Memorable Melodies: On the Champs - Désolés from The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

Song: On the Champs - Désolés

Game: The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine (DLC)

Composers: Marcin Przybylowicz, Mikolai Stroinski, and Piotrek Musial 

The final expansion for The Witcher 3 came out a few weeks ago and I've been playing it nonstop ever since. I played the base game for over 100 hours, and absolutely loved my time with it. Rarely do video games depict a world doused in such profound sadness. Choices in this franchise are never binary good and bad choices. Everything sucks, but it's okay so you're playing as an emotionally devoid mutant killer, Well, Geralt isn't totally devoid of emotion, but he definitely isn't as animated as a normal person. He was made into a Witcher to hunt monsters, and that's what he does.

On top of the superb writing and world building The Witcher 3 has some incredible music. What's cool about the newest DLC Blood and Wine is that it has an entirely new score. On the Champs - Désolés is heard pretty early on in the DLC and got me very excited. The Duchess of Touissant and Geralt rush off as they realize that someone else is about to die to the monster plaguing the land. There's no build up to the song. It just starts up and you know things are popping off. There's a freaking accordion solo in the song! It's appropriately ominous and really got my blood pumping.

I thought it would only come up in story sequences, but the song also plays when Geralt is taking on some of the stronger monsters in the DLC. It comes in to signify a life or death scenario and I absolutely love it.

Memorable Melodies: City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2

Song: City Escape

Game: Sonic Adventure 2

Artist: Crush 40

Most people hate all of the 3D Sonic games. To be fair, a good majority of them are hot garbage. Despite that I think that Sonic Adventure 2 was and still is a great game. I am more than willing to fight anyone who disagrees, because it's one of my childhood favorites. You might be thinking that I'm blinded by nostalgia. However, I played the game a few short years ago with some friends and got A rankings on every mission. It's still good.

To be quite honest, City Escape is one of the main reasons I love the game so much. It's up to a game's first level to hook you, and City Escape does just that. It's the name of the level and the song. The stage starts off with a bang as Sonic escapes a prison plane and uses a piece of metal to start snowboarding down city streets to escape from his captors. Somehow the controls actually work well, and you have to time button presses off of huge jumps to do sick tricks in the air. This is all going on while one of the most dope jams around plays in the background.

City Escape is a dumb pop-rock song, and I love it. Crush 40 made a lot of my favorite Sonic songs, which feels kind of odd to say. I loved a lot of the songs so much that I would listen to them at full blast in the game's sound test mode. I have vivid memories of being in my friend Calvin's house blaring this song and rocking out. We also trained up our Chaos a whole bunch. Luckily City Escape was an easy level to run for getting Choa drives.

City Escape is a song that's dumb fun, and I absolutely adore it. 

Memorable Melodies: Animal Crossing Theme from Animal Crossing

Song: Animal Crossing Theme

Game: Animal Crossing

Composer: Kazumi Totaka

Note: I looked all over to see if this song had an actual name. I could find no conclusive evidence, other than the name Animal Crossing theme listed on an OST of the original game. That's what I'm going with here.

Today it was super hot out. It finally feels like Summer. For most people Summer comes with fond memories of playing outside with friends. Sure I have those memories, but I was a weird kid and spent a lot of time inside playing Animal Crossing. The game initially released in the U.S. on the Gamecube in April of 2,001. Even though the content of the original game is quite thin I found myself playing it well into the summer months.

I can't properly articulate why I fell in love with Animal Crossing. On a family vacation my parents were nice enough to pick me up an issue of Nintendo Power to read on the long car ride. Within the magazines pages I read all about Animal Crossing and was fascinated. I am a huge fan of video games that try to emulate real life, and real life activities. The fact that the game ran in real time blew my 11 year old mind open. I mean come on, the Animals would continue to do stuff even when the game wasn't on. That's so cool!

Before the games release I had spent a great deal of time thinking about how I would get my animal friends to like me and plan out exactly how I would decorate my dope house. See, because that's all Animal Crossing really is. You walk around, water flowers, pick fruit, do basic fetch quests, collect things, and decorate a house. If there's a new Animal Crossing release you can bet that I'm going to get in on it. With each new iteration Nintendo adds many new features that add to the depth and keep players coming back for more. 

When I think back to the original Animal Crossing I can't fathom how I put hundreds of hours into it. I did though. I ran around all summer catching bugs and fishing in my towns lake! That's why I'll never forget this song. In fact, I think I'm going to boot this up and see how all the denizens of my town are doing...

Memorable Melodies: Headbangeren from Lethal League

Song: Headbangeren

Game: Lethal League

Composer: Doktor Lazer

Not enough people know what Lethal League is. It's a local co-op game where you and the person you are up against smash a baseball around. If you get hit by the baseball, then you lose the round. It sounds simple, but it takes a lot of strategy. The ball gets super fast, and the game is extremely hectic. It's awesome! I really hope that it gets released for PS4 at some point, but until then I'll have to be content with the PC release.

If the concept alone isn't enough to pull you in, then the music might be enough to push you over the edge, A few DJs are featured in the game and they put down some hot beats. The song I chose this week is the quintessential song in the game. It was the one featured in the original flash game, and it's the one that plays on the default level in the full game. 

It's intense, and really gets you into the flow of the game. 

Memorable Melodies: Title Screen from Mega Man 2

Song: Title Screen

Game: Mega Man 2

Composer: Kenji Yamazaki

I love video game title screens, and the title screen of Mega Man 2 just might be my all time favorite. You pop the cartridge in and the game boots up. Text begins to scroll telling you what's going on and what the game is all about. Then, the screen starts scrolling up while focusing on a building. The music starts soft, but as the screen scrolls up it gets faster and faster. Then, BOOM! You're at the title screen and Mega Man is standing there with the title of the game above him as one of the best songs in all of video games fills your ears.

Every time I watch the video above I get so hype that I can barely contain myself! There's just something about the way the song builds up and then starts to go nuts that gets to me every time. 

Memorable Melodies: Kokiri Forest from The Legend of Zelda (Ocarina of Time)

Song: Kokiri Forest

Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Composer: Koji Kondo

This is a song that most people alive in the mid 90's have heard before. At this point I feel like the Ocarina of Time is so iconic that everyone on the planet has played it at least once. This is obviously hyperbole, but this video game has reached a level of reverence and cultural significance most other games can only dream of. It was revolutionary at the time and is still considered to be the best video game of all time by many. I don't want to have that discussion right now, but I do think that it's one of the most memorable video game experiences I've ever had.

I didn't get a Nintendo 64 until a year or so after Ocarina of Time came out. A few of my friends had the game and would often let me play it. Due to the fact that the game wasn't mine the save I used never lasted very long. This meant that I had to play through the opening of the game an insane amount of times. It's probably the video game I've played the beginning of most in my life. This means that the Kokiri Forest song is burned into my brain for life.

Link wakes up in his crazy forest hut and this quirky tune starts right up. It's fun and upbeat. The perfect way to start an adventure!

Memorable Melodies: Lucca's Theme from Chrono Trigger

Song: Lucca's Theme

Game: Chrono Trigger

Composers: Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu

Chrono Trigger is my favorite video game of all time. Most people who know me are keenly aware of this fact. I could go on and on about how much I love Chrono Trigger and why it's so near to my heart, but I won't. For this feature we're here to talk about music, so that's what we're going to do.

Nobuo Uematsu is arguably one of the most well knows and lauded Japanese composers in the video game industry. Yasunori Mitsuda is similarly well known, but to a lesser degree. I personally think that the both of them do marvelous work, so it's no surprise that when they came together for the Chrono Trigger soundtrack something magical happened. One of the many reasons I love Chrono Trigger is because all of the music is so memorable. Most video game soundtracks are released once, but the Chrono Trigger soundtrack has been remixed and re-released several times over the years. It's a well loved soundtrack.

I want to try to go as long as I can before repeating games in this feature, which is why I've waited to long to bring Chrono Trigger into the picture. I remember every song from this game and still listen to them almost weekly. After much deliberation I decided that I had to go with Lucca's theme. She's the best friend of the game's protagonist. She's way into science and has purple hair. 

The reason I chose Lucca's theme is because it also acts as the fanfare when you win a battle. It's something that you'll hear a ton over the course of the game. It's almost impossible not to remember. 

Whenever I hear this song I immediately get pumped up. It's very up tempo and has a killer underlying drum beat. It sends a message to the player. It wants you to feel good and get pumped up for whatever is to come next. It's motivational in a way that most video game tracks simply aren't.

Memorable Melodies: The Legendary Theme from Gitaroo Man

Song: The Legendary Theme

Game: Gitaroo Man

Composer: COIL (They're a Japanese band)

I love most rhythm games, but I especially loves the ones that have crazy stories. When I think of crazy rhythm games Gitaroo Man is one of the first that comes to my mind. You play as a young kid named U-1, who is kind of clumsy. He has very low self confidence, but he's super thirsty for a local girl.

Somehow this transitions into his dog giving him a "Gitaroo," which allows him to transform into the legendary Gitaroo Man. He basically has super musical powers. U-1 then finds out that the planet Gitaroo is under the control of an evil overlord and he is the only one who can save it! It sounds insane, because it is insane. 

When you do well jammin' guitar happens. This means that most songs in the game are super up-tempo guitar solo heavy songs. That's why when U-1 busts out the Legendary Theme it's an amazing moment. It's a super chill song that still has all the guitar solos you can handle. The song is actually played twice in the game. The first time it's acoustic, and the second is the one that is featured above.

Note: If for some reason you're sensitive to Gitaroo Man spoilers then don't read below this line.

You may notice that there are two guitarists playing in the song, and that's true in the game as well. When he first lands of planet Gitaroo U-1 meets a girl who looks exactly like the girl he's in love with back on earth, They play the acoustic version of the song there. U-1 finds out that the cool girl he met is actually evil, but he brings her over to his side with the power of music! The two then join together to rock out this amazing version of The Legendary Theme. It's a really powerful moment that caps off an exceptionally weird game. 

Memorable Melodies: Victory Fanfare from Final Fantasy VI

Song: Victory Fanfare

Game: Final Fantasy VI

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

This week I'm bringing one of the most iconic video game composers of all time into the mix alongside one of the most iconic video game tracks ever conceived. If you've ever played a Final Fantasy game, then you have undoubtedly heard some variation of the Victory Fanfare. Once you take town a squad of enemies in battle this triumphant tune plays as you bask in your glory.

What's interesting about this song is that there are so many different versions of it. Each main line Final Fantasy has its own spin on the song. They all have different feels. I chose the version from Final Fantasy VI, because it's the most upbeat. Some of them like the one in Final Fatasy IX start off up-tempo, but quickly bring it down. The version in Final Fantasy VII isn't very upbeat either.

Each different version has its own unique feel and that's an impressive feat considering just how many variations there are. 

Note: Final Fantasy VI is my favorite Final Fantasy game.

Memorable Melodies: Katamari on the Rocks from Katamari Damacy

Song: Katamari on the Rocks

Game: Katamari Damacy

Composer: Yu Miyake

Note: I was sitting here on this beautiful Saturday afternoon listening to some hot video game jams and I realized that the memorable melody for the week wasn't up! I've been writing these ahead of time, but for some reason they refuse to auto post. I apologize for that. I have learned my lesson and will not start posting them on my own and not trying to rely on an auto posting.

The time has finally come. For the past few months I've been posting relatively tame music. That time has finally come to an end. We're going to turn the weird knob up to eleven with this entry. 

I discovered the Katamari franchise during my high school career. My best friend was borrowing We Love Katamari from his cousin and he brought it over to my house. He let me play and my mind promptly exploded. For the uninitiated the Katamari games have you playing as a small alien known as The Prince. His father, The King of All Cosmos, accidentally destroyed all the stars in the sky. Oops! It is your job as The Prince to go to earth and roll up tons of objects in your Katamari.

What is a Katamari? Good question. I'm still not too sure myself. It's basically a super sticky ball. The gameplay consists of you rolling it around earth and picking up anything that isn't glued down. Once you complete a level the Katamari is thrown into the sky and made into a star or planet. Yes, it is just as weird as it sounds.

Every time I think about this franchise I get excited. It's so god damn weird, and I love everything about it. To go along with the out of control gameplay the soundtrack of each game is equally ridiculous. It's mostly Japanese, and it's all weird. The song I chose for this week is probably the most well know song from the franchise. I mean come on, it's the theme song.

Katamari on the Rocks opens Katamari Damacy, and it definitely sets the tone for what is to come. It's insane. The lyrics are all in Japanese, but the vocalist occasionally says Katamari Damacy. This song along with most songs in the franchise are very energetic and have a decidedly jazzy feel. If you like this jam, then you'll probably like the rest of the songs in the franchise. 

Memorable Melodies: Pursuit ~ Cornered from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Song: Pursuit ~ Cornered

Game: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Composer: Masakazu Sugimori

I first brought up composer Masakazu Sugimori a few weeks ago when I talked up the Ghost Trick soundtrack. Before he was writing dope tunes for Ghost Trick he did a whole lot of work on the Ace Attorney series. I love the music in every Ace Attorney game, but I still feel the most connected to the music of the original. There was something much harder about the way its 16-bit tunes came out of the speakers. Everything was super exciting and really made you feel the twists and turns of each case.

Being a visual novel Ace Attorney lives and dies by how engaging it is. Luckily the localization of the series has always been great. Then the music is layered on top of the writing. It always does an excellent job of capturing the exact scenario going on in game. For those who don't know Phoenix is still a rookie attorney in the original game. He's not very good at protecting his clients, but he has a lot of heart. This makes is super exciting when you finally corner your opponent and they have no lies left to fall back on. This is when Pursuit ~ Cornered kicks in.

You know that Phoenix is on the right track when this heavy jam starts up. I think it's impossible for me to not get hype when I hear this song. It makes me want to yell "Hold It," and "Objection" at the top of my lungs. Seeing the character on the witness stand crumble is amazing, because you as the player are the one that made it happen.

This is just one of many great songs from the Ace Attorney franchise, so expect it to come back to this feature at some point. It has a tune for all kinds of situations. 

Memorable Melodies: Karin's Theme from Street Fighter V

Song: Karin's Theme

Game: Street Fighter V

Composer: Don't know as of yet. Will update when I find it specifically

Man, I've been playing a lot of Street Fighter V since its release at midnight on Monday. Even though I'm not good and will never reach pro status I feel compelled to keep playing. The characters are relatively well balanced and fun to play. I'm having a blast. However, we're not here because of the game itself. We're here because of the music.

As you may have noticed this is going up on a Friday instead of the regular Wednesday. That is because I totally forgot to put something up on Wednesday because I was playing Street Fighter V! Yes, last weeks song was also a Street Fighter song, but I just can't help myself. The only music I can hear in my head at the moment are all of the sweet jams of Street Fighter V. That's why I chose Karin's Theme.

We all know it's fun to beat people down to rocking guitar riffs. What if it was some smooth jazzy sounding music instead? I can confirm that it's still just as fun to beat people up to. Karin's Theme is a break from the usual jamming rock you'd find in a fighting game, but still somehow fits with the game perfectly. 

Next week I promise the song won't be from Street Fighter. 

Memorable Melodies: Guile's Theme from Street Fighter 2

Song: Guile's Theme

Game: Street Fighter 2 (Also other Street Fighter games)

Composer: Yoko Shimomura

This coming Tuesday Street Fighter V will finally be out. No more betas, just the real deal. I'm very excited about it, but there is one thing that kind of bums me out. One of the most iconic Street Fighter characters of all time won't be in the game at launch. He'll eventually be a DLC character, but that's many months away. That means that when Street Fighter V comes out there won't be anyone with an American flag tattoo. There won't be anyone who puts on dope shades. There won't be any Guile's Theme....

Everyone has their own personal taste when it comes to music. The same goes for music in video games. However, I have never met a single person who doesn't like Guile's original theme. Hell, it even spawned a meme. Go look up Guile's Theme goes with everything and revel in the results. Do you want to see someone eat a bowl of cereal while Guile's Theme is playing? Sure you do!

It hurts me that I won't be able to listen to a new version of of Guile's Theme this Tuesday. It's okay though, because sometime in the year 2016 a new iteration of this musical masterpiece will grace our ears once again! Remember, Guile's Theme makes everything more epic!

Memorable Melodies: Epilogue ~ The End of the Night

Song: Epilogue ~ The End of the Night

Game: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Composer: Masakazu Sugimori

Ghost Trick seemed like the kind of game that would be right up my alley. However, for some reason didn't purchase it when it came out. I instead told myself I wouldn't buy it until it was $20. A few summers ago one of my friends called me to let me know that there was a physical copy with the case still intact at the local Gamestop. To this day I am still mad at myself for waiting to buy the game. Without a doubt Ghost Trick is one of my top five favorite games of all time. It has a unique premise, compelling story, and most important of all, an amazing soundtrack.

Masakazu Sugimori is well known for his work on Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and Phoenix Wright: Justice for all. Both of those are great, and really add to games. The soundtrack he produced for Ghost Trick is no different and I personally think it's the best out of the three. If you asked me to sing/whistle songs from the first two Phoenix Wright games I couldn't do it on cue. Ghost Trick is another story though. 

One thing that makes a video game tune particularly memorable to me is when it ends up being tied to a particular scene in my mind. In the case of this one it's tied to the credits of Ghost Trick, because that's  the point where it plays. Man, the ending of Ghost Trick is insane. At first I didn't even believe it. I had to set my DS down several times in shock as it played out. The ending continues into the credits as scenes detailing what happened to the characters play out. Interspersed between the character vignettes are the credits. 

During the credits I felt gleeful. The game was a wild ride that had some great twists. Epilogue is a combination of the main theme of Ghost Trick and a new melody that makes you feel victorious, It says that the struggle is over and it's something to be happy about.

Thinking about the Ghost Trick ending gets me all warm and fuzzy inside. This song sure is a doozy, What a great game! Capcom needs to put out more stuff like this.

Memorable Melodies: Title Sceen from Spelunky

Song: Title Screen

Game: Spelunky

Composer: Eirik Suhrke

When I started streaming I wasn't the best at talking while playing games. I'm still not great at it, but I have definitely improved. In order to hone my speech skills I started streaming myself playing Spelunky daily. It's a challenging game, but there is so much to talk about. The game is dense in a way that I don't think many other games are. There is so much to know, and that's what makes Spelunky great.

I used to have a definitive list of my ten favorite games of all time. Over the past three years that list has been shattered and rebuilt numerous times. At the moment I think that I would put Spelunky on the list.It was the first Roguelike I tried, and it's still my favorite. At this point I don't know that anything else can replace it. If you want to hear more about my love for Spelunky you can head over to the podcast page and give the Spelunky episode a listen.

We're here to talk about music though. When you boot up Spelunky it goes to a title screen like games of old. It stays on screen until you push start, and loops the same melody forever. Every time I hear the title screen song for Spelunky I get psyched. It means that it's time for some runs. Maybe I'll die instantly, or maybe I'll run train on everything. You never know what you're going to get and that's exciting. The title screen song is one of the only constants in Spelunky I can count on, so I'm glad it's great.

Memorable Melodies: Battle! Champion from Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal

Song: Battle! Champion 

(In reality I have no idea, because there is no official OST for this game. It's just the music that plays when you battle Lance and Red.)

Games: Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal

Composer: Junichi Masuda

I used to be way into Pokemon music. The original battle theme will forever be in the dark reaches of my mind ready to strike out at any moment. I would assume that it's the same for anyone who played Pokemon as a kid. I've been looking for Pokemon songs to put up as Memorable Melodies, but haven't been able to find anything I really like. The issue is that the music from the original Gameboy is kind of hard to listen to. It's a bunch of very harsh tones that aren't super pleasing to the ear. Just give the video above a listen as an example. 

The new issue is that I think all the music in the newer Pokemon games runs together. If you asked me to hum a track from Pokemon X and Y I wouldn't be able to do it.

That brings us here today. I still think that the music that plays during the champion fight in the second generation Pokemon games is amazing. While the above track doesn't hit as hard as it used to it was remixed for the second generation remakes on the DS. It sounds nicer to the ear, but doesn't get me as pumped up.

During the champion fights you're supposed to be amped up. You're at the end of the road and it's time to prove that you're the best Pokemon trainer around. In this specific case you need to take on Lance and his super tough dragon type Pokemon. It's a tough fight, but it's a lot of fun. 

As a hot bonus I'll leave you with the dope remix of this song that I listen to all the time. It's ridiculous. You're welcome.

Memorable Melodies: Magical Dreamers from Chrono Cross

Song: Magical Dreamers

Game: Chrono Cross

Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda

Chrono Cross gets a lot of hate, but I personally love it. It has a unique battle system, tons of characters, and a hot soundtrack. In fact, I think the one thing that everyone who plays the game agrees on is the fact that the soundtrack is awesome, because it is.

In case you ever want to play through the greatness that is Chrono Cross I won't spoil the story for you. This song plays during a pivotal moment during the game and has always stuck with me. It's super cool, because a play takes place while the song is playing. A story unfolds and gives life to the music. You learn the tragic past of star crossed lovers and the land where they fell in love.

Of course if you've played the game you know that Magical Dreamers is a remix of the Marbule island theme with way more electric guitar. Electric guitar is dope! 

It's super late and I can't really come up with any more coherent thoughts about the song. If you like this and have not or never will play Chrono Cross you should look up the scene where it plays in the game. It's probably in my top five video game scenes of all time,

Memorable Melodies: Black Tar from Xenoblade Chronicles X

Song: Black Tar

Game: Xenoblade Chronicles X

Composer: Hiroyuki Sawano

Vocals: David Whitaker and MPI

I don't even know how to describe this song. I booted up Xenoblade Chronicles X and you're almost immediately thrust into the open world. The first thing I noticed was the music in battle. It starts off super intense, and then the lyrics kick in...

Seriously, almost every song in Xenoblade Chronicles X has lyrics. They're also insane. Watch the video above. The dude talks about killing his friends. What!?

I can't decide if I like this song, or hate it with a burning passion. It's so weird. It doesn't help that the music in the game is poorly mixed, so it's all super loud even in cutscenes. People are trying to talk and someone is yelling about killing his friends and black tar. 

This song certainly is memorable.

Memorable Melodies: Undertale from Undertale

Song: Undertale

Game: Undertale

Composer: Toby Fox

There is something about this song that hits me right in the heart. All of the previous songs I've put up for Memorable Melodies have just been sick jams, or songs I often hum to myself. This one is different. This one is special. I'm twenty-five years old, and this song brought a tear to my eye. I guess it was  a combination of the song and what was happening when it played in the game. 

Undertale is mostly funny, but in that moment it was undeniably sad. You walk into an area and it's immediately familiar. At that moment I realized where I was and what the game was going to tell me. The only way to advance is to walk through the area as a decidedly soul crushing tale is recounted to you. It's done in a rather creative way. You then understand why the world of Undertale is the way it is, and have to find the strength to do what must be done in order to change it. It's heavy.

It probably sounds like I'm being hyperbolic here, but I'm honestly not. Sure, it may not hit you in the same way, but it certainly did hit me. If you have a passing interest in video games do yourself a favor and play Undertale. Even if you're not a fan, it is still something that's worth experiencing.

This song is so good!

Memorable Melodies: Lively Town from Shining Force 2

Song: Lively Town

Game: Shining Force 2

Composer: Motoaki Takenouchi

On Wednesdays I generally wait for a piece of video game music to pop into my head, and then write about that. This week nothing came to me naturally, so I sat and thought about it for a bit. Then all of a sudden, the town theme from Shining Force 2 exploded in my brain and I got super hyped up. Seriously, this song is amazing. 

It helps that this song brings back a lot of fond memories. You meet a phoenix named Peter, who looks like a turkey with an afro at first. When he gets promoted he looks like a legit phoenix, but when you first meet him in the town he looks ridiculous. He chats you up and then starts following you around. 

Back in the days of the SNES and Genesis the sound chip defined what all of the music on the system sounded like. To me, not having a Genesis, all of the music tends to sound like farting. I'm sorry, but it really does. This is why I am such a huge fan of all the music in Shining Force 1 and 2. It actually sounds like real music, and not a symphony of farts. It has a ton of layers, and sounds unlike any other song on the Genesis that I've heard.