Favorite Tunes #54: Those Other Games from Square Enix

I've been listening to a lot of music from various Square Enix games. Threads of Fate, Front Mission, Tactics Ogre, Tobal 2, Parasite Eve. Square Enix really does have a sizable catalog of games to fall back on yet they insist on pimping out the Final Fantasy series. Well there won't be a single track from that game in this edition of Favorite Tunes. It's all about those other games we wish Square Enix would recognize more.

Avilla Hanya - Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (SNES)

Before there was Final Fantasy Tactics, there was Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen, a tactical turn based RPG. A few years later, Tactics Ogre was released with an even greater emphasis on strategic combat. Not only do the the Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy Tactics games share the same game director, Yasumi Matsuno, but they share the same composers as well. Both Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata are responsible for crafting the some of the most engaging battle themes in RPGs, tactical or otherwise. And yes, for those not in the know, Avilla Hanya is indeed a battle theme. That slow build up leads into a powerful main course that explodes at about 33 seconds in. The SNES sound chip never ceases to amaze me. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together was released on the PSP a few years back and I recommend tracking down that version. A SNES cart of this game does not come cheap, nor does the PS version. The PSP game was given a beautifully arranged score, but I still prefer the SNES version of this track over the arranged tune.

Rasdan - Threads of Fate (PS)

Another game released during Square's more experimental years, Threads of Fate (called Dewprism in Japan) allows you to play as tow different characters, Rue and Mint, each with their own set of music. Rasdan plays in the final area of Rue's game and is an alarmingly calm music piece, one I couldn't expect for a lead up to a final battle. But it sounds so soothing that I doubt you'll care. 

Frozen Flame - Radical Dreamers (SNES)

By LicaWolf

Released in 1996 on the SNES Satellaview add on that never made it outside of Japan, Radical Dreamers is a text based adventure game and side game to Chrono Trigger. You'll find a ton of references to 2000's Chrono Cross in this game from character names, designs and even music. Select songs from Radical Dreamers were arranged and used in Chrono Cross like Frozen Flame. I actually think this track sounds better than the Chrono Cross arrangement despite being on underpowered hardware. Naturally, all of Radical Dreamers music was scored by Yasunori Mitsuda.

Happy Humming - Dragon Quest VI (SNES)

The Dragon Quest series, is immensely popular in it's homeland of Japan. When each game releases, there a long lines and they games are usually released on Sundays so kids don't skip school. For years, Dragon Quest V and VI never saw releases in America but this all changed when Square Enix released remakes of Dragon Quest IV, V, and VI on the DS.

100 Missing People - Bushido Blade (PS)

Bushido Blade can be a tricky fighting game to get into. If you're expecting Soul Calibur with nothing but ninjas, boy, are you in for a surprise. Bushido Blade has no life meters and if you're skilled enough, you can instantly kill your opponent with a precise sword strike. Thinking about attacking your opponent when their back is turned? Not very honorable. But if you can deal with Bushido Blade's gameplay mechanics, you'll be treated to one of the most unique fighting games on the original PS.

Body Shop - Racing Lagoon (PS)

RPG elements in a racing game? That's Square for you. While the game did little to turn the genre on it's head Racing Lagoon featured some of the best jazz, fusion, and techno music you could hear in a racing game.

Seabed of St. Elles - Soul Blazer (SNES)

I'm baffled as to why we haven't seen more stuff from Enix's catalog on the Virtual Console. We got ActRaiser but no Illusion of Gaia or Soul Blazer. Named Soul Blader in Japan, this is part of Enix's creation series in the same line of the Terranigma (another game that hasn't been released in America) and the aforementioned ActRaiser. You get to enter people's dreams, fight off huge monsters and repopulate the world. No, not in the way you're thinking.

Grope After Truth - Tobal 2 (PS)

Character designs by Arika Troiyama? Check. Quest mode where the player roams a 3D dungeon? Check. The same team of composers like Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobou Uematsum, GUIDO, Masashi Hamauzu and company returning to do the music? Nope. Tobal 2 contains a sole composer, Takayuki Namura. He didn't partake in scoring Tobal No. 1's soundtrack, but he's work on the Virtua Fighter series speaks for itself.

Those Imprisoned by Fate - Chrono Cross (PS)

I believe I've made it clear more than once on this blog that I'm not particularly fond of Chrono Cross. It has way too many characters, many of which are devoid of any sort of personality and the plot is one I'm still trying to fully comprehend. One thing I've always loved about the game is it's soundtrack. This is actually a battle theme and is another reminder that not every battle track needs to be loud and heavy to carry the point of conflict.

Sacrifice Part Three - Seiken Densetsu 3 (SNES)

This game is unofficially known as Secret of Mana 2 since it's the sequel to the first Secret of Mana. It was never released outside of Japan, but there is a fan translation out there for those curious. It has some of the most colorful graphics I've seen on the SNES and Hiroki Kikuta's score on this game is still some of the best work he's ever done. This final battle theme, may be his crowning music of awesome for this entire game's soundtrack.

Favorite Tunes Database

Favorite Tunes #22: SNES Music

The SNES, what is widely viewed as the greatest Nintendo console of all time is 21 years old today. To celebrate, I'm featuring nothing but SNES music in this installment of Favorite Tunes. On top of having a library of fantastic-looking and playing games, the SNES had some out of this word audio capabilities.

Robot Museum - Mega Man 7

Mega Man 7 takes a lot of heat. It's sprites a huge, which makes some of the precision platforming from the 8-bit games more difficult. But even so, this one is still one of my favorite Mega Mans. The Robot Museum stage is an arrangement of three robot master stage themes, Snake Man, Guts Man and Heat Man. The track starts out with Snake Man's theme, quickly moves into Guts Man's theme, transfers to Heat Man and finally goes back to Snake Man's intro before it loops. 

Main Theme - Final Fantasy IV

This isn't my favorite Final Fantasy, but it is one of my favorites. It has my favorite Main Theme/World Map theme of any Final Fantasy game. Final Fantasy IV was originally released as Final Fantasy II in America in 1992 but this has since been corrected to it's original numbering. I didn't play this one until early 1998 and even then, it's story and especially the music mesmerized me. Since the random encounter rate is quite high in this game, I had to stay still a number of times to hear this beautiful theme in it's entirety.

Beware the Forest Mushrooms - Super Mario RPG

Before Square jumped ship to swim over to the side of Sony in the late 1990s, they gave the SNES one final RPG sendoff, Mario-style. All enemies can be seen on the field, meaning some battles can be avoided. But battles were more than just button mashing affairs. The use of timed hits let you deal out more damage or take less damage if you pressed the buttons at the right moments. Throw in a catchy musical score by the brilliant minds of Yoko Shimomura, Koji Kondo and Nobuo Uematsu and you have an RPG that even those that aren't fans of the genre can get into. The name of this track, actually carries quite a literal meaning to it. Some of the mushrooms come alive and attack. You can pick up some of the mushrooms that you see in the forest, and while some of theme are good, some are poisonous.

Sand Ocean - F-Zero

A thrilling sensation of speed thanks to superb mode-7 effects made F-Zero a racing game to remember. It might seem bare bones compared to the sequels, but this one still plays quite well. You may be wondering why Sand Ocean is here instead of Mute City. Mute City is an awesome track. In many ways, it's the theme of the F-Zero series. But Sand Ocean never seems to get enough love.

Thunder - Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen

Years ago I made the bonehead decision to trade int he PlayStation version of Ogre Battle. So when I saw it was available on the Wii's Virtual Console service, I thought that would be the best way to pick it up without having to fork over an insane amount of cash for a single cart. Annnnd I still haven't gotten around to playing it. But the brief time I spent with the PSone version was enough to get Thunder stuck in my head. The PSone version sounds more fleshed out, but I can still dig the SNES version.

Metropolis - SimCity

One of the reasons the SNES version of SimCity is such a standout game is the music. Soyo Oka put together a score that made each evolutionary stage of the city you're building and managing feel very unique. When you begin breaking ground on your city, you're given a very humble, almost lonely tune. Once you get a sizable amount of people living in your city, you get Metropolis, a track that perfectly demonstrates the busy, on the go nature of city life.

Factory - Sonic Blast Man

Originally an arcade beat 'em up, Sonic Blast Man was ported to the SNES in 1992. While I can appreciate Sonic Blast Man's Super Sentai homages, this isn't my first choice for a SNES beat 'em up game. The levels tend to drag on and on. And seriously, what kinda super hero wears boxing gloves? It isn't a terrible game, but it really isn't a good one either. But I will defend the game's soundtrack to the death.

Remains of a Factory - Chrono Trigger

Yasunori Matsuda proved he was a music composing genius with Chrono Trigger's soundtrack. There are dozens of memorable tracks in the game so I thought I'd go with one that seems to go under the radar. Your trip to the future takes you to the year 2300 A.D. 300 years after Lavos wreaked havoc on the world. As you can guess, the world is very bleak and the remaining survivors are just barely surviving.

Sanctuary Dungeon - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

It isn't hard to see why the third entry in the Zelda series (going by release, not the convoluted timeline) is such a fan favorite. The story is more involving than the previous games, the set of weapons and items you collect (Hookshot!) are extremely useful and the despite not having nearly as many tracks as later entries, the soundtrack is still held in high regard. Sanctuary Dungeon makes me wish there were more dungeons in the Light World. A mere three compared to the Dark World's seven.

Stickerbrush Symphony - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Called Super Kong Kong 2 in Japan, the second game in the Donkey Kong Country SNES trilogy is considered to be the peak of the series by many. David Wise wrote the entire score this time around and like the previous game, it does not disappoint. How do you help a player relax when they are surrounded by thorns for an entire level? Play the relaxing tune known as Stickerbush Symphony. 

Latest Game Purchases #20

Who doesn't love a bargain? The latest game buys were picked up at insanely cheap prices and I once again managed to cover more than one platform. On top of that, I didn't pick up a single Wii game. Shocking, I know.

Despite not yet owning a PSP, this hasn't stopped me from buying games for the handheld. The Mega Man Powered Up + Mega Man Maverick Hunter X Dual Pack was my first PSP game purchase. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together has the honor of being the second. I'm not terribly brilliant at strategy games, let alone RPG strategy games, but there's something very appealing about the Ogre Battle series. Be it the stories, the beautiful artwork or the rich soundtracks, even a scrub like me can't help but take an interest in these titles. The last time I saw the price for Let Us Cling Together, it was $39.99 brand new at GameStop. Now it's an unbeatable $9.99 As they say in auctions "Sold!"

My third PSP game is another from Square Enix, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, an enhanced port of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PlayStation. I only put a few hours into the original Tactics. I got stuck on the fourth scripted fight. Even so, I liked the game was very thankful for it's re-release in 2001 (suck it, you eBay clowns). I've always wanted to play it again but it seems like a highly advanced game of Chess to me and I suck at Chess. Not enough to pick up another version of the game, though. For $6.99 and complete at fye, I'd be crazy to pass that up.

The final game I picked up was Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, the second game in the Ratchet & Clank series. I've been wanting to get into this series but still haven't played any of the games. I bought Up Your Arsenal about five years ago and surprise, surprise, it's still unopened. I still need to get the original Ratchet & Clank so it will be some time before I play this one anyway. Going Commando was only $9.99 and complete at fye.