Favorite Tunes #39: Whatever I Feel Like Edition

Usually when I do a post for Favorite Tunes that doesn't have a particular theme, I title it "Misc Edition" or something like that. But I can only type in the word "Misc" so many times before I get sick of it. So, I thought I'd change things up a bit. Like the new title for Misc? I think it's a lot better myself.

Rolento Stage - Street Fighter X Mega Man (PC)

Why is Mega Man fighting the cast from the Street Fighter games? You know what? I honestly don't care. The Classic Mega Man series are hardly know for their epic tales. You aren't playing a Classic Mega Man game for the story. You're playing it for the crafty level design, cool bosses and sweet weapons you get when you defeat them. Street Fighter X Mega Man isn't perfect, but it mostly succeeds on those fronts, offering players an experience that still feels true to the character that is Mega Man. A_Rival was behind the music, serving up a score that meshes Mega Man and Street Fighter tunes for some of the greatest themes heard in a Mega Man game. Rolento's theme was mashed up with Heat Man's theme. Rolento's theme originally came from the Bay Area stage from the first Final Fight game, which had one of my absolute favorite tracks from that game. I always thought Heat Man's theme was OK at best, but A_Rival combined the two so well that I can't imagine any other Robot Master's theme going along so well with Rolento's stage music.

Lab 2 (Pick Yourself Up and Dance) - Double Dragon Neon (PSN, XBLA)

Any child of the 1980s probably has fond memories of Double Dragon. Technos Japan, the company behind one of gaming's most beloved beat 'em ups crashed and burned in 1996 and there hasn't been a Double Dragon game for quite some time. But in 2012, Double Dragon Neon hit the digital scene thanks to Way Forward and Majesco. It's a reboot of sorts of the Double Dragon series. Perhaps it's because Double Dragon was a product of the '80s that some of the tunes feel like they came straight out of that era. I'm a huge fan of the '80s so I can't complain. If you don't want to dance after hearing this theme, something is seriously wrong with you.

Spagonia: Rooftop Run Day - Sonic Unleashed (PS2, PS3, 360, Wii)

I'll say it again: I don't think Sonic Unleashed is a bad game. Sonic isn't all about speed. It's a platform game as well. The Werehog sections weren't perfect but they were no wear near as bad as I'd heard. Anyway, like just about every Sonic game, Unleashed has an outstanding soundtrack. One of the reasons Rooftop Run was so much fun to blaze through was due to the exhilarating theme that plays as you blast through the stage during the daytime.

March - Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP)

Released in 2007 to mark the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy, Dissidia brought multiple protagonists and antagonists from the first twelve Final Fantasy entries and had them square off in real time 3D combat. If you ever wanted to pit Terra against Squall, this game made that match up as well as many others possible. It also gave one of my favorite Final Fantasy characters, Kefka, a voice. The monster clown was voiced by David Wittenberg, who also does the voice of Kakashi Hatake on Naruto. Just like Final Fantasy VI, Kefka had some of the best lines in Dissidia and Wittenberg's superb voice acting skills made Kefka even more of psycho than I ever thought possible.

Metro City - Astro Boy: Omega Factor (GBA)

One of my favorite robots in all of anime, Astro Boy: Omega Factor is one of the best action titles for the GBA. Developed by Treasure and Hitmaker, Omega Factor blends beat 'e up with shooter elements and features every character from Osamu Tezuka's Star System. It also has a twist ending that requires you to finish the game twice. While that may seem like needless padding, Omega Factor does it in such a way that it  really isn't forced, adding new characters to encounter and new areas to explore upon your second play through.

Palm Tree Groove - Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

In November of 2010 it was suddenly November 1994 all over again. Why? Because it was on like Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong Country Returns featured the long awaited return of gaming's most popular ape in a platforming adventure. Players once again took control of Donkey and Diddy Kong but isntead of the Kremlings, they were up against the Tiki Tribe that brainwashed all of the animals on DK Isle into stealing DK's Banana Horde. Just what are they gonna do with all potassium anyway? Meh, whatever. Point is. DKCR felt very faithful to the first DKC while still feeling fresh thanks to Retro Studios take on the DK series. Like the original DKC trilogy, DKCR was also harder than hard. It's quite easy to rack up 99 lives and I can honestly tell you that you will need them. David Wise didn't handle the score in DKCR, but Kenji Yamamoto did a fantastic job on the remixes, like this wonderfully jazzy remix of Jungle Groove.

Moonsong (Outer Wall) - Cave Story (PC, WW, 3DS)

Originally a freeware game released on PC in 2005, Cave Story was later ported to the Wii's Wii Ware service and given even greater exposure. This meant that it was no longer free, but since my PC isn't in peak condition, I didn't mind playing it on my TV screen. Besides, it came with some nice bonus content like being able to play as Curly, a boss rush mode and playing with the some updated music. I'm not really picky as I can play the game with the older or newer tunes. Anyway, Moonsong is one of the most popular songs in Cave Story. This calming melody plays when you're climbing the seemingly endless Outer Wall. You can easily fall down and have to retrace your steps to get back to where you once were. This area can be a bit frustrating so I'm guessing Moonsong was partially placed here to help calm the player's nerves.

Weapon Raid - Final Fantasy VII (PS, PC)

The game that sold a ton of PlayStations and brought RPGs into the mainstream, Final Fantasy VII has one of my least favorite FF scores. That being said, the music is still quite good. The game was given a copious amount of battle themes and Weapon Raid tends to get overlooked. The first time you hear the theme is when one of the WEAPONS is attacking Juno Harbor. The theme really makes it feel like the Shinra army is in the mother of all bad situations. They have to literally bring out the big guns just to kill the thing.

Danger Attraction - Mega Man ZX (DS)

Yet another spin off, Mega Man ZX takes place in the year 25XX after the events of the Mega Man Zero series. The game mixes in some Metroid elements but doesn't give the player the best map, which can make backtracking a bit of a chore. Players use Biometals to fuse with machines and take on forms similar to X and Zero. Despite the map issues, I really found ZX to be a good Mega Man game. I certainly enjoyed it far more than it's sequel, ZX Advent and that game had a better map.

Warrior from Another World (Galacta Knight) - Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)

In Meta Knight's Meta Knightmare Ultra game on Kirby Super Star Ultra, Meta Knight wished to NOVA to fight the strongest warrior ever know. He was presented a challenged against a Galacta Knight, a character that is quite difficult to defeat without the use of the special attacks and healing abilities the game gives you. In Kirby's Return to Dream Land after you finish Extra mode, you unlock the True Arena where Galacta Knight is one of the four final bosses. The first half of the fight is a joke but when he gets down to half life, the Landia's battle them stops playing and a supped up version of Galacta Knight's theme kicks in to show the drastic shift in his battle tactics. I much prefer Return to Dream Land's rendition of Galacta Knight's theme. It's hands down some of the best metal music I've heard in a video game.