New Moderator
Boss Theme - Skies of Arcadia: Legends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GMMFJc-mUo
As far as boss themes go, the normal part of it is nice. However, what makes it so unique and high up on my list is that the theme will change depending on how well you're doing in battle. It will become far more dramatic and tense if you either have your characters at low health or a few dead. If you have the enemy at low health and are in good shape, you get the victorious tune that plays near the end of that video. I personally like the victorious one the most myself, but all three do their jobs in superb fashion. I would call this one of the most interesting pieces I've seen in any video game, simply because it's rare to see a tune change depending on your status.
Oh, and note that I put up the piece from the remake for the Gamecube. I actually couldn't locate the one that originated from the Dreamcast. It may not be any different, but I can't say since I've never heard it.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Editor
Why I haven't posted anything tonight: YouTube is, for some reason, not working for me; all the videos decided to just not ever load. And it's really hard for me to do writeups without actually listening to the music I'm doing a writeup for. I'll try to have something up tonight, though.
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"There's a pony in the shop, but don't buy it. It might do something unfortunate to you." ~from the first Summoner's Seal topic
Editor
Lost Woods - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dt3QWsJ0Bs
Lost Woods' BGM is probably one of the more notable tracks in OoT, if only for the fact that it's something you're forced to pay attention to. The correct path through the Lost Woods is signified by the music playing louder. As for me, I like this track. Not sure where it ranks among OoT's soundtrack for me, but I imagine it's somewhere up there.
Sacred Grove - Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfI4aDnY92k
This, however, is definitely one of my favorite tracks in Twilight Princess, bar none. It's certainly top 2; not sure if it beats Midna's Lament or not. The bad news is that the area of the game where it plays is extremely obnoxious. It involves chasing a Skull Kid around and ugh. My first time through, I got stuck for like 45 minutes when I couldn't find the Skull Kid. Had no trouble my second time through, though, so maybe it was just a fluke. You can't even really appreciate the music, either, because IIRC you're constantly being attacked by respawning enemies, which causes the awful "oh no enemies" music to play over this and ruin it.
That was Tuesday's selection, here's the current one:
Trombe! - Super Robot Wars: Original Generations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCmTJVew_tY
Trombe! is probably the most (in)famous song from Super Robot Wars because it has a unique quality: it overrides anyth-TROMBE!
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"There's a pony in the shop, but don't buy it. It might do something unfortunate to you." ~from the first Summoner's Seal topic
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F2kbVb6KqA&playnext=1&videos=230pTnOcpKY
Long URL is due to me having it under my favorites. xp helped me figure out the name of this piece, which I'm grateful for because I wanted to avoid spoilers from Eternal Blue. So I didn't want to lose that link. Also, it may be the same piece as from the original Eternal Blue, but I wouldn't know. See Skies of Arcadia above.
This is my favorite world map theme so far. Mind you, I haven't heard that many great ones yet (most that people mention are from games I haven't gotten far in/haven't played yet). Its full of energy and... life, as cheesy as that sounds. It's light hearted and thrilling. It is *the* world map theme for me that symbolizes how much anticipation a person can have for traveling. I love it.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Editor
I've heard that the entire soundtrack got kinda nerfed in the transition to the GCN, as odd as that seems. <_<
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"There's a pony in the shop, but don't buy it. It might do something unfortunate to you." ~from the first Summoner's Seal topic
New Moderator
...Huh. I may have to check that out later.
Aria di Mezzo Carattere - Final Fantasy VI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knI4nYlLt0Y
The first person to say this rips off Aeris/Aerith's Theme is getting punched in the kidneys. >_> The other way around would of course be correct, if you wish to go into arguments about ripping off.
Even though I heard that one first, I actually prefer this piece because of an interesting trait. If you take the lyrics from the opera scene in Final Fantasy VI and sing them here, it will match up just about perfectly with the 'voice' in the music. I find that very cool myself. And yes, I tried it. While alone in my room. I am indeed a nerd. <_<
Anyhow, it's a pretty theme so I decided to let it be my representation for Final Fantasy VI. I'm not sure how much I like the opera scene itself, but at least it has nice music.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLWJXTArzOg
Red and Blue Rescue Team aren't exactly known for having incredible soundtracks, but there are two pieces I enjoy a lot. One is Mt. Thunder's, and the other is this, Mt. Blaze. Mt. Blaze edges out a bit because the part at 00:40 is just awesome. I tried to do more rescue missions in Mt. Blaze simply because it had far better music than most other locations.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Editor
The Encounter - Kingdom Hearts II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgdpL2XmDt0
Now, I would normally wait until I at least finished the game before posting music from it, but I feel like, with KH, doing that just increases my chances of getting ninja'd, so I decided to... get while the getting's good, or whatever phrase is appropriate for this situation.
This is the "VS. Disney boss" theme from Kingdom Hearts 2, which to me implies the presence of non-Disney bosses, a situation I'm still having a little trouble being happy about. The best way to look at it, I figure, is that fighting Dumb Heartless #34 and #35 and #36 makes the eventual fight against Barbossa or Oogie Boogie or Scar that much better.
Now, as for the song itself... I really enjoy the constant sense of movement that it imparts. I also like the 15 or so seconds of build-up before it really gets going; I think that's just about the perfect amount of time, especially for the instances when the track will begin playing in a short, pre-battle cutscene, timed so that it picks up right as the battle starts.
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SkyTown, Elysia - Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P7jdnU06ew
I make no claims as to this being the best track in Metroid Prime 3; what it is is the track that plays in my favorite area in the game, possibly my favorite area in the series, and definitely one of my favorite areas in any video game. That area is SkyTown, Elysia, which is a small, rust-colored metal city hovering in the perpetually golden clouds of a gas giant. It's an understatement to call the area beautiful, and this is just about the perfect track to set to it.
Now, even though I doubt that this is one of the best tracks in Prime 3 (though I haven't listened to the soundtrack recently), I definitely do like it even outside the context of SkyTown. Part of that is definitely the... whatever you'd call the "vocals" in a song like this (and if you can find me the technical term for them, that would be great). They're the reason I like [Hall of the Elders] from Prime 1 as well, so I guess I'm just a fan of them in general.
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You Were There - ICO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWVij6r4QBw
A lonely breeze whispers in the trees / Sole witness to history...
Last song from ICO, I promise. And... while the song itself doesn't contain any spoilers, I really have to discourage you from listening to it until you play the game itself, because this is the ending theme, and I think hearing it in advance would ruin it just a little bit.
...Incidentally, my writeup is going to be full of life-threatening spoilers, which means if you haven't played ICO you're not going to be getting anything from today's selection, so... sorry 'bout that! I try to avoid spoilery songs but this is one I just can't avoid.
[Spoiler for ICO, click to show]There was a poll on GameFAQs a little while ago. "Has a video game ever made you cry?" My answer was no. My answer, after playing ICO, is still no, but ICO is the closest I've ever been.
It was really a combination of a lot of factors. Solving a puzzle which resulted in Yorda screaming in pain and subsequently being unable to walk. Ico being free from the castle, but turning back to help Yorda. Yorda, who had been completely passive the entire game, grabbing Ico's hand and pulling him up a ledge. Yorda being captured and petrified, Ico confronting the Queen, Ico's horns being broken... And the final scene of a shadowy Yorda placing Ico on a boat and sending him away as the entire island sunk into the sea. At that point, I wasn't quite sure what to feel. Over about 6 hours, Yorda had become one of my favorite video game characters of all time; I had connected to her on a level where I really, honestly wanted to save her, regardless of the plot pushing me in that direction. And I had failed.
And then You Were There started playing while the credits rolled, and even though I couldn't understand about 90% of the lyrics, it was the song playing on top of being forced to sit there and think about what had just happened that really pushed me over the edge. I really, really nearly started crying. I'm not even ashamed to admit that.
The thing that's really impressive, though, is that every time I've listened to the song since then, it's hit me just as hard as the first time.
I try not to listen to it too much. I don't want it to lose that feeling.
</spoiler>
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"There's a pony in the shop, but don't buy it. It might do something unfortunate to you." ~from the first Summoner's Seal topic
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VnntX9oP_0
La Pucelle came before Disgaea in Japan, which is why I believe the battle system and story are pretty inferior to it. But it's still an enjoyable game and has an above average soundtrack. I juggled between a few options before settling on this one.
A Martyr's March might play in more locations than I remember, but the part where it stands out is when Homard (a pirate character who is possibly even my favorite in the game) makes a lone-man stand against a demon. It starts in the cutscene and keeps going into the fight. It's totally awesome and gives a great feeling of 'even if he looks totally outmatched, he can win, because this is rockin' music!' It was one of the moments in the game that made it worth playing through at least once.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwUSgTwLu7E
I've always liked Youmu, so I pray she has a good personality to go with it and that my like will not quickly become hate. Actually playing the Touhou games will be interesting to see how my impressions made by looks, music, and vague backgrounds (I've only seen a bit of the last in various sections and have tried to avoid them) will change with personalities.
Anyhow, good piece is good. It's the theme for battling Youmu and it fits that mold. Not much I can say other than that, though Mom was funny when she heard it on vacation. I was playing it while emptying the dishwasher and she said, "Hey, you're listening to jazz!" at hearing the opening. I found it amusing anyway.
The Maximum Moving About (Cool & Create Remix) - Touhou Project: Perfect Cherry Blossom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHX9JxyxUAU
Zomg a remix that isn't Silver Forest! The Silver Forest soundtrack I have doesn't have any Perfect Cherry Blossom soundtracks I recognize immediately. So I went with one that a friend of mine just alerted me to. I can definitely see it not working in the favor of some people, but I personally find it fun to rock out to. There's also a very nice one in a soundtrack called Phantom Dreamer, but it's actually a mix of the piece I posted and another one, so I'll refrain from adding it.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENLxL1NTa2A
Super Smash Brothers as a whole doesn't have much original music. I do like this piece though. Definitely prefer it to the first menu at least. It has a sort of peaceful quality to it, though I wouldn't go far enough to say it IS peaceful.
Menu 2 - Super Smash Brothers Brawl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oYJH1Adm0Q
And here's the remix for Brawl. I think I prefer the original a bit, but both are good.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Editor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-2sE0Napg0&fmt=18
Another chiptunes selection. There's not much I can say in regards to this piece's original context, because during my experience with Metroid 1, I could barely hear the BGM over all the profanities. (I'm kidding, but I will say that the music was definitely the last thing on my mind.) I think it played for a decent portion of the game, though, which is nice, because it's probably my favorite track from that game by a decent margin. While it is somewhat atmospheric, the main thing I always get out of this track is... marching music, essentially. Which I guess makes some sense, considering you're playing as a one woman army.
Brinstar - Super Smash Bros. Melee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRNcQgpN5hE
And then there's this remix! Brinstar was one of my least favorite stages in Melee - I even liked Brinstar Depths more, in just about every way except music. Luckily, the music is quite good, and goes a long way towards making the stage tolerable. This remix has a lot of rock-and-roll-esque qualities to it, which, on paper, don't seem like a great match with the original piece, but it actually works very well and doesn't seem out of place.
Brinstar (Chozodia Version) - Metroid: Zero Mission
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVDQfhucTVg&fmt=18
...And then there's this one, which is probably my favorite. It's such a powerful, heroic piece; it perfectly fits the part of the game it's played in, when Samus has recovered all her powers and is blasting her way out of the Space Pirate base. The biggest problem is that the GBA just can't handle it. Like, at all. To a point where they really shouldn't have tried, because, I mean, listen to it. The quality is just so... bad. But still, I think this is a really good song, probably my favorite version of Brinster.
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"There's a pony in the shop, but don't buy it. It might do something unfortunate to you." ~from the first Summoner's Seal topic
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3YQMnEC4so
It's been a while since I played either Golden Sun game and I don't remember much of the music from either. When I cruised through someone's top one hundred RPG battle themes, I found this one and went 'whoa, I totally forgot how awesome this was!' and bookmarked it. There might be better ones on the soundtrack, but I'll leave it up to others to post them, since I simply can't recall them.
As for this piece, my favorite part is around the fifty second mark. But all of it is pretty cool. A good theme for an important boss fight.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwi-HiZg0bw
I am so glad I finally learned the name of this piece. I've played Digimon Rumble Arena a lot as a kid and this was always my favorite tune in it. I never managed to track down its name until now.
This plays when you use a Tamers Digimon to fight another Tamers Digimon. (Music is based on who is fighting who, which is kind of cool.) I would do those set ups all the time just to hear this piece. It's awesome, what more can I say? Digimon Rumble Arena, by the way, is a fighting game that is actually quite good, especially for a Digimon spinoff.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtdQl6WuFeI
I've finally touched on a Final Fantasy game I've never played. This piece is one of the only ones I know about. I first learned of it because of the Black Mages doing a remix, and then Dissidia got it as a piece. If there are better battle themes in this game, they must be really good, because I like this one a lot.
Battle at the Big Bridge - Dissidia: Final Fantasy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru_oAeGUo9w
Not a bad remix, I like it well enough. But it can't hold up to...
Clash on the Big Bridge (Black Mages Remix) - Final Fantasy V
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aha5Vcshz2c
This is what got me into the piece in the first place and it is an awesome remix. Gotta love the Black Mages.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2XBIKviOBk
While I think Radiant Dawn had better map battle themes for the most part, I still liked the ones Path of Radiance had (for the most part). Since xp already posted the piece I was originally going to, I went with this one.
This is what I'd consider the most epic of the Path of Radiance map themes, which is fitting because it is used for the last portion of the game. All of the heavy hitter fights near the end, where you are storming closer and closer to Ashnard, get this great track. Around 2:28 is what I'd consider the most evident of its epicness, though I like the beginning too.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNc2d8MvKUw
Yep, a Sonic piece from someone who has never played Sonic. This is another case of "I was watching a Pokemon battle and this was the background music and I liked it". It's definitely the bells that seal it into the 'above average' category for me. The generally creepy noises sound surprisingly good as well though.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqucnumB0QE
I've never actually played Pokemon Stadium, but I have watched some videos of it. Ironically, none that have this piece, but I heard it in another battle video as background music.
It's got a lot of different feels, but I like most of them. It's kind of chaotic, which would fit Mewtwo anyway. My favorite part is probably around the fifteen second mark. Pretty good overall.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtnKqPOeBwo
Brawl, like Melee, didn't have many original pieces on its soundtrack. I'm pretty sure this is one though. (I thought the same about the rest portions in Melee's fight them all mode, but that was from a Kirby game, so don't I look dumb.)
This isn't quite my favorite original piece (the second remix on the opening of Battlefield is), but it probably takes second place. It's been running through my head for a while, so I just decided to throw it up. It fits the bosses that you fight with it pretty well. There's just enough of a dramatic flare to make it good background.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHEs9c9ziLY
I was debating on whether to put up this piece or wait until I got further in Shadow Hearts to see if something amazing jumped out at me. But I'm getting so little TV time that I may as well put this up now.
This is probably one of my favorite normal battle themes for video games. It's one that I think requires atmosphere to really excel, and Shadow Hearts provides that, but I also like listening to it outside as well. I'm sure not everyone is fond of the mystical voices, but I personally like them a lot.
That said, Shadow Hearts has a lot of good music, and I'm not even that far in it yet. Some of the town themes and the boss themes are excellent. I'd recommend checking them out. I just decided to post this one because it was the first piece I heard that I really grew fond of, and it's rare for me to like a normal battle theme a lot.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lQ2hLoLAMA
Today Epyon was livestreaming Diddy Kong Racing, which I had never gotten to play and had barely seen. In inspiration of this, I decided to pick a track from that game. I haven't heard them all, but this one amused me.
I'm not exactly sure why I like it so much. It seems like music that would play in a cheerful Halloween setting. Maybe it's the atmosphere it seems to give that makes me appreciate it rather than any specific point. In any case, it's fun to listen to.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEryKU-JHLE
I only played partway through Xenosaga II because I missed out on something that could have meant permanent missables. As a result, I haven't heard this piece in the game yet. It is the only Xenosaga II piece I have heard outside of the game, but it is absolutely epic. While I look far, far more forward to getting to Xenosaga III, I am excited to at least see where this plays in II. If it's for the background of a scene, it sure promises some awesomeness. The vocals take the cake for me.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
Liberal Arts Major
It is indeed awesome, and almost definitely the best song in Xenosaga II. (Only two others are in contention, for me.)
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xp1337: Don't you wish there was a spell-checker that told you when you a word out?
New Moderator
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcg524nYSmQ
I'm barely into the game yet, so I'm willing to bet I'll come across many pieces that I would consider just as good, if not outright better, than this. But this is the first piece that made me pause and go 'wow that's cool' and continue listening to it. So I'll give it the honor of a day in the spotlight.
I don't know when else this plays, if it does. But where I heard it play was when Archer and Lancer were fighting. Though it is not animated, Rin's descriptions and this piece combined make it feel really tense. It's a great mix that is helped by the fact that they are pretty closely matched. People oblivious to the outcome would be left on the edges of their seats. Definitely a good track.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSfbb3WHClE
I came across this piece quite some time ago. A person I'm subscribed to on Youtube had posted it and I decided to listen to it out of curiosity.
I'm not sure I can say I legitimately like this track. It's... interesting. I find it catchy and enjoy listening to it, but if I was asked to actually defend it, I'm not sure how well I would be able to. I guess it's kind of similar to Oracle (which was posted by someone else earlier in the topic), except I'd be more inclined to say I like this piece than that one. It's complicated. I thought it was intriguing enough to get posted, anyway.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2nPysfmt0U
This might not be the best track for Professor Layton and the Curious Village, but it is probably the most iconic. This plays whenever you are solving a puzzle, and since that makes up about 3/4ths of the game, you'd better get used to it. I like it quite a bit myself. It was a nice, relaxing theme that made me feel like i had all the time I needed to come up with the solution. I very rarely get tired of music (only when it's a lousy piece and it plays a lot), so I still enjoy it even now.
Puzzle - Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6alZ9fhu7s
The remix for the sequel is very similar to the first one. I think only the middle portion is changed. However, I like both the original middle and the changed one. They each have neat sounds. So I was happy with each.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncodef0d28s
This is my personal favorite piece in the Oracle games. I've heard most of them, so I doubt that'll change unless Ganon gets a drop-dead amazing piece to play in his boss fight. This is supposedly supposed to be how Nayru sings, though the piece still plays when she is talking to Link, which can lead to some awkward questions. In any case, I find it very pretty, and when I started up Oracle of Ages I stuck around on the screen with Nayru for a while just to listen to it.
Nayru's Song (ZREO Remix) - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuvt2Rue_zQ
I actually found this remix looking for a link to put in the post. It's very pretty, almost haunting, and I thought it was worth adding as a bonus. The harp is a nice touch since that is Nayru's instrument (it should seem like common knowledge to use one, but I always like attention to details like that).
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdXzvId9J4A
When it comes down to it, I prefer Nayru's Song over Din's Dance. I originally wasn't going to post Din's Dance, but relistening to it caused me to remember that it is, in fact, a good tune. So I decided to put it up to go with Nayru's Song. This one is more lively and fitting for the fiery Din; they did a good job of making a theme for her.
Sadly, I see no remix for this piece to post. Ah well.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears
New Moderator
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL5Q4GybKWc
That seems to be the name anyway. If it isn't, oh well.
Since my first video game console was the Playstation, you can bet your buttons I never played Balloon Fighter. I heard this piece in Super Smash Brothers Melee first and always found it very catchy. Really, that's all I can say about it: it's catchy. And that's good, because if you're doing the same darn thing several times on an NES game, you'll want catchy music.
Balloon Fight - Super Smash Brothers Brawl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ7j5ki1t5w
Melee simply had the original music. Brawl brought a remix that I personally prefer. It keeps the same catchy beat with some new instruments. But of course, both are good.
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"That was pretty interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating... Take it back!"-Id, Xenogears