I love these games and I think the soundtracks are underrated as an essential part of their appeal. I’ll Start with one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk72RMv9d0s
Tube of Medusa from Ecco2: Tides of Time.
Personally, I think the Sega CD version soundtrack is… fine, but it has a different composer. If I remember correctly, it;s the composer from the first Ecco. In my opinion, it’s inoffensive, but completely forgettable.
EDIT: I have edited the topic to include older stuff.
Danzen Dungeon - Dynamite Headdy https://youtu.be/wkSSg4ozvQQ?is=08GE7sXjBJN6nug1
Hydrocity Zone Act 2 - Sonic 3 https://youtu.be/PNYL4w-qxcE?is=99ozwJkZyBA3fmhM
NES is Contra Jungle
SNES is Simon’s Theme from Super Castlevania IV
N64 is probably most of F-Zero X
The 'Cube is rough since I grew up with it so I love a lot of it. Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Sunshine, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess. Too hard to pick.
TG16 is the original Bonk. That level 1 music lives in my head.
all the MegaMan on the NES
The Thunderforce III and IV, the 3 (yes, three, including the experimental soundtrack of the third!) Streets of Rage on the Genesis
Anything Nobuo Uematsu on the SNES (Final Fantasy IV, V, VI, Chrono Trigger, Actraiser, etc.) and U.N Squadron
Soldier Blade and Final Soldier (and BC Kid) on the PCEngine (that a small part of the world calls TG16 for some reason?!)
Excellent comment. One correction, Chrono Trigger music was by Yasunori Mitsuda, not Nobuo Uematsu.
I’d personally add Castlevania and maybe a few other Konami games from the NES to the list. I have a Castlevania track as my ringtone right now.
You’re both right: Both of them worked on Chrono Trigger with Noriko Matsueda.
Interesting, it appears Uematsu did compose a handful of the 60+ tracks. The vast Majority were composed by Mitsuda though.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. They still haven’t made a better Zelda or Zelda-like game. (No disrespect to the Ocarina of Time fans, but I consider 3D Zelda to be a different type of game… and not really one I want to play. I’ve tried, it’s just not for me. I do love the 2D ones though.)
Replayed it recently, and even looking through my intense nostalgia for OoT, I must agree. lttP holds up shockingly well.
Agreed. LTTP is peak Zelda.
F-Zero - Big Blue Theme. Still stuck in my head decades later.
The Stunt Race FX theme also goes hard.
The IG Donkey Kong Country, underwater levels. It was a major shift in game mechanics and mood when it started.
Basically all the music from Final Fantasy 6, but in particular, the one from the haunted forest.
I don’t have exotic choices to give, but Final Fantasy VI is still my favorite soundtrack. Kefka’s theme is iconic.
Also, the music for the first level of Castlevania 3 (“Beginning”) is timeless.
The OG Castlevania still brings me so much spooky joy ,but you’re right, FF6 is next level.
Can’t mention best NES tracks without Tim Follin. Silver Surfer level 1 is insane. Also the soundtrack for the unreleased game Time Trax.
Most of my favorites have been covered here, but I haven’t seen F-Zero for the SNES mentioned. It had a ton of great tracks (no pun intended).
Select screen by Zelda Link to Past completely messed with my brain, I’ve started to loop the theme since I first played the game for the first time months ago: https://photon.slrpnk.net/post/slrpnk.net/39723494
Chrono Trigger has a few bangers
Guardia Millennial Fair and Frog’s Theme are absolutely brilliant
We often have music on in the office, and anyone can put on whatever they want. Chrono Cross Scars of Time came on and I nearly gave myself whiplash. I found who put it on and he started playing game music for the rest of the day, including CT and Final Fantasy. It was great.
I’m quite fond of Italy, from 8 eyes.
I’m pretty fond of David Wise’s work. The easy pick is Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2 for the SNES, but he also worked on Iron sword: Wizards and Warriors II for the NES which has some great tracks too. Also the entire Battletoads and Snake Rattle n Roll soundtracks if I recall correctly (I was a Nintendo kid, if it isn’t obvious).
If it isn’t stretching too far forward, Einhander on the PS1. It’s still the side scroller I judge others against and the soundtrack just feels “right” from start to finish.
Stickerbrush Symphony from Donkey Kong Country 2 is still goosebumps territory.
And so many awesome remixes etc.
Dave Wise is probably my favorite retro Game Music composer. It’s kinda hard to say that given all the other amazing music, but man, from the NES all the way to the modern era he’s fantastic.
The Solar Jetman soundtrack is amazing to me.
surprised i haven’t seen much reference to Tim Follin’s work! IMO the title screen music from Plok! is unquestionably the most impressive bit of sound i’ve ever heard from a SNES. just when you’ve picked your jaw off the floor from the amazingly convincing harmonica sound, the lead “guitar” kicks in and your jaw drops again.
for a bit of a more conventional chiptune sound, the NES Pictionary soundtrack (also Tim Follin) hits pretty damn hard considering that it is, well, Pictionary
WOAH that pictionary track!
Pictionary brings it HARD!
