Official(?) Nintendo Consoles Music Thread v2.0

NEWSFLASH: NINTENDO-CENTRIC GAMING FORUM DOES NINTENDO MUSIC THREAD

In seriousness Mas, I wouldn't worry about copying Drunka. You want to celebrate Nontendo music? Go celebrate it! I might even pop my head in for a year or two, or just to listen to some tunes. It's not like the tunes you just posted up aren't completely valid in any case: they just ought to be under the year they came out on Ninty machines, as should Bayo 1 if we're honest.

THE RULES ARE THERE TO FACILITATE THE FUN.

I've said what I thought glad Luke is doing it and big forum event but person would have liked to see like the other two decade based threads, which aren't just Nintendo as a fan of Video Games in general.

I may have a music post to go up though in Nontendo.

Wow, this is a great thread (including the rules that are there to facilitate the fun). It makes me wish I'd finished Okamiden. And I still love that Knytt Underground theme. That's one of the reasons I think I want to get back to creating a videogame myself - it's an excuse to write weird beepy bippy music for it.

JayMoyles wrote:

So, here's the Pursuit track from Dual Destinies.
Athena might have been shafted hard across Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice (especially SoJ), but her objection theme is a cracker too. I still think I prefer the chiptune stylings of the old AA soundtracks, but the instrumentation in these tracks is still lovely.

Quality stuff as ever from a series with phenomenal soundtracks. Not my favourite games in the series, or my favourite soundtracks, but they do the job.

masofdas wrote:

First up is Gone Home which has a great OST and really sets the mood of the game.
In a similar vein we have another top indie with Brothers

Gone Home and Brothers were both on my short list at one point. They were cut because I remembered some other games, but not because of rules, which we all know are for nerds.

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Hey remember the 3rd game of the RPG's that came to Wii

BANGER.

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Best game ever about a Square

Until they make a game about you HEY-YO!

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On themes here's the best 3DS game

This one was also close for me.

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The HD version was this year

Fair. Banger, 'natch.

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It was out in 2013 in Europe

Ooh, man, getting real nostalgic and sentimental listening to this. Good stuff.

Balladeer wrote:

5. Pokémon X/Y - Champion Theme (SPOILERS!)

Hmm. This is a pretty good track, fair, but what a forgettable champion.

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4. Rayman Legends - Mariachi Madness

This is pretty fun! I really should play these games eventually.

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3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - Lorule Field 2

Nice, but it didn't blow me away or anything. The second version is pretty exciting, though.

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1. Bravely Default - Baby Bird

Fun! I did really like the visuals and music in the Bravely games a lot, I just couldn't be arsed with the games.

Listening to all Balla’s tracks was the most I’ve thought about Bravely Default in forever, then they went and revealed Bravely Default 2 the next day! We’re living in a simulation . . .

2014



We’re almost halfway through December, and we are halfway through remembering this decade. Jesus, where did that time go!? Between this, two podcasts, my exercise regime and my actual job, I’ve been crazy busy. I barely have time to play games!
Back in 2014, I had all the time in the world though. I was newly single diving headfirst into GNamer – especially after ONM folded and this was more or less my only Nintendo community.

5: Homecoming Hijinx – Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
by David Wise

I was never a huge fan of the original trilogy of Rare DKC games on the SNES. I always preferred Mario’s look, inventiveness and above all else buttery smooth controls. By the time of the Wii, Mario’s 2D offerings were resolutely safe and uninteresting. Suddenly the trendsetter was Kong!

For the most part, the music is still that upbeat, bongo drums jungle muzak of Donkey Kongs old. Then suddenly you get to the last world and the music turns unbelievably epic. I was blown away back when I played it, and this exciting tune has stayed with me ever since.

4: Main Theme – Hyrule Warriors
by Masato Koike, Yuki Matsumura (based on the original by Koji Kondo, ‘natch

I remember doing a big post on this very forum when this game released, celebrating the immense coolness of a metal guitar solo version of the Zelda theme. I stand by my assessment – this tune is hella dope. Until I listened today, I’d either never noticed or had noticed and forgotten that near the end we get a little leitmotif from each Zelda game which is represented here. Nice.

3: Dolphin Shoals – Mario Kart 8
by Shiho Fujii, Atsuko Asahi, Ryo Nagamatsu, Yasuaki Iwata

This is another one I’ve definitely talked some sugar about before, and with good reason. A perfectly functional track becomes an all time bangeranger when you emerge from the water for the final big corner and those jazzy sax riffs suddenly hit you in the schnozz. Gorgeous.

Anyway, just be glad I’m not making Moo Moo Meadows number one again.

2: Requiem of Shield Knight – Shovel Knight
by Manami Matsumae

I enjoyed Shovel Knight at a very surface level – it controlled and play well, it was a charming homage to classic NES platformers, it had nice retro musical and visual stylings. Then I had my first dream of failing to catch Shield Knight, with this emotional music playing, and I realised that I could dig a little deeper and find something very special and touching. I’ve finished the game twice since then, and do you know what: I really bloody like it.

1: Tomorrow is Mine – Bayonetta 2
by Keeley Bumford

Of course, both Bayonettas are well-known for their respective Moon songs. I said back in 2010 that I feel Bayonetta handles that better than Bayonetta 2, wherein it feels a little arbitrary. However, both games also have a wealth of other songs, both orchestral and gloriously cheesy. This one is absolute gold and has been solidly wedged in my brain since I listened to it before work this morning while researching this post. Some would argue the game overuses this one track a little, which might be fair, but I never noticed because I never tired of this absolute tune.

I’ll be back on the 16th to talk about 2015. In the meantime, here’s my non-gaming song of the year. I know I could have gone with Blank Space or Shake It Off, but they both feel a little over-exposed. Perhaps because I played them 10,000 times each myself. . .

Firstly: it is very fair to like the soundtrack to Bravely Default but not the game.  I felt something similar about Octopath.  And yes, the Champion of XY was bobbins.

I'll talk about most of Drunka's picks when I come up with the same games in my five.  I don't for the most part like Hyrule Warriors' rock remixes of classic and more classical tunes, but there are a couple of belters in there: Drunka's picked a beautiful one, Remnant of Twilight works for me despite theoretically being all the things I don't like, and there'll be a couple more that I might mention when we get to Legends.

As for Tomorrow is Mine, it's one of those I'd probably like without the lyrics.  It's also time for me to listen to Mas' Thomas Was Alone pick, and it's very good.  Initially I expected a build that never came: all those sounds coming together.  Once the violin chimed in, though, I didn't really care.  Then it hit the segment around 1:40 and


2014

This wasn't quite such a blinding year for me.  It was perhaps the Wii U's best, but the 3DS fizzled out just a little bit compared to 2012 and 2013, soundtrack-wise.  At least I played all five games this time though!


5. Shovel Knight - Strike the Earth!



I didn't get on much with Shovel Knight the game - Shovel Knight the soundtrack uses the chipset perhaps better than all but a few games I could mention.  This first level tune was stuck in my head ever since I first heard it.  It just does epic much better than most opening levels dare to try, and that's where SK's at its best for me.  Drunka's pick IMO needs context more than most: alone, it's not bad, but SK has better.


4. Pokémon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire - Wally Battle



This, now - this is unapologetically a context pick!  The weedy little asthmatic you helped early-game getting this piece - that's his transformation into a king.  If you don't care for context, have this charming tune from when you fly your Lati at night instead.


3. Mario Kart 8 - Mt. Wario



Tough pick, this.  I could have gone for Electrodrome, old Rainbow Road, new Rainbow Road, the triumphal calypso strains of Drunka's choice - and I am definitely cheating and saving the DLC for its year of release, which in the case of the second pack is 2015.  This wins out, I think.  A medley that's big farty and loud, just like Wario himself, shifting with every 'lap'.  If not the best piece in the game, I'd say it's the most interesting.


2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Windmill Hills



Look: Drunka's not wrong.  DKCTF does epic very well, especially in pieces such as his choice and the flute-driven Scorch N Torch.  I think he's off to dismiss the happier ones though: I think they're just as good.  Grassland Groove is The Lion King in musical form, but this is my personal favourite.  In the depths of winter it can slap a big beaming smile on my face.  Best soundtrack ever.  As far as the single best tune in 2014 goes, though...


1. Super Smash Bros. 4 - Destroyed Skyworld



I could easily have split this into two games, and included the only good remix of Gerudo Valley there is too; but that felt like cheating a bit.  This is the most epic and best Smash tune in history, up to and including Ultimate.  DKCTF has the best soundtrack, but looking at a single song, this edges it for me.


Honourable mention to the grotesque mishmash that was Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney and its splendid update of the original Objection and Pursuit themes.  These come from the bit before Layton shows up, i.e. the good bit.

2014 wasn't a bad year and you've gone for some good ones already

The right Sonic Boom

What not to pick from this? As the games, this is based around both have excellent soundtracks

Which brings me to this

A more recent game on Nintendo which is about music in a way

I will end with this, which I did think Balla might have talked about

Balla:
Strike the Earth is of course an absolute classic- I’d mention it in the same breath as some Nintendo first-level themes. I just have real powerful memories of “Save her!” being the moment that made me fall in love with SK.

I love the Wally battle- by far the stand-out moment of my Omega Ruby battle. The music is gorgeous for sure, but it also probably belongs in that Beautiful Graphics thread. I’m a sucker for an emotional final battle among falling flower petals (see also The Boss a few entries back)

Mt. Wario is a tremendous Mario Kart Track but for me not so memorable a music track. Electrodome on the other hand is an all-time club banger. Also, whenever I play Mario kart with Matt he demands Electrodome because it reminds him of Logan’s Run.

I don’t dislike the jauntier Donkey Kong stuff, its just that the epic stuff surprised me. Now, that Smash track delivered some epic . . . Nice one.

Mas:
That first one is really weird, as Rob and I were watching and singing that (and various other sonic songs) just last weekend!

I didn’t get much from that Persona song, and obviously I have nothing new to say about One Winged Angel. I really liked that Transistor track though, very beautiful. Almost a little Bond theme-esque, if anything.


Anyway, we’re into the second half!

2015



A sad year indeed. 2015 saw the UK’s first majority Conservative government in 18 years and also the loss of Satoru Iwata. Still, to this day, the loss of Iwata is more painful to me than any of the other celebrity deaths of this decade. He felt like a part of my life, and had an important friendship with other Nintendo greats whom I have continued to follow, so I really miss him. Hopefully I’ll be visiting his hometown next month, which will be nice.

In gaming, 2015 had an all-time favourite for me, although I was also the VICTIM of CRIME. I had a preorder on Splatoon, with all the amiibo and an exclusive hat and t-shirt, but there was an infamous lorry theft which saw the whole batch nabbed. I actually ended up getting the game a week or two later than everyone else because places sold out. INJUSTICE.


5: Splattack – Splatoon
by Toru Minegishi

Officially, this is just one of many songs which can play during battle, but this kind of became the unofficial theme tune of Splatoon. It played over the very first trailer and variations have been cropping up in promotional materials and a key in-game moments since.

This is just a really fun distillation of the joy of the Splatoon sound overall. It has an anarchic sense of fun, naturally, but it also rocks pretty hard and places and, despite being gibberish, is very easy to sing and dance along to. If this were to, say, play at a concert I was attending, I would vibe hard.

4: Shagaru Magala – Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
by Mariku Suzuki, Miwako Chinone and Reo Uratani

The beauty of Monster Hunter and its titular beasties is that, fantastical as they are, they always feel grounded in the ecology of the world. Battling a Zinogre or Rathalos is essential in order to protect people, but for the hunters its just another day’s work. This is the nature of their world.

This all goes out the window when Elder Dragons come into play. Monster Hunter treats dragons seriously- they’re a next-level, supernatural, out-of-the-ordinary threat, and subsequently the music can take a totally different turn for the epic.

Fun fact: that’s my screenshot because Monster Mash is actually pretty near the top of the results for a google image search of Shagaru Magala.

3: Kraken Up – Splatoon
by Toru Minegishi

My personal favourite of the tracks than could play during games of Spaltoon. I just find this one to be joyous and exciting. I can’t feel anything else when this is playing and I’m swimming through the ink, slaughtering squids and/ or kids. I would always sing along with the words “this is splatoon This Is Splatoon THIS IS SPLATOON!”

2: Uncontrollable –Xenboblade Chronicles X
by Hiroyuki Sawano

I don’t think it would be an overstatement to say this game was pretty disappointing in this parish. The first in the series was pretty beloved, including by yours truly, and 2 has its fans (I’ll go back to it!) but even X’s strongest defenders have huge qualms with it. I played up until I got my mech, but I then realised that was the only goal I was aiming for. I didn’t care about the story or characters at all, and although the world was beautiful and kind of fun to explore, nothing was driving me forwards to do any more.

That all being said, the music could be fucking excellent in places. People will mock the attempts at hip hop street stuff, but if you strap in for some over-the-top anime bullshit, you’ll find top-tier anime bullshit. I seem to recall playing this around the same time I got into Kill La Kill, and this song shared a playlist with some songs from that show. Glorious stuff. And now I miss my friend Amelia. Unexpected side-effect of this thread: Missing the people I made these memories with.

1: Maritime Memory – Splatoon
by Toru Minegishi

Of course, when you’re talking Splatoon you have to talk about the bombastic and over-the-top stuff from the multiplayer maps but there is much more to the soundtrack than that. The squid sisters can make me feel all kinds of emotions and nostalgia and longing, singing entirely in nonsense I don’t understand. Ah time. How it slips away from us, but never lets go.

I’ll be back on the 19th to talk about 2016. In the meantime, here’s my non-gaming song of the year.

To start with Mas, we have: two cheaty games; one tune that starts off like it's going to be an absolute banger and then... yup, lyrics; a reminder that it takes One-Winged Angel an age to get to any of the good bits; and finally, I did consider Child of Light when putting my list together.  Then I realised that although I have decent memories of the score, I couldn't pinpoint a good tune.  I'm guessing that from your choice of video, neither could you!

As for Drunka, yup that is a good monster theme.  Proper world-ending JRPG boss stuff. It's going to beat out a few of my limited choices, I reckon...


2015

To think I thought last year was a bad one.  I managed to pick out precisely two 3DS games that I could remember, and I couldn't remember any music from either of them!  For one at least, that's an excuse to re-listen to the soundtrack.  Fortunately, despite a deeply inferior year, the Wii U managed to pad it out - with a bit of help from 2014...


5. Runbow - Two Feet and Heartbeat



I was no great fan of Runbow, but I did like its jazzy main theme.  That is... pretty much all I have to say on this one.  Look, it's not a good year.


4. Yoshi's Woolly World - Knitty Knotty Windmill Hill



Fortunately things take an upward turn almost immediately.  Yoshi's Wii U adventure actually had a pretty good soundtrack (especially compared to its sequel).  This is a lovely chill happy piece that definitely doesn't suit the year a Tory government came to power.


3. Splatoon - Calimari Inkatation



SAFE SEARCH ON SAFE SEARCH ON.  Christ.

Anyway, I'd struggle to call myself a fan of Splatoon (I can't aim) or its soundtrack.  I still find the Inkling voices more often weird and annoying than anything else.  See: Splattack and Kraken Up.  Of course, the game apes so many genres that as long as they don't really get under your skin you'll still find something you like.  Maritime Memory is very chill, Tide Goes Out takes that to a new level, and then there's this.  Epic as heck, a stonking final boss theme and the sisters' tour de force.


2. Mario Kart 8 DLC - Wild Woods



Boy I'm glad I kept this in reserve!  The DLC has a few good pieces, including this rockin' remix of Big Blue; but it's the whimsical 5/4 piece you hear here that warms my withered heart.  Lovely.


1. Xenoblade Chroncicles X



The weakest game in the series?  Yes.  A poor attempt to be an MMO?  Yep.  Stupid bad rap while you're touring the city, or fighting the standard battles?  Sadly.  A soundtrack that could, and should, fill a top five for the year all by itself, even without the triumphant tyrant theme?  Damn straight.

1.v Cauldros Day - The last continent, and boy does it sound like it.
1.iv Sylvalum Night - Perfect snow music, dramatic yet chill.  Except it's not snow: it's spores.  Er.
1.iii Wir fliegen, a.k.a. the special move theme.  You can extend this for ever if you build right.  Being overpowered and this belting German/Japanese rock is your reward.
1.ii Mira - The joy of seeing an entire living breathing world opening up beneath your feet, perfectly encapsulated in sonic form.



1.i Don't Worry - Another unapologetic context pick, albeit one I've banged on about before and probably spoiled a wonderful surprise nobody here will have anyway.  You're not at all expecting this the first time your Skell takes off.  It's a massive power kick, on par with being able to do the whole OoT 'go everywhere' thing.  An exquisite marriage of gameplay and music.


An honourable mention, I suppose, to Gunman Clive 2's soundtrack.  You can pick any piece and know it's more of the same - as a result, its impact has been lessened somewhat.  A shame.

Looking at 2015, why hasn't LiS still not come to the Switch!?!?

Surprised not to see any Undertale stuff from either of you.

Not a great year for me as I can only spot these two

It counts right? then I give you this.

Balladeer wrote:

20153. Splatoon - Calimari Inkatation

Correct. Oh this one is so fun, I’m flashing back to the concert last year.
Also, this song has important lore implications within Splatoon. Hearing the Squid Sisters belt this out during the Splat1 final boss it what allows Marina to break free by the time of the events of Spla2n.

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2. Mario Kart 8 DLC - Wild Woods

Yee, a really fun track that I always forget when I’m thinking about Mario kart classic tracks. Noice.

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1. Xenoblade Chroncicles X
1.v Cauldros Day - The last continent, and boy does it sound like it.

I never got this far in the game, but this track does get pretty exciting as it goes along. Good shout.

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1.iv Sylvalum Night - Perfect snow music, dramatic yet chill. Except it's not snow: it's spores. Er.

Gross. Nice tune though, serene with a tiny hinttt of cold bells.

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1.iii Wir fliegen, a.k.a. the special move theme. You can extend this for ever if you build right. Being overpowered and this belting German/Japanese rock is your reward.

Comboing a dope special move thing has always been the highlight of Xenoblade combat, and this is no exception. Another one that really reminds me of Kill La Kill, though.

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1.ii Mira - The joy of seeing an entire living breathing world opening up beneath your feet, perfectly encapsulated in sonic form.

Hmm, this really takes me back to the period when I was genuinely enjoying XCX. Is this the game’s Gaur Plain? I think it is.

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1.i Don't Worry - Another unapologetic context pick, albeit one I've banged on about before and probably spoiled a wonderful surprise nobody here will have anyway.

NOICE! I’m sure it is better in context but this has a fun, light, 80s sci-fi anime feel even in isolation.

masofdas wrote:

Looking at 2015, why hasn't LiS still not come to the Switch!?!?

MATE.I know. I KNOW.

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Surprised not to see any Undertale stuff from either of you.

Since the Bayo one on day one, I haven’t really felt the need to cheat so far. I guess I kind of do on this one. . .


I’m sleepy but I’ll try to get this out on time.

2016



Fuck 2016.


5: Dhurke: A Dragon Never Yields – Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice
by Noriyuki Iwadare

Part of me disliked SoJ for going so far over the top, but once I accepted that, sat back and allowed myself to enjoy the ride through melodrama on a national scale as well as the intimate, familiar one, I really enjoyed the story of Dhurke. There’s a huge amount of tragedy, but he has a staunch strength and inspirational positivity to him throughout. Top tier.

4: Lost in Thoughts All Alone – Fire Emblem Fates
by Rei Kondoh

I personally bounced off Fates quite early, but I remember really loving this song. If only there were a Fire Emblem game which I loved, with characters I grew attached to, which had its own gorgeous, hauntingly beautiful song with female vocals . . .

3: Valfalk – Monster Hunter XX
by Reo Uratani

Just another slapping Monster Hunter battle theme. Valfalk – sorry, I still can’t call it Valstrax – is up there as one of my absolute favourite monsters to hunt and its music is an all-time banger. It does the classic Monhan final boss thing of incorporating the main theme, but in this case it has something unique and exciting to it as well.
2: Po Town – Pokemon Sun and Moon
by Junichi Masuda

Maybe this is one that needs the context, but this is an excellently sinister piece from one of my favourite moments of this Pokemon adventure. It also has hints of something childlike and sad, fitting this group whom I learned to pity rather than fear or hate.

1: Magikarp Festival – Pokken Tournament
by Hiroki Hashimoto

I’ve talked about this one at length before. I’ll talk about it again, too. I shoehorn it into the podcast any time I talk Pokken or Magikarp, and all with good reason: this is some of the hypest, dopest, club bangerest music on this here Earth. Until this year, this was unchallenged as the piece of Pokemon music I would want to LOSE MY FUCKING MIND TO on the dance floor. Oh yeah, I feel it, the beat’s gonna drop. OOMPH.

I’ll be back on the 22nd to talk about 2017. In the meantime, here’s my non-gaming song of the year. 

Mas is being darn cheeky again, but that OutRun track is still decent despite its obvious age.  As for Drunka's comments, this forest theme is probably the direct comparison to Gaur, being a location rather than cut-scene theme - it is, of course, a remix of Mira, so in a way you're right!


2016

This was another good year for me, for gaming music - not, as Drunka notes, for any other reasons really (although I did meet The Lady in 2016!).  The Wii U was dead on its backside and you won't find a single game from it below, but after a mediocre 2015 the 3DS had a late lease of musical life.

Again, I'll be mentioning most of Drunka's games.  Valstrax ( ) is a standard JRPG final boss-esque battle theme, which is as a result pretty damn good.  Magikarp Festival is the only piece I remember from Pokken, and that's entirely due to the Master Cheese.  It's not for me because it's definitely dance music, not singing music; but what it does, it does well.


5. Hyrule Warriors Legends - Molgera



I said we'd be coming back to this!  I like the build of this remix, with the third iteration of the theme turning things up to eleven.  It keeps the percussion (or 'chikka') too, unlike the faintly underwhelming SSBU remix.  I also can't pass up the opportunity to mention Linkle's theme, i.e. the happiest iteration of the main theme you've ever heard.


4. Fire Emblem Fates - End of All



I hope this is vague enough.  Here's another game I haven't played, but it's got a banging end battle theme, as you'd expect from a JRPG.  It's (very) like the beautiful Lost in Thoughts, but with the dramatics turned up to make it... well, a battle theme.  Also, it doesn't have LiT's problem's where the English lyrics really don't fit always fit with the metre, so it's oddly stressed.  (Don't get me wrong, though: the music is still lovely.)


3. Kirby Planet Robobot - Final Battle Suite



This is indeed three pieces, but I think you need them all to get an idea of the scale of what is undoubtedly Robobot's finest hour (and even then I've arguably left off the first one, another belter IMO).  To keep things as vague as possible, you need first the challenge, then the song of utter hopelessness as the boss becomes evidently insurmountable, then the fightback.  Robobot's final battle raised the entire game from good to great in my opinion, and the soundtrack was a big part of that.

Oh look: remix!  Metal remix of all three phases, specifically.  (Does show the final battle in the background.)


2. Pokémon Sun & Moon - Vast Poni Canyon



Of course.  I know this is an unpopular pick, and perhaps it isn't as banging as the (effectively) final area ought to be.  I dunno chaps, I just find this piece really does it for me.  I love that flute, I love the tune - it's one of my most listened-to pieces.  

Gladion's theme deserves mention here too, great piece.  Po Town was a great mood-setter, maybe not as hummable on its own but it still sends shivers down my spine.  (Screw Pokeli though, posts spoilers like nobody's business.)


1. Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice - Investigation - Core Themes



My actual favourite theme from this game is A Cornered Heart, but that definitely needs context and the context is spoiler on spoiler, so let's go with this pair of belters.  Excellent 'shit's going down' themes, the pair of them - effectively differentiating between California (snort) and Khura'in without dropping the intensity in either case.  A Dragon Never Yields isn't perhaps such a favourite for me, but it suits its subject down to a tee.  What a soundtrack; what a game.


Honourable mentions to Rhythm Paradise Megamix's Sumo Bros. which is chuffing daft and a good tune too, and Bravely Second's final battle theme, accompanying a final battle so epic and yet so daft it deserved Revo's music.  It didn't get it, though.  Ryo tried their best, but Bravely Second's music just pales in comparison to the original's.  Stoked to have Revo back for BD2!

Drunka being a tad late works in my benefit as I can talk 2016 quickly

First we've got the music from maybe one of the most impactful openings in games, dam you valve for in essence killing Valley of the Gods.

Basiclly a music game which comes out again soon, I should go back to my save on Wii U

No I'm not cheating

This was such a good game, why did Afterparty have to be a let down

Balladeer wrote:

4. Fire Emblem Fates - End of All

This one is nice. Kind of like the "lo fi hip hop beats to study to" version of Lost In Thoughts at first, but it works.

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3. Kirby Planet Robobot - Final Battle Suite

Nice synthy sci-fi stuff. The middle one especially could come from a Blade Runner or something.

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2. Pokémon Sun & Moon - Vast Poni Canyon

Fun stuff, very Donkey Kong Country in a weird way. I can definitely understand people saying this isn't epic enough stuff, but fuck it.

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1. Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice - Investigation - Core Themes

Absolute bangers! I think Core themes are an underrated part of AA soundtracks. Without them, that tension before the big courtroom showdown can't ratchet up like it needs to.

masofdas wrote:

First we've got the music from maybe one of the most impactful openings in games, dam you valve for in essence killing Valley of the Gods.

Gorgeous music from a gorgeous game. I adored the first half of Firewatch, and music like this was a huge part of that.

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Basiclly a music game which comes out again soon, I should go back to my save on Wii U

After living in Japan for almost two years, I think I’m now qualified to say: all J-Pop sounds exactly the same.

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No I'm not cheating

Maybe not, but you’ve fucked up your links.

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This was such a good game, why did Afterparty have to be a let down

Wow, you REALLY like this song, huh?

Right, let’s crack on. I’m a day late, but the system deliberately allowed for an extra day somewhere around Chrimbo. Sorted.

2017




This year was pretty life-changing for me. I was excited for the Switch like I haven’t been for any console since maybe the original Wii or DS. I was absolutely pumped, watching Captain Nintendo Dude’s daily videos as a he queued at the Nintendo Store in NY for a solid month, talking to y’all and all my Nintendo loving friends in the real world . . .

Then the fated weekend came. I was at my parents’ house (they pre-ordered my Switch as a Christmas gift). I ordered the fanciest bundle of Zelda and had delivered to their place- it came a day early.

I woke up early. My father and I went to GAME.

I take it home, unpack, do the updates and make my Mii and set everything up.

I put it into the dock and go to make a cup of tea. As I’m in the kitchen, kettle boiling, I start talking to my dad about life, work, plans, what I want to do with my life.

I mention an interest in studying Japanese.

He asks:

“Why don’t you go to Japan?”



5: End Credits – Gorogoa
by Jason Roberts

Gorogoa is a game which just managed to land for me somehow. I know it wasn’t everyone’s favourite game, but in a year of such belters the fact that I remember it at all shows that it was somewhat special and interesting. Nothing was so special and interesting as the soundtrack, which is pretty unique and emotionally rich. It really reached a crescendo at the end, when the music could be appreciated separately from the more diagetic sounds, and it still does something to me now.

4: Grand Prix – ARMS
by Atsuko Asahi and Yasuaki Iwata

I really bloody loved ARMS. If I ever actually caught that fighting game itch, that urge to sit and really master a single game to the exception of playing or doing anything else, it was while I was getting into this. Even before that, I remember being really thrilled by this during the early Testpunches. I was all but set to leave my apartment in Somerset at this point in time, so my internet access was sporadic at best. I remember sitting on the stairs to use the café underneath’s wifi, or Muss and I going to a pal’s house and using his. Then there were the hours on ranked, the finals I watched in Tokyo, the furious fun of taking part in party crash tournaments while sat in Laundrettes and travelling Kyoto . . .

This does a bit of a Super Mario Land 2 thing, where most of the songs on the OST are in some way remixing this initial piece. It works though because this tune does such a great job of getting my hyped up for an exciting party atmosphere. ARMS really felt like an event, every time I played it or anticipated it, and this music will always make me feel excited about those happy times.

3: Bowser’s Castle – Super Mario Odyssey
by Koji Kondo

Obviously it was incredibly difficult to choose just one track from this phenomenal work of art. I naturally have a lot of time for athletic themes and fun, funky areas. Of course I adored the songs with lyrics like Jump Up Super Star and Break Free. But for me, this moment with this music was when the game really surprised and delighted me most. A totally different take on a Bowser’s castle section, with an absolutely brilliant look and sound. If you’ve not played, spoilers I guess, but what are you doing on this forum?

2: Shipwreckin’ – Splatoon 2
by Toru Minegishi

Only room for one track from Spla2n, this is nothing like 2015!
This one is from the first wave of DLC maps and tracks, if I recall correctly, and it has remained one of my favourite piece of music since because it sounds a little weird and unique compared to the rest of the soundtrack. I always get a little extra pep in my step when this one rotates into my multiplayer games.
While we’re on the subject of Spla2n and 2017, can we just briefly reflect once more on how weird it is that this game launched the same day Dunkirk hit cinemas? I can honestly not imagine two more disparate depictions of war . . .

1: Main Theme – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
by Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata and Hajime Wakai

Listening to this song just now before writing this post almost brought a tear to my eye. A really special, utterly phenomenal piece of music that captures the spirit of the best game ever made, and my personal favourite.

This game has become so incredibly special to me. From the day I got home and set up my Switch, making that fateful decision, playing through it and savouring every moment and talking to all my friends about it while all my podcasts banged on about it, to moving to Japan and listening to some BotW podcasts as I hiked (this was the exact moment I fell in love with climbing mountains!) to playing side-by-side with Shen and her copy as we found our final shrines and fell for eachother . . . this game holds so many special memories to me, even beyond the exquisite perfection of actually playing it. When I hear those opening piano notes, all of that comes flooding back.

Perfection. What a song. What a game. What a year. What a console.

I’ll be back on the 26th to talk about 2018. In the meantime, here’s my non-gaming song of the year.[/quote]
[/quote]

Dam it was meant to be Twilight Princess and Oxenfree those last two links.

Drunkalilly wrote:

I can definitely understand people saying this isn't epic enough stuff, but fuck it.

I thought you thought that.

Mas' second pick was, I'd say, one of the top picks of 2016.  All J-Pop may sound exactly the same but it also sounds like a needle of weeb nostalgia directly into my veins.  Really looking forward to cracking that open next year!


2017

Excellent year.  Best year of the decade.  Great year for soundtracks too?  Of course it is.

Let's talk Drunka's picks.  Darn, I didn't get on with Gorogoa at all as a game, but that ending was really beautiful.  The music contributes well to that, although in isolation it's just 'there'.  ARMS was going to be a pick of mine if you didn't pick it, but I thought you would!  Belter.  I'm also a big fan of the Ribbon Girl version.  Shipwreckin' is all right, but I'm sure there are probably Splatwunes (wow, that was a convoluted pun) for me in there.  Oh look!


5. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions - Bowser's Castle



It would be understandable but wrong to forget the 3DS' belters in the Switch's launch year.  Having chosen this game, my favourite in the Mario & Luigi series reimagined, it would be equally easy for me to pick a well-known classic like Popple's battle theme.  However, in the interest of avoiding all accusations of Mas-like cheating , I've picked this.  Why?  It was utterly forgettable originally.  A simple change of instrumentation, soundset, and volume levels transformed a no-hoper into an absolute banger.


4. Metroid: Samus Returns - Lower Brinstar



Samus Returns was the first 2D Metroid I finished, and I had a great time doing so.  This beautiful haunting tune is up there with the series' best (that I've heard), denoting Samus' plunge into the depths.


3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Attack on Vah Naboris



That's the preamble out of the way: let's get onto the main event, and Switch tunes.  BotW had a debatable soundtrack (as in, it has been debated, I still like it), but it had some bangers in there, including several that build up from something simple to something magnificent.  The main tune's definitely a banger, but did we hear it in-game?  If so, where? Anyway, this boss fight had a really good hummable track, and in and of itself puts paid to the idea that BotW had no good 'tunes'.


2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Mor Ardain (Roaming the Wastes)



In a closely fought year, this was the best soundtrack for me.  I'm not going to do a full suite of five this time, although I'll give you this rockin' battle theme and this excellent BUT SPOILERY (although you'll see it coming a mile off) battle theme for free.  I'm just going to concentrate on this wastes-roaming brass-filled triumphal excellence.  Not what I expected from a desert planet, but I ain't complaining.


1. Super Mario Odyssey - Break Free! Lead the Way



Banger.  What more need be said?  Drunka's is good too, although I prefer the second movement.


Honourable mentions to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's best new tune, some really fine space-age stuff; and my favourite Ever Oasis theme, a lovely chill exploration piece that gets more rousing as it goes on.

Not much from 2017 that is just on Nintendo or close to it even cheating

Got this one and this classic

Balladeer wrote:

Oh look!

Another good'n from a soundtrack of good'ns. Ribbon Girl is a great pick. I often hear this and it reminds me of Ribbon Girl. I'm not even entirely sure why.

Quote :

5. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions - Bowser's Castle

Oooooh! I like this! Big Rains of Castamere vibes at the start there!

Quote :

4. Metroid: Samus Returns - Lower Brinstar

Man, I really wanna play this but I'm sure my poor 3DS is up to any kind of action game any more. Nice sci-fi stuff, but not up with the series' atmospheric best for me.

Quote :

3. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Attack on Vah Naboris

This is really fun and exciting stuff, and perfect in context, but it sounds like it could come from any videogame, not just the best game ever made.

Quote :

The main tune's definitely a banger, but did we hear it in-game? If so, where?

First stepping out of the cave and seeing the open world.
Remixed for every tower activation.
In some memories, I think.
At the end.

Quote :

2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Mor Ardain (Roaming the Wastes)

Exciting!
I really liked that first battle theme, but I didn't click the second supposedly spoilery link as I'm still kidding msyelf that I will go back to this eventually and actually, like, play it.

Quote :

1. Super Mario Odyssey - Break Free! Lead the Way

YAAAAS the boy is posting a track with lyrics.
LADLADLADLADLADLADLADLAD

masofdas wrote:

Not much from 2017 that is just on Nintendo or close to it even cheating

I just rolled my eyes a full 360 and now I'm blind. You owe me recompense.

Quote :

Got this one[

I've heard that NitW has a good soundtrack a few times. Nice mellow stuff. I need to play this'n eventually.

Quote :

and this classic

LET'S GO TO THE MALL EVERYBODY!




We’re in the endgame now.

2018



I fucking went and did it, I moved to that there Japan, where most of the games we’ve talked about come from. 2018 was a banger, very realistically the best year of my life, and it had some cracking games.


5: Gwyn, Lord of Cinder – Dark Souls
by Motoi Sakuraba

Along with Nameless Song, this is the other absolutely breathtaking piece of music which wasn’t on my Dark Souls music post, further proof that I probably made that post before I’d ever completed the game.

A sad, understated final boss theme from a deliberately anticlimactic battle with the insane, burned shell of a once-proud god who sacrificed everything in a vain, misguided attempt to prolong the inevitable. Beautiful and tragic in my favourite way.

4: Lifelight – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
by Hideki Sakamoto

In English, in Japanese, instrumental or one of a dozen cover versions I could link to, this song is always an absolute hype machine. From that very first teaser trailer in which we could subtly hear this in the distance to that world of light announcement in which all our favourite characters were Thanossed, this is just so exciting. I love listening to it, I love hearing it when I fire up Smash, and I love singing it with students at work.

3: Lavender Town – Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu & Let’s Go Eevee
by Junichi Masuda

With cheery, colourful graphics and a proper sound system, Lavender Town was never going to be as creepy this time as it was on the Game Boy. Instead, this version really leans into the sadness. Perfectly suited to the tragic tale of loss which accompanies Let’s Goes great handling of my favourite Pokemon.

2: Reach For The Summit – Celeste
by Lena Chappelle

This one could, perhaps, be considered cheating. In one song, and climbing one peak, we are given a tour of Celeste’s phenomenal soundscape, all in one extra epic, extra inspirational version. This game was truly outstanding in every way- visuals, music, story and gameplay are all parts of a perfect holistic vision and cannot be extricated from the whole, which is far more than the sum of its already impressive parts.

I’ve chosen some very emotionally resonant themes this year. Tragic Dark Souls ending, all our Nintendo faves being incinerated, Cubone’s mother passing into the afterlife, Madeline facing her inner battle by outwardly conquering a mountain . . .

I hope the next one is bright and cheery.

1: City Of Tears – Hollow Knight
by Christopher Larkin

The very sky weeps as the wonder at this awesome city is matched only by the mournful state in which it now lies.

Woeful funeral wails combined with exalted majesty in the way only the death cult of Jesus Christ can achieve.

Dead, as all things will be.

I’ll be back on the 29th to wrap up 2019. In the meantime, here’s my non-gaming song of the year.

ACHT YOU BASTARD YOU STOLE MY NUMBER ONE.  Cough.

Drunkalilly wrote:

This is really fun and exciting stuff, and perfect in context, but it sounds like it could come from any videogame, not just the best game ever made.

So here's a controversial statement, which shouldn't appear controversial compared to anything Mas says about this year: apart from the main theme (fair's fair, it does appear at the start and the end), I don't think BotW has much music that suggests it's the best game ever made and sounds good out of context.  All the beautiful tinkly isolation stuff that really catches the mood of the game isn't that good on its own.  The closest thing it has, maybe, is the build-ups: I chuffing love Vah Naboris' one.

I have an awful lot of time for that NitW song.  Really lovely melody.  Could spend some time looking through the NitW soundtrack on the basis of that. No comment on Night Trap, but fair's fair - nobody else would have suggested that!


2018

Everyone is sick of hearing me say that 2018 was a mediocre gaming year.  Well guess what?  As far as Nintendo gaming soundtracks go, it was to my mind almost as good as 2017.  That's largely because the eShop brought its musical A-game in 2018.  

In that I almost include the swells of Firewatch that Mas posted for 2016.  They're nice, but they're not top-tier eShop nice.  Meanwhile Drunka's brought in some big triple-A games that I didn't touch on.  Lord of Cinder is nice - it's definitely grim and sad and thematically appropriate, and definitely not what I, boring person that I am, want from my final bosses.  I didn't pick any of the Let's Go music in the end, because the good bits feel like they came from thirty-odd years ago and the new instrumentation gets a bit of a shrug from me.  That song worked really well with bleepy bloops and I still prefer the GBA version.


5. Hollow Knight - Queen's Gardens



Ah, the beautiful strains of one Hollow Knight's more peaceful areas.  Not that it doesn't have some splendid battle tunes, but I think this one summons up the desired mood better in a vacuum.  Of course, a single track can't convey the transition to the action version as well as gameplay.  It's good stuff, as is City of Tears - very haunting.  In 2018, the eShop had better.


4. Iconoclasts - Ivory Beast



None of you have ever played this (OR never visits this thread ).  You probably should, just for the experience.  It has heavily imperfect gameplay and story, but it does some tremendous things and goes dark places.  This is one of the darkest moments.  Top tune.  Might need context.


3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Galaga Medley



It's easy to dismiss Smash for being a remix vehicle, and it certainly has bangers on that front (the sound team behind Xenoblade did this and it shows); but this is all-new music, derived from old sound samples.  It's very special, and it's a damn good tune to boot.  The main theme (your link's bust Drunka) isn't as good for me - lyrics innit - but in context, and particularly in the context of that amazing trailer, it's still plenty magical.  Imagine a year in which Smash is only third...


2. Undertale - Your Best Nightmare / Finale



What to pick from this.  If you've played this, you know that basically any boss theme qualifies, as does most of the other music.  In the end, I opted for this pair - the final boss.*  The hellish build-up, and the moment when the tables turn.  Musical spoilers up the wazoo, and quite possibly context too.  

If you want something that doesn't need context, here's a cheery skeleton tune and its very Jewish remix and also its very Russian remix.


1. Celeste - Confronting Myself



YOU UTTER GIT DRUNKA.  Everybody knows that Reach for the Summit is actually the top-tier pick, but fortunately this is Celeste so it's chock-full of them.  I've picked Confronting Myself, the closest thing Celeste has to an out-and-out boss fight.  It is, like almost every other track from the game, a banger.


Honourable mention to Overcooked 2's gloopy galactic tune.  A bit of a tone change from the original's ever-jaunty pieces, but it still has enough of that feeling of time pressure!

You guys did most of 2017 that I was left with not a lot to pick from, got this for you though.

On to 2018, some more Persona

From my favourite switch game, been close to buying the vinyl (i have for a few of the games I've brought up)

Then this from a collection on Switch

Balladeer wrote:

ACHT YOU BASTARD YOU STOLE MY NUMBER ONE.  Cough.

Fuck me, the cunt gone and did a swear. You lick your mother with that tongue?

Bastardeer wrote:

All the beautiful tinkly isolation stuff that really catches the mood of the game isn't that good on its own.  

I dunno, man, I could listen to the Riding Theme all day long.

Bastardeer wrote:

5. Hollow Knight - Queen's Gardens

You buggered your links a bit on this one, chief, but you eventually did post Queen’s Garden, at least – and very wonderful stuff it is.

Bastardeer wrote:

4. Iconoclasts - Ivory Beast

My knowledge of this game is comprised entirely of what you just said in this here post, but it seems like it has a pretty nice OST at least.

Bastardeer wrote:

3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Galaga Medley

Not at all what I would have expected you to post, but a really unique and interesting little tune. Good stuff indeed!

Bastardeer wrote:

2. Undertale - Your Best Nightmare / Finale

Slight confession: I actually made the decision to skip UT because I knew you’d cover it for me. Neither of your two numbered picks would have been my choices but . . .

Bastardeer wrote:

here's a cheery skeleton tune

That is very much my jam.

Bastardeer wrote:

YOU UTTER GIT DRUNKA.  Everybody knows that Reach for the Summit is actually the top-tier pick

Actually, I was dead certain you would post the opening tune with the time freeze and the dash off the bridge. You always bang on about that bit.

Bastardeer wrote:

1. Celeste - Confronting Myself

This is an absolute fucking BANGER though, so hopefully no hard feelings.

masofdas wrote:

You guys did most of 2017 that I was left with not a lot to pick from, got this for you though.

DON’T FORGET THE ROBOT.

Quote :

From my favourite switch game, been close to buying the vinyl (i have for a few of the games I've brought up)

This is such great music. There was a lot I liked about GRIS, I just wish it had landed for me overall the way it seems to have done for you and so many others.

Quote :

Then this from a collection on Switch

Man, I always hear people talking about the SoR soundtracks but shit, I would legitimately go clubbing to this!



The end. The final end.

2019



Seems like this was another shiter for those of you in the decadent west, further reinforcing my desire to stay right where I am, thank you very much. Another good year for me – barring a little bit of typhoon here and a bout of food poisoning there, I got my proper Visa to live and work in Japan, I got to spend the best part of 6 months with my girlfriend (and we didn’t get fed up with eachother!) and my podcasts seem to be doing alright.
Good games, too.

5: Saviour – Astral Chain
by Satoshi Igarashi

Astral Chain was no Bayonetta or Vanquish, but it wasn’t a Legend of Korra, either. To me, Platinum Games have still got it and once I got my head around it, this was another top-tier character action game, with a fun twist.

The plot was pure anime cheese, shamelessly imitating classics of the art form while sprinkling in some Platinum humour. This theme song suits it perfectly as this could come from any number of edgy teen animes.
Here’s a pretty nice cover by Tsuko G, one of my fave dudes for this kind of thing.

4: Link and Marin’s Ballad of the Wind Fish – The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX DX
by Minako Hamano

The whole idea of this gorgeous HD remake of an old Game Boy game felt a little weird. What made it a tantalising prospect, however, was the possibility that we would hear a nice new version of this classic piece of game music. Luckily, it absolutely delivers. Really charming, if simple, stuff which helped massively with my attachment to Koholint and its residents.
Marin on her own is hauntingly beautiful as well, of course, and although I don’t know when this version would show up in the game proper, it’s really nice too.

3: Edge of Dawn – Fire Emblem: Three Houses
by Rei Kondoh

I hinted at this when I talked about Fates, but here was a Fire Emblem game that properly got its hooks into me AND had a gorgeous piece of music with lyrics. I was addicted to this game, playing simultaneously with loads of friends, and super emotionally attached, so the day after I finished it I ended up listening to this song in the gym over and over as I worked through my feelings by working out my powerful biceps.
In the process I discovered my love for the main version, instrumental versions, the Japanese version, a mash-up of the English and Japanese versions, and covers galore. This is my favourite.

2: The World We Knew – Sayonara Wild Hearts
by Daniel Olsen

This whole game was essentially an album of exactly the kind of cheesy but earnest pop music which I adore. This one happens to be the track which stabbed me in the heart personally, but I could just as easily throw Begin Again in here instead. Wild Hearts Never Die and Doki Doki Rush also stand out as examples of pieces which are a little less successful as pop songs in their own rights, but which land really well as exciting videogame music to motorcycle to.

1: Battle! Gym Leader – Pokemon Sword and Shield
by Minako Idachi, Go Ichinose

I really fucking loved this game in the end. Just today, I was wondering around the wild area, topping up my Pokedex and catching some Gigantamax monsters. However, what pushes this game over into all-timer for me is the music.

I’ve tried to explain before why this game landed so hard for me as a football/ wrestling fan, and I think this song sums it up perfectly. There’s a reason the version I linked to is listed as “true full version”. You need the three different stages as the battle intensifies, culminating in the final section, as pokemon get swole and the crowd gets pumped. There’s nothing like the atmosphere in a crowd, everyone singing and chanting, at a real sport which people actually watch. This game captures it perfectly, and it felt AMAZING battling my way to champion status.

SO HYPE. Metal Covers if you want to mix it up, but the synthy dance music and diagetic whistles, vuvuzelas and chants can't be beaten.

In slightly more mellow, overworld stuff I have to shout out The Slumbering Weald. Unique, mysterious, adventurous stuff. Goosebumps, mate! And I was a big fan of the music in the

Spoiler:

---

Also, a big shout-out to the absolutely beautiful Main Theme from Daemon X Machina, which has made me fire up the demo a couple of times just to let it sit on the title screen. Alas, with so much other good stuff still unplayed on my Switch, I haven't justified actually picking this up yet.

---

And we’re done! I look forward to hearing some Luigi’s Mansion and Goose Game picks from Balla, and some more SWH from Mas probably. In the meantime, here’s my non-gaming song of the year.

First off, I've fixed the previous post.  Second tune was the Mantis Lords.

Drunkalilly wrote:

Balladeer wrote:

ACHT YOU BASTARD YOU STOLE MY NUMBER ONE. Cough.

Fuck me, the cunt gone and did a swear. You lick your mother with that tongue?

>reacts to this word that I used earlier in the project
>says nothing about me calling Sticker Star a 'relative shiter'

Drunkalilly wrote:

I dunno, man, I could listen to the Riding Theme all day long.

See, this is not a top-tier solo pick for me.  You can't hum it, you can't dance to it, you can't even really listen to it actively: it's at its best when it's accompanying you doing something else.

Drunkalilly wrote:

Bastardeer wrote:

YOU UTTER GIT DRUNKA.  Everybody knows that Reach for the Summit is actually the top-tier pick

Actually, I was dead certain you would post the opening tune with the time freeze and the dash off the bridge. You always bang on about that bit.

Context innit. Summit is the best standalone piece.

Re. Mas, that's exactly what I thought Gris would sound like, for better or for worse!  I'm not so keen on the SoR2 piece: there are a couple of notes in the motif that just sounds 'off' to me.  Trying too hard to be funky?


2019

So, here we are.  A good, maybe even great, year for Switch; probably a good, maybe even great, year for music on Switch; but not a good, or great, year for me for music on Switch (or for the UK overall, but that's another thread's problem).  The reason is simple: the games I feel I've had time to get to grips with (LM3, Link's Awakening, Baba) didn't have terribly memorable soundtracks (or they were memorable for the wrong reasons...); the games with better soundtracks I either didn't play (Three Houses) or haven't got into yet (Dragon Quest XI, Hat in Time).  There are exceptions, of course; but as of yet, I haven't had time to make it a good year for music.  Still, work with what you've got...


Before that, though, we have three Drunka games I haven't touched on.  I really don't like Saviour much, the harmony rubbing me up the wrong way; and Edge of Dawn is another piece that's probably better without lyrics (and Adriana doesn't work for me either I'm afraid).  However, the Ballad of the Wind Fish is, I'd say, the only memorable piece from LoZLA: nice pick.  The vocal version is the best of the three, although: 'Note: This song is not in the actual game and was only used for promotional purposes.'  

That DxM pick is divine.

Mas' Persona Q2 launched outside Japan in 2019 too, and that is certainly some Persona music.  It's pretty groovy!  Definitely better without any lyrics, and my favourite Mas song this time around.


5. Dragon Quest XI S - Opening



Boo Sony.  Yay DQXI!  Looks like it's going to have a belting soundtrack, but right now I only know a few early tunes.  This one feels pretty great, oozing epic cinematic JRPG in a way that told me I'd be getting exactly what I wanted.  NB: the DQ composer is a bellend.


4. Steamworld Quest - Action Over Words



This is my most listened-to piece from the Steamworld Quest soundtrack: a rocking penultimate battle theme.  The final one's a bit of an anticlimax in comparison, as is most of the rest of the game's soundtrack - but this piece is up there with the genre's finest to my mind.


3. Deltarune - The World Revolving



Toby Fox game.  Tough-as-nails bonus boss.  Nuff said.


2. Pokémon Sword/Shield - Storming the Tower (SPOILERS)



A surprisingly difficult pick.  The Gym Leader theme is tremendous and I fully expected Drunka to pick it (NB I drafted this bit of the post three days ago. That second cover is pretty fire, mind.  Have some obligatory Jim Sterling), Slumbering Weald is a lovely area theme (this bit too), and Toby Fox did a thing.  However, this is a heart-stoking late-game theme that reminds me of Outer Rings and Rainbow Roads and them.  Smash the baddies!  Save the region!  You can do it!  BELIEVE IN ME WHO BELIEVES IN YOU!  


1. Sayonara Wild Hearts - Dead of Night



There aren't many bad choices from here, and I struggled for quite a while between this and Mine (which, like the game, starts well but doesn't end as well), but I do like DoN.  Its level is, like most of SWH's, admirably batcrap, but this might be my favourite of several tunes that hit several guilty pleasure buttons for me.  

Begin Again was up there too.  Missile's Theme was not.


Honourable mention to Basement 2 from Luigi's Mansion 3, the standout track so far for its amusing merger of haunted house and... banjo.  I didn't originally have any honourable mentions from UGG, actually - the music works so well because of the Tom&Jerryish way it reacts to the goose's movements.  Debussy is of course grand, though, so here's Fireworks which accompanies the final set-piece in-game.

Dishonourable mention to Yoshi's Crafted World and its dire 'music'.  Here's an example...


Top work Drunka, this has been a brill project! Still time for Jay to join Jim and me in fulfilling his prediction...

Can't think of the Robin Sparkles song with a robot unless it was two beavers.

SWH is a banger but you've both done it and I don't want to do what you guys have, so more cheating from me

The best song EVER!

One of the many RPG's not called Dragon Quest to get ported this year to Switch

This one might be better

From the best RPG on Switch

I'll stop with the RPG's after this

You should be playing this platformer

I'm a hipster, as none of you would have played this game this year

It's the last year, so I'll listen to all of Mas' picks. We have:

- A very funky tune that's pretty much the right level of stupid, good start;
- A game I'd love to play, with a somewhat meh opening;
- Some massive cheating as I'm sure it isn't the orchestral version on Switch, but even then I think it's a bit... just there;
- Same applies but the underlying tune is better, Vivi has a good spooky tune;
- Some proper epic exploration stuff which I'm very much up for;
- A worse version of Hisstocrat, but I think that version might have incomplete instrumentation?
- Finally, a very indie tune that's really nice. I like the build in particular. My fave of the bunch.

I know you said you don't do much music stuff, so cheers for chiming in on this Mas!