10 Of The Top Video Game Songs In No Particular Order: Part I
#10 When Grieving Ends, the Fight Begins
Falcom’s Dinosaur I will defend until my last day. It’s FM-Town’s version of the soundtrack represents some of Falcom’s finest work. Immediately a heavy slide leads into a 2 cymbal bashing intro. A sporadic guitar lead follows alongside a powerful backing representing Falcom’s classic J-rock sound but with a twisted, demented style on top of it
No other game company has impressed me with it’s musical openings as much as Falcom. Naoki Kaneda of Falcom Sound Team jdk gives us the second opening of Brandish 3, beginning with a melancholy introduction. Then, the bass and drums start and an optimistic melody begins as it introduces you to the games main characters. Despite this, the song overall carries an energetic yet sorrowful tone until the end.
Zoom Sound Team remains criminally underacted for their musical compositions. Lagoon is the height of their productions, and those who remember playing the Super Famicom version remember that as soon as they turned the game on they were blasted in the face with the song Prince of Darkness. An epic j-rock song used as a title and final boss theme depending on the version played. Many people compare Lagoon to Ys, but Lagoon isn’t Ys, it is itself and has definitely made a name for itself. It doesn’t need to be compared to it. The song starts with a slow lead over aggressive drumming and rhythm work. Towards the end is a wonderful solo powerful yet calm at times.
Ai Cho Aniki (NEC PC Engine)
The Cho Aniki series shows us how far creativity and originality can go in a game and its music. I can describe it as a surreal comedy of outrageous designs, concepts, and sometimes abominable yet wonderful music. The introduction shows you what’s in store for you. A barrage of outrageous voices, dance infusing beats and hormonal singing. It’s the beginning of one of video game history’s strangest games and soundtracks, composed by Taku Iwasaki.
Rudra no Hihou (Super Famicom)
Ryuji Sasai graced us not only with Mystic Quest, but with Rudra no Hihou among others. It’s the blooming evolution of what a Mystic Quest sequel would be. Battle for the fields combines horns and violin leads with bass, drums, and synth to bring down a classical rock hybrid classic to look forward to every battle.
Sword World SFC (Super Famicom)
Sword World SFC is another soundtrack that does not receive the recognition and respect it deserves. Thieve’s Guild is led by a strong piano bass duo lead. It has a third instrument in the background similar to what you’d hear in Seiken Densetsu, except this game was in production before Seiken Densetsu came out.
#4 Unused music (Strange Memories of Death)
Gimmick! (Nintendo Entertainment System)
Most people who are aware of the NES seem surprised a soundtrack like Gimmick! was possible. The bass in particular sounds impossibly realistic to what most people would think a NES is capable of. The quality of this unused song even surpasses many Super Famicom games. Definitely one of the finest NES songs, Strange Memories of Death sounds like a cute pop song with some attitude.
#3 Stand Up Against Myself
Thunder force IV (Sega Mega Drive)
We all praise Thunder Force IV, truly the endgame of what a game can do to excel with metal and with such limitations. I picked the ending song Stand up Against myself not only because it’s one of the best songs (alongside Metal Squad), but because it fits so perfectly with the story’s end.
Two pilots fly the Rynex, the ship you control in the game. Halfway through, thinking you’ve defeated the last enemy, it turns out it’s these organic flying objects are the ones really in control, and they surprise you by killing your team and their giant space ship. In an act of revenge, the pilots defy their orders to stay back and go on what looks like a suicide mission to get revenge.
After getting said revenge and destroying the final boss creature, they get caught in the blast and the last we see is their ship begin to crumble into pieces as they were not able to outrun it. Outraged, despite being saved by them, their government leaves them for dead. A tragic ending.
At this point Stand up Against myself begins to play. You feel the tragedy of the story interpreted through the lead solos, backed up by the thick mega drive rhythm guitars. As the song climaxes and reaches the looping end, the game transitions to the two pilots, man and woman, embracing. In a rare moment, the ending to a game blended in well magnificently to the ending song like two dancers dancing with perfect chemistry.
The Legend of Xanadu (PC-98 ver.)
Falcom once again administers another powerhouse opening with their Xanadu series. Takahiro Tsunashima delivers one of the most powerful intros I’ve ever heard to any song in the first 20 seconds. The bass seems particularly high in this one track which leads to a somewhat too intense thumping of the drums. Half way the PC-98 synth feedback waves back and forth in a soothing matter as the lead solo transitions to a cleaner tone before building and exploding back into the power and fury of the beginning of the song.
#1 Counter Hunter Stage 1
Rockman X2 (Super Famicom)
We have moments in gaming from when we were kids where a standout song gave us an adrenaline rush as it cheered us to keep going, that the end of the fight is near. Yuki Iwai’s does this perfectly with this song. After a short guitar intro, a synth lead of excellent quality optimistically leads into a dramatic triple crash of cymbals and more guitar solos. Towards the end, the song builds up as its classic Capcom lead guitar riffs climax before repeating. Short, yet an amazing track because a song doesn’t have to be long to be good.
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