#95 - Ninja Gaiden II - The Dark Sword of Chaos
Motion of the Ninja (Stages 1-1, 7-2, Interlude)
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Ninja Gaiden II - The Dark Sword of Chaos |
| Track title: |
Motion of the Ninja (Stages 1-1, 7-2, Interlude) |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composers: | Ryuichi Nitta (Shitamachi Kajiya), Mayuko Okamura, Miyazaki |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 22)
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Review by raubhimself:
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For a game with a stone-faced main character, the music must capture the emotion of the character. The deliberate pacing of this song matches Ryu's running perfectly. There is no outpouring of emotion, no sense of victory or honour. As the player dashes through the level, enemies are dispatched with a sense of necessity. There is no joy in killing for this ninja, and there is no sorrow in death. These enemies are destroyed because they simply must be. In Ninja Gaiden 2, that sentiment is presented in the very first level. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. |
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#94 - Mega Man 6
Flame Man
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Mega Man 6 |
| Track title: |
Flame Man |
| Game release year: |
1994 |
| Composer: | Yuko Takehara |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 4)
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Review by Jace:
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A forgettable buildup to one of the most powerful riffs in all of the Mega Man universe, as the bottom drops out/sky opens up about 44 seconds in. The momentary nature of this short outburst of rhythmic and melodic brilliance solidifies the status of this song as "overlooked" in the Mega Man canon. |
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#93 - Castlevania 3 - Dracula's Curse
Stream (Block-6)
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Castlevania 3 - Dracula's Curse |
| Track title: |
Stream (Block-6) |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composers: | Yoshinori Sasaki, Jun Funahashi, Yukie Morimoto |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 6)
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Review by Jace:
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A Castlevania tune with a much more interesting rhythm than melody. Perhaps another instance of nostalgia being too present a factor in our collective decision making. Granted, there's nothing wrong with this particular tune per se. The bass and drums are very propulsive and energetic. The square waves sort of meander, though, especially compared to a lot of music that didn't make the cut for our list (e.g. numerous tracks from games like Don Doko Don 2, Toukon Club, or Jackie Chan's Action Kung-Fu.) |
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#92 - Gremlins 2 - The New Batch
The Office
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Gremlins 2 - The New Batch |
| Track title: |
The Office |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composers: | Nubuyuki Hara, About SS, Naoki Kodaka |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 3)
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Review by Jace:
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Rhythmically simple and melodically understated, this tune from the geniuses at Sunsoft manages to be worthy of being etched into our top 125 largely through its effective use of volume swells to create tension. Also, even though this song is going for a "spooky" vibe, the ridiculous Sunsoft signature DMC bass sound still gets me up and dancing away from the monsters instead of running from them. |
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#91 - Akumajou Densetsu
Flashback (Staff Roll)
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Akumajou Densetsu |
| Track title: |
Flashback (Staff Roll) |
| Game release year: |
1989 |
| Composers: | Yoshinori Sasaki, Jun Funahashi, Yukie Morimoto |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 26)
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Review by Jace:
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A nice sunrise track, almost a (morning) fog of squishy saw tones. The main figure is perhaps a tad repetitive for how bombastic it is. It gets the point (you just won!) across well enough, though. |
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#90 - Super C
Lightning and Grenades (Stage 1)
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Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Super C |
| Track title: |
Lightning and Grenades (Stage 1) |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composers: | Hidenori Maezawa, Motoaki Furukawa |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 1)
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Review by Norrin_Radd:
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This track is definitely known for its use of melodic DPCM orchestral hits. Almost all of them are a different pitch from one another. I'm not sure if the NES had the capability to change the pitch of a DPCM sample, which would mean that each of them that is a different note would have to have been loaded onto the cart as a new sample. The effect here is certainly a unique one. As for the melodic aspect of this song, it's a ghostly familiar song that really sounds like it could have been in the original Contra (especially the little nod at the very end to the original level complete jingle of the original Contra). The song is constantly moving forward thanks to a bass that absolutely refuses to stop. The majority of this song is always plugging away with a rapid fire staccato rhythm. The square waves are, without a doubt, doing their best guitar impression here as well, giving this song a "rock" feeling. 8bit Orchestral Rock? I guess this is where Metallica got their idea for that concert they did with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. |
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#89 - Mega Man 2
Title Screen
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Mega Man 2 |
| Track title: |
Title Screen |
| Game release year: |
1989 |
| Composers: | Manami Matsumae, Yoshihiro Sakaguchi, Ogeretsu Kun |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 2)
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Review by Jace:
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I think it's safe to say that this track most likely was (and I'll say should rightly have been) rated in the context of the song that builds up to it in the game's intro (but which is split up into a different track in the game data so that it could be replayed in the staff roll). You won't hear Mega Man 2 tracks 1 and 2 together here, and that's a bit of a shame as they unlock each other's full potential. On its own, though, this tune effectively wraps up the bombast and energy of Mega Man 2 into a nice, neat, non-looping little package. |
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#88 - Ninja Gaiden
A Hero's End (Ending I)
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Ninja Gaiden |
| Track title: |
A Hero's End (Ending I) |
| Game release year: |
1989 |
| Composers: | More Yamasan, B. Hasake, Miyazaki |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 22)
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Review by Jace:
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Gather 'round now, friends, as I begin for you a long tale of vengeance and woe. But there may be hope. Hope for a future of love. In this moment, at least we have each other. Huddle close, friends. Let us share in the warmth of this fire and tell our own stories. |
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#87 - Mega Man 3
Snake Man
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Mega Man 3 |
| Track title: |
Snake Man |
| Game release year: |
1990 |
| Composer: | Yasuaki Fujita (BUNBUN) |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 7)
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Review by Norrin_Radd:
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I'm starting to think an essay could/should be written about this soundtrack. Each track reveals shocking levels of detail and masterful song writing, this song being no exception. One thing that really stands out about this soundtrack, and this song in particular, is the use of an intro that does not repeat when the song loops. The intro is absolutely manic, and even a little dissonant. Almost as if it were about to break into some tech metal. But it flows perfectly into a killer four on the floor dance beat instead. I can picture the drummer right now, wearing a head band, and just going to town on the cymbals. The triangle helps maintain the energy of the drums by providing a non stop-bouncing staccato melody. The squares once again provide that gorgeous glassy chorus effect (to a lesser extent), but more importantly the squares are creating tons of reverb and echo effects by purposely playing the same notes at times, slightly off time from each other. But perhaps the most striking trick they used in this song is the use of the 50% duty cycle square providing it's own staccato echo during the second section of the song. |
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#86 - Metroid
Brinstar
Listen to this track:
Requires Flash10
Track information:
| Game title: |
Metroid |
| Track title: |
Brinstar |
| Game release year: |
1987 |
| Composer: | Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka |
| Download: |
NSFE
(complete), NSF (track 3)
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Review by Jace:
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I've always enjoyed the "plucky" sound of this tune. It kind of sounds like a tough banjo. If you look back at Hip Tanaka's previous work in games like Duck Hunt and Gyromite, it's sort of a weird (and very cool) little trademark of his. Ultimately, Metroid's better compositions explore a stronger connection with the game's visual world, but this is a good one to get the blood pumping to walk around in hostile alien environments shooting things. |
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