30 Days of Video Games - BONUS: Why Do You Play Games Pg. 142

[SIXTH-RATE SOMA]

Day 22: Favorite Art Style, A.K.A. Soma Finally Has An Excuse To Bring Up...

 

 

Okami

 

Okami is the Zelda game I always wanted but never got from Nintendo, and the artstyle is just one great, awesome part of that. The game is rendered in the style of traditional Japanese paintings, and my goodness does it blow most modern games out of the water. Okami's world is vibrant and lively without ever feeling too stylized to take seriously. There's a richness and a depth to the art that few games could even dream of, and it stands as one of the finest uses of cel-shading I've seen in my short life. Just an utterly brilliant piece of an utterly brilliant game, which is why it's my pick for today.

 

Runners Up:

• Killer 7
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
• MOTHER 3

[JayRaR]

Favorite Art Style

 

 

 

Something about the art direction of this game...really makes it stand out to me from other video games, particularly JRPGs. It's like some hybrid mix between anime, watercolor, and realistic elements...and it's stunning to watch. I feel like I'm walking around in an anime when I played this game, which really left me admiring all the different locales I visited. The forest, the desert, the mountains, the tundra...they were all beautiful to look at with the distinct art style. This style extends to the more fantastical elements in this game, like monsters and magic, which just flowed so well in this world the game presents me. Some areas felt like very realistic places but not really so. I especially love looking at Halure once the tree has been revived, as seen in this picture. Tis very breathtaking and surreal.

[Mania Pipe]

Day 22: Favorite Art Style:

 

Mario & Luigi RPG series 

 

When playing games, there's just some certain art style that really hook to me and the Mario & Luigi series is one of them. It's just that I'm just really more fascinated with the cartoon-y/anime style for the game, because it seems really brings out the Mario looks in it.

 

Runner-Ups: 

 

Tales Of Vesperia

Ratchet & Clank series

Mega Man Legends

Legend of Zelda: Wink Waker

[Phantomime]

Three answers for the price of one! Oh wait.... the price of one answer is $0.00. So these answers are worthless. Aww.

 

Favorite Art Style: Various

 

 

Example 1: Rayman Legends

 

 

 

I think I posted about Rayman Origins having the best artstyle last 30 Days, didn't I? Well, while I still think Origins is the better game, Legends has a preferable artstyle. It's still just as fantastically animated and fun to look at, but the sort of thicker, more painted look to it makes me like it more.

 

Example 2: Team Fortress 2 

 

 

 

 

Isn't this just real pleasant to look at? I think so. TF2 always had a kind of simple, nice look to it. It's got a great hand-painted feeling. The different colors for the different bases are subtle enough that it always feels like the same general area, but it's also a good indicator of where you are on the map. I also really love the old west sort of look most of the maps have.

 

 

Example 3: Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Original Version)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love HR's cyberpunk-industrial artstyle, especially in Hengsha. You've got the cramped, dilapidated streets of the lower city, and the luxurious future utopia on top, with the massive industrial complex in between. The original game looks great, but I can't help but feel some of the atmosphere was lost in the Director's Cut Edition with the removal of the piss filter.

[Sonictrainer]

 

Day 22 - Favorite Art Style

 

The Paper Mario Games

 

 

The idea of having Characters and environments look like they're made out of paper, plastic, wood, materials, and in some cases, are in fact giant puppets, make the universe look like a giant art project…and I love every bit of it. Whether you're going through towns, inside a toy box, or actually switching dimensions, you'll have fun exploring things and thinking inside and outside of the box for secrets hidden throughout the game. Now that I think about it, the games always start out like you're reading a pop up book or watching a Puppet show and things come to life. The music always helps with this.

[Sir Tynen]

Day 22: Favorite Art Style

 

 

The Kirby Series' Varying Styles

(This is a really great piece of art I found)

 

I really gave some thought into this one, since there were quite a few that I really enjoy, whether it be purely aesthetically or having a much more prominent use. As I thought about these diverse titles, this pink puffball kept cropping up in my head each time, and after putting even more though to it, I realized why.

 

Kirby has always been known for it's adaptability, being the most experimental out of all Nintendo's franchises. While this statement is certainly referring entirely on the mechanical side of things, I believe it can also be directed towards the aesthetics as well.

 

From humble and simplistic beginnings...

 

To the natural progression of said starting point...

 

To a distinctive crayon-like world seemingly drawn by child...

 

To it's first polygonal avenues...

 

To the weird and abstract...

 

To an adorable and life-like knitted world...

 

And to a poppy and crisp, cel-shaded look of today.

 

All of these different art styles help their respective games set a certain tone with each area of their game. On the surface, Kirby games are seemingly lighthearted adventures with a cutesy protagonist, who is either alone or with his pals. While not wrong, a majority of the main series games have a certain theme that it evokes if you just look a little deeper. See, the colorful, vibrant worlds of Dreamland serve the purpose of being like, well, dreams, being weird and whimsical and whatnot. But dreams can also become nightmares; case in point:

 

 

Well would you look at this adorable little fellow! Ain't he just a bundle of-

 

 Yep, Yep, mmhmm, no that's GREAT! Not freaky at all, mmhmm, Yep!

 

That's just one example out of the others though, but it gives you an idea that Kirby isn't always sunshine and rainbows all the way through. This isn't limited to characters either, as some levels also have a pretty creepy look to them too.

 

 

But I've dabble on long enough. Bottom-line is, Kirby's visuals are just really fantastic all around.

 

 

(Geezus Crust, this was an unnecessarily time-consuming post! *passes out*)

[azoo]

Day 22: Favorite Art Styles

 

Here we go...

 

 

 

Sonic the Hedgehog (specifically the current style).

 

I'll always love the trippy fantasy worlds of the early Genesis days, the colorful and genuine charm of the Saturn days, and the super stylized and edgy quasi-realism of Sonic 3K and the Adventure duology. They all had their place, and because of that are absolutely awesome in their own rights.

 

But I 100% adore the modern Sonic style featured in Unleashed, Colors and Generations most of all, because it takes those three eras, adds it's own distinct flavor, and mixes them all together into one beautiful, magical soup. Those really detailed and stylized real-ish locations are blended together with the bizzare fantasy worlds, and given a tinge of anime / Japanese flair here (a lot of the cinematography and enemy design) , a spice of Pixar style there (the human designs, warm colors), and a mix of all of the best soft spots and hard edges of the pre- and post- Adventure styles into a.. I guess a complete image.

 

And speaking of good ol' Sonic Team...

 

 

NiGHTS into Dreams..

 

In a lot of ways, the first NiGHTs game was probably Naka, Oshima, and Iizuka's collaborative magnum opus. It's the only game they've all three done together at one time that's been both highly regarded and consistently stated as one of the greatest games of its time, if not of all time. It's a hidden gem, to say the least.

 

Besides it's credibility, I guess the charm to it kind of shines through. Sonic Team's art style in the middle of the '90s was at it's most endearing: colorful, whimsical, early CGI quality artwork that was constructed with love of fun, strangeness, and emotion. In NiGHTS, they pretty much decided to have a field day at the same time of soaking in those vibes, and made one reaaaallllly trippy experience. It wasn't exactly in an uninviting way, either; in fact it was rather welcoming and lovable!.. even if it had it's eerie moments.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that NiGHTs into Dreams encompasses Sonic Team at probably what's of their finest hours, and the visuals really show that.

 

 

EarthBound (Or the MOTHER series in general)

 

Now I've mentioned this game a lot, but I never really explained why I like the art style so much.

 

EarthBound / MOTHER 2 has this charmingly wonderful 'Peanuts' vibe to it all the way through. It's not only nostalgic to me of childhood days of Charlie Brown shorts, but its remnant of the wistful childhood mindset. The art's assets sport obvious references to Americana, featuring constant visual and musical references to scifi / cheesy horror B-movies, The Little Rascals, The Beatles (and old rock n roll), classical art and literature, the Hippie movement, mad cults, minor tongue-in-cheek adult themes, hip hop / funk jazz, the Blues Brothers and Orson Welles-tier doomsdays.

 

This enstranged mixture of inspirations stems from the creator of the MOTHER series, Shigesato Itoi's, fascination with American culture even whilst living in Japan all his life. This weird perception on the other culture really just adds the endearing, confusing elements in and makes it all the more lovable.

 

And of course, that's not just to mention the way the art was done, too. I love how simple everything looks, as well as the insanely trippy visuals in battle sequences and other areas of the game are just.. idk, mesmerizing to me. Plus, the figurine art style they had going for it was adorable and I love the way they all look to pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

Kirby's Dream Land 3

 

Oh hey, look at that pattern! Two Sonic Team games, and two HAL Labs games! What a coincidence! (not at all really, they just happen to be my two favorite companies fsdhjf)

 

Kirby already is totes adorable and welcoming, but I think KDL3 takes the cake. It surpasses most games on the SNES console in regards to visual fidelity, and is easily one of the prettiest games I've ever had the chance to play. The graphics are simple, but they're soft and done in a wonderful crayon-esque style. and everything is just so.. I don't know... Wonderful! Just.. wonderful!

 

It's also got to be that shading. The shading is so soft but lush with detail, while the environments and characters are so simplistic but drawn and animated so well. It's visual elements are complimentary and they make what is to me the most pleasing Kirby game to look at. (Hate to cause a ruckus, but it certainly looks better than the garish look of Super Star or something, IMO).

 

 

Jet Set Radio

 

I love edgy, crazy lines and bold colors mixed to make amazing collages and wicked patterns. I love graffiti for that reason, I love the underground culture for that reason, I love Sega for that reason. Jet Set Radio is the embodiment of all that in one, and that's just.. aww yeaaaaah.

 

JSR ain't perfect, nah, let's just say that. But it's funky art style is just so.. rough, and sick because of it. I can't really explain it much better.

 

 

Parappa the Rapper / Um Jammer Lammy

 

If it hasn't become apparent already, I really love when Japanese artists do American-styled characters and artwork, because it always comes out as extremely quirky, yet more lovable than one could ever imagine. Sonic's like that, MOTHER's like that, Jet Set Radio's like that, and well, this is like that.

 

These games are so neat to me, because I love Cartoon Network cartoons from the '90s and early 2000s, as well as the styles of Hanna Barbera throughout the '60s. This series of games directly picks directly up on that, makes it it's own, adds LOADS of bizzare elements, and then adds the floppy paper-thin style to everyone and everything.

 

It's all cute and goofy and stuff. It's great.

 

Runner - ups: 

Mario (especially N64 era) - Yeah, I'm a sucker for Mario's art style.

LSD Dream Emulator - So creepy, eerie, whatever. But soooo intriguing.

Gen I/II Pokemon - Say what you will about monster designs, but the watercolor / old anime style >>>>> the rest.

[BakingBluePotatoe]

Day 22: Day, it's NIGHT isn't it!? Favorite Art Style

 

​I can't really give just one answer to that... and I'm exhausted and busy.

 

Oh hell, I'm a sucker for anything cel-shaded. It's just so nice to look at!

 

Aside from that though... I like the art style in Sonic Riders... it's rather unique. And yes, I actually like the models. also, Sonic Generations was fricking GORGEOUS to look at the whole time... damn, they improved that hedgehog engine!

 

 

 

And there's just something nice about Doom 2's art style. it's somewhere between 3D and 2D... like 2d sprites on a 3d plane or something. They really blend nicely! I'm pretty sure I liked the graphics even as a kid!

[The Deleter]

Day 22: Favorite Art Style

 

Heh, half of these aren't even games I've played yet.

 

 

Mirror's Edge

 

Yeah, it's another generic city that so many video games are set in, but it's so... clean! The over-saturation of white, along with the occasional blue, yellow, red and orange, makes this world feel very simple, yet clean and new, a stark contrast to the usual grey cities stained by decay.

 

 

Mario Kart 8

 

This it the cartoony style of all styles. Just the right amount of detail and texture for HD systems, yet retaining the wackiness and simplicity of the basic Mario fare. I honestly don't see it getting any better than this as the tech advances; sure, you may be able to pull off better lighting and polygonal models, but as far as aesthetics go, this is pretty much top notch in my book.

 

 

Sunset Overdrive

 

From what I've seen of this game, it looks jaw-droppingly amazing. The city is vibrant and colorful, the character's animations are fluid and natural, and the action takes a very splash-paint, comic-book-esque approach, with words like BOOM appearing out of smoke and the like. It just feels so alive and surreal, and definitely looks like a hit in my book.

 

 

The Wonderful 101

 

Colorful world, colorful characters, colorful action, color, color, color! Also, the alien designs are really great, and the scale of the world being almost the size of figurines gives the game a rather unique feel, even if it has been done before by that other game...

 

 

The Pikmin series

 

As a kid, exploring the backyard was like searching for buried treasure for me. Finding bugs to watch, picking scattered strawberries to eat, exploring the stream and building bridges over it, and turning over rocks to find lizards and toads from time to time. So once I heard about the Pikmin series, I knew I would love it.

 

There's just something so fun about a gigantic world that's actually quite small from your point of view. You may take it for granted, but from a bug's point of view, it's a savage jungle where you must fend off monsters and scavenge for food. That view definitely works for this game, and while it might not be as photorealistic as I might want it to be, it still has beautiful areas scattered around here and there, and is among my favorites for the setting alone.

 

Day 22: Complete

[Alex2Beta]

DAY 22: Favorite Art Style

 

Sonic Unleashed/Colours/Generations

 

 

Even though there are plenty of posts around this topic complimenting the art style of those games, I probably won't resist saying so either, because honestly, Unleashed/Colours/Generations had the best art style in all of the Sonic series.

 

Like others have mentioned, the simple and yet realistic approach within the art style of the games is just hard to ignore when you have the a balance of realistic detail and cartoony proportions with bright colours that give life to any level or location, and the levels themselves have great variety from a beautiful lush jungle filled with ruins to a divine eastern inspired water park in space.

 

 

Jak & Daxter, Jak 2 & 3 (Once again..)

 

In one of the days when we had to describe the most Next-Gen Experience,

remember how I mentioned this games AND it's aesthetics being god fucking amazing?

Well that's what they are, and I can't even begin to describe why the game's art style is good.

 

The mix between Western Cartoon and Manga influence (Manga influence mostly in the characters rather than the scenery) with a hint of Naughty Dog's own touch just makes EVERYTHING in the games pop-out whether it's a living being, a plant or a machine.

 

And it all works perfectly with the animations given to most of the characters throughout the games.

[Tornado]

 

Super Mario World is the perfect distillation of what makes Mario "Mario." Colorful, cartoony and clean. Everything expresses emotion without being cluttered (which is something that I feel befalls SMB3 somewhat and puts World on top). The designs for the enemies and characters was also codified here (possibly because of being the first game on hardware powerful enough to allow it), and every game since (Yoshi's Island and the Mario and Luigi games perhaps being an exception, though both of them certainly have their own advantages and the M&L one in particular is great) has merely been a tweaking (Super Mario 64 and its sequels) or a shallow imitation (NSMB) of the aesthetically pleasing art direction of this game.

[Jeffhog]

TWENTY-TWO (and more!) SHADES OF LUSCIOUSNESS

~ Sending Technicolor Magic to the Best of Your Brain ~

 

 

Day 22/30: Favourite Art Style

 

Art Style Selected: UbiArt Framework

Notable Appearance: Rayman Legends (2013)

 

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."

~Twyla Tharp

 

First appearing in Rayman Origins a few years earlier, an improved version of Ubisoft's in-house engine was featured in Legends and oh my god, are the results absolutely gorgeous or what?

 

What the UbiArt Framework granted was the capability of easily creating an interactive environment within the game without having to worry about the more technical aspects of game development, allowing the producers to focus extensively on the visuals. In other words, any game built from the ground up on this engine starts off as a blank canvas with oodles of potential in creativity.

 

This all leads to a downright gorgeous piece of eye candy level after level after level, making Rayman Legends a complete marvel to play through. The game looks absolutely beautiful since you're basically playing through one interactive oil painting after another (funny how you enter a stage by entering a painting, not too unlike a certain industrial landmark in 1996...)! It makes me want to go more at my own pace when traversing a stage just to soak it all in and appreciate the visuals all the more. With the many vibrant worlds the game has to offer, from a medieval setting to a Greco-Roman world to a deadly fiesta, the Glade of Dreams feels all the more alive, in some way that I cannot describe to give it enough justice.

 

Video games are an interactive art form in and of themselves, but to this degree? Interactive art with art itself? It's--

 

 

Thanks Dean.

 

Awesome job, Ubisoft.

 

 

just no more Murphy levels merry thank

[Carbo]

Day 22: Favorite Art Style

It's like being in a Frank Miller comic book of sorts. The bold cell-shaded visual style of Killer7 complete with the hard character models (which is to say nothing of the terrifying Heaven Smiles) adds an incredibly impressionable element to it. Not just that, it's all about the blood. You need the blood. Cap an enemy off and the text in the corner will inspire you to keep getting more blood. Kill an enemy and streams of primary-colored red will come shooting out like holes in a water tank. Shoot them in a critical spot and they will explode in a confetti of blood instead, and you absorb it all because it's not only your means of regaining health but also a power-up currency.

Being on the Gamecube also means an increased level of fidelity when you emulate the game in Dolphin. Games like Wind Waker look better on every conceivable level, but Killer7 is one of the few cell-shaded games that really make all the hard edges seem the most pronounced and show that they aren't just subtle soft shades. Much like it's other Capcom Five peer Viewtiful Joe, it's straight up comic book style.

[Sami]

Day 23 - Favorite Song

Build That Wall/Mother I'm Here - Bastion

I'm a huge sucker for really well done lyrical songs in games. Bastion's OST was pretty cool as a whole, but these two songs in particular stick out to me. I can't just pick one. Both sound absolutely beautiful, and the lyrics are poignant and subtly relevant to the plot of the game. They both stand up well as solo songs, and only become stronger when you consider the context in which they're used. I've listened to and even sung both of these songs countless times.

Mother I'm Here gets bonus points for showing up in a very powerful moment in the game. JezMM knows what I'm talking about.

Edit - also, you're free to talk about your favorite soundtrack if you want. I picked "song" over "OST" just because a single song lends itself to more specific answers, but if you've got an OST to gush about feel free.

[KrazyBean]

Day 23: Favourite Songs

 

 

Giving Kushinada a Ride - Okami

I heard this song in a playthrough of the game a couple of years back, and I fell in love with it instantly. It gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.

 

 

Old Friends - Transistor

When you install the game on a PS4 and open the sub menu for the game, this is the song you'll hear, and wow it's so good. I literally sat there for 10 minutes listening to it before booting up the game. As soon as I heard it I considered the soundtrack bought.

 

It also reminds me a lot of Ghost in the Shell.

[Willsy]

Day 23: Favourite Song

Endless Possibilities - Sonic Unleashed

http://youtu.be/2T0uIXLpQbQ

"I see it, I see it, and now it's all within my reeeeeeeach, I see it, I see it now, it's always been inside of meeeee"

I generally just love the atmosphere of the song, it's very encouraging and makes you feel that you can do anything. It's also sung by Jared Reddick from Bowling for Soup, who sung the Phineas and Ferb theme song. It really fit the ending of the game well, and echoed the monumentous task of putting the world back together and defeating Dark Gaia. There is also a verse that echoes the Werehog as well, and says that even if Sonic has lost his speed, he's still powerful.

Overall, not only is it my favourite vocal theme of any game, but probably my favourite song of any game.

[Indigo Rush]

So, uh

 

 

THIS IS MY BRAIN ON SONIC

 

 

 

 

THIS IS LITERALLY WHAT MY PAST DAY WAS LIKE

 

 

 

Pray tell, SSMB...

 

ḧ͎͎̥͛̈̓͟a͇̖̮̩̲̲̫ͯ̉̎ͨv͕̻̙̫̟̖͔͗e͚̱̮͋̓͆̎́ͣ̎ͅ ̳̭̓ͭͤ͊͜i͑ ̭̟̤̦̉͑e̲̯̘̮̲͒v̸͌e̞̬͓̻̮̺̎̏͌ͅr̵̞͈̩͇ͪ̋̿ͤ͒ͬ ̡̌͌ͮ͆͛̍́t̬͍oͤ̃̔͑͠l̗͍͖̿̔́d̮̓͋̒ ̢͕̹̻͉ͅy̢͍̲̯͉͇̹ͩo̮̙ͮ̊͆͊ͣ̅͗u̥̠̙̫̮̬͆̏̈̚ ̹̰͎̿̌̓̇̔̔ͬt͑͐͋ͭ̐̈̍h͓̤̤̠͖͛̊̎̽̚ͅȅ͇̗̣͔͖̯ ͙̤̘̣̟̺ͪ̉̾d̢͚̘́e͕͗f̗̥̦̝ͪͧͣ͗i̲͖̙̥̟͑́ͣͥ̈́ͥ̃͘n͕̿̾͌̓î̞͚̰͔̐t́ͤͦ̿̒̒i̷͍̲ọ̞̭ͫ̓̽͝n̬̱̠̼̦͉̱̈́̏ͦ̚͘ ̭̪̞͉̳͖̀̆ͦo̩͎̻͔͎̎͛f̳̪̫͕̳̎ͨ͋̏͠ ͈̬̝i̔ͬ̾̓̅ͮ̑҉̘̬̯̣ňͦ̾ͬ̓͞s̖̦̙̟͎͎̋ͅa̔̿̍̅̔̚n̯̪̩̺̗̱̻i̞̹̣̥͉ͥt̊̒͌ͩ̉y̧͔̺͎̱̲̰̼?

 

I don't think you know my pain. Sonic the Hedgehog has kept me enchanted for well around 20 years, and one of the most important aspects to this dynamic relationship I've held to this series is the various music tracks. There are many kinds of music genres that this franchise has used... rock, techno, jazz, hip hop, the list goes on. Nearly every soundtrack is filled with music tracks that are memorable, strong and catchy. 

 

Listen, I can't put this any more clearly than I'm about to now - picking my favorite level music tracks is like picking your favorite child. It's as if I'm deciding which baby will be sacrificed to the volcano gods. You couldn't think of a more difficult moral question to pose, something like this, to me, is just... it's just beyond my ability to comprehend. 

 

I've spent hours. Hours compiling my ten favorite games, and then making the heart-breaking decision of looking at each unique track, scrutinizing them to the greatest possible detail to see which one was most pleasing to me. I'm an objective man... SSMB, you're asking me to be subjective with one of the most cherished aspects of this franchise. I can't take this list lightly. My only way to retain my moral sanity is to maintain a list of honorable mentions so long that it nearly doubles my list. 

 

Doubles it.

 

I have 75 music tracks to list and comment on, and I'm not going to be lazy about it. I can't be lazy. This question is far too important for me to be lazy about. I've had to look deeply into myself and consider...   

 

...what music... what... how... how can any of it be better than another? How can I choose one over the other? Yes, I understand, there are some tracks that objectively are not up to snuff (hello there, Chronicles), but among my favorites... I thought it would be beyond me. 

 

But it's not.

 

I have defeated this question. I don't go down so easily. 

 

SSMB, brace your ears, wet your eyes and ready your popcorn. We're running the gamut. That's right, even considering that I have picked a top ten favorite games, I've taken it upon myself to pick one song per game... and that's almost all games, as honorable mentions. And beyond that, within each of my top ten games, one extra honorable mention. 

 

IT IS TIME

 

 

Zone 23: Favorite Level Music Tracks

 

Let's take it game by game, shall we? By year of release, by level order. I won't be organizing them by fondness... it's just too hard for me. Also, I will not be including games that contain mostly remixes, such as the All Stars Racing series and Generations. They're fantastic games, and the remixes they have are stellar ear-pleasers, but they are remixes, and I want to avoid any overlapping (though in the case for Sonic Adventure, there may be some 3D Blast overlap).

 

Otherwise, Generations and All Stars Racing would have made the Top 10 list over one or two of these entries, but eh, you gotta work with the cards your dealt.

 

Also, these lists will be condensed into spoilers to prevent from bloating this post. Each entry will contain a link to the song on YouTube. So now... alright! On to the list!

 

Game 1: Sonic the Hedgehog 

 

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Game 2: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

 

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Game 3: Sonic the Hedgehog CD

 

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Game 4: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Game 5: Sonic Adventure

 

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Game 6: Sonic Adventure 2

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Game 7: Sonic Advance 2

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Game 8: Sonic Heroes

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Game 9: Sonic Unleashed

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Game 10: Sonic Colors

 

 

Spoiler 

 

 

Pheewww!! That's a lot of Sonic music... 50 tracks, in fact. But are we done?

 

Oh, heck no. Because we have...

 

Even MORE Honorable Mentions

 

 

I just couldn't resist... there's so many wonderful music tracks in the series, I had to add more. I just had too. But I capped it at one song per game I chose to represent. Now... these aren't from my favorite games, but I just needed to give some of these songs their just dues. 

 

And without further ado...

 

Spoiler 

 

 

OKAY.

DONE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

Let me pick something else.

 

 

 

Aw yiss

 

 

Mother fudgnin Rainbow Road

 

What I like about Rainbow Road is that it's transcendent across every Mario Kart game. The theme tends to vary a little bit, but you can always count on one or two common motifs that'll send chill-bumps down your spine~

 

 

There are a few consistencies across this blue earth that you can always count on...

 

Sonic will always be blue

Mario will always rescue Peach

Rainbow Road's theme will always be awesome

[Spin Attaxx]

Oh god there's too much to choose from

 

Uh

 

I guess maybe this rendition of Beginning from Castlevania 3? It's a very epic rendition that's very impressive for an 8-bit system:

 

Other than that, I suppose there's this, which honestly sounds like it could be used for the title sequence of a Shantae cartoon/animé series:

 

Yeah, my favourite soundtracks are just too diverse to have just one be The One to Shine Above All or something like that...

[JezMM]

Phantasy Star Online Episode I&II:

"Jungle - A Forest Cage" by Fumie Kumatani (Central Control Area Theme)

 

If you're a fan of Fumie's work in the Sonic series, with her trademark intense yet melancholy action themes such as Supporting Me, Babylon Garden and Poison Spear, check this out - one of her best songs from Phantasy Star Online.  Highlight for me is 1:45's segment.  (Only extended versions were in HD on youtube - the song is done at 2:27).  Just so simultaneously pretty and somehow manages to totally suit all five of the areas its used in - a sunny seaside beach, a lush jungle, a mountain at sunset, a technologic control tower and an intensely intimidating floodlit base beneath a stormy sky and above misty waters.

 

 

Mischief Makers:

"Neo" by Norio Hanzawa (Clanpot Shake/Missle Surf Theme)

 

Mischief Makers had some weird as hell choices of instruments for the midi samples, but the actual melodies were downright gorgeous.  A musical dream of mine would be to hear this song played by a full orchestra.  It and... pretty much all of Mischief Makers' music would sound so good I think.  Highlights here are 0:57 and 1:45 - as usual, the kind of sad, pretty parts.

 

 

Catherine:

"It's A Golden Show" by Shoji Meguro (Title Theme)

 

Wow I was so glad I hung around on the title screen when I first played Catherine.  After a sombre, mysterious opening that I thought would be the whole song, it goes into some super pretty and sad string stuff... before going into this groovy beat and just utterly fantastic melody that still retains the melancholy vibe that perfectly reflects the feeling of struggle and "in over my head" feeling that Vincent suffers for the entire game.  And yet... all three of these distinctly different parts of the song fit the breathtakingly artistic menu screen designs.

 

 

 

As you might guess, a recurring theme here is melancholy and sad music.  In that vein, other favourites:

 

Sonic Adventure 2:

"Supporting Me" by Fumie Kumatani (Biolizard Boss Theme)

For introducing me to the idea that a boss battle with kind of dissonantly sad lyrical music was absolutely amazing for emotional points in storylines or boss battles with significant meaning for either character involved.

 

Phantasy Star Online:

"Day Dawns" by Hideaki Kobayashi (Visual Lobby Theme)

Exception to that "melancholy music" comment here.  Chatted about this on the "favourite level" day.  Just such a huge sounding and gorgeous theme which is so relaxing and laid back and never gets tiresome even after spending like half an hour chatting in the lobbies.

 

BioShock 2:

"Pairbond" by Garry Schyman (Main Theme)

Again, talked about this on the "favourite moment" day.  So incredibly pretty.  PROBABLY my favourite theme from a game overall, but I wanted to talk about new stuff in my youtube examples.  The other BioShock main themes, "The Ocean on his Shoulders" and "Elizabeth" are also amazing.

 

The Last of Us:

"All Gone (No Escape)" by Gustavo Santaolalla (Final Gameplay Theme sans Epilogue)

Again, talked about this previously.  The final sequence was so powerful for me in how it bookended the opening of the game, and how just downright emotional it was thanks to the use of this mournful theme instead of action music.

 

 

 

I was gonna end with a quick round up of just song names but it was getting ridiculously long so I'll be good.

[Nix]

Day 23

Favorite Song

 

 

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Pursuit ~ Cornered

 

So you're sitting there, muddling through another witness's cross examination.  You know they're spouting bullshit, but you can't catch them on anything, so you keep pressing them...

 

Then they amend their testimony with some new information, and they make the biggest slip-up imaginable.  You object, and after some quick thinking you finally manage to corner them.  That's the moment when this song normally plays, those moments when shit gets really real and you manage to trap the witness in their lies.  After that, you just have to keep up the momentum and keep on going until the end.  

 

While the other Pursuit themes are really good, this one is by far the best.  This one of the themes that instantly comes to someone's head whenever Ace Attorney gets mentioned.  In fact, it's so good, so memorable and so fitting to Phoenix Wright as a character, it becomes used again in the finale of the trilogy when you manage to corner the final case's big bad.

 

 

It's a fitting conclusion to the trilogy, almost too good.  Phoenix was a rookie in the first game, but now he's a pro in the third.  And it concludes much like the first game, but this time Phoenix isn't having any of the villain's shit.

[Xtremer Sadiqachu]

D21 Favorite Unlockable

How about the time I finally unlocked Wolf in Super Smash Bros Brawl? Sure he was a clone of Fox, but hey, I had finally unlocked all the characters!

D22 Favorite Art Style



Kirby's Epic Yarn- aka Kirby can't die so the game isn't a game and it sucks

Most people don't enjoy the likes of Kirby's Epic Yarn because they say it's too easy, but I'm pretty sure the game was meant for younger kids, most likely to introduce video games to a younger audience, and that's fine. But there's one thing that's worth pointing out.



THIS GAME IS FUCKING ADORABLE

Like, seriously, this is probably the most visually appealing Kirby game I've ever played. Everything is a fabric of some sorts, and it looks so good, especially for the Wii.

Also a runner up is Yoshi's Island 





D23 Favorite Song

I'll bet the remixers are flipping out on this one. All of my favorite songs are VGM and It's really hard to choose between one, but I guess I'll pick something slightly obscure.

Cool Spot was a game most people skipped over, but its one of my favorites. Not likely of seeing him again, unfortunately.
 

[SuperLink]

I missed the unlock day, oh well :v I probably woulda gone with anything that felt like super special and really hidden and secret and stuff. Luigi from Mario Galaxy, T.T. in Diddy Kong Racing, Ness in Smash 64, Super Sonic, etc.. that Challenger Approaching screen in Smash Bros is just eternally satisfying to see and it's the main reason I hope SSB4 still has secret characters.

 

I had nothin for the Art day really either, prolly woulda gone with Okami, Skullgirls, Ni no Kuni or Tales of Vesperia.

 

Anyway, onto the main event;

 

Day 23 - Favourite Songu

 

Oh boy oh boy, I have so many songs I adore from games but I need to pick just one? In that case I'm gonna be boring and choose what's probably been my favourite track for years;

 

The Almighty - Persona 4

 

 

Wow. Wowow. Some of you might remember a time I was super into Persona, and unfortunately I've sorta lost interest in it lately. Every time I listen to this song though, I can't help but feel, well.. epic. Persona 4 was and is still among my favourite RPGs, and it was at the time much longer than anything else I'd played, with a much stronger plot than most RPGs I'd played. Once you get past the kinda vague flags to activate the Good Ending, I feel like this Final Boss fight against Amano-Sagiri is your reward. Sure the boss is kinda out of nowhere, but the setting for the fight, the gigantic stake involved, and the music that plays makes you realise that you're in for one hell of a fight.

 

My favourite things about the track are how it reflects the mood and situation so impeccably. The track starts off kinda calm and grand feeling which instantly meshes with the fact that it looks like your party is fighting high in the sky against some kind of creepy ass god. My knowledge of music language isn't great but damn. Just damn, it works so frickin well. To make it better, the track actually has two different loops, and the second sounds almost exactly like the first until it reaches the more climactic part in which it brings in this really awesome electric guitar segment. The fact that a full two-loops of the track are so long to wait through also reflects the fact that this boss is a real time-sink. It's not terribly hard, but it'll take a while, and that makes the whole thing feel epic from beginning to end.

 

I dunno I can't do this song justice in words. I think most people who've heard this track in Persona 4 hopefully know where I'm coming from though.. and you should listen to the track yourselves anyway :v

 

Honourable mentions of course, how could I mention just one (most of these series' I have so many favourites from but I'll mention just one favourite from each):

• Champion Battle - Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum - if I had to pick just one Pokémon song it'd be this one
• Asteroid Coaster Act 1 - Sonic Colours - And if I had to pick just one Sonic song it'd be this
• ... but fan games almost don't count, so that means I can pick this one too - World to Explore - Sonic After the Sequel
• The Sun Rises - Okami - Nuff said
• Aurum Island - Kid Icarus: Uprising
• Box 16 - Dangan Ronpa
• Vector to the Heavens - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - yo sorry for making you cry
• Stone Tower Temple - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
• Necrofantasia - Touhou 7: Perfect Cherry Blossom

.. if you couldn't tell, I tend to prefer really melodic music :v

[Noir]

Day 23 - Favorite Song

 

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - Staff Credits

 

I feel like even talking about this is wasting my time because god, just listen to it. Zelda's credits always have music that conveys so many emotions at once, all equally powerful, and it's truly impressive. It's calm, serene... triumphant!... joyful in the spirit of adventure and joyful in the simplicity of returning to daily life. It says that you've done it, you've saved the world, but at the end of the day, none of that matters as much as rescuing your sister and calming Grandma's poor old worries. And that's only touching on the emotional aspects. The composition itself is brilliant with its Irish flair and great way of repeating itself while never losing its impact.

 

I posted a last time 30 Days rolled around, and I stick by all of them two years later, but Wind Waker's staff credits have withstood the test of time the best and I'm bumping it up to my number one spot. I don't have any new thoughts on it, but I wanted to have it here in my post as it is my best bet for my favorite song.

 

Instead, I'd like to add some new songs to that list:

 

 

No, not Elizabeth! The two tracks are equally good but AD stands out more to me due to its emotional impact in the game. The frantic, erratic strings, that gorgeous deep bass, it's absolutely beautiful. It made the most heart-wrenching moment so much of what it was.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWunMFukKJ0

 

A very recent addition; I don't know why I never touched the Ace Attorney series before but it's completely blown me away and music is certainly part of that. I'm very dumb and admittedly bad at figuring out the cases as they're going, so when I do finally get that a-ha moment I'm already pumped. When this music kicks in and I know I just turned the case around, it's a fucking thrill.

 

 

And of my new additions, my favorite! I've spoken before on how well TWD makes you connect to Lee and care deeply for Clementine - so this scene really hits hard. It's a depressing game overall, so what a reward it is to hear this song. You've done so much, you've come so far, and this is your moment. You hear this and you know: to that girl, you're a hero. 

[Jimbo]

Day 23: Favorite Song/OST:

 

 

 

"Shoshone Sun Dance Songs"

 

This is my personal favorite set of Peace/War themes, but honestly I could rave about the track of Civilization V: Brave New World for hours.

 

Most of the songs in the OST are reworked versions of songs that have something to do with the civilization. Some of the songs are by composers that lived in the country (which is why a song like Capulets and Montagues appears as the Russian diplomacy song- although it was written for a Shakespeare play, it was written by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev). Other songs are written about the civilization. The tracks picked always seem to fit the leaders in-game personalities perfectly. These songs play in the beginning of the game and at diplomacy screens. They also have BGM that plays in-game that differs depending on which Civilization is being used. A Middle-Eastern civilization, such as Persia or Babylon, will get a tune such as this one, while a Native American civilization will get something more like this one.

 

A few of my favorites:

 

Byzantium- Phos Hilaron: Peace / War- One of the other civilizations where I like both the Peace and War themes. Th War theme sounds like something out of Star Wars.

 

Greece- Epitaph of Seikilos: Peace- Not a big fan of the war theme, but the peace theme is by far one of my favorites in the game.

 

Poland- Bóg się rodzi: Peace / War- Another one from the last expansion, Brave New World. It's based on a Polish Christmas carol.

 

The Huns- Li Ling Si Han: War- Tend to hear this a lot in game. A lot.

 

The Celts- Lord Gregory, the Lass of Aughrim- Peace: Another one of my favorite peace songs in the game.

 

Persia- Morghe Sahar- Peace: Never really liked this piece until I started using Persia in-game. It's one of the songs that gets stuck in my head often.

 

Japan- Rokudan no Shirabe- War

 

At this point I'm just going to end up linking the whole soundtrack, so I'll just leave a playlist with all of them here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tori Himemiya]

DAY 23 OF PRESIDENT CROW COMPOSING MUSIC!

If I'm limited to one song well...

http://youtu.be/A8rpm0Eue-o

Type O Negative - I Don't Wanna Be Me!

This was one of the songs in the GTA4's radio and I'm a big Type O Negative fan before I even played the game. This was in their 6th album Life is Killing Me and its slightly lighter in tone compared to World Coming Down as a whole since that was when Peter Steele was going through tough times but even then Life is Killing Me was pretty heavy due to the band's signature style. I Don't Wanna be Me is one of the songs I feel like I learned a life lesson from despite it expressing Peter's desire for death. "Don't go there to mourn but to celebrate" was the lyric that stuck with me and I still carry that one sentence in my ideals. Peter Steele is a genius when it comes to writing music and while he does have his dark sense of humor in it, he genuinely wishes for everyone to happy in a sense.

Oh and Type O Negative also did the soundtrack to Decent 2!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQvivND6Ck

Though that's an instrumental of their song Haunted from October Rust but they did make the rest of the soundtrack as well. But all in all I feel like I'm cheating because none of the songs I've posted weren't even composed for the game. So I'll list another song just to be fair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJQ5HsXlPTo

Septette for the Dead Princess!

Septette for the Dead Princess is definitely my favorite Touhou track and that's saying a lot from me because it has a lot of contenders. ZUN always seem to know how to make a damn good song for someone who supposedly can't compose music. Its a slower piece of music at first but it eventually starts speeding up referencing the fact Remilia is the final boss and that it gets intense. It does has vibes of creepiness to it making it seem like Remilia is overlooking you through the fight. And I love it for it. Its a great piece of music and I absolutely can never get tired of it.

And hilariously according to ZUN the song's title is an oxymoron. It isn't a septette nor is there a princess and nobody is dead!

UNTIL NEXT TIEM SSMB!