Favorite Tunes #200: Towards Another 200

Well, here we are, Favorite Tunes numero 200. Back when I was still trying to decided the direction I wanted my blog to take, I think I always knew in the back of my mind that video game music would play a large part in it. Heck, the name of my blog comes from a self compiled compilation album that I never got around to putting together. My love for video game music and video games in general is why I continue to do this. Originally, Favorite Tunes would consist of ten tracks per post to make things easier on myself, I trimmed it down to six. For special occasions like this one, however, I crank the number back up to what it was originally. So here are 10, count 'em 10 video game jams that range all across the board.

Undertale - Undertale (PC, PS4)

Undertale is another example of a worthwhile Kickstarter. This RPG is loaded with characters that burst with personality and turned based battles that are really fun. The soundtrack is a mix of modern and chiptune music, the later which uses multiple sound fonts from games like Mega Man X and Final Fantasy VI. The game's main theme, Undertale, is arranged many times over throughout the game and it never gets old.

Threatin' Zepplin - Cuphead (PC, XBO)

For a mere $20, you can own one of the most gorgeous, punishing, boss filled, run & gun games on your PC or Xbox One. (I'm really hopping this baby comes to other consoles). Cuphead is a living cartoon with a fantastic old timey jazz soundtrack. Sonic Mania, you've got some competition  for game soundtrack of the year because I loooooove jazz.

Super Sonic - Sonic Mania (PS4, XBO, NS, PC)

Wallpaper by NuryRush

Speak of the devil. (Heh). I have played through Sonic Mania numerous times since it released. While it isn't my favorite Sonic game (Sonic 3 & Knuckles still holds that title), it is an superb effort and joins the ranks of one of my favorites. One of the issues for console versions of Sonic Mania was that it lacked a button for super form transformations. Depending on the character you are and where you're at, accidentally triggering your super form could get you killed. This, thankully is no longer an issue. As much as I love Sonic 3 & Knuckles, it sucks that the super music is nothing but the short looping invincibility music. Sonic Mania has a whaling guitar arrangement of the game's main theme that is so dang good that I don't mind it replacing the normal background music.

Rito Village (Day) - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U, NS)

Music from Breath of the Wild has appeared many times in Favorite Tunes this year. The soundtrack may be more subdued compared to other games in the series but it still stands out in my mind. Players that arrived in Rito Village were met with a wave of nostalgia rushing over theme. The theme for Rito Village an arrangement of Dragon Roost Island from Wind Waker, a big fan favorite theme. The Night variation is cool but for me, make mine all Day every day.

Moon Song - Cave Story (NS)

The Switch version of Cave Story is the latest release in the game's 13 year history. It comes with all the features from Cave Story+ and a new arranged soundtrack by RushJet1, which is pretty rad, I must say. Moon Song is sad, yet beautifully soothing song that plays as you make you way up the Outer Wall, making it an area in the game you won't forget.

Mission 2 (Cilius Moon Weapon Factory) - Sol-Deace (GEN)

Released on other platforms such as the Sharp X68000 and the Sega CD under the original title Sol-Feace, the Genesis version was the first time I'd ever heard of this game. I saw a complete copy and the box art intrigued me. Without knowing anything about the game, I picked it up and was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't anything ground breaking, but I was just glad I didn't walk out with a turd. What might surprise you if you've never heard of this game is that the soundtrack is done by the man that is mainly known for his work on Bandai Namco's Tales series, Motoi Sakuraba. Even on the Genesis version of this game's score is freaking awesome.

Daddy Mulk (Stage 1, 6) - The Ninja Warriors (ARC)

Fed up with the awful state the president has put the world in, Mulk builds to android ninjas and sends them out to end his existence. For years, the best version of the original Ninja Warriors was the Sega CD version, which was not only on a platform that not many owned, but this version also stayed in Japan. Hamster recently released The Ninja Warriors under the Arcade Archives line, which perfectly recaptures the original game's three screen format. If you want to play this game without coughing up a huge chunk of change for arcade cabinet or resorting to MAME, $7.99 on the PSN store can't be beat. Daddy Mulk is still one of the best first level songs, like, ever.

Step Into It! - Strider Hiryu (ARC)

He may be one of the many inaccurate representations of a Ninja, but Strider is still freaking cool. That sick scarf, that awesome blade and that astoundingly good stage one theme! Cows that are holy, it is SO good! CPS I soundtracks may sound a bit rough compared to CPS II soundtracks but Capcom's sound team was well versed in composing memorable scores. When one thinks of Strider, this is the theme that comes to mind.

Mute City - F-ZERO (Arranged album version)

You remember F-ZERO, don't you? It's that killer futuristic racing series that Nintendo refuses to bring back because Shigeru Miyamoto can't think of a new way for us to control Captain Falcon and company's racing machines. This particular arrangement of Mute City comes from a very old album titled, F-ZERO, a soundtrack that was released only in Japan with jazzy arrangements of all of the track themes. If you ever wanted proof that the Land of the Rising Sun gets all the cool stuff, well, here ya go.

Tea With Ellie - For Cyan City Act 1 - Sonic After the Sequel (PC)

If you have not played Sonic After the Sequel, well, first play Sonic Before the Sequel, then play After the Sequel. These are both excellent fan games with amazing soundtracks on par with official Sonic titles. This past August a DX version for After the Sequel was released with some improvements among them being the Drop Dash that was used in Sonic Mania. Falk was one of the composers for both Before and After the Sequel and I'd love to see him compose some tunes for an official Sonic game someday. This track in particular is one that I listen to on repeat. I love how the second loop of this song mixes things up a bit.

Favorite Tunes Database

Re-Releases You Should Play Part 4

Hoo boy, I did not mean for this series to be MIA for over a year, but looking at the date of the last post, and that's exactly what happened. Anyway, welcome (back) to Re-Releases You Should Play. In this fourth installment, we've got Mega Man, an SNK shooter that is not to be missed and freaking robot ninjas!

Aero Fighters 2 (ARC)

The NEO-GEO was a killer home console, powerful enough to deliver arcade perfect versions of coin-op SNK games. Unfortunately, the cost of the system ($650) and the games (usually $200) meant that very few people could actually afford it. Getting your hands on SNK games these days won't break the bank and that's a very good thing because they've made some outstanding titles. While the Samurai Showdowns and Fatal Furys may be the ones that pop into your mind first, Aero Fighters 2 is certainly one to pay attention to.

Known as Sonic Wings 2 in Japan, Aero Fighters 2 is an old-school shoot 'em up that isn't quite bullet hell, but there are times when there are a moderate amount of bullets on the screen to make you sweat. There are a total of 10 stages, more than most shooters (even for 1994), but the levels are pretty short so they never overstay their welcome. While not revolutionary by any means, Aero Fighters 2 gets tons of replay points by offering you a whopping eight playable characters to choose from, each with their own abilities. Robo Keaton is a beast when it comes to rapid firing, Hi-En has an aircraft that comes equipped with guided missiles, Mao-Mao is the speediest of the bunch, you get the idea. The cast of characters is also quite the diverse bunch. We've got ninjas, cyborgs, dolphins and apparently, even babies can pilot a fighter jet. They all have something to say after clearing a stage, giving them a bit of personality.

Aero Fighters 2 is good, retro SHMUP fun that isn't too frustrating. Hamster has brought it to the Arcade Archives line so you can play both the English and Japanese version of the game, Sonic Wings 2. Being an ACA title, you can also adjust the difficult settings, input scan lines and all the perks that come with ACA games. It makes for an excellent Switch title.

Available On: PS4, NS

Undertale (PC)

By now, pretty much everyone on the planet has heard of this game. It is a game that is popular to hate due to the toxic community, but you shouldn't let that deter you from playing it. Undertale is filled with loads of lovable characters, innovative combat and a story that you'll ponder long after you've completed it. You can kill every opponent you encounter or not harm a soul, leading to different endings. The soundtrack is a mix of modern music and chiptunes with a main theme that is arranged so often in different ways that you'll never tire of it. After being on PC for two years, Undertale finally got a console release.

Available On: PS4

Mega Man 9 (Wii, PS4, 360)

When Mega Man 9 was originally announced in 2008, it was no small thing. At this time, there had not been a brand new classic Mega Man adventure since 1997's Mega Man 8. The game was returning to it's 8-bit NES roots, which delighted fans that were turned off by the differences Mega Man 7 and 8's visuals style brought about. Mega Man plays the same as any other Classic title in the main line series. There are 8 Robot Masters to battle, you can go to them in any order you wish and after you emerge victorious, you get their weapon. This game actually has some of the most useful weapons of the entire Classic series. Black Hole sucks up enemies, Tornado Blow elevates Mega Man and blows enemies off screen and Laser Trident is a pretty damaging weapon, even capable of going through the shields of those pesky Sniper Joes.

While Mega Man 9 is pretty awesome for the most part, it isn't without it's faults. Sure, Mega Man games have always been designed to be tough, but this game really lays it on thick, a title too thick. There is an over reliance on spikes for difficulty and by "over reliance," I mean they are everywhere. Some enemies can come out of nowhere, catching you off guard, resulting in some cheap deaths. Mega Man 9 also wears it's love for Mega Man 2 on it's chest. Jingles are ripped straight from Mega Man 2 and the remove of the Slide and Charge Shot was done to make the game more in line with the second entry. This makes Mega Man 9 feel like it's trying to be another Mega Man 2, rather than it's own thing. But even though it might be trying to be another game, Mega Man 9 is still more than worth your time. After nearly a decade, Mega Man 9 was finally given a physical release in the form of the Mega Man Legacy Collection 2.

Available  On: PS4, XBO, PC

The Ninja Warriors (ARC)

The story goes that Mulk is sick and tired of the President's less than idealistic rule of the world. To combat this, he builds two robots, Ninja and Kunoichi and sends them out to eliminate the President. Mulk's approach may seem like overkill but the President is being a real jerk, what with issuing nation wide Martial Law and letting the military run wild. Dude pretty much has that well deserved shanking comin'. Besides, I'm not gonna turn down the chance to play as a pair of badawesome ninjas and robot ninjas, no less!

Other beat 'em ups occasionally let you arm yourself from time to time. In The Ninja Warriors, you always carry a weapon on you, kunai, meaning you always get to cut someone and there are no shortage of fools to slice and dice. For long range attacks, you have a limited amount of ninja stars. Unlike a lot of other games in the genre, you don't have eight way movement. Instead, you can only move left and right. This may seem a bit limiting but you do get some more attack and defense options. You can crouch for low attacks both with the kunai and shuriken. You can also block, a features most beat 'em ups don't even give you and this is essential for certain enemy types.

While pretty much all of the mooks head straight for you, which may lead you to get cozy in your attack style, but after a while, they get a bit smarter and change their approach. More often than not, you'll attack the dogs by crouching. Do this too often and they'll start leading their attacks by jumping. Do standard high attacks too much and soldiers will attack by crouching. Try to block everything they throw at you and the game will start sending out Kite Man wannabes, forcing you to get on the offensive.

The Ninja Warriors can be very repetitive, even by beat 'em up standards, but it is still an aboslute thrill to play. For 1987, the sprites look really dang good and it feels great to dish out cyborg ninja justice on the world's oppressors. There's nothing quite like the feeling of your kunai connecting with an enemy soldier, ending his pitiful existence. Hamster delivers some of the best arcade versions of old games, making the Arcade Archives versions of The Ninja Warriors the best one available. Move over Sega CD version, you've been replaced.

Available On: PS4

Favorite Tunes #199: Back in Action

Oh, wow. This is number 199 on Favorite Tunes. Next up will be another milestone for this (usually) weekly feature. OK, so FT may not be that huge of a deal, but I love video game music and talking a little bit about some of my favorites each week is always something I enjoy. This week's selection comes from Ristar, Metroid, The Ninja Warriors among other darlings.

Surface of SR388 - Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)

If you're one that isn't buying Samus Returns because you want to stick it to Nintendo for getting AM2R taken down, please, uncross your arms and buy this game. It looks, feels, plays and sounds like a Metroid game. To turn your nose up at this game after clamoring for more Metroid games would be a huge disservice to one of 2017's best titles. On top of arrangements of themes from Super Metroid, what little music there was in Metroid II has been completely redone and it sounds so dang good.

Ending 1: Star Humming - Ristar (GEN)

Among the many characters that SEGA fans would love to see get another game but never will is Ristar. This 1995 gem that was created by Sonic Team is among the best looking and sounding game's on SEGA's 16-bit baby. Among Ristar's composers were Naofumi Hataya a d Masafumi Ogata, of Sonic CD fame. As one might expect, Ristar's soundtrack is funky, catchy and very bouncy as a result.

Main Menu - Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2 (DS)

Next year's upcoming Dragon Ball Fighter Z will hardly be Arc Systems first time with Goku and company. While Fighter Z is more geared towards creating a lightning paced three on three fighter, 2005's Supersonic Warriors 2 aimed to replicate the look and feel of fights from DBZ. It succeeded and then some. Fights were fast, you could zip about the stages in free flight and there were tons upon tons of energy based attacks. The music was also pretty sweet. Starting up the game and getting this theme always assaulted my brain's pleasure centers.

Are You Lady? (Stage 2) - The Ninja Warriors (ARC)

The most famous track from The Ninja Warriors is Daddy Mulk, a jam so famous, even those that haven't played the game have probably been exposed to it. Even beyond that super memorable tune, The Ninja Warriors soundtrack is outstanding. I wouldn't expect anything less from ZUNTATA. The Ninja Warriors was recently re-released under the Arcade Archives line on the PS4's PSN store. After you're done listening to this killer beat, go buy it.

Desolate Highway - Mighty No. 9 (PS4, Wii U, XBO, PC)

The release of Mighty No. 9 was... less than spectacular and that's putting it kindly. This game ended up being one of 2016's biggest disappointments with many major gaming websites and YouTube channels ripping it a new one. But for all of the game's faults, Mighty No. 9 has a surprisingly good soundtrack. Even if you have no intention of playing the game, you should at the very least, hear the music.

Nemesis Ridley - Metroid Other M (Wii)

If ever there was a polarizing game in the Metroid series (along with Federation Force) it is unquestionably Other M. This 2010 release was quite different from the Prime games and was more story driven than any other Metroid title. The backlash this game received is so huge than many fans say there hasn't been a good/true Metroid game since 2007's Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. If a die hard Metroid fan like SomeCallMeJohnny didn't write the game off as complete trash, then the game can't be all bad. One of the game's most memorable music pieces is an arrangement of Super Metroid's Big Boss Confrontation theme. Of course it was given to Ridley.

Favorite Tunes Database

Favorite Tunes #164: Racing Monkeys

It has been a busy November. Nintendo revealed the Switch, for better or for worse, we know who our next president will be, the NES Classic Edition launch was a disaster and players that pirated Pokemon Sun/Moon are really feeling the butthurt. Whew. Welp, now that that's all said and done, let's get down to the latest Favorite Tunes. This week's jams including music from Ninja Warriors, Pulseman and Diddy Kong Racing to name half the list.

Character Select - Diddy Kong Racing (N64, DS)

A fan favorite on the N64, Diddy Kong Racing saw Diddy breaking away from his pal DK to race around with a bunch of cute animal critters in what is considered one of the system's best titles. This theme has it all. A killer baseline, a banjo and even a freaking harmonica!

7AM - Animal Crossing (GCN)

Growing trees, pulling weeds, fishing, running errands for your lazy neighbors. On paper, that may sound like a snorefest of a game but Animal Crossing makes it work. Even dealing with the necessary evil that is Tom Nook pays off in the end when your home is nice and sizable with loads of stuff in it. I can still hear the AM themes from this game in my head.


Boss 1 - Ninja Warriors (SNES)

Also known as Ninja Warriors Again in Japan, this SNES beat 'em up is not a port of the arcade game but a new title. Ninjas seem like a natural fit for a beat 'em up and this game well received upon it's 1994 release. The lack of two player support did not hold it down and the music was pretty rad stuff.

Planet Ratis - Life Force 2 (ARC, SAT)

Life Force 2 has one of my favorite arcade soundtracks ever. Upholding Gradius tradition and contrasting other shooter scores, the music in Life Force 2 is peppy and upbeat but isn't afraid to get on the serious side. Complete Life Force 2 and go for a second play through immediately after and you're treated to a wonderful arrangement of the original Life Force tunes. In Japan, Life Force is known as Salamander.

Stonecarving City - Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii)

While I certainly would have loved to see more music from Wario Land: Shake It! in Smash 4, I'm glad that game got any sort of musical recognition at all. I can't argue against the singular choice of this track, even though it does under a different title in Smash (Ruins). If you haven't checked out Shake It! You really should. The Wii is swimming in quality platformers and Shake It was among them.

Blank Structure - Pulseman (GEN)

Before Pokemon become what Game Freak would be primarily known for, they developed a few lesser known hits such as Pulseman. Pulseman really pushed the Genesis to its limits, showing off some of the best visuals the system has ever seen. The music is also on point, scored by Junichi Masuda. Some of his later Pokemon music reflects what you hear in Pulseman.

Favorite Tunes Database