Cody Musser vs Internet: Take Two!

A direct inspiration of Retronauts stellar exploration into retro game music, I've since gone and explored the vast netspace searching for an outlet where I could do the same. Luckily, I discovered www.vgmusic.com, and I've since been rocking casually to the long lost art of the .MIDI. It kills me to realize that this music is being replaced in video games, because it truly was an artform. Inspring an emotion with nothing more than cheesy synthesizers on hand is one damn impressive feat. Nowadays games ship with licensed rock garbage, so we can listen to Good Fucking Charlotte EVERY SINGLE TIME. Bleh! I'll accept licensing for Ouendan and the occasional moments it does us good, but from an overall perspective, it is not a very pleasing alternative.



However, The full-on symphony thing is acceptable, and it's hard to argue that it isn't the best direction for games; but in some places it just doesn't fit, and that is where .MIDI should always be. To hold up the little handheld adventure, or the occasional action game. I'd say it works for puzzle games as well, but Lumines and similar titles are proving that full-blown music is something that can change puzzling experiences profoundly.

Anyways, by all means jam out to some of the supreme .MIDI pieces I was able to discover. I was thinking this could be something I did weekly, but well, let's see if I can even do it next week before I start claiming I'll do it for all weeks until the end of time. Also, be wary of the occasional feedback reverb type thing at the beginnings of the songs. I don't know why it is there, but it is loud and painful to the ears.

Please copy and paste the links to your address bar. VGMusic broke my heart by not allowing me to hotlink.

A Few Selections from the GBA and DS:
Mother 3 - What Now? - http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/gba/Zenkusa_-_Mother3Jpn_WhatNow.mid
Mother 3 - Accelerando - Battle Theme - http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/gba/M3_Accelerando.mid
Mother 3 - Nifty Battle Theme - http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/gba/M3_NiftyBattle.mid
Metroid: Zero Mission - Norfair - http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/gba/MetroidZeroMission-Norfair.mid
Kirby Canvas Curse - Drawcia Sorceress - http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/ds/t_k_41.mid
F-Zero Climax - Illusion - http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console/nintendo/gba/F-Zero_Climax_-_Illusion_V1_1.mid

One of the most impressive things about .MIDI, is that it is one of the few examples where the best isn't always yet to come. Some of the tracks on the OG Game Boy are more impressive than songs on the Advance, or even the DS. That could mean the art is dying, or that it is so complex that now that we're able to do something else, few are willing to take the time to explore what all can be done with .MIDI. At least Mother 3 is a good showing that modern .MIDI music can still be more than throwaway tracks.

I'm only beginning to discover how awesome some of these songs are, so definitely expect more on this front as it develops.