Official Nintendo Consoles Music Thread (Thanks for Listening!)

I agree with everything you said there Drunka. Zelda II was the first game I ever saw; everything about it (especially the music, in hindsight) blew everything away.

Not much to say about this week: I've never played the game, and as you point out, I'm no great fan of chiptunes. I do like this arrangement of the temple themes from SSB, though, and I agree that number 2 sounds very Pokémon-esque.

Speaking of Pokémon-esque, I'd like to link to this piece from ΩRAS that Athrun left off his list (endish spoilers): Wally's theme.

About:

Dunno if it works as well without the events surrounding it in-game, since it fits them so very well; but I thought it deserved a mention.

GNamer's Music Week 127
Zeldathon Part 3

The Best Game on the Best 16-Bit Console Week



Get into the mood.

So, as part of my self-imposed mission to go through the Zelda Series, I finished Link to the Past last week. What a game! Like Super Metroid before it, this game really brought home the immense quality that Nintendo brought to the SNES. The 16-bit era was the pinnacle of what games had been up to that point; predominantly 2D and sprite based but with unlimited creative potential. Nintendo crafted incredibly real worlds with what was available to them and as for the music; it still has that chiptune quality, as discussed previously with Jay and the Balls Man, but with much more complexity than previously possible. So I'm going to share my highlights of the Link to the Past Soundtrack, but I want to hear lots more quality 16-bit choonage!

Hyrule Castle

The game has a very wordy, story-driven opening. There's rain and music and tension and everything. So when Link gets into the castle, even though it is the first location in the game and presents no real danger, it feels like a big deal. And this music makes it feel like a bloody imposing castle, every time Link steps inside.
https://youtu.be/lZdRoKOM7qkHere's a poorly recorded Piano cover.

Hyrule Field

Like every Zelda game, this one has an absolutely phenomenal overworld theme. It also has some really, really nice instrument sounds. The cymbals, man...
Here's a wonderfully mellow guitar cover.

The Dark World

I prefer this to the Hyrule overworld theme. Maybe its just that I'm accustomed to hearing the standard Zelda theme, maybe its the vibe of dark weirdness, maybe its the association to Twilight Princess. I don't know, I just know I like it.
Smooth McGroove, 'natch.

Prince of Darkness

Oh, man, you know I love a really game boss fight tune and this so delivers. It makes me really wanna stab a pig man with my sword, y'know? Gets the blood pumping.
Appropriately banging metal version

Epilogue
&
Staff Roll

Link to the Past has a stupendously satisfying ending. If you're going to end an adventure with an absolute victory for the hero, this is how to do it. Masterful. It even does the one thing Ocarina of Time's ending disapointingly fails to do; it works in the Zelda theme. Plus, I like how much the start of the credits theme sounds like the start of this.
Here's one and the other on piano.

One last thing: The Link to the Past medley by the Video Game Orchestra. Enjoy!

When I did this, back in week 74, I didn't go beyond the Dark World. It's an absolutely brilliant tune, and I didn't think that anything else from the game was worthy of mention alongside it. While I'm afraid that I still don't, the ending theme's classy too, and almost feels more FF than Zelda. (Maybe because I've only played FFIII and the SNES FFs?)

Also, updated the OP!

I was going to say that Link to the Past is my favourite Zelda title theme, but I'd totally forgotten about Ocarina of Time. Still cracking though.

GNamer Music Week Period of Time 128: Old Challenger Approaching!

So.  I've been talking these things over with Drunkabuska, and we think that maybe Music Months might be better than Music Weeks.  But that's all up in the air for now.  All I know is, I've been given free rein to do Number 128 of whatever these are; and seeing as I've been loving the free CD from Club Nintendo, this is the game I picked.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U



My criteria have been quite strict for this one:
(a) The piece has to be a remix new to this generation, i.e. it has to have the red marker in My Music;
(b) The piece can't have appeared in SSB3DS, apart from in the music player.  Else it would have gone in the SSB3DS week, see?

Even with these criteria in play, I've had real trouble whittling the tunes down.  My originally shortlist of possibles contained 27 tunes.  But I've finally picked out a top ten.  Hope you all enjoy:





10: Rainbow Road Medley



I'm breaking my own rules already!  But I forgot to include this one in my SSB3D post, and it's a blinder.  I love how it shines the spotlight on several less-appreciated yet still great RR tunes, like SC's and DS'.

And here's some muppet playing the DS RR badly on the piano.  Cough.

(If my cheating disturbs you that much, listen to Circuit (Mario Kart 7) instead.  Another blinder, especially that sax solo.)


9: Skateboard Arena (Free Mode)



This came out of nowhere!  Who knew that Wii Fit Plus contained music that Guns 'n' Roses would be proud of?  (It doesn't, actually - this is so heavily remixed that it bears no resemblance to the original.)

Youtube doesn't have a single remix of this song.  You'll have to put up with the rather lovely Yoga music instead.  Very chill.


8: The Mysterious Murasame Castle Medley



Okay, I'll admit it: the main reason I love this piece is the choir going "woo-oo-oo" at the beginning.  But it's still a great update, and makes me want a new Murasame Castle game, despite never having played the original.

J-Rock version with hilarious vocals.  "Wun tsu sree fah!"


7: Outdoors at 7 p.m. (Sunny)/Main Street



The first of two pieces that aren't really appropriate for all-out frenetic fighting, but make me happy in a calm content way.

Keyboard version.  Not perfect, but better than the one for number 10.

6: Pedal Glider



The second of two pieces that aren't really appropriate for all-out frenetic fighting, but make me happy in a calm content way.  That steel-string guitar.  Magical.

Somebody's combined it with the Balloon Fight music, and it works surprisingly well.  Bob Marley would have approved.


5: Wii Sports Series Medley



Has the advantage of having the Wii Sports theme, i.e. most tropical music in videogames, to kick it off.

Unsurprisingly, there are quite few remixes (remices?) of the WS theme around - but few as amusing as Mother-series Miis a capella-ing it in Wii Music.


4: Pac-Man's Park/Block Town



Playing on the worst course in the game, I never really had the time of day for this piece until I listened to it on the soundtrack CD.  Now I can't get enough of it.

The apparently shite Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures has one thing going for it.  Well, half a thing - it's nowhere near as good as the Smash remix.


3: Onett Theme/Winters Theme



Ridiculous that there isn't a new Mother course in SSBU at all.  What's even worse is that means we only get one new Mother tune (which is one more than the number of new F-Zero tunes).  At least it's a corker.

Here's an Onett remix, and here's a Snowman one.  (No, it's not actually the Winters music.)


2: Route 10 (Black/White)



Cette musique!  C'est incroyable, non?  It sounds like something out of XY, purely for its Frenchyness, but it isn't.  It's marvellous either way.

And here's a very mellow re-imagining of it.  Lovely stuff.


1: Destroyed Skyworld



Nothing more need be said.  Absolutely brilliant, in every way.

No remixes.  You can't improve on perfection.  But here's the original, so you can hear how far it's come.


Phew!  Any I've missed out?  Over to you all!

Good to see music back, I do wonder about the Noun-Nintendo one sometimes and doing things as Drunka get me thinking about a certain series and I'm playing a game with some great music at the moment as well.

But don't want to step on Jay's toes

I should be able to start updating it weekly soon enough once my dissertation is away (in 10 days... eep), Mas, but if you want to post a guest week to tide us over till then, go ahead!

As for Balla's effort, I'm partial to any of the Mega Man music featured in the game. Quick Man's theme is excellent , as isAirman's Theme, but my favourite has to go to the Mega Man 2 medley.

If you're going to comment here, Mas, could you please talk about Nintendo music (not necessarily the ones I'm posting) rather than using it to drag attention to another thread? The whole point of having two threads is so that you can use the other one to talk about the stuff in the other one.

The Mega Man 2 remix is an absolute belter, Jay, but it already appeared in SSB3DS (and I think Drunka gave it first place in that week). Otherwise it would definitely be up there!

Well not got much to say on it but like I said it's good to see it back as I do like to see it, so was giving you a

always appreciated!

Balladeer wrote:

The Mega Man 2 remix is an absolute belter, Jay, but it already appeared in SSB3DS (and I think Drunka gave it first place in that week).  Otherwise it would definitely be up there!

Ah, so it did! Also, appreciate the inclusion of the Onett theme - even though I prefer the Onett theme from the SNES games, it's still charming as hell in Smash 4.

Ah, man - the 7PM Animal Crossing music's really haunting. I haven't played it for about 6 months, but it brings it all back - the after work check-in.

Even though I've not played New Leaf, that piece went right into my VGM playlist on YouTube (unashamedly linking it here) just because of how melancholy it is - it doesn't feel like it should fit in an Animal Crossing game.

Most of the songs after about 5 are pretty ethereal in the Animal Crossing games. That said, I'm not sure I can remember any of them.

The aforementioned 7pm track sticks in my mind, and I love the 11pm track. Really relaxing, as is probably the intention for an 11pm track!

One of the good things about Xenoblade getting a remix is that we have this music playing on the eShop right now. Great tune to download BoxBoy and sew on a trouser button to.

Colony 9 is a lovely wee track. It reminds me of the earlygame in so many JRPGs.

Ahead of the release of Rainbow Paintbrush, have some Kirby remix soundtracks! Here's the entire OST for Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe on the eShop:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRDxBCH2LU0

...and here's a stage remix from the Kirby 20th Anniversary collection that we never got in Europe. Skip to 3:18 for a crackin' remix of Meta Knight's Revenge:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0WXwmiBCMQ

Ah cool! I definitely remember a similar Green Greens track on the last world of Kirby's Epic Yarn. I remember the "music guy" playing the melodica live. D'aaaw

Xenoblade X



Just a little something I threw together like I did with Sen no Kiseki 2 in the other thread of some cool themes from Xenoblade X.



A small sample of some cool themes, first couple are all epic and the last is some nice contrast to the compliment them.  Make sure to bring some good headphones, bad speakers will ruin the themes as they won't make everything all audible and so on.

For those in the anime loop the music's by Hiroyuki "attack on titan's background music composer" Sawano (not my favourite soundtrack by him but it's probably worth mentioning since a few of the guys round here have seen the show).  Not to be confused with Revo, who did the opening themes and bravely default ost.

I'll listen to that later, Athrun, but I was searching for what Jimbob called "possibly the worst thing ever". Is this it, Jimbob?

Still not as bad as this from 0:22 on.

That'll be a yes, then.

Clean your ears out with a blinder from Kirby Triple Deluxe (CAUTION: final boss spoilers).  So beautiful.

Those last two themes weren't all that bad honestly.  They aren't going to win any awards, certainly, but I was expecting some actual ear scarring from them rather than offensively mediocre and boring.  

And since I'm here I'll just leave this here, and remark that this is what should have been in oras.