The Nintendo 3DS is officially out, but that has nothing to do with the VGMs. This week we're listening to music from classics such as the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Mario Kart 64, and Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, to name a few. Time to be seated in the upright position with seatbelts on as we rock it on into the night, and learn something in the process!
v686. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Forest (Two Versions)
The Lost Woods were not a truly confusing place like future Zeldas. In fact, it was quite easy to get through to reach the Master Sword. A Link to the Past remains one of my favorite games of all time. I need to go back and play it now that I think of it. Regardless, there are two variations of Forest in this VGM. The first is the original as heard in the game. The second comes from the Legend of Zelda: Sound and Drama CD. It's a remixed version of this already catchy theme. What is your favorite Zelda game of all time?
v687. Mario Kart 64 - Highway
Highway is the theme of Toad's Turnpike, a simple figure-eight course. However, when you add in items and traffic, it becomes seriously less simple of a track. In mirror mode, the traffic actually comes AT you, meaning you're heading for a head-on collision! This definitely makes Toad's Turnpike one of the toughest tracks in Mario Kart history when played this way. The theme itself of Highway uses piano as the main melody with a good bassline to back it up. I have to ask-- which Mario Kart is your personal favorite? I personally enjoy Mario Kart DS the best, but I won't touch online play.
v688. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - Cursed Clock Tower
My first introduction to the Castlevania franchise was Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS. It remains my favorite to this day despite soon playing Symphony of the Night shortly thereafter. I greatly enjoyed farming souls, acquiring new abilities, and beating down bad bosses in Soma Cruz's quest to get through the castle. Though the soundtrack pales in comparison to Symphony of the Night's, Dawn of Sorrow still has enough admirable tracks to give it an edge overall to the excellent Symphony of the Night. Do you have a favorite Castlevania game? This seems to be a recurring question these five videos!
v689. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest - Disco Train
Back when Rare wasn't destroyed by Microsoft (almost literally if you follow the news), they produced good video games such as Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, and yes, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest. This theme, Disco Train, plays during the amusement park roller coaster levels. My favorite being Rickety Race where the goal was to get first place in a race that took place on rails. By leaping over gaps and jumping on baddies, you'd edge yourself closer to number one and that fabled DK Coin. Did you have a favorite level in Donkey Kong Country 2? Let me know in the comments section.
v690. Wave Race 64 - Drake Lake
Drake Lake was a foggy jet-ski course in Wave Race 64. You weaved through a marsh-like area. I wouldn't have been surprised if there were crocs in that water! Regardless, the song itself relies heavily on the wonderful pan flute, along with piano and violin, is one of my favorite instruments. The box art displayed here shows the Players' Choice version. That means the title had sold over one million copies worldwide. A PC line was proposed for the Wii, but Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata, shot it down for, in his opinion, if every Nintendo game went down in price, then people would just wait for the price to eventually go down for the games instead of buying them when they are brand-new. That's just a paraphrase anyhow.
There goes another installment of the favorite VGMs. Tune in next week as we have five more excellent musical tracks to share with the masses. Until then, have a great week!
There's something very relaxing about Toad's Turnpike's music, which is ironic since it's one of the game's more stressful levels (especially on mirror mode). I like that they went with that vibe instead of something more aggressive and high energy. Unexpected; more interesting.
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