild, and Be Groovy, Run Through the Speed Highway, Red Hot Skull, and Skydeck A Go Go!.

The World Ends With You (DS)

I was seriously impressed when I initially heard the sound quality coming out of the Nintendo DS systems small speakers. It wasn't the most astounding sound on the planet, but it was quite good. The World Ends With You showed many skeptics of Square Enix that they could still experiment and wind up with something good other than always heavily banking on Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The most popular songs are generally vocal pieces like Calling, Hybrid, Someday, Emptiness and, Give Me All Your Love, Game Over, and Twister. It is an eclectic mix of music, for sure.

Phantasy Star Online Episode I and II (GCN, XBX)

Why just settle with Phantasy Star Online when you can use the whole soundtrack from the GameCube and Xbox release of Phantasy Star Online Episode I and II? Well, that is exactly what I'm doing here. We have such fabulous themes from the original Episode I like The Whole New World, Can Still See the Light, You Have Nowhere to Go, and After the Story 2; and themes from Episode II such as A Longing to Ancient Time Part 1, Tricktrack Part 1, and The Frenzy Wilds. One thing that will seemingly always stay of high quality with Sonic Team is their stellar soundtracks.

Mega Man X5 (PS1)

Mega Man X5 started the downward slope in quality of the X series. Now, X5 wasn't a poor game (even though changing up the names of the Mavericks was a stupid decision); it just paled in comparison to its predecessor. However, the music across the series has retained its superb standards of quality. This is immediately apparent through songs like Grizzly Slash Stage, Squid Adler Stage, Izzy Glow Stage, Axel the Red Stage, Duff McWhalen Stage (a callback to Bubble Crab's Mega Man X2 stage) X vs. Zero, and Sigma 2nd. Not the best Mega Man X soundtrack, but a competent one all on its own.

Mario Party (N64)

Did you really think we could go through an edition of Killer Soundtracks without a mention of Mario? How about a second coming of Mr. Yasunori Mitsuda? The man behind more dignified-- if you will-- works lent his ability to the first Mario Party game, which still holds its place as the franchise's best musical outing yet. Themes like Rainbow Castle, Tropical Island, Engine Room, Play a Mini-Game!, Hit or Miss Chance Time, Ending, and Eternal Star fill me with such happy nostalgia.

The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (Wii)

I was very glad to find that some YouTube users had uploaded music from this grossly overlooked game in the Nintendo Wii's library. It's The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, based off an anime. One reason that the title remains in my memory is the sensational score. Intense air battles were common for the game, and the accompanying music made the action all the more profound to play. The pickings are slim as to what is represented of the music on YouTube, so here are the available examples for your listening pleasure: First Sky Duel, Rally, Critical Briefing, VS Kaida, and VS Orishina Final Final Battle.

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Did you somehow miss a previous part of Killer Soundtracks? Shame on you! Well, no worries as I have all four previous installments listed below for your convenience. Hop to it!

Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part One
Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Two 
Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Three 
Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Four

Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Four

Time to brighten your Thursday with Part Four of Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites. I hope you have gotten to know my tastes in music through these special articles. If not, well, perhaps I need to get my point across better or you need to pay better attention. Regardless, enjoy ten more video game soundtracks that I just happen to adore. 

Banjo-Kazooie (N64, XBLA)

Banjo-Kazooie is one of my favorite 3D platformers of all time, and for good reason-- it has plenty of challenging jumps, a lovely sense of humor, colorful graphics, and loads of challenge. The soundtrack is also a plus for me, featuring such tracks as the mischievous Gruntilda's Lair, the tropical Treasure Trove Cove, the sensational strings of Freezeey Peak, the peppy Click Clock Wood, the xylophone-filled Bubblegloop Swamp, the industrial Rusty Bucket Bay, and the dramatic Final Battle.

Diddy Kong Racing (N64)

David Wise does his compositional duties wonderfully well with a cheery soundtrack with lots of life with his Diddy Kong Racing soundtrack. Who couldn't have nostalgic flashbacks with songs like Ancient Lake, Jungle Falls, Hot Top Volcano, Crescent Island, Frosty Village, Darkmoon Caverns, and Wizpig Challenge? Well, unless you never played DKR, then shame on you! Diddy Kong Racing remains the best kart racer in its genre, and it's a shame that we won't see a proper sequel. 

Perfect Dark Zero (360)

A heavily rock-centric soundtrack (but that's not all there is to it), Perfect Dark Zero was my most played launch title of the Xbox 360. And then the system and I sort of parted ways after the menagerie of shooters and Western-themed games took over. That said, the music by David Clynick is quite good. You have a familiar theme in Combat Arena, hard rock songs like Glitter Girl (Dark Side), Subway Retrieval (Descent), Rooftops Escape Main Theme, Trinity Escape Main Theme, and Bridge Assault (Action), as well as the soothing beats of River Extraction (Lab Escape).

Sonic Unleashed (PS3, 360)

One part good game, one part bad game, Sonic Unleashed was an interesting experiment, harmed by the questionable decision of adding the completely sluggish and slow Werehog Sonic into the mix. That said, like all (and I do mean all) Sonic Team games, Sonic Unleashed is supported by a stellar soundtrack of fast tempo tunes and terrific hub world tracks. You have the "inspirational" opening theme in Endless Possibility. You have various songs to speed through levels to such as Windmill Isle - Day, Savannah Citadel - Day, Cool Edge - Day, and Rooftop Run - Day and hub world themes like Empire City - Day and Shamar - Night. A nice mix of music indeed.

LocoRoco 2 (PSP)

Not like any other soundtrack you have ever heard, the LocoRoco 2 soundtrack is certainly... eccentric, no? You can tell with such songs like dadhi dado da, muimui house, muimui (my favorite of the themes), buibui, Moja's Song, uwauwau, and arten daffu. The LocoRoco series utilizes its own made-up language, so don't feel the need to try to translate any of the lyrics you here. LocoRoco 2 is one of more creative and charming titles in the PSP software library, and it is a game that I cannot recommend enough as it launched at the price of twenty dollars. It is bound to be cheaper now.

Viewtiful Joe (PS2, GCN)

Viewtiful Joe is a series that will most likely and sadly never see another installment. Sure, Capcom teases with the character's inclusion in games like Tatsunoko VS. Capcom and Marvel VS. Capcom 3, but fans like me can see the writing on the wall. If Capcom turned its collective back on their main mascot Mega Man, why would they bother with a lesser known character? While you are now depressed, why not check out these tracks from the first Viewtiful Joe such as Some Like It Red Hot, Let's Ride Six Machine, The Viewtiful Escape, Another Joe, Inferno Lord, and Standing Ovation?

F-Zero GX (GCN)

F-Zero GX is a fantastic futuristic racer, but man, is it supremely difficult. Sega's Amusement Vision and Nintendo teamed up to create this high velocity arcade-style racer, and it still impresses both gameplay-wise and graphically to this day. The music is also great, showcasing genres like techno and rock. You have theme songs of the pilots like Captain Falcon, Dr. Stewart, Mrs. Arrow, Phoenix, and Princia Ramode as well as track themes such as Fire Field's Feel Our Pain, Aeropolis' ZEN, and Casino Palace's Shotgun Kiss. I like how the track themes change when you are on the final lap to something even more intense.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii)

The London 2012 Olympics are almost here. Can you feel it? Even with the long wait that didn't stop Mario, Sonic, and their friends to get a jump on the ceremonies and have their own pair of games (Wii and 3DS) to participate in the global event. The soundtrack itself is made up of remixes of past Mario and Sonic games like Mario Kart: Double Dash's Mario Circuit, New Super Mario Bros.' Underwater Theme, Sonic Heroes' Grand Metropolis, as well as Sonic & Knuckles' Flying Battery Zone, and totally new themes like Badminton, Beach Volleyball, and Football. Some of the mini-games don't work so well (just a handful, really), but Mario and Sonic's latest Olympic outing is definitely worth a look, especially for Olympic fans.

Final Fantasy IV (SNES, PS1, PSP, DS)

Over these past four parts of Killer Soundtracks I have posted a lot of music from the Final Fantasy series. It is one of the best franchises for music, and our journey through the series takes us to Final Fantasy IV, most likely my most played entry of the mainline titles. Nobuo Uematsu moved from the basic 8-bit sounds of the Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom to the Super Nintendo/Super Famicom to blow the doors off the joint in style. We have such unforgettable tracks like Red Wings, Battle 2, Into the Darkness, Mt. Ordeals, Battle With the Four Fiends, Giott, the Great King, and The Big Whale. A true classic in every sense of the word.

Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)

From one Square game to another, we have Kingdom Hearts II on our proverbial plates to listen to now. Composed by the incomparable Yoko Shimomura, this soundtrack captures the whimsical nature of the Disney brand to a "T." We have the soothing Lazy Afternoons for Twilight Town, the bouncy battle theme Working Together, the chorus-backed Fragments of Sorrow, the theme of Beast's Castle Waltz of the Damned, the majestic Olympus Coliseum, the rocking Hazardous Highway, and the ending theme of Fantasia Alla Marcia. Nothing better than exploring Disney worlds with Sora, Donald, and Goofy with some lovely music playing overhead.

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Ten more of my favorite soundtracks have been unveiled. Next week, Part Five will be posted. Until then, why not check out a previous part of Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites?

Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part One
Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Two 
Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Three 

Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Three

Music makes the world go 'round, and it is something I feel like a bit of a connoisseur about. Y'know, but without being all snotty and uppity. This makes three weeks in a row that I am sharing my personal favorite soundtracks from unforgettable video games, some more memorable than others. I hope with this part of Killer Soundtracks, like the two that came before it, it will have you listening and enjoying the samples of songs I link to. With that out of the way, let's get ten more soundtracks some time under the sun.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

Quite possibly one of my most cherished Zelda soundtracks, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the first time featured a full orchestra for the majority of musical pieces. Hajime Wakai, Shibo Fujii, Mahito Yokota, Takeshi Hama, and Koji Kondo all lent their creative compositional expertise to this stellar soundtrack. Note: the track names are entirely unofficial. We have the familiar classic of File Select on one hand while on the other we have new classics like Romance Theme 1, the Asian flair of Bamboo Isle, a boss theme in Koloktos/Moldarach, the full choir of Final Ghirahim, the overly triumphant theme of the Staff Roll (featuring Ballad of the Goddess and The Legend of Zelda Main Theme), and the beautiful piano-filled Fi's Farewell. While nostalgia tells me that A Link to the Past has the better music, Skyward Sword is still up there as one of the best.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

Speaking of Mahito Yakota, he lent his abilities to the superb Super Mario Galaxy 2 soundtrack. I actually prefer the sequel's music to the original, but it really is a heated race between the two. I mean, how can you not love fully symphonic pieces like the familiar Throwback Galaxy, Bowser's Galaxy Generator, the increasing tension of Melty Monster Galaxy, the grandiose nature of Final Bowser Battle with full choir, Haunty Halls Galaxy with the returning Ghost House theme from Super Mario World, the super perky Puzzle Plank Galaxy, and the second homage to Super Mario 64, Bowser's Lava Lair?

Jet Force Gemini (N64)

The composers at Rare, as proven last week by their incredibly impressive Perfect Dark soundtrack, are some kinds of sorcerers. How they managed to push the Nintendo 64's sound card is anyone's guess. Seriously, feel free to guess-- I'm all ears. Anyway, the team once more put forth an excellent treat for the ears with Jet Force Gemini's wondrous soundtrack. There's the militant march of Character Select for starters, Rith Essa, S.S. Anubis, Eschebone, Sekhmet, Ichor Military Base, and the ultra tense Boss Battle theme. Jet Force Gemini amazed me way back when it released in 1999 or so and it absolutely floors me now in retrospect.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES)

Yoko Shimomura (mostly known for her work on the Kingdom Hearst franchise) contributed the lion's share of music for Mario's first foray into the RPG genre, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. It would also be Square's last game on a Nintendo system for an extended period of time. Of course, we all know tracks like Beware the Forest's Mushrooms and Hello, Happy Kingdom (which would get a remix in the Wii's Fortune Street), but what about lesser talked about themes like Fight Against An Armed Boss, The Merry Marry Bell Rings, Going Shopping in Ripple Town, Let's Do the Fooka-Fooka!, and Goodbye, Geno? Those are all tremendous tracks worthy of one's attention. A cute, quaint, and charming soundtrack, Super Mario RPG is near and dear to my heart.

MadWorld (Wii)

From cute, quaint, and charming to brutal, violent, and visceral, MadWorld's music is mostly vocal. It's also quite explicit lyrics-wise, so be forewarned, you younger scamps who visit SuperPhillip Central! The majority of music is hip-hop, rap, and hard rock. You can hear this in songs like Come With It, Survival, You Don't Know Me, the Asian beat of Ain't That Funny, Crazy, Body That which was used in the North American ads for the game, and the credits theme, Get It Up. I generally dislike the types of music MadWorld contains, but something in the game infected my mind like a brain worm.

Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)

How do you segue from rap to the gentle, flowing tunes of the adorable Kirby's Epic Yarn? I'm a good writer, but I'm not that good. Regardless, Tomoya Tomita penned and possibly performed the majority of music for this simple-to-beat game. The piano-heavy music really complemented the easygoing nature of Epic Yarn. You have songs like Fountain Gardens, VS. Fangora, Snowy Fields, Lava Landing, Outer Rings, and last but not least, the recital-sounding Patch Castle. Like I said, the music marvelously matches the calm nature and pace of Kirby's Epic Yarn.

Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii)

Now, here's a simple segue. Both Kirby's Epic Yarn and Wario Land: Shake It! were developed by Good-Feel. They're talented people who work at the company, and the quality of their titles is pretty good. While Epic Yarn had more of a piano focus, Shake It! branches out much more to incorporate a wide menagerie of musical instruments. We have the Latin-flavor of Launchpad Labyrinth, the Egyptian-flavor of Whoopsy Desert, the African rhythm of Savannah Valley, the professional piano of Gurgle Gulch and Run-Down Pyramid, the glitzy Glittertown (as inspired by Wario World), and the rocking Windbreak Bay. Wario Land: Shake It! supplies listeners with an abundant array of themes from multiple musical genres in fine fashion.

Mega Man X6 (PS1)

Now, if you have followed SPC for an lengthy period of time, you know my thoughts on Mega Man X6. It wasn't a really good game. In fact, a lot of it was pretty bad. That is except for the music which was sensational. We rocked out to Blaze Heatnix Stage (Magma Area), and even after hearing it loop over and over again while fighting the same mid-boss in different arenas, the song still holds up. Then there's great tracks like Gate's Laboratory 1-2, Commander Yammark Stage (Amazon Area), Shieldner Sheldon Stage (Laser Institute), Infinity Mijinion Stage (Weapon Center), Gate, and Sigma 2nd. I'm not saying such songs make up for a less-than-stellar game, but it did make the experience all the more bearable.

Sonic CD (SCD)

There are two versions of the Sonic CD soundtrack-- the JPN/PAL soundtrack and the U.S. soundtrack. I am in the camp that prefers the latter. I find the JPN/PAL one to be too goofy and not having as many memorable melodies and songs as the U.S. one. It could also have to do with the fact that I grew up on the U.S. soundtrack. We have numerous cool and soothing to hard and rocking songs like Palmtree Panic Zone (Present), Palmtree Panic Zone (Bad Future), Collision Chaos Zone (Good Future), Stardust Speedway Zone (Good Future), Stardust Speedway Zone (Bad Future), Wacky Workbench Zone (Present), and Special Stage. Overall, a nice soundtrack, though I do like Japan's Palmtree Panic Zone (Present) version.

Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PSP)

Ys: The Oath in Felghana was an unexpected surprise and my first encounter with the Ys series, one that I wish to dive into even further after finishing off Felghana. One reason (other than the brilliant action gameplay, of course) is the music, remade and remixed for the PSP. If you didn't like the PSP's music, you could switch to the originals. But why do that when you get wonderful songs like the final boss theme of The Greatest Foe, The Boy's Got Wings, the theme of the clock tower, Sealed Time, dungeons themes like A Searing Struggle, Steeling the Will to Fight, Snare of Darkness, and Be Careful? Combining violin with electric guitar and synth made the PSP version of the Ys: The Oath in Felghana soundtrack amazing to the ears.

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If you somehow missed a previous part of Killer Soundtracks, you can easily get to them through one of the following links:

Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part One
Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Two 

As for everyone else, what did you think about Part Three's soundtrack and song selections? Give me a holler in the comments section.

Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part Two

Last week I posted Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part One. This segment was where I listed ten of my all-time favorite video game soundtracks to share with the SPC community. I'm back at it again with Part Two this week. As many longtime readers know, I adore music. It doesn't matter if it's classic rock, classical, or whatever. If it has a good melody, I'm appeased. What soundtracks do I have in store to share this go around? No sense in waiting to find out; go see for yourself.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

The Super Smash Bros. Brawl soundtrack is an unprecedented one. Nearly every Japanese bigwig video game composer stepped in to recreate a piece of music from Nintendo's huge repertoire of games. You get original tracks like Nobuo Uematsu's (Final Fantasy) Main Theme and Motoi Sakuraba's Final Destination, remarkable remixes like Donkey Kong Country's King K. Rool/Ship Deck 2, The Legend of Zelda's Title Theme, the Ending of Yoshi's Story, Pokemon's Road to Virdian City, F-Zero's Mute City, Fire Emblem's Theme, and Mario Golf/Mario Tennis, to name several. I wonder if the next Smash Bros. game will have a score that can even be half as good as Brawl's.

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PS2)

Even with the kooky plot twist towards the end of the game, I still enjoyed my time with Till the End of Time, the third installment of the Star Ocean franchise. While Motoi Sakuraba does not outdo his previous The Second Story soundtrack, he does deliver a grandiose offering of music fit for this excellent RPG. Such notable tracks include a guitar-heavy dungeon theme, Expiration, a cutscene-driven song, Starless Wavelets, Into a Storm Not Memorized, the forlorn Requiem for a Saint, an awesome battle theme in The Divine Spirit of Language, the theme heard in Star Ocean 3's extra dungeons, Mission to the Deep Space, and the genuinely beautiful Brilliant Future.

Star Fox Assault (GCN)

Say what you will about the quality of the game, but I was blown away by Star Fox Assault's symphonic soundtrack, full of strings, brass, and soothing sometimes, striking at other times melodies and harmonies. Such an impressive version of the Star Wolf theme, militant themes like Sauria, triumphant themes like Katina, tense tracks like Fortuna, Boss 1 and Fichina, and the excellent final boss theme, Queen Battle (Part 2). Hearing my favorite Star Fox 64 themes backed by an orchestra made for a tremendous experience for me. Star Fox Assault is truly an underrated gem only mired by a few outstanding flaws.

Mega Man X4 (PS1, SAT)

Mega Man X4 is one of my favorite games, and the music is only one reason as to why. Pressing New Game automatically sends you into the first level of the game where this theme is heard, Opening Stage X (Sky Lagoon). Then you have Maverick stages like Cyber Peacock Stage (Cyber Space), the fast-paced (in both level terms and musical terms) Jet Stingray Stage (Marine Base), Slash Beast Stage (Military Train), and Storm Owl Stage (Air Force). Then you have the last two stage themes, Final Weapon Stage 1 (Spaceport) and the foreboding Final Weapon Stage 2 (Final Weapon). Even in synth, Mega Man X4's music still gels with me quite well.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

What can you say about this classic SNES game that hasn't already been said? In my view, it's the greatest 2D Zelda, and it's one of the best Zelda games period. From the all too familiar Overworld to Hyrule Castle, from the Dark World to the Sanctuary Dungeon, A Link to the Past has a myriad of memorable melodies and tunes to choose from. I cannot do the soundtrack justice by just choosing seven tracks, but I shall anyway. Even though you will grow weary of the Boss theme when the giant worm Moldorm knocks you off the top floor time and time again, it is an infectious beat and melody. And then you have the quaint and charming tune of Kakariko Village which would once again be heard in Ocarina of Time. Finally, there's the confounding Lost Woods theme I have to share.

Wild Arms (PS1)

An early PlayStation One RPG, Wild Arms' soundtrack was composed by the talented Michiko Naruke. The score and world are heavily influenced by the Old American West and Native American lore. It shows in songs like the opening theme, To the End of the Wilderness, Town, and Courage (Dungeon). Other tracks I adore include the touching Funeral Procession, the chilling chants of Return to Ashes, the heroic Adlehyde Castle and Morning of the Journey, and the final boss theme, Battle ZIEK. Michiko Naruke provides a professionally constructed soundtrack worthy of the Wild Arms name.

Perfect Dark (N64, XBLA)

I have said on this very blog that the composers at Rare are absolute geniuses. Perfect Dark's music only provides more needless evidence to this fact. Perfect Dark is full of *ahem* perfect tracks to spy on the sinister Datadyne corporation to. We're talking pieces like Pelagic II Exploration, Chicago Stealth, Air Base Espionage, Crash Site Confrontation, Datadyne Central Extraction, Skedar Ruins Battle Shrine, and the main theme turned rocking Ending Theme. Listening to these songs not only brings forth a massive wave of nostalgia, but it also makes me sad to see what Rare has become.

Sonic Heroes (PS2, GCN, XBX)

Sonic Heroes introduced four teams of three for its fourteen some-odd levels. There was Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose, and Team Chaotix to play as. Jun Senoue and friends certainly stepped up their game to provide background music for the blistering fast levels. You get the bright and cheery Seaside Hill, the gentle rock sounds of Grand Metropolis, the bouncy Casino Park, the highly rockin' Bullet Station, and the final level in Final Fortress. You even get vocal themes like Sonic Heroes, Follow Me, and What I'm Made Of. Sonic Heroes certainly has a more colorful soundtrack than most Sonic games.

Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)

The most recent game to be inducted into my "My Personal Favorites" list, Kid Icarus: Uprising took five superb composers (Motoi Sakuraba, Yuzo Koshiro, Masafumi Takada, Noriyuki Iwadare, and Yasunori Mitsuda) and gave them free reign to do anything they wanted with the Uprising soundtrack. This created one fantastic orchestral score. I love songs like The Return of Palutena, Mitsuda's Boss Fight 1, Sakuraba's The Reaper's Line of Sight, the brass-heavy Aurum Island, the hard rock Lightning Battle (great song), the triumphant Magnus's Theme, and the epic Medusa's Final Battle. As you play through Kid Icarus: Uprising, the music transports you into the action as if you were flying alongside Pit the angel himself! A terrific soundtrack indeed. It is a must listen!

Mario Hoops 3 on 3 (DS)

Cherry picking some themes from Mario's past, Mario Hoops 3 on 3 does in fact borrow some melodies from previous Mario games, but most of the music is entirely original. It's also supremely catchy. I am referring to tracks like Mario Stadium, the surf guitar-filled Koopa Beach, the great workout tune of Sherbet Land, jazzy tracks like Luigi Mansion and Junior Street, and the beautiful bombs of Peach Field and Daisy Garden. Mario Hoops 3 on 3 is without a doubt a wonderful Nintendo DS soundtrack, possibly one of the absolute bests.

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That just about wraps it up for Part Two of Killer Soundtracks. Did you enjoy the samples I provided? Which soundtracks of these ten did you love the most? Don't be shy. I read all comments, and I try to respond to the ones that resonate somehow with me.

Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites, Part One

Coming fresh off the heels of beginning the next 100 VGMs is a new article celebrating video game music and all of its eccentricities! I promised I would be revealing my most cherished soundtracks, the ones that are just as strong today as when I first played the games they accompanied. For Part One of this feature I have ten soundtracks to share from games from consoles and handhelds far and wide. Let's see which ones make the grade!

Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

Final Fantasy VI is in my mind Nobuo Uematsu's magnum opus. It is the culmination of all of his compositional prowess. You get the World of Balance theme, Terra, you have the fight with the weapons in The Fierce Battle, the theme of flying in the World of Ruin in Searching For Friends, the fabulous boss theme in The Decisive Battle, one of my favorite town themes in Kids Run Through the City, the hauntingly beautiful theme of The Phantom Forest, the glorious character theme of Celes, and of course, the big one, Dancing Mad. It is the bounty of memorable tunes that makes Final Fantasy VI one of my favorites.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (GCN)

I adore the soundtrack of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for its worldly instruments and its wonderful music by Kuni Tanioka. The opening song is Kaze no Ne while you have incredible dungeon themes such as When the Northern Sky Is Clear, Magii is Everything, and Daemon's Court. You also get the fast-paced boss theme, Monster's Dance ~Rondo~. Then there's town tunes like Amidatti, And Eleonor Too and the lovely A Gentle Wind Blows. Darn it-- now I want to play Crystal Chronicles all over again!

Star Ocean: The Second Story (PS1)/Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP)

Whether you are playing the original second Star Ocean or its PSP port with character portraits and voice acting, you are definitely going to get a healthy dose of excellent video game music thanks in total by veteran composer Motoi Sakuraba. You have breaths of fresh air like The Venerable Forest and Pyroxene, you have town themes like Shower of Blossoms, Walk Over, and Let's Walk in a Parade, the sad Theme of RENA, and tense tunes like Rescue Operation and Dynamite, the boss song. Whatever your preference in music, Star Ocean 2 most likely has something for you.

Sonic Adventure 2 (DC)

I never owned the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast, but that didn't stop me from playing Sonic Adventure 2. It thankfully came the Nintendo GameCube's way in the form of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. Jun Senoue and friends provided a rocking at times, jazzy at other times soundtrack. Escape From the City, That's the Way I Like It, Won't Stop, Just Go!, and Keys the Ruin make up my favorite blue blur themes while other character themes like This Way Out and Rumbling HWY for Tails' stages, Soarin' Over the Space for Dr. Eggman, and the cool feeling Bright Sound and Lovely Gate 3 for the cleavage-showing bat Rouge. Not only the best Sonic the Hedgehog soundtrack in his 3D escapades, but it is just fun to listen to outside the game.

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

The fine and ultra-talented composers at Rare pushed the Super Nintendo's sound drivers as much as Rare's graphical side pushed how far the Super Nintendo's technical capabilities could be shoved. It most indubitably shows too. Atmospheric tunes like the underwater sloshing of Lockjaw's Saga, the volcano journey of Hot-Head Bop will full lava bubble sounds, the buzzing of bees in Flight of the Zinger, and the peaceful tranquility of Forest Interlude made for an engaging OST. But it didn't end there. Tracks like Snakey Chantey, borrowing the melody of the original DKC's Gang-Plank Galleon, Disco Train, and the fan-favorite in Stickerbush Symphony led the way to make Donkey Kong Country 2's soundtrack my favorite of the Super Nintendo era.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

To make a play-on words, the soundtrack of Super Mario Galaxy is without a doubt out of this world. Who would have thought that Mario's space epic would be backed by an entire orchestral score? You have sensational galaxy themes like Egg Planet, Wind Garden, Floater Land, Stardust Road, Battlerock, Hell Prominence, and Galaxy Plant. Mahito Yokota-- who previously worked on the music for the GameCube's Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat-- wrote most of Mario Galaxy's music. Sometimes I found myself sitting in a particularly galaxy with Mario in an idling animation just so I could hear the soundtrack for extended periods of time. Sure, it's even more exhilarating to have the symphonic score accompany Mario's platforming pursuits, but that's just how good the music really is.

Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1)/
War of the Lions (PSP)

Get enough Final Fantasy yet? Final Fantasy Tactics is most likely my favorite PlayStation 1 soundtrack. Its majestic, poignant, and medieval themes set against a war-torn world in Ivalice make for a stunning and moving score. The game's music is one of the few that makes me heavily nostalgic. Yes, Final Fantasy Tactics has had various spinoffs, but none come close to the original article. I love the beauty that is Ovelia's Theme and Ovelia's Worries, or the jaunty Tutorial theme. Then there's such tremendous battle tunes that get the heart racing as you make strategies to clear the map of enemies with songs like Apoplexy, Battle on the Bridge, Decisive Battle, and Trisection. I'm not going to say the soundtrack alone makes the game worth buying, but it's pretty darn close.

Katamari Damacy (PS2)

I mentioned something about my eccentricities earlier in this article. Well, if there is one game that is full of eccentric music, it has to be Katamari Damacy. Have a favorite genre of music? Katamari probably has you covered. From jazz in A Crimson Rose and a Gin Tonic and Que Sera Sera to hard rock in Katamari Love to just random craziness in Lonely Rolling Star and You Are Smart, the varying musical stylings of the game are present and accounted for. Who doesn't love a choir of young children with Cherry Blossom Color Season? You'd have to have no soul if you don't.

Mega Man X (SNES)

Even though Capcom doesn't care for the blue bomber anymore, I will always have a soft spot for Mega Man and his many forms. My favorite would have to be Mega Man X. The quality of his games dipped between X5-X7, but X8 got him back on track in my opinion. Songs like Opening Stage, Spark Mandrill, Flame Mammoth, Storm Eagle, Armored Armadillo, Sigma Stage 1, and Zero's Theme all kick serious robotic butt and still sound pleasant on the ears to this day. Mega Man X is one of the greatest Super Nintendo games in existence. The PSP remake is good, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original great.

Xenogears (PS1)

Yasunori Mitsuda was listed as my fifth favorite composer of all time on a list I did way back when, and for good reason, he has brilliant range. Xenogears is a soundtrack that makes this point highly evident. With the score you get such songs like the opening theme, Star of Tears, the timeless and charming My Village is Number One, the better-get-outta-here-now theme Fuse, the militant Flight, one of my favorite airship themes in Wings, the final boss theme Awakening, the chilling and powerful epilogue song The Beginning and the End, and finally, one of the best vocal songs in gaming, Small of Two Pieces. You want to know how I know this soundtrack is outstanding? I've never made it very far in this game, and I still adore the music.

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Did you enjoy listening to some of the samples I listed? What soundtracks from video games are your favorite? Nonetheless, stay tuned next week for Part Two of Killer Soundtracks - My Personal Favorites! I'll have ten more excellent scores to share.