Favorite Tunes #261: Metal Squad

Once again, Favorite Tunes is not in the usual Saturday slot. The reason is due to yesterday's editorial. Favorite Tunes should be back to the usual Saturday schedule this coming week, but I make no promises. Special thanks to Cat with Monocle for the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate wallpaper.

Bomb Man Stage (Mega Man) - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)

The amount of remix love composers showed Rock in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate truly warms my video game music loving heart. It isn't just new Mega Man 2 remixes. Mega Man 3, 4, 5 and the original Mega Man all received fantastic arrangements. Bomb Man's music has always been a track I've adored and while this remix sticks very close to the original song (making it one of the shortest arranged tracks in Ultimate), it is still a fine jam to launch someone into the blast zone to.

Boss - Mega Man 11 (NS, PS4, XBO, PC)

I sure could have gone for some Mega Man 11 tracks in Ultimate, but that game's soundtrack is packed as is, so you can't have everything. The Blue Bomber's latest entry boasts some of the most enjoyable boss battles with Robot Masters of the entire series. Once they get down to half health,  they change up their attack patterns and become far more aggressive.

Bio Hazard Snatcher - Snatcher (PC-8801)

With adventure games making a strong comeback, you'd think Konami would re-release Snatcher. I'd really love to play it and a large part of my desire to do so is because of the amazing soundtrack. Packing heavy Blade Runner influences, Snatcher is one of those other games Hideo Kojima worked on that was not Metal Gear.

Metal Squad - Thunder Force IV (GEN)

If you've never played Thunder Force IV (known as Lightening Force in America) the game has been re-released for the Switch under the SEGA AGES label. Like all SEGA AGES releases, you get all sorts of options including one that let's your turn off slowdown, but this game is hard enough as it is, so keep the slowdown on.

Lor Starcutter - Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)

The DS and Wii era treated Kirby extremely well. There was a remake of what was my favorite Kirby game, Kirby Super Star dubbed Super Star Ultra on the DS, original titles like Kirby Squeak Squad (DS), Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (DS), Kirby's Epic Yarn and what has been my all-time favorite Kirby game over the past seven years, Kirby's Return to Dream Land. From the multiplayer, to the colorful, popping visuals, the plethora of abilities to the soundtrack, I love this game so very, very much. Lor Starcutter is yet another Green Greens remix, but Hirokazu Ando and Jun Ishikawa manage to come up with some many different takes on the classic theme that it is always a joy to hear it get arranged.

Race 5 The Finale - Horizon Chase Turbo (PC, PS4, NS)

Bright, cartoon-like visuals and fantastic arcade racing make Horizon Chase Turbo one of the best racing games I've played that doesn't have a former plumber in it in a long time. The music has a retro flair to it makes burning rubber all the more enjoyable.

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Favorite Tunes #251: The Last Hurrah of 2018

2018 is just a few short days of being outta here. I feel like I say this about every year but this one went by really fast. It's been a pretty wild ride with some awesome games and I'm looking forward to even more in 2019.

Donkey Kong / Donkey Kong Jr. Medley - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)

As a child, I played a lot of Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. on my NES, so music the jingles of both of those titles are firmly implanted into my brain. I was not expecting a killer medley of both game's soundtracks in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. As cool as it is to be able to select the song you want on a stage before the match begins, sometimes you ought to let the game decided what is played via your song settings. That's how I came across this baby.

Race 4: Retro Race - Horizon Chase Turbo (PC, PS4, NS)

Originally released in 2015 for iOS and Android as Horizon Chase, the game has since come to PC PS4 and more recently, Xbox One and the Switch with an added "Turbo" to the title. If you've got to scratch that arcade racer itch, this game comes highly recommended from yours truly. The game has a very cool visual style and a far out soundtrack by Barry Leitch, known for his work on racing titles such as Top Gear.

Sewers - Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (PS4, NS, XBO)

Between the Spider-Mans and Smash Ultimates, make sure you don't let Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom slip under your radar. This retro inspired game has plenty of modern trimmings like frequent save points, lush HD graphics and an outstanding musical score. As I oinked through the sewers, I couldn't get over how mesmerizing this jam was. And then I found out the composer of this piece was none other than Michiru Yamane. You PC games will get this game in early 2019.

DOH-T - WipEout (PS, PC, SAT)

By imLeeRobson

One of the best things about this futuristic racing series is the soundtrack. Hitting the ground running are some hard beats by Tim Wright, also known as CoLD SToRAGE. It can be a bit difficult keeping the first few WipeOut game's soundtracks straight as some versions had completely different scores. When it comes to the first game, however, Mr. Wright's music instantly springs to the front of my mind.

Training Menu - Wii Fit U (Wii U)

This super calming song happens to have a stellar remix you can listen to while you send poor saps to the blast zone in Smash Ultimate. Kinda of a shame that the original wasn't included.

Forest Folly - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Wii U, NS)

I'm not asking for a new Smash game anytime soon but if we get more DK reps, I'm all for Lord Fredrick. That final boss fight demonstrated a plethora of moves for Sakurai to play around with. Back to the game he came from, if you missed Tropical Freeze on the Wii U it is one of the many ports you can now buy on the Switch.

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