Favorite Tunes #244: Time for Spooky

Tirck or treat, smell my feet, you know the rest. It is that spooky time of the year again and in the spirit of the season, here are some ghastly tunes to make you go bump in the night or some other Halloween jargon.

Battle for the Holy - Castlevania the Adventure ReBirth (Wii)

Three of Konami's top franchises were given ReBirth titles exclusively on the Wii via Wii Ware. Nintendo has since closed up the Wii Shop Channel so unless Konami re-releases the three ReBirth titles, they are more victims lost to the digital age. Castlevania the Adventure Rebirth was essentially a remake of Castlevania Adventure for the Game Boy, staring Christopher Belmont. This theme originally played on the game's opening stage but was nowhere to be heard in the ReBirth remake.

Cockatrice - Super Ghouls'n Ghosts (SNES)

The Ghosts'n Goblins games are known for their insane difficulty and Super Ghouls'n Ghosts is no exception. Hard as this game is, though, it is still easier than the two titles that came before it. Super gives you a double jump and you can power up your weapons. The game has the familiar level 1 Ghosts'n Goblins music as well as a slew of new songs that sound magnificent on the SNES hardware, making Super Ghouls'n Ghosts quite possibly my favorite soundtrack of the entire series.

Those Chosen by the Planet - Final Fantasy VII (PS)

A theme heavily associated with the main protagonist of Final Fantasy VII, Sepiroth, this theme is first heard during a flashback when he goes mad after finding out what he (assumes) are his true origins and makes orphans of Cloud and Tifa along with burning the town to the ground. At the time, the scene of Sephy walking away in those flames looked pretty badawesome. Now? Looks pretty dang dated.

Ceremony - Secret of Mana (SNES)

I imagine this track unsettled anyone that played Secret if Mana as  a kid. Heck, I was 15 when I first played the game and this tune still gave me the creeps. If you're looking for some horror inspired game music for something, you can't go wrong with this one.

Haunted House - Super Mario 64 (N64)

Since the introduction of Ghost Houses in Super Mario World, I have never liked the haunted house themes in Super Mario games. The nightmare fuel was cranked up to eleven in Big Boo's Haunt, the sole ghost house level in Super Mario 64. Going after some of the stars here was a pain and the less said about that freaking piano, the better.

Lavos' Theme - Chrono Trigger (SNES)

I sure have shown Square Enix a lot of love in Favorite Tunes this week. Lavos is unlike the big bad if most Square Enix RPGs. He doesn't boast about how powerful he is, nor is he the mirror counterpart to any of the heroes. Not a lot of detail is divulged about him. And yet, hundreds of years into the future he turns the world into a wasteland where what remains of the human population is starving, just barely clinging to life.

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Favorite Tunes #243: Over Being Sick

Last week, I caught a nasty virus. During one of the days I was sick, I was bedridden and the last time I was that ill was back in 2012. Thankfully, I've recovered and now I've just got a little cold.

Shana's Theme - The Legend of Dragoon (PS)

Once Final Fantasy VII brought RPGs into the mainstream, the PS saw a slew of them. Between both the N64 and the PS, my plate was quite full in 2000 so I never got around to playing this (Final Fantasy IX also came out that year). Recently, I was listening to some relaxing music to fall asleep and this track was featured in one of the many playlists I usually go to. It is quite the peaceful tune. Very lullaby-like.

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

I really like Mega Man 11's techno soundtrack. I gather some aren't used to it since eight of the ten classic Mega Man games used chiptunes but we can't stay 8-bit forever. It actually took some time for Impact Man's theme to grow on me (I died A LOT in this level) but now I find it to be a real banger.

Round 5 (Bay Area) - Mighty Final Fight (NES)

Released near the very end of the NES's life cycle, Mighty Final Fight is an SD take on the series. Its only a single player beat 'em up and most agree that it isn't the best of what the genre has to offer on the system, but this is still a pretty good effort. Being such a late NES release, it is quite a rare cart. It has had several re-releases with the most recent being on the Wii U's eShop.

Stage 3 Boss - Ghouls'N Ghosts (ARC)

The sequel to the 1985 quarter stealing, soul shattering Ghosts'N Goblins, Ghouls'N Ghosts, like the game that came before it is a merciless action platformer that has you do two runs through the game to fully complete it. Those that wish to hang on to their sanity will most likely give up after the first level or two. Despite not being the biggest fan of this series, I do enjoy the soundtracks, and I've been listening to various songs from the games as of late.

Danzen Dungeon - Dynamite Headdy (GEN)

The latest re-release of Dynamite Headdy is on the SEGA Genesis Classics. The physical release was back in May for the PS4 and XBO but it will be coming to the Switch. The version in SEGA Genesis Classics lets you play the Japanese version as well as the English version, which is a very good option since the American version is harder.

Load BGM - Akumajo Dracula (X68000)

If you've played Castlevania ReBirth on the Wii (the game so needs a re-release), then you may have heard this theme. What you may not know is that it originated in the 1993 Akumajo Dracula for the Sharp X68000, which would be released on the PS in 2001 under the name Castlevania Chronicles. It should go without saying, but this is some pretty sick load music.

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