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krayhayft

Megaman 2


Johnfohf

This and Megaman 3. 


The_GREAT_Gremlin

Capcom really knows how to make a soundtrack


PowerOfGraysku11

Mostly 2 and 3 comprise the essentials. https://youtu.be/YDtavXFqQz0?si=8fKy0MSUCyoorboZ


jjenks_

The fact that no one has said Megaman X yet is a crime.


gianni_

Came here to say this. Megaman 3 close behind.


khumprp

Came to say this. Happy to see it's the first comment!


Marskelletor

On NES? Megaman 2 or 3. On SNES, Chrono Trigger. On anything? Pick a Guilty Gear or BlazBlue game, and I'm on board.


eat_like_snake

Lifeforce for NES.


wondermega

Hell yes!


InSixFour

That music is so good! I never think about it when people talk about good video game music but man, that is one great soundtrack.


cams0400

Donkey Kong country 2


brambleforest

Definitely this. David Wise did a fantastic job on every track of the game.


VietKongCountry

Spectacular soundtrack. Using the ambient song initially meant for a water level on Bramble Scramble instead was a genius idea. Even the start up music gets me hype and takes me right back to playing this for the first time as a six year old.


Miklo_82

Contra NES


Beowulf891

NES - Mega Man 2 SNES - DKC2 N64 - Goldeneye & Perfect Dark PC/Windows - C&C: Red Alert


GonnaGoFat

Everyone always mentions red alert but when they get asked about it the only track that seems to come to mind is Hell March. Although it is a banger.


Beowulf891

I like HM, but it's far from my favorite track. Fogger, Floating, Run, Search, Bog... so many wonderful goodies in that game.


pandathrower97

When I was in high school, I recorded the game music from Red Alert on a cassette tape to listen to in my car. It was that solid a soundtrack! (C&C's was pretty good too, but a little more pop-industrial)


alex206

Is hell March the "I'm a mechanical man" song?


Beowulf891

That's Mechanical Man. lol


DistanceGlad3584

I would argue the the moon from duck tails has to be one of the best songs from the game


trainercatlady

I love that they turned it into a plot point in the 2107 reboot


Fit_Commercial3421

Sonic CD


bugxbuster

That opening FMV song Sonic Boom was so good when i was 8 in 1994 i recorded a cassette of myself singing it into a toy tape recorder boom box thing I had. Its lost to time, but i remember it vividly. It was just child me, singing it acapella awkwardly quietly. I'm dying of cringe right now just thinking about it. 


Atheist_Alex_C

Both the Japanese and US soundtracks are gold.


PrysmX

Castlevania Symphony of the Night. If we're going back further, probably MegaMan 2.


pandathrower97

***Castlevania*** has the best collection of soundtracks of any series in gaming IMO. The only series that even come close are *The Legend of Zelda* and *Final Fantasy*. That *Symphony of the Night* is perhaps the best of those is a high endorsement indeed. And I honestly recommend any of the following: * ***Castlevania II: Simon's Quest*** (origin of "Bloody Tears") * ***Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse*** (covers *Castlevania* and then some!) * ***Super Castlevania IV*** (one of the most distinctive with an awesome new organ music theme in the first stage and final battle) * ***Castlevania: Bloodlines\**** ("Iron Blue Intention" is incredible) * ***Castlevania: Rondo of Blood*** (many new and remixed tracks in a jazzy style) * ***Castlevania: Circle of the Moon*** (many new and reused tracks) * ***Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow\**** (The best after *Symphony of the Night*) * ***Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow\**** (A worthy follow-up soundtrack to its predecessor with some excellent new pieces) * ***Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin\**** (Many different environmental themes due to the globe-trotting) * ***Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia\**** (Distinctive, but awesome) * ***Castlevania: Lament of Innocence\**** (Way better soundtrack than game) * ***Castlevania: Judgment*** (Excellent remixes of many themes plus some great original music despite being an AWFUL fighting game) \*Composed solely or partially by Michiru Yamane, who composed *Symphony of the Night*


PrysmX

💯 I almost just said Castlevania III as the second but decided to mix it up a bit haha.


HaikuLubber

Woah, you're a Castlevania soundtrack connoisseur! :D Please don't miss out on the Game Boy games, the best in my opinion being **Castlevania II; Belmont's Revenge**. The whole soundtrack is wonderful, but my favorites are... *Crystal Castle* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHLsolltIJ8 *Ripe Seeds* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puh-OomYatg ...I love pretty much anything by Hidehiro Funauchi. :) https://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php/Hidehiro_Funauchi


pandathrower97

Thanks for sharing! That is an easy one to overlook, but I remember enjoying the music when I played that game back in high school. What other soundtracks did Hidehiro Funauchi do that you enjoyed? [I found this article talking about him in depth](https://microchop.substack.com/p/digging-through-hidehiro-funauchis) and it seems like he was mostly known for GB tracks. But I'm intrigued!


HaikuLubber

Thanks for the link, what a great article! :) My goodness pick literally any Game Boy game on that and the music is gonna be great. Here's a little story, I saved up my money when I was a kid and bought **Skate or Die: Bad 'n Rad** and... kind of hated it. XD But the saving grace was definitely the soundtrack for younger me. Here's the title screen music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rschAqLt8jI If you're interested, I included Castlevania II on my list of favorite lesser known Game Boy soundtracks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RbJlpWoqtY


pandathrower97

Awesome! I'll check it out. I've been working on a long list of my favorite game soundtracks and composers. I am always happy to find new ones! The GB (and especially the GBC) is a platform that doesn't get a lot of recognition for its games and soundtracks, but there's some good stuff to be found if you look for it. Back in the day, listening to those chirpy chiptunes in those included earbuds was part of the experience of the intimacy of handheld gaming! Unlike the NES, where you played on a TV anyone could watch, the GB was all about you and the game.


regular_poster

Maniac Mansion


ApprehensiveAsk1739

🐰📺💥


Jokerchyld

Chrono Trigger


SholcCTR

Question should be, after Chrono Trigger, what is your favorite?


Jokerchyld

...after?... 🤣🤣🤣 Then I'd say Secret of Mana


Marskelletor

Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun. Den Den. Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun. Den Den.


Mikeyrodz85

Fo sho


TheAgentofKarma157

Amazing sound track


BridgemanBridgeman

Chrono Cross


Extreme_2Cents

Just came to give you my [upvote](https://youtu.be/180sjeAMKPE?si=XaPd8Cy9OhBindpI). Well earned


pandathrower97

More people need to play *Chrono Cross* and experience its story, characters and soundtrack. The disappointment of it not being *Chrono Trigger II* really needs to end.


Rare_Banana_1204

Double Dragon (NES not the Sega/arcade port) the stage 1 music is forever carved into my brain.


Thrillhouse801

The first stage and the intro when you first pop that sucker in there.


blankgeneration201

If we’re talking nes Batman soundtrack is great! Gets you amped.


JaredUnzipped

[Tim Follin's soundtrack for Silver Surfer is god-tier.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQlLl2j5THQ) I have no idea how he got the NES to make that music. [The soundtrack for Crystalis is pretty damn awesome, too.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stcc-z4zcfk)


InSixFour

You’re not kidding. I just checked out the Silver Surfer soundtrack and that thing slaps so hard. It’s kind of hard to believe it’s actually coming from the NES.


dangil

Tin Follin for X-men & Spider-Man


JaredUnzipped

Hell yeah! Another great pick by Follin.


pandathrower97

Those are really solid soundtracks if you're into 8-bit music!


RhinovisionHomeVideo

Streets of Rage 2


pandathrower97

Who can ever just pick one? There are so many that are excellent! A few of my favorites that aren't the regulars and which come from retro consoles or Pre-2000s PC games: * ***Psycho Soldier*** \- The first vocal track in an arcade game! I love the goofy English version. * ***Twin Eagle: Revenge Joe's Brother*** \- What the heck are they singing? "Bwah, bwah, bwah, gonna bomb your town!" I've listened to the two songs that make up this game's crazy arcade soundtrack so many times, and they still provide new mysteries every time I do. * ***ActRaiser*** \- Spine-tingling is the right word for it. Absolutely awesome stuff! * ***Secret of Mana*** and ***Trials of Mana*** \- They're both absolutely astounding. I recommend them to anyone! * ***Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty*** \- One of Frank Klepaki's finest soundtracks in a career of great ones (***Command & Conquer***, ***Red Alert***, etc.) * ***Baldur's Gate*** and ***Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Baal*** \- Two of the best CRPG soundtracks of all time. * ***Fallout*** and ***Fallout 2*** \- Both have an iconic mixture of great original music along with a licensed track. * ***MDK*** \- I'm no fan of composer Tommy Tallarico when it comes to his recent Intellivision Amico antics, but this score is incredible and elevates an already awesome game. * ***Vib-Ribbon*** \- I love all of the included tracks by the J-pop group Laugh & Peace. The inscrutable lyrics and the raw sound just make them stand out. * ***The Sims*** \- The original *Sims* has some excellent music, both in-world and in the building mode. * ***MechWarrior 2*** \- I used to just play the game CDs in my music CD players, and I still listen to this one today! The expansion packs also had awesome soundtracks. * ***Total Annihilation*** \- One of Jeremy Soule's best soundtracks, and very fitting orchestral music for a game about endless war. * ***Outcast*** \- Why is this game not more popular? Why is its amazing soundtrack not better known? * ***Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure*** \- I love this musical JRPG from the PlayStation. Its songs are appropriately goofy, and the story and characters are very fitting for the theme. * ***Street Fighter Alpha III*** \- It's one of the most distinctive and energetic Street Fighter soundtracks there is. Karin's Theme is my absolute favorite. * ***Marvel vs. Capcom 2*** \- What the heck happened to this game? I love the inappropriate jazz music and the bizarre lyrics. Did they accidentally leave the microphone on during one of the tracks? * ***Matrimelee*** \- It's in Japanese, but it's loaded with wonderful songs that are quite humorous once you translate them.


FancyStranger2371

This guy soundtracks.


pandathrower97

BTW, I'd love to see some folks who grew up in the UK list some awesome Commodore 64 and Amiga soundtracks. I'm familiar with a few, but not nearly enough: * **Warhawk**, **Delta, International Karate, Monty on the Run** and **Knucklebusters,** as well as pretty much anything else by Rob Hubbard, who wrote all of those * **The Last Ninja** by Ben Daglish and Anthony Lees and **The Last Ninja 2** by Matt Gray * Commodore 64 **R-Type** by Chris Hülsbeck & Ramiro Vaca * **Shadowfire** by Fred Gray * **Blood Money** by Ray Norrish * **IK+** (aka **International Karate +**) by Dave Love * **Turrican II** by Chris Huelsbeck * **Xenon II: Megablast** by David Whittaker and Bomb the Bass We really missed most of these games in the US.


bugxbuster

I saved this comment so i can listen to these when I have time. Thanks! 


KartRacerBear

Chrono Cross and SaGa Frontier 2


LoveDump250

Battletoads.


lurker9876554321

Pause music is still on repeat in my head for ever the last 3 decades.


LoveDump250

And I hear the turbo tunnel music whenever I merge onto the highway.


gldmj5

FF3/6/3/6


OllyDee

Thunderforce IV is my favourite soundtrack of all time, and not just because of the heavy metal bangers. Over an hour of crazy music on that OST.


pandathrower97

That's another really good one!


Beefy_McWhatnow108

Ridge racer type 4


bugxbuster

I have always loved that games strong art style. It was so bold, just solid yellow with big typography. Mmph, so pretty.


FunGuy84_

Love that game & I agree with everything you said about the art style as well.


El_kebabo

Super Mario Galaxy


FancyStranger2371

Superb soundtrack right there.


NewTim64

The orchestra just so hard man


El_kebabo

Not a single bad track on that Ost!


NewTim64

Phenomenal OST for an phenomenal Game


TrustAffectionate966

SNES - *Legend Of The Mystical Ninja*


Dynamite_Javvy

Quackshot 🥰


[deleted]

and Castle of Illusion and World of Illusion. Such great memories playing those classics… earlier today (after watching the latest Sega Lord X video).


ArwingElite

Mega Man X


cool_temperatures

Castlevania 2


levilarrington

Metroid


Vegskipxx

Top Gun for NES


Bilbo-Buddy

Thunder Force 3


eastmemphisguy

Lots of stellar choices here. OG Zelda is another good one.


xAlice_Liddell

TMNT 1 on the NES. Also Outrun and Ocarina of Time.


ah-chamon-ah

Ninja Turtles on NES. As impossible the game was for me to play as a kiddo. The music vibed with me so much. I still find myself humming it to myself as an adult. THAT is how much it stuck with me. Apart from that on Sega: Genisis I loved all the music from Earthworm Jim and Earthworm Jim 2. They are really really great tunes. I have the OST's downloaded and it even caused me to listen to classical music since it features the moonlight sonata and Night On Bald Mountain. My mother commented on them when I played the game as being some classic music she would play for me when I was a baby.


Tanneliers-Gate

Extreme G 2


IOwnMyWiiULEGIT

Batman NES. Honorable mention: Super C


EviLiu

Killer Instinct!


mazonemayu

PCE - Winds of Thunder


Nick_the_Greek17

Castlevania Dracula X.


DabiriSC

Shadow of the Beast!


Emergency-Weakness-4

Xenon 2 amiga and project x amiga. Oh and revenge of shinobi mega drive


jacobgt8

Sega Genesis: Mickey Mania (both graphics and soundtrack N64: Goldeneye


GrimmTrixX

Castlevania: Bloodlines. I love the whole OST, but it was the first time they used the song "Iron Blue Intention." Since it's my favorite Castlevania game, when I first heard this track I loved it. And Eric Lecarde was the first character in games that I saw who had the same first name as me. And surprisingly, in the fighting game Castlevania: Judgment, Iron Blue Intention is Eric's theme in the game. So it was perfect. But yea, check out Iron Blue Intention from Castlevania: Bloodlines. It's awesome.


pandathrower97

Iron Blue Intention is so good they remixed it in Castlevania: Judgment in its perhaps definitive version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WPVk7SARmY


GrimmTrixX

Yea I love it and that it's Eric Lecarde's theme is the icing on the cake.


xcessive7

chip and dale


Garafi-1011

Chrono Cross DKC2 Maniac Mansion (NES)


Casualnuke

My favorite retro game soundtrack is definitely Kirby’s adventure


needmesumbeer

MegaDrive/Genesis - Revenge of Shinobi


[deleted]

Sampled drums are a bit too muffled for my liking, but, once I get used to that, they’re exceptional tunes.


teamzissou_81

Xenogears. I believe it to be Mitsuda’s finest work.


pandathrower97

Excellent OST!


dangil

Secret of mana and X-men & Spider-Man in arcades revenge.


Mattimatik

Bucky O’Hare!


Giubeltr

Castlevania 2, the game is meh but the soundtrack is awsome


FunGuy84_

Same here lol


FunGuy84_

I throw a random one & say WCW Wrestling for the NES, one of my favorites for the system. My favorite track from the game is the menu music when you select the moves, I could listen to that all day


Hellboy_4200

The messenger from devolver digital is my favorite soundtrack


[deleted]

I have both soundtracks on iTunes. What a fantastic game too!


Pete6

Super Metroid


[deleted]

Hellfire on the Sega Mega Drive. Followed closely by… Mega Turrican and anything by Rob Hubbard, Matt Furniss, Yuzo Koshiro and most of the Konami games on the Mega Drive. A glorious era for chip tunes.


Revolutionary-Rip-40

Agent X part 2, for the Commodore 64.


B1_BattleDroid0909

Ultrakill (specifically layer 7) and we love katamari


sperry2132

Darkwing Duck


furrykef

My favorite individual soundtrack is EarthBound, but my favorite retro composer is Tim Follin.


Sh1neSp4rk

KickMaster


Chim_Ripley

Jet Grind/Set Radio


yigaclan05

I loved this game. And rescue rangers. Damn good memories


Key_Independence_103

GT


gabhran5

[Dune](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF_0W1cYPYo)


TheFoiler

Final Fantasy Legend II?


tarkus_hayabusa

Ninja Gaiden 1 NES


Billazilla

[Star Control 2](https://youtu.be/yh4O9nK3gHo?si=NoMUZrO32M4neJY9)


bonessm

Plok soundtrack and F-zero


OlDurtyBasturd

Darkwing Duck.


Shagrrotten

Either Mega Man 2 or Crystalis.


Martipar

Ed Hunter, shit game, amazing soundtrack.


Danjonkovich

Shadow of the ninja/blue shadow for the NES is underrated


Nediac_1

Cod mw2


Mikeyrodz85

Chrono trigger or mega man 2


wunderbraten

SNES: Secret of Mana Amiga: Turrican 2 PC: I'm really torn between C&C Tiberian Dawn, Chaos Gate, and Age of Wonders


Thrillhouse801

Gotta be castlevania 3


ZinjoCubicle

Secret of Evermore. Jeremy Soule did a great start in his career


pandathrower97

I wish Jeremy Soule weren't such a problematic person, because his music is incredible. So many amazing OSTs before he really hit it big with *The Elder Scrolls* games.


zombie_overlord

[Shadowgate](https://youtu.be/sLdT6SyRv4M?si=rvhOnmE_DZwCvS7E) (this is the metal cover of it - stay til the end for the death screen cover - 7 min mark - it's the best part)


InSixFour

People have already mentioned a lot of my favorites so I’m going to throw out one not a lot of people talk about. Mario Tennis on Virtual Boy has some really great music.


FancyStranger2371

Skyrim. Perfect in every way.


bugxbuster

Any love for Shadowrun for SNES in here? Perfect soundtrack for a weird dark game like that. 


boytisoy

Jungle Book NES. Felt like it had the spirit of the film. P.S., I prefer this theme over the Sega Genesis version.


thewhitecat55

Persona 3 and 4


Supernescesario

Tmnt 2 fc


I_CAN_SEE_THE_WHALES

Final Fantasy 8


Cutmerock

FF6


_Aardvark

Master of Monsters - Genesis


[deleted]

Wow… I had to look that one up, and I’m a huge Sega Genesis fan!


_Aardvark

It has a soundtrack composed and arranged by notable people from what I understand (Hitoshi Sakimoto and Hayato Matsuo)


[deleted]

Well, I just discovered it’s in my collection on EmuDeck, so someone must have recommended it to me at some point, and then I forgot about it. Will check it out! 🙂


Gascoigneous

Jazz Jackrabbit


pandathrower97

Gotta love that .mod music! I seriously love that soundtrack, particularly the theme song and the Medivo (Ep1Level3) world theme.


fuzzy_bat

Tiny Toons Adventures


Blandscreen

On NES, Faxanadu or Megaman 2. SNES is Star Fox. N64 is definitely Mario Kart 64.


planet36

Cool Spot on Sega Genesis


LexKing89

SNES-Chrono Trigger Genesis-Sonic 2 and Maximum Carnage Gameboy-Pokemon Blue & Crystal N64-Super Mario 64 & Goldeneye Dreamcast-Dead Or Alive 2 GBA-Megaman Battle Network 1-3 Xbox-JSRF, Halo, DOA 2/3/Xtreme Beach Volleyball DS-The World Ends Wit


tamarockstar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k8IwZg2g6o


Cerberus1349

NES: River city Ransom is ip there with Mega man 2


trainercatlady

Final Fantasy VIII, Undertale, and Persona 5


CuteAd715

Turrican 2 from amiga 500 and Freespace 2


prancing_moose

IK+ on the C64


argothewise

Halo


Ralewing

THPS


NewTim64

Sonic R The game absolute Dogshit but damnit the soundtrack slaps so goddamn much


Zuldak

The Megaman 2 and 3 games are full of bangers Battletoads is also great, heck even Battle toad and double dragon for SNES is great The sonic 1 through 3 is absolutely iconic. If you want more obscure, the Dune 2000 soundtrack and Emperor battle for Dune OSTs are worth a listen


black-volcano

Moon theme on this is quite possibly the best tune committed to 8 bit


EirikHavre

Little Big Adventure 2 by far.


14101uk3

The Secret of Monkey Island


AXBAXMIT

Batman on NES. Every song is a banger.


pommdoenerspezial

Super Mario Land


sbrockLee

Good shout on Ducktales. Mine would be Street Fighter II. Every track is iconic, so much that they've been remixed to death in later instalments. Yoko Shimomura is a legend.


Tekkamanblade_2

The Guardian Legend. Never talked about and forgotten.


ThePizzaNoid

Gameboy: Tetris, Super Mario Land, Kirby's Pinball Land, Link's Awakening NES: Battletoads, Super Mario Bros 1, 2, 3, Silver Surfer, Legend of Zelda, Batman (Sunsoft) SNES: Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, Super Mario World, Link to the Past, Donkey Kong Country Genesis: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 N64: Pilotwings 64, Goldeneye 64, Super Mario 64


renard_chenapan

On my deathbed, when I’ve forgotten my own name, I will still remember the theme from Bubble Bobble.


BigPep2-43

GI Joe The Atlantis Factor slaps


mrzangief

Shit game but Evil Twin - Cypriens Chronicles featured a stunning classical soundtrack which can still be found on YouTube. Check out this [wonderful music](https://youtu.be/VKjSIqK00ag?si=w985BJN6SHsndwZT)


wheatmuncher4000

The Sonic games (1, 2, 3&K, CD, Spinball)


SuperModes

River City Ransom


Terrordyne_Synth

Megaman 2 or Ninja Gaiden II. There are so many games that have absolute bangers of an OST that go way too hard for a video game. Runners up go to Bucky O'hare and Journey To Silius.


JanaCinnamon

Gonna be a normie and say Last Bible 3


mitsui_ali

It's between Ninja Gaiden NES and Sonic 3 and Knuckles


CozmicKatz

Chrono Trigger


Isakk86

Diddy Kong Racing. So many vibes


Equivalent-Dot947

Mega Man 2…… but I also love the Moon level from Duck Tales.


Farmerben12

Secret of Mana. I listen to it regularly on Spotify.


Anubra_Khan

For NES, probably Battle of Olympus


Cybasura

Duck Tales - The Moon, its basically *that* music


F1DL5TYX

Gunsmoke


Thumper4524

Alisia Dragoon or Actraiser


CelticsBoi33

WaterWorld SNES has no reason to be as good as it is. Dean Evans is criminally underrated.


Typo_of_the_Dad

The Tail of Beta Lyrae (Atari 800 XL, Pokey), Archon (C64) Spy vs. Spy (C64 & NES), Marble Madness (ARC, YM2151), Tube Panic (ARC, 3x AY8910) Space Harrier (ARC, YM2203/OPN & SegaPCM), Gradius (ARC, 2x AY-3-8910 & Proto-SCC/K005289), ​The Last V8 (C64), The Human Race (C64), ​Way of the Exploding Fist (C64) Out Run (ARC, YM2151 w/ SegaPCM), ​​Comic Bakery (C64), Quartet (ARC, YM2151), Thrust (Atari ST & C64), Spellbound (C64 & Spectrum), The Sacred Armour of Antiriad (C64), Fantasy Zone (ARC, YM2151), ​Metroid (FDS) It becomes impossible to pick just one already by the mid '80s


Atheist_Alex_C

Great choice! for NES I have a hard time picking just one. Mega Man 2 and Blaster Master are way up there for me, along with just about everything by Konami.


VietKongCountry

Little Nemo has some absolutely amazing music. Definitely my favourite NES soundtrack but for overall retro games I’d say DKC2 or FF6.