Favorite Tunes #203: Join the Uprising

In this week's Favorite Tunes we've got no longer plumbers, hedgehogs, ninjas, and demon slayers that slay to sick heavy metal. Fun times for everyone!

Spaceport - Sonic Forces (PC, PS4, XBO, NS)

Sonic Forces has finally dropped. It isn't great but it hardly drags the series back into the mud as so many critics, YouTubers and fans claim it does. The Avatar stages have vocal tracks and this one been stuck in my head since playing the first custom character stage.

New Donk City: Night 2 - Super Mario Odyssey (NS)

I'll bet you couldn't wait to get to New Donk City, the happiest, most happening place on Earth! When you finally arrive, the city has seen better days. In advertising his wedding, he's taken over the city, infesting it with bugs, tanks and one huge Mecha Wiggler. Along with the nighttime atmosphere and the rain, the music really captures the the sad state New Donk City is in.

Sunrise Blvd. - The Revenge of Shinobi (GEN)

Also known as The Super Shinobi over in Japan, The Revenge of Shinobi is one of those early Genesis titles that still holds up on all fronts. Composed by Yuzo Koshiro, the music is a real treat. The man had a real hand on how to use the Genesis sound chip. To this day, it still blows my mind just how amazing the music is in this game.

Boss - Ninja Gaiden (NES)

They say that suffering builds character. If that's true, then Ninja Gaiden on the NES pumped plenty of character into all who played it. I've touched softer concrete than this game. Even if you can't beat the game (there is no shame in not being able to) you can at least enjoy the soundtrack.

Rip & Tear - Doom (PC, PS4, XBO, NS)

In 2016, Doom made a huge comeback. This year, the unthinkable happened: it was announced that Bethesda would be bringing Doom 2016 to the Nintendo Switch. Sure, some sacrifices had to be made to get the game to run on the Switch but 30FPS is a small price to pay to be able to do your demon killing anytime, anywhere. With this track blaring, they don't stand a chance.

New York City - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hyperstone Heist (GEN)

SEGA's Shinobi series isn't the only one ninja getting some music love this week. I've always found it interesting how video game music transfers when the same game hits multiple platforms, or at least the same music. Much of the score for Turtles in Time sounds amazing on the Genesis and this is coming from someone who has listened to the SNES score for years.

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Favorite Tunes #175: Flashback

You know those annoying anime episodes that recap the events of past episodes? Yeah, I'm not a big fan of them either. And yet, here I am, doing a Favorite Tunes that features music from past Favorite Tunes. It can be difficult to keep track of all the songs I've listed over the years and I've always wanted to give songs I've mentioned in the past even more recognition. With that said, this probably won't be the last time old favorites get used again but it will be done sparingly.

Battle Scene - Final Fantasy (NES)

The very first Final Fantasy battle theme. Battle Scene's first six seconds would go on to get reused in the next five Final Fantasy entries and return in Final Fantasy IX. Of course there's more to Battle Scene than those first few seconds. The song paints such a perfect picture of battle that even if someone heard it without context, I think the intent of the song would be quite clear. Even on the old NES hardware, Nobuo Uematsu crafted an intense battle theme and it is still one of my favorite battle tracks he's ever written.

Gusty Garden Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Mario's seventh generation console debut game did not disappoint, treating gamers to an out of this world experience. Who would have thought running around planets no bigger than a house could be so much fun. Sure, Spring Mario is a sucky power-up that needs to die in a fire, but Super Mario's pros far outweigh the cons. The orchestral score is certainly one of the game's biggest pros.

The Shinobi - The Revenge of Shinobi (GEN)

One cannot discuss great Genesis soundtracks and not mention Yuzo Koshiro's fantastic Revenge of Shinobi score. The Shinobi makes you feel like a badawesome ninja beginning his mission by infiltrating the enemy base, killing in stealth when needed.

The Road (Theme of Ryu) - Street Fighter Alpa 3 (Multi)

Ryu's Street Fighter II theme is so iconic that if often gets remixed in other Street Fighter and crossover games. I love his stage theme, but I was happy to see the composers of Street Fighter Alpha 3 break away from it and try something new. The result is The Road, a high energy theme that reflects Ryu's endless drive to improve himself through battle.

Eight Guitars (Sand Ocean) -F-ZERO GX (GCN)

Insert comments about how much one misses F-ZERO and how we need another entry here. In all seriousness, I'd love for Nintendo to just give us another F-ZERO. Even if it is a ball buster like the last console entry, F-ZERO GX, I'd be fine with that. Sure, GX was merciless, but it was a darn good racer to boot. I'm saddened that Eight Guitars, easily one of my top favorite tracks from GX, didn't make the music cut in Super Smash Bros. Brawl or the Smash on Wii U.

Rasdan - Threads of Fate (PS)

Released during a time where Square was more willing to take risks, Threads of Fate was allowed players to choose between Rue and Mint, each with their own story. The soundtrack was scored my Junya Nakano, who wrote Final Fantasy X's more atmospheric tracks. His work on Threads of Fare is still some of his best with Rasdan easily being my top pick from that score.

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Favorite Tunes #148: Kirby Gets a Robot

Kirby: Planet Robobot  came out a week ago and I just started playing it and I'm loving it. So in adition to a catchy Kirby theme, I've also included jams from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Shinobi III and one of the greatest game soundtracks ever, Final Fantasy Tactics.

Patched Plains - Kirby: Planet Robobot (3DS)

Trouble always seems to find Dream Land. This time, the invaders of the the metallic variety. Along with his Copy ability, Kirby can use Robot Armor to give the artificial invaders a taste of their own medicine. Hirokazu Ando returns once again to sever us up some positively splendid Kirby themes. Patched Plains is where Kirby begins his journey to tack back his home and the music that plays here is every bit as bouncy and jovial as you'd expect.

Regi Ruins - Pokken Tournament (Wii U)

If turned based battles aren't you're thing, Pokken Tournament may be the kind of Pokemon battle you can get into. This arena based fighter features some of your favorite Pokemon in stylish, eye popping, jaw dropping combat. Pokken Tournament's soundtrack comes from Tekken series composers so you'd better believe the music is on point.

Ending - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GEN)

Guess who turns 25 soon? It seems like we were just celebrating Sonic's 20th anniversary yesterday. It isn't uncommon to hear a lot of fans say Sonic 2 is their favorite Sonic game. Bugs and some odd level design choices here and there aside, it's a good Sonic title but the other games still trump it in lots of areas.

Back Fire - Final Fantasy Tactics (PS, PSP)

I have gushed over Final Fantasy Tactics marvelous soundtrack numerous times in Favorite Tunes. No matter how many times I hear it, it just blows my mind. The music is calm when the mood calls for it and tense during the game's numerous scripted battles. Tactics has so many wonderful battle themes that its tough to pick a favorite but if I ever do manage to make a list, Back Fire will be pretty close to the top.

Mandara - Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (GEN)

There have been some slumps in the series, but Shinobi has certainly fared better than some of SEGA's other franchises. The last Shinobi game was 2011's Shinobi on the 3DS. Characters like NiGHTS wish they were that fortunate. Shinobi III's music does not get the same level of praise that Revenge of Shinobi does. Yuzo Koshiro is a hard man to top, but for what Shinobi III does offer, it is more than admirable.

Mysterious Forest - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB)

I think there's always going to be that Zelda game that's different. Zelda II is the side scrolling one, Skward Sword has sword swinging motion controls and then there's Link's Awakening. No Zelda or Ganon to speak of in this adventure. But there are tons upon tons of cameos from Mario to Yoshi and even Wart. The music is some of the GB's best chiptunes.

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Fantastic First Level Themes Vol. 4

They say you never forget your first. First kiss. First car. First level of a video game. We're here to focus on that last one. The first level of a video game can say a lot about the rest of the game. It can be a great way to grab the player for invested play time. For a lot of us, not only do we remember the first level because it is the start of a game, but because the music with that beginning level really stayed with us.

Scene 1 Stage 1 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC ver.)

Most would agree Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games were at their peak when Konami had the license in the late 80s and early 90s. The first beat 'em up is widely considered one of the best in the genre and probably the second best TMNT game. The first level has you charging in to save April from an out of control fire. The music which use cues from the main 1987 TMNT cartoon show (something you find a lot of in this game's soundtrack) fills you with the overwhelming urge to kick the crap out of anything in your way. Good thing there's a near endless wave of Foot Soldiers to slay, eh? For the record, the NES version of this theme is also pretty boss.

Billy and Jimmy's Theme - Double Dragon (NES ver.)

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I really don't care for the arcade score for Double Dragon. I've nothing against arcade beats, but Double Dragon's arcade music sounds like horrid, twangy synth. Double Dragon's NES tunes are a vast improvement to it's arcade cousin and really do this opening level theme the justice it deserves.

Good Egg Galaxy - Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Super Mario Galaxy was the first game in the Super Mario series to use a full on orchestra. Not every track is orchestrated but when they do bring out the big guns, you'll know it. A nice touch to Good Egg Galaxy is that the music actually doesn't begin playing until Mario touches down in the first official course. When the music starts, you know you're in store for something truly special.

The Shinobi - The Revenge of Shinobi (GEN)

Ninjas are freaking cool. That's not an opinion, that's a freaking fact of life. Revenge of Shinobi was one of the earliest games available for SEGA's 16-bit console and it turned out to be one the best looking and sounding games to boot. Scored by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro, the first level theme to the game isn't a guns blazing or in this case, sword swinging adrenaline filled piece one might expect, but rather a silent but deadly sounding tune. Quite fitting for a shinobi.

Theme of Simon Belmont - Super Castlevania IV (SNES)

The first Castlevania began with Vampire Killer. Castlevania II started with Blood Tears. Castlevania III opened with The Beginning. All splendid starter themes. How do you follow tough acts like those? By giving Simon Belmont his own empowering theme. Its perfectly fit for storming castles and dishing out justice the only way a Belmont can. You know you've made an impression in the gaming world when your own theme has your name in it and it sounds this awesome.

Favorite Tunes #72: Got to Be a Star

Welcome to ta star themed edition of Favorite Tunes. Characters in the shapes of stars, songs with "star" in the title and power-ups that are stars. Oh, I don't even know where I'm trying to go with this.

Toki Meki Saxophone - Guardian Heroes (SAT)

One of the hardest Saturn games to obtain a physical copy of, Guardian Heroes become all the more easier to play thanks to digital distribution. The Xbox Live Arcade version of Guardian Heroes comes with an HD coat of paint online mutlipler modes and other new features. Despite the mid evil setting, most of Guardian Heroes music is anything but. Toki Meki Saxophone, is a mean piece of jazz with some rock thrown in for good measure.

Got2BAStar - Mighty Switch Force! 2 (3DSW)

The 3DS eShop would be a much lesser place without WayForward and Jake Kaufman's wonderful music contributions. What has quickly become one of the company's most recognized series, Mighty Switch Force! 2 was released a year and half after the original. Patricia traded in her police gear for a fire hose but much of the switch based gameplay is still in tact. Also present and accounted for is another retro-style soundtrack. Got2BAStar is the ultra catchy first level them, which is based off of the game's main theme.

Darkness of Fate - Soul Edge (PS)

Namco always does such a good job bringing the arcade experience to home consoles. Well at least they did back in the day. I'm not too sure what Namco Bandai is doing with fighters these days. New characters and an arranged soundtrack that was usually better than the arcade tunes (which were still good) were wonderful bonuses for gamers on the sofa. This rousing theme belongs to Siegfreid

Powerful Infant - Yoshi's Island (SNES, GBA)

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Now that is one mouthful of a title. Most of us just refer to this one by it's subtitle, Yoshi's Island, which is appropriate for two reasons. One, most of the game takes place on Yoshi's Island and two, you play most of the game as Yoshi. The only time Baby Mario is playable is when you crab a Starman. Baby Mario dawns a familiar cape and becomes impervious to all enemies. This was the first time Koji Kondo added another melody to the Starman theme. At the seven second mark, you hear the accompanying melody with the rest of the theme. Personally, I feel this is the best Starman music.

7PM - Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)

The Animal Crossing games have always had some delightful tunes, but I'm especially fond of the themes that play later in the day in New Leaf. It's so relaxing to get a cup of coffee from Brewters and sit on a bench as this song plays.

A Searing Struggle - Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PSP)

A remake of Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, The Oath in Felghana gave gamers a chance to play one of the best entries in the Ys series in style. It featured updated graphics and an arranged soundtrack that is out of this world even by Falcom standards.

Star Man Stage - Mega Man 5 (NES)

I believe this is the first time I've mentioned Mega Man 5 in Favorite Tunes. I know for a lot of fans, this game represents one of the low points in the series, but it really isn't a bad game and it has some very good music.

Pop Star - Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)

Another Kirby game that was developed without Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai, Kirby 64 turned out to be a solid 2.5D adventure with 3D visuals. Combining different Copy Abilities made for some pretty powerful and hilarious results. No other Kirby game allows Kirby to turn himself into a refrigerator, at least not that I know of. If you don't have a smile on your face after hearing Pop Star, you've got problems.

Whirlwind - Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (GEN)

Known as The Super Shinobi II in Japan , Shinobi III is praised as being the pinnacle of the Genesis Shinobi games and SEGA's Shinobi series in general. The Genesis may have been showing it's age in 1993, but games like this one proved that the system could still deliver the goods.

Shooting Star - Ristar (GEN)

By darkburraki

During the lengthy process of creating SEGA's mascot, many concepts were tossed around, including one of a rabbit with stretchy arms. While they ultimately went with a speedy blue hedgehog, the rabbit with expandable arms would get picked up a few years later, minus the rabbit. Ristar never gained the fame and adoration that Sonic did but he one Genesis outing was one of the most unique on the Genesis with drop dead gorgeous visuals and some excellent music.

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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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Downloads #26: $30 eShop Credit Edition

I picked up Shin Magami Tensai IV and Fire Emblem: Awakening mainly so I could take advantage of this great offer that Nintendo laid out. There are a TON of great games for purchase on the eShop. Game Boy games, Game Gear games, original titles and fully downloadably 3DS games. The eShop is yet another reason why the 3DS rocks. If you haven't done so, I highly recommend nabbing the two 3DS games to take advantage of this offer before August 31st. Here's what I got with my $30.

Pushmo (3DS)

Developed by Intelligent systems, this is a game I've wanted for some time. I believe it dropped in price because I'm pretty sure it was higher than the $6.99 I bought it for. I'm sure everyone is trucking away on the sequel, Crashmo, but I've always been fond of starting from the beginning, so I'll pick up Crashmo later on. Looking forward to trying out those player created puzzles.

Shantae (GBC)

Trying to pick up a physical copy of this game will bleed you dry. I'm ever so thankfully that it can be bought on the eShop for chump change. Since this game was made by WayForward and has a soundtrack by Jake Kaufman, I'm sure I'll love it.

GG Shinobi (GG)

I'm a big fan of SEGA's Shinobi series. You may think this one isn't worth your time because it's on the Game Gear, but this is actually a pretty competent game and one of the best GG games that SEGA has put on the eShop.

Mega Man 4 (NES)

One of my favorite Mega Man games, I love the Robot Masters and the whole Russian vibe that Dr. Cossack brings to the game. And I also like the Mega Buster. What I don't like is the sound it makes, screwing up the music. Fans like to call the Mega Buster a game break but they don't say a thing about the Metal Blades in Mega Man 2. Fandom. Feh.

Mega Man 5 (NES)

Lots of people feel the series started to go downhill with this entry but I still find Mega Man 5 enjoyable. The finally fixed that Mega Buster charge noise in this game!

Mega Man 6 (NES)

The Robot Master weapons are some of the worst ever and I don't find the music in this game anywhere near as memorable as the prequels or games after it. That said, I can still get some kicks out of Mega Man 6. The Rush adapters pretty sweet and they were combined into one of the best items in Mega Man 7.

Latest Purchases #54: Birthday Edition

Last week was my birthday, July 2 to be precise. How old am I? 32 if you're wondering. It's a little bit scary to think about the fact that I'm getting older, but it happens to all of us and I really am amazed that I've been around for this many years. I would have posted my birthday purchases last week but some of them were ordered online and I wanted to wait for all of them to arrive.

Last year Project X Zone was brought to my attention thanks to Alpha Omega Sin. This tactical RPG has tons of characters I'm familiar with as well as those I've never heard of. Namco Bandai had no plans to publish the game outside of Japan and there was a petition to get the game localize, which I signed. I have no idea how whether the petition swayed the big wigs opinions or not, but Namco Bandai decided to bring Project X Zone to American and European shores this summer. I picked up my copy at Target and scored the Limited Edition version. I had considered waiting until I went to GameStop, but I figured I'd grab it since I was in there. Good thing I did, too because GameStop was out of the limited edition copies. I didn't know this version came with so many goods. A poster, an artbook and the game's soundtrack. All for the regular price. Score!

In K-Mart I brought Pilotwings Resort for $14.96 and The Legend of Zelda: Spirits Tracks for $19.99. Even though I've never been terribly good at the Pilotwings games, I've always gotten a kick out of them and after seeing portions of Wuhu Island in Mario Kart 7, I'm itching to explore more of that local.

My trip to GameSpot was done with good timing. The two games I picked up, WarioWare: Smooth Moves and the 3DS Shinobi were both traded in on the same. Since Smooth Moves is an early Wii first party game and not one that stars Mario, this is one you don't see in stores too often. So when I laid eyes on it and saw that $14.99 price tag, I immediately took it off the shelf to claim it as my own. It isn't complete but the disc is in excellent condition.

In the 3DS thread at the Shoryuken.com forums I heard a few posters talking about Shinobi. I've always liked this series but this was one of those titles that was in the back of my mind. Not really high on my to purchase 3DS games list. But when I saw it in GameStop and for less than $20 and complete, I didn't think there would be a better time to grab it.

My keys are a bit bland so an 8-bit Mega Man key chain is just the thing to spice them up. Unfortunately these key chains aren't made of the more sturdy plastic I thought they'd be. In fact, this thing is surprisingly bendable, meaning I'd ruin that thing pretty quickly if I attached it to my keys and carried it around in my pockets. So I've opted to hang Rock on my wall above my computer desk next to my 1988-2012 Nintendo Power poster.

Speaking of said poster, a mini figurine from Super Mario 3D Land is hanging on the right hand corner of it. I came across these while I was going for the checkout registers in Target. Propeller Block Mario was easy to distinguish from all the others since he felt, well, blocky. The other five in the set could prove more difficult to collect.

Lastly, the book you see is what took me so long to get this post up. The History of Sonic the Hedgehog is a book I've coveted for quite some time. This near 300 page hardcover book is filled with screen shoots, artwork, sketches and interviews from the fine folks that helped shape the blue streak into the hero that he is. It's an incredibly awesome book, one I ordered from Amazon for $34.99, which certainly beats the original $49.99 asking price. I just may tackle this book before I even touch The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia.