Customer Reviews

Game Boy Sound Collection

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With the release of Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver and their ensuing fourth rendition of Kanto music (first the original versions, then the Gold & Silver versions, then FireRed and LeafGreen being the three before it), the music that highlighted such classic locales as Pallet Town, Vermillion City, and Route 11 never seemed so significant. After all, Nintendo's own official magazine noted of the original Pokemon music only one sentence in its silly 7.2/10 review, which was (now laughably) eclipsed in coverage that month by Turok 2: "The music is cute but appropriate." Apparently, a higher level of respect and admiration wouldn't be hard to attain in the coming years, and surely, its status rises with each Super Smash Bros. cover version or YouTube remix.

That's not to insinuate, though, that the recent HeartGold and SoulSilver versions of the music are better (although far more polished). While its modern sheen surpasses the original in places like Cerulean City and battles against wild Pokemon, the groundwork was laid many years before in good old 1998 (or earlier, if you live outside the United States).

Which of course begs the more important question: Is the original music any good? Or, more specifically, what of its soundtrack?

What makes the original soundtrack instantly superior to its, say, Gold & Silver versions (provided in CD form through the GB-Sounds-sourced disc 3 of the HeartGold & SoulSilver soundtrack) is, for one, its use of reverb. The tracks are decidedly more appealing to the ears, and certain songs like the Pallet Town theme have never sounded as good since the days of monochrome. In particular, the original Viridian Forest theme (which, with the exception of FireRed & LeafGreen, manages to always sound good) sounds darker and more pulsating here then anywhere else, and the Gym Leader Battle song and Champion Battle song sound amazing. Junichi Masuda is unquestionably a remarkable composer, and these are fantastic early signs.

Certain tracks, like the aforementioned Gym Leader Battle and Trainer Battle songs, incorporate Pokemon noises and attacks into their CD-versions, and this is actually endearing. Far less endearing is the 151-track-marathon from tracks 46 on disc 1 to track 98 on disc 2. Each track starts with a Pokemon noise, followed by a reading of that Pokemon's Pokedex entry in Japanese with the worst production values imaginable applied. But all is not lost--track 99 on disc 2 is a fantastically odd piece that first assorts weird sound effects into a maddening techno & drum-n-bass track, then returns to sound effects to offer the highest degree of nostalgia.

At the end of the day--or, more accurately, the 12+ years since this soundtrack was released--the Pokemon Game Boy Sound Collection is fantastic, a rarer but more true representation of video game music than most of its modern counterparts. And, with only monochrome Game Boy quality (though enhanced), it is one of the most antiquated video game works available in CD form. A gem for video game nerds and music lovers alike.

I still like this CD, but I just like songs with words. Besides that, it's great. It's every song from the Game Boy game.

how should we order this cd and we don't even know what it contains? I need a sample to rate this cd my self..
can you please put some samples to hear?
or can any one send me one of these tracks please? my e-mail is:
gengar@arabclan.com