Favorite Tunes #273: Keep Yourself Alive

You ready for Thanks Giving? Man, I can already taste the turkey and other delicious eats. It ain't much but here's six tracks to tied you over until next Thursday arrives.

Shower of Blossoms - Star Ocean: The Second Story (PS)

The second title in the Star Ocean series and the first to be released outside of Japan. It was also the first (and as of right now, the only) Star Ocean game I've played. The gorgeous soundtrack comes from series vet, Motoi Sakuraba. Whether you want some battle themes that rip or some nice, calming music, this soundtrack has you covered.

Keep Yourself Alive (Sol's Theme) - Guilty Gear (PS)

With Guilty Gear news popping up all over, this is as good a time as any to bring the series hard rocking beats back to Favorite Tunes. The PS often lagged behind when it came to the Saturn on 2D fighters, yet the original Guilty Gear is fondly remember for its sick, stylish visuals and head banging soundtrack. If you're a Guilty Gear head, you're probably already doing air guitar after reading the name of this track.

Long-Horned Beetle (Art of Fighting Team) - THE KING OF FIGHTERS '96

I've been making a KOF playlist and its given me time to once again list to the KOF soundtracks. Still not sure which game has my favorite score, but '96 definitely has some of my fav SNK jams. I seldom mess with the Art of Fighting team in KOF, but dang, if this theme isn't the bees knee. I expect nothing less from SNK and from the fight team that has a whole series of amazing soundtracks.

Ending/Staff Roll - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (NS)

I finished the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening back in mid October but the game is still stuck in my head. I got the best ending and that ending really hit me hard in the feels. I loved hearing new takes on these old tracks and the final music piece, which is one of my favorite ending/staff roll themes for Nintendo music, did not disappoint.

Boss - Batman: The Video Game (NES)

Sunsoft games on the NES usually had killer soundtracks. Batman :The Video Game not only had fantastic music but the game itself, while being extremely difficult, was actually quite good. Everyone remembers the theme from Stage 1 but what about this boss track? This is the very definition of a banger.

Time To Make History - Persona 4 Golden (PS3)

I still have not played Persona 4 yet (or 5, 2 and 3 for that matter). Thanks to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, I have been exposed to more of the series music. Now I can hum more songs than Last Surprise when I'm out in public.

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Favorite Tunes #165: Battle Against a True Hero

Due to my work schedule being switched around and it being the Thanks Giving weekend last week, I decided to take a one week break from the blog. Welp, breaks over and time to head back to work. On the blog, that is. Enjoy the latest Favorite Tunes.

Gau - Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

Despite Gau's feral, beastly appearance lurks a kind, gentle soul, which is pretty amazing when you consider that his father abandon him, leaving Gau to grow up alone and fend for himself out on the Veldt. Even when Gau gets to meet his father years later, he isn't angry or bitter with him even though he has every right to be.

Quiet Storm - Racing Lagoon (PS)

We move from one Square Enix game to another. Racing Lagoon brought in some RPG elements into the racing genre and the game never saw a release outside of Japan. The soundtrack has a lot of techno with some jazz thrown in for good measure.

A Solitude that Asks Nothing in Return - Guilty Gear X (ARC, DC, PS2)

For me, the Guilty Gear games have some of slickest 2D sprites in a fighting game. It also helps that the series has a killer fighting engine and while some of the character designs are pretty out there, I feel they ultimately work to the series' favor. And who doesn't like the plethora of sick rock and metal beats that these games keep feeding us?

Battle Against a True Hero - Undertale (PC)

Well, would you look at that, Undertale shows up again in Favorite Tunes. What can I say, I LOVE this game's soundtrack. For the rock, chiptune and orchestral lover, this game's music has something for everyone and it feels like a love letter to the evolution of game music. Without spoiling anything, this particular battle theme is reserved one one of the game's most memorable clashes.

Multiplayer - Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team (PSP)

Most fans that watched the Dragon Ball Z in Japanese are quite harsh towards Bruce Faulconer's rock music in place of Shunsuke Kikuchi's classical style. Ironically, music in many DBZ games beyond the 32-bit era are filled with a lot of rock and metal themes. Originally in Tenkaichi Tage Team, this song is also played on Namek in the HD version of DBZ Budokai 3.

Break Out - Mega Man Zero 3 (GBA)

If you're trying to get the best rank after a mission, the Mega Man Zero games just became even harder. Known for not treating the player with kid gloves, the Zero games have a step difficulty that rivals the most brutal Mega Man games. These games were developed Inti Creates, who also developed Mega Man 9 and 10, the former, of which was particularly cruel. Think about that while you listen to this rocking intro stage theme.

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Favorite Tunes #154: Sophia

The Olympics are on, which means it is one of the few times I turn from Cartoon Network. Its also absurdly hot outside, so unless I absolutely have to leave the house, I'm saying inside where its nice and cool and rooting for Team USA and grooving to game music.

Warrior - Guilty Gear Xrd Revelator (ARC, PS3, PS4)

The last Guilty Gear game I played was X2 on the PS2. I haven't really kept touch with the series in years but when I think of the games, the type of music that springs to mind is metal and hard rock. There are plenty of rocking vocal tracks in the game's soundtrack but I was surprised to hear songs like Warrior in the mix. Not a bad surprise by any means.

Duel - Metal Gear Solid (PS)

Even after all of the technological advancements the series has made, the original Metal Gear Solid still has a movie-like score that still manages to impress almost 20 years after its release. Duel is an arranged, more intense driven version of the Encounter theme.

Vento Brasileiro  - Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U, 3DS)

The Rio 2016 Olympics are in full swing. I've been a big fan of the Olympics since I was a kid and I've been watching as much of the events as I can when I'm not at work. The Mario & Sonic games have been a thing since 2008, but the 2016 version will be the first one that I pick up. The events look like a lot of fun (especially boxing) and the original music along with the arrangements have my ears burning.

Macho Grubba - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GCN)

Fans want a Paper Mario game more line with the original and The Thousand Year Door. I've heard Sticker Star spoken of as if it were the spawn of Satan, while Super Paper Mario doesn't get nearly as bad of a rap, it still didn't get a warm reception from fans. I didn't finish Thousand Year Door, but I was very impressed by the hours I sunk into it, both with the gameplay and the incredible soundtrack.

Sophia - Gimmick! (NES)

How good is the music in Gimmick? Really darn good. Like, among the best chiptunes you will ever hear. Gimmick's soundtrack is bouncy, upbeat and deadly serious when the mood calls for it. Despite the cutesy looks, Gimmick! is also a very punishing game to any and all who dare to approach it.

Lava Dome - Final Fantasy Mystic Quest (SNES)

This spin off Final Fantasy game gets a lot of hate for being an oversimplified RPG to get newbies into the genre. It may be a bit dull and flawed, but hardly a turd. Now id you hear anyone dis the music, please punch them in the face. 16-bit rock and metal has never sounded this good.

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Game Art #75: Open Gallery

Game Art makes its long awaited return! There are so many talented people and this great, big world of ours and weather they come up with their own artistic takes on video game characters or stick to the already established style, its all good as it makes for some interesting art pieces to look at. This one is an open gallery, meaning you can expect to see fan art from numerous game series. Enjoy.

By aoki

By popoco

Pixiv ID

By Maesato

Pixiv ID

By kakuri

By Neriusagi

By comet 

By Genzoman

By Oro

By Mocha

By so-bin

Unknown Artist

By Frog

By Frog

By Yo no

By lulu

By SBS

By Poo

Favorite Tunes #56: Rocking Out

Are you ready to rock? I hope so, because that's the order of the day in this edition of Favorite Tunes.

Riptor Theme - Killer Instinct (ARC)

Despite his beastly appearance Riptor is a highly intelligent dino, but his pumped up IQ is at odds with his savage nature to crush, kill, destroy. As one might expect, Riptor is quite the adept fighter. I remember one of my friend's getting stuck on him in arcade mode and to add insult to injury, one of his many defeats ended with a devastating 20 hit combo. The Velociraptors in Jurassic Park don't have jack on Riptor.

Still in the Dark - Guilty Gear X (ARC, DC, PS2)

A fighter that's as stylish as it is flashy. When 3D fighters were popping up all over the place, the Guilty Gear series came out swinging with some of the most impressive 2D visuals ever seen in a fighting game. Even today, the Guilty Gear games are a sight to behold. Of course a pretty-looking game can only travel so far. Thankfully the Guilty Gear titles have a lot more going on than just good looks. The heavy metal soundtracks rank among the best in gaming or any other medium.

Crazy Call at Cry - F-Zero X (N64)

F-Zero X contained a few arrangements of the classic SNES F-Zero themes like Mute City and Big Blue but it was also bold enough to have a dozen new tracks. As much as I would have loved to have a rocked out version of Port Town in F-Zero X, Crazy Call at Cry is so mind blowingly awesome that I can't complain.

Matrex Stage - Mega Man X5 (PS)

The game that was originally intended to be the finale of the X series, X5 seems to be a middle of the road game for a lot of fans. Personally, I don't enjoy it as much as I do X4, but I still think it's a worthwhile X game, far better than the likes of X6 and X7. When the game was localized for English audiences, the Mavericks were given the names of Guns N' Roses members. Seeing as how the Mega Man series as a whole is filled with music references, I find this quite fitting. Matrex is known as Burn Dinorex in Japan.

Speed Highway - Sonic Adventure (DC, GCN)

By no means is Sonic Adventure perfect. The camera can be infuriating at times and some of the characters are a frustrating bore to play as (Big the Cat is the biggest offender). But Sonic Adventure does hit a lot of the right notes. Playing as Sonic is very satisfying, delivering some nice 3D platforming and a terrific sense of speed. And of course, the music is totally worth blasting through your neighborhood. To this day, Sonic Adventure still has some of the best music in the 3D Sonic era.

Jungle (Hard) - Contra 4 (DS)

The Jungle Theme has been a Contra mainstay since the original game. It may was well be the theme of the series. It isn't heard on every Conra title, but it is available in some form on another in most titles. Contra 4, released in 2007 was the series 20th anniversary title and it would be a shame of the famed Jungle Contra tune was absent. Playing on Easy or Normal and wondering why you haven't heard this tune? The only way to hear it in game is by playing on the Hard difficulty. Bear in mind that Contra 4 is not much easier when playing on Easy or Normal. My short time playing a friend's copy of Contra 4 has got to be one of the fastest times I've ever seen the game over screen in my life.

Force Your Way - Final Fantasy VIII (The Black Mages Arranged Ver.)

Nobuo Uematsu, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Kenichiro Fukui made up The Black Mages, the heavy metal rock band that specialized in Final Fantasy music arrangements. They only put out a handful of albums as The Black Mages but each one will make you wish they were still together pumping out more Final Fantasy rock arrangements.

Bowser's Castle - Super Mario Kart (SNES)

I wasn't too adept at connecting a lot of video game remixes as a kid, (save the Super Mario Bros. Theme) but the moment I heard this tune, I knew it was an arrangement of Bowser's final battle music from Super Mario World. Koji Kondo had already doused the original tune in heavy flavors or rock but somehow Soyo Oka had upped the ante, making the track sound even more hardcore.

Decisive Battle - Final Fantasy VI (Heavy Metal Arrange)

The artists known as released SHΛDE released GUARVAIL -Final Fantasy Heavy Metal Arrange Album- in 2007. Of the numerous battle theme remixes on the album, their rendition of Final Fantasy VI's Decisive Battle is my favorite. I've heard rock takes on a few tracks from Final Fantasy VI before, but never one quite like this.

Cammy Stage - Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold (PS, SAT)

If I'm not mistaken, this version of Cammy's Theme was first used in X-Men vs. Street Fighter, but I actually like this version a lot better. Not even the Alpha series was safe from upgrade sequels with the second entry in the Alpha series, Alpha 2 getting a Gold edition. Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold is  in the 2006 release Street Fighter Alpha Anthology .

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Favorite Tunes #18: Fighting Themes

Two opponents enter the ring (or the street corner, or back alley. Why be picky?), only one leaves. The fighting genre is probably one of the most competitive scenes in gaming, if not the most competitive. I've been to a tournament or two, had some online matches but nothing as grand scale as something like EVO. Maybe someday. What's better than pounding the crap outta your opponent? Doing it to some sick beats. While I love me some Street Fighter, I've kept the number of tracks to that series to a minimum. Gotta show how diverse the genre is, ya know.

              Tetsuo Kato (Arrange) - Fighting Layer (ARC)

Developed by Akira (the chaps behind the Street Fighter EX series) and released in 1998 only in Japan, Fighting Layer is a 3D fighting game I've never played for obvious reasons. Regrettably, I can't tell you much about it. I can, however, tell you that the music to this game is sensational. The score was co-written by Takayuki Aihara and Ayako Saso, known for their renowned work on the Street Fighter EX soundtracks. The original Tetsuo Kato is a great theme on its own, but this will be one of those times where I'm gonna have to say that the arrange version trumps it.

              Sail Over the Storm - Soul Calibur (ARC, DC)

One of the first games I bought for my Dreamcast in the summer of 2001, Soul Calibur blew me away with its stunning visuals and deep fighting mechanics. If Donatello showed me that staffs could be good weapons, Kilik demonstrated just how deadly they could be. All of Soul Calibur's music is fantastic, but Sail Over the Storm is without question my favorite track from the game.

           Cafeteria - TMNT: Tournament Fighters (SNES)

When Street Fighter II dominated arcades and home fighters in the early 1990s, everyone and their mother wanted a piece of the action, including Konami. Their response to Capcom's fighting cash cow? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters. For crying out loud, there's even a jab at Street Fighter on the box art. As much as I love the Turtles, it didn't do much to make me forget about Ryu, Guile and the gang, but it was cool to see the green machines hashing it out in a fighter against Shredder and some others that sadly escape me. Since the game came from Konami, of course the music was awesome and to this day, I haven't met anyone that cannot say Cafeteria is awesome. Play this song during a cafeteria brawl and I guarantee it with be the best fight in the history of dinner brawls.

                   Guile Stage CPS II - Street Fighter II (ARC)

The fighting genre probably wouldn't have made so many leaps if not for Street Fighter II. Yeah, Capcom pretty much whores the series out these days, but there isn't a gamer that lived in the 1990s that doesn't look back on this game with nostalgia. Guile's theme is an audio masterpiece. I like a lot of versions of this theme, but the arcade CPS II incarnation is the best in my book. This song goes with anything. Anything. Just go to YouTube and type in "Guile's theme goes with everything" if you don't believe me.

              Mr. Karate - Nettou King of Fighters '96 (GB)

What's this? King of Fighters? On the Game Boy? Surly you jest. No jesting here. Yes, there were a few King of Fighters games released on the Nintendo's brick. None of them made it outside of Japan so that's probably why few people know of these games' existence. Despite the limitations of the Game Boy hardware, there was some good music in these pocket sized King of Fighters games. Nettou King of Fighters '96 gave Mr. Karate, an quick paced, drum pounding boss theme. With a name and theme like those, I would certainly not wanna screw with that guy. If you played rom hack Rockman No Constancy and wondered what the source of that killer boss theme was, wonder no longer.

             Kombat Tomb - Mortal Kombat II (SNES ver.)

Even with Mortal Kombat 9 being a smashing success (or Mortal Kombat as it's official called), many still contend that Mortal Kombat II is the best Kombat game. Like original 1992 Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II was ported to just about everything you can imagine. I played both the SNES and Genesis versions and found myself like the SNES music more, even over the arcade original. Despite the inferior hardware, the audio sounds a bit more fleshed out to me on the SNES.

       Blue Water Blue Sky - Guilty Gear X (ARC, DC, PS2)

Don't think a little girl carrying an anchor as a weapon is threatening? Think again. Think said girl will have some sweet and innocent theme as her background tune? Wrong again. Known for its rock soundtrack, May has one of the most well-loved themes in the Guilty Gear series. There have been a number of versions of Blue Water Blue Sky but I always find myself coming back to listen to the original.

     Multi-Man Melee 1 - Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN)

Is Melee a fighter or not? Don't really care. All I know is that its a fine game, one of the best on the GameCube and a fine example of how to do a sequel. Melee expanded upon the formula of the original Super Smash Bros. added a ton of unlockable (I never did get every single trophy) and just made everything bigger and better in every conceivable way. This track is a rock arrangement of Melee's Main Theme. Thankfully, this song is also in the excellent sequel, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

                        Urban Sight - Tobal No. 1 (PSone)

Tobal No. 1 came from a time when Square Enix did more than RPGs. Actually this baby came years before the two companies merged. Developed by DreamFactory, this was more ambitious than other fighters at the time. In addition to the standard fighting, there was a fully 3D Quest mode. It fared well in Japan but not so much in America. Contributors to the game's soundtrack, which covers a wide range of genres include Kenji Ito, Yoko Shimomura, and Noriko Matsueda to name a few. Character designs were done by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. Tobal 2 never saw a release outside of Japan, much to fan's annoyance.

Without Hesitation - Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (ARC, PS2)

Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution is my favorite game in the Virtua Fighter series. With its incredibly deep three button fighting engine and a lengthy Quest mode the featured AI modeled after real Virtua Fighter players, the game offers something for everyone. The addition of Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary was also a lovely bonus. This game taught me the joy of bashing heads as Pai and customizing your fighter's look, which in this game as I saw countless other fighters, was serious business.