A Psychotic Little Christmas, Day 3: In A Snow-Bound Land

Keeping the ball rolling here, number 3 on the winter VGM list is In a Snow-Bound Land from Donkey Kong Country 2, a game that would have dodged this list entirely were it not for me playing it for the first time a few weeks back. David Wise is quickly climbing up the ranks of my list of favorite composers because of games like this one, and he doesn't disappoint on this track. In Diddy and Dixie Kong's quest to rescue Donkey Kong from the evil klutches (hah) of King K. Rool, they find themselves in various locales around the world; be it underground in a mine, lush green forests, or In a Snow-Bound Land (HAH), the music accompanies the gameplay well, and that's one of the most important things you want in a soundtrack.

This track, like many others in the game, is laid-back, slow and ambient. It makes you want to stop and enjoy the amazing scenery the game is pumping out of the SNES. Sure, the dynamic monkey duo has a job to do, but they should soak in the journey while they're at it, and how beautiful the sights are around them. It's one of those songs that go as far as to make you look back at what you've done in your life, and look ahead at what your goals are in the future.

In ways such as this music has proven to be emotional and thought-provoking, which is something other forms of media can have trouble successfully manifesting. It's a beautiful thing.

Psychotic Informer - 7/27/11

 

 

1. Some more Skyward Sword news today (because what’s an Informer without Skyward Sword news). Officially announced today, Ganon will NOT be returning to the game. “The Triforce sort of takes on a different meaning and plays a different role in the story. So because of that, Ganon will not appear," said the Zelda series producer. Taking his place as the main villain is a new villain called Lord Ghirahim, who you can see above. Am I the one who thinks he looks sort of like a Zora? Either way, I would love to see Ganon back on my TV, and Ghirahim looks pretty sweet, but I’m hoping Ganon will be back and bigger than ever in Zelda Wii U! What do you think about this new villain? Post your opinion in the comments! (For more information, read the full article)

2. Here’s some news to make you realize how obsessed with games people are; a Chinese couple sold their children for money to play online games. Back in 2009, the couple sold their first child, their daughter, for $500 US dollars. Later on they sold their two newborn baby boys for $4,600 US dollars each! The couple was finally turned in by the wife’s mother. The couple actually didn’t know they were breaking the law! They said "We don't want to raise them, we just want to sell them for some money." What do you think about this story? Post your opinion in the comments! (For more information, read the full article)

3. Remember how outraged fans were when Capcom made Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D without the ability to erase save files? Could you imagine if that happened again? Well, of COURSE it has. Apparently Namco Bandai didn’t get the memo that everyone hates this feature and that it is ridiculous. Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions has this awful feature in it. The game was released on July 26th on 3DS  What do you think? Should companies stop implementing this stupid feature? Post your opinion in the comments! (For more information, read the full article)

 

 

4. Did you ever want a giant ape on your wall? Well, now is your chance! The new Club Nintendo rewards include the Donkey Kong poster set and a Giant Mii AR Card! The poster set includes three posters and is like the other poster sets that include Mario and Zelda. The poster set it 400 Club Nintendo points, which is 50 more than the Zelda and Mario posters. The AR card is available for a mere 200 points and is a giant AR card for the 3DS. It features the question box so you can take pictures with your Mii, and on the reverse side it has the Mario AR card. (For more information, read the full article)