Super Mario Galaxy Audio Journal
 

Some people asked that I do an audio journal thing for Super Mario Galaxy after reading my series on Metroid Prime 3. Well, here it is. I may be stuck at one entry (a lot of music is being reused at this point), but I just may decide to go back and write about some of the music I couldnt fit into the first entry. Let me know what you think!

Super Mario Galaxy Audio Journal.

I'm about halfway through the game right now (I think -- I have 29 stars, and I hear you only need 60 to beat it), but I can easily say this is the best Mario soundtrack I've heard. I know the orchestral tracks are getting a lot of attention, and rightly so, they have great melodies. However, even the sequenced tracks are excellent, and the instrument quality is better than anything I recall hearing from first-party Nintendo titles in the past. I don't know if I've come across a single bad music track.

I would say again that the kiddie tracks that accompany the mini-games are nothing to write home about, but yeah, all the "real" music is great. It's really a top notch soundtrack. I hope they release it!

Yeah, I'm 26 stars into it and this is already my favorite Mario soundtrack of all time. It's just so giddily nostalgic and masterfully orchestrated that one has to stand up and take notice while you play the game. I also hope it sees a release, even if it's foreign.

Though you're right about those soundtracks, a bunch of them are remixes of older themes. My favorite one is definitely the Super Mario 3 2nd level theme.

My favorite song in the entire game is either the Battlerock galaxy's theme or the super-epic Bowser boss music. I want a rip of this, damnit... though it'll be hard to do.

The interactive music thing is spot-on. When you're moving the cursor over the galaxies in the select screens, the sound effects are all in-tune with the background music-- they play notes in the same key as the music is in. This is true also of the giant yellow/blue question tiles in many levels. I can't really say enough about the music in this game!

Hm, I wouldn't say the SMB 3 1-2 song is a mini-game track, as it accompanies its own level later in the game (ice waterfalls). Anyway, there were a few old tunes used in the mini-games, but a lot of it was new stuff.

The interactive music will definitely be a hassle to record if anyone's intending to rip the game. I was really, really impressed with how they handled the interactive elements of the Bowser fight. It felt and sounded quite majestic and epic.

I also have to resound the sentiments that some of the midi music isn't that great. Some is, though. Particularly, when you're selecting your file at the beginning of the game, is just one of the examples; IMO, at least. I also liked the little tutorial planet with the rabbits, and, of course, the Super Mario Bros. 3 remixed music.

Also, did anyone else notice how as you unlock more of the domes (via the grand stars, or whatever they're called) in the hub-world, that the music for the hub changes? I thought that was a real neat touch. At first, the music is almost all midi, but as you progress, so too does the orchestra.

I'm not finished the game yet, but right now I'd probably place it below Super Mario 64's soundtrack. Of course, it's hard to compete with Koji Kondo, as the guy is incredibly talented at creating catchy/memorable tracks.

Nice job on the journal, Jayson.

45 stars in now, and I'm definitely enjoying the music. My favorites would have to be the Title Screen music, the ethereal Space Junk galaxy music, the first major orchestral level theme, and the Comet Observatory background music. It was also neat to hear an orchestral version of the

Too much usage of the underground theme, though.

Haha, yeah, a lot of underground theme... and thanks for the feedback, guys! It means a lot to me, and the people at Nintendo seemed to like the article as well.

I would say that there was an announcement today regarding an OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK RELEASE!

Before you crap your pants, know it's only for Japanese Club Nintendo members.. bleh:

News item here:
Mario Galaxy Soundtrack Announced.

There's a rip of SMG music of some sort floating about on the internets already. Dunno if it's the actual CD or not, but it's comprehensive enough I guess (I'm not even halfway through the game yet so I can't tell for sure).

Anyway, for those interested: Bigupload — 2000Mb Free File Transfer, Hosting & Backup Storage Provider.