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.
Outrun. Magical Sound Shower. Splash Wave. Passing Breeze. Perfection.
I am kinda boring since I’m usually not as big of a fan of music from the 16 bit consoles when compared to the next gen, but due to childhood nostalgia of playing Sonic Mega Collection, I love the Green Hill Zone theme alongside Emerald Hill Zone theme. I personally think they sound marvelous when I listen to them with headphones plugged into my Genesis.
I cannot make any meaningful statements about my other favorite, Palm Tree Panic ( present ) JP version since I don’t have a Mega Drive, Mega CD, and Japanese copy of Sonic CD. But it’s still a bop in my book.
Because I haven’t seen these posted yet:
My GOAT, Vectorman - https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLErsx10Ke4uzHIN8IfCxR42aNjNJXaW8s
Sonic & Knucles - https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL60EFD683648EAABA Flying Battery Zone in particular.
X-Men - https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLErsx10Ke4uzRC7XAllJklKSGOqLBNV5U Honourable mention, at very least it vibes thematically.
Rye Umemoto is a legendary composer who worked on a large library of Japan-only PC games in the 90s, in particular, NEC PC-98 computers.
The PC-98 used a slightly more advanced but older FM synthesizer soundchip that was a relative of the one SEGA used in the Genesis. The Genesis had the YM2612 and the PC-98 had the YM2608.
His work on Xenon, Desire, YU-NO, EVE Burst Error, Grounseed, etc were just fire. I think his works were the best during that era. I havent found a single one of his songs to be subpar. He definitely knew a good song fit the mood of the game, and didn’t only have fancy arpeggios.
Corneria from Star Fox is a fucking banger.
Plok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGcEZmb_LCg&t=322s
Been obsessed with this track from Hany in the Sky for PC Engine. Also you may be interested in the Legacy Music Hour podcast. They play tracks from third and fourth generation consoles and talk about them. It’s no well known, but it is the longest rubbing VGM podcast. It is two comedians (well I guess one former comedian turned barber), but it is not a comedy podcast.
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.
Oh yeah Super Castlevania IV has fantastic original music but especially Simon’s theme.
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 MegaDrive 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 Air Zonk!) 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.
Oh thanks for the precision! After checking both Yasunori Mitsuda AND Nobuo Uematsu are credited for Chrono Trigger OST! we were both right! <3
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.)
Have you tried Tunic? It’s probably the closest non-Zelda game to scratch the Zelda itch for me.
Try A Link to the Past Randomizer sometime.
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.
Danzen Dungeon - Dynamite Headdy https://youtu.be/wkSSg4ozvQQ?is=08GE7sXjBJN6nug1
Hydrocity Zone Act 2 - Sonic 3 https://youtu.be/PNYL4w-qxcE?is=99ozwJkZyBA3fmhM
F-Zero - Big Blue Theme. Still stuck in my head decades later.
The Stunt Race FX theme also goes hard.
Chrono Trigger has a few bangers
Guardia Millennial Fair and Frog’s Theme are absolutely brilliant
Came to also post Chrono Trigger, but for me it is the Zeal theme.
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.
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
There are a lot of comments mentioning Follin’s work. Plok, Solstice, Silver Surfer, Pictionary, it’s all there.
WOAH that pictionary track!
Pictionary brings it HARD!
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.
