Favorite Tunes #120: Dedicated to Satoru Iwata

We lost one of the greatest over the weekend. The passing of Satoru Iwata has left many with a heavy heart. This Favorite Tunes is in memory of Mr. Iwata, featuring music from a selection of games he was involved in.

Balloon Trip - Balloon Fight (NES)

The main mode of Balloon Fight, which could be played alone or with a friend was pretty entertaining but the ultimate test of skill came from Balloon Trip, a mode where the screen auto scrolls to the left and you have to collect balloons while avoiding sparks. It can get quite tricky and this mode also features the game's longest music piece.

Big Forest - Kirby's Dream Land 2 (GB)

Kirby's Dream Land 2 is the first game in the traditional Kirby series not to have any involvement of series creator Masahiro Sakurai. The game introduced Rick, Coo and Kine and was a bit tougher than the original Kirby's Dream Land. This one has two endings and to see the good one, you have to 100% this game, which is no easy task.

Bonus Game - Super Smash Bros. (N64)

Ah, breaking targets and boarding platforms. In the original Super Smash Bros, these were a welcome diversion and tough you how to rely on your character's moves and unique jumps. These two mini games were mysteriously absent in the fourth Super Smash Bros. game. Shame, really.

Butter Building - Kirby's Adventure (NES)

The second game in the long running Kirby series, this entry is where the pink puff got his famous copy ability. 2002's Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land for the GBA is a remake of this game. In a lot of ways I prefer the original, including the chiptunes.

Kanto Trainer Battle - Pokémon  Gold/Silver (GBC)

Game Freak didn't think they'd be able to fit both the Johto and the Kanto regions onto a single Game Boy cart. Iwata, ever the awesome game programmer found a way to make what they thought to be an impossible feat entirely possible. For the six people that don't play this series, this is a remix of the original trainer battle them from the first generation Pokémon titles.

Smiles and Tears - EarthBound (SNES)

The first game in the Mother series to be released outside of Japan, EarthBound flopped so hard it killed any possible interest to translate future games for audiences outside of the land of the rising sun. Things have changed, considerably, however since the original EarthBound was released on the Wii U's eShop on June 14 of this year. If you've heard the remix of Smiles and Tears in Smash 4 but haven't hear the original, well, here ya go.

Favorite Tunes Database