SPC Highlights

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Top Ten Nintendo 3DS Soundtracks

How about a top ten list to keep your week going smoothly? Sure thing! For this fine Wednesday SuperPhillip Central has put together a list of our favorite Nintendo 3DS soundtracks. Dare we go so far to call these the best soundtracks that the system has to offer? There's an immense number of Nintendo 3DS soundtracks to choose from, and it was so very difficult to select which ones to include and which ones to leave out, so we're sure you'll have your own opinions on our picks. Each game listed has a trio of links to click on so you can listen to some soundtrack samples. Now that all of that is out of the way, let's get to the countdown!

10) Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure


Although it's an imperfect rhythm game (thank you, gyro controls), Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure gives us a warm, familiar feeling. It's as if the SEGA of old, pre-third-party company, was back in the saddle, albeit for a very limited amount of time. The various themes that play during the numerous rhythm-based mini-games of Rhythm Thief are accompanied by some very catchy tunes, whether they be of the jazz, rock, or even hip-hop genres of music.


9) Paper Mario: Sticker Star


Paper Mario: Sticker Star was a great departure from the standard structure and formula fans of the long-running RPG series were expecting. This, deservedly so, brought about a lot of ire from fans towards the game. However, one facet of this flawed game that cannot really be argued by us as poor, is the fabulous soundtrack. Full of jazzy, jaunty, and peppy tunes, Paper Mario: Sticker Star's soundtrack had our toes tapping from the beginning of Mario's adventure to its conclusion.


8) Kirby: Triple Deluxe


Kirby series soundtracks seldom ever disappoint, and the recently released Kirby: Triple Deluxe continues that tradition of great music. Longtime series composers Jun Ishikawa and Hirokazu Ando deliver a multitude of catchy and appropriately cheerful music to this new installment of the Kirby series. While there are multiple tracks picked directly from Kirby's Return to Dream Land, the majority of music is wholly original and wholly wonderful.


7) Mario & Luigi: Dream Team


Surprisingly, Mario only makes two appearances on our countdown of best 3DS soundtracks. This is his second appearance, another RPG, but this time Luigi tags along. Yoko Shimomura, whose musical magnificence shines in every theme she has ever composed, brings a suitably cheery, sometimes foreboding soundtrack to players' ears with Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.


6) Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy


While many gamers focused on the console iteration of Ace Combat when it hit the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the 3DS entry, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy, was sadly overlooked. Not only is the game a joy to play, making all those dogfights so beautiful in glorious 3D, but the soundtrack is especially excellent. That should be no surprise since Go Shiira composed the majority of the tracks.


5) Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance


She's baaaaaack~! Yoko Shimomura is most likely best known for her work on Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts franchise. The Nintendo 3DS entry, Dream Drop Distance, consists of many proficiently composed themes full of fantastic instrumentation and strong melodies. It's just the type of marvelous soundtrack that one would expect from a composer of the magnitude and skill level of Yoko Shimomura!


4) Fire Emblem: Awakening


When a soundtrack has a five disc set release in Japan, one might come to the conclusion that there's a lot to sift through to find the good stuff. However, with Fire Emblem: Awakening's soundtrack, composed by Hiroki Morishita, Rei Kondoh, and series veteran Yuka Tsujiyoko, this is a case of quantity and quality. With stirring symphonic tracks, heartfelt ballads, and plenty of tracks that span a range of emotions, Fire Emblem: Awakening's music is top-notch, to say the very, very least.


3) The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds


A soundtrack that sensationally combines new with the familiar, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds' music delivers songs that fans of A Link to the Past will no doubt recognize, but they'll hear them in totally new arrangements. Ryo Nagamatsu, the composer and arranger of this fantastic soundtrack, nails both the fresh arrangements of the game as well as the brand-new, wholly original musical content. It's a soundtrack that stands along the best of The Legend of Zelda franchise's various scores.


2) Bravely Default


The leader of Sound Horizon, a Japanese progressive rock, neoclassical metal group, is Revo, and his expertise of creating music came into glorious use for the Bravely Default soundtrack. Before Bravely Default's release, none of us knew anything about Revo, and most of us had never heard of his name before. After hearing the pieces composed and performed by Revo and Sound Horizon, we couldn't help ourselves to research as much as possible about this musical genius and his band.


1) Kid Icarus: Uprising


Our choice for best Nintendo 3DS soundtrack was an easy pick. It's a soundtrack that features some of the best musical minds in Japan, such as Yasunori Mitsuda, Motoi Sakuraba, Yuzo Koshiro, Masafumi Takada, and more. The fully orchestrated soundtrack delivers tension, drama, cheerfulness, chills, liveliness, and a whole range of emotions. There's hardly a track that isn't captivating to the listener. Whether you're into traditional classical music or atypical sounds, Kid Icarus: Uprising possesses without a doubt the greatest soundtrack of any Nintendo 3DS game.


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Which Nintendo 3DS soundtracks are your favorites? Start up a discussion below in our comments section!

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