VGM Saturdays Vol. 2. No. 008

Keeping it even this week, we have three songs from games and three arrangements of game tracks that are not in games. 

The Conflict - Romancing SaGa (SFC)

Another week of VGM Saturdays, another track by Kenji Ito. This time we have the standard battle theme from Romancing SaGa. The Romancing SaGa games alone have all kinds of stellar battle themes but even when compared to greats like Beat Them Up!, The Conflict is still a big favorite of mine.

PLAYER SELECT - Art of Fighting 3: Path of the Warrior (ARC)

I haven't touched any of the games in SNK's Art of Fighting series but the soundtracks are not something that is lost on me. Personally, I think Art of Fighting 3 has the best music of the lot. More laid back character select themes, please.

We Ain't Came to Loose - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Multi)

The soundtrack to Shredder's Revenge is GODLIKE. Of course they just had to have one of the most baller vocal tracks play when you fight Shredder. Even if rap isn't your thing, you cannot deny that this song is so hot. 

Stickerbrush Symphony - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES) - Neon X

Donkey Kong Country 2's soundtrack needs no introduction. It is brimming with a plethora of amazing tracks from start to finish. A huge fan favorite is undoubtedly Stickerbrush Symphony, the track that plays during some of the more tense brambled filled levels of the game. I think David Wise would be proud of Neon X's synth fused cover of his classic track.

Sunshine Airport - Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) - Neon X

And here we have another remix from the very talented, synth lover, Neon X. I love Sunshine Airport, both the race track and the song that accompanies it. When I saw this pop up in my recommendations, I had to give it a listen. The addition of a boarding call is a nice touch.

Column Drive - Columns III: Revenge of the Columns (GEN) - amphobius

The first time I heard this song was in Sonic Megamix, a ROM hack of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. I never expected to come across a remix of this one, but once again, I have to thank YouTube's recommended side bar. 

VGM Saturdays Vol. 2 Database

Favorite Tunes #280: Beat Them Up!

Like the subtitle for this week's Favorite Tunes? That has gotta be one of the best song names ever. No, this isn't a beat 'em up themed week. In fact, not a single beat 'em up is among the games I've select this week, and no the Smash-inspired brawler does not count.

Acid Man Stage - Mega Man 11 (PS4, NS, XBO, PC)

Mega Man returned after a very long hiatus in Mega Man 11 in October of 2018. The game did pretty well for Capcom, surpassing the million mark in worldwide sales. People often say the music of MM11 is one of the weaker aspects of the game. It certainly wouldn't crack my top five MM soundtrack list, but there are some really good tracks in here. I enjoy all eight of the Robot Master Themes.

Select Your Fighter - Roof Rage (PC, NS)

A super fun platform fighter, there are two ways to win in Roof Rage, deplete your opponent's life bar or knock them off the stage. The game really excels in local multiplayer but the Switch version needs some patches before I'll give local 4 player multiplayer another go as the game kept crashing on us. Until then, I'll be jamming out to the soundtrack.

Beat Them Up! - Romancing SaGa (SFC)

For the longest time, the Romancing SaGa trilogy had only been released in Japan. The past few years has changed that as not only was a remastered version of Romancing SaGa 2 released in the west, but a remaster of the third game also followed suit. No word on if or when Square Enix will release a remaster of the original game. I've yet to play of of the games in this trilogy but I have heard the soundtracks and all three of them are excellent. This is one of the many excellent battle themes, not just in the Romancing SaGa trilogy but the SaGa series as a whole.

Endless Echo - 20XX (PC, PS4, XBO, NS)

If your Mega Man X senses are tingling, they have good reason to do so. From the character designs, dashing, wall jumps, 20XX doesn't even try to hide the fact that it took clear inspirations from the 20XX version of the Blue Bomber. Still, 20XX is not some MMX knock off, but another one of those much loved roguelike games. Rather than go for more SNES hard rock style of music that the X series is known for, 20XX's music is more in line with NES instruments although without all the system limitations that the first six NES MM games had.

Chasing Down the Miniboss - Kirby: Triple Deluxe (3DS)

This game happens to be Chuggaconroy's latest LP so I've got this game's cherry soundtrack in my head once again. If you were to ask me which is my favorite 3DS Kirby title between this and Planet Robobot, I'd say Planet Robobot without hesitation, but you really can't go wrong with either.

Inkwell Isle Two - Cuphead (PC, XBO, NS)

One of the best Microsoft exclusives, came to the Switch last year and the game runs really dang well. Not long ago, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate received a Cuphead costume for Mii Gunner and purchasing the costume even got you the track, Floral Fury. I personally would have went with a different track, but I won't complain about having Cuphead music in Smash.

Favorite Tunes Database

Favorite Tunes #21: Misc Themes

I thought I'd do things a bit differently with this installment of Favorite Tunes. Instead of focusing on a particular music label, I'm picking a little bit of everything. There's music from fighting games, platformers, run 'n gun shooters, RPGs and racing games just to name a few.

Staff Roll - Marvel vs. Capcom (ARC, DC, PSone)

Your reward for finishing a game is hopefully a satisfying ending. Failing that, you should at least be treated to some spiffy end credits beats. I love the break in this song, where the horns come in. For my money, the original Marvel vs. Capcom has one of the best Staff Roll themes I've ever heard. We're talking top 10 easily.

Digital Terror - Tempest 2000 (Jaguar, PC, SAT, PSone)

Back in the days of GamingFM, one of the best songs I would frequently hear on the modern game station was a lively techo beat from Tempest 2000. The game is an excellent remake of what was already an excellent Atari game. You could play Digital Terror at a rave and I'm willing to bet that only a few people would know of the song's origin.

Battle 1 - Romancing SaGa (SNES)

I've never played the original Romancing SaGa as it was never released outside of Japan. Well, the Super Famicom version wasn't anyway. In 2005 an updated version was released in America for the PlayStation 2. Alas, I didn't play that version either. But I've always been a big fan of Kenji Ito's work and his scores on the Romancing SaGa trilogy are phenomenal. The first battle theme of the original Romancing SaGa is a highly engaging music piece. I honestly think it's one of the best battle themes to come out of a Square Enix game.

Splash Hill Zone Act 1 - Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I (WW, PSN, XBLA)

For all of it's fault, I honestly didn't think Sonic 4 Ep I was a bad game. In order to further make the game feel like a return to form, the audio sounds like it was made with Genesis instruments. Sure, the music wasn't Jun Senoue's best effort, but I wouldn't call it terrible. I feel in love with Act 1 of Splash Hill Zone's theme when I heard it.

Are You Descent? - Descent II (PC)

The original Descent has the dubious honor of being the first game to give me motion sickness. That's one of the things I'll always remember it for. The other thing is the 3D maze gameplay and the other is of course, the music. As good as the original Descent's music was, Descent 2 cranked it up a couple of notches.

No Turning Back - Mega Man 10 (WW, PSN, XBLA)

I'll go ahead and say it; I liked Mega Man 10 more than Mega Man 9. It felt like it was trying to be more of it's own game than another Mega Man 2. Proto Man actually being included in the story, Bass being playable and the Mega Man Killers made for some incredible bonus content. No Turning Back plays on the third Dr. Wily Stage. Against the Pressure (which plays in Dr. Wily Stage 2) is alright, but  I personally feel No Turning Back is a much better song.

Who Are You - Turbo OutRun (ARC ver.)

The original OutRun is one of my favorite old-school arcade racing games. Turbo OutRun is yet another game I've never played. But thanks to OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast's extensive music selection, I was able to hear it's glorious music. Even today, the complexity of Who Are You still amazes me. Being a track composed by the legendary Hiroshi Kawaguchi (often going by the name Hiro), it's quite lengthy.

Violent Breathing - Streets of Rage (GEN)

Many would argument that the first Streets of Rage isn't as good as the sequel that followed it. And it's an argument I really can't find fault with. This isn't to say the first Streets of Rage is a bad game because it certainly isn't. What no one will dispute is that the original Streets of Rage has some of the best music on the Genesis, nay, the 16-bit era, no scratch that, some of the best music in gaming. Yuzo Koshiro has shown us that with Violent Breathing, elevator music doesn't have to be dull in the slightest.

Livin' on the Deck -X- - Metal Slug X (ARC, NG, PSone)

Despite it's cartoonish looks, the Metal Slug games are notoriously difficult. Even for the seasoned gamer, making it through a stage without losing a life is no easy task. Metal Slug X is a modified version of Metal Slug 2. Among the differences from Metal Slug 2 are less slowdown, an increased difficulty and slightly altered music.

Haluci - The New Tetris (N64)

While four player Tetris may be common place these days in 1999, it was brand spanking new. The New Tetris on the N64 allowed you and three pals to play a unique version of what is arguably the world's most addictive puzzle game. Unlockable wonders of the world such as the Sphinx and Mayan temple gave you something to shoot for other than a high score. The score by Neil D. Voss is even better than his work on Tetrisphere and that soundtrack was nothing to scoff at.