Official(?) Nintendo Consoles Music Thread v2.0

Balladeer wrote:

 Given the level of grief you give me for my (less personally beneficial but equally harmless) hobby of following cricket, I hope I'm allowed to make the odd side-gag about some of your hobbies without inviting 'pseudo-intellectual' into the conversation, or implying disrespect on my part.

Yeah, I was being a little defensive there. I guess I projected some societal things onto what you said.

Quote :

this one felt like it was playing into nostalgia more than trying to do anything great itself.  

Undoubtedly, but it 100% worked on me this time!

No worries. I think anybody who knows a gym-loving big-clubbing super-confident extrovert, who's also a videogame nerd who makes Pokémon and sci-fi podcasts and has a bunch of gaming figures and plushies, knows that the 'meathead gymbro' and 'introverted geek' stereotypes are just that.

Balladeer wrote:

gymbro

I've never seen this as one word before and it looks kinda dirty or medical.

Buskalilly wrote:

Balladeer wrote:

gymbro

I've never seen this as one word before and it looks kinda dirty or medical.

No, he was the guy who sung Somebody that I Used to Know. No wait, that's the woman who sung Somebody that I Used to Know. Which one is it? I'm confused now.

Jimbob wrote:

No, he was the guy who sung Somebody that I Used to Know. No wait, that's the woman who sung Somebody that I Used to Know. Which one is it? I'm confused now.

It's confusing these days.

Oh, and here are a couple of belters from Ys VIII: an overworld theme, and a battle theme.

Balladeer wrote:

Oh, and here are a couple of belters from Ys VIII: an overworld theme, and a battle theme.

They were okay. The overworld one didn't do much for me, but the battle theme at least had a hook I could get into. Still, they were both a little Now that's what I call JRPGs. Fine enough.

Right.


I will be posting my Top Fives tracks from . . .

December 7th: NES
The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, any Game and Watch songs or songs from the Saturday Morning Cartoon or whatever else you might think we need to hear.

December 10th: SNES & Game Boy
Link to The Past, Link's Awakening, The CDi Games I guess

December 13th: N64 and Game Boy Colour
Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons, Link's Awakening DX I guess.

December 16th: Gamecube and GBA
Wind Waker, Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess

December 19th: Wii and DS
Twilight Princess, Link's Crossbow Training, Skyward Sword, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks

December 22nd: Wii U and 3DS
Link Between Worlds, Triforce Heroes, The 3DS remakes, the HD versions, Hyrule Warriors, Breath of the Wild, the Zelda game in Nintendoland, the Zelda track in Mario Kart

December 26th: Switch
Breath of the Wild, Hyrule Warriors, Age of Calamity, Link's Awakening, SS HD, Mario Kart again

You'll notice I'm not being strict about games which appear on multiple consoles. Why limit myself?

Anyway, enjoy, and feel free to join in with your own songs/ rankings/ whatever to a lesser or greater degree.

Metal you say? How about some DUSK.

Main menu theme:




Also when this kicks in for the first time it's just propels you forward into a shooting frenzy which put a big smile on my face.



----

Bonus chiptune version of the main theme from the demake DUSK 82.

I'm surprised; way more DOOM (2016) than DOOM (1994). Bleeding Out was a banger though.

Yeh I can definitely see that influence (dusk was also first out 2 years after Doom '16) as well and funnily enough the composer has went to work on the DOOM Eternal expansion.

Buskalilly wrote:

They were okay. The overworld one didn't do much for me, but the battle theme at least had a hook I could get into. Still, they were both a little Now that's what I call JRPGs. Fine enough.

I can't work out whether that's the whole 'different tracks mean different things to me because I've played it' or just our different musical tastes, but I'm definitely the other way around on those two! Speaking of musical taste, DUSK is probably not for me, which given what I've seen of the game itself is not all that surprising.

Up for some Zelda tunes, natch! Bonus points if you actually find any bangers amongst the CDi games.

As someone who's played 2 of the CDi games, I will find something.

For the longest time, people tended to ignore the two early Zelda games on the humble NES. In many ways, Link to the Past set the template that the rest of the games followed. For many, the original was a historical artifact, something to be treated with reverance but not some entertainment to be enjoyed. The sequel was considered a historical curio, an oddity fondly remembered but best not mentioned.

For myself, I played the original through for the first time on January 1st of this very year, and quite frankly I bloody adored it. It has enjoyed a bit of a renaissance recently as it was the template for the majestic Breath of the Wild. I still haven't properly gotten stuck into Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, but after being so pleasantly surprised by its predecessor, I'm more tempted than ever.

Regardless of how the 8-bit visuals hold up or whether the gameplay is still appealing, one thing can't be denied: The Zelda series smashed it out of the park on day one when it comes to music.

5: Battle Area Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - NES Koji Kondo

Many a JRPG lives or dies by how much the battle music can remain exciting after the nth random encounter. Here, in the closes Zelda ever came to being an RPG in the typical sense, we get to hear Kondo's attempt at entering the genre. I'd say he pretty much kills it . . .

4: Recorder The Legend of Zelda - NES Koji Kondo

Just a short jingle, more like a sound effect than a song, but it has a really magical feel. Considering how important magical musical instruments would become to the series as it progressed, it's really comforting to hear such a familiar sound when returning to the beginning.

3: Overworld The Legend of Zelda - NES Koji Kondo

Just as I could easily have filled the Mario collection with athletic themes, the Zelda games are absolutely defined by their Hyrule Field music. The very essence of Zelda is stepping out into a wide, grassy plain and feeling that sweeping sense of adventure. The feeling that there's a huge world spreading out in every direction beneath your feet, and it's all going to need conquering before you're done . . . That's the stuff.

2: Overworld Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - NES Koji Kondo

While I can't sit here and tell you Zelda II was a better game, it certainly stepped up the aesthetics from the first game. The side-on sections gave us a great look at the characters we could barely see in The Legend of Zelda, and while the map screen was a little less of a looker than the first game's overworld, it came with a tremendous tune.

1: Title Theme The Legend of Zelda - NES Koji Kondo

Besides maybe the Super Mario Bros. overworld, this is probaby the most iconic bit of game music ever created. I would certainly argue that it is the most beloved. Any Nintendo fan has been moved to tears by elegant application of this track at least once - a rousing, majestic, absolutely perfect achievment. And so the story goes, it was all created last-minute when the decision was made not to just use existing classical compositions.

There you go, my five favourites from the NES era. There will be more to choose from as we proceed, obviously, and I'll have more to say about games I've spent more time with, but this was certainly a better start than when the first day of Mario was all Atari 2600 Donkey Kong covers . . .

Buska Bonus:

Definitely some tracks there I can't separate in my head from the newer, less chiptuney variants - but blimey, some corking soundtracks for back in the day!  And that LoZ2 overworld deserves an orchestrated version in BotW2, it's properly great still.  (Unlike that advert... )

The one big miss from that list is, to my mind, the LoZ2 palace them.  Maybe it's only got classic status due to Mêlee, but that's an absolute belter and a half, and better than most modern-day dungeon themes.

Balladeer wrote:

Bonus points if you actually find any bangers amongst the CDi games.

masofdas wrote:

As someone who's played 2 of the CDi games, I will find something.

I included that option specifically for you, Mas

Balladeer wrote:

The one big miss from that list is, to my mind, the LoZ2 palace them.  Maybe it's only got classic status due to Mêlee, but that's an absolute belter and a half, and better than most modern-day dungeon themes.

Yeah, I find myself thinking of the Smash level when I hear that for sure. In a good way, mind.


While I was surprised when I went back and played the original NES game to discover that it is still a treat to play, I am never surprised when I fire up Link to the Past and it's still the business. Gorgeous, chunky sprites. Tight, fun gameplay. An epic scope. An actual story. And, of course, iconic tunes.

Link's Awakening may have actually been my first taste of a Zelda game? Although I played it after Pokémon, this was the game for many people that showed them the game boy could be a ticket to another world rather than just the host of cheap and cheerful arcade thrills.

5: Hyrule Field A Link to the Past - SNES Koji Kondo

I said yesterday that I could easily fill a whole Zeldathon with Hyrule Fields. That remains true here, and the only reason this isn't higher is because it isn't different enough from what came before. Still a banger.

4: Overworld Link's Awakening - Game Boy Ryo Nagamatsu

A surprisigly upbeat, videogamey, energetic version of this tune which is very strong in my memory. That initial moment of collecting your sword that's washed up on the beach and hearing the music kick in, suddenly being able to fight enemies . . . really special.

3: Hyrule Castle A Link to the Past - SNES Koji Kondo

Incredibly imposing and exciting, this is a fantastic tone piece. I remember some time around 2004 or 2005, Nintendo Official Magazine came with a free Legend of Zelda music CD and this was among the tracks. That disk got a lot of play in my room, and this one really stuck with me.

2: Ballad of the Wind Fish Song, Duet, Finale Link's Awakening - Game Boy Ryo Nagamatsu

Beautiful. Meaningful. Iconic. Significant. Haunting.
This gorgeous but melancholy tune is absolutely key to this game's wonderful atmosphere and story- both in a metaphorical sense as well as actually within the game's own world. Genuinely phenomenal stuff.

1: Dark World A Link to the Past - SNES Koji Kondo

Remember how I said Link to the Past didn't do anything new and exciting with its overworld theme? Well, it turns out it was saving the goods for a little later. Epic, exciting, incredibly special. Top stuff.

There were quite a few songs today - Kakariko Village, Meeting the Maidens, Beginning of the Journey - which are only not making the list because later games will use the same track in a way which feels more iconic to me.

Buska Bonus:

Here's where the sound fonts really begin to screw me over, specifically on the SNES. I just can't appreciate the SNES versions of any of the tunes - not even the Dark World, which is objectively supreme - because of the sound font. This'll be a problem with the GBA too, but there at least nostalgia will paper over some of the cracks for me. Fortunately LttP's soundtrack will be back with a bang later in the event!

I think the SNES sounds great for sci-fi, but I agree it doesn't do it for fantasy all the time.
I bloody love Game Boy music, mind.


Influential and ground-breaking though they were, the N64 Zelda games are slightly let down for me by the fact that I came to them after finishing the two Gamecube belters. Still, they are masterpieces or whatever.

I also remember seeing lots of magazine ads for the GBC duo and getting them for Chrimbo. It was nice to have two Zeldas simultaneously, jumping between them when I got stuck.

5: Subrosian Dance Oracle of Seasons - Game Boy Colour Minako Adachi & Kyohiro Sada

I gave the Oracle soundtracks a little listen. Decent dungeon stuff, standard overworlds. Generally nice stuff. But it was this insanity which brought a wave of nostalgia crashing down on me.

4: Hyrule Field Ocarina of Time - N64 Koji Kondo

Obviously this is on the list. I came to this game late, I played it on agamecube bonus disk, I'd heard all the hype and still I got a grand feeling of adventure welling up inside me when I stepped out into the field the first time. Absolutely world-changing.
Also, shoutout to Termina Field for taking it, lulling you into a false sense of security and then fucking you up.

3: Great Fairy Fountain Ocarina of Time - N64 Koji Kondo

This is like . . . high fantasy, you know? Just really, really magical. Feels almost how I imagine a religious experience must feel. I bloody love Zelda, guys.

2: Clock Tower Majora's Mask - N64 Koji Kondo

Really really spooky stuff. I know part of my brain has been permanently fucked up by that creepypasta from a few years back, but even in its original context this is an unsettling piece of music from the Zelda game that really messes you up.

1: Gerudo Valley Ocarina of Time - N64 Koji Kondo

An all-timer that captures a desert, cowboy adventure theme phenomenally well. Perhaps more famous around here for the Smash version which Balla likes to share, but still good stuff here in its original form.

Buska Bonus:

I actually started Wind Waker, then dropped it for the OoT bonus disc! (I came back to it afterwards. I'm not a monster.)

Gerudo Valley is the obvious correct first place, and then (perhaps unsurprisingly in the first generation I really played) our preferences diverge.  Clock Tower's belting, but I think I've been over-exposed to the other two N64 tracks and I've never played the Oracle games sadly.  I tried, I started Ages I think, but it felt too old for me.  Anyway, my other slots would probably go to:
- Clock Town Day 3, i.e. things are seriously wrong now;
- The Lost Woods, i.e. things are seriously dancy now;
- The Windmill, i.e. Wear Headphones Get Dizzy;
- Stone Tower Temple, mostly for when it feeds into the inversion.

I must say, I much prefer enjoying Majora's Mask through listening to its soundtrack than through playing the damn thing and getting stressed about the time limit/melancholy about the folks.

Music from Wand of Gamelon has no business being that good!

The music in all three games are decent, got to sell ya on that CD.

- Clock Town Day 3, The Lost Woods, - Both of these two make me want to dance.
- The Windmill,

Balladeer wrote:

I must say, I much prefer enjoying Majora's Mask through listening to its soundtrack than through playing the damn thing and getting stressed about the time limit/melancholy about the folks.

The reason I love MM is the stress about time and the melancholy.

masofdas wrote:

You play as Zelda

They both slapped, the first one especially so.

I never owned an N64, NES or SNES.

I did play Gamecube at a balloon festival, fall in love and then receive one as a surprise birthday present. LIFE CHANGING.

5: Main Theme - Four Swords Adventures

For a game which primarily brings to mind bombastic multiplayer mayhem, this slow, understated piano intro is surprisingly beautiful.

4: Picori Festival The Minish Cap - GBA Mitsuhiko Takano

Love me a festival. The food, the drink, the laid-back feel and the sounds. Perfectly captured, very nostalgic.

3: Sealed Hyrule Castle Wind Waker - Gamecube Koji Kondo, Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai & Toru Minegishi

Atmospheric and utterly remarkable. So tense and special. You know a moment is amazing when you feel bad spoiling it 20 years later on a forum which already voted this its favourite Zelda game!
Also, shout out to the creepy hyrule castle remix.

2: Dragonroost Island Wind Waker - Gamecube Koji Kondo, Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai & Toru Minegishi

Breathless, adventurous, sunshine music. Brings a tear to the eye.

1: The Great Sea Wind Waker - Gamecube Koji Kondo, Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai & Toru Minegishi

If the purpose of a Zelda game is to make the player feel like a brave little kid on an epic adventure in the big scary world, then nothing else compares to those seas with this music. I feel  my heart leap out of my chest just hearing it.

Buska Bonus: