You
know, I've played a lot of video games in my lifetime. I can't help it. I happen to find video games fun and enjoyable to play. And, well...truth be told, I probably had a
lot of late night "I have to get this homework done or else I'll
fail" moments in school because I had a marathon gaming session of
"Donkey Kong Country" or "Super Mario Brothers" calling.
NOTE: Even though
I just basically admitted to shirking off all responsibilities in my teenage
life to play video games, this is not an invitation for all of you to do the
same. Stay in school, kids. And do that algebra!
Anyway,
since I brought up the fact that I am a video game addict, I suppose that
you're probably expecting a blog about video games. And you would be right.
Now
I would say that for most of my video game playing life, I've been loyal to one
company. And it's true that Nintendo
will always hold a part of my heart forever.
My life has been made forever better because Mario, Yoshi, Mega Man, and
Link were a part of it.
But
when I was older, I started to also develop a love of Sony video games, and
owned a PlayStation 2 for a good many years before it finally quit working a
couple of years ago. I initially moved
towards Sony for my love of "Final Fantasy" games, but there were
other titles that kept me glued to the screen.
I remember getting pleasantly frustrated at the difficulty level of
"Crash Bandicoot". I remember
trying to avoid getting shot in the video game "Medal of Honor". I drove through the streets of huge cities
in "Driver". And, I even
fought alongside Donald Duck and Goofy in the crazy mixed-up worlds of
"Kingdom Hearts".
However,
I would say that my all-time favourite games for the Sony PlayStation was the
original Spyro the Dragon series.
And,
when I say "original" Spyro the Dragon series, I mean the ones that
were released for the original PlayStation - not the horrible PlayStation 2
games that began with the almost unplayable "Enter The Dragonfly".
Yes,
"Spyro the Dragon", "Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage", and "Spyro
3: Year of the Dragon" were always being
played at my place, and I didn't quit until I found every last gem, killed
every last gnorc, and rescued every last dragon, orb, or egg in the games. And certainly gameplay was a huge part of
the near-perfect Spyro formula.
However,
this piece is not about the gameplay of Spyro.
Instead, we'll be talking about something that many people tend to
overlook in video games, but without it would make the game seem bland.
I'm
talking about the background music.
This
may just be my own personal opinion here...but I think that the original Spyro
trilogy had some of the best music ever recorded for a video game. And that is largely in part to the composer
who created all of the tracks in the game, Stewart Copeland.
And
for those of you who may not know who he is or question his musical ability,
here's a fun fact for you. This is the
same Stewart Copeland who co-founded the British based rock band "The
Police" with Sting. I'd say
Copeland has more than enough clout.
So,
I decided to give props to Copeland by doing a feature on the music of
Spyro. I chose ten tracks that I think
are absolute standouts, and best showcase the brilliance that is Copeland's
work. And let me tell you, this was a
really difficult challenge. Every
single track could be considered awesome, and I wish I could do a top 100 list
instead. But I only have room for ten. To hear these pieces, just click on the titles of each piece. That will take you to the link to the song.
(These
selections only come from the first three Spyro games. If you have any other musical pieces from
the other games that you want to add, feel free.)
Now,
in some countries, Spyro 2 is known as "Gateway to Glimmer". Not sure why that is, but it makes sense,
given that Glimmer is the first level in the game. And I have this song as my #10 pick because I can't think of a
better song to have as a first level song.
It immediately makes you jump right into action and sets the tone for
the rest of the game. The level itself
is a nice introductory level, where you have to collect quite a few coloured
gems while helping the Gemcutters solve problems along the way.
This
song was so nice, they used it twice!
The first time is in the tropical themed "Idol Springs" level,
and the second is in the Scottish paradise and much more challenging level
"Fracture Hills". Seriously,
"Fracture Hills" was so difficult, the music - which sounds like it
could be used on the television show "Survivor" - was the only thing
that kept me calm. It's also an
appropriate song to hear during the bonus game where you feed fish to the giant
idol. Say, that could be a future
immunity challenge idea!
This
level is in one word...awesome!
Dangerous, but awesome. You have
to really watch the lights carefully because if they go out, cute puppy dogs
and tiny tin soldiers turn into evil beasts and giant tanks! But who cares about that when you have such
awesome music as this track! It's a
track that doesn't appear until the fifth world of the game, but one that is
definitely worth the wait.
This
is not the only track that I will choose from the first world of the third
game, but I have to admit, there's something quite mellow about this
track. Whenever I hear this track, I
think about Spyro and his skateboard pulling off such tricks as the
"Gnasty Gnorc" and "Orange Crush". Come on, who didn't love skating in that
Roman themed bonus round? This was the
perfect skateboarding jam, you know?
Normally,
underwater levels have me screaming in pain, but there was something about
Aquaria Towers that I absolutely loved.
Maybe it was the manta ray bonus game?
Maybe it was blowing up shark robots with fireballs? Or maybe it was this suitable underwater
themed music? Actually, it could have
been a combo of all three. Again,
Stewart Copeland is a genius when it comes to creating mood music. Doesn't this track just make you feel as
though you're in a giant aquarium?
This
is a level that pays homage to another video game heroine, Lara Croft - only to
avoid getting sued, they call her Tara instead. And what do you have to do in this level to help Tara out? Well, jump over pools of deadly toxic slime,
dive deep into the water in an underwater mission, and avoid getting burned by
flaming ladders. Really, when you
consider that this level seems more like an action film, you really have to have
an action packed soundtrack. Anything
less would be unacceptable.
This
is the penultimate level before you go after the big boss that is known as
Gnasty Gnorc, and it takes place at a harbour at sunset. Beautiful graphics and vivid colours only
add to the joy you feel when playing this level. You know the adventure is almost over, and the music is a bold
statement that supports that. Hold on a
little longer, Spyro. Victory will soon
be yours!
I
probably shouldn't be playing this track, as this is the track that accompanies
the true ending of Spyro 3. But you
know what? It also happens to be one of
the better tracks of the whole game.
The music seems to be one of those pieces that can't make up its mind as
to whether it wants to be a slow piece or a piece that makes you want to get up
and dance. Sort of like the level
layout itself, which combines all of the skills you learned throughout the game
and amps them up to the point where succeeding is hard.
(Of
course, in the snowboarding section, there is a way you can...cheat...but I
can't say much more than that.)
What
saddens me most about this song is that it wasn't included in all versions of
the game. If you happen to live in
Europe and have the PAL version of the game, this track does not appear. Instead, another track is substituted in its
place. It's a shame, because this track
alone is my favourite of the third game and second favourite overall. Really, the whole area known as Crystal
Islands is beautiful, and it deserves a piece that will make it shine even
brighter. This score is near perfection
in my eyes.
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