Star Fox 64 Original Cuts

I guess I shouldn't trust Electronics Boutique as a video game soundtrack CD store. "Star Fox 64 - Original Cuts from the Hottest New Nintendo 64 Game" was given free to those who pre-ordered Star Fox 64 from them. Unfortunately, it is not a CD without its problems.

This album, like "Mario Kart 64 Greatest Hits", only contains fourteen of the tracks from the game. The presentation of track order and the lack of time length (31 minutes is hardly what I would call satisfying) make this CD a disappointment. Not because of the music, but because it's not the complete soundtrack from the game, just the "Greatest Hits". I've heard that there is a "Star Fox 64 Soundtrack" CD available from Nintendo Power Supplies Catalog, and I hope that it is better than "Greatest Hits". It might contain more music than this CD does.

Now on to the music. It has been improved from the original Star Fox in many ways. The sound clarity is more tolerable than the SNES version, even though it's not exactly high-quality music. But then, the low-quality music isn't all that bad, either. Some of the tunes are even more impressive and furious, like "Credits Theme". It's more heroic and ends in a better manner than the original Star Fox finale did. The original Star Fox score was modeled a bit after John Williams' "Star Wars", but this one has more of an "Independance Day" feel. Actually, there is one stage in the game that is like ID4 in many ways. It's too bad that the track accompanying it doesn't show up on here. There are a few faults, however, in the OSVs. Some of the heroic spirit and bravado flavor are lost (Hajime Hirasawa, the original composer for Star Fox didn't compose it). On the N64 Greatest Hits CD, there are two Star Fox tracks that don't show up in the game at all. This turns me down due to the fact that I seemed a little more attached to the original score. What's there is incredible; some tracks are better, but some just don't seem to match up to that same heroic feeling of the original Star Fox soundtrack.

Conclusion? If you want a Star Fox 64 soundtrack right away, this is the perfect place to start. But if it's an album of the complete game score you're searching for, "Star Fox 64 Soundtrack" from Nintendo Power should be a much better buy.