Favorite Tunes #195: Flashback

Let's do the time warp. Flashback has returned to Favorite Tunes. If you aren't familiar with Flashback, this is where I post six tracks that were already mentioned in a past Favorite Tunes. Think of it as the obligatory recap episode of an anime series only in Favorite Tunes form.

Can't Come Back - Under Defeat (DC, PS3, 360)

This helicopter shoot 'em up with an awkward control scheme was first released on the Dreamcast in 2006. Under Defeat would later receive a HD re-release in 2012 on the PS3 in physical form and on the 360 in 2014 as a digital only title. The game's soundtrack, composed by Shinji Hosoe, is godlike. If you're interested in a physical copy, they tend to be pricey.

Spagonia Rooftop Run Night - Sonic Unleashed (PS2, PS3, Wii, 360)

With Sonic Mania being so well received, bashing any Sonic game that isn't classic 2D has once again become all too common place. It has it's faults, but Sonic Unleashed is a 3D Sonic that I don't find myself hating. The Werehog sections, the most highly criticized aspect of the game does have highly repetitive combat to be sure, but not enough for me to write it off as bad. The music of Sonic Unleashed is among some of the finest in the entire series. If only that dang Werehog fight music didn't interrupt the level themes so often.

Lethal Strike -Final Fantasy Legend II (GB)

If you've played a Final Fantasy Legend title and thought to yourself "This feels mighty different from the other Final Fantasy titles," you're not wrong. Originally games in the SaGa line in Japan, all three GB SaGa games were released under the Final Fantasy Legend label outside of the Land of the Rising Sun. Kenji Ito and Nobuo Uematsu really gave the GB soundchip a workout when writing the music for this game. If you're looking for some standout GB chiptunes, you're in the right place with this one.

Take It! - Auto Modellista (PS2, GCN, XB)

It may be hard to believe, but there was a time when Capcom was once much better company than they are today. They were known for more than fighters and Resident Evil titles and Monster Rancher. The company was willing to experiment to a much greater degree than they do now with titles like Viewtiful Joe and Auto Modellista. Auto Modellista didn't set the world on fire but the game had stunning cel shaded visuals and some kickin' tunes.

Cold Pipe - Street Fighter EX+ Alpha (PS)

The EX series is the oddball of the Street Fighter titles, often viewed as an inferior set of side games when compared to the classic II line and III games. They aren't perfect but 3D Street Fighter could certainly be a lot worse. EX games were co-developed by Arika and they own the non Capcom characters. I'd about given up on seeing Skullomania and the gang but Arika surprised us all this year with the reveal of Fighting EX Layer. The EX games have some outstanding music the the PS version of EX's soundtrack easily surpassing it's arcade counterpart.

Betilla the Fairy - Rayman (Multi)

At a time where so many games were going from sprites to polygons, Rayman was released with some of the best sprite based visuals on any platform, resulting in a game that, over 20 years later, still looks dang good. Rayman is also really freaking hard, like so much harder than Origins, Legends and a lot of other platformers out today hard.

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Favorite Tunes #182: It's a Trap!

In this week's Favorite Tunes I actually managed to feature music that is not from a single Zelda or Gradius game! Go me! Instead, there is music from Ridge Racer, Saga Frontier 2, the NES era and stuff from today. Variety is the name of the game here.

Explorers - Ridge Racer 6 (360)

Riiiiiiidge Raceeeeeeeer! You may not be able to tell because this is the internet but I'm saying it like the announcer from the earlier Ridge Racer games and not like Kaz Harai during that E3 20006 debacle. I have always loved Ridge Racer's music, be it the rock, techno or electronica or a fusion of the genres. Ridge Racer is usually brought out to help show off new hardware as Ridge Racer 6 was a launch title for the 360.

The Last Dungeon - Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap (PS4, XBO, NS, PC)

The Dragon's Trap is a remake of the 1989 Sega Master System game featuring gorgeous hand drawn artwork.. But if long for the game's older sprite look you can easily switch between the graphical and audio styles with the push of a button. I like the music used in both the modern and SMS version of the game but this arrangement of this opening level them really blew me away. Despite the track's title, this is actually one of the first pieces of music in the game that you hear.

Rex Fury's Secret Base - LEGO City Undercover (Multi)

Originally a Wii U exclusive, LEGO City Undercover is now available on a myriad of platforms including the PS4 and the Switch. If you don't feel like shelling out $60 for the game, the Wii U version is available for a cool $20. You gotta love the groovy spy vibe of this theme.

Overworld 2 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

The first TMNT game on the NES is unquestionably brutal but I don't think the game is awful. Yes, some turtles are better than others and getting no invincibility period when you get hit sucks but this is far and away from being one of the worst games on the NES. The music is super lit and I've always enjoyed the slower more downbeat nature of the second overworld music, which serves as a great contrast from the first overworld theme.

Todesengel - SaGa Frontier 2 (PS)

If you adore Final Fantasy XIII's three soundtracks, you should give the score from SaGa Frontier 2 a listen. It was written by Masashi Hamauzu, who played a huge role in FFXIII's music. All of SaGa Frontier II's tracks have German names. Todesengel means "Angel of Death."

Title Theme - Chip 'N Dale Rescue rangers (NES)

Due to licensing issues, I never thought this game would see a re-release but lo and behold you can now play Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers along with five other Capcom made NES titles on The Disney Afternoon Collection on PS4, XBO and PC. If you know the words to this song, sing along!

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Remix of the Week: Battle 1 (SaGa Frontier)

The games certainly aren't for everyone, but the music most certainly is. The first PS SaGa title has numerous battle themes but I'm still a huge fan of Battle 1. It was quite a surprise to stumble across this rad rock cover by Jonny Atma.

Favorite Tunes #159: Rise of the Super Heroes

Tonight, season three of one of my favorite shows begins, The Flash! I've eagerly been anticipating it since the finale of season two and look forward to seeing how the show's version of Flashpoint will turn out. In honor of the occasion, this Favorite Tunes is super hero themed.

Theme of Captain America - Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (ARC, DC, PS)

Red, white and blue will turn you black and blue. Who doesn't love playing as Cap, throwing that shield around like a giant boomerang? Before Super Smash Bros. released, Marvel vs. Capcom was the biggest video game crossover. Mega Man and Spider-Man on the same team against Ryu and Wolverine? How awesome is that?

Fight! Alkaiser - SaGa Frontier (PS)

The SaGa games have never received the acclaim that the Final Fantasy titles did. Those Final Fantasy Legend games on the Game Boy? Actually SaGa titles under a different name. Regardless, the SaGa titles do have their good points, like splendid music. Kenji Ito is responsible for much of the series music and he did the first PS title a world of justice. Red, one of the seven playable characters has a super cool alter ego known as Alkaiser that he can change into during battle as long as his party members aren't watching.

Blade Master (Electric Sword Demon Alastor's Theme) - Viewtiful Joe (GCN, PS2)

Viewtiful Joe was a wonderful and punishing treat for old-school gamers. This cel shaded game was a throw back to beat 'em up fans that threw in some new elements to the genre like speeding up and slowing down time to have different affects on Joe's combat abilities as well as the certain parts of the levels themselves. The game was also a little harder than it needed to be by not giving you the option of saving after every level.

Boss - Sonic Blast Man (SNES)

Even by super hero standards, Sonic Blast Man is a weirdly dressed dude. I mean, boxing gloves? I guess that makes sense with punching being his thing. He also has no idea how to do the whole hero thing. Rather than remove people from oncoming danger like trains and trucks, he destroys said vehicles, killing the people in them in the process. And he still gets thanks every time for his actions.

Savage Land (Theme of Wolverine) - X-Men: Children of the Atom (ARC, SAT, PS)

Are the X-Men still getting good licensed deals on games? I haven't been keeping up with the mutants much these days. You really couldn't go wrong with an X-Men fighter back in the day. Well, unless you were playing the PS version. I know Wolverine is overexposed these days and I was hesitant to put his theme up here at first, but after hearing it again for the first time in a long time, I had to give Snikt Bub his due.

The Won-Stoppable Wonderful 101 - The Wonderful 101 (Wii U)

Some people seem to be under the belief that The Wonderful 101 is a third party game because Platinum developed it. This is a Nintendo IP. Yes, Platinum did make it, but the game, characters and whatnot are all owned by Nintendo. Sadly, the game was not advertised well and because of Nintendo fans not knowing it was a first party title, it was a retail bomb.

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Favorite Tunes #132: 'Sup, 2016?

How was your New Year's Eve? Mine? Well, it had its good points but on the whole, eh, I'd rather not talk about. New Year's Day was so much better. Started a new game of Super Mario World, enjoyed my day off work, good times. So 2016 is here and here's the very first edition of 2016 Favorite Tunes.

Alien class.A "SZZU & CKRY / LLWO" - Black Rock Shooter: The Game (PSP)

Based on the manga and anime of the same name, Black Rock Shooter was released on the PSP in Japan in 2011. A Digital release followed in 2013 on the PlayStation store in America and Europe. The game's title may lead those that aren't aware of the anime and manga to believe that its a SHMUP, Black Rock Shooter is actually an RPG of the action variety. The game's electrifying score was done by none other than Manabu Namiki.

Moon River (Climax Mix) - Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)

When Microsoft and Sony turned down Bayonetta 2, Nintendo stepped in. This didn't stop a plethora of Nintendo haters from suffering from a nasty case of butt hurt, if it weren't for the Big N, we wouldn't have Bayonetta 2. What's even sweeter is that picking up a physical copy of the game nets you the original Bayonetta. Two games for the price of one. Like the original Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2 has some sweet remixes of old classics. Moon River has been covered dozens of times but the Climax Mix in Bayonetta 2 is among my favorite because its so dang lively.

Gonna Be Here - Trauma Team (Wii)

Two vocal numbers in a row? Truly, this is a special occasion. You might thing hospital work wouldn't make for a compelling gameplay experience. But you could always ask Trauma Center fans how wrong you are. Trauma Team is full of wonderful tracks but the crown jewel of the lot is Gonna Be Here, the game's closing number. In Japan, the game is known as Hospital: 6 Doctors.

Feldschlacht III - SaGa Frontier 2 (PS)

The sequel to 1998's SaGa Frontier. This is the first game in the SaGa series to not have any involvement of Kenji Ito, a man who had always been heavily associated with the SaGa titles. In his stead was Masashi Hamauzu, more recognized for his excellent work on the Final Fantasy XIII soundtracks. He gave SaGa Frontier 2 numerous battle themes, with the Field Battle music being variations of the game's main theme.

Fort Course - Yoshi's Wooly World (Wii U)

Yoshi's Wooly World could very well be the Yoshi game to surpass the SNES classic Yoshi's Island. The game features beautiful HD yarn cosmetics, inventive level design and tons of hidden trinkets to find. The game's soundtrack hits a lot of genres from rock to country and even a little funk. Chill, thy  name is Fort Course.

Title - Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Even before I jumped online and before the DLC, Mario Kart 8 wowed me. The slick controls, superb track designs, wealth of characters and item balancing make for one of the most memorable Mario Kart experiences. The music is also on point. If you've played the original Mario Kart, you're sure to recognize the theme that starts playing at 1:04.

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Favorite Tunes #64: Random Waltz

Much as I love music, especially of the video game variety, I know very little about dancing, nor do I know even know how to actually dance. But thanks to the internet, even a scrub like me can do a quick search to find out that a waltz is something of a ballroom dance. Anyone that really knows their video game music can probably guess which game the title for this Favorite Tunes comes from before scrolling down.

8 AM - Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)

Did you kick the Animal Crossing habit when you cast aside the City Folk for the Wii? Well Nintendo's got gamers across the world hooked once again with the latest edition to the hit life sim series. New Leaf treads familiar territory but brings new features to the table like being the mayor and more customization options than ever before, making it the best Animal Crossing game yet. Like past installments, a different tune plays every hour. It's rare that I'm playing the game at 8 AM but when I first started playing, I happened to be up at that hour so it was nice to be able to hear this song during gameplay.

Random Waltz - Final Fantasy Tactics (PS, PSP)

Have I mentioned how much I adore this game's soundtrack? It truly is a masterpiece and represents some of Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata's best compositions. Since you spend so much time fighting in RPGs, it was a very wise choice to toss in a plethora of battle themes and yes, Random Waltz is battle music. It may not be what comes to mind when you picture strategic combat, but I find it refreshing when battle themes stray from the norm.

Say Hello to Bogey - Custom Robo (GCN)

The number of Custom Robo titles released in the West can be counted on one hand. There's Custom Robo Arena on the DS and then there's Custom Robo for the GameCube, which marked the first time the series ever saw a release outside of Japan. True to the name, in Custom Robo, you customize your robot and then duke it out with other machines. It may sound simplistic, but it's actually quite fun. If you missed out on this one when it was originally released, I definitely recommend tracking down a copy.

Exothermic - Mighty Switch Force! 2 (3DSW)

The original Mighty Switch Force, released in December of 2011 was hailed as one of the best original eShop games. It combined solid action platforming with puzzle solving for a terrific old-school gaming experience. The soundtrack was also the bees knee. A year and half later, WayForward brought Patricia Wagon back into action but swapped out her police pistol for a fire hose. Mighty Switch Force! 2 plays very much like it's predecessor and while some may view that as a negative, in this case, more of the same is certainly not a bad thing. The game's music is pure, unbridled awesomesauce.

Burn My Dread - Shin Megami Tensai: Persona 3 (PS2, PSP)

The Persona titles have gained a reputation of being Atlus' best series. The PS2 had a ton of different RPGs, but if you were fortune enough to pick up Persona 3, you were treated to an experience unlike anything else in the genre. Speaking of unusual, Burn My Dread, the final boss battle theme is just that, but it's an excellent kind of unusual.

Slow on the Uptake - Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)

The licensed music is all fine and dandy and I certainly don't have any problem with hearing stuff from underground bands. But some of greatest sounds in the Gran Turismo games will always be the original music. I'm pretty sure I mentioned how much I enjoy some good jazz in video games and this song is about as good as it gets.

Innocent Girl - Snatcher (NEC PC-88)

Hey, Konami. I have an idea. Much as I enjoy the series, how about you lay off the Metal Gear collections for a while and give us Snatcher, SD Snatcher and Policenauts in one nice little package with some bonus content? Even in it's original sound format, Snatcher's music is a phenomenal score. The music has been arranged for music albums and on the Sega CD version, but the original version of Innocent Girl cannot be beat.

Desperate Fight - Knights of the Round (SNES)

I usually champion Final Fight as my favorite Capcom beat 'em up but the company has made a dozen of them and some of the other greats actually slip my mind some times. Knights of the Round was a three player arcade game originally released in 1991. When it was ported over to the SNES, three player mode was scaled back to two players. Like many ports, the music also rings different from the arcade version, but given the SNES' amazing audio capabilities, that isn't a strike against the game.

Feldschlacht III - SaGa Frontier 2 (PS)

He may be well known today in the video game music circles thanks to Final Fantasy XIII, but even in the late 1990s, Masahi Hamauzu was still making waves. SaGa Frontier 2 has a copious amount of battle themes, all of which are extraordinary. As I mentioned with Final Fantasy Tactics above, a great deal of your time in RPGS is spent in battle. To keep things from growing stale, SaGa 2 has numerous battle tracks and not just various boss themes. The normal battle music changes over time with a total of four different battle themes, each containing an arrangement of SaGa 2's main theme. The above track name is Field Battle III for those that don't speak German.

The Boy's Got Wings - Ys III: Wanders from Ys (PCE)

Falcom makes some of the very best music in video games. I honestly cannot believe I've gone this long without mentioning a single Falcom game here in Favorite Tunes because even their early games have unfathomably high production values. The PC Engine version of Ys III brought with it CD quality sound, making what was already some of Falcom's greatest works even better.

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Favorite Tunes #27: Square Enix Edition

Once two separate companies, Square and Enix merged to form Square Enix in 2003. This company is widely known for the Final Fantasy series, but I'm not going to feature any music from that series in this installment of Favorite Tunes (I'll be doing that later). Other RPGs are gonna get their chance to shine.

NOTE: Games before the merger have also been included.

War in China - Live-A-Live (SFC)

Released only in Japan, Live-A-Live let's players choose from seven different characters each with their own story. The game's soundtrack was handled by the very talented Yoko Shimomura. This splendid track that was used for Wood Man's background music in the Mega Man ROM hack Rockman Deus Ex Machina. I've never played Live-A-Live, but if you're interested, there is a fan translated version on the net.

Unknown World - Dragon Quest I & II (SFC)

The first two Dragon Quest games were released on a compilation cartridge on the Super Famicom in Japan during the console's head day. In 2000, these two games were once again bundled together as Dragon Quest I & II for the Game Boy. Unknown World is the World Map theme that plays on your journey. In the very first Dragon Quest game, you are all alone, no party members to assist you. This theme is the perfect representation of a lonely warrior's quest. I quite like the extras melodies that were added to the SFC version of this tune.

Feldschlacht I - SaGa Frontier 2 (PS)

Kenji Ito wrote the music for the first SaGa Frontier, but for SaGa Frontier 2, the composing duties were handed to Masahi Hamauzu, a man that is closely associated with the Final Fantasy series these days. I can't recall too much about SaGa 2, but Hamaizu's work on the score was sensational. Feldschlacht I is the first of numerous battle themes and it gets arranged through numerous tracks. All of the soundtrack titles are in German. Feldschlacht roughly translates to Field Battle.

Pure Night - Secret of Mana (SNES)

This game is actually the sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure on the Game Boy, which is actually called Seiken Densetsu. While that does make Secret of Man Seiken Densetsu 2, most of us that don't live in Japan just call it Secret of Mana. There's a ton of breath taking music in Secret of Mana, but Pure Night is one of the few tracks that leaves you awe-struck. It's so hauntingly beautiful.

Bike Race - Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Most of Chrono Trigger's music was written by Yasunori Matsuda, but when he got sick, famed Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu stepped in to finish up. Matsuda tends to have the stronger tracks in Chrono Trigger, but Uematsu composed a very lively song in the form of Bike Race. This song plays in the year 3000 AD in the race against Johnny C. Bad, but you can hear it much sooner in the year 1000 A.D. by just exploring some houses and talking to people.

Field of Exper - Star Ocean: The Second Story (PS, PSP)

Beginning life on the Super Famicom, the Star Ocean series made it's way to the PlayStation and eventually the PlayStation 2 and then the PS3 and Xbox 360. Unfortunately, it looks like Star Ocean 4 will be the last Star Ocean game. Star Ocean music is generally handled by Motoi Sakuraba and he is to the Star Ocean series what Nobuo Uematsu is to the Final Fantasy series. Field of Exper plays on the world map and does a great job of making the world set before you seem endlessly vast. Second Story was ported over to the PSP under the name Star Ocean: Second Evolution.

Influence of Deep - Parasite Eve (PS)

Nobuo Uematsu gave me a reason to stop dissing opera in Final Fantasy VI and a few years later, Yoko Shimomura gave me even more reasons to stop mocking it. The beginning of the course has a lady belting out a few notes, which might lead you to believe that's all you're in for, but the song quickly shifts gears into a fast paced battle theme while the opera singing continues throughout. The first of many great battle themes in Parasite Eve.

Twin Mountains - Brave Fencer Musashi (PS)

Released in 1998, Brave Fencer Musashi, was one of Square's better attempts at doing something different. This action RPG had day and night cycles and if Musashi went too long without rest, he'd get tired and performer poorly in battle. This game really was a gem and to this day, I kick myself for trading it in.

Night of Fate - Kingdom Hearts (PS2)

Final Fantasy meets Disney could describe Kingdom Hearts in a nutshell. OK, so there's probably much more to it than that, but the only game in this series that I've finished is Chain of Memories of the GBA. This action RPG series takes original characters and has the meet up with Final Fantasy cast members and classic Disney characters. With music by Yoko Shimomura, you know your ears will be pleased.

Attack - Front Mission 3 (PS)

Front Mission 3 was the first Front Mission game to see a release outside of Japan and rather than just call it Front Mission and go the route they went with earlier Final Fantasy titles, Square kept the original numbering. When all was said and done, I invested over 70 hours into this mech turn based RPG and that was only playing one out of the two scenarios. How you answer a simple question at the start of the game will determine the path you follow. It's been more than ten years since I played Front Mission 3. Maybe I'm due for a visit.