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General Pokémon Mystery Dungeon

Started by K-NiGhT, June 18, 2015, 08:05:17 AM

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cashwarrior1

I'd say get Riolu because he looks cool in all the cutscenes.

mikey

unmotivated

Nebbles

Riolu bitchslapped Dialga into another dimension when I had him as a partner, so I second Riolu.
Quote from: Dudeman on April 13, 2016, 04:54:04 PM
- Nebbles, the beauty with the heart of frozen steel

mastersuperfan

Well if it comes down to Snivy vs. Riolu there's one obvious choice

(But I love them both, I used Riolu + Snivy both playthroughs)
Quote from: NocturneOfShadow on February 11, 2016, 03:00:36 PMthere's also a huge difference in quality between 2000 songs and 2010 songs
Quote from: Latios212 on February 11, 2016, 03:29:24 PMThe difference between 2000 songs and 2010 songs is 10 songs.

SpartanChief17

QuoteSoundtrack Review: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky by Arata Iiyoshi
(Acquired from NinSheetMusic forums)

This soundtrack is a bit of an oddity. I quite like it. The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games have quite a cult following, and not only is the gameplay fun and addictive, the plotlines are moving and filled with twists. And the music is excellent. Here's the thing. The music is not very high quality. Most of it sounds like it could be from a GBA game. But the really surprising thing is the number of good quality compositions behind the low quality. And it's not like the music quality is AWFUL--it definitely gives the music a distinctive feel. Perhaps this style works best for this music.

I am not familiar with any of Iiyoshi's other works and to be honest I have not bothered to even look him up on Wikipedia before writing this review. So I am not sure if this is a first job for him, or what, but he shows a lot of ambition. At 141 tracks this album is longer than the Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire one by a good thirty tracks or so. And all the songs are carefully thought out. The problem is that while he shows ambition and has several really good compositions, so many of the dungeon themes suffer from a lack of memorability. So a lot of the tracks won't get a mention here.

There's a sense of brave and courageous adventure throughout the score, most blatantly in the main theme of the game, "Pokémon Exploration Team Theme." It uses brass to give a really happy and yet courageous feeling. I find it funny how Iiyoshi uses the theme with chimes and pizzicato strings in "Top Menu Theme" to make it more timid. You'd hardly recognize that it was the same motif. The same idea of adventure is expressed in "Mt. Horn" which has blaring brass and excessive timpani to convey a grand adventure. And "Temporal Tower" definitely sounds like a final showdown. The main theme is brought back in "Ending Theme" which makes an impact. A lot of the music is just on a grand scale, ahead of its time. "Northern Desert" has a sweepingly slow, lazy waltz that could really make someone sway with the music. Another example is the surprisingly dangerous "Dark Hill" which manages to leave an impact. The three that really leave an impact as being powerful are "Through the Sea of Time" which despite its brevity might leave you in tears, "Time Gear" which arranges the theme into a 3/4 tempo, and "In the Hands of Fate" which is the Time Gear theme on a smaller scale--using mainly chimes. It's worth noting that "Dialga's Fight to the Finish!" uses a similar idea.

There are also some pieces that really showcase the lighter side of the orchestra. "On the Beach at Dusk" conveys a serene happiness that gives me chills, despite the simplicity. There's also the adorable, sleepy "Goodnight" which is nostalgic and moving. "Waterfall Cave" might surprise you in its moodiness for a dungeon theme. It's pretty mellow and serene. The simple happiness in "At the End of the Day" is cute and smile-inducing, while "Defend Globe" is so heartfelt that it's almost ridiculous to be in a video game. The elegance in "Treeshroud Forest" and the quiet beauty in "Hidden Land" is hypnotic. The "Hidden Highland" is surprisingly dark but still is one of the more beautiful pieces on the album--again sounding more like a film score. The ticking in "Temporal Spire" is reflective and moody. And several of the ending tracks are downright tear-jerking. "Don't Ever Forget..." is quite poignant and sorrowful, as are the few tracks that follow it, setting up the ending theme brilliantly. "In the Morning Sun" is similar. "In the Nightmare" is beautiful and also a bit chilling. "Steam Cave" is pretty much the definition of moody music, with a relentless slap bass in the background playing the same incessant note throughout.

That's not to say the soundtrack doesn't have its playful moments. Often these are a highlight. From the wacky, off-kilter "Spinda's Café" to the laid-back fun of "Marowak Dojo," the playful tracks really add some fun to the album without detracting from the beauty in other tracks. "Treasure Town" is a cute Irish jig "Guildmaster Wigglytuff" manages to be silly and still be quite an impressive piece, while "Team Skull" suggests Skunktank's fumes through dissonant and creepy chords which are also quite fun. "Apple Woods" is a quiet waltz, bouncy and serene. Elsewhere, "Outlaw!" lets loose in full-blown chaos. The chimes in "Cave and Side Path" are quite fun to hear, with minimal percussion before it gets to other instruments scattering around chaotically. The mystery and sway of "Foggy Forest" and "Crystal Crossing" will most likely captivate you. Two really playful tracks despite their overlying creepiness are found in "Dusk Forest" and "Deep Forest" with its tempo which is bouncy, devilish and impish. "Shaymin Village" is also quite fun with a slow, happy waltz tempo. The excellent Tiny Woods remix in "Murky Forest" is as threatening and creepily happy as always; always good for a listen. There are always the relentless bongo drums in "Southern Jungle" which make me think the player is being chased by cannibals or something. "Team Charm's Theme" really brings a rockin' atmosphere in a theme song for the trio led by Lopunny.

Overall, Iiyoshi shows a lot of diversity, though most of the dungeon themes are stereotypical video game music--catchy and brief, with little memorability. Download if you're into that kind of thing, or if you think the really moving tracks are worth a download. Overall not bad.

Rating: *****

Track listing (excellent tracks in red):
1. Pokémon Exploration Team Theme
2. Top Menu Theme
3. Welcome to the World of Pokémon!
4. On the Beach at Dusk
5. Beach Cave
6. In the Depths of the Pit
7. Title Theme
8. Wigglytuff's Guild
9. Guildmaster Wigglytuff
10. Goodnight
11. Wigglytuff's Guild Remix
12. Drenched Bluff
13. Job Clear!
14. Treasure Town
15. Heartwarming
16. Growing Anxiety
17. Oh No!
18. Mt. Bristle
19. Boss Battle!
20. Time Gear Remix
21. The Gatekeepers
22. Outlaw!
23. I Saw Something Again...
24. Waterfall Cave
25. Kecleon's Shop
26. Team Skull
27. Spinda's Café
28. Ludicolo Dance
29. Apple Woods
30. Craggy Coast
31. Cave and Side Path
32. Mt. Horn
33. Foggy Forest
34. Steam Cave
35. Upper Steam Cave
36. Amp Plains
37. Far Amp Plains
38. Monster House!
39. Rising Fear
40. Northern Desert
41. Quicksand Cave
42. Quicksand Pit
43. Crystal Cave
44. Crystal Crossing
45. At the End of the Day
46. In the Future
47. Planet's Paralysis
48. Chasm Cave
49. Dark Hill
50. Sealed Ruin
51. Sealed Ruin Pit
52. Dusk Forest
53. Deep Dusk Forest
54. The Power of Darkness
55. Treeshroud Forest
56. Brine Cave
57. Lower Brine Cave
58. Hidden Land
59. Hidden Highland
60. Battle Against Dusknoir
61. Time Gear
62. Through the Sea of Time
63. In the Hands of Fate
64. Temporal Tower
65. Temporal Spire
66. Temporal Pinnacle
67. Down a Dark Path
68. Dialga's Fight to the Finish!
69. Time Restored
70. Don't Ever Forget...
71. Have to Get Home
72. Farther Away...
73. A Wish for Peace
74. Memories Returned
75. Ending Theme Intro
76. Ending Theme
77. Epilogue Theme
78. Mystifying Forest
79. Do Your Best, as Always!
80. Shaymin Village
81. Sky Peak Forest
82. Sky Peak Cave
83. Sky Peak Prairie
84. Sky Peak Coast
85. Sky Peak Snowfield
86. Sky Peak Final Pass
87. Blizzard Island Rescue Team Medley
88. Surrounded Sea
89. Miracle Sea
90. Aegis Cave
91. Defy the Legends
92. Concealed Ruins
93. Mt. Travail
94. In the Nightmare
95. Palkia's Onslaught!
96. Dark Crater
97. Deep Dark Crater
98. Random Dungeon Theme 1
99. Random Dungeon Theme 2
100. Random Dungeon Theme 3
101. Marowak Dojo
102. Pelipper Island
103. Sympathy
104. Beyond the Dream
105. Air of Unease
106. Star Cave
107. Deep Star Cave
108. One for All, All for One!
109. Murky Forest
110. A Fun Exploration
111. Fortune Ravine
112. Fortune Ravine Depths
113. It Can't Be...
114. Defend Globe
115. Defend Globe (Ending)
116. Spring Cave
117. Lower Spring Cave
118. Spring Cave Depths
119. Here Comes Team Charm!
120. Southern Jungle
121. Boulder Quarry
122. Illusion Stone Chamber
123. Limestone Cavern
124. Deep Limestone Cavern
125. Team Charm's Theme
126. For a New Life
127. Barren Valley
128. Dark Wasteland
129. Spacial Cliffs
130. Dark Ice Mountain
131. Living Spirit
132. Icicle Forest
133. Proud Achievement
134. Vast Ice Mountain
135. Vast Ice Mountain Peak
136. In the Morning Sun
137. A New World
138. It's Not a Miracle
139. Thoughts for Friends
140. A Message on the Wind
141. Life Goes On! (Ending)
This was done by Dusk.
Spoiler
I am addicted to this song:
[close]

Maelstrom

Augh at least put a spoiler tag on a quote that big next time

Altissimo


mikey

Bro maybe you're a bit confused.  Alti is in grad school and is working in her graduate thesis.  In middle school a thesis essay is expected to be 5 paragraphs long but her thesis is the real deal and is more than just a soundtrack review lol
Lol "someone has beaten you to your thesis"
I'm cracking up
Sorry
unmotivated

SlowPokemon

Um that's a review that I wrote. Like three or four years ago.
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.

Altissimo


SlowPokemon

And it was really bad

But it would still piss me off if Dusk was claiming credit like what
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.

SpartanChief17

(OK going back to a previous topic) I always had my partner as Charmander. I myself was Riolu.
Spoiler
I am addicted to this song:
[close]

SlowPokemon

Can you just tell me why you pasted that and where you got it from and not change the topic
Quote from: Tobbeh99 on April 21, 2016, 02:56:11 PM
Fuck logic, that shit is boring, lame and does not always support my opinions.

Altissimo


mikey

It does say "acquired from NinSheetMusic forums" so the place he got it from isn't exactly claiming credit
unmotivated