Favorite Tunes #69: Ninjas Rule

Who doesn't like ninjas? Crazy people. Crazy people that no one will ever love. From Guy to Ryu to Kage, this Favorite Tunes is all about the ninjas.

Theme of Kage - Virtua Fighter (ARC, SAT)

The world's first 3D fighter, Virtua Fighter offered a simple but very complex three button control scheme. Kage Maru isn't my favorite Virtua Fighter character (that would be Pai) but he's still an awesome fighter and he get bonus points for look deadly in blue. 

Japanesque - Shinobi II: Return of the Ninja Master (GEN)

Shinobi III, also known as The Super Shinobi II is hailed as the pinnacle among the Genesis trio of Shinobi games. Despite having a musical score that was not composed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro, Shinobi III still has some of the best music ever produced on the Genesis. Much of the soundtrack is worth rocking out to on your iPod, but if you only pick a selection of tracks, make sure you put Japanesque in there.

Shadow Man Stage - Mega Man 3 (NES)

The first (and only) Robot Master to slide, Shadow Man gets taken out by what is largely considered the worst weapon in the history of Mega Man, the Top Spin. His Shadow Blade weapon is a much more balanced version of the Metal Blade from Metal Man. I've always loved the jazz feel of Shadow Man's level theme.

Moon Night -PSYLOCKE- - X-Men: Children of the Atom (ARC, SAT)

A lot of ninjas on this list don't wear black. You may think that's a setback for one that has a job occupation that requires them to be so stealthy, but when you're so good at your job, I say you should be able to wear whatever colors you want. Besides, Psylocke looks great in purple. You know what else is great? Her theme from Children of the Atom.

Daddy Mulk - The Ninja Warriors (SCD)

An arcade beat 'em up developed by Taito, the game was later ported to tons of different consoles including the Commodore 64 and Sega CD. The game started two protagonists that were not only ninjas, but ninja robots. That's two of my favorite things combined! Daddy Mulk is the most famous song in Ninja Warriors. I quite like the arranged version on the Sega CD.

Scene 2 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES)

Along with the Disney titles, the Turtle games were some of the better licensed products in the late 80s and throughout the 1990s. Konami released some of the best beat 'em ups in the genre with the 1989 TMNT and the 1991 Turtles in Time, which was later ported to the SNES in 1992. With the SNES being all the rage, you may have missed out on the Manhattan Project. Unlike the ports of TMNT and Turtles in Time, Manhattan Project was built from the ground up on the NES and some fans consider it better than TMNTII.

Act 1 - Ninja Gaiden (NES)

Praised for it's use of cutscenes to move the story along, Ninja Gaiden was one of the earliest games where most gamers got to step into the shoes of a ninja. It was quite exhilarating. Slicing foes up with a katana, throwing ninja stars and sticking to walls. Ryu Hayabusa seemed like the most hardcore guy ever. And he'd have to be to go through everything this game threw at him. As splendid as it was, Ninja Gaiden was also one of the most unforgiving games on the NES.  

Jago - Killer Instinct (ARC)

C-C-C-C-COMBOOOOO BREAKEEEEEEEEER!!! Man, that's fun to say. In all honesty, I am glad to see Killer Instinct making a long overdue comeback. I'm not too thrilled about that free to play business or a questionable developer being behind it, but KI's comeback was still one of E3's 2013 highlights. I'm hoping his theme music is just as good as it was in the first and second KI games.

Stages 3-2 & 5-1 - Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (GEN)

There's actually an arcade game called Shadow Dancer but the title is really all it has in common with the Genesis game. Shadow Dancer may not be on the same level of greatness as Revenge of Shinobi or Shinobi III, but it's still a solid Shinobi title with another fantastic Genesis soundtrack.

No More Swingin' (Theme of Guy) - Street Fighter Alpha 3 (ARC, PS, SAT, DC)

My favorite entry in the Alpha series, the home versions of Alpha 3 brought a slew of new content that the arcade version didn't have. In addition to new playable characters like Guile, there was a World Tour mode where you can increase the strengths of your fighter while traveling the globe. Guy is one of my favorite characters to use and his stage music always puts me in the mood to beat someone down.

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Favorite Tunes #56: Rocking Out

Are you ready to rock? I hope so, because that's the order of the day in this edition of Favorite Tunes.

Riptor Theme - Killer Instinct (ARC)

Despite his beastly appearance Riptor is a highly intelligent dino, but his pumped up IQ is at odds with his savage nature to crush, kill, destroy. As one might expect, Riptor is quite the adept fighter. I remember one of my friend's getting stuck on him in arcade mode and to add insult to injury, one of his many defeats ended with a devastating 20 hit combo. The Velociraptors in Jurassic Park don't have jack on Riptor.

Still in the Dark - Guilty Gear X (ARC, DC, PS2)

A fighter that's as stylish as it is flashy. When 3D fighters were popping up all over the place, the Guilty Gear series came out swinging with some of the most impressive 2D visuals ever seen in a fighting game. Even today, the Guilty Gear games are a sight to behold. Of course a pretty-looking game can only travel so far. Thankfully the Guilty Gear titles have a lot more going on than just good looks. The heavy metal soundtracks rank among the best in gaming or any other medium.

Crazy Call at Cry - F-Zero X (N64)

F-Zero X contained a few arrangements of the classic SNES F-Zero themes like Mute City and Big Blue but it was also bold enough to have a dozen new tracks. As much as I would have loved to have a rocked out version of Port Town in F-Zero X, Crazy Call at Cry is so mind blowingly awesome that I can't complain.

Matrex Stage - Mega Man X5 (PS)

The game that was originally intended to be the finale of the X series, X5 seems to be a middle of the road game for a lot of fans. Personally, I don't enjoy it as much as I do X4, but I still think it's a worthwhile X game, far better than the likes of X6 and X7. When the game was localized for English audiences, the Mavericks were given the names of Guns N' Roses members. Seeing as how the Mega Man series as a whole is filled with music references, I find this quite fitting. Matrex is known as Burn Dinorex in Japan.

Speed Highway - Sonic Adventure (DC, GCN)

By no means is Sonic Adventure perfect. The camera can be infuriating at times and some of the characters are a frustrating bore to play as (Big the Cat is the biggest offender). But Sonic Adventure does hit a lot of the right notes. Playing as Sonic is very satisfying, delivering some nice 3D platforming and a terrific sense of speed. And of course, the music is totally worth blasting through your neighborhood. To this day, Sonic Adventure still has some of the best music in the 3D Sonic era.

Jungle (Hard) - Contra 4 (DS)

The Jungle Theme has been a Contra mainstay since the original game. It may was well be the theme of the series. It isn't heard on every Conra title, but it is available in some form on another in most titles. Contra 4, released in 2007 was the series 20th anniversary title and it would be a shame of the famed Jungle Contra tune was absent. Playing on Easy or Normal and wondering why you haven't heard this tune? The only way to hear it in game is by playing on the Hard difficulty. Bear in mind that Contra 4 is not much easier when playing on Easy or Normal. My short time playing a friend's copy of Contra 4 has got to be one of the fastest times I've ever seen the game over screen in my life.

Force Your Way - Final Fantasy VIII (The Black Mages Arranged Ver.)

Nobuo Uematsu, Tsuyoshi Sekito, and Kenichiro Fukui made up The Black Mages, the heavy metal rock band that specialized in Final Fantasy music arrangements. They only put out a handful of albums as The Black Mages but each one will make you wish they were still together pumping out more Final Fantasy rock arrangements.

Bowser's Castle - Super Mario Kart (SNES)

I wasn't too adept at connecting a lot of video game remixes as a kid, (save the Super Mario Bros. Theme) but the moment I heard this tune, I knew it was an arrangement of Bowser's final battle music from Super Mario World. Koji Kondo had already doused the original tune in heavy flavors or rock but somehow Soyo Oka had upped the ante, making the track sound even more hardcore.

Decisive Battle - Final Fantasy VI (Heavy Metal Arrange)

The artists known as released SHΛDE released GUARVAIL -Final Fantasy Heavy Metal Arrange Album- in 2007. Of the numerous battle theme remixes on the album, their rendition of Final Fantasy VI's Decisive Battle is my favorite. I've heard rock takes on a few tracks from Final Fantasy VI before, but never one quite like this.

Cammy Stage - Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold (PS, SAT)

If I'm not mistaken, this version of Cammy's Theme was first used in X-Men vs. Street Fighter, but I actually like this version a lot better. Not even the Alpha series was safe from upgrade sequels with the second entry in the Alpha series, Alpha 2 getting a Gold edition. Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold is  in the 2006 release Street Fighter Alpha Anthology .

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Favorite Tunes #52: Rise of the Machines

I LOVE robots. Mechs, humanoid robots, cyborgs, all of them are are just unprecedented levels of awesome. In the world of fiction, robots have played a vital roll in novels, cartoons, anime and even video games. This Favorite Tunes is centered around themes involving advanced robotics.

A Man of Artificiality - Tekken 2 (PS Arrange)

I love me some Tekken music but Namco's sound depeartment make some excellent remixes when the Tekken titles hit the home console. This is the arranged version of Jack 2's theme. It has a heavy industrial vibe to it with clear sounds of machinery going on in the background.

Robo's Theme - Chrono Trigger (SNES)

The year 2300 AD in Chrono Trigger is quite bleak. The world has suffered a crippling nuclear winter and the people that are left alive are just barely surviving. In such a grim world, Robo's upbeat theme was highly uplifting.

Dr. Wily Stage 1 - Mega Man (NES)

It isn't perfect but Mega Man's first outing gave way to one of Capcom's most beloved franchises. I espcially like that nearly every first Dr. Wily level starts out with Mega Man outside the mad doctor's fortress and has him making his way inside. This first Wily stage is quite devious and not just for the annoying boss that waits players at the end.

Level 5 - Super Bomberman (SNES)

You may not know it from playing the American version (it's story was only mentioned via manual) but the plot of Super Bomberman involves Black Bomberman being kidnapped and his specs being used as the basis for the bad guys to construct their own army of Mecha Bombermen. The first four levels of the game has you facing off with near screen sized bosses but when you reach Level 5, you face off against evil clones of Bomberman. If you're playing with a friend, then you've got more robot doubles to nuke. It's one big endurance round with each set of Mecha Bombermen growing stronger than the last.

Future World - Mega Man 10 (WW, PSN, 360)

By Cessa

Another Mega Man game makes the list? What can I say, I'm a huge fan and much of my love for robots stems from this series. When humans get sick, we usually rest. But robots? They go psycho and try to take over the world. Yeah, it's a hokey plot but who actually plays Classic Mega Man for a gripping tale? Future World is the second opening theme for Mega Man 10. Careful listeners have noticed that this tune was arranged for the final level in Wily's space station.

Theme of E-102 Gamma - Sonic Adventure (DC, GCN)

Dr. Robotnik has made some pretty interesting machines in his efforts to thwart Sonic and along with Metal Sonic and Mecha Sonic, E-102 Gamma is one of his better creations. He isn't the first of the doc's robots to gain sentience, but unlike Metal Sonic, E-102 Gamma is actually sane. Gamma' theme wasn't really what I was expecting when I originally heard it. Perhaps this was to show that he is vastly different from many of the other bots Eggman has built. I got a bit choked up when he was destroyed at the end of his story in Sonic Adventure.

Cell Ring - Super Dragon Ball Z (PS2) 

If ever a Dragon Ball Z game deserved a sequel it was Super DBZ. It was more of a fighting game than a DBZ game, which turned off some hardcore DBZ fans that were used to the Budokai and Budokai Tenkaichi games but the fighting was absolutely spot on. There was still plenty of DBZ staples like Super Saiyan transformations and huge chi style moves like the Kamehameha. Most of the characters truly felt different from one another which set it apart from more modern DBZ fighters. Rather than Majin Buu, Cell was the final opponent in the game's arcade mode, which was fine with me because Cell has always been my favorite DBZ big bad.

Fulgore - Killer Instinct (ARC)

Who's a scary looking robot with a ponytail? Fulgore, that's who. I never played the arcade version of either Killer Instinct but I did play the home console versions. The SNES version of KI was obviously scaled down compared to it's arcade cousin, but from my understanding, it was a competent port. That being said, the arcade sound of Fulgore's theme whales on the SNES version.

Fulgore - Killer Instinct Gold (N64)

What's this? More Fulgore? Why? Why not? Not only does Fulgore look menacing, but he's got an incredible heavy metal theme that helps make him one of the baddest bots in gaming. Crazy as it may seem, I honestly think the tools going off in the background all the best parts of this song.

Antarctica - Astro Boy: Omega Factor (GBA)

Arguably the most famous boy robot in the world, Astroy Boy's greatest game outing is on the GBA, developed by Treasure and Hitmaker. Your first time through Omega Factor will see Astro's first attempt to save the world end in failure, only to be given a second chance to set things right with the power of time travel via level select. Omega Factor is often praised for fusing so many solid action genres together like SHMUP levels and beat 'em up stages, but it also has a noteworthy soundtrack thanks to Treasure composer NON.

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