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Thursday, September 1, 2016

Jet Force Gemini Soundtrack

Growing up in the 90's if there was one thing I did a lot as a kid was play N64.  Aside from the fact that there were a ton of great games on that console there were also a lot of great soundtracks to go along with the games.  I touched on some my favorite video game songs in a previous post and while I love all those songs I realized that there was so much more out there to cover.  One game soundtrack that still holds a special place in my heart til this day is Jet Force Gemini.  It is very diverse and it works well in every level you play through out the game.

1.  The Water Ruins


One of my favorite songs in the whole game was the Water Ruins song.  This is one of the few levels in the game where you didn't engage in any combat. and at the time the graphics on the lever were beautiful and this song matched it perfectly.  It is calm, it is relaxing, it is very nice to here when you spend the majority of this game in intense combat situations.  Even after I finished this level I returned to it often just to listen to this relaxing song.


2.  SS Anubis


Unlike how the Water Ruins was calm and soothing, this song was intense right out of the gate.  The SS Anubis is nothing but a giant battlefield.  Every room had enemies and plenty of them.  With the tense drums and brass instruments this song provides I was always reminded to be on my guard and was always ready for the many enemies that waited for me in the next room and when a video game song succeeds in that you know it is a good song.  

3.  Rith Essa


Rith Essa has more of an exploration feel to it then big battles like SS Anubis.  While it has some parts that certainly can be used in a battle scenario more often then not it makes me more in a mood to explore and see what treasures are in the level.  You can really tell though, if you listen close enough that this song was inspired by Star Wars.  Especially the intro it reminded me of Endor which I thought was a nice little thing for them to throw in. 

4.  Tawfret


Now Tawfret sounds like it is straight out of a horror movie.  Listening to it you get an eerie feel and you start to feel uncomfortable.  Very fitting for this level considering that some of the enemies actually look and act like zombies and you spend part of the level exploring a graveyard.  I remember as a kid every time I heard this I freaked out and just kept on thinking, how long til this level ends.  

5.  Mizar's Palace


This is just a good all around song.  First off, every part of this songs has a different feel to it.  The intro is eerie and then it slowly builds up to a battle feel.  Then from that it goes into a fund sounding exploration song.  Even though the song has these different feels they blend well together.  The song is smooth, it's solid, and even with all the different feels it matches the level perfectly.  You feel like you are walking through an ancient sacred temple and the levels look resembles that, making this in my opinion one of the best songs in the whole game.  

These are only a few of the great songs that this game has to provide.  If you want to check out the rest of the soundtrack check out the video below and if you like it enough there are some great covers on Itunes that sound almost, if not exactly like the real game.  Check it out, it will be worth the investment.