Top 10 Tuesday: Best Video Game Soundtracks

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Dec 182012
 

Ever since the technology first made including music in video games a possibility, music has been an integral part of games. Whether you’re talking about the iconic chip tunes of the ’80s and ’90s or the grand orchestral soundtracks of today, there has been tons of amazing music across the history of video games. With the sheer amount of fantastic music that exists in games, it would be impossible for anyone to create a definitive list of the best video game soundtracks of all time; so I decided to simply count down my ten favorite video games soundtracks with auditory evidence to support each of my picks. This list will be limited to one entry per series, but remember these aren’t meant to represent the best games or my favorite installments in a given series, just the games with the best soundtrack. So, here are my ten favorite video game soundtracks of all time.

10. God of War (2005)

The soundtrack to God of War just perfectly captures the grand and epic feeling of the game. The game is all about intense action on a huge scale, and the music helps set this tone. The soundtrack for God of War is very much like that of a film score, but it works well with the games story and style. The entire trilogy has excellent music, but I chose the original simply because all three games have very similar soundtracks, so I went with the first one.

9. Sonic and Knuckles (1994)

I usually consider Sonic and 3 Knuckles one game because of the lock on feature and the single story, but in terms of music, they each have their own unique feel; and I vastly prefer Sonic and Knuckles. Don’t get me wrong, Sonic 3 certainly has some great music, especially the tracks that Michael Jackson worked on, but Sonic and Knuckles captures more of the that Sonic vibe. Sonic and Knuckles has got some of my absolute favorite level tracks from the series, with standouts being Lava Reef and Flying Battery.

8. Super Mario Galaxy (2007)

The Mario series is full of iconic music, but Super Mario Galaxy moves beyond simple nostalgia with an amazing fully orchestrated soundtrack. The soundtrack consists of both entirely original sweeping orchestrated tracks as well some remixes of classic Mario music. The NES games may have more iconic music, but Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel have great music regardless of your personal attachment to the series, which puts it a step up from most Mario titles.

7. Chrono Trigger (1995)

If you’ve read my “Top 10 Super Nintendo Games” list, you already know that Chrono Trigger is my favorite game for that system, but is also has some of the best music you’ll hear on the SNES. Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu once again showed that he was one of the best when it came to creating a memorable score despite the limitations of pre-CD consoles.

6. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (2006)

Both Persona 3 and Persona 4 are fantastic games and they are very similar to each other in many ways, which has sparked a recurring debate among fans as to which game is best. Each game has aspects that it does better than the other, and in my opinion the soundtrack for Persona 3 is just a hair better than Persona 4. I still can’t decide which game is better, but I feel confident saying that the Persona 3 soundtrack is slightly better.

Top 10 Video Game Villains

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Jul 242012
 

If there is one thing that most games have, regardless of the era they were made, the platform they run on, or the genre of game, that thing would be a villain. With the type of objective oriented stories that are inherent to the gaming medium, antagonists are pretty essential. Throughout the history of games, there have been a wide of variety of villains, from complex multidimensional characters to evil for evil’s sake mustache twirlers. There is merit to both types, and all will be represented as I count down my top 10 favorite video game villains. Also, be warned, there will be spoilers for some of the games mentioned.

10. Dr. Wily (Mega Man)

Dr. Wily is certainly one of those villains that falls more into the “iconic” category as opposed to some of the more complex modern villains. Like most classic 8-bit villains, Dr. Wily is a one dimensional bad guy that wants nothing more than world domination. Wily isn’t one to do the fighting himself, instead putting his genius mind to work creating an army of robot masters, usually eight at a time, each complete with their own unique theme. Even though he routinely gets defeated his nemesis Dr. Light’s creation, Mega Man, that doesn’t stop him trying again. Dr. Wily has appeared in an impressive number of games, and is one of the most memorable and iconic villains to come out of the NES era.

9. Saren (Mass Effect)

Saren Arterius can definitely be classified as a tragic, even sympathetic, villain. While at first he may appear to be completely evil with a lust for power and an irrational hatred of humans, it is later revealed that he originally had good intentions. When he first discovered the Reaper, Sovereign, his original intention was to save civilization from the Reaper threat. However, the more time he spent with Sovereign, the more his own will was bent and manipulated by the ancient machine. By the end, he was doing Sovereign’s bidding, working to bring forth the end of galactic civilization. The worst part though, was that somewhere in his twisted and warped mind, he still believed he was saving lives. It wasn’t just that his will broken, but that he was completely unaware his thoughts were no longer his own. Saren was initially a villain that was easy to hate, but as the game progressed, he became very easy to feel sorry for, and that’s what makes him such an interesting villain.

8. Dr. Breen (Half Life 2)

While the combine are the main enemy of Half Life 2, Dr. Breen is the face of the enemy. He was the head of Black Mesa, the research facility where Gordon Freeman working in the original Half Life. During the Combine invasion he became the liaison between humanity and the invaders. Basically, he betrayed his species and his planet to save himself and win favor with the new overlords of Earth. He lives in relative luxury compared to most of City 17, but what makes him truly despicable is his insincerity, both to himself and humanity. He spends a lot of the game trying to convince humanity and himself that he did what he did for the good of all, that he represents the best interest of humanity in dealings with the Combine. Dr. Breen is the most cowardly type of villain there is. His betrayal was not out of some desire for power or riches, but the feeble hope that by offering up the lives of millions, he could save his own.

7. Magus (Chrono Trigger)

For most of the first half of the game, Magus is the primary villain. At first it seems that he just another conqueror, waging war so his kind could dominate over another. Later though, it is revealed that everything he had done was for a single purpose, one that wasn’t so far off from the goal of the heroes. His methods however, were far from heroic. Magus is not evil, but indifferent. He had a goal, and used any means possible to achieve it. He was willing to wage a war that meant nothing to him, resulting in countless deaths, simply so he could achieve his goals. Later in the game, when his objective meshes with that of the heroes, he even joins them, ending the game alongside them. Despite helping the heroes, his prior actions definitely classify him as a villain. Morality is meaningless to him, making him much more dangerous and unpredictable than those with a clear stance.

6. Dr. Robotnik (Sonic The Hedgehog)

Even though he is now officially known as Dr. Eggman (his originally name in the Japanese version) in all versions of the game, he will always be Dr. Ivo Robotnik to me. Over the years he has been portrayed in many different ways, diabolical evil genius, mad scientist, and most often the continuously failing comedic villain. Whichever way he was being portrayed, he was always the big bad for pretty much every Sonic game. As a Sonic fan, Dr. Robotnik will always be one of the first characters that comes to mind when I think of the term “stage boss”. At the end of every zone, Robotnik had a new machine he would pilot to try to and thwart Sonic. In all his portrayals, he was never what you’d consider a deep and complex character, but he is certainly a memorable one in one of the classic platformer franchises.

Let’s Play Theater: Final Fantasy VI Part 1

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Jun 272012
 

Hi everyone!

Pants here posting my very first post all by myself! Hope fully I didn’t screw it up but if I did we can try again. Oh, the video! I’m starting a new Let’s Play series where I do all the voices. I’m calling it “Let’s Play Theater” and the first game I’m doing is Final Fantasy VI. Don’t forget to let me know how my voice acting is, how to pronounce words, or anything else you can think of. Feedback is appreciated! And if you have a YouTube account and wanna keep up then please Like, Subscribe and all that jazz. I’m horrible at this promotion business.

Top 10 Tuesday: Best Super Nintendo Games

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Jun 192012
 

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was obviously the follow up to the NES, which pretty much single handedly revitalized the video game industry. Moving from 8-bit to 16-bit meant better graphics, better sound, and more complicated games, but it also meant bigger competition in the form Sega Genesis. The 16-bit era will go down as one of most closely contested console wars of any generation, and this competition lead to some truly outstanding games for both systems. This was a time before the rise of multiplatform games, meaning the majority of games were exclusives. At some point I’ll get to my top 10 Genesis games, but this week I’m going to count down my Top 10 favorite Super NES games.

 

10. F-Zero (1991)

When F-Zero first came out, it was a technical marvel, and a showcase for just what the SNES could do, and how much more advanced it was the Genesis from a pure tech standpoint. F-Zero made use of the SNES’s “mode 7” technology to create the illusion of 3D graphics. Obviously today this technology is not quite as impressive anymore, but underneath all of that lies what is still a really fun racing game. What set this game apart from other racing games was the sense of speed and the health mechanics. The game was not simply about being the fastest, you had to worry about avoiding hazards and managing your ship’s health. F-Zero would go on to have 2 sequels (one on N64, one on Gamecube), and would also inspire other games like the Wipeout series.

9. Secret of Mana (1993)

Squaresoft may have had tons of success with the Final Fantasy games on the NES and SNES, but that didn’t stop them from trying new things, and Secret of Mana couldn’t be further from a Final Fantasy game. For one, instead of the traditional turn based combat, Secret of Mana had real time action based combat on par with a top down action game like The Legend of Zelda. However, the action based combat wasn’t the only thing that set this game apart from other RPGs of the era, this game is one of the few JRPGs ever to have cooperative play throughout the entire game. Because the game had action based combat, your two other party members were controlled by AI, that is unless you had friends playing with you. These unique gameplay elements combined with the type of story and characters you’d expect from SNES era Squaresoft and you’ve got a truly memorable game.

8. Donkey Kong Country (1994)

Like F-Zero, Donkey Kong Country is probably best remembered for being a very impressive technical achievement. This game utilized pre-rendered 3D graphics for characters sprites, making it arguably the best looking game ever at the time of it’s release. Obviously, like F-Zero, the visuals are less impressive today, but also like F-Zero, the game behind all the technology is still strong. Rare successfully revived the Donkey Kong series after a decade of silence and added their own unique spin to the character. Donkey Kong Country’s best attribute is the extremely difficult but fair challenge. This is a true platformer in the sense that reflexes, memorization, and dedication are the only things that will get you through the game. It can get frustrating, but that only makes success that much more satisfying.

7. Final Fantasy IV (1991)

Known as Final Fantasy II outside of Japan, FFIV was a revolutionary entry in the long running series. FFIV leaned heavily into its story, much more so than any previous Final Fantasy games. There was a strong emphasis on characters, and this game truly paved the way the for the story focused future of the role playing genre. It was also great from a gameplay perspective, with the introduction of the “active time battle system”, which would become a staple of turn based RPGs.

6. Yoshi’s Island (1995)

Though it was officially titled “Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island”, Yoshi’s Island didn’t have a whole lot to do with Super Mario World other than it’s name. Technically a prequel, the game had you in control of Yoshi, who was introduced in Super Mario World, as he tried to protect a baby version of Mario and rescue Baby Luigi. Unlike Super Mario World where Yoshi was simply a side kick, in Yoshi’s Island he takes center stage. The gameplay differs greatly from other Mario games, with most of Yoshi’s iconic moves being established for the first time in this game. Though it wasn’t quite the Super Mario World sequel many were hoping for, it is a fantastic game in its own right.

Why does Square-Enix keep missing the pay dirt!?

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Apr 042011
 

Today (4/4) Square-Enix announced that they would be bringing Final Fantasy V to the PSN soon. Part of me is extremely excited about this, since I loved the game, but this has to bring about a question. What the hell happened to Final Fantasy VI (Arguably) the best console game of all time?

Now the talk of a 3DS remake does excite me, don’t get me wrong, does a powerhouse company like SE not realize that a remake or HD rerelease of VI would be the biggest thing to bear the Final Fantasy moniker in quite a while? I know there has been “technical issues” regarding a rerelease but seriously, this IS the crown gem of the series (FFVII fans: Sorry, you know this to be true).

Since it’s release VI has had run ins with Playstation, GBA and Wii’s virtual console. All of these are great but there have been several generations of console that have passed since this time. (Wii doesn’t count, it never does…)

So SE, please listen: We don’t want to wait, what do we look like, waiters? We do not want to see a remake of FFVII, show us a worthwhile remake of FFVI and watch how Final Fantasy is revitalized!

DO IT!