A select list of certain video game songs that many of them are my all-time favorites from each game, but are memorable and interesting to me in many ways. It’s been awhile since I wrote a fun, interesting GB list outside of the GOTY list, so I hope this is a fun read. Here’s a link to listen to all of the songs straight through via Youtube playlist, or individually below.
Order of games are in rough chronological order of when they were first released.
Showing 1-10 of 23 items
Beyond the Galaxy I never played this Sega game, but I came across this unexpected awesome funk jam through Data Discs’s release of the game’s soundtrack on vinyl. This track not only has that future sci-fi sound that matches the game’s setting, but also composed in a way that likens it so much with those great 70s era funk songs. It checks off so much of the funk checklist: funk bass, smooth synthesizers, a drum solo, and cowbell! I cannot attest for the quality of the game, but I can attest to the quality of this song.
I Am Man I AM NINJA MAN! *plays condensed offkey cover of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”* I never played the arcade version of Ninja Gaiden. Just like the entry above, I came through this surprise through purchasing Brave Wave’s vinyl box set of the original NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy and arcade soundtracks.
Silence F-Zero was not only the first Super Nintendo game I owned and played, but was also the first video game where I noticed the cool sound and presence of the bass guitar. Oddly enough, my favorite song from the game’s impressive soundtrack is the Silence race track theme. Though the track’s song is not that long in actual length, but I love how the first half is serene with the the keyboards/synths riding on top of a running hi-hat and standard bass, then it bursts out with this groovy bassline along with blaring synths and trumpet aloneside. I also found the song meshing in with the track’s setting, even if there’s this kick-ass song playing on a race track titled Silence.
The Great Petal Part elegance, part madness. That’s what I always feel listening to the Sir Richard Rose’s theme in one of Konami’s line of classic side-scrolling shooters. The “Spanish guitar” is the elegance, as you see the final boss standing on some sort of mansion with his attire and flarish attitude; then the thumping keyboards comes in representing the madness of fighting him and his numerous henchmen. The song isn’t that long in length, but the repetitiveness of this music mixed in with the context brings more out of the song. I not only like the song for what it is and what it served, but it always brings back strong memories surrounding this boss fight.
Circuit C Everytime I hear this song, I’m always imagining the guitar riffs played are mimicking a duck’s quack for some reason. I realize that ducks don't quack in quick succession, but I still can’t shake those riffs as quacks. Adding to the absurdity of this song is the keyboards playing a countermelody against the guitar. It’s a weird song, but I’m equally as weird being oddly enthralled with the song’s composition.
Castle of Ninjas This song stuck out to me for a number of odd reasons, the oddest one being that this section of the game was the farthest I ever got in this game. The composition of the mournful, sustained synth/pan flute notes with the prominent bassline meshes in so well with in testing the player’s skill in infiltrating through a challenging ninja castle. It’s also groovy in its own odd way. Someday I’ll return back to this game and finally pass through this section that I never overcame as a kid.
Requiem in D Minor K-626 Dies Ire I never realized as a kid that everything around the country setting, the orchestra background, this song, and the character name revolved around Mozart. Back then, I thought it was a fitting song for a hard-ass final boss battle. Now, I found this piece more fascinating know the origins behind Krauser’s character and stage. Though the compressed 16-bit sound may not capture the dynamics of an orchestra recording, it’s awesome that a musical composition from the 18th century can still set the setting so well around a fighting video game.
Moon World / Raphael This particular theme from Tetris Attack is where I first took admiration on light, sublime music. The harp is the star of the show in this song, but the surrounding sustained synths and the mechanical percussion all combine to an impeccable theme that not only matches the stage setting in the game, but also listenable in its own right. The critical music for this stage is also chill with an added darker tone.
Stickerbush Symphony It’s funny that this fantastic David Wise composition is set to one of the most aggravating stages in DKC2. I guess the stage being set high in the clouds with the only means of transportation is knowing which revolving barrels to go to while avoid the spiky vines and enemies has an alluring affect why the stage and the song are so memorable to me. Many years later, I appreciated the juxtaposition of stage difficulty and beautiful, melancholic soundtrack as like a pyrrhic victory. It took a lot out of me to finally beat the stage, but at least I got to listen to this great song during the entire ride while dying a lot. It’s also a great song that stands up well outside of its context.
Great Britian Out of all the games and songs from this list, the inclusion of this song and game is probably the most far-fetched out of them all. This came about from not playing the game myself, but witnessing another player playing this game, that it took my friend over an hour to beat this stage that is only a couple of minutes to beat, the hilarity of my friend retrying the stage over and over while this song played over, and that I still have a fond recollection of this memory are all signs why it wins most far-fetched. The song isn’t that long and just goes back and forth normal to octave higher then back again with the same frantic synths, galloping bass and percussion, but in context with my memory of watching my friend play and joking about the song continually until he finally persevere is something that was strangely memorable to me back when it happened a few years ago and still is to this day.