#Retro Roulette

Randomly remembering video game music & theme songs! Thoughts by Luis Moreno Follow @LuisMorenoNet !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3295114-5']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Rockman & Forte - Tengu Man (Aerial Realm)

Oh the many themes of Tengu Man ... This lucky Robot Master is the only one from the classic Mega Man series to have three official stage themes! On Mega Man 8 Tengu Man was given two separate themes, one appeared in the 1996 PlayStation version of the game while the other would later be heard in the 1997 Sega Saturn version. If that wasn't enough, a third completely different theme appeared in Japan’s 1998 Super Famicom game Rockman & Forte. Sadly, it wouldn't be until 2002 that the U.S. would get to officially enjoy this theme when the game was re-release on the Game Boy Advance as Mega Man & Bass. This third theme, composed by Akari Kaida, is considered by many (including myself) to be the undisputed best of all three!

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Battle Arena Toshinden - Mountain Rage (Eiji's Stage) I remember going to the Sony Store in Manhattan every day after school just to listen to Eiji's Theme while playing the demo they had on display. Sony's message was loud and clear, disc-based video game music had finally arrived! Interestingly enough, this song in the game was about 3-4 minute long and played in the background during matches that latest for less than a minute. It was rare to hear the song (composed by Yasuhiro Nakano, Makoto Mukai, Fumio Tanabe) in it's entirely especially when you have a timer working against you, not to mention the fact that the song resets after each round. Maybe that's why I wanted to keep listening to these tracks over and over during game-play.

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Time Crisis - Mission Start

Namco's original Time Crisis for me was the first time a video game soundtrack truly made you feel you were in an action movie. What I found most interested about the music composed by Kazuhiro Nakamura is that it had a facilitating way of looping until you reach the next checkpoint. A new arrangement of the same theme would trigger once you reached a new area in the level. Sometimes when I reach a street corner I fantasize leaning against the wall and taking cover. ACTION!

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Fluffy Bluff Galaxy Back in 2010, I never expected Nintendo to release a sequel to this specific Mario series. Over the years Super Mario was known for taking place in a new setting with each new game; Super Mario World was different from Super Mario 64 which in turn was different from Sunshine and so on. Fluffy Bluff Galaxy, by composer Mahito Yokota, was the song featured on the official trailer to Super Mario Galaxy 2 and caused quite an impact in the process. To this day the Fluffy Bluff theme forces me to restrain myself from getting emotional.... Oh geez here we go again! *holds back tears*

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: WCW vs. the World - Match BGM 1

This amazing theme was brought up to me recently by a friend; we were recalling wrestling themes from games and ended up talking about this song. I decided to do a little bit of research on it and it’s impossible to find out who composed it. The closest credit I could find was The Man Breeze the company who developed WCW vs. the World (Virtual Pro-Wrestling in Japan.) To further add to the confusion, this company later became AKI Corporation and after that was renamed syn Sophia, Inc. Simply referred to as Match BGM 1, some people have pointed out it’s similarity to Ryu’s Theme from Street Fighter II. What do you think?

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Daytona USA – Blue Sky

Every time I drive on the upper level of the George Washington Bridge the song "Blue Sky" from Daytona USA comes to my mind. For years I've wondered if the bridge that appears in the Seaside Street Galaxy course was inspired by aspects of the GWB since they both lead into roads that go underneath tall buildings. My favorite version of this song comes from the Sega Saturn, composer Takenobu Mitsuyoshi rerecorded all the tracks with real instruments and re-sung all the lyrics for the Sega Saturn version of the soundtrack. Nothing like a good ol' Rolling Staaaaaart!

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Punch-Out!! (NES) - Fight Theme What is it about the music in Punch-Out!! that makes you want to just go out and train? It's similar in effect to how the various Rocky themes can instantly get you all hyped up. The Punch-Out!! theme composed by Yukio Kaneoka and Kenji Yamamoto injects you with a baseline that motivates the need to drop the controller and grab a jump rope. It must be what the song represents, it's message...the journey of overcoming the impossible. We all have our own version of it's final boss Mr. Dream (Mike Tyson) in our lives... so crank up the theme, press select repeatably --to rebuilt your health-- and set out to TKO all your fears, problems, doubts and limitations!

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Wario's Woods - Round Clear There are certain songs that don't have to last very long to leave a lasting impression. Then there are memorable songs that are encountered in the least obvious of places. This humble little tune simply known as "Round Clear" from the NES version of Wario's Woods manages to do both. It's co-composer Soyo Oka is known for her catchy melodies in the Super Mario Kart series, Pilotwings, Sim City as well as Super Smash Bros. Brawl. While co-composer Shinobu Amayake is known for her hooks on Stunt Race FX. Who would have thought you'd come across a song like this in a puzzle game? Especially at the end of a round and not even during actual game play? Who placed it here, like a hidden Rupee from Legend of Zelda or a Coin Block in Super Mario Bros? This song always stood out in Wario's Woods and now we all know why.

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Pilotwings – Light Plane If my most pleasant dreams had a soundtrack than I would definitely want it to be the music from the SNES classic Pilotwings. The music from Pilotwings was so beautiful, relaxing and always filled my imagination with happy thoughts. The heavenly themes composed by Soyo Oka always had me up in those Mode 7-style rendered clouds, either just flying my plane, hang gliding, skydiving, or piloting a rocket belt. Her music truly deserves the Golden Pilot's Wings!

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: X-Men (1992 Arcade) – Level 2

1992's X-Men, the side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade game produced by Konami, is perhaps most memorable for its cabinet that featured a total of 6 controllers! That means 6 simultaneous players each controlling their own X-Men! I recall most players wanting to reach Level 2 just to hear the song "Junk Factory" (composed by the team of Seiichi Fukami, Yuji Takenouchi, Junya Nakano and A. Hashimoto.) This was that catchy song that went "eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-X-MEN!" Everyone has their favorite X-Men but over the years its Colossus’ power up yell that has become a crowd favorite. It been replicated in unison at live video game music events and it’s just epic when you hear it! …Now, let me hear that Colossus roar “AAAAUUUUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!”

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Ninja Gaiden II Ending Theme (A Long Way To Go) This was one of those songs I clearly remember recording onto cassette tape with a boom box microphone years ago. This song just sounded so motivating to me (it still does actually) that it  made me want to make a copy I could enjoy without having to be in front of a NES. As I’d listen to this song, I would think about all the difficult enemies Ryu Hayabusa faced and how inspiring it was to finally reach the cinematic end. I wonder if composers Shitamachi Kajiya & Mayuko Okamura ever imagined at the time that kids like me would end up making “mix tapes” out of their music?

[retroroulette]

MUSIC : Dig Dug (NES) Stage Theme Perhaps the most addictive 8 seconds in video game history, the Dig Dug Stage Theme was composed by Yuriko Keino. It’s one of those short songs that could go on forever and you wouldn't even notice it. The looping is just so perfect and subtle that it cleanly flows right back to the beginning. Did you know someone posted a version of this tune that loops for 10 hours straight?! True story, here it is in all its glory: Dig Dug for 10 hours! I dare you to take the challenge, and don't be one of those gamers that makes it as far as 09:59:59 only to blow up and stop.

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Mega Man 10 – Nitro Man’s Theme I credit the original 8-bit Mega Man series for sparking my initial excitement and passion for video game music. It certainly lit a fuse in me as a kid. Every year that there was a new Mega Man release, I remember always looking forward to the eight new bosses and most importantly their themes. With the release of Mega Man 10 in 2010 (for the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare) that tradition continues. Written by Manami Matsumae, Nitro Man's theme is one of those songs in the Mega Man series that I instantly fell in love with. But really? Can a person be "in love" with a song? Well, whatever THIS is, it fills my heart with joy!

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Final Fantasy VII - Victory Fanfare Released in 1997 and composed by Nobuo Uematsu, "Victory Fanfare" is one of those songs that has naturally adapted itself into my every day life. Ever since the first time I heard this tune on Final Fantasy VII, I have associated it with many small yet interesting day-to-day victories. This morning for example, after having driven for a nice chunk of time, I noticed that the needle on my dashboard had been pointing to a big bright "E" (indicating an empty gas tank.) There were no gas stations near by, in fact I was about to cross a very long bridge. Anxiety hit "big time" up until the very second that I'm pulling up to a gas pump where I gave a huge sigh of relief followed by the humming of "Victory Fanfare" to myself. Empty gas tank = Sephiroth :/

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Captain America and The Avengers - Level 1

The record breaking success of Marvel's The Avengers (2012) film reminded me of how much I enjoyed the music from it's 1991 NES game. Captain America and The Avengers was a difficult game to get through and played similarly to Mega Man. I remember the music from Level 1, composed by T. Miura of Data East, being so catchy it kept me interested for the entirety of my video game rental. Looking back, I find it interesting how (at the time) Captain America was considered the game's biggest selling point. Just look at how huge his name appears on the title. If this game was to be released today it would most likely be called Iron Man and The Avengers... maybe even, The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers, whom ends up stealing the film one *Hulk Smash* at time!

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Sonic the Hedgehog - Labyrinth Zone

I like to believe that music played an important role in Sonic's initial 16-bit success. I know that's what caught my attention when Sonic made his debut.  Composer Masato Nakamura wrote music for both Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, that is why musically the two games complement each other very well. I find it difficult to hear music like "Labyrinth Zone" and not want to put down my NES controller for at least a few minutes. How else will Super Mario rest up from time to time? Sonic 1 & 2 have so many unforgettable songs that make you want to continue running at full speed ..um, just as long as Sonic doesn't drown.

[retroroulette]

MUSIC: Devil May Cry 3 - Devils Never Cry

This song always makes me think of Dante and his brother Vergil. Ironically it was my own brother who introduced me to the Devil May Cry series. I was watching him play one afternoon and all of a sudden this song came on. The rest is history. Devils Never Cry was written and performed by Shawn "Shootie HG" McPherson, with David Baker performing the melodic vocals. Why is it that the best video game “brothers” always team up in blue & red gear?... Double Dragon, Ikari Warriors, Contra, Ninja Gaiden The Arcade, P.O.W.: Prisoners of War, and of course Mega Man & Proto Man! Coincidence? I think not.