Favorite Tunes #119: Boys of Summer

Well, summer is officially here. Its currently hotter than hot outside so I'm assuming you're keeping cool or working your cheeks off so you can afford all those sweet games coming out in a few months. Me, I'm slowly working on my backlog and as always, enjoying the good video game music. Speaking of, here are some summer inspired themes for your listening pleasure.

Infinite Blue (Big Blue) - F-Zero GX (GCN)

Whether you were pulling the remains of your hair our in the grand prix mode or testing the endurance of the GameCube controller during fits of rage, F-Zero GX's techno/rock soundtrack did not disappoint. In spite of the game's sanity breaking difficulty, GX is still considered by many to be the best game in the F-Zero series. There are arrangements of the much loved themes from the original SNES F-Zero as well as plethora of new music. Infinite Blue serves as a new piece of Big Blue music.

Ice Cream Island - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U)

My favorite stage from the original N64 Super Smash Bros. was Dream Land. I adored it for its simple design and stage hazard that was Whispy Woods who, every now and then, would blow combatants to the left or right side of the stage. The Gourmet Race remix was also pretty rad. Naturally, I was excited to see the stage return in the fourth Smash game as downloadable content and with a brand new remix of one of my favorite Kirby jams. This chiptune-inspired throwback theme also uses the Boss theme from Kirby's Adventure as well as the classic Kirby Victory Dance jingle.

Hydrocity Act 1 - Sonic 3 & Knuckles (GEN)

Sonic 3 & Knuckles introduced elemental shields to the series. One such shield eliminated one of gamer's greatest fears in the series, drowning. Thanks to the nifty bubble shield, players could feel more at ease while exploring the watery depths of Hydrocity. I personally prefer Act 2 of Hydrocity's theme, but Act 1 never fails to make my head bop.

Boa-Boa Island - Super Adventure Island 2 (SNES)

The first Super Adventure Island had a superb soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro that was unfortunately saddled with a game that was unfairly difficult. Super Adventure Island 2 is a much more enjoyable romp and once again has the tunes from Koshiro. Like the first game, Super Adventure Island 2 has some themes that will no doubt take you back to the 1990s.

Sunny Beach - Wave Race 64 (N64)

There have been three games in the Wave Race series, the first one on the Game Boy, the N64 version and Blue Storm on the GameCube. Most people cit Wave Race 64 as the king of the lot. Its got the controls, the magnificent water physics and some excellent music by famed Nintendo composer Kazumi Totaka.

Aquarium Park Act 1 - Sonic Colors (Wii)

The Wii may not have been as powerful as the 360 or PS3 but one look at Sonic Colors and you'd think the game was running on an actual HD system. Seriously, this game looks gorgeous. It has the gameplay to go along with that pretty face and some exceptional Sonic jams. Even by the series standards, the music in Sonic Colors is truly amazing.

Favorite Tunes Database

Nintendo Franchises That Need to Return Part 1

Like SEGA, Nintendo has a plethora of gaming franchises in it's catalog. Sadly, just like SEGA, only a handful of Nintendo's properties are seeing any action these days. Mario, Zelda, and Pokemon are all fine and dandy but it would do wonders for the company if they reminded us that there's so much more to them than the familiar name brands. These are a few of the games in Nintendo's library that could use a lot more love than what Nintendo currently gives them.

Ice Climber

Lately, Popo and Nana have been slugging it out with other Nintendo stars in the Super Smash Bros. series and while it's great to connect their mallets to Jiggly Puff's skull, I'd love to see this duo return to climbing frosty mountain peaks.

The original Ice Climber was released as an NES launch title in 1985, meaning it's been nearly 30 years since the Ice Climbers had a game to call their own, not including the GBA port that releases in 2004. Ice Climber placed you and and second player in the parkas of Popo and Nana with vertical scrolling levels. The goal was to reach the top of the mountain and get to the bonus stage where a jerkish condor hoards your eggplant. Ice Climber had some pretty frustrating jump mechanics even for an early NES game, which made an already tough game even harder to play. Even so, this is was always one of my favorite NES games as a kid, and I still have fun coming back to it from time to time.

While Ice Climber may not have been the most fondly remembered NES game, I still believe the franchise is worth revisiting. Think of all the cold inspired levels that could be designed on the Wii U or even the 3DS. Even those troublesome jumps could be fixed in favor of a more preferable method of leaping on platforms. Nintendo could put one of their development teams in charge of a new Ice Climber like Next Level games or Intelligent Systems. I'd kill for a chance to go up against those shade-wearing polar bears on new hardware either in 2D or 3D. Heck, I'd even settle for a new digital version of Ice Climber.

Custom Robo

Custom Robo (N64)

Custom Robo (GCN)

Custom Robo Area (DS)

Show me a man that doesn't like tearing stuff up in sweet-looking robots and I'll show you a liar. I mean, what could be more fun than using piloting a huge robot to wreck other huge robots? Customizing your huge robot to wreck another customized robot. That is what the Custom Robo games are all about.

There are tons of RPG elements in the Custom Robo series and sometimes they border on generic.
But if you don't mind such a thing or can pace through it, you're rewarded with some incredible customization options. There's nothing like spending hours customizing your Robo, taking it to the field and then laying waste to your friend's custom Robo. Assuming you have buddies to play with, that is. You may easily overpower CPU opponents but playing with humans is a totally different ball game. With the Wi-Fi options and Street/Spot Pass functionality of the 3DS, I'd say this franchise is due for a revival.

Though there have been five games in the Custom Robo series, only two were released outside of Japan. Custom Robo on the GCN was the first game to see a localized release and the DS Custom Robo Arena, released in 2006 was the last time Custom Robo title to see the light of day outside of the Land of the Rising Sun. Nintendo didn't even give Western or PAL gamers the Virtual Console release of Custom Robo V2.

Drill Dozer

You're familiar with Game Freak, right? Of course you are. They dish out those wonderful Pokemon games and make you hang up your social life in a closet so can you catch and raise X amount of new critters. With X and Y on the horizon, you're gonna do the whole shabang all over again! But Game Freak has tapped into other gaming series that don't involve yellow electric rats. In 2006, a wonderful gem of a GBA game called Drill Dozer was released. Like so many good things, it was overlooked.

No mater how costly or fancy the drills of today are, they will never come close to Jill's Drill Dozer. For one, she can actually pilot the thing like some mini mech and she regularly trounces robots more than half her size, as seen in the screen shot above. When has your puny drill ever done that?

Drill Dozer has a bit of a Metroid fell to it. Each of the games seven areas are massive, containing hidden chips and gears that can be found to upgrade the Drill Dozer, giving it even more functions. Naturally, some backtracking is involved when you acquire a new piece. There's also some puzzle solving elements to go along with all the action platforming. Drill Dozer is also one of the most visually stunning games ever to be produced on the GBA, showing off amazing sprites and background visuals.

Since it wasn't a Pokemon game, Drill Dozer met with mediocre sales and Jill's last appearance was in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker and an Assist Trophy. Nintendo, get Game Freak away from those disgustingly cute rats for a while and set them to work on a new Drill Dozer, OK? I could certainly go for some drill action on my 3DS.

Wave Race

Wave Race 64 (N64)

Three. That's the number of games that make up the Wave Race series. "But wait, weren't there only two Wave Race games?" is what I'm sure most of you are thinking. In truth, Wave Race began life as a top down racer on the Game Boy. Wave Race 64 was the second Wave Race title, with Wave Race: Blue Storm being the third.

The most popular entry in the series, Wave Race 64 did a tremendous job of emulating the physics of water and it got me to think of racing games outside of anti-gravity and the wheeled variety. It's still regarded as one of the N64's top notch titles. Wave Race: Blue Storm was developed by Nintendo Software Technology and featured some super twitchy controls. A special touch was downright necessary to get any long term enjoyment out of the game. Blue Storm was a launch title for the GCN in 2001 so it has been over ten years since we've had a Wave Race.

Just imagine a new Wave Race on the Wii U with HD visuals and online multiplayer. Heck, even local multiplayer could be a hoot. Nintendo doesn't even need a fancy jet ski license. They didn't have one for Blue Storm and that certainly didn't stop them from re-releasing Wave Race 64 on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2007 when the contract with Kawasaki Jet Ski had long since expired. I long to race on Sunset Bay and Dolphin Park with Ricky Winterborn or even some fresh faces.

Excite Series

Excitebike 64 (N64)

Excitebots: Trick Racing (Wii)

For a while, it seemed like the Excite series was back in all it's glory. Excite Truck was a Wii launch title in 2006. Excitebots: Trick Racing came out in early 2009 and later that year, Excitebike: World Rally was released for Wii Ware. Nintendo has certainly shown the Excite series more love than another one of it's racing franchises, but after the abysmal sales of Excitebots (which was Nintendo's own fault due to a lack of advertising), one has to wonder what the future holds for the Excite games, if anything at all. Excitebike 64, one of the best sports games from Nintendo, didn't even get a Virtual Console release on the Wii. We already know all those licensed properties could be swapped out for Wii brand names a la the Virtual Console version of Wave Race 64. Maybe Nintendo will right this wrong by releasing Excitebike 64 on the Wii U's Virtual Console service.

Part 2

Favorite Tunes #19: Racing Themes

There's something oh-so satisfying about driving at high speeds, throwing your car around a sharp turn and leaving your opponents in the dust. Be it cart racing, arcade style racing or simulation, the racing genre offers plenty of fun for gamers seeking high speed thrills. Some excellent tunage to go along with the race certainly doesn't hurt.

Take It! - Auto Modellista (PS2, GCN, XB)

New IPs from Capcom seem to be rare these days but in the PS2 era they were all over the place. One such new franchise was Auto Modellista, a cell-shaded PS2 racing game that was later ported to the GameCube and then Xbox. Despite the game's stylish visuals, it received mixed reviews due to poor handling controls and bombed at retail. The game's soundtrack had some noteworthy songs thanks to Isao Abe and Tetsuya Shibata.

Industria - Rage Racer (PSone)

Rage Racer was much different from Ridge Racer and Ridge Racer Revolution that came before it. The Grand Prix mode was far more in depth, letting you earn money to upgrade your cars and even customize them. It was a pretty ambitiousness game and a major step up for the series. I remember investing a lot of time into Rage Racer in the summer of 2001. Like the first two Ridge Racers, it had some memorable tunes. I think I listened to Industria on more races than anything else.

Splash Wave Euro Remix - OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (PS2, XB, PSP)

One of my favorite racing games and my favorite OutRun title, this updated version of OutRun 2 has a lot to offer. There's a ton of cars to purchase, lots of different routes to take as you drive through the country, and plethora of different OutRun songs from nearly every game in the series, including original songs and remixes.  This remix of Splash Wave is probably my favorite version of the song, yes, even over the original.

ESCAPE ~Cavern Course~ - Mega Man Battle & Chase (PSone) 

Mega Man Battle & Chase was all set to release in the USA. There were even ads for it in magazines. Yet for reasons, unknown, Sony brought down the axe and the game wouldn't see American shores until the release of the Mega Man X Collection on the PS2 and GCN. The game could be unlocked upon completion of the first three Mega Man X titles. Battle & Chase is a Mario Kart knock off but managed to stand out from the pack by letting you steal car parts from defeated racers to add them to your own ride. The music was also fantastic, featuring completely original themes. This game is also the source of Roll's Theme song Wind, Cary My Words.

King of Island - Sega Rally 2 (ARC, DC)

One of the first games I bought for my Dreacmast. I wasn't very good at it, but I enjoyed playing it, nonetheless. There's a lot of sensational music in Sega Rally 2 like Euro Fight, Night Groovin', Searchin' For My Dreams, and of course, King of Island.

Monkey Race 2 Expert Track - Super Monkey Ball 2 (GCN)

The Super Monkey Ball games may have dipped in quality, but I'll always have fond memories of the first two. OK, so the trials those games put me through made me wanna throw my GameCube out the window at times, but they were still some sweet games. Known for their quick paced arcade style gameplay, the Super Monkey Ball titles are also famous for featuring some of the most entertaining mini games in gaming history. Seriously, many of these games are so good that they can entertain you long after you complete the single player modes, if you ever do, that is. The first two Super Monkey Ball gamers were later released for PS2 and Xbox under Super Monkey Ball Deluxe.

Sky Garden - Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)

When I first purchased my Game Boy Advance in the winter of 2002, Mario Kart Super Circuit was the first game I purchased for the system. Sadly, I no longer have it in my collection but I have a ton of fond memories of this game like shaving seconds off my time in Sky Garden. Not only did I love the design of this track, but the background music it carried quickly became my favorite track from the game. This course was one of the reused tracks for Mario Kart DS.

Strike Breaker - Gran Turismo 3: A-spec (PS2)

The Gran Turismo franchise is often praised for it's simulation racing physics and abundance of real life licensed automobiles. GT3 was a true showcase for what the PS2 could do on a visual level. Even today, the game still looks just as good as it did when it originally released. GT games usually have a lot of licensed music from some well known and underground bands, but there's also some original music crafted specifically for the games, such as the headbanging Strike Breaker.

Eight Guitars - F-Zero GX (GCN)

One of the most stunning-looking games for the GameCube, F-Zero GX is also the hardest game in the series. Few people (very few) have completed Story mode. Grand prix mode isn't as difficult, but unlocking everything without cheats approaches Battletoads levels of frustration. And for all that, I still love this game. There were some remixes and they were great but I really enjoyed the new music that was provided. Eight Guitars plays when you race on Sand Ocean.

Milky Lake - Wave Race 64 (N64)

The realistic water physics in Wave Race 64 still manage to impress. It says something when one of the earliest games for a system is still considered one of the best. Even at a mere four machines to select from, Wave Race 64 still manages to be a superb racing, probably the best water-based racing title in existence. Milky Lake was a more calming race course and so was the music. I absolutely love the flute in this song.