Thursday, June 27, 2013

Favorite Tunes #63: I'm Up for Anything

It's that time again. No set themes. Anything goes. We've got some familiar themes from well known games as well as some not-so-familiar themes from lesser known games.




Riviera was released on the Wonder Swan, GBA and PSP handhelds. An RPG from Atlus, your inventory space is extremely limited. By this, I mean even smaller than that of Resident Evil. Since you can only take a handful of items into battle you really have to think carefully and plan ahead. It's one of the better portable RPGs out there with a fantastic soundtrack. Even the GBA brings out some mesmerizing melodies.




When you finally face off against Pokey, you're treated to an 8-bit battle theme. Considering how stranger the world in EarthBound is, some NES chiptunes doesn't seem too out of the ordinary. The battle music plays out like normal up until the 53 second mark. The 8-bit theme is replaced by an SNES version that sounds like some sick death metal. It's a very welcome "what the eff" moment in video game music.




My favorite super hero. Unsurprisingly, Spidey is a character I love to use in Capcom's numerous crossover games. He's quick, agile and has a number of web based attacks. It isn't that groovy theme from the 1960's Spider-Man cartoon, but the wall-crawler was still given top audio honors in Marvel vs. Capcom.




Don't let the cute graphics and character designs deceive you. Gimmick! can reduce grown men to tears with it's difficulty. Since this is a Sunsoft game, of course you can expect an excellent soundtrack. There's plenty of upbeat music to help keep your hair on your head as well as more serious themes like this one.




The second Final Fantasy game to get a direct sequel after Final Fantasy X, from my understanding, XIII-2 is about as well received as the first XIII. That is to say, it did little to ease the sting that the first game left. But like the first XIII, XIII-2 has an outstanding musical score. Once again Masashi Hamauzu gives us another unforgettable battle piece. If you've got Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Etro's Champion is a great 99 cents DLC track to have.

Gerudo Valley - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 3DS)



Well it's about time this theme finally showed up in Favorite Tunes. Gerudo Valley is a scorching hot valley that is home of the Gerudo race, one of the numerous races in Hyrule. It was in Ocarina of Time that we learned that Ganondorf was a Gerudo and a single male Gerudo is born every one hundred years. Since so few males are born, they are declared king by birthright. 

Hotel Moon Forest - Opoona (Wii)



Opoona didn't get the most favorable reviews, but even at $6, I should have picked this game up off the shelf when I saw it at GameStop a few years back. Sure, the character designs may be simplistic and even strange, but the soundtrack is incredible!

James McCloud - F-Zero GX (GCN)



Developed by Amusement Vision, F-Zero GX is one of the GameCube's best looking and sounding games. It's also the toughest F-Zero with a difficulty rivaling that of Battletoads. Since Amusement Visions is one of SEGA's second parties, you know they have their ducks in a row when it comes to music. Each character was given their own theme and James McCloud just screams '80s cheesiness. And I love it.

Sky Fortress Act 2 - Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II (PSN, XBLA)



Yes, Sonic 4, Ep II's music can be repetitive, but there really are some good tracks in it and I'm not just talking about that Metal Sonic Genesis-style arrangement. That's a fine song and all, but if you don't think Sky Fortress Act 2 is another of Sonic 4's good themes, you may want to get your hearing checked.

The Evil Koopa King - Super Mario World (SNES, GBA)



Bowser slowly descends from the black sky. In a flying clown car. You may think said car looks silly, but it was still a pretty bad awesome way to make an entrance, especially the way this theme starts up. Koji Kondo, it's themes like these that make me wish you tapped more into the rock side of music.

Favorite Tunes Database

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