Jam of the Day: Star Wolf Theme by Yoshie Arakawa and Yoshinori Kawamoto (Star Fox Assault Soundtrack)

Handing Star Fox to third party developers yielded very uneven results. I believe Namco got closest to what a Star Fox game should be with Star Fox Assault, but still fell short of the Nintendo EAD & Argonaut Games originals. Where Namco managed to exceed everyone, though, was the soundtrack.

The orchestral score of Star Fox Assault is fantastic. Star Wolf’s theme in particular is my personal favorite, but the high level of quality is consistent throughout most of the soundtrack. It gives the game a larger space opera feel and helps disguise the shortcomings of the game itself. Listening to the music makes me want to play it again in spite of its problems, just to hear it in context another time.

Hopefully, if Nintendo ever takes the series back for a new entry (or hands it off to yet another developer) they can produce an OST of the same grandeur.

Jam of the Day: Fortuna by Hajime Hirasawa (Star Fox)

The Star Fox soundtrack is far from obscure. Many have proclaimed their love for the Title Theme, Corneria, and Planet Venom. Never, though, do I hear people mention Fortuna.

Fortuna is an excellent track. It’s incredibly funky, has a great bassline, and some clever pitch bends. It’s also a bit of a black sheep as far as the style. But I don’t say that as a negative. Fortuna is my favorite song on the Star Fox soundtrack.