Well the summer season is just about here, so I figured this week’s VGM should be appropriate for this setting. This week’s VGM of the week is the first level theme from the original Sonic Adventure.
You know you have an interesting track when you manage to make an electric guitar chord sound laid back yet still energetic. The music is very vibrant and in plain sight (or hearing range… whatever) instead of just being there so the level isn’t silent. It manages to successfully take the same approach to its music that the Genesis games did, yet also took advantage of larger instrumentation variety.
Just about everything here manages to give off the impression of a really fun game, and gives off a laid back yet fun song that sums up what Sonic is supposed to be about. The use of the acoustic guitar for the melody is very effective and really works for the melody. Granted one could say that it doesn’t fit for the quicker segments but that is getting really nitpicky. Also, I will give it credit that it is far less predictable than doing the entire thing with an electric guitar, that is until about halfway through the song though.
It should be noted that about half of the song in the version linked does not play in-game and the version here is from the soundtrack. It makes sense seeing as how the area that this song plays during won’t even take more than two minutes anyway. Despite this though, it flows perfectly and does not sound like it was tacked on in the slightest. That slow part towards the end and the way that the track closes out give this song an added sense of elegance and help it out a lot.
Similar things can be said for the second theme of Emerald Coast, which works very well in accompaniment to the previous. The intro specifically fits very well with running on the wall of that cave, yet similarly to the level itself, you end up reaching the beach again and the song transitions into a remix of the previous song.
*Sigh*…And then there is the song that plays during Big’s run through Emerald Coast. The song itself is actually my favorite of the three but Big’s stages were just so tedious and boring. His character was not as bad as the fan base makes him out to be, but the fishing game was just horribly programmed and tedious. Thankfully this song makes it more bearable. The use of the violins between the guitars really gives the song a more beautiful feel, and the tone becoming higher towards the end really sells it.
Well, that has been this week’s VGM of the Week. I would have talked about the Sonic Generations versions, but I feel that, given the way they are used, they may deserve an entry all on their own. Plus I have not actually played Sonic Generations yet and have not experienced quite enough yet to write said entry, but I do know enough that one can be made. Besides, I believe three separate tracks is enough for one week. Anyway, see ya’ll next week.
