Favorite Tunes #277: Just Friends

The subtitle may sound like a friend zone tune but I've never played the game but even without context, I don't think that is the case. Most of this week's selection comes from games of the yesteryear, but I did include some modern music.

Crystal Man Stage - Mega Man IV (GB)

Mega Man V on the GB is a really good game. It has brand new music, new bosses and was overall, a fine send off to the GB Mega Man titles. But I gotta be honest, I like Mega Man IV more than V. Yes, it remixes levels, has GB versions of the NES themes and recycles bosses but I still love it to death. Hey, if Sonic Mania can be the "best Sonic game ever" (GameSpot's words, not mine) I don't see why Mega Man IV can't be the best GB Mega Man game.

Emergency - Astral Chain (NS)

Cyberpunk, cops, stylish action by Platinum? Christmas came early for quite a lot of Switcher owners in 2019 when this baby dropped. I've only put 10 or so hours into this game but I really need to get back into it. I've heard this theme a lot, but it remains a favorite.

Just Friends [Secret Area] - Gimmick! (NES)

An visual and audio marvel released late in the NES life cycle, not many have played Gimmick! but those who have will be quick to point out that underneath the cute graphics lies a very difficult game. Maybe someday this will get a digital re-release but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Player Phase 1 (Friendly Fight) - Langrisser (GEN)

I've seen artwork and heard some of the music from the Langrisser games but never got to play them. That will all change in March when Langrisser I & II releases on the Switch. The games are getting the modern touch and updated music but I wouldn't mind if we had the option to listen to some of the older soundtracks.

Arctic Caverns - Battletoads (GEN)

I love Battletoad's soundtrack on the NES, but man, the Genesis just kills it with some tracks. Theme has so much more energy and I really love the way Ragnarok's Canyon sounds with the Genesis synth. Still not sure which version of Arctic Caverns I prefer between the two. They both sound sooooo good.

Staff Roll - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

Ending this week's Favorite Tunes with a staff roll piece. Seems like a nice way to go out. I never did play my copy of Skyward Sword. Perhaps Nintendo could give the game an HD re-release and do some quality of life changes. Even without having played the game, this is one magnificent staff roll theme and I like to think that even those that had issues with Skyward Sword could agree that this track is out-friggin'-standing.

Favorite Tunes Database

The Astral Chain Hate Train

I remember that February 2019 Nintendo Direct like it was yesterday. Super Mario Maker 2, Tetris 99, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening remake. So much good news was dropped in that direct, including the reveal of what looked to be a stellar cyber punk action game, Astral Chain, developed by the action wizards at PlatinumGames. Well, the game has released and the general consensus is that the game is a smash hit. However, everything is not sunny in paradise with.

This isn't the first time Astral Chain has been caught up in a storm of negativity. Why, not long before the game released, the game came under attack by some that hated the fact that you played as cops in this game. Yes, really, that was actually a thing. Because, you know, screw the police and all that, right? As long as the game delivers a dang good time, I could care less whether I'm a cop or a crook. We aren't here to talk about outrage over portraying cops in a good light. No, we're here to talk about outrage over Astral Chain being a Nintendo Switch exclusive. Yes, sadly, this is regrettably a thing.

You may find a few negative reviews from those that have actually sat down and played the game out there on the net, but for the most part, Astral Chain has received overwhelmingly positive marks from fans and critics alike. For those butthurt players that don't own a Switch and wish so badly that the game was on their gaming platform of choice, Astral Chain sucks. 

PO'd gamers have taken to metacritic to review bomb Astral Chain in hopes of driving the game's overall positive user review score down. It really does bewilder me that one would give a game a negative score just because they don't own the system to play it on. I don't own a high end PC nor do I own any version of the Xbox one. Cuphead was one of the games I desperately wanted to play in 2017. In 2019, Hell froze over and Cupead ended up coming to the Switch. Now, granted all cases don't work out like that, but I saw zero point in giving Cuphead a bad review just because I couldn't play it.

Hideki Kamiya, co-founder of PlatinumGames, chimed in on Astral Chain's Switch exclusivity, responding to a Twitter poster wanting the game to come to the PS4 with the following:

Well... it would be great if Mario, Zelda and Metroid came out on PS4, too, but do I hate PlayStation? I'm just a developer who fulfills my contractual obligations, so I don't know, maybe you should try asking my publisher or Nintendo's investors.

With the business of Epic Games and how they've gone about obtaining exclusives, there is no doubt a sour taste in gamer's mouths over that E word. Exclusives games are just one of those things gamers are gonna have to learn to deal with. You aren't always gonna be able to own all of your games on one console or PC. Sure, some games will be timed exclusives, but some will not, especially when it comes to those Nintendo IPs.

As the case was with Bayonetta 2, Nintendo helped fund Astral Chain. Not only that, they helped with the development. It looks to me like Nintendo and PlatinumGames have a very good working relationship with one another. Heck, it was Nintendo that told Platinum to crank Bayonetta's over the top sexual charged antics up to 11. Do you think there is any way the Big N is gonna allow a game they helped fund/develop exist on rival systems? To quote Mighty Keef, boy, that's just crazy. This whole exclusive/review bombing is sure to crop up again when Bayonetta 3 drops.