VGM Saturdays Vol. 2 No. 004

I love me some lofi, so I've included two tracks this week along music from 2021's Cyber Shadow and SEGA's Fantasy Zone II among others.

Ridley - Tune in with Chewie 

This song was first heard in the 1994 mega classic, Super Metroid under the title Big Boss (no relation to the dude from the Metal Gear series). The theme would be so heavily associated with Ridley over the years that it would go on to become his theme with an arrangement of it playing during his reveal trailer for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This lofi remix turns the tense, fist pumping track into a more chill piece and it works really, really well. 

Apparitor, Pt 1 - Cyber Shadow (Multi)

Cyber Shadow is like the NES Ninja Gaiden games. Except there's way, way less cheap bull to keep you from rage quitting. The game can be tough but fair. I'm hoping for a physical release of this game but a year later and still no luck. 

Secret of the Forest - Pontus Hultgren - Beyond the Flow of Time: Music from Chrono Trigger

I've come across the music of Pontus Hultgren through his FINAL FANTASY VI arrangements. Eventually, the YouTube recommended section placed his Chrono Trigger album before me. Check out the rest of his music on Beyond the Flow of Time. It's nearly an hour's worth of Chrono Trigger arranged goodness.

FLY HIGH [RD.6] - Fantasy Zone II (AC)

Unlike some game companies (Nintendo), SEGA is quite good at making their music available on streaming platforms like YouTube and Spotify. I would argue that they need to get more of their catalog out there, but some of the biggest names are already up, such as Out Run, Super Hang-On and a plethora of Fantasy Zone music. If you have a playlist for happy game music, be sure to add this track.

Power and Beats - Final Vendetta (Multi)

Despite the difficulty that I've heard it brings, Final Vendetta has been on my radar for some time now. The soundtrack is a banger and a half with this track oozing '90s sickness. 

Prologue - Curly - Animal Crossing: New Horizons (NSW)

The usual hourly music you get in Animal Crossing games is, at first, absent during your first few days on your island in New Horizons. What music you do get is serviceable, but I could see how quickly it would grate on the nerves for other players. Curly managed to make a head bopping arrangement out of that music most player probably tired of hearing. It is the track that kicks off GameChops Nook & Chill and as much as I loathe Tom Nook, I can let the name of the album slide when the music is packing this much dope chill.

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VG Soundtrack of the Day 065: Chrono Trigger

This game is a 16-bit era classic. The characters are memorable, designed by Dragon Ball legend Akira Toriyama, the plot spans multiple eras via time travel and the music is audio bliss. I could rattle off some of my favorite themes to entice you to listen to this soundtrack if for some strange reason you haven't ever listened to it before  (World Revolution, Magus, Memories of Green, Peaceful Days, Wind Scene, Robo's Theme, To Far Away Times) but trust me, you just need to hear this soundtrack. Chrono Trigger's music could easily hold its own to RPG scores released today. Yasunori Matsuda did the lion's share of soundtrack and man, did he ever knock it outta the park. It is almost unfathomable that this music came out of the SNES.

VG Soundtrack of the Day Database

Favorite Tunes #259: We Droppin' Blocks, Boys

And just like that, March is here. I'm looking forward to Yoshi's Crafted World at the end of this month as well as Final Fantasy VII finally landing on a Nintendo system. In the meantime, enjoy the latest music in this week's Favorite Tunes.

Main Theme - Tetris 99 (NS)

For a while, Tetris Battle Royal was a meme. Then, on the Wednseday of one fateful Nintendo Direct, the meme became a reality. It doesn't go by the name Tetris Battle Royal, but Tetris 99 may as well be called that, because that is exactly what it is. Facing off against 98 other players as this banger of a Tetris Type-A arrange music plays.

Lucca's Theme - Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Spoiler alert: I love Chrono Trigger. It has an easy to grasp time travel plot, a super cool battle system and one of the greatest soundtracks in any RPG. Yes, I know I sound like every other Chrono Trigger fan out there, but this is a game that is every bit worthy of the praise it has got. Luca's Theme was used as victory music in the sequel, Chrono Cross.

Trouble Brewing II (Code Name S.T.E.A.M.) - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)

Remember Code Name S.T.E.A.M. on the 3DS? No? Yeah, I don't blame you. The game was got mixed reviews from critics and was a retail bomb both in Japan and America. Super Smash Bros. games have always been good at reminding people of games they may have forgotten about and bringing games to your attention through music. This remix is so good, I want to hunt down the original.

Mochi Yasan (Shop) - Downwell (iOS, AND, PC, PSV, PS4, NS)

I've got more to say about Downwell in the coming week. For now, all you need to know (those of you that have not played it) is that this $2.99 game is well worth the pocket change. It also has one of the best pieces of shop music I've ever heard.

Mystic Cave Zone (2 Player) - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GEN)

I'm sure you all remember Mystic Cave Zone. It is pretty infamous for having a spike pit that is pretty easy to fall into. Why it wasn't just made a bottomless pit is beyond me, but this was fixed for the Christian Whitehead remake. Falling down that pit will now take you to the Hidden Palace Zone, originally an unfinished Zone in the game. What's more, the zone uses the excellent 2 Player version of Mystic Cave Zone.

Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 Trailer BGM - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U, NS)

You know what tomorrow is, don't you? March 3rd. The day the Switch was released as well as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Kinda hard to believe both the Switch and one of most critically acclaimed Zelda games are turning two years old. The music that was used during the Switch 2017 presentation of the Breath of the Wild segment sure is something, isn't it? Ryo Nagamatsu must have thought so because it got a killer arrangement for the Zelda stages in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

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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 #228: Cut Short

Ever find a music track playing in a game you really like but the game cuts it off to drop you into some gameplay? My favorite game in the Mega Man series has a track that this happens to (Hint for you new readers: it isn't Mega Man 2). Also in this week's music is a track from Chrono Trigger that is long overdue to be represented here as well as one of the more comical Final Fantasy games. Also, this was meant to be posted on May 26th, but by the time I realized I didn't post it, two days had already passed. I decided to just hold off until June 2nd, which gave me time to get ahead on future FT posts.

Set Up - Axelay (SNES)

Probably not the jam that springs to mind when you think of music from Axelay, but I really dig this one. I've been listening to a lot of SNES soundtracks as of late and I caught myself hitting repeat on this short tune a few times.

Schala's Theme - Chrono Trigger (SNES)

I know I've posted a lot of music from Chrono Trigger in Favorite Tunes over the years. To my surprise, I've never posted Schala's Theme. Well, that is a tragedy I'm making up for right now. This melancholy theme has been sampled by several hip hop artists. While I'm not a fan of a lot of today's hip hop music (I prefer the older stuff), I cannot fault them for using this theme.

Main Theme - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Wii U, NS)

It has been a while since I've listed a track from my favorite game of 2017. I've heard some complaints that Breath of the Wild's soundtrack is either too quiet or that there aren't enough remixes from past games. I disagree. Not every game needs to have every track set on blast and what few arrangements are here are really good. Much as I enjoy a soundtrack filled with remixes, its nice to let new music breath. The Main Theme of Breath of the Wild is a powerful, moving piece of music. The 1:06 mark of this song gives me chills.

Dr. Wily Stage Map - Mega Man 3 (NES)

This right here. This is the best Wily Map theme. At a run time of 20 seconds, it also happens to be one of the longest and you never get to hear all of it in game. I can see why that is because no one would want to be sitting at the Wily Stage Map for 20 seconds six times in a row. Then again, this short tune is so good, I could see myself doing that.

Schrage Musik - Danmaku Unlimited 3 (PC, NS)

I still haven't managed to beat this game on the easy setting but I am getting better and I managed to get over 12 million points, breaking my previous record of over 11 million. If you can actually stop sweating from all the bullets your evading, the music in Danmaku Unlimited 3 by BLANKFIELD is really enjoyable stuff.

Lenna's Theme - Final Fantasy V Dear Friends

The Main Theme of Final Fantasy V is a splendid piece of music. Like many main themes it was reused numerous times throughout the game. One of my favorite versions comes in the form of Lenna's Theme. Since I already posted her theme some time ago in Favorite Tunes, here's an arrangement from the album Dear Friends, which is named after one of the ending themes of the game.

Favorite Tunes Database

Favorite Tunes #201: Rise From Your Grave

It is once again that time of the year, Halloween. This is when I usually present a round of spooky themed music. Horror is far from being my favorite genre in anything, but that hasn't stopped me from getting a kick out of some ghoulish music, especially of the gaming kind.

Stage 2 - Ghouls'n Ghosts (ARC)

Long before Resident Evil came along, Capcom had a whole different game of horror: the raged induced, controller throwing fit kind. Ghouls'n Ghosts, the second entry in the Ghosts 'n Goblins series is actually easier than the original game and it's SNES made sequel, Super Ghouls'n Ghosts. Despite owning just about every game in this series, I've never invested the time it takes to get better at them. I always like it when the game throws you a upbeat music piece to go with a hard game/tough level. This track is so dang hummable.

Rise From Your Grave - Altered Beast (ARC)

Before Sonic the Hedgehog came onto the scene, the Genesis port of this co-op was the pack in game for SEGA's 16-bit machine. I gave the soundtrack a listen recently and I was quite surprised at how well the music is. I never played much of Altered Beast but I always remember those cool transformations, which was a huge draw to this game for many. You can expect more jams from different versions of Altered Beast to pop up in the future here in Favorite Tunes.

Creeping through the Sewers Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Ah, Chrono Trigger, a 16-bit classic. Most of this game's score was handled by Yasunori Mitsuda but Nobou Uematsu and Noriko Matsueda also had a hand in this soundtrack. This is one of Uematsu's tracks and Halloween felt like the perfect chance to break it out.

Legendary Ghost - Cuphead (PC, XBO)

Yes, I know I used a song from Cuphead last week, but the game is still topical and I LOVE this soundtrack. The subtitle for Cuphead is "Don't Deal with the Devil." Words to live by. Cuphead's money fueled actions land him and Mugman into a world of trouble, filled with form changing bosses, perils run and gun action and one of this year's best game scores. If your parry game is on point, the Legendary Ghost will reward you with a skill upgrade that will make your journey slightly easier.

Dual Scream - Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)

No longer taking place in a single, huge mansion, Dark Moon takes you through numerous mansions for all kinds of ghost busting havoc. In his first quest, Luigin was given the Game Boy Horror to keep contact with Professor E. Gadd. In Dark Moon, he's given the Dual Scream, complete with a chiptune-like ringtone.

Vampire Killer (X68000 ver.)  - Castlevania Chronicles (PS)

In 2001, Castlevania Chronicles was released on the PS. This was an updated version of the Sharp X68000's Akumajo Dracula, which originally released in Japan in 1993. This marked the first time the game had ever seen a release outside of Japanese shores and it was a return to the more traditional, non Metroidvania style games. As a bonus, the game had multiple soundtracks, an arranged version and the original X68000 tunes. This is one of my favorite renditions of the classic Vampire Killer theme.

Favorite Tunes Database

Favorite Tunes #173: Clash on the Big Bridge

We're almost done with the month of January, meaning there's just a little over a month until the Nintendo Switch releases. Even if I can't get one on launch day, I've got more than enough to keep me busy, both with games and game music. This week we've got music from Chrono Trigger, Gravity Rush and Gimmick! among others.

Clash on the Big Bridge ~FFXII Version~ - Final Fantasy XII (PS2)

Among the copious amount of thrilling battle themes from this massive series that is going on thirty years old, Clash on the Big Bridge from Final Fantasy V is a huge fan favorite. Hitoshi Sakimoto is a master at composing music and I never knew how much I wanted an arrangement of FFV's most memorable battle done by him until I had heard it. The classic 16-bit theme is given the orchestral arrangement and it is amazing.

Yoshi and Cookies - Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)

Yoshi's Woolly World was one of my favorite games of this console generation and I'm excited to go through the game again when it releases on February 3rd on the 3DS. (That Poochy amiibo is SO cute!) Anyone that has played Kirby's Epic Yarn will recognize the beginning of Yoshi and Cookies. Woolly World was a a bit of a spiritual successor to the aforementioned game, so it was nice to see a musical homage to it.

Volt Krueger - The Bouncer (PS2)

Another Square Enix title. The Bouncer was a launch title for the PS2. The game game didn't set the world on fire, but it had some nice ideas like multiple endings and allowing the player to switch characters frequently. The Bouncer has exceptional voice acting and each playable character has their own theme that plays when you fight as them.

Strange Memories of Death [Unused] - Gimmick! (NES)

No matter how many times I listen to the music from Gimmick!, I'm amazed. The NES library is full of some really great soundtracks, but Gimmick! is truly on a whole different level. This is actually an unused theme that can be heard in the game's sound test. One listen to this baby and you'll be left wondering why it went unused.

Black Omen - Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Boy, I sure am giving Square Enix a lot of love in this week's Favorite Tunes. The Clockwork album I've been listening to did having something to do with a track from Chrono Trigger making the cut. It reminded me just how amazing that game's score is, even the tracks that don't play as often as others like Black Omen.

Old Town - Gravity Rush (PSV, PS4)

Originally released on the PS Vita, Gravity Rush recieved a re-release under the name Gravity Rush Remastered, giving the game even better visuals and exposure to wider audience on the PS4. The game's absolutely wonderful soundtrack was written by Kohei Tanaka and anyone that watches One Piece will know of his work.

Favorite Tunes Database

Clockwork: A Chrono Trigger & Cross Tribute Album

Life is a journey of discovery. Discovering new friends, new interest. That feeling of intrigue when you come across a band of video game musicians you've never heard before. That happened to me the other night when I stumbled upon the Pixel Mixers. They've got a few albums out but what I've heard of the first album I found, Clockwork: A Chrono Trigger & Cross Tribute Album was enough to  make me fast fan of their work.

Clockwork is a digital three disc album covering songs from both Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, two games that have some of the best dang video game music in the medium. What I love about this album aside from the fact that it covers music from both games, is how varied the music is. Clockwork has acoustic, rock, metal, jazz, synth and numerous other arrangements across the three discs. And it is really freaking good, too! The original melody of the songs cover is never lost even when these guys are putting their own spin on another person's work.

Clockwork originally released in May of 2016 and I'm kicking myself for not knowing of it a lot sooner. The album is free and it has also been uploaded to the group's YouTube page. Whether you decide to download it or listen to it off YouTube, Clockwork is worth checking out either way.

Clockwork: A Chrono Trigger & Cross Tribute Album

S3: Sensational SNES Soundtracks Part 2

The Super Nintendo is widely regarded as Nintendo's best console and arguably the greatest console of all time. It's an outstanding game machine with a hefty amount of games, visuals that still hold up well today and much of the music in SNES games is nothing short of amazing. SNES music is what we're here to discuss in S3, highlighting some of my favorite SNES soundtracks.

07. Super Mario World

Composer: Koji Kondo

Back in the day, we used to have system launches with pack in games. The game that came packed with the SNES? Super Mario World. Hot dog! This game was the reason myself and many others wanted Nintendo's 16-bit machine and Super Mario World did not dissapoint. For a lot of gamers, this is the greatest 2D Mario game. Like the previous Super Marios before it, the music in Super Mario World favors quality over quantity and Super Mario World's music is pretty darn good. Koji Kondo uses variations of a single theme for most of the game's music but keeps one distinct. The Underground theme has an echo sound to it, the Athletic theme very energetic and piano crazy and the Castle theme is dark and forboding. If you find or bring Yoshi into a level, you get the addition of bongo drums, a very nice touch. The final battle with Bowser treats us to a sick rock theme that was arranged in Super Mario Kart and then decades later in Fortune Street. Super Mario World may have been one of the earliest games to release on the SNES, but it still has one of the best soundtracks the system has to offer.

Title
Underground
Athletic
Castle
The Evil Koopa King
Ending

08. Donkey Kong Country

Composers: David Wise, Eveline Novakovic, Robin Beanland

1994 was the year DK made his big comeback. First there was Donkey Kong on the GB which played like the classic 1981 co-op game while adding tons of new levels and gameplay elements, and then there was the mindblowing SNES platformer Donkey Kong Country that boasted visuals and sounds that were thought to be impossible on the system. Donkey Kong Country has a soundtrack so rich that many a player has paused the game just to listen to the music. The soothing sounds of Aquatic Ambiance, the calm turned frantic pace of Northern Hemispheres and that pumping final boss music that is Gang-Plank Galleon, Donkey Kong Country has a soundtrack that is a feast for your ears.

DK Island Swing
Aquatic Ambience
Forest Frenzy
Northern Hemispheres
Fear Factory
Gang-Plank Galleon  

09. Chrono Trigger

Composers: Yasunroi Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu

A memorable cast of characters, a time travel plot that's easy to grasp yet interesting, no random battles, charater designs by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama and an superb soundtrack make Chrono Trigger a masterpiece. This is the game that put Yasunori Mitsuda on the map for game soundtracks. Nobuo Uematsu contributed a some trakcs but Mitsuda did the lion's share of it. All of the wonderful things I could say about Chrono Trigger's soundtrack have already been said. One need only look into the number of arrangements Chrono Trigger's soundtrack has received to see how much the video game music fans adore it. Chrono Trigger can hold it's own to the SNES trilogy of Final Fantasy titles and many current RPGs in many respects, especially music. If you haven't heard this game's score, give it a listen and if you have, hear it again. I know I'm due for another go.

Green Memories
The Trial
Boss Battle 2
Factory Ruins
Showdown with Magus
World Revolution

10. Contra III: The Alien Wars

Composers: Miki Higashino, Masanroi Adachi, Tappi Iwase

The aliens have had their skin handed to them twice over. That's enough to make anyone feel butthurt. For the third strike, the launch an all out assault on the human race, starting by turning an entire city to ruins with one attack. Kinda sends the message that they are done screwing around. Since the world has pretty much been transformed into scorched Earth, the soundtrack reflects the hellish wasteland the aliens have created. Clocking in at only six stages, Contra III is on the short side, but it does a lot in those six levels and with each one have their own music track, Contra III delivers an apocalyptic score you won't soon forget.

It's Time For Revenge
Bloody Storm
Battle Runner
Hell Messanger 
Go Forward Under Fire
The Showdown

11. ActRaiser

Composer: Yuzo Koshiro

Some games give off a vibe so undeniably strong that you know you're in for a good time before you start playing. ActRaiser is such a game, combining city building simulation elements with side scrolling action into one incredible package. ActRaiser's beautiful musical score is the icing on an already delicious cake. From that breath-taking Opening to the pumping themes of Fillmoa and Blood Pool~Casandora, ActRaiser wows your ears time and again.

Opening
Fillmoa
Blood Pool~Casandora
North Wall
Sacrifices
Birth of the People

12. Street Fighter II

Composers: Yoko Shimomura, Yoshihiro Sakaguchi, Tetsuya Nishimura

For a while, the SNES was the system to own if you wanted to throw down with a buddy in Street Fighter II without dropping some quarters. It was by no means a perfect port, but it got so much right that it was like having the arcade game in your living room. I love the CPS-I version of Street Fighter II's music, but I was exposed to Street Fighter II on the SNES and as such, I love this versions soundtrack equally as much as the arcade version. In fact, I think some themes honestly sound better on the SNES like Sagat's theme, a tune, I didn't think was bad, but never really grabbe me when I heard it on CPS-I hardware. That SNES sound chip really brings out the roar of those trumpets in Sagat, Blanka, Guile and Vega's stage themes. The bassline in Sagat's theme is absolutely sick as is that guitar solo at the 1:18 mark.

Ryu Stage
Chun-Li Stage
Blanka Stage
Guile Stage
Vega Stage
Sagat Stage

Favorite Tunes #157: The King Has Returned

Work was... um, something else last week, so I didn't get around to putting in the work on the blog that I'd have liked. Favorite Tunes and Remix of the Week as well as editorials were MIA. Since I won't be as swamped as I was the week before, I hope to get back on track. For this edition of Favorite Tunes, we've got music from the latest installment of The King of Fighters series, Chrono Trigger and the 1990s classic beat 'em up, Knights of the Round, to name half the list.

Survivors Under the Sky (Ikari Team) - The King of Fighters XIV (PS4)

So King of Fighters XIV recently dropped on the PS4. And the soundtrack? Soooooo goood! I really shouldn't be so surprised that the music is this incredible, but I'd honestly forgotten how good KoF music is. It's been years since I've played a game in this franchise but I've had this particularly theme playing in my head for days now,

Round 5 - Knights of the Round (ARC)

Like a lot of Capcom's arcade titles from the 80s and 90s, Knights of the Round received a home console port. The version of the game, I'm more familiar with is the arcade version since it was included on Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2. This three player beat 'em up allowed you to level up your warrior as you progress and its middle ages setting really helped it stand out from a lot of other games in the genre. The soundtrack is among the best done on the CPS-I hardware.

Grand Canyon - Rad Racer (NES)

Before Final Fantasy became much of what Square would be known for, the company had their hand in games other than RPGs, such as this quite good arcade style NES racing title, Rad Racer. The game even supported 3D and came with a pair of glasses. The catchy soundtrack was composed by Nobuo Uematsu. In Japan, Rad Racer was known as Highway Star and had a much more badawesome cover than the American and European box art.

Sealed Door - Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Time travel can be tricky business in any medium, be it comic book, movies, TV shows or literature. Thankfully Chrono Trigger's time hopping adventures are quite easy to follow. In the ruined era of 2300 A.D. Chrono and the gang come across a sealed area containing the Epoch, a time machine that allows the gang to travel to 1999 to prevent the current horrific future from ever coming to pass.

Book 2 - Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U)

Well, after that beautiful, but super depressing music we just heard, how about we cheer up with some Nintendo music? The Captain Toad levels from Super Mario 3D World were a nice change of pace from the platforming action. About a year later, the jumping impaired fungus and his lady friend, Toadette would get their own, charming, cute and delightfully fun game.

Marble Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog (GEN)

I often hear people complaining about Marble Zone because it slows down the pace of the game after the blistering speed that Green Hill Zone provided. To the people that think Sonic games are supposed to be all speed, Sonic titles are still platform games and that holds true for both the modern and classic titles. Marble Zone is light on it's puzzle elements but I'm perfectly fine with that. Move some blocks, break some blocks, avoid getting crushed and move along.

Favorite Tunes Database

Chronology: A Jazz Tribute to Chrono Trigger

All of the wonderful things I could say about Chrono Trigger have already been said countless times. The game is a 16-bit masterpiece, one of my all-time favorite games and RPGs. Chrono Trigger's soundtrack is a smorgasbord of delicious music. There have been a number of Chrono Trigger arrange albums over the years but I don't think there's ever been an entire arranged soundtrack for it dedicated to jazz. I never even thought of such  an idea. Jazz is easily one of my top 3 genres of music and I'd love to see more jazz video game arrange albums. Until the pool for it gets deeper, however, Chronology: A Jazz Tribute to Chrono Trigger will will do more than nicely.

This is OverClocked Remix's 60th album, which is quite the milestone, but it is also the The OC Jazz Collective's album debut. I'd say this group came out swinging, but that would be a massive understatement. Chronology oozes professionalism and high production values. The music on this album sounds so good that each member could easily be a jazz club performing these pieces live. Just listening to some of these tracks makes me feeling like it's late at night in a club, the lights are dimmed and The OC Jazz Collective is on stage doing their thing as people look, sipping their drinks and nodding their heads to the music.

At only eight tracks, Chronology is a rather short remix album. Considering the exceptional quality of the music, that actually bums me out a but. The run time  is under 48 minutes. It would have been great to see more themes get The OC Jazz Collective's magic touch, but when what we've been given sounds this freaking good, you really can't complain all that much. You could have a jazz lover listen to this soundtrack that isn't even familiar with Chrono Trigger and they would love it. I'll be listening to Chronology over and over again and eagerly anticipating The OC Jazz Collective's next project.

Chronology: A Jazz Tribute to Chrono Trigger