My 200 Favorite Video Game Themes- Part 20: Fin.

10.

Magic City

from Sim City 3000

Composer: Jerry Martin

Maxis; 1999

So, I open the final chapter in this series with an entry that is probably not on anyone else’s top 10 favorite VGM.  This personal choice comes from hundreds of hours over many years playing Sim City 3000.  I adore this song.  The pace, the tone, the piano, the way it builds and the melodies that overlap and play off each other are all just astounding to me.  There are a lot of great themes from the Sim City franchise but Magic City is the one that fits my taste and idea of an “amazing song” better than any of this storied series’ other tunes.

09.

Aquatic Ambiance

from Donkey Kong Country

Composer: David Wise, Evellyn Fisher Novacovic, Robin Beanland

Rare; 1994

Aquatic Ambiance really stands out for me as a 16-bit era song that not only uses the system’s audio capabilities better than any other song on the Super Nintendo (though it is not my favorite SNES theme), but also as another composition by David Wise that crushes the standards of game music.  It is an achievement in terms of stunning sound design and for pushing the limitations of 16-bit, midi-format music.  Aquatic Ambiance has a slow build, not getting to the song proper until the time when most game themes would have already begun looping.  All of the little details of this song, from the ambient synth filling the background to the beautiful piano melody that plays throughout come together to form a tune that does not simply live up to its pedigree, but it sets the standard for the sound of the entire series.

08.

Intro/Title

from Mega Man II

Composer:Takashi Tateishi

Capcom; 1988

The Intro theme from Mega Man II is one of the most well-known and revered themes among gamers.  It reflects all of the sounds and musical ideas that are expressed throughout the entirety of the game in one short, memorable tune.  The song has been covered time and time again, and has even had lyrics written for it in numerous fan videos.  It plays over the introduction to Mega Man II, the game I believe bears the best soundtrack of any single game in the history of the medium so far.  It is vibrant, bright, fun and catchy, and like just about every song in the game, it is timeless.

07.

Duff McWhalen

from Mega Man X-5

Composer: Naoto Tanaka

Capcom; 2000

Duff McWhalen’s theme is another song that likely does not show up on a lot of top tens, so let me see if I can express why I have this song featured so high on my list.  The piano melody is complex in the right way, the time signature and respective beat is catchy and lively, and the song’s tonal shifts are just perfect.  Duff McWhalen’s theme from the PSX game Mega Man X-5 is actually a cover of Bubble Crab’s stage from Mega Man X-2, and while melodically that version is just as good, as it is the exactly same, I love this version for its use of a set of synth sounds that just fit perfectly.  It is moody and simply brilliant.  

06.

Chill Penguin

from Mega Man X

Composer: Setsuo Yamamoto

Capcom; 1993

Another fan-favorite, Chill Penguin ranks as my second favorite Mega Man theme of all time.  It’s high-energy sound, insane use of a brain-melting synth/bass combination and classic melody make it stand out as the perfect tune for its stage.  It is has a fast lead riff that keeps the energy of the song high while still having a relatively slow tempo, and while those may sound like conflicting ideas, listening to the theme should help that make sense.  The tune has a slightly slower pace than most other songs on the soundtrack, but that does not detract from its intensity, accentuated by that phenomenal synth riff.  It also has a sound that perfectly reflects its stage, another major contributor to its placement in my top ten.  

05.

Dancing Mad

from Final Fantasy VI

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

Squaresoft; 1994

Considered by most to be the ultimate boss theme, Dancing Mad is the official Kefka battle theme from Final Fantasy VI.  It plays as the player engages one of the most powerful video game bosses of all time and is the iconic example of the “perfect” battle theme, feeling grand and threatening.  Many fans of the Final Fantasy series extol Kefka as the greatest villain in the series, and considering he quite literally becomes God by the end of the game (right down to the Michelangelo imagery and Shekina behind his head), I can understand why.  The theme to battling a deity had better be amazing, and Dancing Mad nails it.

04.

Moon Theme

from Duck Tales

Composer: Hiroshige Tonomura

Capcom; 1989

To more casual game music fans or younger gamers, the inclusion of this 1989 licensed title from Capcom may seem a little odd.  However, while the original Duck Tales game was actually quite good, it is the soundtrack that kept its legacy alive.  It is full of great tracks and the quality of the soundtrack lies squarely on the shoulders of composer Hiroshige Tonomura, who only composed six titles under the Capcom label before leaving the company to work for Taito, whom he then left in the mid-90’s to pursue other projects.  Of his entire career, however, Tonomura has left one song behind that is among a few themes that really set the standard for what game music can and should be.  The Moon Theme is a beloved tune because of its cheery mood, tonal complexity and sheer breadth.  It is energetic, too, but it has a warmth to it that many game themes really lack.  It is a fun and endearing song that is always in the back of my mind when the subject of game music comes up.

03.

Wily - Stage 1

from Mega Man II

Composer: Takashi Tateishi

Capcom; 1988

Of all the themes in the outstanding Mega Man II soundtrack, the theme from Wily’s Castle 1 is by far my favorite.  It is hard to really put a finger on why, but I believe it falls mostly on the energy.  The minor key, the pace and the tone all give the feel of a song written to drive the player forward.  It is a perfect accompaniment to its stage, complimenting the flow well, despite the level’s more lazy vertical segments.  Still, there is an urgency to it, and it just feels right.  Also, it really just seems to stand out on the soundtrack.  It does not clash, mind you, rather it is like an evolution of the sounds heard up to that point.  It is actually a quite brilliant when you think about it.

02.

Bowser in the Dark World

from Super Mario 64

Composer: Koji Kondo

Nintendo; 1996

The Mario series of games has been hit or miss for me in terms of music.  Occasionally, I will hear a song that expresses the franchise’s trademark whimsy and self-aware sensibilities well and it will stick with me, but more often than not, it just comes off as forced.  However, Super Mario 64’s soundtrack is quite an achievement.  It has a mix of a lot of different musical ideas and all of them work astonishingly well.  The one song on the soundtrack that ranks above the others as my favorite is the Dark World theme.  The three courses in in the Castle where Bowser has hidden the keys to the varying floors have a song that is, for a lack of a better word, awesome.  The percussion, the build, and that moody melody during the song’s main section are all just intensely-classic.  I played this game a lot in my teens when it came out and it remains one of my favorite games of all time to this day, and this song is, believe it or not, part of the reason.  When I enter these worlds and that song kicks in, it just hits me with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.

01.

Hyrule Field

from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Composer: Koji Kondo

Nintendo; 1998

Alas, the finale.  My number one pick.  Cliched?  Okay.  Obvious?  Maybe?  However, why is this one song held in such high regard by so many gamers?  Well, it is a masterful composition and an amazing achievement in sound design in games, but I do not think this is solely the reason.  I believe it is a combination of things.  Forget the argument that Ocarina of Time is among a handful of contenders for what could objectively be called the “Greatest Video Game of All Time”, and consider this one aspect of the game: When you enter Hyrule Field, this song plays for the first time contrasting a sorrowful and silent goodbye to a childhood home for Link.  The flutes break the day and the camera pans showing us what is really the first vast, open landscape any gamer had ever really gotten a chance to explore.  Sure it is not quite as big as it may seem, thanks to some clever design tricks that allow for the illusion of scale while remaining within the bounds of the console’s limitations, but the promise of exploring this world the first time we see the field and hear this song is a striking memory, at least for me.  The song is a orchestration of the classic Legend of Zelda theme music but unlike a vast majority of game music up to the time this game was released, this tune does not really loop.  It opens with the break of day and then, just as the song would begin its loop, fades out as night falls leaving behind an unsettling silence, broken only occasionally by the howling of a wolf or the chirps and shakes of midnight ambiance.  The song goes through several segments, all flowing to a triumphant climax as dusk approaches.  Koji Kondo’s theme for Hyrule Field is not only a good theme in terms of composition, but is equally stunning in terms of how it is used in the game.  It is a flawless implementation of an already breathtaking song, and that is why it is my number one.  

It took me a while to get through this list, but now that it is over, I have another list to start working on, here.  Keep watch because very, very soon I will be sharing my favorite movies of the 90’s.

Thank you for reading.

My 200 Favorite Video Game Themes- Part 18: Legendary

30.

Magnet Man

from Mega Man III

Composers: Yasuaki Fujita, Harumi Fujita

Capcom; 1990

Mega Man III makes its final appearance on my list.  I have expressed before the personal effect this game has had on me, both as a gamer and a pop culture fan.  I learned a lot about gaming from Mega Man III and it was also where I really started to reflect on the value of game music.  It is something that I had not considered until I played this game as a child.  Magnet Man’s theme, in particular, has always been a standout game theme.  It is melodically captivating with an excellent bridge at the end.  Some themes have stuck with me out of nostalgia but I would say that this tune is both nostalgic and outstanding in its own right.

29.

A Violent Encounter

from Shadow of the Colossus

Composer: Kow Otani

Sony Japan Studio; 2005

Shadow of the Colossus is one of a few games I would label as “perfect”.  It is like a vivid Vermeer, full of life and detail.  The world has an unspoken history and it feels aged.  The majestic guardians of the land are kept in their own prisons throughout the world, and these places have a story that is captivating and awe-inspiring, though never fully explained.  There is something about this myth and the world it inhabits that stands out among other games.  Instead of being a volume of exposition and plot twists, Shadow of the Colossus is like an abstract history explained through pictures, though never fully detailed in any way.  There are gamers so enamored with this world that there have been countless attempts by fans online to break down and decipher the jigsaw puzzle that is the history of the game’s desolate hidden landscape and like the world in which Wander’s quest is set, its soundtrack is full of themes that are stunning and captivating.  A Violent Encounter is among the game’s more menacing tracks.  It is the sound of danger, in a simple loop that thunderously kicks in as the player faces yet another powerful and mighty threat.  

28.

Cell Stage 2

from Life Force

Composer: Miki Higashino

Konami; 1986

Miki Higashino returns to my list yet again, this time for her work on the game Life Force.  This is one of my favorite soundtracks of the 8-bit era and the varying levels, full of strange and wonderful visual ideas, are all complimented by excellent music.  Higashino, along with Iwase and Adachi, worked on some of Konami’s best soundtracks, and this early creation of her’s is among her greatest achievements.  The sound of each track has the feel of a classic sci-fi anthem mixed with the sound of a high-energy late-80’s score.  Few game composers have worked on soundtracks that so perfectly reflect the settings and themes of their games as Konami’s astounding sound team, and Higashino is the driving force behind their greatest compositions.  The theme from the fourth stage has a slightly unsettling tone, while at the same time reflecting the title’s persisting adventurous feel.  It is a sublime duality best heard while playing the game, as the flow of the stage perfectly reflect the song’s mesmerizing mood.

27.

Freeze Man

from Mega Man 7

Composers: Yuko Takahara, Hayato Kaji, Toshifumi Ōnishi, Kazunori Tazaki, Tatsuya Yoshikawa

Capcom; 1995

Mega Man 7 has a far more bright and upbeat soundtrack than gamers of its time were typically used to outside of a few titles from Nintendo.  It was a risk, for sure, to create a bright and almost care-free-sound for the themes to such an action-packed game, but Mega Man 7 (as well as Mega Man 8), managed to take the series’ sound in what I believe was a solid direction.  As the Mega Man X spin-offs were focusing primarily on hard rock sounds and intensity, Freeze Man’s theme actually has sort of the opposite effect.  The theme is bright, even happy, and the way it all flows through its major key sound is part of its charm.

26.

Besaid Island

from Final Fantasy X

Composers: Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, Junya Nakano

Squaresoft; 2001

Final Fantasy has been so ever-present on my list that I would not blame anyone for accusing me of being a fanboy.  To that I say, “If you are referring to the music, then yes.  Yes I am.”  I believe Final Fantasy, as a series, has produced the best game music of any other game franchise.  The varying level of quality for the games aside, there is no denying the achievements that were the titles’ soundtracks.  So much so, that the series has spawned multiple major concerts.  We are not talking about cosplay and fanboy t-shirts here, either.  No, these were black-tie affairs performed by major orchestras.  The series’ respected works have become pop culture legend and continue to be the standard by which all other game music is measured for many gamers.  Final Fantasy X’s soundtrack is full of themes that have varying emotional ideas, and as the story progresses, the music becomes more and more mournful.  However, at the beginning of the story the accompanying themes reflected the wonder of the journey ahead, and there is probably no theme in the game that better expresses the feel of this strange place than the theme from Besaid Island.  It is welcoming, cheerful and acts as a stunning early impression to the game’s standard-setting soundtrack.

25.

Marble Gallery

from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Composer: Michiru Yamane

Konami; 1997

Symphony of the Night is the title most Castlevania fans consider to be the series’ greatest achievement.  The castle is vast, full of threats that vary from the smallest nuisance to the mightiest of threats.  Along with the outstanding level design and deep gameplay there lies a compelling soundtrack filled with varying musical ideas.  Marble Gallery is an epic track.  It features the well-known and beloved Castlevania pace and tone, while also presenting a distinct sound and unique melody that mixes a classic style with modern ideas.  

24.

Time’s Scar

from Chrono Cross

Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda

Squaresoft; 1999

Chrono Cross is undeniably a strange title.  There are things in this game that make you wonder what sort of mushroom Funguy actually is.  One thing that I think has not been called into question, however, is the game’s much beloved soundtrack.  The intro theme to Chrono Cross, entitled Time’s Scar, is a mighty Celtic anthem that is energetic, moving and triumphant.  The violin played in this theme is one of my all time favorite melodies in game music.  I have not played through this game in years yet this one tune has always been in the back of my mind.  It is truly unforgettable.

23.

Aerith’s Theme

from Final Fantasy VII

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu

Squaresoft; 1997

...And speaking of unforgettable.  I do not think this song needs any introduction.  Aerith’s Theme from Final Fantasy VII has become one of the most recognizable tunes in video game history, most commonly associated with one of the most shocking and heartbreaking character deaths in modern popular culture.  It ranks high among the most memorable sequences in gaming history and this tune fits perfectly in the moment.  It is a soothing and heartfelt theme that is just as moving now as it was when the game was first released.

22.

Dance of the Holyman

from Super Castlevania IV

Composers: Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudo

Konami; 1997

One of the first themes heard as one picks up Castlevania IV, Dance of the Holyman, Simon’s theme, is a tune that instantly evokes the feeling of an heroic achievement.  The tune has an action-packed feel to it while remaining true to the series’ unique and unmistakable sound.  From its striking opening measures to way the song breaks down into a jazz bass verse is all seamless and perfect.  This is a tune I always look forward to hearing.

21.

Revived Power

from Shadow of the Colossus

Composer: Kow Otani

Sony Japan Studio; 2005

Heard quite early in the game, Revived Power is a powerful encouragement to the player to keep fighting on.  As a huge, lumbering beast fights off its aggressor, this tune seems to react to its struggle.  It has the threatening tone of the other themes in the game, but also has an adventurous feel to it.  It is a fun theme.  It is one that makes you want to keep pushing forward.  However, despite how great this soundtrack is, Shadow of the Colossus makes its final appearance on my list at number 21.

My 200 Favorite Video Game Themes- Part 17: Nostalgia Triumphant

40.

Tornado Man

from Mega Man 9

Composer: Ippo Yamada

Capcom; 2008

After a decade-long hiatus peppered with Legends, Battle Chips and 3-D debacles, Capcom finally gave us Mega-fanboys a new title in original franchise that harkened back to the old-school series that created the namesake and cemented it as a solid and reliable franchise that would satisfy from the 80’s well into the 90’s.  By the turn of the millennium, Capcom had set its sights on other projects and had essentially left the Blue Bomber to rot, only occasionally releasing tie-in titles that claim to be canon but were really titles implementing popular fads for handheld gaming at the time.  They were essentially cash-ins.  The Megaman X titles continued with declining quality, ultimately showing how far the series fell with Megaman X-7, an ugly disaster of a game that was hindered by its poorly-executed 3D design.  Long gone were fast stages with constant threats and collapsing environments, and in its place came slow, dark, poorly-rendered passages and cheap-looking, sloppy cel-shaded animation.  Five years later, Mega Man 9 brought the series back to its roots, releasing as a digital download title on the 360 and PS3, the game featured classic 8-bit graphics, challenging design and a great soundtrack.  The one takeaway track for me was Tornado Man’s theme, a song that sounds as though it could have been composed in 1990 yet still does not feel like a throwback either.  It is an impressively catchy theme and one of the best of the series.

39.

Home Sweet Home

from Beyond Good and Evil

Composer: Christophe Héral

Ubisoft; 2003

Beyond Good and Evil has shown up a few times up to this point and Home Sweet Home is the final theme from the game featured on this list.  This is a wonderful tune.  The way it builds on a simple piano melody so fluidly and so beautifully gives the song a sincerity, and as the tune progresses, while things in this strange world begin to feel more and more dire, the mood shifts and turns and changes.  It is a song that conveys so many feelings.  A perfect iconic tune for a game this emotionally-complex and deep.

38.

Purification of the City

from Flower

Composer: Vincent Diamante

ThatGameComapny; 2009

On the note of emotional-complexity, Flower makes its final appearance with the song from the stage that holds the most meaning in the game.  Flower’s is a story is told without any exposition or without any dialogue.  It is a tale woven through pictures and experiences.  Purification of the City has the player maneuvering the wind between fallen buildings in an abandoned, lifeless metropolis.  The song is triumphant and glorious, feeling ever tragic but still empowering as a strong backdrop to nature’s victory over man’s folly.  It is a very powerful tune that is best heard while playing the game, as it fits the feel and flow of the level better than almost any game theme I have ever heard.

NOTE: I shared the entire level video rather than just the song. I felt it was the only way to properly convey the impact of this song.

37.

Bloody Tears

from Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest

Composer: Kenichi Matsubara

Konami; 1988

I loved Simon’s Quest as a kid.  This is a game that opened quite a few doors for me.  It was one of the first games I ever played and beat that had a fully-explorable world, implementing a design that is now lovingly referred to by fans as a “Metroidvania” world.  One of the earliest instances of an open side-scroller, Simon’s Quest remains one of the best of the genre on the weight of some sturdy difficulty, a solid and clear goal, and an amazing soundtrack.  Bloody Tears is arguably the most famous theme of the franchise, having been covered live on stage and on YouTube in various forms and even having shown up in later Castlevania titles as one of only a handful of the series’ themes to be featured in more than one game.  Bloody Tears is a classic in every definition of the word.

36.

Enemy Attack

from Final Fantasy X

Composers: Nobuo Uematsu, Masashi Hamauzu, Junya Nakano

Squaresoft; 2001

Boss Themes are an important gauge for any game composer, I say.  You have to take the musical stylings of the game, and make a song that is separate from the level theme, and make it more intense, and have build in a way that makes the fight seem grandiose and threatening.  Most boss themes fail at this, which is why there are so few of them on my list.  It is easy to make music creepy, or noisy, but to make one that is just purely powerful, reflecting the threat before you… Well, that has to be a daunting task.  So, leave it to the folks at Square to solve the problem!  Enemy Attack, and I say this with all sincerity, is the perfect boss theme.  It may not be the best, it may not even be the best on the PS2, but it is the example.  It is the song that starts out letting the player know things are serious and then just builds.  The song’s long loop and bone-crushing choir (those are words you probably never thought you’d read back-to-back, huh?) make for a truly powerful series of encounters throughout the game.  This is a standout track from one of the best game soundtracks of all time.

35.

Bubbleman

from Mega Man II

Composer: Takashi Tateishi

Capcom; 1988

Mega Man II is a fan favorite in the series for a number of reasons.  It is an incredibly well-designed and well-structured game full of memorable moments and exciting levels and bosses, but more than anything else, I think, the thing that stuck with fans was the music.  Oh, man the music in this game.  Some games have soundtracks that fans just immediately think of when the subject of game music comes up.  Some fans think of Mario, some think of Zelda, but for me, it’s this game.  Mega Man II just may be MY pick for the greatest video game soundtrack of all time.  I say this just on the grounds that I am judging it based on the period in which it was released, and based on staying-power.  Sure, there have been songs in games released that one could argue are better in their own right, but a collection of themes this good, from the title screen to the closing credits..?  I doubt one could find one that is this perfect.  I may be wrong, but in all my years as a gamer, playing console after console for generation after generation for more than twenty-five years of my life, I have yet to find a soundtrack that, in its entirety, holds a candle to Mega Man II’s.

34.

Green Hill Zone

from Sonic the Hedgehog

Composer: Masato Nakamura

Sega; 1991

Sonic makes his final appearance on my list with the very first level theme from Sonic the Hedgehog.  Green Hill Zone is an iconic Sega tune that is also one of the essential 16-bit era themes.  Many gamers of the time were introduced to this song alongside a brand new gameplay experience that traded the more deliberate but slower jumps and level negotiation of the Super Mario Bros. franchise for twitch gameplay, high-speed loops, ramps that send you flying across the stage or into the sky and dangerous traps that often came seemingly out of nowhere.  Add to that tiered levels with multiple paths and you had a game-changer in terms of game design and pace.  The Green Hill Zone theme is one of my personal favorites because, melodically, it just works.  It has a softer melody that is emphasized by an upbeat accompaniment and a wonderful build to a satisfying end to the loop.

33.

Treasury Room

from Super Castlevania IV

Composers: Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudo

Konami; 1991

Here’s another Castlevania IV theme.  The Treasury Room is much, much later in the game and the song features one of my favorite structures.  It is a slow build to an amazing theme.  Listening to the start of the song, with it’s creepy piano and organ combination, one would probably not guess that this tune will be a high-energy organ rock piece with some distinctly-Gothic ideas.  This theme belongs up there with many of the more famous Castlevania tunes for me.  It is catchy, memorable and just as strong as most of the franchise’s other, more well-known themes in my opinion.  The song builds well, too, starting very simple and adding layers as it goes, creating a steadily evolving theme that has a very long loop for a 16-bit title.

32.

Napalm Man

from Mega Man V

Composer: Mari Yamaguchi

Capcom; 1992

This one may seem a little high to most, and I get that.  For me, however, I love the intro riff to this song, and how it shows up after each part of the song in different iterations.  I love that one little riff enough to push this song way up into my top 40.  Other than that, if it were not for the rhythmic interludes and the way the song sort of shifts tonally through them, I would say this is a rather forgettable tune.  It’s funny how sometimes one’s favorite songs are often the simplest ones, huh?

31.

Title Theme

from Metroid

Composer: Hirokazu Tanaka

Nintendo; 1986

I will make an assertion here: Metroid is the most underrated soundtrack of the 8-bit era.  It is damn-good.  It has a blend of eerie and heroic and has a touch of both emotions in every theme.  It is the soundtrack to aimlessly exploring a dangerous and labyrinthine alien world.  I cannot see anyone hitting the nail on the proverbial head better than what was achieved here.  While Super Metroid’s soundtrack is arguably better, for an 8-bit soundtrack, released so early in the NES cycle, this game has charm and memorability in spades.  The Title Theme starts off as a slightly unsettling series of creepy beeps and buzzes until it seamlessly and flawlessly transitions into an excellent melody.  The song’s layers are few but that is all that is needed to convey the feeling of jumping into this game.  NES’ Metroid is one of Nintendo’s all-time best, and this theme is among the greatest in their catalog.  I stand by that.