[Wii Send-Off] NintendoEverything Staff Opinions!
Our Favorite Soundtracks of Wii Games
The Wii had its share of incredible soundtracks, but which ones were the best? Which ones invoked the most romanticism, nostalgia, and sheer beauty? Which ones were not only great standalone songs, but complimented the game so strongly that it made you feel like you were part of the world? Here’s what we all chose as best soundtracks to Wii games…
Valay says… Super Mario Galaxy!
“Super Mario Galaxy, by far. In addition to featuring one of Nintendo’s first fully-orchestrated soundtracks, practically every musical inclusion in Galaxy is memorable.
Who can forget the Gusty Garden Galaxy music? Or how about the Good Egg Galaxy piece? Those are just a couple of examples – there are many, many more ear-pleasing tunes.”
Austin says… Twilight Princess!
“This is probably the hardest entry for me to answer, but at the end of the day it would be really hard for me not to choose The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I feel a bit bad considering it wasn’t a Wii-exclusive, but no other game on the system had as many memorable, well-composed tunes! ”
Patrick says… Xenoblade Chronicles!
“I probably spent more time agonising over my pick for this category than all the others combined. The Super Mario Galaxy games might have some fantastic orchestral themes, but a fair chunk of the soundtrack is just a few “BWAH”s away from the musical mediocrity of the New Super Mario Bros. series. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (there’s another underappreciated game!) has an incredibly musically diverse soundtrack, but it’s sometimes a bit too weird for its own good. Sonic Colours and Kirby’s Epic Yarn also featured some well-composed music, but writing about two games that I still haven’t played feels a little weird. So instead I went with the outstanding soundtrack to the recent Wii RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles.
Composed by the trio of Kenji Hiramatsu, Tomori Kudo and CHIiCO (collectively known as ACE+) as well as featuring the talent of Manami Kiyota, Yoko Shimomura and Yasunori Mitsuda, Xenoblade has an absolutely colossal soundtrack. Despite the massive number of tracks, almost all of the music in the game is consistently brilliant. But the best thing about Xenoblade’s soundtrack isn’t any of the compositions – it’s the way they react to the in-game environment. Field themes change according to the time of day, town music varies depending on the number of residents and the battle music constantly switches around depending on where you’re fighting, what you’re fighting and how well you’re doing. It’s a creative approach that more games should follow.”
Laura says… Fragile Dreams!
“Some of the most beautiful soundtrack music comes from Fragile. The melancholy and lonely feeling of the game is echoed in the music perfectly. I have this strange attachment to the moon and a lot of this music makes me feel closer to it. It sounds strange but that’s the exact feeling you get when playing the game. You are alone and one of the clearest views is the moon (at some points). Listening to this soundtrack is perfect for when you want to be alone with your thoughts, which I do a lot.”
Jack says… Twilight Princess!
“While my vote for best song in a Wii game would go to No More Heroes 2’s licensing of Heavenly Star (sadly, there were no Backyard Wrestling games this generation, so ICP wasn’t featured at all on a playable Wii disc), I found The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess’ soundtrack to be the strongest of all. Possessing a more ethereal feel this time around in tracks like Midna’s Lament , Koji Kondo and his crew really brought a new touch, in addition to updating tried-but-true tracks like Zora’s Domain.”
