Hey Steemit!
If you're unfamiliar with this series, basically I share a soundtrack and my thoughts about it, and I highly recommend listening to the song while reading! 😊
I don't think I've done a racing game yet so today we're gonna listen to a track (hehe track, geddit) from one of my favourite racing games of all time - Mario Kart Wii! Here-we-go!
So if you've never played this before or you've never even owned a Wii (dang you missed out), Mario Kart Wii is a multiplayer-oriented racing game for the Nintendo Wii, developed by Nintendo EAD and was released worldwide in April 2008. It is the sixth installment in the main Mario Kart series and the eighth overall. Mario Kart Wii retains the traditional item-based weaponry familiar with the franchise, where players can select a Mario franchise driver and themed vehicles.
New key elements introduced to Mario Kart Wii include new racers (bringing the total to 12 up from 8 in previous game), and a new type of vehicle: bikes. The game takes advantage the Wii's motion controls, with a Wii Wheel included in most Mario Kart Wii packages, though the game is still compatible with other controllers.
I've been a fan of the Mario Kart series since the GameBoy days (Mario Kart Super Circuit) where we had to connect our handhelds using cables to play multiplayer!
Oh man remember when our screens used to be so small and we couldn't connect to the Internet to play multiplayer
Mario Kart Wii will always be one of my top Wii games. I can't remember how many hours I spent playing this back in the day but I recall being very bad at the motion controls the first day I played it. It took me quite a while to get used to the Wheel but eventually I got the hang of it and wound up playing (and winning) many online races. 😁
Check out the opening cutscene! Ah, watching this just gives me so much nostalgia. Has it really been 10 years already!
Anyway, the song I chose today is from (probably) my favourite track in the game - Maple Treeway!
Here's the song!
Maple Treeway is the third course in the Star Cup in Mario Kart Wii. It takes place in a large forest during autumn. The track consists of racing on tree branches, on the treetops and even within the trees themselves. Wigglers make their home on the treetops, and driving into them will hinder any racer. Piles of leaves flank various parts of the track, and driving through them reveals Mushrooms and Bananas, and rarely, Stars.
Just from these pictures alone you can already see why this is my favourite track. The autumn setting is soo beautiful, and it's perfectly matched with this song. You can't really tell this song is from a racing game from just listening to it because it's pretty tranquil sounding and the pace of the song is not very fast for a racing game.
Every time I play this track I always feel like there's wind blowing in my hair as I'm driving 'cuz of all the leaves falling around me. It just feels so relaxing, although that's not something you'd hear in a Mario Kart game (amirite).
This song uses subtle-sounding instruments which I really love. The first few notes at the beginning set the pace of the song as you just started the race with a boost of speed (if your timing is right). And then the harmonica comes in as the melody and light guitar as the harmony. The harmonica steps back into the background letting the clarinet take over just before the bridge at 0:31 where the violins, piano and triangle come in and the melody repeats again after that. I love the second bridge with the additional beats in the background too.
I didn't realise it was a harmonica until now but what an amazing choice for the melody. It really suits this track's setting with the autumn leaves (maybe that's where I'm getting the windy vibes from 🤔). The composers, Asuka Ohta and Ryo Nagamatsu, did an amazing job capturing the feel of the track as you're driving along the course with this song.
I think SvpremeTV describes it really well here, and I wholeheartedly agree.
If you've played this game, what's your favourite track? Comment below!
Thanks for reading!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://tacocat.vornix.blog/2018/10/28/ost-of-the-day-18-mario-kart-wii-maple-treeway-%f0%9f%8d%81/
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