GHOST

Banjo Kazooie Diary Four; The night before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Feezeezy Peak,

Not a mole was stirring, not even a squeak.

The jiggies were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that the hero Banjo soon would be there.

The cubs were frantic with despair,

For lost was their poppa bear.

He left with the promise of gifts,

But never returned because he is a right old git.

Turns out he had something stuck in his tummy,

Which BMD found pretty funny.

Well I’ve run out of rhymes so I’ll just get on with this.

Freezeezy Peak.

BMD’s top 10 video game tracks

Oh boy, another list! I’d like to apologize that this list was so delayed from Grifflon’s and Pixellll’s, I had some trouble writing it and wanted to make it different/better than my previous. Anyways, I left the gooey intros to the Top 5 soundtracks list so lets just get right into this one!

10. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island – Hop! Hop! Donut Lifts – Koji Kondo

I always thought the donut lifts looked more like onion ring lifts…

Yoshi’s Island is such a happy, fun game to play. Whenever you’re having a bad day, go listen to the Yoshi’s Island soundtrack, it’ll cheer you up. Also, for those of you saying that you didn’t like the game because of baby mario crying, go away. I don’t like you.

Pixellll’s Top 10 game tracks.

Another day, another countdown! Honestly, compiling this list was really, REALLY tough. There are just way too many games with amazing musical scores out there. Limiting myself to just ten tracks was pretty tricky, but through sheer determination (and not paying attention in class) I managed to come up with a selection of my personal favourites. So, without further ado, here they are!

DISCLAIMER: We at DLC Diaries take no responsibility for any songs that may get stuck in your head as a result of reading these articles. We good? Good.

10. KINGDOM HEARTS 2: “ISN’T IT LOVELY?” 

Okay, I’ll admit it. I had this track on my list as a joke at first. Why? Because the music that plays in the Atlantica world in the first Kindgom Hearts game gets so jarring after a couple of minutes that ANYTHING – and I do mean ANYTHING – would be easier to listen to. Yes, it is the Disney classic “Under the Sea”, but honestly hearing it play non-stop made me want to throw my PlayStation out a window. That being said, I really feel like the sound team made up for this in Kingdom Hearts 2 with the theme “Isn’t it Lovely?” as the standard music for Atlantica. It’s relaxing, it sounds aquatic and it’s just generally quite pleasant to listen to. It also happens to make up for certain “musical theatre” aspects of the level which I won’t go into here…

Grifflon’s Top 10 video game tracks!

I set the task this week for the DLCD crew to compose a list of their top ten favourite musical scores and songs from any and all video games. I have to say this is not a simple task to do. It involves a lot of soul searching. Throughout your gaming experiences what songs have remained glued to your memory? What inspired you to push the buttons a little harder and quicker? What levels would you replay over and over just to hear that fantastic music forever indented in your mind?

These are mine.

               

10. POKEMON MYSTERY DUNGEON EXPLORERS OF THE SKY –

                     “MEMORIES RETURNED”

I am quite a fan of the Pokémon franchise and have followed it since the early stages of Pokémon Yellow Special Edition, right up to the recent Black and White 2 games. Spin offs are usually terrible, but in my eyes the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series is actually pretty good. Unlike the main games where the protagonist catches Pokémon and trains them to fight others you actually are a Pokémon. What type of Pokémon is left up to a personality test that at times seems to just spurt random nonsense. What these games have is emotion. Never in the main series has there been such attachment and an emotional plot line than the Mystery Dungeon games. You and your partner grow together, battling and becoming successful Pokémon Explorers, all while uncovering a deeper plot that involves the fate of the entire Pokémon World!

BMD’s top 5 video game soundtracks

Well, I guess it’s about time I make a top 5 video game soundtracks list…this isn’t going to be easy. Here we go!

When I think of a video game, probably one of the first things I think of is the soundtrack. A soundtrack can really immerse you into a video game or ruin the whole experience for you. Usually when you play a game you don’t really notice the music in the background because it isn’t anything special. Then there are those games that have an okay soundtrack where a couple songs are memorable but the rest are pretty mediocre, like DDD stated with Link’s Awakening and Tal Tal Heights. Finally there are those few games that knock the ball out of the park and make you want to dance uncontrollably when that soundtrack starts playing, which is probably Banjo-Kazooie for me but DDD so kindly stole that one. In this list, I’ve stuck to the games that have soundtracks which change the gameplay and without them the game wouldn’t be nearly as good as it is. Anyways, enough of the cheesy intros. Lets get on with the list!

Pixellll’s top 5 game soundtracks: nostalgia edition!

As my fellow writers have already so eloquently covered, music tends to be an integral aspect in games. To many, gaming is more than merely completing objectives or “winning”. It’s about becoming immersed in a story or environment and getting invested in what you’re doing. It’s a way to forget all the stress you’ve got going on and just blow some stuff up or get lost in a fantasy world – and I feel as though this sense of escapism is what is most enhanced by music.

Music can create tension, ease, majesty, fear. I don’t know how many times I’ve been playing a game and felt my heart rate increase at the sound of “final boss” music.

Over the years I’ve heard some awesome soundtracks which have made my gaming experience so much more enjoyable. Rather than limiting myself to choosing my all time favourites (I did try, I just couldn’t decide), I’ve decided to take the reminiscent route. So, here are my top 5 nostalgic soundtracks! Scores that bring back some of my best gaming memories.

Journey no. 2

Journey no.2 – Grifflon

Squirt

 

Squirt – Grifflon

Grifflon’s top 5 game soundtracks

Music can make or break a game. A good game needs to combine all the elements of entertainment and sensory perception; sound and vision must be fulfilled. The soundtrack of a game can be its defining feature that makes it memorable or blend with the gameplay and plot to make something magical. So I’m going to focus not just on what game has the best soundtrack but the games that are standouts BECAUSE of their soundtracks.

#5

 JAK AND DAXTER TRILOGY

Jax and Daxter series – Naughty dog

‘Jak and Daxter Theme’

Jak and Daxter the dynamic duo have their own share of fantastic music that evolved with the series, changing from the childish fantasy in the Land of the Precursers to hardcore teenage years in Haven City. As Jak grew and hardened over the years so did the music. From the very beginning, light hearted tone of Sandover Village to the desolate and defeated drone of Haven City.