Criminally Underrated/Overlooked Game Soundtracks

[ExedExes]

Can't argue with that. Other NES games from Software Creations like Silver Surfer and Sky Shark have that same awesome music. Not many other developers could make the NES sound as good.

[Sload Soap]

Not a soundtrack or particular game but Ron Hubbard is pretty much the king of C64 music. He's quite well known in europe, not sure about over the pond. Anyway, here's Delta.



Like Doctor Who went to a Human League gig.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Hubbard owns.

[ExedExes]

Hubbard owns.

Dammit, you stole my go-to Hubbard example video, which I've posted probably more than once here. The part from 4:11-4:31 I use for a ringtone

I also learned this year from Together Retro he did the music for Road Rash.

[Krejlooc]

The original panzer dragoon trilogy has some of the most emotionally stirring music I've ever heard in a video game. I could post dozens of examples from those three games, but the title theme from the original always gets me going the most:



That piece right after the opening horns blow is my favorite part. It sounds like you're tumbling down through a turbulent sky only for the song to segue into a sweeping theme that inspires a sense of wonder. It perfectly encapsulates the world of the Panzer Dragoon games, which I am convinced is the true star of the series. A barren, dead world full of endless desert and expansive oceans, brimming with mystery and desolation. It's honestly beautiful.

[MyNameIsVince]

OK everyone, grab a pen and some paper. It's time to take notes:



Multi-genre game that's half Zelda/Crystalis/Metroid, half Zanac/1942/1943/Gun Nac? Yep. And the soundtrack ain't bad either. Standout choices include the excellent sweeping title theme, the moody water labrynth theme, the pulse-pounding Second Life Form theme, and the uber funky password theme, aka the greatest video game password theme of all time (it's also the only redeeming factor to trying to deal with that nightmarish password system). The only downside to the soundtrack is that the songs themselves aren't that long, but thankfully, there's a bunch of songs. So here's a playlist link to them all: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... A42BF94E5E

You're welcome.

Next up is this game. Yes somebody mentioned a song from this game, but fuck it, the whole soundtrack rules: Awesome game, awesome.....ly bad box art, and awesome music to boot. You need music that's catchy and upbeat enough to get you moving, but badass enough to get you to kick some ass at the same time, and this soundtrack does it. And yes, while the soundtrack as a whole is awesome, I have to recommend as a starting point, the 1st level theme. It's a great 1st level song that gets you motivated to play the game. Really great. Almost Double Dragon/Super Mario Bros good. Yeah. THAT good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9RFIxutMWQ


My next choice? This game:

This game as a whole is underrated as hell and the soundtrack is no different. Being that it takes place on islands, the music has a very laid back, tropical feel to it, a nice change of pace from most other NES soundtracks. What is interesting is that despite the sunny exterior of the initial songs you hear in the game, there's some genuinely moody stuff later on (the song where you're inside the whale is tense and nerve wracking, Bell's Memorial is haunting, and the Queen's theme is.....kinda odd). Still, the songs for the most part make you wish you were on an island. For me, it makes me want to go back to Hawaii, which I haven't been to since I was a senior in high school in 2002. Here's a playlist of the songs https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 6F2747434A


I'll post more tomorrow, since it's getting late over here in SoCal. Maybe I'll continue with some more NES, or I may continue with some SNES, who knows. Both likely.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Sky Shark has an awesome OST.

[ExedExes]

Sky Shark has an awesome OST.

One of the best things about getting farther in the game, the music got that much better. Software Creations once again! They also did Solstice, which was a terrible game, but at least the music was good.

I also see they did the Terminator 2 NES port, that actually makes sense because the music is good there too. The game is not bad either.

[Xeogred]

This is what happens when the Kirby composer gets serious.

[Krejlooc]

This is what happens when the Kirby composer gets serious.

This reminds me of a few tracks from Secret of Mana, namely this one: