The general forum has a pop music thread going right now, and I'm taking @Kneecap 's bait and starting one here, since my hunch is the DF Retro community has a lot of music picks. This thread is specifically for recommendations, whether you want to celebrate the traditionally biggest hits or call out hidden gems. Hashing out other debates (ie SNES vs. MD/Genesis sound hardware) should go elsewhere.
Out of respect for readability and letting everyone voice their favourites, please limit each post to a max of roughly 5 embeds. (Maybe space out your picks over a span of weeks, if you've truly got dozens.)
I'll start with my usual Neil J. Voss shoutout, since he pushed the N64 (and its lack of bespoke sound hardware) to its sonic limits in Tetrisphere and The New Tetris. He also got the GBA (again, notoriously iffy sound hardware) to sing in Racing Gears Advance. This SoundCloud repository has been up forever with his music and is arguably the easiest high-fidelity way to access all of it: https://soundcloud.com/the-neil-voss-collection/albums
The OST to Jet Set Radio remains a killer distillation of a particular early '00s moment in Japanese house-soul-punk fusion. Naganuma-san was on a tear.
I'm not sure I have anything new to add about Yuzo Koshiro and Streets of Rage 2 / Bare Knuckle 2, so I'll simply point you to my favourite way to listen to its OST: on vinyl. Data Discs didn't mess around with this, capturing directly from NEC PC-88 hardware, and yes, that means I'm linking you to a YT-compressed needle drop. To which you might ask, does the vinyl version in my collection actually sound better than wholly uncompressed FLAC? Um... er... look over there! **shuffles away**
Chrono Trigger has one of the best soundtracks of the nineties — a masterpiece composed by Yasunori Mitsuda that never gets old. From the very first moments of the game, you know you’re experiencing something extraordinary. Every character has a theme that perfectly complements who they are — whether it’s the beautiful and triumphant Frog’s Theme or the (Rick-rolled ) futuristic tune of Robo’s Theme. Every sound in this game has meaning.
My absolute favorite, though, is “Wind Scene.”
That’s it for now, but I’ll post more scores and soundtracks soon.
By the way, does the X360/PS3 generation count as retro?
Currently Playing: CyberPunk 2077, Tomb Raider Remastered, Super Mario Bros 2, SSX3, Zelda TOTK, Donkey Kong Bananza, Coral Island, Mario Kart World
@jubilee64 Speaking of Hip Tanaka, I got clued into this remake of the Metroid soundtrack recently and it's really good (sounds like the soundtrack remade on the appropriate hardware of the time perhaps): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk9Hvk82mTM
@jubilee64 Speaking of Hip Tanaka, I got clued into this remake of the Metroid soundtrack recently and it's really good (sounds like the soundtrack remade on the appropriate hardware of the time perhaps): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk9Hvk82mTM
That's great!
Here is a modern choice from Bobby Krilic, such a dramatic boss tune. I think the sound design on Returnal is absolutely top tier.
I'm going to start recent and go with Lagoon Layer from Donkey Kong Bananza. It's one of those tracks that already sounds nostalgic if that makes any sense.
I also have one that I only just discovered. Both this Konami brawler and its soundtrack (by the Konami Kukeiha Club) are hugely overlooked. Just watch and listen. Lots of TMNT vibes. This track We Are Free is super funky. And those lyrics!!! O.o
You really have to check it out if, like me, you somehow missed this brawler all this time. The inspiration for this track is also very clear, but the whole soundtrack is fascinating. I’ll drop the 30-minute version of Free for All:
I always thought that the Amiga version of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge is one of the best games sound tracks ever made. Still wondering it was never turned into a Musical. LOL
Besides that, I think the orchestral soundtrack from Gothic 3 was very good. Some of those tracks have outstanding very memorable melodies. If I hear that today it right sends me back in time.
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Topic: Video game music recommendations!
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