It is with great sadness that the gaming world must say goodbye to Hiroshi Yamauchi, the man responsible for turning Nintendo from a card-making company into the multi-billion dollar videogame company that is now. He was a man that was denied his own childhood, but gave countless others a childhood they would remember.
But it is also a time to reflect and celebrate. Thousands of people today (myself included) consider themselves gamers thanks to Yamauchi, and Nintendo’s home consoles he was responsible for. So many iconic characters, treasured franchises, and nostalgic memories are credited to Nintendo, and it would be a disservice not to remember them in the wake of Yamauchi’s passing.
Although he never created game music himself, we gathered up some of our favorite videogame music from our favorite Nintendo games to honor him, starting the Nintendo Entertainment System, then moving on to the Super Nintendo, the Nintendo 64, and the Nintendo GameCube. We hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.
Nintendo Entertainment System
Quite frankly, we could go on all day with hundreds of entries for our favorite videogame music from the NES days. We have to draw the line somewhere there, though, and we feel these cover the main basis. Some of the most iconic tunes in all of videogames started with the NES, and can be heard below.
Super Mario Bros – Overworld Theme
Super Mario Bros 2 – Overworld Theme
Super Mario Bros 3 – World Map 1: Grass Land Theme
Mega Man 2 – Dr. Wily’s Castle
Final Fantasy – Opening Theme
Metroid – Brinstar
DuckTales – The Moon
Castlevania – Stage 1
Ninja Gaiden – Act 4 Part 2
Contra – Jungle Theme
The Legend of Zelda – Overworld Theme
Super Nintendo
Considered by some to be the best videogame console of all time. Whether or not you agree, this system had some of the best games, and of course, some of the best music.
Super Mario World – Athletic Theme
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island – Map Theme
Chrono Trigger – Schala’s Theme
Secret of Mana – Title Theme
Kirby Superstar – Grape Garden
Donkey Kong Country – Aquatic Ambiance
F-Zero – Big Blue
Super Mario Kart – Rainbow Road
The Legend of Zelda – A Link to the Past – Hyrule Castle
Super Metroid – Crateria Surface
Nintendo 64
Nintendo’s first 3D system might also be it’s most unappreciated. The graphics have aged terribly and the controller was…interesting, but it was also home to some of the best games of the late 90s.
Super Mario 64 – Bowser’s Road
The Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time – Gerudo Valley
Mario Kart 64 – Rainbow Road
GoldenEye 007 – Dam
Mario Golf 64 – Toad Highlands
Blast Corps – World Map
Perfect Dark – Alien Conflict
Star Fox 64 – Zoness
Pokemon Stadium – Prime Cup Battles 1-3
GameCube
The GameCube was the last Nintendo console to come out while Yamauchi was still president of the company. Facing heavy competition from Sony’s PlayStation 2 and the new Xbox from Microsoft, the system was cheaper and focused solely on games instead of an all-encompassing media box.
F-Zero GX – Mute City
Super Monkey Ball – Jungle Island
Luigi’s Mansion – Professor E. Gadd’s Lab
Pikmin – Forest of Hope
Viewtififul Joe – Joe the Hero
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! – Sherbet Island
Tales of Symphonia – Fighting of the Spirit
Star Fox Assault – Main Theme
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Departure
Super Smash Bros: Melee – Fire Emblem
