Favorite Tunes #226: Mango

What does Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, Fantasy Zone and F-ZERO have to do with this week's Favorite Tunes? Yeah, that's a stupid question because I wasn't sure what to write for this week's intro. 

Omen - Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

Years ago, I relucantly rented Final Fantasy VI from Blockbuster Video (to give you an idea of how long ago that was) because they didn't have Mega Man 7 in. When I booted the game up and was greeted with this overwhelmingly powerful piece, I knew I was in for something special. This track  combines several themes into including FFVI poster girl, Terra.  

Guile Stage - Street Fighter II' Special Champion Edition (GEN)

I think this is the third or fourth rendition of Guile's theme I've posted in Favorite Tunes. The Genesis sound chip does a good job of making the music sound a bit more like the CPS-I audio that the SFII was based off of, though Guile's theme does sound a key or two higher here. Still, this is a fine version of flat top's jam. 

Opening Theme - F-ZERO (album)

Back in the early 1990s, the original F-ZERO was given a killer arranged album simply titled F-ZERO and like all the cool stuff, it was only released in Japan. While rock is heavily associated with F-ZERO music, this was a full blown jazz album.

Main Menu - DRAGON Ball FighterZ (PS4, XBO, PC)

How's the latest patch for this game treating you all? Maybe that's a question I shouldn't ask. Well, we've finally got a theme from DBFZ that isn't a character theme or a level track. Main Menu themes really don't get enough love. 

Mango! - Super Fantasy Zone (GEN)

This Mega Drive version of Fantasy Zone was unavailable to gamers in the west until it was released on the Wii's Virtual Console. The soundtrack was not done by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, but rather Naoki Kodaka who turned in some really good Fantasy Zone tracks.  

Staff Roll - Street Fighter EX2 Plus (PS)

Since we've reached the end of another Favorite Tunes, let's close it out with a staff roll song. Like the Tekken series, when the EX titles came home, they recieved a few extras not found in the arcade versions such as more modes and of course, remixed music. When it came to the original EX, the PS arranged tunes were vastly superior to the arcade tracks. However, the arcade tunes of EX2 are so good that they rival that of the arranged tracks. 

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Favorite Tunes #216: Raging in the Streets

I'll bet you've never played a beat 'em up before and thus, you'll never guess what the subtitle refers to! Yeah, that is my pitiful attempt to add more to this intro. Some games from my favorite genre, shoot 'em ups, are getting some love this week as well as my main hedgehog, Sonic as well as another fellow that has Sonic in his name. And that and Dragon Ball, too!

Aqua Blue - Gunbird (ARC)

I'd heard of Gunbird but until recently, I'd never actually played it. This Psikyo arcade SHMUP was received a few home ports included a localized one under the title Mobile Light Force. Gunbird is also available on Steam and recently received a Switch port going by the name Gunbird for Nintendo Switch, which is my preferred method of playing this shooter. I love this game's art style and upbeat music.

Boss (Vs, Eggman) - Sonic Forces (PS4, XBO, NS, PC)

Sonic Forces is far from being a fantastic Sonic game but it isn't the crap fest so many people state it is. The music is actually pretty dang good. Granted Tee Lopes is a tough act to follow, but Naofumi Hayata worked his Genesis sound font magic and gave us some sick retro-style beats. Pity you only get to hear so little of this one as you'll damage Eggman so quickly that the theme shifts to a much more faster paced version of the boss theme.

Trunks - DRAGON BALL FighterZ (PS4, XBO, PC)

Kenji Yammamoto may not be writing the music for our DBZ fighting games anymore but we've still got plenty of good, energetic tunes to keep us hyped. DBFZ is packed with plenty of rock, some jazz and even hopeful tunes, the last one of which is very fitting for Trunks, who once again finds himself fighting to save his dystopian world in the future in Dragon Ball Super.

Dilapidated Town - Streets of Rage (GEN)

Yuzo Koshiro. The man is a music writing genius and a huge, huge fan of western music. While many will argue that the peak of Streets of Rage music is with the second entry, I kinda feel like that is a huge disservice to the first and third game. After the energy pumping first level theme that is Fighting in the Street, the second level tones it down a notch with Dilapidated Town.

Stage 2A - Zero Gunner 2 (DC)

Originally released on the Dreamcast, Zero Gunner 2 saw a remade re-release called Zero Gunner 2- for Nintendo Switch. Another Psikyo SHMUP, the source code was lost, hence why the Switch version was made from the ground up. The music may sound a bit flat or generic, but there's still some good jams to listen to outside of gameplay.

Space Station - Sonic Blast Man (SNES)

Originally an arcade game consisting of several target hitting stages, Sonic Blast Man was later ported to the SNES as a full fledged five stage beat 'em up. The target punching levels from the arcade version were included as bonus levels. Being a Taito game, Sonic Blast Man's soundtrack is of exceptional quality.

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Favorite Tunes #213: Yes, it is a JoJo Reference

There's no speedy hedgehogs or ex-plumbers in this week's music selection but we do have plenty of anime games, pixelated knights and the best pink, cutest blob ever.

West City Stage - DRAGON BALL FighterZ (PC, PS4, XBO)

When this game was revealed in 2017, the 2018 release seemed so far away. Well, 2018 has come and DBFZ does not disappoint. This 3-on-3 fighters from old favorites like Piccolo to new ones like Hit. The music is just as on point as the lightning fast fighting. West City's normal stage tune has a bit of dub-step thrown in but it doesn't go overboard. I like how DBFZ doesn't lock music tracks to any one particular stage but lets you choose what track plays on the stage that you select.

A Curious Happening - Secret of Mana (SNES)

With the Secret of Mana remake coming out this month, now is a good time to get familiar, or re-familiar some of the game's original SNES compositions. I haven't sought out any of the game's remade tracks so I won't know what they sound like until I actually play the game. This track probably really came out of left field for me when I first play Secret of Mana all those years ago.

Mode Select - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven (PS4)

We got ourselves another game based off of a manga/anime property. Years ago JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was known to western audiences due to the games and the memes. Now, the series is widely recognized thanks to anime adaptations of the first three parts (if you didn't know, this is a very long running series) and now far more memes than ever.

Steel Thy Shovel - Shovel Knight (Wii U, PC, 3DS, PS4, XBO, NS)

There have been numerous games that have soured people on Kickstarter projects. Shovel Knight was not one of them. Not only did this crowd funded game turn out to be fantastic, but it was supported with new content long after it's original 2014 release. If for some reason, you haven't played this one yet, you're missing out.

War in the Underpass Pt. II - Alien vs. Predator (ARC)

When I think of Capcom arcade beat 'em ups, four games come to mind: Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (the GOAT), Knights of the Round, Final Fight, and Alien vs. Predator. There have been a slew of AvP games but this is the one I'm most familiar with. It has amazing sprites, animation and sweet soundtrack. If you wanna play this one, MAME is your only option.

Iceberg Map - Kirby's Dream Land 3 (SNES)

Since it is still winter time, this track is still relevant, seasonally speaking, of course.  By the time Kirby's Dream Land hit the SNES, it was late 1997. The N64 was grabbing people's attention (not nearly as much as the PS, but still) and Nintendo have moved on from their 16-bit baby. If you've never played Kirby's Dream Land 3 but have extensively played Return to Dream Land, this jam is sure to sound familiar to you.

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DRAGON BALL FighterZ: Prepare to Get Bodied

The new hotness, DRAGON BALL FighterZ has finally come out. After a killer 2017, the game is a great way to kick of 2018. If you aren't into fighting games but you love yourself some Dragon Ball, chances are, you picked up DBFZ. As of this editorial, there are a copious amount of videos pertaining to DBFZ on YouTube. I am by no means a fighting game enthusiast, but I still like to throw down in a 2D or 3D brawler, nonetheless. So what could peasant like me offer as advice on the latest fighting craze? You're gonna get bodied online. A lot.

No one likes to lose. We like to win. We're wired that way. But if you plan to go online in DBFZ, then you need to brace yourself for the harsh reality: someone is going to firmly plant their size 10s on your butt cheeks and every time you take a shower or sit down, you're going to be reminded that you had to hold the fattest L. Losing sucks but you should not let it keep you from playing this awesome fighter. Getting handed defeats is a big part of the learning experience.

Piccolo is smiling because someone is about to
catch some serious work.

We love to see Goku as this unbeatable god. Yes, Goku has had many victories and he is crazy strong. However, there is so much focus on his wins that I'm not sure if people remember how many times throughout his life that Goku got his Saiyan keister handed to him. General Blue, Tao Papai, and Demon King Piccolo are just a few of the opponents that gave Goku a beating on the journey to get to where he is now. And even after obtaining his Super Saiyan forms and beyond, he still came up against fighters that were better than him. One of my favorite things about DBZ: Battle of Gods is that even though Goku got access to Super Saiyan God powers, he still couldn't beat Lord Beerus. There will always be someone better but that shouldn't stop you from striving to improve yourself.

17 and 18 are giving Cell some long overdue payback.

Actually, I do have some more advice for a players getting into DBFZ. Go into practice and spend some time there. Every time you fire the game up, devote some time to practice mode. You can learn the basics of the game, your movement options, and so on. Every time I hit practice I come away knowing something I previously didn't know. Don't get frustrated if your growth rate isn't at a rapid pace. Some improvement is better than no improvement. Catch yourself falling into nasty habits? Train yourself to stop so you become less predictable. If you can, record your matches so you can see just where you faltered and from there, you can work on bettering yourself. That's the thing about defeat: it can be more instructive than winning.

Above all else, have fun with DRAGON BALL FighterZ. I'm dreading the day when tier lists start coming out for this game. I do not want this game to turn into something where we only see a handful of characters getting used because a stupid lists says only this meager selection is worth a crap. Play the characters you like and have yourself a good time. Now get out there and go raise that power level.