With last week’s announcement that video game soundtracks are now eligible alongside FIlm and Television soundtracks in the Visual Media categories for Grammy Awards, I couldn’t help but think of my all-time favorite video game soundtrack. Now I am actually a horrible video game player (save for NBA Jam), and will admit there are literally thousands of video games I haven’t played let alone listened to. Of all the games I’ve played, this soundtrack is hands down the best I’ve come across: KATAMARI DAMACY.
For those unfamiliar- the plot to Katamari Damacy is rolling a ball that gathers whatever it rolls over so the ball gets insanely bigger. Yeah. You just roll a ball over desks, chairs, and eventually over people, towns, bridges… it’s really addicting and the music helps the gameplay maintain a giddy charm:
The music ranges from heavy jazz to samba to techno-lounge transfusion; but you can just file it under ‘experimental’. The music has become so popular that five albums are available as well as a tribute album. The game has one its share of industry awards, as well as garnering a BAFTA nomination in 2005.
I still am not that great at playing this game, but my failing has led to maximum exposure of a lot of these songs. It’s still a testament to how off-the-wall catchy and quirky the soundtrack is that even when I think of my failures, I still have a smile on my face
