Favorite Tunes #238: Blood in the Tears

Favorite Tunes isn't going to stay in the Sunday slot. I just have to get things re-situated and it will go back to Saturdays. Anyway, this week, enjoy some music from Syvalion, Battle Clash and some outstanding Super Castlevania IV jams.

Main Theme - Syvalion (ARC)

Bubble Bobble is known for it's charming, addictive gameplay and two cute dragon stars and is one of Taito's most popular titles and the brainchild of the late Fukio Mitsuji. He must have really liked dragons because Syvalion also stars a dragon, but the cuteness was traded in for a total badawesome looking design. Syvalion never achieved the fame Bubble Bobble did but it was been re-released via Taito Legends 2. The soundtrack was done by former ZUNTATA member Yasuhisa Watanabe so yes, it is pretty darn good.

Bloody Tears - Haunted Castle (ARC)

Why, yes, I am still very much excited that Simon freaking Belmont is gonna be in Smash. And Richter, too. I've been doing my best to avoid the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate website because I wanted to be surprised at some of the music I find in the game. I think I did spot some music from Haunted Castle, an arcade game that has some awesome music, so I'm happy to see some of that game's jams are being included. Man, Bloody Tears so good on just about any game it is in.

Garam - Battle Clash (SNES)

With the Wii, I had hope Nintendo would bring back some of their old light gun series like Duck Hunt or give us Virtual Console versions of Battle Clash and Metal Combat. No such luck, though we did get a Virtual Console release of Duck Hunt on the Wii U. Smash has been good for giving lesser known series spotlight in the form of trophies and music so I'm hoping we get some Battle Clash tunes for Ultimate.

Aquarium (Area 2) - Raystorm (PS ver.)

Released two years after Rayforce (Galactic Attack or Layer Section depending on what part of the pond you lived), Raystorm is the second game in Taito's Ray trilogy and was my introduction to the series. Raystorm has been re-released on Android and other mobile devices they do offer controller support. It was also re-released on Taito Legends 2, but in my opinion, another re-released is needed for this via Arcade Archives or perhaps a Ray anthology. Raystorm has some of the best music from ZUNTATA. After knocking it out of the park with the excellent Geometry City (Area 1), it is followed up the beautiful, tranquil Aquarium.

Prologue - Super Castlevania IV (SNES)

One of my favorite Castlevania games, despite the more flexible whip movement, Super Castlevania IV is still a tough game. Not to the degree of the NES games or Bloodlines on the Genesis, but it is still a tough cookie. No matter how many times I listen to this soundtrack, I cannot get over how good it is. The SNES did wonders to really flesh out  older Castlevania tracks but the new music was certainly no slouch. As you can see from the artwork above, Japan does not always have it better.

Total Result - Mega Man X Legacy Collection (NS, PS4, XBO, PC)

Though not perfect (word on the net is some versions have input lag as well as screen resolution issues), the Mega Man X Legacy Collection is a great way to replay the X mainline games on HD consoles. There's even the bonus X Challenge mode that has to taking on two bosses at once. X Legacy Collection also has a surprising amount of remix music and a theme I was very happy to see get some long over due love is the password theme from Mega Man X. Sure, the remix goes under a different title, but that happy feeling is still retained.

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Favorite Tunes #223: ZUNTATA

ZUNTATA! Not the name of a single person but a unit of a plethora of composers similar to Konami Kukeiha Club. They are also known as the Taito Sound Team so if you see the name ZUNTATA or Taito, you can usually expect your ears to be treated to some outstanding music.

Urban Trail - Night Striker (ARC)

The first time I'd ever heard of any music from Night Striker was some ten years ago. I was blown away. I think this game's soundtrack along with music from various Darius titles is what cemented my love for ZUNTAT's music. Now if only Taito would release more collections so I could play this game.

Fire! Fire! Fire! - Syvalion (ARC)

Fukio Mitsuji is mostly know for creating Bubble Bobble. He's also the brains behind Syvalion and if you're wondering why this title doesn't ring a bell, it's because this one didn't fare anywhere near as well as the game with the two cute dragons. Once again, I gotta hand it ZUNTATA, or in this case, Yasushia Watanabe for turning in an amazing soundtrck.

Planet Course "The Nature of Art" - Vertexer (ARC)

When I went hunting for some screen shots or an arcade flyer to use for this entry, I was surprised to find that Vertexer was never officially released. However, the soundtrack to the game, was released in 2015. As one would expect from ZUNTATA (Tamayo Kawamoto), the music is really friggin' good.

Jamming - Darius II (GEN)

Did you think every entry on this list was going to be from the arcade? I mean, sure, Darius II originated in the arcades but it also saw a few home ports, one of which was on the Genesis, titled Sagaia outside of Japan. The music isn't exactly the same as the co-op version but it still turned out pretty well.

Geometric City - RayStorm (ARC)

Released in Japanese arcades in 1996 when 3D and polygonal graphics were really up and coming, RayStorm is one of the few games on this list I've actually played. I picked up the PS port years ago and it has been years since I've played it. I do, however, remember this music as it played on the first stage and upon rediscovering it, I've been listening to it on repeat for days.

Metal Black - Space Invaders Anniversary (PS2)

In 2003, Space Invaders turned 25 years old. To commorate the occasion, Space Indavers Anniversary was released, containing nine versions of Space Invaders. One version contained music from various games in Tatio's library such as tunes from Bubble Bobble, Darius and Metal Black. The music sounds very close to the original pieces, but anyone that's heard these themes enough can tell you that there are some slight differences but not enough to be detrimental. The track from Metal Black happens to be my favorite from that game, Dual Moon. Space Invaders fans living in the west had no choice but to import this one.

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