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Saturday, August 19, 2017

Favorite Tunes #194: The Platform Boys are Back in Town

Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog and Crash Bandicoot. Three of the biggest names in platforming, all of which had or have big games coming out this year, making 2017, a great year for platform fans. Besides, some platform kings, there's also music from Final Fight and Rad Mobile.

Level 4 (Venus) - Descent (PC, PS)


Descent was one of my earliest entries into 3D gaming. It was a one of the first FPS I ever experienced and it was the first time I ever got motion sickness from a video game. The AI could learn and adapt to your attacks, which was pretty impressive stuff for the times. And of course, the soundtrack was killer.

Fall Head Over Heal - Rad Mobile (ARC)


If Rad Mobile is remembered for anything, it would have to be it's killer soundtrack with a few, ahem, interesting track names that I'll probably get around to posting sometime in the future. The other thing Rad Mobile is famous for is that it is the first game that Sonic appeared in. It's a cameo appearance but Sonic was a air freshener before running around in Green Hill Zone in 1991.

Katana - Final Fight (SNES)


Originally concieved as part of the Street Fighter series, Final Fight broke off and became it's own animal, but was still set in the Street Fighter universe. When it came time to bring the arcade hit to the SNES, this version was hit some some serious santization. The two player mode was removed, among other things and the boss of the second level, Sodom, was changed to Katana. The SNES sound chip is understandably different from Capom's arcade boards, but I still dig the SNES renditions of Final Fight's music. Gotta love that guitar whaling in this theme.

Treetop - Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB)


When thinking of some music to represent gaming's most iconic plumber, I was originally going to spring for something from his console releases, but decided to go for one his earlier handheld titles on the Game Boy. Super Mario Land 2 has a wonderful soundtrack that reuses it's main theme to great affect. This is still some Kazumi Totaka's best stuff.

The Eel Deal - Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (PS4)


While Crash's long awaited return is in the form of remakes, it is no less a joyous occasion. The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy has done remarkably well and could pave the way for brand new Crash adventures. Despite the copious amounts of frustration I've endured, I've really enjoyed my time with N. Sane Trilogy. The instrumentation for the sewer levels may not quite match that of the original game, but I find this version playing in my head more than the PS original.

Tabloid Jargon (Press Garden Act 1) - Sonic Mania (PS4, XBO, NS, PC)


I actively avoided hearing any remixed or brand new music in Sonic Mania leading up to it's release because I wanted my experience with it to be as fresh as possible. Tee Lopes blew us all away a year ago with his Studiopolis Zone Act 1 track and it's probably still his most popular track from the game. When I arrived in Press Garden Zone, I could not believe the music that my ears was being blessed with. More over, Studiopolis Zone Act 1, there's a new king of Sonic Mania tunes, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Favorite Tunes Database

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