What had to be one of the biggest jaw dropping moments during Masahiro Sakurai's 45 minute presentation of Terry was the divulging of his stage coming with 50 music tracks. Sakurai and his team went beyond the bounds of FATAL FURY and THE KING OF FIGHTERS games and much like Pac-Man's stage does with the music, the King of Fighters arena's music list serves as a representation of SNK as a whole and I couldn't be happier for that. Bravo to SNK for allowing Sakurai and his team to use all 50 of the tracks they submitted to them. Because of that list (and the cool wall mechanics) Terry's stage is one of my favorite places to smash on. There are a lot of original songs and tons upon tons of new remixes and I thought it would be fun to go over all 50 tracks. If you're an SNK fan, you've gotta be hyped to see so many of these awesome songs make it in to Ultimate. For those of you that aren't familair with Terry or haven't heard much or any SNK music, these are some of the best bangers in the history of video game music.
01. Kurikinton - FATAL FURY 2 [New Remix]
You can't have Terry in the game and not give him his stage theme. That would be like having Ryu without his music from Street Fighter II, it just isn't done. Like Ryu, Terry gets multiple versions of his famous FATAL FURY 2 theme in Ultimate. Its a very lively, upbeat theme, that perfectly matches Terry's high energy personality. It is impossible to hear this theme and not wanna get up and move.
02. Soy Sauce for Geese - FATAL FURY SPECIAL
Geese Howard, murderer of Terry's father. Taker of countless quarters. Falls off buildings a lot. Once it was revealed Terry was coming to Ultimate, everyone and their dog knew this theme was gonna be in the game. I wouldn't be surprised if this one among the first of the 50 tracks Sakurai and his team placed on their list. Even without context, I think anyone that hears this theme can guess the intent behind it: evil, sinister, villainous. Without a doubt one of the greatest bad guy themes in video games. I would have been perfectly fine with the version from the first FATAL FURY but this one from SPECIAL is all kinds of killer.
03. Haremar Faith Capoeria School - Song of the Fight (Believers Will Be Saved) - FATAL FURY [New Remix]
Oh, man, that is one mouthful of a song title. A few days before Terry dropped, I was listening to the soundtracks to the fist two FATAL FURY titles (along with SPECIAL). I'd assume Sakurai and co were going to go the route they went for Ryu's stage in Ultimate and have all of the original music from the first FATAL FURY, which would mean we would get the original version of this theme. We all know how Terry's music selection turned out and this theme winded up getting a really good remix.
04. The Sea Knows - FATAL FURY
This right here is one of my favorite tracks from the original FATAL FURY and I was so happy to see it appear in the song selection.
05. Kurikinton -FATAL FURY 2
A FATAL FURY 2 original. That Ultimate remix is fire, sure, but make sure you pay some respect to the tune that made that remix possible.
06. Kuri Kinto Flavor - KOF XIV
The third and final version of Terry's theme to be included in Ultimate comes from the latest entry in SNK's long running THE KING OF FIGHTERS series. It has been so long since I heard the KOF XIV score that I'd completely forgotten about this song was in there. Glad it made its way to Ultimate.
07. Pasta - FATAL FURY 2 [New Remix]
We could gave gotten the original Pasta theme and I would not complain. What we got, however, was a Pasta remix by none other than Yoko Shimomura. She must have been a huge fan of the original theme because this remix sounds sooooooo dang awesome.
08. A Poem That the South Thailand Wants to Tell - FATAL FURY 2
Joe Higashi's theme. I don't normally go for this style of music but I really like this theme.
09. Tarkun and Kitapy - FATAL FURY 2 [New Remix]
If you wanna fight to some whaling guitars, you've picked the right theme. This is a track that sticks really close to the original tune and while that may make it sound like a more souped up version of the original, it is no worse for doing so.
10. Let's Go to Seoul! - FATAL FURY 2[New Remix]
This is the fourth FATAL FURY 2 remix. Starting to think composers for Ultimate really dig that game's soundtrack and for good reason. Just like Kim's baggy pants, this theme is filled with great justice. Sorry not sorry.
11. The London March - FATAL FURY 2 [New Remix]
Billy Kane is one of the coolest characters in the FATAL FURY and THE KING OF FIGHTERS series. Ditching that overalls getup was probably one of the best things he ever did. This is another one of those themes that is so good I would have been fine with original but this remix slaps really hard.
12. The Working Matador - FATAL FURY 2
Again, this usually isn't my type of music, but I can't hate it on. I can and will however, hate on the fighter this theme belongs to, Lawrence Blood. See, I just played some of the REAL BOUT FATAL FURY titles and Blood is so stupidly OP. I will hate on Blood whenever I get the chance.
13. Duck Dub Dub (Duck, You Too) - FATAL FURY SPECIAL
Duck King screams 90s character design even more than Terry. Dude looks like he jumped right out of an episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This guy gets some of the most happening beats in the FATAL FURY series. As much as I love his music in the REAL BOUT titles, I can easily see why Sakurai and company went with this one. A shinning example of early awesome NEO-GEO music.
14. Soy Sauce for Geese - KOF XIV
It isn't the Tekken 7 arrangement but man, is it fire. A rocked out version of Geese Howard's famous theme. Whining fools be gone.
15. Big Shot! - FATAL FURY 3
The only track from FATAL FURY 3 in all of Ultimate. Like Terry's theme from FATAL FURY 2, Big Shot! has a lot of positive energy behind it. In certain THE KING OF FIGHTERS games, an arrangement of this theme is used for Team Fatal Fury, which often consists of Terry, Andy and Joe.
16. 11th Street - FATAL FURY WILD AMBITION [New Remix]
If you need a break from all that rock, turn this sucker up. WILD AMBITION may not be fondly remembered but the soundtrack is where its at.
17. 176th Street - KOF '99
Fun fact, THE KING OF FIGHTERS '99 was released the same year WILD AMBITION released. This track is an arranged version of 11th Street from that game, which served as Terry's stage BGM.
18. Ne! - KOF '94
If I'm being honest, there are a number of songs I would have picked for THE KING OF FIGHTERS '94 song. ESAKA, JUNGLE BOUNCER, or SLUM No.5. Having said that, Ne! is still a good song choice.
19. DESERT REQUIEM ~Operation02UM~ - KOF 2002 UM
UNLIMITED MATCH is one of the KOF games I never played and as such, I'm not too familiar with the music. If you want to have some rock blasting as you knock fools out of the ring, this is a good pick.
20. ESAKA!! - KOF 2002 UM
Another track from UNLIMITED MATCH, but it does ring a bell since it is an arrangement of KOF '96's ESAKA theme. My favorite ESAKA track will always be from KOF '94, and while I really, really wish that track could have made it, this is a perfectly good ESAKA remix.
21. Stormy Saxophone 2 - KOF '96 [New Remix]
Rival of Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yamgami may have been the first edge lord many a gamer laid eyes on. I don't think anyone gets an evil laugh that chilling without tons of practice. Stormy Saxophone 2 is a big fan favorite, so no surprise to see it get arranged.
22. KD-0079+ - KOF 2002 UM
The third track from UNLIMITED MATCH. The Ultimate team must really love the music from that game. of the songs in Ultimate from UNLIMITED MATCH, I find myself selecting this one the most.
23. W.W.III - KOF XIV
I was recently listening to the soundtrack from KOF '99 again and there are quite a few tracks on that one that I really like. A number of tracks from KOF XIV made it into Ultimate and this just happens to be an arrange of the Ikari Team from KOF '99.
24. Terry115 - KOF 2000
I'm guessing the composers at SNK really loved giving Terry more mellow themes in WILD AMBITION and KOF '99. When KOF '00 rolled around, our boy was once again give some mellow jazz. This one just barely beats out his KOF '99 theme for me.
25. Street Dancer - KOF XI
Turn it up and get down.
26. New Order - KOF XIV
You might look at this track and think some imperialistic music is going to assault your ears. Instead, you're treated to whaling guitars and a killer saxophone.
27. Undercover - KOF 2002 UM
I hope you're not sick of music from UNLIMITED MATCH because there's another track from that game after this one. Yeah, KD-0079+ is my favorite of the UM tracks in Ultimate, but this is a very close second.
28. Cutting Edge - KOF 2002 UM
The fifth and final track from UM. I like to think that at one point the Ultimate team had someone speak up and say "OK, that's five tracks from one game. We gotta move on." The quality and number of tracks they included in Ultimate has stirred up interest for me to check out KOF 2002 UM's soundtrack.
29. The Second Joker - KOF XIII
KOF XIII is a game and soundtrack I am not familiar with. I must have been too busy with other games because before I knew it, KOF XIV was out. Of the KOF XIII track included, this is my least favorite.
30. Esaka Continues... - KOF XIII
This is no ESAKA from KOF '94. I mean, what is? You should still be jamming out to this one, though. Another freaking good Esaka theme.
31. Wild Street - KOF XIII
I'm gonna have to check out the rest of that KOF XIII soundtrack. This one is a real finger snapper. Yes, I realize saying that may make me sound like a boomer, but I'm almost 40, so deal with.
32. Tame a Bad Boy - KOF XIII
With a track title like this one, you'd think it belonged to a character like Iori. I looked it up and it turns out this is the theme that belongs to Kim's team. Makes sense. I mean, last I checked, he was still rehabilitating those two dimwits.
33. KDD-0063 - KOF XIII
Some of these titles come off as just strange to me. I looked this one up and it belongs to K' and his team so now it sorta makes sense. Despite the "tude" vibe his appearance may give off, his design still rocks. Ditto for this theme.
34. Yappari ESAKA - KOF XIV
This is another Esaka theme, what more do I need to say? You already know this one is a major banger.
35. Departure from South Town - KOF XIV
The way that guitar leads up to the main course and further riffs throughout the course reminds me of Trigun's soundtrack.
36. Theme of SYD - Alpha Mission [New Remix]
I did not expect to get an arrangement from Alpha Mission but as they say, we take those. I recommend looking up the original version sometime. As Sakurai said, SNK music has always been great, even before the NEO-GEO came along.
37. IKARI - KOF XIV
A rocked out version of the Ikari Warriors theme? I'll take twelve!
38. Forest World - Athena [New Remix]
I played Athena via SNK 40th Anniversary Collection. I was not impressed and can say that this is one o those games that has not aged well. Still, it was nice to see the Ultimate composer's recognize the game and remix this theme.
39. Psycho Soldier Theme - Psycho Soldier [New Remix]
If the views on YouTube are an indicator, this songs is getting a lot of love and for good reason. The Psycho Soldier Theme was the very first video game track to feature vocals. Athena's team has often had arrangements of the Psycho Soldier music in the KOF games but Ultimate marks the first time in over 20 years the song has had the lyrics return. The song was composed by Yuzo Koshiro and purposely made to evoke a 1980s anime opening. Lyrics were sung by the very talented Kanako Kotera, known for her work on the Falcom game soundtracks. This is the Japanese version of the track and if you think the only difference between it and the English version is only language, you are wonderfully mistaken.
40. Psycho Soldier Theme - Psycho Soldier [New Remix] (Overseas Version)
The English version of the loved Psycho Solider Theme. When Psycho Soldier was brought to the states, the song was given an English translation. A very cheesy English translation. The English lyrics are quite different from the Japanese version. Actually, the English version doesn't have as many lyrics as the Japanese version and while it has been over 20 years since the Japanese version had its lyrics restored, the English lyrics for the Psycho Soldier Theme have not been used in over 30 years. For those that did hear the original English version of Psycho Soldier, the cheesy lyrics have been kept, word for word in this remix. Kanako Kotera also sung this English version. What's more, the way she pronounces the words "Fire" and "Psycho Solder" is different between the two versions. Since the English track doesn't have as many lyrics as the Japanese one, this version gets a killer sax solo at the one minute mark.
41. ART of FIGHT - Art of Fighting [New Remix]
This track got me to check out Art of Fighting soundtracks and now I'm a huge fan of them. Makes me wish more tracks from that series made it in, especially the ones from Art of Fighting 3.
42. Art of Fighting Ver.230000000.0 - FATAL FURY SPECIAL
Did this track really have to have 8 zeros in it? Terry can have a special fight against Ryo from Art of Fighting in FATAL FURY SPECIAL. The requirement for unlocking this fight? As Terry, fight your way through arcade mode without losing a single round. Not an easy task since the AI in SPECIAL is on some serious BS. I imagine most probably didn't get to hear this tune because of those conditions. Not a problem in the current year.
43. Tuna - SAMURAI SHODOWN
That heavy percussion and flute work make this song for me.
44. Banquet of Nature - SAMURAI SHODOWN [New Remix]
Nakoruru easily has one of the best stage themes from the original SAMURAI SHODOWN. This arrangement of her theme was done by Masami Ueda, who made the song soound even more Japanese than the original. Ueda has written music for games such as Bayonetta, Resident Evil 2 and a little game called Okami.
45 Gaia - SAMURAI SHODOWN [New Remix]
One original track and two arrangements, all from the first SAMURAI SHODOWN. I think that soundtrack has a special place in the hearts of the Ultimate team.
46. Main Theme from Metal Slug - METAL SLUG [New Remix]
I thought it would be crazy to expect songs outside of FATAL FURY and THE KING OF FIGHTERS to be used on Terry's stage but Sakurai and the gang made room for one of the best run 'n gun series on their song list. I would have loved to see some song from METAL SLUG 5 but I can't fault the team for remixing this theme. Such an iconic song.
47. Assault Theme - METAL SLUG 1-3 [New Remix]
One remix for the METAL SLUG series would have been fine but me, but they went and gave us two.
48. Final Attack - METAL SLUG 1-6
I've got this tune playing as I finish this feature up. Why have I not had this sucker blasting more often on Terry's stage, I had no idea.
49. Judgement - METAL SLUG 2
Awww, why couldn't this be Livin' on the Deck? Yeah, Judgement is a really cool theme and awesome for a first level song, but Livin' on the Deck is the GOAT of METAL SLUG 2/X.
50. Blue Water Fangs (The Island of Dr. Moreau) - METAL SLUG 3
The more I let this song play, the more I find myself nodding my head to it. The Ultimate team did a bang up job on their song picks.
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And we all thought Dracula's Castle had the biggest selection of songs from a third party rep at 34. Terry rolls up with 50 tracks, further reminding everyone that Cloud got crapped on with his measly two songs. Sakurai said that this was more than likely a one time thing, so unless whatever company that owns the next character is feeling more generous than SNK with their music, I don't think we'll ever get it this good. If your appetite for SNK music has been wet with this song list, I recommend heading over to Spotify. There's way more SNK music where this came from.
And with that, I'm off to enjoy Thanks Giving with my family. I hope you're doing the same and staying fed as well as safe.
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