Soundtrack Spotlight is a weekly CFD! feature devoted to all things VGM. Every week we celebrate the best in-game music, highlight new releases and forgotten tracks, and bring you the best in auditory awesomeness.
In addition to claiming the title of absolute best game on the Wii, Super Mario Galaxy had the honor of being the first entry in the Mario franchise to feature a fully-orchestrated soundtrack. Composed by Mahito Yokota and Koji Kondo, this audio reinvention was a perfect fit for Mario’s new astral surroundings, and added a newfound sense of grandiosity and cheerfulness.
There was a brief worry that Nintendo would be replacing the much-beloved orchestral style in SMG2 after a preview demonstration featured only MIDI-like tunes, but Nintendo quickly addressed the concern and announced that the orchestrated music would indeed be implemented into the final game.
BATTLE BELT GALAXY
BOO MOON GALAXY
BOWER’S GALAXY GENERATOR
FLUFFY BLUFF GALAXY
LUBBA’S THEME
MELTY MONSTER GALAXY
With the bar having been set so high by the first, expectations for both the game and soundtrack were understandably high going into Super Mario Galaxy 2’s release this past Sunday. Thought it’s already accumulated quite a few perfect review scores, the biggest surprise is the apparent leak of the soundtrack to YouTube. An individual with the profile name of Mahito Yokota uploaded all 50+ tracks for all to hear (and download). It was unclear at first whether the profile was genuine, but now it seems the videos from the channel were pulled due to a copyright claim from Nintendo of America.
PROLOGUE, PART 1
SKY STATION GALAXY 1
STARSHIP MARIO (PARTS I-III)
THROWBACK GALAXY
TITLE
WORLD MAP PROGRESS
WORLD MAP THEME 2
Regardless of how this leak occurred, the tracks were up long enough for people to grab and re-upload them, so listen (and enjoy) while you can!
—–
Though not earth-shattering in any sense, Hexyz Force looks like a solid handheld RPG in all respects, including its music. While a few of the tracks come off as standard RPG filler, I found many to be quite enjoyable, and there’s just enough diversity to keep it from feeling stale and mediocre.
HEXYZ FORCE
RESTING PLAZA
DESPERATION
LIGHT OF RUIN
UNDER CLEAR SKIES
SOOTHING WAVELENGTH
DUAL FORCE
—–
This week’s Retro Revival selection comes from the After Burner series. This classic arcade shooter has a new sequel out, the suggestively titled After Burner Climax. The accompanying soundtrack includes a few extra tracks from the original game; I’ve also thrown in an additional After Burner remix from the soundtrack of Bayonetta.
AFTER BURNER (INFINITE CLIMAX MIX) – BAYONETTA
MAXIMUM POWER (1987)
FINAL TAKE OFF (1987)
AFTER BURNER (1987)
CITY 202 (1987)
The soundtrack for the original SMG was the first one I had ever purchased and actually listened to. SMG2′s soundtrack is just as great. Also, I loved that you could pick to listen to music from the original After Burner while playing Climax. I always picked the old school music.