Super Mario 64 - Dire, Dire Docks / Staff Roll | Reacting To Video Game Music!

[@MFMegaZeroX7]

Oh hey, the Dire Dire Docks one was my Mario Day request from last year! Happy to see it done, it is such a classic Mario track. Dire Dire Docks regularly plays in my head at least once a week. One of the best aquatic themes of all time.

[@IllegallySam]

Koji Kondo is THE Mario composer. He composed possibly the most famous video game song ever, being the Super Mario Bros theme. He was the composer for most of Nintendo’s most famous songs from before 2000, which includes the entirety of Super Mario Bros 1, 2, and 3, Super Mario World, and 64, as well as working on pretty much every mainline Mario platformer after that as well (just not as the only composer). When you think of Mario music, it is most likely one of his pieces. It’s funny you mention Yoko Shimomura, because she might be the second most prolific composer for Mario (which nobody ever really thinks about), but specifically just for the RPGs, seeing as she was the composer for Super Mario RPG and every Mario & Luigi game, plus being one of the composers for the second Mario + Rabbids games. Including remakes, she was the sole composer on 9 Mario games, and one of the composers on a 10th as well. Obviously the franchise has had so many games and so many composers over the years that I couldn’t possibly list them all, but Koji Kondo not only laid every foundation for the franchise, but regularly built upon it over the years and still does to this day.

[@JessesAuditorium]

You know, I never once thought to think who composed the infamous Mario motif / theme. He was a bigger deal than I thought lol. That's like VGM incarnate.

[@Hiraishin247]

Don't forget he also made the older Zelda OST

[@pampamtamtam4001]

Yoko Shimomura is incredible man. I love her music so much.

[@jelyse14]

@@pampamtamtam4001 I was so confused, at first I read "Yoko Shimomura is AN incredible man. I love her music so much." Commas help so much with misreading in general as well lol

[@pampamtamtam4001]

@@jelyse14 lol

[@polwigle]

4:08 The funny thing about the percussion in Dire Dire Docks is it's actually one of those adaptive songs that changes based on what the player's doing in the moment - the percussion fades in when Mario steps onto dry land, and disappears while he's swimming underwater!

[@jons_7402]

Yes, which fits with his idea of docks having more lively music.

[@Kirby_Super]

In game, the percussion isn't actually faded in. The percussion will only play in specific areas of levels that use this song.

[@mysteryninja354]

To emphasize, the areas the percussion gets used are all on-land sections of predominantly-water levels; so you have float-y synths playing while you're swimming but should you get out of the water, the percussive beats join in and switch back and forth rather seamlessly.

[@nightman922]

@@mysteryninja354 I love games that use seemless music transitions depending on combat or area status. Jak & Daxter 2 is another one that does this super well depending on if you are on foot, in an aircraft, or in combat

[@jarelldavis31]

It took you THIS long to experience Super Mario 64 music?! Bruh.

[@thend4427]

Bruh indeed

[@Zap_Rocket]

SM64 was THE og game for me, and what an intro to gaming. It's a showcase of amazing exploration, music, and possibilities, with the gameplay to match. Even today it still holds up as a staple example of what makes a great game. The staff roll in particular holds a special place, especially with the credits along with it, tying together your journey and celebrating the worlds you've come to love.

[@TerryHintz300ATK]

bruh momento

[@TheZebbga]

I get quite emotional hearing the staff roll because Mario 64 was the first game I beat without any help. So it feels like such an accomplishment. These days I can beat it in my sleep, but I think back to when I was 6 years old. Also that theme has footage of all the worlds you visit it in the game and also ends with a picture of a cake with Mario saying "Thank you so for much for-a playing my game!"

[@Mike14264]

Y'know, while I like SM64 a lot... It's the DS version that I hold close to my heart. It's the very first version of that game that I've seen, back in a time where I was still learning what games were, and who Mario was. When I finally, so many years later, I gave myself the privilege to play it (bought it meself at a second hand game store, it felt really special to me), I played it, and it was a really fun time. I especially remember going to Lethal Lava Land, fearing it would be a tough level (I had a hard time with it in the original back when I dabbled in mobile emulators, but these are never fun to play any game with), but I was so pleasantly surprised when I played it. And then I jumped onto a Koopa Shell... ...I was surfing on the lava. You had no idea how wide the dumb grin I had on my face was. I was giggling even, like a little kid, like I was having fun with video games for the very first time, despite being like 21. Super Mario 64 DS was the one game I can safely say "it made me feel like a kid when I played it", and I'll always treasure that memory to no end. I might say it's my favorite game of all time for that reason alone, even. When no other game makes you feel something so unique and special, what else can you say?

[@Bas_Brand]

28 years later, the staff roll still makes me somewhat choked up up. The first video game credits I ever reached by myself, child brain still in full swing, having life's colours all turned up to maximum, what an experience!

[@SuperSavajin]

You know, it's actually a blessing in disguise that you don't know much about Nintendo music because there is so much you can experience now. There are metric ton of cult classics I would love to see you react to.

[@ErakirPompop]

I love that at the end of the credits theme you say "thanks for playing!" as, yeah, it's a pretty normal thing, but it's a bit of an iconic one here. Just cause in game this is followed up by Charles Martinet saying "thank you so much for playing my game" (with some added "Italian" emphasis) - which can be the first time you've heard Mario say anything other than hoos hahs and wahoos, maybe an okie-dokey. The first time you've ever heard mario speak a complete sentence, and it's to you~ It was really neat to hear as a kid who had been there since Super mario Bros 1!

[@andrewgerber413]

"Did [koji kondo] do all of the soundtrack?" Oh that makes me happy to say that yes, Koji Kondo did the entire soundtrack for Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time notably and many others.

[@xubikiltro5263]

The Staff Roll cutscene also includes short clips of all the levels you went through with the NPCs and enemies wandering around and doing stuff, sort of calling back to the whole journey. So you get x4 the nostalgia kick.

[@SuperPooh64]

"Happy tear music" is exactly how I feel about staff and credits themes. Glad that I'm not alone in being sappy about that stuff lol

[@nekorion]

People have ABSOLUTELY used dire dire docks in meme stuff, in the same way earthbound music sometimes gets used as meme music. Heck we might have not requested Bob-omb battlefield because it's SO commonly used as meme fodder music that we assume you've heard it. (And realistically you absolutely have and ill request it just for you if its not on the list) Also when you said thank you at the end of the credit roll,you got it right, mario says "thank you so much for a to playing my game". That credits are a series of vignettes that are part of the game and the slow downbeat parts always get me emotional, they're just like saying good bye to adventure ya know

[@Peanutchy]

20:53 In Japan, it's very common to stay seated through the credits at the movie theater. I think it comes from a sense of respect that is owed to everyone who contributed to the creation of something that you enjoyed - similar to how certain phrases are said before and after eating out of gratitude for everyone involved in the process of that food making its way to you.

[@ocreyy]

I'm from France, and I'm always shocked how people leave when the credits START That's ridiculous

[@wesnohathas1993]

Koji Kondo was definitely Nintendo's flagship composer throughout the 90s and early 00s.

[@Eclippy]

My beloved Staff roll. I remember when I played sm64 and it being my first video game, I was determined to beat it. I will never forget the moment that I defeated bowser, saved the princess, and rolled the staff credits, and when I heard that song I cried because it was the first time I felt like I accomplished something thing that I put my heart into. To this day, every time I accomplish something big in my life like buy my first car or move to college, I listen to this song and it reminds me of what I have gone through to get to where I am today. Thank you Jesse for reacting to my favorite song ever (besides Beneath the Mask)❤

[@Mentaljedi]

I don't think i'll ever forget the day i beat SM64 - this was THE game of my childhood, along with diddy kong racing, metroid prime, golden eye and doom

[@franciscojaviermendezrinco1902]

Staff Roll always makes me feel nostalgic. Is not the same just hearing it, you have to earn that by playing and finishing the game. It feels like a reward for reaching the end. And there are segments of the levels through the Staff Roll while presenting the names of the developing staff. In the end in the game after the song ends you hear Mario say "thank you so much for to playing my game" in that famous italian accent.

[@ExaltedUriel]

The ending of Staff Roll almost feels so naked without Mario saying "Thank-a you so much-a for to playing my game", lol

[@PlasmaSnow12]

The music in Dire Dire Docks has been the quintessential "Water" theme in my mind since I heard it as a kid. I love how when you swim to the more complex part of the level the percussion section fades in. And the staff roll is just so nostalgic and bittersweet. Always get a bit teary listening to it. Metroid has some really good aquatic themes as well. Metroid Prime 1's "Downed Frigate Orpheon" Metroid Prime 2's "Torvus Bog Subterranean Theme" (which is a remix of "Brinstar Red Soil", and has also gotten remixed in Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid: Dread) Are personal favorites of mine. Ah but yeah I really enjoy credit themes. It feels disrespectful to me to skip the credits, though to be fair these days credits can go on for a VERY long time so I get the impatience. I think some are better than others, but ideally they should be a sort of reward unto themselves, like you've earned the privilege to hear it?

[@dave_the_slick8584]

The first game I ever completed. Those credits still cause me to tear up any time I listen to it.

[@Arksimon2k]

Credits themes can certainly be a VGM Vibe category in of itself. This Staff Roll would have been voted quite highly.

[@SophisticatedGoat222]

This and the Super Mario World one are among the most iconic and quintessential credits themes in gaming, perfectly giving that bittersweet ending feel.

[@penitente3337]

Credits themes for me are the kind of song I often forget, and when I listen to them on my own again it's just "wait this is amazing" "Towards the Starry Skies" from Dragon Quest IX is an amazing credits theme, starts with a reprisal of one of the most beautiful songs in the OST during the epilogue and then hits the "you saved the world good job man" as the credits roll.

[@bug-deal]

14:35 yep, cartridges didn't have the raw space to store recorded audio like discs, so they still used soundchips to generate the majority of the music

[@relu419]

It's probably the most memorable water world music in a Mario game. The sample used for the key is from a Roland JD-990 filtered.

[@SirSlush_]

Koji Kondo is THE Nintendo composer, not even just Mario. He has written some of the most memorable and fantastic video game songs of all time. I'm glad you're finally getting to check out Super Mario 64, it's such a special game for so many people, myself included. Especially that Staff Roll, it shows places you've been in the game, really feels like the perfect wrap up. Hope you get to listen to more Mario soon!

[@skysamfreeman]

Dire Dire Docks is probably in my top 5 songs in gaming history. It immediately transports me back to my early childhood.

[@keeby4]

Staff roll just feels like the end of an era. I was born a while after 64 came out and didn’t hear it for a while but it still feels nostalgic somehow.

[@seekittycat]

I find when youtubers are making a video on nostalgia or want to cause tears this is the song 😂. This song a whole meme. Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time lives rent free in my head 😌. Kondo-san owns a whole city block of my childhood 😂

[@Neorigg]

The Staff Roll theme definitely has that bittersweet vibe if you have played the game, the music is happy but there is a huge sadness feel when you hear it after beating the game.

[@noric252]

the queen's blood music in the background i love it

[@MajoraZ]

If you ever do a VGM vibes for moments of sad reflection, rainy nights, or lonely moments, you gotta include the "Rain" portion of "Deference For Darkness" in Halo ODST. Honestly ODST's entire soundtrack has an amazing moody, atmospheric noire/jazzy soundtrack, but that track is unbelievable, and it's one I absolutely intend to make a priorty request for at some point.

[@ischmidt]

Re: the limitations, most N64 music was sequenced (and more of it was sequenced on the PS1 and even the PS2 than you'd think). Nintendo offered developers a licensed instrument set from synth manufacturer Roland on both the Super NES and the N64 (the N64 version was of course higher quality) so people with 90s Roland synths have exactly those sounds. (And of course Mario 64 used them). I also love credits songs! My personal favorite credits song is Sonic 2's where it's a big medley of all the music in the game so you kind of relive the experience all at once.

[@jelyse14]

I knew from the start as soon as you had a bit of a reaction to it that you'd heard that part before. Not surprising, many youtubers have used it in their videos as background music

[@JessesAuditorium]

Makes me wonder how much other N64 stuff I may have heard in passing just from popularity.

[@AStandsForFrench]

the intro to dire, dire docks before the main melody kicks in has definitely found a place in tons of memes over the years, so that is very likely where you heard it in passing before

[@rgentry9]

I am so glad you listened to dire dire docks. One of my favorite songs that I can listen to endlessly when I want to relax.

[@VelvetAura]

I adore both of these songs so much, and Dire Dire Docks still pops in my head at random all these years later. I'll never forget it. Good point about the N64 games. You haven't had that many yet. The only one I can think of other than Banjo off the top of my head is Conker, and The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask requests I made, because I remember thinking the same thing at the time.

[@belitr5915]

It's nice to see you go back to the older stuff. This game was phenomenal.

[@pokeguyz123]

I feel that Mario 64 is just one of those games where you “had to be there” yknow. 3D Mario was unheard of, each world was unique, movement was tight but challenging, the eel and piano scaring the hell outta me, and even tossing the baby penguin off the map lol. I’d say these are 2 great songs worth being nostalgic over, especially dire dire docks for me. Great stuff Jesse ✌️

[@svenfruiti494]

Not really... it was one of the first games on my NDS...and I knew alot of other 3d games by this point.

[@devonm042690]

@@svenfruiti494 I can't tell if you're joking or not... You realize that was a remake, right?

[@reefatbakht]

@@devonm042690 obviously it was a remake. But the point is that the first experience playing it, whether on the n64 or nds, it still leaves an impact. it's not a game where "you had to be there" to understand it's greatness. It's greatness is apparent no matter when you play through it.

[@gemknight9889]

I don't think I've clicked on a video so fast before. This is one of my favorite classic video game songs and getting somebody's first impressions on it after all this time is a rare opportunity

[@VerbDoesStuff]

Oh, I am so excited for this, this is THE song. Dire Dire Docks is truly among the greats, I didn’t even play this game as a kid but this game evokes such an intense amount of 90s nostalgia in me it’s crazy. But it’s not even nostalgia so much as passion, for the past, but the now of it

[@Sacred_Korok69]

this ost in particular just gives me goosebumps in the first few seconds and then all the way through cuz its just so beautiful. i used to just swim around for hours in that one map and just listen to this song and vibe. great memories, mario 64 is such an amazing gem to this day. mario galaxy being my favourite, but mario 64 has a special place in my heart

[@celadore]

Fun fact - In game, the synth fades in when you start swimming and the percussion kicks in when running around in an underwater cave. Edit: Also, I did not remember the soundtrack being so agressively 90s. It's weird how different eras have different sounds looking back.

[@mikedacoolnerd788]

It embodies that 90's synth sound. It adds a nostalgic charm to the song. As someone who was born after this game came out, this song even makes me feel nostalgic. After such a fantastical journey, a game that was such a big deal for the time it came out, something that was a huge part of so many people's childhood, this is the song the signifies the end. The old school synth plays into that feeling making the whole ost feel charming, nostalgic, and that of another era.

[@Zebstrom]

"Thank you so much for playing my game!"

[@thend4427]

For to* playing my game lol

[@thend4427]

For to* lol

[@Mechadeuce]

21:55 Fun fact, the Xbox 360 version of Symphony of the Night replaced the credits theme "I am the Wind" with "Admiration Towards the Clan" from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, which is basically a medley of songs from the NES era of Castlevania. Much more fitting in my opinion.

[@masterswordwielder]

The credits theme is the greatest credits theme of all time. No other VGM gets me close to tearing up. And Dire Dire Docks is just so iconic as well, just the whole OST of Mario 64. A no-skip album you could say😂

[@Instafail]

If a credits theme manages to make you look back fondly on your experiences with the game it's done a stellar job in my estimation. Needless to say, this one for SM64 delivers.

[@masterswordwielder]

Nintendo is the king of underwater music that sounds like UNDERWATER music. Well to be fair, I think sequences underwater are very rare for Playstation/XBOX games, so of clurse they are

[@MrPerson61]

This is pretty obscure, but Guild Wars 2 lets you make custom playlists for your own music that plays in game based on circumstances. I have this one in the Underwater playlist, it fits so well.

[@Bas_Brand]

14:40 the music was indeed pretty constrained on this hardware. the biggest size N64 carts typically are, is 64MB and all the instrument samples are on the cartridge itself and are called by midi files. Due to Nintendo charging the devs for extra space (any cart bigger than 16MB iirc) they often reeeealy tried to filesize optimize everything. So N64 samples are almost always bitcrushed as much as possible and they have basically no release (tail end) on them

[@JessesAuditorium]

64MB... hah

[@SuperLegendOf364]

There's just something about the Staff Roll to Mario 64 that just, friggin shifts the chemicals in my brain, bro. Pure Nostalgia. Anyone else grow up with the DS version of the game?

[@admiralbiggs]

The Queen's Blood background music is everything

[@swizzyswayne4270]

Another great track from SM64 is Koopa's Road. One of the most epic tracks from the game. I highly recommend listening to that.

[@BobzBlue]

Also used for Jolly Roger Bay

[@Dimumouto]

In regards to your comment on the staff roll feeling sad despite sounding happy, that's actually a major thing in film and video games. TotallyNotMark has a great segment on it in his video talking about the music in Dragon Ball Super, but the gist of it is this; if you want to make your melancholic ending feel that way, play happier sounding music. This is why, despite Dragon Ball GT being absolute ass, the last bits of the final episode hit hard because of its message and the music. And yeah, the staff roll has that same feel, even over 20 years later. It reminds me of a precious time in my life that I can never get back. It's sad, but happy at the same time.

[@TerryHintz300ATK]

15:41 Me too, it's when the game says goodbye for now and thanks you for playing and you get to see the cool people who worked on the game, some credits themes tend to be pretty emotional for me like Knights of the Round - STAFF ROLL and Mega Man X6 Ending - I.D.E.A. We lucked out for the rushed job from Capcom on Mega Man X6 and got the japanese songs for intro and credits, it was quite the life-changing experience to hear Showtaro Morikubo singing the intro when i was a kid.

[@zfanc555]

Koji Kondo Indeed did all the Mario and Zelda music back then! On the Nintendo 64 Koji Kondo's biggest Projects were: Mario64, Zelda - Ocarina of Time and Majora's mask! He did all the music himself on those games, exept for Majora's mask(he got a co'composer on some of the battle themes). Koji still continued to work for nintendo after the 64 era. It then became the Gamecube era. there he got more composers alongside with him. on stuff like Mario Sunshine, Mario Galaxy, Zelda Wind Waker and Zelda twilight princess! before the nintendo64 he did pretty much everything alone btw. he also programmed the sound stuff himself. also helped design the DS sound system.

[@RaK0]

You used the word "bittersweet" and it fully applies to the credits in M64. Additionally to the names you also see the different stages and characters you met throughout the game and this happy but also slightly melancholy tone was quite common during the N64 era. Mario Kart 64 for example, of all the games, has a similar vibe. Both songs feel like saying goodbye to someone you becamone fond of but you have to move on. They are my favorite credit themes of all time.

[@4400seriesFAN]

When Staff Roll plays: "Hey! Anyone feeling nostalgic at all right now?" No... That was just a random tear dropping from my eye... End Credits theme from this game is my favourite (of the game). Although, nothing can beat the first Mario Galaxy's theme (it also has an amazing aquatic theme "Beach Bowl Galaxy theme").

[@1gnore_me.]

worth noting that the drums are what you hear when you're above water in the water stages (except for the beach in jolly roger bay). they made it fade in so that it works as a single track, but it's just another bit of cool dynamic audio in early video games!

[@Bluestar90210]

I agree with your take on credits. I've watched some movies with some friends that skip the credits, even when they have animations or extra footage that is just beautiful and they just choose to end it there. I feel like said "Really bro?" to each their own, but I sometimes get peeved. 😆

[@GeekMasterGames]

SM64 was a favorite and still beloved for me back in the day. Staff Roll never fails to make me feel that pit in my gut and tears welling up. The song indeed plays during the credits theme and uses all of the major instrumental compositions for each previous song. The footage from the game is a montage of landscapes of the levels as credits are displayed.

[@FiveTimeFiveTimeFiveTime]

You have most likely heard segments of Bob-omb Battlefield before as well.

[@Americansfinest21]

Dire dire is such a good song. Plus love the queens blood playing in the back

[@Changanator]

Wow, 2 of my favorite tracks ever, this is amazing thank you

[@SuperNero791]

Didn't really know Nintendo music was underrated on this channel. Their music is my favorite video game music

[@Graeldon]

Nintendo is the best VGM Genre

[@SuperNero791]

@@Graeldon 100%

[@emperorpalpatine4953]

Cause they Copyright like there's no tommorow...

[@Thiagomii]

Another aquatic theme could be the Diving theme from WaterWorld on the SNES!! That song is amazing!!

[@melon3109]

Staff roll song is the perfect tune to reflect on a long adventure. It goes through scenes from the different levels and area. Very nostalgic. Fingers cross TMNT NES water level music makes an appearance in this upcoming video. Thats one the first i think of when i think water level music.

[@FSAPOJake]

Dire Dire Docks was the very first song from a video game I ever learned how to play on the piano. I taught myself how to play it within a couple days of picking the instrument up, and still love playing it every so often. Anyways, the electric piano part of this song plays when you're above water. When you're in water, the synth strings come in, and when you're in a cave, the drums and bass replace the synth strings.

[@garethrogue]

After realizing this is your first Mario 64 I sprinted over to your videos and saw you haven't reacted to any Ocarina of Time songs! You did Clock Town from Majora's Mask, but that's it! Oh man, my dude, Ocarinaaaaaaa!

[@vascotech88]

When it comes to why the music sounds like that, it is indeed a limitation of the cartridge size. Super Mario 64 was shipped in a 64Mbit cartridge (8MB in common computer file size). I dont have the Super Mario 64 tracks here but I do have the Mario Kart 64 and all the 61 tracks and effects are only about 1.03MB in size. These games contain an audio library which includes all the required sampels (soundfont) and then has the individual tracks/effects which are basically the code for a music sheet with commands. One of the biggest soundfonts for N64 is F-Zero, which has almost 10MB just for audio (compared to Super Mario 64 being only 8MB for the whole game). It has a lot of real audio samples as the music is mainly drums/rock/metal themed

[@BenRai2k]

17:00 the best bit of course...and yes, it is really sad sounding! :-) But also so upbeat. The ending theme for Hardcorps Uprising, despite being heavy metal and up beat has that same sad feeling too.

[@devonm042690]

Super Mario 64 was the first 3D game to ever have a maneuverable camera. As a means of conveying this concept to players there's a Fishin' Lakitu with a video camera on the end of his line (a Lakitu is a kind of Mario enemy that's a Koopa riding around in a special cloud, a Fishin' Lakitu is a variant that holds a fishing rod with something suspended on the end of the line), that is introduced both with his actions and with dialogue spoken to the player (it's voiceless text). This Fishin' Lakitu (the only one in the game) introduces himself as a reporter, live on the scene of Mario's latest attempt to thwart Bowser, and the player's play through the game is framed as footage this Lakitu cameraman has captured for his story. Manipulating the camera is framed as the Lakitu getting a better angle on the action. On the pause screen there's a place you can switch between camera modes. Lakitu Camera Mode is the default (which is the one the game focuses on introducing in a digestible way), there's also Mario Camera Mode which if I recall correctly makes the camera like a bodycam, and Fixed Camera Mode, which locks the camera at its current position. During the Staff Roll there are stills of various places from throughout the game, and Mario is always somewhere in those stills. They don't change based on where you did and didn't go in your playthrough, but as a new player it was kinda fun to try and guess where Mario was each time. I remember there were a couple of places I hadn't been to, and one in particular stumped me right up until the moment I stumbled into it later on, the reason for which is obvious to anyone familiar with the game. One sentence: 'there's a Wiggler in this game?'

[@Xagzan]

It's called Dire Dire Docks, but this music also plays in a natural lagoon level. It really is the nostalgic music of a brave new digital frontier in the 90s. Although personally, I played Banjo and DK64 first, which I consider to have improved the Mario 64 formula, so it wasn't the brand new experience for me that it was for others. If you're still looking for water themes, highly recommend Ocarina of Time's Water Temple. It's hypnotic, mysterious, all those good words. Also would suggest Clanker's Cavern from Banjo and Gloomy Galleon from DK64, if you want some more fun Grant Kirkhope tunes.

[@Riverbui]

I don't think it can be overstated just how iconic Super Mario 64's music is in the mario series. Sure, Super Mario Bros' main theme is the most recognizable theme, but usually the second song people think of when thinking of Mario music is Bob-Omb Battlefield, the first level theme of the game. The game has a small selection of songs that repeat in different sections of the game, like Slider, Bowser's Road, and Dire Dire Docks (which why is this not called Jolly Roger Bay considering you typically play that one first) but I think that each song in the game has had an everlasting effect on the mario franchise as a whole. It's not particularly unusual, because Nintendo likes to reuse music from the original games in their newer ones, this is the case with SMB3 and SMW. But I think SM64 really painted Mario's character in a way the earlier sprite based games couldn't. SM64 itself is such an important game due to being the first fully 3d game created, and left such a large influence on many games to follow. It's crazy to imagine just how much the music in this game left an impact on people experiencing such an influential game at a time when there was nothing like it.

[@KawaiRootBeer]

lol i used to play this game when i was three and i remember rediscovering the game when i was around 8 on an emulator, messing around with the cheats, then i used them to go up to the final bowser and beat him and i remember sobbing cuz i felt sad, like i truly accomplished something even though i cheated and didnt even know half the levels that showed on the staff roll lol

[@naeonixion]

This game was magical to play at the time. The first time they really NAILED 3D movement. The rumble pack... THIS and Starfox 64 absolutely rocked. Then Goldeneye came out. Then Ocarina of Time. Oh the N64 nostalgia coming back. Gaming, at that time, was absolutely blowing our minds with what could be done with the medium. PS1 had so many hits too. I wish I could go back to that time.

[@dewyocelot]

The nostalgia slideshows are on point lol. Scholastic book fairs were the highlight of the month for me every time.

[@Huy_YT]

Yeah figured that this would be next. The percussion gives it so much more momemtum which might sound kinda odd for an underwater stage, but in game it's actually only hearable on land. When I think of Chill VGM, Dire Dire Docks is easily my first thought. It immediately starts calming your thoughts and by the time the percussion kicks, it feels like it's time to stand up and move on. The Mario 64 credits theme always sounded like a birthday theme to me. It's time to blow out the candles, eat some cake that Peach baked and have some happy conversations around friends about the adventure^-^ When I think about catchy Chiptune, Koji Kondo comes to my mind instantly. He has mastered the concept of simple melodies that are super recognizeable after hearing it once. In Mario Maker 2 (a WiiU sequel on the Switch) there are these styles of different Mario games that can be chosen to build levels. Because of a certain features they added new themes to old games. While you could say that Koji Kondo basicly continued his work from decades ago, I still think it's incredible how well the new tracks blend in :D Also btw, since you are getting a Switch. If you want to catch up on some old Nintendo consoles the Switch has emulators tied to the online service. Might also be useful if you just want to get a gist of the game by booting it up for like half an hour. They got NES, SNES and Game Boy (Color too). For a more expensive membership you could additionally get N64, the Sega Mega Drive (weird and kinda ironic how that happened) and the Game Boy Advance. I know you like to go in blind to these reactions. It was just a thought I got when you talked about how you missed out on this part of gaming history^^

[@Cj-cv4wb]

Parting on good terms is parting none the less. 'Course it's a bit sad.

[@devonm042690]

Dire, Dire Docks is used for two levels. The music's name is the name of a level in the game, and the level it's named after is level 9, the second level it's used in. When you enter level 9 you're in a lagoon with a shark 20 or so feet below you, a manta 100 or so feet (it's a _really_ deep lagoon), and a whirlpool at the bottom. There's also an underwater tunnel in one of the walls of the lagoon near the bottom. This first area is where the really chill, first version of the song plays. On the other side of the underwater tunnel is the dock that level 9 is named after. The second version of the song, with the percussion, plays when you're at or above the surface of the water in this area. Underwater it still plays the first version. The first time you go to level 9 you're instructed to 'board Bowser's sub', and you find it docked at...well, the dock. Doing this unlocks a boss level right outside level 9, and once you clear that boss level the dock area changes, with the sub being gone and some automated loading cranes becoming active high up that Mario can perform acrobatics with.

[@minmodulation]

koji is the Nobuo of Mario and Zelda music lol

[@devonm042690]

'Thanks for playing' Yeah actually, a send-off from Charles Martinez, who was the voice of Mario from when he was first given a voice until very recently. 'Thank you so much for playing my game'

[@merryMellody]

Martinet*, but you got it 💜

[@GeekMasterGames]

Koji Kondo did the whole soundtrack, and there's a number of other great SM64 songs you should definitely check out. For sure!

[@pitongus]

Maridia from Super Metroid is a really good water theme song, with mysterious vibes. My favorite track from the game.

[@Mari_Izu]

Dire, Dire Docks is the name of the stage where this song plays first, so people use that to call the song, but in general it's the "water level" song.

[@Nowle92]

We used Dire Dire docks as my walking down the aisle, it was so beautiful

[@thebravoinformant]

Banjo Tooie Atlantis is also a fantastic aquatic theme

[@Kirby_Super]

I would absolutely LOVE if you listened to the track "Cave Dungeon" from this game, sometimes also referred to as "Hazy Maze Cave" I absolutely love that track

[@goldi947]

When you mentioned in the previous video that the next video was a big request for aquatic themes, I knew it had to be a Mario 64 theme.

[@kijengam3r614]

My ranking to video game musics 1- Sweden-Minecraft 2-Minecraft-Minecraft 3-Dire Dire Docks-Super Mario 64 4-Yearnings tho the wind-Chrono Trigger 5-The Wretched Automatons-NieR Gestalt 6-Abandoned Castle-Castlevania Curse of Darkness 7-Aquatic ambience-Donkey Kong Country 8-Baljhet Mountains-Castlevania Curse of Darkness 9-Morning Dew-Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 10-The rain Before the Storm Medley-Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 I have a Different taste from others to Music in games, Pls Like if you found at least 5 musics that you like here!😅

[@bunnytails]

My favorite track from this game. Thanks for the reaction!

[@soaDdevil86]

Your face in the beginning looked like you were half expecting Aaron Nevelle or Elton John to start singing, lol. Went through my head, anyway.

[@AREAlhero]

It had totally slipped my mind that these were the first SM64 songs on the channel, that's so crazy! And getting to Dire, Dire Docks today right after Aquatic Ambience is so fitting cause they are the two quintessential 'water level' themes in gaming for me. And SM64 Staff Roll is one of my favorite songs of all time, it instilled a love in me for credits music, and is probably my favorite one of those along with Zelda: Wind Waker's. I have vivid memories of replaying my SM64 save file over and over to hear this song (as well as hearing Ultimate Koopa when fighting Bowser, which I hope is in the request backlog!) If you ever wanted a primer on Nintendo composers, here is one if you want! Forgive me for the length, but I'll try to be as comprehensive as I can! I'll break down by series with some notes so you can kinda get a feel for who you would consider the "primary composer" of a series and their modern disciples! Also this will cover primarily Nintendo in-house composers but will make notable exceptions if certain series are defined by freelance composers. But of course, feel free to not read these if you'd rather want to keep your surprise for the purpose of reactions! Without further ado: Pre-NES Era: - Yukio Kaneoka: Composer of Nintendo's early arcade hits including most notably the Donkey Kong and Mario Bros arcade games. He designed the Famicom/NES audio processor, and would mentor two disciples - Koji Kondo and Hirokazu Tanaka. Mario: - Koji Kondo: Barely needs an introduction but I'll give him one anyways. Pioneered the sound of Nintendo's two earliest console hits with Mario and Zelda well into the N64 era, contributing primarily to console Zelda entries up until Majora's Mask, only making occasional appearances in the Zelda games following those. He still contributes to mainline Mario games regularly, albeit in a lesser capacity as he fosters new composers to work under his direction, like Mahito Yokota in the Mario Galaxy games, Shiho Fujii in the modern 2D Mario games, and very recent addition Sayako Doi in Mario Maker 2 and Mario Wonder. Donkey Kong: - David Wise: You just heard him, but his ambient style is so influential in VGM history. He co-composed DKC1 with Eveline Fischer and Robin Beanland but solo composed DKC2. He did not contribute to DKC3 originally but made an entirely new soundtrack for the GBA version. He returned to the series with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Mario Sports: - Motoi Sakuraba: Yep you read that right. Contracted by Camelot, these games' developer, Sakuraba composed every major entry in Mario Golf and Mario Tennis. He would then contribute songs for games directed by Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai, including some songs for Kid Icarus: Uprising, as well as arrangements for Super Smash Bros games. - Masayoshi Soken: I swear I'm not pulling your leg! The Mario basketball title Mario Hoops: 3-on-3 and Mario Sports Mix were developed by Square Enix, and Soken had a hand in each of those! The latter even featured contributions from Final Fantasy XI co-composer Kumi Tanioka. Mario Kart: - Kenta Nagata: Defined the sound of this series from Mario Kart 64 up to Mario Kart 7, with some exceptions, and now supervises the sound direction of Mario Kart 8. - Ryo Nagamatsu: No longer with Nintendo, but primarily composed for Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8, which adopted modern Mario's big band-inspired sound and went nuts with it in the best way. He also contributed songs for Splatoon 2 and 3, where he composed songs for select in game music groups, defining the sound of the Salmon Run mode. Mario RPGs: - Yoko Shimomura: Not a Nintendo employee but a Square one, her contributions are the collab project Super Mario RPG as well as the entirety of the Mario & Luigi series of RPGs. She's also contributed arrangements of other themes to Smash Bros games starting in Brawl as well as a few songs to Xenoblade Chronicles. - Fumihiro Isobe: One of many that work on the modern Paper Mario series, particularly notable for their contributions to the acclaimed Paper Mario: The Origami King series. Mario Party: - Yasunori Mitsuda: Yet another iconic Square composer, the original Mario Party was solely composed by Mitsuda, with a truly iconic soundtrack like Mitsuda is known for. He also composed the ending for Xenoblade Chronicles as well as songs for the rest of the series, two songs for Kid Icarus: Uprising, and arrangements for Super Smash Bros. Zelda: - Koji Kondo and others: Like was stated earlier, he defined the early sound of this series by contributing to all the major console titles until around the Wind Waker, where he was joined by Hajime Wakai and Toru Minegishi. Some combination of those two would co-compose Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword before eventually taking supervisory roles on the next Zelda titles. - Manaka Kataoka: She composed much of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom "open air" score and field themes, contributing vastly to the unique sound of these titles, which would also be worked on of a massive sound team of both Zelda alumni and newcomers. Metroid: - Hirokazu 'Chip' Tanaka: Chip Tanaka basically composed most of the non-Mario-or-Zelda NES titles and as such his many compositions are iconic, most notably working on the first two entries in the Mother/EarthBound series in addition to the first Metroid game. - Kenji Yamamoto: Perhaps Metroid's most prolific composer, having co-composed Super Metroid with Minako Hamano (who would help compose the next game, Metroid Fusion), and then solo composing the Metroid Prime Trilogy. He would continue to work with the Prime developers, Retro Studios, in composing Donkey Kong Country Returns. Kirby: - Jun Ishikawa: A HAL Labs in-house composer as well as the original Kirby composer, he composed the first few games by himself before co-composing most of HAL Lab's output, including most of the Kirby series. - Hirokazu Ando: The person who Jun Ishikawa co-composed modern Kirby with, he now leads a team alongside Ishikawa of many composers (up to 5 iirc) who all contribute to Kirby's wonderfully insane compositions. Pokemon: - Junichi Masuda: A Game Freak composer and programmer, he most notably composed for the first three Pokemon games before eventually transitioning to game design and director roles for the series, and eventually Game Freak itself. - Go Ichinose: A co-composer starting with the second generation of Pokemon (Gold and Silver) he still composes for the series to this day as one of their main composers. - Toby Fox: Composer and developer extraordinaire, he got involved with Game Freak compositions having helped compose Little Town Hero (a Game Freak side game), and contributing a song to Pokemon Sword and Shield. He composed a few more songs for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that feature prominently throughout the game.

[@Acupofwater_WAW]

The nostalgia.. It sure does feel good to smile.

[@Green.Blood.]

Koji Kondo is a living legend. Love your videos Jesse!

[@marlinsmanny]

Such a classic! This song is so chill

[@pampamtamtam4001]

I'd love to see you listen to "Inside the Crashed Space Frigate" from Metroid Prime's OST. Beautiful song.

[@thend4427]

One of my first video games love it hope u play it someday...and the staff roll includes scenes from each stage

[@siverwrites]

Yeah, you can't have a video about water themes without Dire Dire Docks and Aquatic Ambience, not if you don't want a riot in the comment section anyway lol. I totally get the happy sad bittsweet feeling of credit songs. Chrono Trigger is one that always gets me. I've played but not finished Mario 64 to get the credits, but I still get that feeling hearing it.

[@clementrenaud4260]

If you haven't listened them yet, I advise you to listen the Metroid scores, especially the ones from Super Metroid, Zero Mission and the Metroid Prime Trilogy, Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano are two pure genius.

[@geletrode]

Before watching i said, he is gonna say he heard this song before... I had that happen a few times now i thought i was listening to a dire dire docks rip and is changed into its own thing. Cant recall what songs those are but ya. Super Mario 64 part of gaming wonder for me. It was so eye opening to what games can be and it was such a good game it was kinda of mind blowing at the time even my mother was interested in the tech.