VGM Saturdays Vol. 2 No. 002

Normally, I would go with all winter themed music for this time of year and I had very much considered going that route, but as I as compiling tracks for this week's music, it had completely slipped my mind to include all cold type music. So enjoy the very mild selection of winter tracks this week.

Walking the Beat - Cosmic Star Heroine (Multi)

I was recommended this game by a good friend of mine, so I scooped it up on PS4 and never got around to playing it. When it came out for the Switch, I bought it for that system. Neeeeeveeeeer got around to playing it. What I did get around to is listening to the soundtrack or some of it, at least and it is very impressive stuff. I probably should get around to playing the game at some point.

Greenpath (From "Hollow Knight") - Hollow Knight Lofi - Collosia

The indie scene is overrun with Metroidvania games. Hollow Knight manages to stand out from the pack with a huge map, tough bosses and highly memorable areas to explore. Oh and the music is all kinds of awesome, with some of the very best in relaxing musical pieces coming from this game. One of my favorite tribute albums is Collosia's Hollow Knight Lofi. The album is up on Spotify as well as YouTube.

Snowy Mammoth - Ape Escape Origineape Soundtracks

I often think of how Nintendo and SEGA are so neglectful of their IPs but Sony isn't much better. How long has the Ape Escape IP been rotting away in an attic? Those of you that have played the original Ape Escape might be familiar with this track. The first Ape Escape hit the PS in 1999 and would get a PSP port in 2011. The music here is from the PSP port and its been enhanced. While I do prefer the original PS music, the PSP port does a commendable job on one of my favorite tracks.

[GBA] Terminal Velocity (Act 1) - Sonic Colors [Sonic Advance 3 Style] - JX

I was fighting the urge to include a track from Sonic Frontiers this week. You have no idea how much I freaking love that soundtrack. So I made a compromise by including a Sonic track from a different Sonic game with a different sound font. This is the first of many JX arrangements. Who is JX? A super cool composer that does bang up work on retro video game covers. Bet you never knew how much you needed Sonic Colors' Terminal Velocity Act 1 with the Sonic Advance 3 instruments in your life until you heard it.

DANCIN' SWORD - Star Ocean (SFC)

In late October a bunch of the Star Ocean soundtracks officially made their way to Spotify and YouTube. Hooray! More SQUARE ENIX music to listen to without worrying about it being removed. When I found out Star Ocean music was on Spotify, I immediately added this to my SQUARE ENIX battle music play list. The enhanced version from First Depature is really nice and all but I looooove the Super Famicom original.

Next Chapter - Tetris Effect (Multi)

Tetris Effect was one of those coveted games I wished would make it to the Switch. It just seemed like one of those games that was a perfect fit for the system. Once again, the waiting game paid off. In 2021, the game came to the Switch under the name Tetris Effect: Connected. A physical version was released in 2022. Like the cool visuals, the music plays a large part of the game's appeal. Changes in the songs are based on the player's progress. You'll have to clear a certain amount of lines before the claps kick in on this track.

VGM Saturdays Vol. 2 Database

Favorite Tunes #241: Comfort Zone

Have you ever found yourself trying to balance too many games at once? That's the situation I'm currently in. I'm greatly enjoying every game I'm playing but making time for all of them is a bit difficult. Still, its hard to feel too bad when you've got so many great titles to choose from. Anyway, just a bit of real game talk for ya. Enjoy the tunes.

Dirtmouth - Hollow Knight (PC, NS)

First released on the PC in 2017, Hollow Knight hit the Switch in 2018 and I have been loving this game. The soundtrack has a very, mostly quite, tranquil vibe and I find that can make exploring the ruined land feel quite peaceful. If you're looking for some more relaxed gaming music, Hollow Knight has you covered.

Menu - Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle (NS, PS4, XBO, PC)

The Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle has scratched an itch I've had for some time now. The genre has been on my brain and I was thinking about popping in Capcom Classics Collection Volume 1 and 2 to get a fix and then, this beauty of a compilation gets revealed during the September 13th Nintendo Direct. The Menu them is pretty dang awesome and gets you pumped to walk right and punch people in the face.

Museum - Captain Commando (ARC)

Speaking of the Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle, here's a track from Captain Commando. The first time I played this game was on Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2. I didn't play it as much as I did Final Fight or Knights of the Round, but I do remember enjoying my time with this one. I played it again after picking up the Beat 'Em Up Bundle and this game is absurd and as fun as ever.

Industrial Area - Final Fight (ARC)

This the last Capcom beat 'em up I'll feature in Favorite Tunes this week. Promise. I plan to make a list of my favorite beat 'em ups one of these days and you can bet that Final Fight will be near the top of the top of the list. The game offers some of the best two button action you can find even if it can be very cheap when it swarms you with enemies. The soundtrack is among the best of Capcom's CPS I arcade board. Some of the composers for Final Fight's soundtrack include Maname Matsume and Yasuaki Fujita, both known for the contributions to the classic Mega Man series.

Broforce Theme Song - Broforce (PC, PS4, NS)

If you want to play an over the top run 'n gun action game where everything can be destroyed, check out Broforce. The game was originally released on PC in 2015 and then the PS4 in 2016 and hit the Switch earlier this month. The game went by yours truly unnoticed until a fellow forum member started discussing his play through of it on the Switch. So I checked out the trailer and couldn't help but smile as this themed played.

Comfort Zone (Main Menu) - Sonic Mania (PS4, NS, XBO, PC)

The team behind Sonic Mania wowed many of us and while I'm still not ready to say it is the best Sonic game ever (sorry, GameSpot but you need more than a few days to make such a wild claim), it is nonetheless, an outstanding title, thanks in no small part to Tee Lopes amazing soundtrack. I know the level themes tend to get the most love (for good reason) but the menu tracks are pretty awesome in their own right.

Favorite Tunes Database