SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Let the Games Begin Edition

Other than the name of this edition of the VGMs, this installment really has nothing to do with the Olympics at all. Instead we will listen to five tracks from retro and more modern games. These are five picks that run the gamut of video game eras, franchises, and styles. From Super Monkey Ball to Bomberman, we have a lot to get to, so let's do it.

v161. DuckTales (NES) - The Moon

Not pony tails or cotton tails, no DuckTales. Who knew that one of the most classic and regarded 8-bit tunes would come from a licensed video game based on a Disney animated series? DuckTales was developed by Capcom, a powerhouse when it came to licensed Disney games. Mickey Mouse, Aladdin, Chip 'n Dale, and more, Capcom was incredible with platformers in the NES and Super Nintendo days. DuckTales is but part of this long line of excellent Disney platformers.

v162. Bomberman 64: The Second Attack (N64) - Game Planet Starlight

Set on the Game Planet Starlight, full of bright lights, casinos, and various ways to lose your hard-earned cash through gambling, this world of Bomberman 64: The Second Attack is complemented by some seriously catchy music. But there's no time to lounge around with one of the Astral Knights loose on the planet. The soundtrack was composed in part by the great Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger/Cross and Xenogears fame.

v163. Super Monkey Ball 2 (GCN) - World 7 (Bubbly Washing Machine)

Giving off a distinctly Japanese feel as your monkey in a ball rolls around courses suspended above a bloody washing machine, World 7 from Super Monkey Ball 2's story mode is the penultimate world of the game. Super Monkey Ball 2 had some levels that were more based on luck than actual skill. This put some experts of the original game off quite a bit. Despite this, I managed to somehow complete every level in the game. That is one of my proudest accomplishments alongside my 95% finished F-Zero GX save data.

v164. Drill Dozer (GBA) - Art Museum

Before Pokemon, Game Freak worked on the game Pulseman on the Sega Genesis. Then they crafted a series that some had called a fad. Well, the Pokemon "fad" is still going strong more than a decade later with no signs of slowing down. In between Pokemon games Game Freak had the opportunity to develop one of the last Game Boy Advance games for the system, a unique platformer known as Drill Dozer. The cartridge of the game had rumble built into it. The main character of Drill Dozer, Jill, would see the light of day once more in a guest starring role as an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

v165. Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii) - Dusky (Both Versions)

We continue our Japanese theme from volume 163. Do you recall the name Hitoshi Sakimoto? Well, he was the man behind a good portion of the music of Final Fantasy XII and the Final Fantasy Tactics series. Dusky, particularly Dusky A, is a theme that I absolutely adore. It is perfect for venturing through wheat fields, through demon-filled forests, and across isolated mountaintops. Vanillaware (Odin Sphere) did a wonderful job with the visuals of the game. It is a work of interactive art, wouldn't you say?

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That concludes this eclectic mix of music for the Let the Games Begin edition of the favorite VGMs. Next week we will have five more intriguing themes for your ears to take pleasure in. For now, take solace in the fact that you can listen to past installments with the Favorite VGM Database.