OKAY SO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT WHEN I RENDERED THE VIDEO VERSION OF THIS PRIMER, MOST OF THE AUDIO GOT CUT OUT. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAD ALREADY REMOVED THE RAW DATA FROM MY COMPUTER SO THERE IS NO WAY I CAN SALVAGE A VIDEO OR AUDIO VERSION OF THIS PRIMER. SO TO SAVE ON TIME AND STRESS, THE 2005 VGM PRIMER WILL BE PRESENTED EXCLUSIVELY AS A WRITTEN VERSION.
SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.
Iconic...
SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.
Iconic...
Forgotten...
Timeless...
Innovative...
These are the soundtracks that helped shape and define what we hear in the video games that we play. I am Nitro, and this is the M Disk Playlist's Video Game Music Primer: 2005.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, composed by Tetsuya Shibata and Kento Hasegawa
What originally began as a new entry in the Resident Evil series became a new franchise and genre to add to Capcom's already impressive resume. The third entry in the Devil May Cry series would serve as a prequel to the entire series. He wasn't there for the entire Devil May Cry series, but when it comes to composers, Tetsuya Shibata was the most involved with the series.
And composing wasn't even Shibata's major while enrolled in university. He originally aspired to study law, despite his music background consisting of classic piano, and jazz. He realized that it was easier to compose than to work at a law firm and became a comnposer for Capcom. He originally worked on fighting games, notably being one of the main composers of the Darkstalkers series. He was also notibly one of the composers for Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Working on arcade games, however, proved limiting to his potential. When he started composing for the PlayStation 2, he was able to showcase more of his talents.
With the move to the PlayStation 2, he was willing to do things that hadn't been done before in game scores, whether Capcom liked it or not. He first demonstrates this by blending the rock and jazz genres for the score to Auto Modellista. And with his works on the Resident Evil Outbreak and earlier Devil May Cry games, he continued to blend genres. For Devil May Cry 3, he uses the metal and electronica genres, and would occasionally incorporate atmospheric minimalist pieces. Sometimes altogether.
Shibata shared responsibility of the score with fellow Capcom composer Kento Hasegawa, who also worked with Shibata on the Resident Evil Outbreak games. His public profile isn't as extensive as Shibata's currently is, but Hasegawa did get his start in Capcom collaborating with Shibata, with his last collaboration being this very game. The vocal pieces are performed by Shawn "Shootie HG" McPherson of the band Hostile Groove, with backing vocals by David Baker in the game's ending theme, Devil's Never Cry.
Devil May Cry 3 was very action packed, intense, a non-stop thriller, and sometimes haunting. The music throughout the game either complimented protagonist Dante's fights against hordes of demons led by his brother Vergil, or enhanced the atmosphere of the terror that lurked in between the battles.
And composing wasn't even Shibata's major while enrolled in university. He originally aspired to study law, despite his music background consisting of classic piano, and jazz. He realized that it was easier to compose than to work at a law firm and became a comnposer for Capcom. He originally worked on fighting games, notably being one of the main composers of the Darkstalkers series. He was also notibly one of the composers for Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Working on arcade games, however, proved limiting to his potential. When he started composing for the PlayStation 2, he was able to showcase more of his talents.
With the move to the PlayStation 2, he was willing to do things that hadn't been done before in game scores, whether Capcom liked it or not. He first demonstrates this by blending the rock and jazz genres for the score to Auto Modellista. And with his works on the Resident Evil Outbreak and earlier Devil May Cry games, he continued to blend genres. For Devil May Cry 3, he uses the metal and electronica genres, and would occasionally incorporate atmospheric minimalist pieces. Sometimes altogether.
Shibata shared responsibility of the score with fellow Capcom composer Kento Hasegawa, who also worked with Shibata on the Resident Evil Outbreak games. His public profile isn't as extensive as Shibata's currently is, but Hasegawa did get his start in Capcom collaborating with Shibata, with his last collaboration being this very game. The vocal pieces are performed by Shawn "Shootie HG" McPherson of the band Hostile Groove, with backing vocals by David Baker in the game's ending theme, Devil's Never Cry.
Devil May Cry 3 was very action packed, intense, a non-stop thriller, and sometimes haunting. The music throughout the game either complimented protagonist Dante's fights against hordes of demons led by his brother Vergil, or enhanced the atmosphere of the terror that lurked in between the battles.
Psychonauts, composed by Peter McConnell
LucasArts was on the cusp of interactive storytelling with their adventure games. Tim Schafer, one of the key developers behind LucasArts in the 90s left the company in 2000 to found his own game studio, Double Fine. Double Fine's first game would be Psychonauts, and it would be composed by Peter McConnell, former composer for LucasArts.
McConnell, who had composed for LucasArts since 1991 with the game Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, helped co-produce the iMUSE audio sequencer, which allowed the in-game music to change instantly, according to what is happening in the game in real time. Most of McConnell's works for LucasArts would be for their Star Wars games. But he would occassionally contribute to non-Star Wars games like Sam and Max: Hit the Road, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, The Dig, Herc's Adventures, and Grim Fandango.
Psychonatus would be the first game that both McConnell and Schafer worked on together since they both left LucasArts. And much like the LucasArts adventure games in the 90s, the game's story and score complimented each other in a way that stories and scores from movies complimented each other. It was a familar pattern that helped set apart the 90s LucasArts adventures, repeated for the modern era of gaming. Witty storytelling, unique characters and settings, and a score similar to what you would hear in movies to emphasize the story in charming fashion. Double Fine represented the continuation of those kinds of games and stories, and this would not be the last time that McConnell would compose for Schafer and Double Fine.
McConnell, who had composed for LucasArts since 1991 with the game Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, helped co-produce the iMUSE audio sequencer, which allowed the in-game music to change instantly, according to what is happening in the game in real time. Most of McConnell's works for LucasArts would be for their Star Wars games. But he would occassionally contribute to non-Star Wars games like Sam and Max: Hit the Road, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, The Dig, Herc's Adventures, and Grim Fandango.
Psychonatus would be the first game that both McConnell and Schafer worked on together since they both left LucasArts. And much like the LucasArts adventure games in the 90s, the game's story and score complimented each other in a way that stories and scores from movies complimented each other. It was a familar pattern that helped set apart the 90s LucasArts adventures, repeated for the modern era of gaming. Witty storytelling, unique characters and settings, and a score similar to what you would hear in movies to emphasize the story in charming fashion. Double Fine represented the continuation of those kinds of games and stories, and this would not be the last time that McConnell would compose for Schafer and Double Fine.
Namco X Capcom
Officially, the game is credited to be composed by Yuzo Koshiro, with only Yasunori Mitsuda being a credited arranger. But according to Koshiro himself in an interview with Square Enix Music Online, he only composed the opening and ending themes. And despite Mitsuda being credited in the album liner notes, there were no other arrangers credited. Instead, credit is given to all the composers who originally gave life to all the Namco and Capcom characters featured in this ambitious crossover.
Namco X Capcom was devloped by Monolith Software, who had previously developed the Xenosaga trilogy, and the GameCube RPG Baten Kaitos. This game was developed to celebrate Namco's 50th anniversary. It was determined that Namco's roster of characters alone would not be enough for such an ambitious project. So Monolith Soft sought permission to incorporate Capcom characters into their game, as Capcom had previous experience crossing into other brands like Marvel, and SNK.
It could be argued that one of the most popular parts of Namco X Capcom outside of Japan was the game's opening theme, Brave New World, performed by Flair. Although the vocal tracks Koshiro produced for the Wangan Midnight series were released first, Brave New World was actually the first vocal track that Koshiro produced in his career.
Namco X Capcom was never officially released outside of Japan. Footage of the game shown on networks like G4, and fan translations helped raise awareness of the game outside of Japan. Fortunately, the follow-up to Namco X Capcom, Project X Zone for the Nintendo 3DS was released worldwide, thanks in part to proposals by Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada.
Namco X Capcom was a unique crossover, with the mystique of being a Japan-only release making it a highly sought after title in the west. The amount of music in the game is a historical catalog of what helped enhance some of Namco and Capcom's most recognizable franchises in one place, almost like a museum.
Namco X Capcom was devloped by Monolith Software, who had previously developed the Xenosaga trilogy, and the GameCube RPG Baten Kaitos. This game was developed to celebrate Namco's 50th anniversary. It was determined that Namco's roster of characters alone would not be enough for such an ambitious project. So Monolith Soft sought permission to incorporate Capcom characters into their game, as Capcom had previous experience crossing into other brands like Marvel, and SNK.
It could be argued that one of the most popular parts of Namco X Capcom outside of Japan was the game's opening theme, Brave New World, performed by Flair. Although the vocal tracks Koshiro produced for the Wangan Midnight series were released first, Brave New World was actually the first vocal track that Koshiro produced in his career.
Namco X Capcom was never officially released outside of Japan. Footage of the game shown on networks like G4, and fan translations helped raise awareness of the game outside of Japan. Fortunately, the follow-up to Namco X Capcom, Project X Zone for the Nintendo 3DS was released worldwide, thanks in part to proposals by Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada.
Namco X Capcom was a unique crossover, with the mystique of being a Japan-only release making it a highly sought after title in the west. The amount of music in the game is a historical catalog of what helped enhance some of Namco and Capcom's most recognizable franchises in one place, almost like a museum.
Destroy All Humans! Composed by Garry Schyman
Aliens invading the planet Earth to destroy all in their path was a classic science fiction trope explored by Pandemic Studios. A satire of 50s culture, composed by a man who understood how to compose for stories that fit specific eras. Garry Schyman graduated with a music degree in 1978, and started his career as a ghost composer for television shows Magnum PI, The Greatest American Hero, and The A-Team. He continued a steady career as a film and television composer, eventually jumping into video games with the score for the Phillips CD-I game, Voyeur. Released in 1993, Voyeur was one of the first games to feature live orchestrated music. After two more games, Schyman returned to film and television, citing limitations of budget and quality in game scores at the time.
His returned to the video game industry with Destroy All Humans after feeling that orchestrated scores were becoming irrelevant in the film and television industry. Journalists who reviewed this game gave praise to Schyman for capturing the aesthetic of "old school B movies" and channeling the works of classic film comnposers like Bernard Herrmann. Schyman continued to compose almost exclusivly for video games, including the rest of the Destroy All Humnans games, rarely going back to scoring for movies.
Garry Schyman may have gotten his start working on some of television's most memorable shows. But it wasn't until he started composing for video games on a regular basis that people started to take notice of what Schyman was capable of. His works on Destroy All Humans would precede his works on a series that would arguably give him the most recognition to date; the BioShock series.
His returned to the video game industry with Destroy All Humans after feeling that orchestrated scores were becoming irrelevant in the film and television industry. Journalists who reviewed this game gave praise to Schyman for capturing the aesthetic of "old school B movies" and channeling the works of classic film comnposers like Bernard Herrmann. Schyman continued to compose almost exclusivly for video games, including the rest of the Destroy All Humnans games, rarely going back to scoring for movies.
Garry Schyman may have gotten his start working on some of television's most memorable shows. But it wasn't until he started composing for video games on a regular basis that people started to take notice of what Schyman was capable of. His works on Destroy All Humans would precede his works on a series that would arguably give him the most recognition to date; the BioShock series.
Shadow of the Colossus, composed by Kow Otani
After the success of Fumito Ueda's 2001 ICO, it was only a matter of time before the follow-up was developed. But instead of making a "more of the same" type of game, Ueda sought to make a game that borrowed elements of the mystique and artistry that made ICO stand out so much, with a fresh approach to how boss battles are fought and presented. But unlike ICO, only one composer was needed to enhance this unique experience.
Kow Otani got his start in the anime industry composing for titles like City Hunter, You're Under Arrest, Gundam Wing, Outlaw Star, and he worked on anime adaptations of video games like Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge, and Wild Arms: Twilight Venom. He even helped produce the song Sodo Chi No Sadame, the opening theme of the 2012 adaptation of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood. He is also well known for his works in the film industry, primarily being a composer for the 90s Gamera films, and the crossover kaiju film; Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.
Before Shadow of the Colossus, he only worked on a handful of video games. Philosama, Macross Digital Mission VF-Z, Sky Odyssey, and Heavy Metal Thunder. In a video interview conducted to promote the release of the 2018 PlayStation 4 remake, Otani states that "the music feels like you might have saved someone you love, but you couldn't save everyone you loved." The example he uses to illustrate his point is the theme played when you defeat a Colossi. He went against what battle victory themes typically portrayed as "triumphant" by conveying the mood of a requieum. The score was a combination of celtic with minimalist orchestra. It was a combination that Ueda sought to help make the score not directly tie into real world cultures.
Shadow of the Colossus would arguably be Ueda's most popular game, and Otani's most popular score, at least out of his video game catalog. It would also arguably be one of the most well received titles released on the PlayStation 2. With Ueda's storytelling, and Otani's music, Shadow of the Colossus would be just as surreal in the game as it would be successful in the game industry.
Kow Otani got his start in the anime industry composing for titles like City Hunter, You're Under Arrest, Gundam Wing, Outlaw Star, and he worked on anime adaptations of video games like Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge, and Wild Arms: Twilight Venom. He even helped produce the song Sodo Chi No Sadame, the opening theme of the 2012 adaptation of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood. He is also well known for his works in the film industry, primarily being a composer for the 90s Gamera films, and the crossover kaiju film; Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.
Before Shadow of the Colossus, he only worked on a handful of video games. Philosama, Macross Digital Mission VF-Z, Sky Odyssey, and Heavy Metal Thunder. In a video interview conducted to promote the release of the 2018 PlayStation 4 remake, Otani states that "the music feels like you might have saved someone you love, but you couldn't save everyone you loved." The example he uses to illustrate his point is the theme played when you defeat a Colossi. He went against what battle victory themes typically portrayed as "triumphant" by conveying the mood of a requieum. The score was a combination of celtic with minimalist orchestra. It was a combination that Ueda sought to help make the score not directly tie into real world cultures.
Shadow of the Colossus would arguably be Ueda's most popular game, and Otani's most popular score, at least out of his video game catalog. It would also arguably be one of the most well received titles released on the PlayStation 2. With Ueda's storytelling, and Otani's music, Shadow of the Colossus would be just as surreal in the game as it would be successful in the game industry.
Civilization IV, composed by Jeff Briggs, Mark Cromer, Michael Curran, and Christopher Tin
The Civilization games have been about simulating the development and evolution of real-world cultures from the beginning of time, to the future and beyond. When it came to the score of the entire franchise, one thing was consistent. Pieces reflected on the era, time period, the culture, and the civilization. Sometimes, original pieces were conducted, and sometimes, appropriate licensed music was converted to the appropriate audio format. Jeff Briggs has composed for the Civilization franchise since the beginning. Most of his video game resume consists mainly of simulator games. Otherwise, Briggs is primarily a traditional composer with a Doctorate in Musical Composition and Theory. He's released albums of his works since 1972, with his most notable non-gaming project being The (New) Beethoven Quartets. In 1996, with Sid Meier, and Brian Reynolds, Briggs helped found Firaxis Studios, the current developers of the Civilization games.
Mark Cromer, who has been involved with the Civilization franchise since the second game, joined Firaxis Studios in 2000 as a lead sound engineer. He also served as the sound effects designer for the game. He left Firaxis Studios in 2008, but continued to compose for video games like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and Civilization: Revolution 2. Michael Curran, who composed his first piece of music in the 8th grade, describes the process of coming up with pieces for the Civilization game as "[having] playlists for each era and focus on western music as it evolved from the medieval period." His first Civilization game was this one, but it was the fifth Civilization game which he composed alongside Geoff Knorr that helped put his name on the map within the game industry.
Out of the four composers, it is arguably Christopher Tin's contributions that put Civilization 4 on a tier never before achieved in gaming history. The game's title screen music, Baba Yetu, was composed specifically for this game. The song is a Swahili translation of the Lord's Prayer. In 2009, Tin released the album Calling All Dawns, which featured a version of Baba Yetu, performed by the Soweto Gospel Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This made Baba Yetu eligable for a Grammy Award nomination in 2011 for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, which Tin won the award for. Thus, Civilization 4 became the first game to have it's music win a Grammy.
Tin started out as a transcriber for composers like John Williams, and Hans Zimmer who he had an internship with. Tin, who had always been a fan of the Civilization franchise, got involved with the fourth game through his college roommate, Civilization IV lead designer Soren Johnson. At his college's five year reunion, the idea of Tin, who had been studying music, collaborating with Johnson, history and computer science major who also happened to help design Civilization III, came to fruition. He didn't remain in the video game industry for long, focusing mainly on his own projects. He did, however, compose a piece for the 2017 Civilization VI.
Civilization represents history of the world, history of culture, and how everything evolved and progressed through time. With tracks like Baba Yetu, Civilization IV also represented arguably the biggest shift in making video game music become recognized for more than just being something from a video game.
Mark Cromer, who has been involved with the Civilization franchise since the second game, joined Firaxis Studios in 2000 as a lead sound engineer. He also served as the sound effects designer for the game. He left Firaxis Studios in 2008, but continued to compose for video games like Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and Civilization: Revolution 2. Michael Curran, who composed his first piece of music in the 8th grade, describes the process of coming up with pieces for the Civilization game as "[having] playlists for each era and focus on western music as it evolved from the medieval period." His first Civilization game was this one, but it was the fifth Civilization game which he composed alongside Geoff Knorr that helped put his name on the map within the game industry.
Out of the four composers, it is arguably Christopher Tin's contributions that put Civilization 4 on a tier never before achieved in gaming history. The game's title screen music, Baba Yetu, was composed specifically for this game. The song is a Swahili translation of the Lord's Prayer. In 2009, Tin released the album Calling All Dawns, which featured a version of Baba Yetu, performed by the Soweto Gospel Choir and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This made Baba Yetu eligable for a Grammy Award nomination in 2011 for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, which Tin won the award for. Thus, Civilization 4 became the first game to have it's music win a Grammy.
Tin started out as a transcriber for composers like John Williams, and Hans Zimmer who he had an internship with. Tin, who had always been a fan of the Civilization franchise, got involved with the fourth game through his college roommate, Civilization IV lead designer Soren Johnson. At his college's five year reunion, the idea of Tin, who had been studying music, collaborating with Johnson, history and computer science major who also happened to help design Civilization III, came to fruition. He didn't remain in the video game industry for long, focusing mainly on his own projects. He did, however, compose a piece for the 2017 Civilization VI.
Civilization represents history of the world, history of culture, and how everything evolved and progressed through time. With tracks like Baba Yetu, Civilization IV also represented arguably the biggest shift in making video game music become recognized for more than just being something from a video game.
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, composed by Michiru Yamane, and Yuka Watanabe
Since the 1994 Bloodlines, Michiru Yamane has become synonymous with the Castlevania franchise. Just as important to the franchise as dracula himself, or a whip wielding Belmont. While the Game Boy Advance Castlevania games have followed the traditional 2D formula, the console Castlevania games back then were designed with 3D gameplay in mind. After the underwhelming performances of the Nintendo 64's 3D Castlevania games, producer Koji Igarashi took the idea of Castlevania games on the PlayStation 2, and turned it into an opportunity to present a new starting point for the franchise, starting with the 2003 Lament of Innocence, and following that up with Curse of Darkness.
Michiru Yamane was offered the chance to compose Curse of Darkness with a live orchestra, but she felt that she was still capable of producing a good score sequenced, like she had been doing in the past. However, feeling that if Konami was willing to invest in a live orchestra, they would be willing to recruit a vocalist of Yamane's own choosing to perform a song she scored herself. The vocalist she had in mind was English tenor Russell Watson, who she happened to meet in Japan while touring the country. She wanted to meet and personally recruit him, as she felt this was the quickest approach to recruiting a vocalist. She met him, and got his contact info after watching him in concert. Thus, Curse of Darkness got its ending theme, True to your Dreams.
Yuka Watanabe, whose career started in SNK with titles like the World Heroes games, and Blue's Journey, contributed two pieces to the soundtrack. Waltz of the Lazy Chair Room, and Proboscis Fairy. Her profile and resume is not as accessible as Michru Yamane's is, but it is known that Watanabe would go on to compose for multiple Naruto Shippuden games, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven, and would be the sound director for the mobile game, Pokemon Masters.
Curse of Darkness was Koji Igarashi's second attempt at making a decent 3D Castlevania title. Taking place directly after the classic Dracula's Curse, and with a score from one of Castlevania's most important staff members, Curse of Darkness, regardless of one's opinion of the game itself, would stand out as one of Igarashi's top tier Castlevania titles, at least in terms of story and score.
Michiru Yamane was offered the chance to compose Curse of Darkness with a live orchestra, but she felt that she was still capable of producing a good score sequenced, like she had been doing in the past. However, feeling that if Konami was willing to invest in a live orchestra, they would be willing to recruit a vocalist of Yamane's own choosing to perform a song she scored herself. The vocalist she had in mind was English tenor Russell Watson, who she happened to meet in Japan while touring the country. She wanted to meet and personally recruit him, as she felt this was the quickest approach to recruiting a vocalist. She met him, and got his contact info after watching him in concert. Thus, Curse of Darkness got its ending theme, True to your Dreams.
Yuka Watanabe, whose career started in SNK with titles like the World Heroes games, and Blue's Journey, contributed two pieces to the soundtrack. Waltz of the Lazy Chair Room, and Proboscis Fairy. Her profile and resume is not as accessible as Michru Yamane's is, but it is known that Watanabe would go on to compose for multiple Naruto Shippuden games, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven, and would be the sound director for the mobile game, Pokemon Masters.
Curse of Darkness was Koji Igarashi's second attempt at making a decent 3D Castlevania title. Taking place directly after the classic Dracula's Curse, and with a score from one of Castlevania's most important staff members, Curse of Darkness, regardless of one's opinion of the game itself, would stand out as one of Igarashi's top tier Castlevania titles, at least in terms of story and score.
Mario Kart DS, composed by Shinobu Tanaka
The Nintendo DS was Nintendo's next step towards innovating the gameplay experience. And what better to help promote that than by producing a new entry in one of Nitnendo's most popular spin-off titles, with added online multiplayer. Mario Kart has been a staple of Nintendo's since the 1992 Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo. Every Nintendo system needed it's own Mario Kart game, and everytime a Mario Kart game got released, it would sell millions of copies.
Shinobu Tanaka joined Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development department in 2000, and her first composition job was for the Nintendo 64 version of Animal Crossing. She would go on to work on Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine, and Mario Kart: Double Dash. In Double Dash, she only composed one piece, Peach Beach. But in Mario Kart DS, she was responsible for the entire score, including arrangements of the retro courses. Mario Kart DS wasn't the first to bring back older courses, as Mario Kart: Super Circuit for the Game Boy Advance brought back all the courses from Super Mario Kart. But Mario Kart DS was the first to incorporate older courses from multiple Mario Kart's in one game. And Tanaka arranged all the pieces that were used in the older courses, as well as composing original pieces for the brand new courses.
Mario Kart DS was one of Nintendo's first official attempts at introducing online gaming to their audience, as well as the first Mario Kart to combine new experiences with experiences familiar to those who played more than one of the previous entries in the franchise. It would set a new bar for portable racing games, Mario Kart games as a whole, and would help promote the Nintendo DS as a unique experience that could not be passed up.
Shinobu Tanaka joined Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development department in 2000, and her first composition job was for the Nintendo 64 version of Animal Crossing. She would go on to work on Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine, and Mario Kart: Double Dash. In Double Dash, she only composed one piece, Peach Beach. But in Mario Kart DS, she was responsible for the entire score, including arrangements of the retro courses. Mario Kart DS wasn't the first to bring back older courses, as Mario Kart: Super Circuit for the Game Boy Advance brought back all the courses from Super Mario Kart. But Mario Kart DS was the first to incorporate older courses from multiple Mario Kart's in one game. And Tanaka arranged all the pieces that were used in the older courses, as well as composing original pieces for the brand new courses.
Mario Kart DS was one of Nintendo's first official attempts at introducing online gaming to their audience, as well as the first Mario Kart to combine new experiences with experiences familiar to those who played more than one of the previous entries in the franchise. It would set a new bar for portable racing games, Mario Kart games as a whole, and would help promote the Nintendo DS as a unique experience that could not be passed up.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, composed by Arata Iiyoshi, and Atsuhiro Ishizuna
The Mystery Dungeon games are a unique type of game where you explore multiple floors of randomly generated dungeons, strategicly plotting your every move to succeed, with failure leading you to lose half to all of your entire progress. The idea to blend such unique and challenging gameplay with a series as popular as Pokemon would create a different kind of spin-off for the franchise. There are no human trainers in this game. You instead play as a human turned into a Pokemon, who can communicate with other Pokemon fluently.
Both composers for this game have reletivly small resumes known to the public. Sources seem to indicate that this was the first game that both composers worked on. Iiyoshi has since gone on to compose additonal Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, and has worked on the games beatmania IIDX, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony. Ishizuna's resume is even smaller, with his only known scores being this game, and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
Both Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team were released at the same time, but for different systems each. Red Rescue Team was released on the Game Boy Advance, while Blue Rescue Team was released on the Nintendo DS. Both games were virtually identical, with notable sound quality differences between the two systems, due to hardware limitations. Both games will be remade as Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX for the Nintendo Switch in March 2020. As of this production, it has not been revealed who will work on the score of this remake.
Red and Blue Rescue Teams incorporated the unique and difficult mystery dungeon style gameplay into the Pokemon universe, while simultaniously creating a bridge between the Game Boy Advance Pokemon experience, and Nintendo DS' first Pokemon experience, making this game one of the most accessible in the entire Pokemon Mystery Dungeon franchise.
Both composers for this game have reletivly small resumes known to the public. Sources seem to indicate that this was the first game that both composers worked on. Iiyoshi has since gone on to compose additonal Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, and has worked on the games beatmania IIDX, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony. Ishizuna's resume is even smaller, with his only known scores being this game, and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
Both Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team were released at the same time, but for different systems each. Red Rescue Team was released on the Game Boy Advance, while Blue Rescue Team was released on the Nintendo DS. Both games were virtually identical, with notable sound quality differences between the two systems, due to hardware limitations. Both games will be remade as Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX for the Nintendo Switch in March 2020. As of this production, it has not been revealed who will work on the score of this remake.
Red and Blue Rescue Teams incorporated the unique and difficult mystery dungeon style gameplay into the Pokemon universe, while simultaniously creating a bridge between the Game Boy Advance Pokemon experience, and Nintendo DS' first Pokemon experience, making this game one of the most accessible in the entire Pokemon Mystery Dungeon franchise.
Animal Crossing: Wild World, composed by Kazumi Totaka
Video games often challenge the player, or test their talents, knowledge, and abilities. Not often does a game exist to provide both a wholesome and relaxing experience simultainously. The Animal Crossing series is a simulation game where you build your own home, and interact with your villager neighbors by doing activities like fishing, bug catching, planting, and selling practically anything for bells to help fund your home, and repay your mortgage. There is no end-game objective. The game can go on as long as you want it to.
Kazumi Totaka has been one of Nintendo's in-house composers since 1992 with the games X, Mario Paint, Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru, and Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. He is also known for sneaking in his own 19-note piece as an easter egg in every game he has composed music for, known as Totaka's Song. When he transferred to Analysis and Development, his role as a composer decreased somewhat. But he would still find occassion to compose for games, including the role as one of Animal Crossing's primary composers. He is even the inspiration and voice behind in-game musician K.K. Slider, known in Japan as Totakeke, a play on the Totaka name. Every Saturday night, you can ask K.K. Slider to play any song you request, and he will perform the song for you. Up to 70 songs can be requested. You can even use "aircheck" versions of K.K. Slider songs inside your home, provided that you have a music player to play them on.
For every hour in the game, there is a piece of background music. And depending on weather conditions, the arrangement is altered slightly. Some of the hourly themes followed the same leitmotif as the main theme of the game. And whenever there is a holiday, you would get a unique piece of music for your town. Music is even integral to designing the town theme; a short piece that is used as town bell music at the top of every hour, and as the piece played whenever you talk to any of the town villagers. Nearly the entire score was carried over to the 2008 Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Nintendo Wii.
The Animal Crossing series is a relaxing experience that is accessible to anyone, regardless of skill or knowledge of games. Wild World was the first to bring that relaxing experience to a portable system. Music serves as both the enhancement to the Animal Crossing experience, as well as a tool to help give your town it's own identity.
WRITTEN SOURCES
Anime News Network
Castlevania Konami Collection
GameSpy
LA Times
Gamasutra
gametunes.net
jefferylbriggs.com
markcromer.name
Moby Games
PlayStation's Official YouTube Channel
RPGFan
Square Enix Music Online
Variety
VGMDB
Kazumi Totaka has been one of Nintendo's in-house composers since 1992 with the games X, Mario Paint, Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru, and Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. He is also known for sneaking in his own 19-note piece as an easter egg in every game he has composed music for, known as Totaka's Song. When he transferred to Analysis and Development, his role as a composer decreased somewhat. But he would still find occassion to compose for games, including the role as one of Animal Crossing's primary composers. He is even the inspiration and voice behind in-game musician K.K. Slider, known in Japan as Totakeke, a play on the Totaka name. Every Saturday night, you can ask K.K. Slider to play any song you request, and he will perform the song for you. Up to 70 songs can be requested. You can even use "aircheck" versions of K.K. Slider songs inside your home, provided that you have a music player to play them on.
For every hour in the game, there is a piece of background music. And depending on weather conditions, the arrangement is altered slightly. Some of the hourly themes followed the same leitmotif as the main theme of the game. And whenever there is a holiday, you would get a unique piece of music for your town. Music is even integral to designing the town theme; a short piece that is used as town bell music at the top of every hour, and as the piece played whenever you talk to any of the town villagers. Nearly the entire score was carried over to the 2008 Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Nintendo Wii.
The Animal Crossing series is a relaxing experience that is accessible to anyone, regardless of skill or knowledge of games. Wild World was the first to bring that relaxing experience to a portable system. Music serves as both the enhancement to the Animal Crossing experience, as well as a tool to help give your town it's own identity.
WRITTEN SOURCES
Anime News Network
Castlevania Konami Collection
GameSpy
LA Times
Gamasutra
gametunes.net
jefferylbriggs.com
markcromer.name
Moby Games
PlayStation's Official YouTube Channel
RPGFan
Square Enix Music Online
Variety
VGMDB
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