VG Soundtrack of the Day 062: Perfect Dark

The year 2000 was the year that at long last Perfect Dark was released on the N64. The game was a highly anticipated follow up to 1997's GoldenEye 007, a game that helped cement the N64 as a multiplayer machine. Perfect Dark was like better GoldenEye with far more weapons, levels and customizable options to use in multiplayer matches. A big favorite of mine was the option to choose your background music to listen to while you run around killing your friends. Perfect Dark's soundtrack is very sci-fi, fitting for a game that features lots of futuristic weaponry and aliens. Music comes in two flavors, the standard, normal level them and the X version of that theme, a more pumped up, much faster paced jam. I was a big fan of the X tunes, specifically dataDyne Central: Defection X. I picked that song so many times it irked my friends. Also, wow this game is 20 years old! Where has the time gone?

Perfect Dark (YouTube)

VG Soundtrack of the Day Database

Great Gaming Weapons & Items Vol. 1

Where does he/she get those wonderful toys? From dropped mooks, fallen Robot Masters, "?" Blocks and a dozen other places, of course!. Video games have given us some of the best weapons and items to play around with, the likes of which would make 007 jealous. In this ongoing feature, we look at some of gaming's greatest.

Metal Blade - Mega Man 2 (NES)

There are a number opponents you could choose to lay the smack down on first in Mega Man 2. But if you want to posses the game's ultimate weapon, you'll be a smart little metallic boy and kill Metal Man first. Metal Man's weapon, the Metal Blade is a weapon of mass destruction. You can throw three of them at once. They can be tossed in eight different directions, which is great since Mega Man can usually only fire in two directions. The Metal Blade doesn't consume much weapon energy, so it can be spammed. Not only does it reduce most of the regular enemies in the game to scrap metal, half of the Robot Masters are weak to it, including Metal Man himself. If there is a downside to the Metal Blade it would be that the thing is way too over powered to the point of making the other special weapons almost useless.

Hammer Suit - Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

What could be better than throwing fireballs? Throwing highly destructive hammers, of course! Like actual Hammer Bros., the Hammer Suit allows Mario and Luigi to throw hammers in an arc. This does give you less range than the Fire Flower, but the Hammer Suit easily outclasses the Fire Flower in every other area. The hammers thrown pack quite the powerful punch, offing many of the enemies that the Fire Flower can't even damage like Boos, Thwomps, Dry Bones and even the king of all Koopas, Bowser. You'll lose your ability to slide down slopes, but the trade off in some highly protective armor thanks to the shell that makes you impervious to fire based attacks. Unfortunately Hammer Suits are in short supply and the game doesn't start granting you access to it until World 6, and from there on, hanging on to god-like abilities is pretty difficult.

Spiny Shell - Mario Kart Series

Also known as the Blue Shell, this is perhaps the ultimate destroyer of hopes and dreams. Once thrown, the Spiny Shell seeks out whomever is in the lead and deals out swift, often unavoidable punishment. An added bonus is that anyone in close enough to the racer in 1st will share the same terrible fate due to the Spiny Shell's wide blast radius. Yes, it truly does suck to be on the receiving end of a Blue Shell, but when you're the one throwing it? The rush of power, however brief, is exhilarating! Knowing that you completely and utterly wrecked someone's day feels unfathomably good. It might cost you a friendship or two but on the whole? Worth it.


Laptop Gun - Perfect Dark (N64, XB)

A gun dressed up as a standard laptop computer. That is cool in and of itself but the weapon not only sports a stylish, sleek design, but its a pretty useful weapon to have in your hands to boot. It's secondary function is that of a sentry that can be mounted on nearly any surface and given its rather quick rate of fire it can easily fill someone up with holes and make them stop existing. There's endless fun to be had with this bad boy in multiplayer mode.

Spread Gun - Contra Series

Moving from one gun to another, in a game like Contra where you're constantly under fire from all sides, having a weapon that can cover a wide range is something you won't want to pass up. While most other guns fire off in a straight line, range is the name of the game when it comes to the Spread Gun, shooting widely in five directions at once. The damage output on the Spread is also quite high, which can make taking out multiple stronger targets a breeze and in a tough as nails franchise like Contra, you need all the help you can get. Don't even think twice about sacrificing your friend's life if you have to to get one of these. The loss will not have been in vain.

Perfect Dark Dual CD Soundtrack

Grant Kirkhope continues to be one of the coolest dudes around, offering up soundtracks that he wrote games for at a name your price/free download. First it was Banjo-Kazzoie, then Banjo-Tooie and now, the N64 classic Perfect Dark.

The Perfect Dark Dual CD Soundtrack is a digital re-release of the album of the very same name that was originally available through Nintendo Power Supplies catalog. Now the whole 2 disc soundtrack can be yours in MP3, FLAC and other formats for the price of your choosing or free if you're broke, cheap or don't feel like shelling out any cash.

Like the music from the N64 hit GoldenEye 007, each level theme comes in two flavors, the normal stage theme and the X version of the normal theme. The X version is a used speed up tempos of the original theme to make for more dramatic audio. Track 4 dataDyne Central Defection is the standard theme but at about 3:41, the more frantic X version of the theme kicks in. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I turned on the X version of dataDyne Central Defection in Combat Simulator mode. Speaking of multiplayer, Combat Simulator Menu is one of the best menu themes in the history of menu themes.

If you really need anymore motivation to download this soundtrack, there's Carrington Villa Hostage One, Carrington Institute, Alien Conflict, Chicago Stealth, the Ending Credits, Dark Combat and dozen other great tracks I could link you to. More than twelve years after it's release, Perfect Dark still has some of the most memorable music in a FPS. You'd be hard pressed to come across a physical copy so a digital version at no cost is more than welcome. Please keep the soundtrack goods coming, Mr. Kirkhope.

Perfect Dark Dual CD Soundtrack

Favorite Tunes #10: Select/Menu Themes

Choose your destination. Yeah, it's a cool way of saying that you're selecting your fighter, character or stage. There have been some pretty outstanding select themes in gaming. It wasn't easy to keep the number of these low but I controlled myself and narrowed it down to ten.

Are You Ready? - Tekken 2 (PSX)

The PlayStation version of Tekken 2 was my entry to the series and received some nifty bonus features over it's arcade counterpart, chief among them being an arranged soundtrack. The arranged character select theme from Tekken 2 is unique in that it's far longer than most fighting game roster select screens. In most fighting games, you'll have heard the select tune in it's entirety within the first 20 seconds. Tekken 2's arranged character select track is nearly two minutes long and it is amazing. The only down side? Since you only get 20 seconds to pick your fighter, you didn't get to hear the entire song! And in 1996 that was just about everyone that wasn't living in Japan. There were two distinct soundtracks for Tekken 2, one that was for the arcade version's music, while the other featured the arranged PlayStation music. But thanks to YouTube and this feature, you can hear all of it. You're welcome.

Stage Select - Mega Man 3 (NES)

In my humble opinion, Mega Man 3 has the best stage select music from the entire classic series. It's a fast paced tuned that has a sinister undertone to it that let's you know that Rock's journey will be long and not as easy as the previous one. For many people, Mega Man 3 is a very hard game. The first eight robot masters are tough to kill with just the Mega Buster, the Doc Robots are much tougher than the Mega Man 2 originals and the stage design can be quite brutal. And even with all that, Mega Man 3 is a lot of people's favorite classic Mega Man game, myself included. The bulk of Mega Man 3's score was done by Yasuaki Fujita, who goes by the alias of Bunbun in Capcom games, which has got to be one of the coolest aliases of all-time.

Level Select - Mighty Switch Force! (3DS Ware)

Have you played Mighty Flip Champs or Mighty Milky Way? If so, this tune, while updated, will sound very familiar to you. It seems to have turned into the main theme for the Mighty series. A very upbeat tune that's great to whistle aloud and makes for a fine ringtone. I hope we get a fourth Mighty game just so I can hear what Jake Kaufman would do with this wonderful theme.

File Select - Super Mario 64 (N64)

So much about Super Mario 64 was awesome. It had fantastic controls, jaw dropping worlds to explore and some of the best Bowser fights in the entire Super Mario series. The music is also among veteran composer Koji Kondo's best works. The File Select theme is vastly underappreciated tune in a sea of fantastic tracks. Numerous times I'd hesitate to select my file because I wanted to let this tune play. Even now I can clearly hear Mario saying "Okie-dokie!" after pressing the A button.

Pick of the Litter - Skullgirls (XBLA, PSN)

A sexy-looking 2D fighting game that has a wide assortment of jazzy themes? Sign me up! Being a huge fan of jazz and contemporary jazz, I was in awe of Skullgirls' compositions. Pick of the Litter is one of the longest character select themes of any fighting game, going over a full minute before it starts to loop. It's a very relaxing theme, unlike a lot of fighting games. Instead of trying to pump you up for a fight, Pick of the Litter is more along the lines of encouraging you to chill out. I've listened to this song on repeat countless times. It's just that good.

Stage Select - Gunstar Heroes (GEN)

Not all developers can hit the ground running with their first game, but Treasure did just that with Gunstar Heroes. Turning the run 'n' gun shooter on it's head, Gunstar Heroes is without question one of the finest games on the Genesis. It's packed with incredible stage design, memorable bosses (Seven Force, I know you're all thinking of it) and some of the best 2D action in the gaming. Equally impress was NON's music. The SNES usually had the edge when it came to 16-bit songs, but numerous composers proved time and again that in the right hands, Genesis music could shine just as well as SNES music. The jolly Stage Select tune is but one of many great tracks Gunstar Heroes has to offer.

Battou - Akai Katana (Arcade, 360)

If you're fortunate enough to play a game by Cave, not only will you be treated to a magnificent SHMUP experience, you'll be in for some sweet music as well. Akai Katana is no exception. This is very much a tune of the "GET HYPED" variety and I honestly have no problem with that. For those of you that are wondering, "Battou" translates to drawing a sword or sword drawn. The game received an American release on May 15, 2012, making Akai Katana one of the few Cave titles to get a western release. Akai Katana's scored was composed by the late great Ryu Umemoto. Hearing this song and all of his other works just makes me wish the man were still with us.

Combat Simulator Menu - Perfect Dark (N64)

One of my favorite N64 games and one of the few that made my friends and I stop playing GoldenEye 007. The single player game was fun with an intriguing story but the multiplayer mode kept us coming back for more again and again. Imagine all the scenarios you could play out in GoldenEye's multiplayer mode. In Perfect Dark, you could do even more thanks to the copious amount of options that the game handed to you. Perfect Dark's music had a more futuristic feeling to it when compared to GoldenEye but it sounded no less engaging, serving up plenty of memorable tracks. Combat Simulator Menu is the track that's heard when you're going through the multiplayer options. It tells you right off the bat that killing human friends or bots in Perfect Dark is serious business.

Character Select - Tekken Tag Tournament (PS2)

Tekken Tag Tournament had the largest character roster up to this point in the series, containing all of the fighters from Tekken 1-3. That made for a good number of clones, but it was still nice to mix it up with so many characters. And that better way to get you excited for the beat downs that are about to ensue than this high energy select theme? Every time I hear this track I get stoked and start bobbing my head.

Menu Theme - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

The first game I bought when I picked up my Wii and it did not disappoint. While some choose to bicker over why Melee or Brawl is better, I'm too busy unlocking characters, music and stages to care. Matter of fact, there are still things I haven't unlocked yet. Brawl's score is staggering, consisting of some of the best names in the business as the composers (Koji Kondo, Nobuo Uematsu, David Wise to name a few). The Menu Theme is an excellent arrangement of the game's main theme and it's great to listen to while you're going through the game's many options, setting things up or selecting a character. A great battle preparation theme that I never get tired of listening to.

My Top 5 Gals in Gaming

Since 8-Bit Girl and SuperPhilip selected their favorite female protagonists in gaming, why shouldn't I have a go at it? In various mediums lots of women are often viewed as sex objects or damsels that are in constant need of being rescued. Sadly, the gaming industry is no different. But there are women out there that can hold their own and bust heads just as well as the men, in some cases, even more so. Here's my top five pick of female protagonists in gaming. Some of the names on this list will no doubt be predictable, but I like to think some might surprise you.

5. Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark Series) 

Making her debut on the Nintendo 64, Joanna earned her code name "Perfect Dark" for her high marks in training, which netted her perfect scores across the board. She proved to be just as skilled in real combat, taking out waves of dataDyne flunkies, saving the President of the United States and blasting Skedar aliens to save the Earth. All that was just in her first adventure. If she's making ETs smoke on a regular basis, I would not wanna be looking down the barrel of a gun held by this lady. It's worth noting that unlike a few others on this list, Joanna is a normal human being. She posses no enhanced strength, boosted intellect or super powers of any kind. Yet she's willing to face impossible odds and come out on top. She's a strong female lead that doesn't come off feeling forced. For these reasons, she's one of my favorite female characters in video games. I must also give credit to Eveline Novakovic, for voicing Jonanna Dark in the first N64 game. She was primarily known for her work at Rare composing soundtracks for games like the Donkey Kong Country Trilogy but she really helped bring Joanna to life.

4. Terra Branford (Final Fantasy VI) 

When we first meet Terra (Tina if you live in Japan), she's a mindless slave, doing the Empire's bidding in a quest for power. Once her freewill is restored, all she can remember is her name. This amnesiac woman is both blessed and cursed with the long lost ability to wield magic, which is why both the Empire and the Returners want her on their side. As more of her story unfolds, it is revealed that Terra is half human, half Esper, the Esper half of her being enables her to use magic. Because she spent most of her life enslaved to the Empire, she struggles to understand certain feelings and emotions as well as coming to grips with her powers and who she is. In battle, Terra is highly skilled, being one of the most powerful magic users you'll have in Final Fantasy VI. On top of that, she can morph into her Esper form to deal even more damage. These really aren't the reasons why I think Terra is so awesome. What I dig about Terra are her inner struggles with self acceptance and understanding of love. Early in the game she's unsure of herself and wonders if she's even capable of feeling love. By looking after the orphaned children of Mobliz, Terra learns what it means to love and is determined to free the ruined world from Kefka's reign. Terra travels a long, harsh road to self assurance and when all is said and done, she stands tall.

3. Celes Chere (Final Fantasy VI) 

Another character from Final Fantasy VI? The fact that I'm choosing two characters from the same game says something about how endearing the cast to this title truly is. Celes starts out as general for the Empire but grows disgusted with Kefka's poisoning of Doma, which gets her tossed in jail, awaiting execution. She probably would have met her end had Locke not freed her, another of my favorite characters from FFVI and someone whom Celes shares character development with. Her initial joining of the Returners has her acting somewhat cold, which belies her gentle nature. A strong magic user, Celes can also belt out some mean opera as evidenced by the highly memorable opera scene. Her time spent with Locke helps her learn how to trust and because of their growing mutual feelings for each other, she is deeply hurt when Locke thinks she betrayed him and the Returners to the Empire. In the World of Ruin I would always end up feeding Cid bad fish and he would die, which prompts Celes to attempt suicide by throwing herself off a cliff. She survives and by finding a seagull with one of Lock's bandannas, she gets the strength she needs to keep on living, find Locke and the other party members and take Kefka down. General, fighter, singer, girlfriend. Wow, Celes is talented. Like Terra, Celes' journey is what makes her a great character, not her magic powers.

2. Chun-Li (Street Fighter Series) 

She can defy gravity with her Spinning Bird Kick. Her legs are as fast as E. Honda's hands. She's the strongest woman in the world. Make her mad and she'll rip your balls off. Or was that Issac Washington from House of the Dead: Overkill? Well, I'm sure Chun can rip valuable body parts off as well. The first playable female character in the Street Fighter series, standing out in Street Fighter II was a true feat because the game had so many standout characters. Up until this point, the only girl I played with in a game was Princess Peach in Super Mario Bros. 2 and while her floating ability was nice, Chun-Li could do so much more. She was beautiful and incredibly strong. Yeah, sometimes those thighs look like they were left overs from Frankenstein's creation but I would never say that to her face because I like breathing. It's always so satisfying to pick Chun and mop the floor with people.

1. Samus Aran (Metroid Series) 

A typical first choice, I know. The American instruction booklet went out of it's way to mislead players into thinking Samus was male. Anyone that finished the game in under an hour was in for a shock when the armor came off. Samus was in fact, a woman. I knew this before hand because I never beat the original NES Metroid and by the time Super Metroid hit the scene, it was a common knowledge what Samus' gender was. Still, I can only imagine the jaw dropping looks on gamer's face when it was revealed that Samus, the lone fighter that eradicated tons of alien creatures on a hostile planet was a woman. True, she has her power suit to aid her and it gets tricked out with some amazing abilities like the Screw Attack and Wave Beam, but Samus herself is still a cunning warrior without it. In Zero Mission when she was stripped of her suit, she managed to evade her alien pursuers long enough to reclaim it and dish out some much deserved payback. I've yet to play the Prime Trilogy or Other M despite owning them all, so the only games I've seen Samus do the most talking in would be Fusion. So personality wise, I can really only gauge her on her actions. But they say actions speak louder than words and well, Samus has seen a ton of action so, there ya go. Samus also has fierce mama bear tendencies. When Mother Brain killed the metroid hatch-ling that saved her life in Super Metroid, that had to be one of the most brutal no-holds bared beat downs I've ever seen. Samus is awesome personified.