What’s up folks, it’s my turn this week so I figured, like Senisan82 I’d start off with video game soundtracks. Music has always been a part of my life, as have the rest of the arts, but there’s something about music that makes me appreciate it even more. Perhaps it’s the power of music, since it has the ability to communicate moods, stories and feelings through song. Maybe it’s the diversity of music, I appreciate pretty much all genres of music and will listen to anything that has a good beat. Apart from listening to music, I like playing it too, and when I’m not playing it I can’t help but beatbox/hum or do something else that’s musical. Heck sometimes I have a song in my head and just groove along to that, weird I know. For most of the artists in my posts, I’ll post a YouTube video of my favourite song by the artist along with a few links below to some other songs I like by that artist. Anyway let's start the show!



Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike –Jazzy 99’ NYC

As Street Fighter fans know, with each new game in the series comes a great soundtrack, though this has to be my favourite track from the series, if not any game ever. It’s just that awesome. I remember going to a friend’s house in 2001 and playing Street Fighter III for the first time. I really enjoyed the game, and when I got to fight on Alex/Ken’s stage and heard the music, I fell in love. In fact, the 3rd Strike soundtrack was the first I bought (since I got the Yoshi’s Story and Smash Bros Melee soundtracks for free from Nintendo Official Magazine). The soundtrack is full of great music from stage themes to closing ones.



HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!

Wait! The song doesn’t stop there! There are quite a few different versions of it and all of them are worth a listen:
• The Sexy Latin Version
• The Old School Hip Hop Version From Street Fighter III: New Generation
• The Light Version From Street Fighter III: New Generation
• The Modern Version From Tatsunoko VS Capcom

Other tracks from that game that I recommend:
• Akuma Stage: Killing Moon
• Ibuki Stage – Twilight
• Elena Stage – Beats In My Head
• Gill Stage – Psych Out



Super Monkey Ball 2 – Under the Ocean

Super Monkey Ball 2 was the first game in the series and apart from the great gameplay (huh? I’m controlling the level!) Another thing that stood out to me was the music. Playing world 3 for the first time and admiring the scenery and levels, which included wrecked ships and Jellyfish that you had to dodge, was a great experience. This was all helped by the music, since it captured the concept of being under the ocean perfectly. The DS game also has some amazing tracks (some of which were remixed in Banana Blitz on the Wii), but unfortunately I can’t find any rips from the game.


Other tracks from that game that I recommend:
• Inside the Whale
• Dr Bad Boon’s Base
• Space Colony



No More Heroes – Cashmere Cannonball

As many Wii owners will know, NMH is a very good game; in fact it’s a great game. Once again the music was well put together and truly suited the mood of the game. Cashmere Cannonball is a remix of the main theme that appears later on in the game. The upbeat tunes when in battle get the player in the fighting mood; other pieces such as the theme when Travis is in his room get me tapping my feet to the beat in enjoyment.



Other tracks from that game that I recommend:
• K-ENT
• Samurai Summer
• N.M.H.



Mirror’s Edge – Still Alive (Junkie XL Mix)

Mirror’s Edge was a surprise hit for me last year, though it was short, I really enjoyed the gameplay and was left wanting more. The main theme stood out and is really memorable since they use it in a few places throughout the game. On the OST, Ubisoft hired a few well known producers to remix the track and while they’re all good two stood out to me.



Other tracks from that game that I recommend:
• Still Alive (Benny Benassi Mix)



Rhythm Tengoku Gold – DJ School

Rhythm Tengoku Gold (known to some of you as Rhythm Heaven or Rhythm Paradise) is another great game that came out last year (in Japan at least). I never thought that rhythm based mini-games would be so fun. Every track in the game is great, but as always there were a few that stood out to me, not only because of the track but because of how the track works with the mini-game it’s used for. DJ School has to be my favourite, I know a lot of Dtoiders love this mini-game too (SCRATCH-O HEY!) and I’ve played around with the soundboard of the track that you unlock in the game for quite a lot of time.



Other tracks from that game that I recommend:
• Glee Club
• Rocket
• Tunnel (I couldn’t find a YouTube video with the audio that was recorded properly.)
• Bar (I can’t find a video of this theme but it’s awesome, seriously.)



Jet Set Radio – Magical Girl (by Guitar Vader)

One of the many classic Dreamcast games, Jet Set Radio took graffiti culture and made one heck of a game out of it. The beats were addictive as was the gameplay, and once again the music fit so perfectly.



Other tracks from that game that I recommend:
• Humming The Bassline
• Yellow Bream
• Electric Tooth Brush
• Funky Radio