This kind of list is no stranger to the gaming community, yet another person who thinks they know good video game music is stepping forward to tell you about the gaming music they love. Indulge me for a moment however, I like to think that I can share with you a few pieces of music you may not have come across yet or if you have already, remind you of just why that music is great. In this blog I'll be taking a look at some old school video game music, around the SNES era and earlier.
Okay I admit, I almost went with Ken's theme for this one, then I remembered Street Fighter II's incredible ending music. I think a fair amount of people forget this piece which is a shame because for a fighting game which focuses on raw action it's really quite a pretty piece of music. It's nice after all your battles are done, you've beaten the final boss and seen the ending to just relax to this music and reflect on a fight well won.
Fatal Fury III - Big Shot Oh yeah, Terry Bogard's theme from Fatal Fury III. This is the perfect theme music, it's lively, exciting, intense and yet it somehow feels laid back and cool, it fits the character perfectly. It's a great track to fight to aswell, it's got just the right pace to it, it's easy to get into a rhytm. It feels like this song could play in a casual setting or a battle setting, it's somehow so versitile. I'll quite happilly lose a mirror match to Terry just to hear this song again.
Sparkster - Lakeside This could easilly just be called Sparkster's theme, it's an excellent triumphant track and it plays on the first level as if announcing Sparkster's arrival. This just feels like a hero's theme all around, it's triumphant and epic but it's got a certain lightheartedness to it, afterall Sparkster is a badass but he is still just a rodent with a sword, it doesn't take itself too seriously. This track actually has a quality to it that reminds me a little of the Corneria theme from Star Fox, another of my favorite tracks.
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu - The theme of Celice Ah this is one of my favorite moments in gaming. Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu is a rollarcoaster of emotions all the way to the end and when you're on your final approach to Celice's home he stops to have a very intimate and inspiring conversation with Oifaye and this song plays. The song sums up exactly who Celice is and what his mission is about, he is the last hope for the world and his theme sounds triumphant, but his life has been torn apart by tragedy so the song also sounds sad. It reminds us all that even though the world is full of darkness, that small glimmer of hope always remains.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles - The Doomsday Zone Super Sonic in the Doomsday Zone Enough of this sappiness, let's have something more crazy and epic! This was my favorite part of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, beating what you thought was the final boss at the end of the game only to suddenly be thrust into the Doomsday Zone and then this music starts playing. This music just feels frantic, it helps to make you feel more like you're really dashing through space and that you're in a tight situation. If Robotnik escapes here it's truly game over and Sonic has nothing to look forward to other than a screaming plummet back to earth as he burns to a crisp on re-entry.
Castlevania Dracula X - Bloodlines Ah yes almost everyone has their favorite Castlevania track, this one's mine. Again I like how this track announces Richter's arrival on the first level, like the Belmont family is returning after a long absence and they mean business. Aside from that I enjoy the melody of this track, it's got a real feel good vibe to it, makes you feel like a hero. It also has a good beat, it could just be me but it almost seems like Richter actually walks to the beat of this track.
The Terminator - Taking to the air Oh yeah I'll bet you didn't know about this one did you? Well if you owned a Sega CD like me you'll be treated to the best game adaption of the Terminator movie along with it's mind blowing soundtrack. This is the music for the first stage which is just my personal favorite but the entire soundtrack's just excellent. It's got a sort of cyberpunk sound going on and it just makes you feel right in the thick of the action.
Snatcher - One Night in Neo Kobe City I think a lot of people will have heard of this game but much less are likely to have played it. I really like to hear alternate forms of music in games and this jazz melody is just great, it sets up the mood of this game nicely. It does sound very much like the opening to a classy noir detective story (which is what Snatcher is I guess), the music also has a real liveliness to it which partners well with images of Neo Kobe City, it almost sets the city up as a character in itself.
Super Punch Out! - Fight music I'll end with a bit of a curve ball here. I'm sure you're all familiar with the Punch-out fight music and how could you not be, it's a pretty iconic tune. I really like the music for Super Punch-out though, it feels so lively and hard hitting, like each of the heavy beats is a punch. Again it's a good beat for playing the game to, it moves along with a rhytm similar to an actual boxing match and it really just feels excellent in the game. Now this track really really reminds me of the Star Fox Corneria theme, I wonder why all these songs sound similar to me.
Well that's it for the Old School edition, if you liked it check back in later for my personal new school picks.
5 Comments
@Video_Game_King: I guess I always think about Sigurd's death when I hear that song, sometimes things sound different depending on what mood you're in.
This kind of list is no stranger to the gaming community, yet another person who thinks they know good video game music is stepping forward to tell you about the gaming music they love. Indulge me for a moment however, I like to think that I can share with you a few pieces of music you may not have come across yet or if you have already, remind you of just why that music is great. In this blog I'll be taking a look at some old school video game music, around the SNES era and earlier.
Okay I admit, I almost went with Ken's theme for this one, then I remembered Street Fighter II's incredible ending music. I think a fair amount of people forget this piece which is a shame because for a fighting game which focuses on raw action it's really quite a pretty piece of music. It's nice after all your battles are done, you've beaten the final boss and seen the ending to just relax to this music and reflect on a fight well won.
Fatal Fury III - Big Shot Oh yeah, Terry Bogard's theme from Fatal Fury III. This is the perfect theme music, it's lively, exciting, intense and yet it somehow feels laid back and cool, it fits the character perfectly. It's a great track to fight to aswell, it's got just the right pace to it, it's easy to get into a rhytm. It feels like this song could play in a casual setting or a battle setting, it's somehow so versitile. I'll quite happilly lose a mirror match to Terry just to hear this song again.
Sparkster - Lakeside This could easilly just be called Sparkster's theme, it's an excellent triumphant track and it plays on the first level as if announcing Sparkster's arrival. This just feels like a hero's theme all around, it's triumphant and epic but it's got a certain lightheartedness to it, afterall Sparkster is a badass but he is still just a rodent with a sword, it doesn't take itself too seriously. This track actually has a quality to it that reminds me a little of the Corneria theme from Star Fox, another of my favorite tracks.
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu - The theme of Celice Ah this is one of my favorite moments in gaming. Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu is a rollarcoaster of emotions all the way to the end and when you're on your final approach to Celice's home he stops to have a very intimate and inspiring conversation with Oifaye and this song plays. The song sums up exactly who Celice is and what his mission is about, he is the last hope for the world and his theme sounds triumphant, but his life has been torn apart by tragedy so the song also sounds sad. It reminds us all that even though the world is full of darkness, that small glimmer of hope always remains.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles - The Doomsday Zone Super Sonic in the Doomsday Zone Enough of this sappiness, let's have something more crazy and epic! This was my favorite part of Sonic 3 and Knuckles, beating what you thought was the final boss at the end of the game only to suddenly be thrust into the Doomsday Zone and then this music starts playing. This music just feels frantic, it helps to make you feel more like you're really dashing through space and that you're in a tight situation. If Robotnik escapes here it's truly game over and Sonic has nothing to look forward to other than a screaming plummet back to earth as he burns to a crisp on re-entry.
Castlevania Dracula X - Bloodlines Ah yes almost everyone has their favorite Castlevania track, this one's mine. Again I like how this track announces Richter's arrival on the first level, like the Belmont family is returning after a long absence and they mean business. Aside from that I enjoy the melody of this track, it's got a real feel good vibe to it, makes you feel like a hero. It also has a good beat, it could just be me but it almost seems like Richter actually walks to the beat of this track.
The Terminator - Taking to the air Oh yeah I'll bet you didn't know about this one did you? Well if you owned a Sega CD like me you'll be treated to the best game adaption of the Terminator movie along with it's mind blowing soundtrack. This is the music for the first stage which is just my personal favorite but the entire soundtrack's just excellent. It's got a sort of cyberpunk sound going on and it just makes you feel right in the thick of the action.
Snatcher - One Night in Neo Kobe City I think a lot of people will have heard of this game but much less are likely to have played it. I really like to hear alternate forms of music in games and this jazz melody is just great, it sets up the mood of this game nicely. It does sound very much like the opening to a classy noir detective story (which is what Snatcher is I guess), the music also has a real liveliness to it which partners well with images of Neo Kobe City, it almost sets the city up as a character in itself.
Super Punch Out! - Fight music I'll end with a bit of a curve ball here. I'm sure you're all familiar with the Punch-out fight music and how could you not be, it's a pretty iconic tune. I really like the music for Super Punch-out though, it feels so lively and hard hitting, like each of the heavy beats is a punch. Again it's a good beat for playing the game to, it moves along with a rhytm similar to an actual boxing match and it really just feels excellent in the game. Now this track really really reminds me of the Star Fox Corneria theme, I wonder why all these songs sound similar to me.
Well that's it for the Old School edition, if you liked it check back in later for my personal new school picks.
5 Comments