Sailing the Blue Skies since 2001.
Music is one of my favorite components of video games. There is nothing like having the perfect track accompanying you as you go battle a boss, solve a puzzle, or even just going through a stage. This feature is meant as a tribute to all of the games whose music thoroughly impressed me. ^_^
I will pick three songs from different games that I really, really love to gush about. It may be from a game I highlight in an overall soundtrack, but I will go more into detail about why this song has stuck with me since I first heard it.
This time, I've picked three slower tunes that I really enjoy. It actually was by random choice I picked these, but I began writing, I realized that they were all fairly tranquil pieces.
Beyond Good & Evil: Home Sweet Home - Outside the Lighthouse (GC/PS2/Xbox/PC, UBI Soft, Christophe Heral)
This is a perfect track to begin the game with. After Jade's initial battle with the DOMZ and you can begin to freely roam around the Lighthouse, this tune starts, and it's majestic. What Christopher Heral crafted captures the peace the Lighthouse represents to Jade marvelously. It's a spot to meditate, to ponder, to feel at one with the world and the kids she watches over. Just a beautiful song, and easily one of my favorite slow pieces to listen to. When I put it on, I as well can relax and feel soothed. Awesome stuff.
Super Mario 64: Dire Dire Docks/Jolly Roger Bay (N64, Nintendo, Koji Kondo, )
Super Mario 64 took the basic tunes that Koji Kondo first crafted in the 2D Marios and pushed many of them into new frontiers, but Kondo's finest reinvention is easily the haunting music that backs the game's water stages. The music is ideal for swimming around vast, open environments, and its melody blends with the caverns, secret bases and deserted villages that these stages represent. Just a beautiful piece all the way around.
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: Midna's Lament - When Midna is Gravely Injured by Zant, and Must be Escorted to Zelda (GC/Wii, Nintendo, Koji Kondo, )
Out of all of the picks this time, this is easily the darkest. A pounding piano begins the song, while a second adds in a more touching, but still tense, melody. Strings come in later on, adding to the feeling of desperation. As you hear this, Midna is slowly dying, and as Wolf Link, you have to rush her to Princess Zelda in an attempt to save her life. The tension it created while scrambling around the Twilight Realm was incredible, and this scene is the one I remember most from Twilight Princess. It captures sadness, but also has a hint of some hope in it. A masterful song, and easily one of the best from the long history of the Zelda timeline in my eyes.