In the first installment of this feature I waxed on about video game music and the tune’s getting stuck in my head. Based on the glut of video game sound tracks available on Youtube I know I am not the only one who appreciates good in-game music. Sure the tunes may be a little short or simplistic in nature but they are catchy and their repetitive loops ingrain them into the brains of players. For your listening pleasure I present 5 awesome video game tracks!
Mega Man 2 was the first game in the series that I played. We never rented games or movies much when I was a kid, but every so often I was given the option of rental as a reward or as a special treat. At some point in the early 1990’s on a trip to Blockbuster Video I decided to give this Mega Man stuff a try. I had never played any of the games, but had heard positive word of mouth on the playground. The game was great, and part of it’s greatness was the fantastic sound track. I can’t complain about any of the music featured in this game, but I can say that the background music featured in the Woodman stage ended up being my personal favorite of all the “regular” levels.
I have always been a hockey fan but Blades of Steel was such a great game even non-fans could get into it. In addition to the solid gameplay, Konami infused it with great background themes. The most memorable to me was the theme played during the intermission between the 2nd and 3rd periods. During this intermission player 1 was treated to either a short cut scene featuring a polar bear shooting a puck through a net with a blistering slapshot, or a mini Gradius style game where a small craft was charged with blowing up a mother ship. This awesome track played during that intermission. I like it so much that I made it my ringtone for awhile.
Streets of Rage is a great beat ’em up game, even today. Anyone can pick it up, figure out the controls pretty quickly, and just get into it. The up beat background theme of the first stage helps set the tone for this action packed title. One of the reasons I really enjoy this theme is because it just feels so “Genesis”. Super Nintendo definitely had a better sound chip and produced superior audio quality, but the Sega Genesis did have some games that took advantage of it’s unique audio output. It’s the rock sounding “gritty” tracks that really shine on the console.
Blaster Master was one of those gems I missed on the system although I did actually play it back when the NES was still available at retail. Back in 1994 a friend of mine brought this game over to my house and I was instantly sucked in. Not only did the game feature a tank with wheels that looked like generic Tylenol pills, but your character could actually exit the tank and explore all of the crevices inaccessible to the vehicle. It also didn’t hurt that area 1 has such a great tune playing.
You probably need to be a fan of professional wrestling to appreciate this one. WWF Royal Rumble for the SNES and the Sega Genesis was a fun wrestling game when released. Looking back it’s a rather simple button masher but back in the 90’s it was refreshing to have a WWF wrestling game that didn’t absolutely suck. Featuring the WWF Superstars, their theme music, and their patented finishing moves, WWF Royal Rumble was the wrestling game most had been waiting for since Pro Wrestling on the NES. Shawn Michaels had a great theme in real life that was especially catchy, and although the lyrics are missing here it is still a great tune. I should note that the SNES audio of this game really puts the Genesis version to shame.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these selections! Stay tuned for the next installment coming soon!
Super RetroMania 