31-Day Video Game Music Challenge 3 - Day ?

[AverageOliver98 | 715]

Spring(or Fall) is almost here and with it...

THE 31-DAY VIDEO GAME MUSIC CHALLENGE 3 !!!

 

Guidelines/Rules

• The current day in March corresponds with the day listed above (ie: March 5th is Day 5).
• When making your list (Day 1 through 30), please confine it to a single post and edit it as the days go on. And when linking the song videos, make sure they are text links, not in-thread videos.
  • Day 31 will be an exception as it will be an entirely separate list.
• If you would like to participate, but are worried that you might not be able remember to keep updating your list, you can just post it ahead of time and keep the days that haven't passed hidden with a spoiler(On or After March 1st).
• Please mention which Difficulty you want to try and use for your list. The choices available are:
  • Custom
    • Make Your Own Rules/Guidelines (That user who suggested "Ultra Lunatic", have fun. 
  • Easy
    • Multiple Tracks from the Same Game
    • Returning Participants:
    • 5 Tracks from Previous List Allowed
    • 15 Games from Previous List Allowed
  • Normal
    • 2 Tracks from the Same Game at Most
    • Returning Participants:
    • 1 Track from the Previous List Allowed
    • 10 Games from Previous List Allowed
  • Hard
    • 1 Track Per Game
    • Returning Participants:
    • No Tracks from the Previous List Allowed
    • 5 Games from Previous List Allowed
  • Maniac
    • 1 Track Per Series
    • Returning Participants:
    • No Tracks from the Previous List Allowed
    • 1 Game from Previous List Allowed 
  • Lunatic
    • 1 Track Per Franchise
    • Returning Participants:
    • No Tracks or Games from Previous List Allowed(DOES NOT INCLUDE SERIES/FRANCHISES)

IN REGARDS TO 3RD TIME PARTICIPANTS: Any games from your 1st list (June 2020) are no longer restricted UNLESS you used a game from there on your 2nd list (October 2020), then it would fall under the rules above.

• Even though this won't start until the 1st, feel free to reserve your post spot ahead of time(if you would like to do so).
• If you have any questions about anything, just ask. Any questions will be answered in the post below this one, along with some clarifications for some days.

With that out of the way, let the fun begin... on March 1st!

... it's March 1st so you can start now.

Edited March 1, 2021 by AverageOliver98

[AverageOliver98 | 715]

DAY EXPLANATION, SERIES/FRANCHISE DIFFERENTIATION, AND Q&A

Transcribed Day Chart and Explanations/Clarification If Needed

Day 1 - Introduction/Prologue - Plays Before or After Title Screen
Day 2 - Title Screen
Day 3 - Menu/Stage Select
Day 4 - Heroic 
Day 5 - Forest/Jungle Area
Day 6 - Music from a Game You Don't Like
Day 7 - Rock Music 
Day 8 - Educational Games
Day 9 - Games Made Since January 2010
Day 10 - Underrated Music
Day 11 - On the Open Seas/Skies - Boat/Airship Areas
Day 12 - Music from a Game That You Never Played
Day 13 - Prototype/Scrapped/Unreleased Music - Different arrangement compared to Final Game, Hidden in Sound Test, Game Never Released
Day 14 - Ambient/Calming
Day 15 - Boss Battle
Day 16 - Evil
Day 17 - Medley - If not all songs in the medley are from the same game, just list the game that has its song featured the most.
Day 18 - Music That Gets You Pumped
Day 19 - Modern Retro - Music from Officially Licensed Games for Modern Platforms (7th Console Gen and Forward) with Clear Retro Influence (5th Console Gen and back)
Day 20 - Ice/Snow Themed Area
Day 21 - Super Follin Bros. - Music composed by Tim or Geoff Follin
Day 22 - Music Using Samples/Heavily Inspired By/Sounds Very Similar to Other Song - ie; Sonic CD's JPN Boss Theme(samples "Work That Sucker to Death" by Xavier) or Pictionary's Mini Game Theme 1(Inspired by "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen)
Day 23 - Chaotic/High Energy Music
Day 24 - Sega Exclusive - A game that could only be found on a Sega System for at least a year. May originally have been a Sega published Arcade release.
Day 25 -  SiivaGunner Remixes - Find Something from this YouTube Channel.
Day 26: Opera/Classical Music - For Classical Music, The Original Song(s) used should have been composed before the year 1900
Day 27 - Outer Space Area
Day 28 - Final Stage/Area
Day 29 - Final Boss
Day 30 - Credits/Ending/Epilogue
Day 31 - Your Best of "31-Day VGMC 3" List - Create a New List Using Songs from the Other Participants 

SERIES VS FRANCHISE

Affects Custom, Maniac, and Lunatic Difficulty Participants

So any game and its sequels(if there are any) can be considered both a series and a franchise. In order for a 'spin off' to be considered its own series, there should be at least 3 titles to make up that series. Or if there are 3 games unrelated to the 'main series', but are not similar to each other, that can warrant a 'Spin Off' series. 

 

• The Final Fantasy Franchise
  • Main Series(1, 4, 7, 12, 14)
  • Tactics Series(PS1, Advance, A2)
  • Crystal Chronicles Series(Original, Ring of Fates, The Crystal Bearers)
  • Chocobo Series(Chocobo's Dungeon 2, Chocobo Racing, FFF: Chocobo Tales)
  • Dissidia Series(Original, 012, NT)
  • Spin Offs(Mystic Quest(SNES), 4 Heroes of Light, World of Final Fantasy)
     
• The SaGa Series/Franchise(Final Fantasy Legend 1, 2, and 3 are part of this series despite the name change for the US).
   
• The Kirby Franchise
  • Main Series(Adventure, Squeak Squad, Triple Deluxe)
  • Spin Offs(Pinball Land, Star Stacker, Tilt 'n' Tumble)
     
• The Metroid Franchise
  • Main Series(Original, Super, Fusion)
  • Prime(1, 2, 3)
  • Prime Spin Offs(Pinball, Hunters, Federation Force)

And to potentially help someone out: the Donkey Kong (Country, Jungle Beat, Barrel Blast), Yoshi (Island, Story, Touch & Go), and Wario (Land, World, WarioWare) games would be considered their own franchises, not part of the Mario franchise.

Hopefully, this helps with the differentiation of what is considered a series and/or a franchise. 

From this point on, I'll leave it up to judgement's of "The Brave Few" to make the best call of whats what.

 

Q&A

@Gaia Gensouki asks: I have a question regarding the distinction between series and franchise. Let's imagine something such as Final Fantasy. Does something like Final Fantasy Tactics/Crystal Chronicles/Legend or Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon etc. belong to the same series or the franchise? Where exactly do you draw the line?

Please check the section above this.

 

@Hammerfestus asks: What do you do?

So starting March 1st, you look at the chart/list of whatever day it is(so Day 1), find a video game track on You Tube that would fit the category for that day(Title Screen), then link it back in your list post here. You keep doing this for the remainder of the days and... yeah.

 

PARTICIPANTS AND THE ORDER THEY APPEAR IN

Page 1
AverageOliver98
fox
Sumez
Aguy
ZeldaFreak
nesmaster14
sp1nz
AstralSoul
rdrunner
acromite53
tigerwolf
OxDEAFC0DE

 

Page 2
PII
koifish

Edited March 10, 2021 by AverageOliver98

[AverageOliver98 | 715]

AO98's 31-Day VGMC 3 Challenge List

Hard Difficulty

Day 1 (Introduction): Zero Wing - Introduction (Part 1) - 1991

Day 2 (Title Screen): Hollow Knight - Main Theme - 2017   

Day 3 (Stage Select): Thunder Force III - Beyond the Peace - 1990
(1 Game Reused, 4 Remain)

Day 4 (Heroic): Kirby's Return to Dreamland - The Adventure Begins - 2011

Day 5 (Forest/Jungle): Devil Engine - Crafted Beasts - 2019
(2 Games Reused, 3 Remain)
 Day 6 (Music You Like, Game You Don't): Odallus: The Dark Call - Aqueducts 1 - 2015

Day 7 (Rock): Sonic Adventure 2  - That's The Way I Like It (Metal Harbor) - 2001

Day 8 (Educational): Arthur's Camping Adventure - Main Theme - 2000
(The only "educational" games I remember playing as a kid were this and 'Mario is Missing' for NES)

Day 9 (Since 2010): Kirby Star Allies - Prayer Song to God - 2018

Day 10 (Underrated): Super Spy Hunter - Stages 1 & 4 (Part 1) - 1991

Day 11 (On the Open Seas/Skies): Kick Master - Stage 5 - 1992

Day 12 (Never Played): Embodiment of Scarlet Devil - The Maid and the Pocket Watch of Blood - 2002 

Day 13 (Unreleased): Hero Quest - Title Screen - N/A

Day 14 (Ambient/Calming): Pikmin 3 - Garden of Hope (Morning) - 2013

Day 15 (Boss Battle): Naval Ops: Commander - Wirbelwind Theme - 2002
(Why is this the theme of the first boss?)

Day 16 (Evil): Earthbound - Pokey Means Business - 1994

Day 17 (Medley): Elemental Master - "Brother" by Megalixir - 1990/2020
(Honorable Mention: "Rockman 6 Non-Stop Remix Medley" by Max Vegetable)

Day 18 (Get Pumped): Mega Man 9 - Flash in the Dark - 2008

Day 19 (Modern Retro): Cyber Shadow - Mekacity Ruins Underground - 2021

Day 20 (Snow/Ice): Hebereke/U-Fouria: The Saga - Slippery Slope - 1991

Day 21 (Follin Bros): Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos - Intro - 1990 

Day 22 (Similar/Inspired): Mega Man X3 - Neon Tiger - 1995
(Inspired by/Similar to: My Michelle - Guns N' Roses)

Day 23 (Chaotic/High-Energy): The 3-D Battles of WorldRunner - World Theme - 1987

Day 24 (Sega Exclusive): Mega Man: The Wily Wars - Wily Tower 1 - 1994

Day 25 (SiivaGunner): Super Mario 64 - Ultimate Koopa - 1996/2016
(TerminalMontage makes funny things)

Day 26 (Classical): Gokujou Parodius/ Fantastic Journey - The Cat Battleship Forever - 1994
(Original Song: The Stars and Stripes Forever - John Philip Sousa - 1896)

Day 27 (Outer Space): Thunder Force AC - Stage 4 - 1990
(Bonus: Arrangement from Thunder Force IV - "Omake 2")

Day 28 (Final Area): Super Paper Mario - Castle Bleck - 2007

Day 29 (Final Boss): Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Zero Two - 2000

Day 30 (Ending/Credits): Thunder Force V - Last Letter - 1997
(Bonus: Broken Thunder Arrangement)

Edited March 30, 2021 by AverageOliver98

[fox | 1,665]

Day 1: Soul Blade Intro
Day 2: Planet Coaster Theme
Day 3: 3rd Strike - Character Select
Day 4: Titanfall 2 - BT-7274 (redux)
Day 5: Cadillacs And Dinosaurs - The Forest Poachers
Day 6: Toxic Crusaders - Tromaville Highway
Day 7: Alan Wake - The Poet and The Muse
Day 8: Rex Ronan - Flying in your Microscopic Ship
Day 9: Cyber Shadow - Mekacity Ruins
Day 10: Sound Shapes - Cities
-
Day 11: Shipwreakers! Theme
Day 12: Deathloop - Deja Vu
Day 13: HeroQuest - Ending
Day 14: The Pathless - Gateway
Day 15: Dark Souls - Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
Day 16: Chrono Trigger - Strains of Insanity
Day 17: Sega Genesis Mini Menu
Day 18: Horizon Zero Dawn - Years of Training
Day 19: Curse of the Moon 2 - Chains of Fire
Day 20: Bowser's Fury - Crisp Climb Castle
-
Day 21: Equinox - Tori
Day 22a: Biker Mice From Mars - Race Theme 1
Day 22b: Judas Priest - Riding on the Wind
Day 23: Them's Fightin' Herds - Highlands (Paprika)
Day 24: Guardian Heroes - Jazzy Sabotage
Day 25: Mega Man 6 - Blizzard Man Stage (Beta Mix)
Day 26: Starcraft - Brood War Aria (Mix)
Day 27: Captain Commando - Enemy's Space Ship
Day 28: TMNT Hyperstone Heist - Star Base
Day 29: Resident Evil 2 - Final Boss
Day 30: Goonies II - Ending Theme

~Fin~

Edited March 30, 2021 by fox

[Sumez | 2,929]

Lunatic mode again

 

Day 1 (intro): Final Fantasy VI - Opening
Yeah, I'm blowing my Final Fantasy load right away, because I can't think of a game with a more fantastic musical opening experience than this game.
Maybe Chrono Cross, but I used that game last time.

Day 2 (title screen): Yoku's Island Express - Yoku Taidua and the Village
I can't imagine a more fitting soundtrack for this game. The composer tries to channel his best David Wise, and does a commendable job.

Day 3 (stage select): Shatterhand
This is a really short loop, but the visuals that go with it are so cool, and it's so catchy it'll never leave my brain.

Day 4 (heroic): Sexy Parodius - Vic Viper's Theme
The Gradius theme is one of the most heroic things written. And in my opinion it only gets better with the Parodius arrangements.

Day 5 (forest): Super Mario RPG - Beware the Forest's Mushrooms
I think this track specifically was how I'd first discover Yoko Shimomura as a composer, and its sound is so representative of her iconic style.

Day 6 (game you don't like): Pink Sweets - Tigre Bianca
I know you guys won't believe this, but I actually had a super hard time thinking of even a single game that I don't like. Now, Pink Sweets is a game I really want to like, being the sequel to Ibara and all. But I just can't enjoy it. The mechanics are annoying and I don't find it fun to play. But the soundtrack has some bangers!

Day 7 (rock): Thunder Cross II - Heavy Metal Bomber
This is rock music, right?

Day 8 (educational): Typing of the Dead - Muddy
This is totally cheating, because it's just the House of the Dead 2 soundtrack, but Typing of the Dead is the only good educational game, so it wins by default.

Day 9 (2010+): Deadly Premonition - Greenvale
Although it's notorious for it's "whistle theme", Deadly Premonition (2010) actually has some really genuinely great music. This Twin Peaks inspired theme is amazingly haunting. It gets kicking for real around 1:45.

Day 10 (underrated): Nex Machina - Machine City
Underrated soundtrack for an overlooked game. I still regularly encounter Robotron fans that don't realise Eugene Jarvis recently collaborated on a new game of a similar style. The soundtrack was made by the guy who wrote the music for Angry Birds if you'll believe it.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Sumez

[Aguy | 771]

Day 1 (Intro) - Batman: Prologue [NES]
Solid music composed by Naoki Kodaka but I really just wanted to point out how good all the toms sound in the drum rolls.

Day 2 (Title) - Xenoblade Chronicles: Main Theme [Wii]
Credit to contributing composer Yoko Shimomura. It's a slow burn but the swelling music along with the shifting landscape of the title screen is still mesmerizing.

Day 3 (Menu) - SNES Classic Menu Theme [SNES]
I'm not sure who to credit this with. It's bouncy and fun, sounds like a more contemporary Nintendo composition, not very SNESy.

Day 4 (Heroic) - Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap: The Last Dungeon [NSW/PS4/X1]
The original music from the Master System was composed by Shinichi Sakamoto, but I do prefer the arranged version done here by Michael Geyre for current gen consoles.

Day 5 (Forest/Jungle) - Animal Crossing: Forest Life [GC-NSW]
This track has been in practically every Animal Crossing release but I'm not sure who composed it. And with lyrics this relatable, how can you not love it.

Day 6 (Game I Don't like) - Micro Machines: Title [GEN]
I've never found a top down racer that I liked, especially this one that doesn't have any in race music. This right here is the best part of the game in my opinion.

Day 7 (Rock) - John Madden Football: Title [GEN]
REMIX HUT HUT HUT HUT. Glorious use of audio samples by Rob Hubbard. TU-TU-TU-TOUCHDOWN!

Day 8 (Educational) - Pokemon: Typing Adventure: Boss Battle [DS]
Learning to type has never sounded so intense. Credit to composer Masaharu Iwata.

Day 9 (Games After 2010) - River City Girls: Bully [PS4/X1/NSW]
I played this game when it first came out an didn't realize some of the music had vocal lyrics. The synthwave sound was such a great surprise. Megan McDuffee was not only the composer, but also sings on the track.

Day 10 (Underrated) - Spanky's Quest: Tower 5 [GB]
Music is pretty upbeat for the kind of puzzle platformer it is. It might just be me but I hear a lot of musical inspiration for multiple NES games. Composed by Hiroyuki Iwatsuki

Day 11 (Skies/Seas) - Balloon Fight: Bonus Round [NES]
Not much to say, but another classic from Hip Tanaka.

Day 12 (Never Played) - Air Management: Europe [PSX]
The game is a Japan only updated version of Aerobiz, which I have never played either. The CD audio really ratchets up the compositions Taku Iwasaki.

Day 13 (Unreleased) - SimCity: City [NES]
Another beautiful composition from Soyo Oka (Super Mario Kart, Pilotwings), and I'm a sucker for a waltz.

Day 14 (Ambience) - Fable: Summer Fields [Xbox]
One of my favorite gaming experiences from that stage in my life and a still enchanting soundtrack from Russell Shaw.

Day 15 (Boss) - No Straight Roads: Sayu [PS4, X1, NSW]
Composed by James Landino with lyrics by Nikki Simmons. Another great track with singing, which is a current trend I'm enjoying but it's not as successful as with River City Girls. While RCG has some grunts here and there during battles, the audio levels are adjusted so they don't cover up the music. Here, the characters spout one liners with every jump and attack and completely overpower the music, which is too bad considering how music is a center figure of the game.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Aguy

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

I'm definitely in! Sorry I never did complete my Day 31 list or the Twelve Days of Christmas list, I did want to but a whole bunch of stuff kind of distracted me at the time. I'll definitely make sure to finish this list, and make sure to get the Day 31 List done as well. I'll do Hard difficulty, as per usual.

My 30 Day VGM Challenge List III - Hard Difficulty

Day 1: (Prologue) | Opening Demo - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Figure I might as well keep up the trend of starting off my lists with Zelda songs, right? I'm going to try my best to stick with a slightly more serious/somber feel to most of my songs on this list, just to spice things up a bit.

Day 2: (Title Screen) | Overlooking Hyrule (Prelude to Calamity) - Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Technically this is a spinoff and not a mainline Zelda game, but I figure it's close enough to still technically count as a Zelda title screen theme, right? I think it counts.

Day 3: (Menu/Stage Select) | Journey to Chaos - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
Took me awhile to find a more serious sounding stage select theme I was familiar with that wasn't super high energy, but I did eventually manage to find one!

Day 4: (Heroic) | Main Theme - Hyrule Warriors
A bit generic, I know, but c'mon, the Zelda series is the epitome of epic, heroic soundtracks. Heroic themes and The Legend of Zelda go together like bread and butter, so I just had to pick a song from the Zelda series for this day.
Honorable Mention:
Escape from the Floating Continent - Owlboy

Day 5: (Forest/Jungle) | Jungle - Terraria
Could've gone with a more traditional forest pick instead, since forest tracks are usually much more common in games anyway, but I figured I'd switch things up and go for a jungle song instead.
(1 Game Reused, 4 Remain)

Day 6: (Game I Dislike) | Cross your Heart - Haunted Castle
Haunted Castle, for those that don't know, is essentially an arcade version of Castlevania that Konami released way back when, however even though it has all the fundamentals of the classic Castlevania formula, it looks and feels quite a bit different. It certainly isn't the worst game in the world... but it's also not very good, frankly. However, despite the game being sub-par, the soundtrack is still amazing. That's one of the great things about the Castlevania series, even when the games aren't the best, the soundtracks are always spectacular, making a game from that series the perfect candidate for this day.

Day 7: (Rock) | Ebony Wings - Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Had to pick a Castlevania track for this one, the series is a goldmine of amazing rock and metal tracks.
Honorable Mentions:
The Tragic Prince - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Original Sin - Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge

Day 8: (Educational) | Cube Quest - Math Blaster 9-12
It was very difficult for me to find an educational game with a decent soundtrack, much less one that sort of fit the tone I was going for with this list, especially since I'm very unfamiliar with educational games, and have only played maybe a couple throughout my entire life. But, after some pretty extensive searching, I did finally find a track that I liked, and that fit in with the rest of the list. Really like the atmospheric sound of this one.

Day 9: (Since 2010) | Memories of Mother - God of War (PS4)
Plenty of options to go for with this day, but this game has an absolutely beautiful soundtrack, so I figured it'd be a very good candidate for this day, especially this song in particular. Really gorgeous song.
There's too many honorable mentions to even name for this day, tons of amazing video game OSTs have been made since 2010.

Day 10: (Underrated) | Hail from the Past - Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
I know most people probably picked underrated games with killer soundtracks for this day, but personally I always like picking a game a lot of people know with a track that isn't talked about much instead, and I certainly don't hear people talking about this track very often, even though it's one of my personal favorites in the Castlevania franchise.

Day 11: (Open Seas/Skies) | Black Cats - Call of Duty: World at War
Here's an unorthodox pick

Day 12: (Never Played) | Enter Hallownest - Hollow Knight
Been meaning to play Hollow Knight for a long while now, but I still haven't quite gotten around to it just yet. Definitely looking forward to it though, as the soundtrack to this game is gorgeous.

Day 13: (Prototype/Scrapped) | Battle of the Holy - Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth
A really awesome rendition of Battle of the Holy originally from Castlevania: The Adventure that went
completely unused in the final game. I believe this track was originally going to be used for the first
stage, which would've made more sense than the song they ended up using, since this song is Christopher
Belmont's theme, which is the character you play as in this game. It's a real shame it never made it
in to the final product, because it's a really excellent rendition of this fairly underrated Castlevania
song!

Day 14: (Ambient/Calming) | Honeylune Ridge - Super Mario Odyssey
Speaks for itself, really. Very fitting song for the moon in this game. So incredibly serene.

Day 15: (Boss Battle) | Ludwig, the Holy Blade - Bloodborne: The Old Hunters
Pulling out the big guns this time around. Trying to stick to that serious tone.

Day 16: (Evil) | Inside Ganon's Castle - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Classic evil, imposing track, how could I not?
(2 Games Reused, 3 Remain)

Day 17: (Medley) | Donkey Kong Country 2 Guitar Medley (FamilyJules) - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
An oldie but a goodie from FamilyJules. If this were to be the track in an actual game, I imagine this being a montage of our heroes traveling the world after surviving their first encounter with a big boss battle.

Day 18: (Pumped) | Rust, Dust & Guts - DOOM (2016)
No way I couldn't pick a DOOM song for this category. Just wouldn't feel right, y'know?

Day 19: (Modern Retro) | Moonlight Temptation - Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Fairly easy choice for me here, what with Curse of the Moon being one of my personal favorites among the modern retro category of games.

Day 20: (Ice/Snow) | Mesos - Owlboy
One of my favorite tracks of this type. Very serene, much like the ambient/calming track. Reminds me of why I love the winter and snow so much, this track replicates the feeling I get on a cold, winter night with a roaring fireplace.

Day 21: (Follin Bros.) | Stage Four - Ghouls 'n Ghosts (C64)
I was considering going for one of the more high energy tracks these two have made, but honestly I really like the creepiness of this one.

Day 22: (Samples/Inspired) | I Sawed the Demons AKA E2M1 (0:11 in particular) - DOOM
Sampled Song: Big Gun (0:14 in particular. It becomes incredibly apparent when you speed it up) - AC/DC
Plenty of songs in the DOOM OST to choose from, a ton of them were heavily inspired by various songs, but I went with this one.

Day 23: (Chaotic/Energetic) | Final of Puyo Puyo - Puyo Puyo
I know I used this song already on the first VGM Challenge, but it just fits this category far too well to not use it for this day.

Day 24: (Sega) | Beginning - Castlevania: Bloodlines
Had to go with this game again for this category. It's just too good of a soundtrack!
(3 Games Reused, 2 Remain)

Day 25: (SilvaGunner) | Dancing Mad (Movement 2) - Final Fantasy VI
Parodied song: Dies Irae - Mozart
Took me QUITE awhile to find a song that even slightly fit the tone of this list, but I did eventually find one, haha. I imagine this being the start of the final confrontation between the final boss and the heroes.

Day 26: (Opera/Classical) | Omnis Lacrima - Final Fantasy XV
Never played this game and have no clue what the context of this song is, but it seemed like a good fit for this day.

Day 27: (Space) | Doomsday Zone - Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Could've gone with something more serene, but I wanted to run with the idea of these final few songs being one long confrontation with the final boss of this hypothetical game.

Day 28: (Final Stage) | Hyrule Castle - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The calm before the storm...

Day 29: (Final Boss) | Demise of the Ritual - Shadow of the Colossus
A much more somber pick than my previous final boss songs. For this one, in keeping with the
serious/somber feel I wanted my list to have, I wanted my final boss pick to give off the impression of
the final boss being tragic, rather than heroic or epic. If this were to be the soundtrack to an actual
game, perhaps the final boss would be the main characters killing off someone they knew and cared about
who had turned evil? Something like that.

Day 30: (Epilogue) | Epilogue - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
While our heroes may have lost a friend, their journey will continue on...

Edited April 2, 2021 by ZeldaFreak

[nesmaster14 | 432]

Custom Mode

Day 1 (Intro) - Gley Lancer (Mega Drive) - Introduction - Gets you ready for the game, I really love the part around 1:25 when it starts picking up and fully kicks in at 1:45. Best with good headphones/speakers and some bass.

Day 2 (Title) - Jill of the Jungle (DOS) - Title Screen -  Something about the music from these early DOS games, especially by Epic Megagames, so much style haha.

Day 3 (Menu) - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Genesis) - File Select - Getting my Sonic 3 track out early I guess, but always has a spot. I don't think there's a track I don't love from this game. 

Day 4 (Heroic) - Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis) - Iron Blue Intention - Great overall Genesis track, I feel a sense of urgency to defeat Dracula when I hear this so it must be heroic.

Day 5 (Forest) - Sword Master (NES) - Stage 1 - Forest

Day 6 (Like Music/Dislike Game) - All New World of Lemmings (Amiga) - World #2

Day 7 (Rock) - Gran Turismo 2 (PS1) - Blowing Away - Wanted to find something more traditionally rock here instead of overly metal (which I love but figured I'd switch it up a bit).

Day 8 (Educational) - Word Rescue (DOS, 1992) - Title/Level 1 - This track is almost too swanky for its own good. And that little syncopation near 1:10, *whew!*

Day 9 (Since 2010) - You mean games existed past 2010??? I must be in the Twilight Zone...  Ok fine. Sonic Generations (Multiplatform, 2011) - Collection Room [Door Into Summer] - Any song from this soundtrack is solid, but how about a nod to Knuckles' Chaotix.

Day 10 (Underrated) - The Rise of Amondus - Elderwood (NES homebrew by Sly Dog Studios, 2015) - Sly Dog Studios pushing boundaries again, this time bringing blast beats/tremolo picking to NES music, so cool haha. @ 1:35 

Day 11 (Sky) - Daytona USA (Sega Saturn) - Sky High - I always thought the title theme was the main attraction, but this track really shines.  These composers on Sega Saturn made great use of the technology, and the voices of Mitsuyoshi and TJ Davis elevated it. 

Day 12 (Never Played) - The Sword of Lxsor (X68000) - Not even sure if this game exists, tried finding box art or gameplay images (translated title to japanese as well) to no avail, but it sure does sound great.

Day 13 (Unused) - Mr. Gimmick! (NES) - Strange Memories of Death - Don't think I've used a Gimmick song yet. It's a wonder this song was so hidden/unused, but glad we get to hear it.

Day 14 (Ambient) - Erik The Viking (NES, Unreleased) - Peace In The Harbor - I remember when this track was released back in 2009/10 on Neil's blog. I've always enjoyed his creative use of the 2A03, like incorporating bird sounds or creature chirps into an immersive chiptune atmosphere.

Day 15 (Boss) - Revival Xanadu (PC-98) - Gros Monstre - Killer track, the intro feels like you've approached the gross monster, then the track really kicks in and it's time to kick its arse!

Day 16 (Evil) - Castlevania III (NES) - Nightmare - That ominous triangle wave note, pressing through the entire song, dread!  Awesome atmosphere.

Day 17 (Medley) - Super Spy Hunter (NES) - By Harmsing - One of my favorite VGM cover/medley videos, I still think this guy's channel deserves way more views.  This one combines tracks from the entire game into one solid jam!

Day 18 (Pumped) - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 (PS1) - Superman (by Goldfinger) Okay this probably stretching for this VGM list, but to me this song is intertwined with the game's soundtrack. 

Day 19 (Modern Retro) - Alwa's Legacy (Steam, 2020) - Town of Westwood - Actually never played this one, but has music by one of my favorite NES composers, Rushjet1.  This is a modern Steam game, but composed with 2A03+VRC6 NES hardware.

Day 20 (Snow) - Final Fantasy III (SNES) - Snowy Field - Nobuo Uematsu, what more to say.  

Day 21 (Follin) - Ghouls 'n' Ghosts (C64) - Title -The soundscapes he creates with those 3 channels.  His prog-rock tunes are great too, but something about his atmospheric/experimental work that really captivates me.

Day 22 (Samples) - Warhawk (C64) - Title [Rob Hubbard] ---> John Keating - The Unknown Planet (1972)

Day 23 (Chaotic) - Metal Slader Glory (FC) - Bottom Floor - This game is pretty epic in scale, there's incidental music throughout the entire game, somewhat novel for NES.  This part has a neat droning PCM sample underneath that adds to the feeling of massive rampant machinery/chaos.

Day 24 (Sega) - Sega Bass Fishing (Dreamcast) - Huge Fish Music - This game has no business having this intense metal track, yet it does.  Long live Sega.

Day 25 (Silva Gunner) - Hebereke! Ufouria (NES) - Title [Silva Gunner, umm "Remix"] - Just discovered this person's channel and went through a bunch.  This one's pretty great haha.

Day 26 (Classical) - Tetra Star: The Fighter (FC) - Title Theme / 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky - This whole soundtrack is classical music. The use of real orchestra hits/timpani samples/etc makes it pretty epic on NES.

Day 27 (Space) - Astro Warrior (SMS) - Asteroid Zone 

Day 28 (Final Area) - Shatterhand (NES) - Final Area - Got to give at least one Natsume jam, so many greats.

Day 29 (Final Boss) - Doki! Doki! Yuuenchi (FC) - Final Boss - Pretty frantic and nicely composed final boss theme.  I'm pretty sure this is by the same composer who did the final boss theme for Recca.

Day 30 (Credits) - The Typing of the Dead (Dreamcast) - Ending Theme 

 

Edited March 30, 2021 by nesmaster14

[RH | 4,894]

I don't get it. Is this a game, or are we all just creating a list of our favorite tunes by categories or something?

[Aguy | 771]

4 minutes ago, RH said:

I don't get it. Is this a game, or are we all just creating a list of our favorite tunes by categories or something?

Yes.

[AverageOliver98 | 715]

5 minutes ago, RH said:

I don't get it. Is this a game, or are we all just creating a list of our favorite tunes by categories or something?

The 2nd thing: To just share some of your favorite video game tunes that fit the days category.

 

[AverageOliver98 | 715]

Quick Note: The description for Day 24 has been altered slightly.

Also a quick @ing to previous participants:

@PII @Gaia Gensouki @0xDEAFC0DE @rdrunner @AstralSoul @koifish @ookii_risu @Jeevan @TriHart

[sp1nz | 611]

Lunatic mode:

• Day 01: [2000] Armored Core 2 - RoboComBat [PS2]
• Day 02: [1996] Donald in Maui Mallard - Title Screen [SNES]
• Day 03: [1990] Elemental Master - Temptation of the Devil (Stage Select) [GEN]
• Day 04: [1993] Gauntlet IV - Sortie [GEN]
• Day 05: [1998] Star Ocean: The Second Story - The Venerable Forest [PS1]
• Day 06: [2000] Sheep - Chillin Fields [PS1]
• Day 07: [2007] eXceed 3rd - Jade Penetrate - High Tension Beet [PC]
• Day 08: [2007] My Word Coach - Menu [DS]
• Day 09: [2012] The Cat Lady - Lily of the Valley [PC]
• Day 10: [2000] Keitai Denjuu Telefang: Power/Speed Version - T-Fanger Battle [GBC]
• Day 11: [1994] Final Fantasy VI - Blackjack [SNES]
• Day 12: [2008] Suikoden Tierkreis - The People of the Sea [DS]
• Day 13: [XXXX] Mega Man Legends 3 - Prototype Trailer BGM [N/A]
• Day 14: [1998] Dragon Warrior Monsters - Never Ending Journey [GBC]
• Day 15: [1990] Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi - Boss Theme [GEN]
• Day 16: [1999] Silent Hill - My Heaven [PS1]
• Day 17: [1992] Shining Force - Epic Metal Medley by Connor Engstrom [GEN]
• Day 18: [1991] Midnight Resistance - Flood of Power [GEN]
• Day 19: [2018] Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - Stage 3 (The Brilliant Void) [PS4]
• Day 20: [1991] Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts - Ice Forest [SNES]
• Day 21: [1990] Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos - Title Screen Theme [NES]
• Day 22: [1994] Sonic 3 - Ice Cap Zone Act 1 [GEN] / [1982] The Jetzons - Hard Times
• Day 23: [2001] Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil - Mad Biscarsh [PS2]
• Day 24: [1992] Alisia Dragoon - Stage 4 [GEN]
• Day 25: [1996] Kirby Super Star - Float Islands Remix by SiIvaGunner [SNES]
• Day 26: [1995] Earthworm Jim - What the Heck? [PC] / [1867] Mussorgsky - Night on a Bald Mountain
• Day 27: [1991] Super R-Type - Solo Sortie [SNES]
• Day 28: [1993] Rolling Thunder 3 - No Way Out [GEN]
• Day 29: [1992] Puyo Puyo - Final of Puyo Puyo [GEN]
• Day 30: [1994] Contra Hard Corps - The Dawn [GEN]

Edited March 31, 2021 by sp1nz

[AstralSoul | 502]

Day 1 - Intro/Prologue - Monster Party - Prologue

Day 2 - Title Screen - Cave Story+ - Title Screen

Day 3 - Menu Screen - SimCity (SNES) - Menu

Day 4 - Heroic - Sword of Mana - Seeking the Holy Sword

Day 5- Forest/Jungle - Chrono Trigger - Secret of the Forest

Day 6 - Music from a game I don't like - Etrian Odyssey 2 - Petal Bridge

Day 7 - Rock Music - Final Fantasy XIII - Snow's Theme

Day 8 - Educational Games - Math Blaster Episode I - Title/Introduction

Day 9 - Made Since 2010 - Final Fantasy XV - Hammerhead

Day 10 - Underrated Music - Yoshi's Story - Games of Happiness

Day 11 - On the Open Skies/Sea - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Sky Chase Zone

Day 12 - Game I never Played - Dragon Ball Z Butouden 2 - Vegeta's Theme

Day 13 - Unreleased Music - Twelve Tales: Conker 64 - Western Saloon

Day 14 - Ambient/Calming - Metroid Prime - Chozo Ruins

Day 15 - Boss Battle - Crash Twinsanity - Mecha Bandicoot

Day 16 - Evil - Doom II - Running From Evil

Day 17 - Medley - Banjo-Kazooie - Medley

Day 18 - Music that gets you pumped - F-Zero X - Devil's Forest

Day 19 - Modern Retro - Shovel Knight - A Thousand Leagues Below

Day 20 - Ice/Snow - Super Mario 3D World - Snowball Park

Day 21 -Super Follin Bros - Plok - Akrillic

Day 22 - Music using samples -  Earthbound - Moonside

Day 23 - High Energy/Chaos - Extreme-G - Track 1

Day 24 - Sega Exclusive - Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse - Stage 2-3

Day 25 - SilvaGunner Remix - Mario Paint - Creative Exercise

Day 26 - Ochestral/Classical - Catherine - Chopin Revolutionary Etude

Day 27 - Space - Star Fox - Meteor

Day 28 - Final Area - Final Fantasy IV - Within the Giant

Day 29 - Final Boss - Dark Souls - Gwyn, Lord of Cinder

Day 30 - Credits - Katamari Damacy - Katamari of Love (Ending Song)

Edited April 1, 2021 by AstralSoul

[AverageOliver98 | 715]

And it begins.

[rdrunner | 422]

Custom Mode: No NES games (balancing out from last time's ultra all-NES list).  Otherwise anything goes!

Day 1 Intro: Flashback: The Quest for Identity (SNES)

Day 2 Title: BallBlazer (Atari 800)

Day 3 Menu: Super Monkey Ball (GameCube), Alternate Main Menu

Day 4 Heroic: Final Fantasy Legend 2 (Gameboy), Heroic Tune - Literally!

Day 5 Jungle: Contra 4 (DS), Stage 1

Day 6 Dislike: Super Empire Strikes Back (SNES), Boss - Star Wars: Good.  15-minute fight with swamp monster: Bad.

Day 7 Rock: Advance Wars (GBA), Sami's Theme

Day 8 Educational: M.U.L.E. (Atari 800) - Realistic economics, unrealistic gambling.

Day 9 2010+: Half Minute Hero (X360, 2011), Victory Theme

Day 10 Underrated: Mega Man in Dr. Wily's Revenge (Gameboy), Wily Castle - Mega Man collections are rampant these days and yet we still don't have one for this?  Seriously, why?

Day 11 Sea/Air: Raskulls (X360), Pirats 'Til We Die (Credits) - Song about pirates to conclude a game that isn't about sailing or even water.

Day 12 Never Played: Chrono Cross (PS1), Dreamwatch of Time

Day 13 Unreleased: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis), Hidden Palace Zone

Day 14 Calming: Castlevania (N64), Credits

Day 15 Boss: Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)

Day 16 Evil: WarioWare Gold (3DS), Sneaky Gamer Challenge - Every gamer child's nightmare right here.  Keep watching for about a minute for the full scene.

Day 17 Medley: Rhythm Heaven (DS), Remix 10 - All 25 minigames in one well-arranged package!

Day 18 Pumped: Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters (Arcade), Crash Man's Theme Remixed - My favorite version of an already great tune.  Oddly used for Plant Man's stage in this game.

Day 19 Modern Retro: Horace (Switch, PC), Robot's Theme - Seriously the best random $2 eShop sale purchase ever.

Day 20 Ice (ish): Castlevania 2: Belmont's Revenge (Gameboy), Crystal Castle - @ZeldaFreak beat me to this game.  Gameboy Castlevania soundtracks hold their own with the rest of the series!

Day 21 Follinses: Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge (SNES), Cyclops

Day 22 Sampler: Double Dragon Neon (X360), Mission 8 Boss "Marian II" - Heavily inspired by Little Shop of Horrors, right down to the plant named after the girl (Audrey II).  The song itself isn't a perfect match, but it has the same fun, upbeat, '50s style.

Day 23 High Energy: Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (X360), Pac Rainbow

Day 24 Sega: Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master (Genesis), Shinobi Walk

Day 25 SilvaGunner: DK Rap, Unused Version - aka "COCONUT GUN"

Day 26 Classical: Catherine (X360/PS3/Other) - Almost every nightmare stage uses classical music and it's all great, so I just linked to the whole set.

Day 27 Space: Gradius 5 (PS2), Stage 2&8

Day 28 Final Stage: BattleBlock Theater (X360) - Epic modern retro finale!

Day 29 Final Boss: Final Fantasy 4 (SNES, Various), Zeromus - My personal favorite Final Fantasy needed some love, though you can't go wrong with any finale from this series.

Day 30 Ending: Mario Party 3 (N64) - Best iteration of the series has a story mode that ends with a BANG.  Goosebumps every time.

Edited March 30, 2021 by rdrunner

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

2 hours ago, AverageOliver98 said:

And it begins.

Haha, love that pixel art of my character in the top right! Glad I'm still getting some representation in these.

[acromite53 | 337]

Hard Mode:

Day 1: intro [Gizmondo] [2005] Sticky Balls - Intro
Easiest pick ever. The first thing I immediately thought of.

Day 2: title [Amiga] [1991] Turrican II - Title Theme
What an epic track. Incredible soundtrack.

Day 3: menu [Gamecube] [2001] Super Smash Bros. Melee - Menu
I had to pick this. This song has been permanently burned into my brain since childhood.

Day 4: heroic [Neo Geo] [1990] Magician Lord - Stage 4 Castle of Devils
This one is pretty heroic to me. Especially at 1:12. Imagine our hero infiltrating an evil castle.

Day 5: forest [Genesis] [1994] Mr. Nutz - Woody Land 1&2
I like the Genesis OST over the SNES one. I love the part at 1:12. Very nice, relaxing instrumentation.

Day 6: dislike [SNES] [1991] Super R-Type - National Anthem of Bydo Empire
Shoot em ups are my favorite genre. But I can never get into R-Type no matter how many times I try. This is a great song though!

Day 7: rock music [Saturn] [1996] Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition - The American Dream
From the lesser known Daytona game. This song is hilarious. It sounds like a legit song. God, I love SEGA game music. The lead singer from Mr. Big performs the vocals on this soundtrack.

Day 8: educational [NES] [1989] Sesame Street 1-2-3 - Ernie's Magic Shapes
I mean, you can't go wrong with Rare's David Wise

Day 9: since 2010 [Wii U] [2015] Yoshi's Wooly World - Wonderful World of Wool 6
I love this game and its OST. I recently acquired the soundtrack on vinyl.

Day 10: underrated [Genesis] [1993] Socket - Antiquity
Vic Tokai KILLED it with their Sega Genesis OSTs. This was a tough pick. People need to know about Socket, Columns III, Battle Mania, Decap Attack, etc.

Day 11: on the seas [SNES] [1995] Waterworld - Diving
I hope this one isn't too much of a stretch. As this one is more *in* the seas than *on* the seas. I've loved this song for a long time. It comes out to almost 6 minutes long! This song was also ported to the Virtual Boy. I think the SNES arrangement is better. The original composer, Dean Evans, uploaded the song himself to Youtube! Many games by Ocean are often mediocre but they almost always do a great job with the music. Check it out.

Day 12: never played [Genesis] [1992] Superman - Stage 5
This song is incredible. Especially when 1:27 kicks in. Sunsoft knocking it out of the park again with their music. This is late era Sunsoft, just before they began outsourcing all their games to crappy western developers. 

Day 13: unused [NES] [1992] Gimmick! - Strange Memories of Death
I truly believe Gimmick is the greatest NES soundtrack ever made. Honestly. If you haven't listened to its OST, get on it! The Famicom cartridge uses a special chip to enhance the music even further.

Day 14: ambient [N64 DD] [1999] Mario Artist: Paint Studio - The Ocean Floor (Track 1)
This is an obscure pick. The Mario Artist games on the N64DD have very interesting soundtracks. They are all over the place and sometimes bizarre.

Day 15: boss [Genesis] [1992] Super Fantasy Zone - Ya-Da-Ne
Does any other final boss theme get any more intense than this? Super Fantasy Zone's soundtrack is incredible. I think my list is becoming rather Sunsoft heavy. But can you blame me?

Day 16: evil [Genesis] [1995] The Adventures of Batman and Robin - Joker's Theme
This soundtrack by Jesper Kyd is crazy.

Day 17: medley [NES] [1993] Mega Man 6 - Ending
I love Mega Man 6. I like how the ending credits features scenes and music from every level.

Day 18: pumped [Turbografx 16] [1992] Air Zonk - Stage 3 Pock'n Stadium

Day 19: modern retro [PC] [2013] Rad Raygun - Berlin
This soundtrack is great! Its done by Fantomenk whose music I love. I met the dev of this game at an SGC convention in 2013. He gave me a free CD of this soundtrack. I've listened to it a bunch and even loaded the songs onto my 360 from the disc. Remember when you could do that?

Day 20: winter [Genesis] [1995] Ristar - Round 5-2 Ice Scream
Love Ristar's OST! I had a real tough time deciding between this or Sonic 3D Blast.

Day 21: Follin bros. [NES] [1990] Target: Renegade - Level 1

Day 22: samples [Neo Geo] [1992] Viewpoint - F.O.B. Biotron Mix- Final
Awesome music in this one. One of its tracks uses James Brown samples. 

Day 23: chaotic [Saturn] [1997] Sega Touring Car Championship - Don't Drop Me
This is the definition of high energy. Sega was definitely going for a 90s euro dance vibe with this racing game OST. I made a playlist on Youtube of Saturn games with vocals. There are a lot of fun!

Day 24: Sega exclusive [Sega 32X] [1994] Cosmic Carnage - Cylic's Stage Fully Armored
I had a lot a lot of trouble deciding between 3 tracks in this game. I love Sega music.

Day 25: siivagunner [SNES] [1994/1989] Eek! The Cat - Opening Movie (JP Version)
This one is so pleasant to listen to.

Day 26: classical [Neo Geo] [1992/1791] Fatal Fury 2 - Dies Irae (Wolfgang Krauser's Theme)

Day 27: outer space [Gamecube] [2003] Kirby Air Ride - Nebula Belt

Day 28: final stage [TurboGrafx-16] [1989] Ordyne - Stage 7

Day 29: final boss [Genesis] [1994] Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Final Boss

Day 30: credits [Saturn] [1996] NiGHTS into Dreams - Dreams Dreams

Edited March 31, 2021 by acromite53

[tigerwolf | 79]

31-Day Challenge

Hard Mode

1. Inindo: Way of the Ninja, "Oath of Tomorrow" It's such a strange game and most of the soundtrack is lacklustre. But there's something intriguing about the prologue and music you get when you do not hit Start. Somehow it just draws you into the story with just music, text, and still images. I wonder how many people tried this game but skipped the completely optional prologue. After all, you only see it when you do not press Start. The track in question is #3 on the arranged CD: https://youtu.be/gjq6zKsrRcs
2. Mega Man 2, Title Screen - I had to veto my wife and daughter here (they voted for Dragon Quest). I wanted to pick something more obscure or less predictable here, but this track is just too irresistible. This track starts out so poignant and introspective, then quickly kicks into action, setting the pace for one of the best platformer games of all-time. A true classic. I also love the Mega Ran track that uses samples from this one. 
3. Soul Blazer, "World of Soul Blader" - when you search for level select music on YouTube, you tend to find an acre of Mega Man music. While that music is great, I prefer the world map music in Soul Blazer. The harmony is so unique, and the melody gets stuck in your head for days. I adore the score to this game. There's a melancholy to this music that makes it more memorable than Actraiser's score overall to me.  
4. Faxanadu, Track 7 - the second overworld music that kicks in. I need to dig to see if there's a title for this one or an audio CD released in Japan at some point. All uploads seem to have been removed from YouTube. Found it. As of current all I can find is that the uncredited composer was Jun Chikuma. This track just feels like the ultimate hero adventure music. So infectious. I adore this piece.
5. Secret of Mana, "What the Forest Taught Me" (Hiroko Kikuta) - I'm sure this is probably a predictable choice that many others will pick, but it's just too good. It should be on every list. I replay this game JUST to get to the stage with this music playing. One of my favorite pieces of video game music of all-time.
6. Cybernator, "Asteroid Run" (Masanao Akahori) - Yes, I know, I know. I'm a bad person. I will catch flack for this one, but I don't care. When I was a teenager, I had a limited budget for video games. I'm not sure what I was expecting the game to be, but I was drawn to the cover. It looked so intriguing. But after shelling out a ton of cash and finding the gameplay tedious and slow as an action game (I was used to Genesis), I was hugely disappointed. It's not until recent years that I've opened myself to the possibility that this game could be cool. Being an old laggard is hard sometimes. 
7. Romancing SaGa, "Beat Them Up!" (Kenji Ito) - Seriously, this track rocks. Ito is such a great composer, very much one of my favorites. The pace of this one is great. It's tense and gets you pumped up for a battle. I have this on some random SaGa Battle Music CD, and it creates that instant sense of anxiety that you look for in battle music.
8. Mario is Missing, "United States" (Sam Powell and Rob Wallace) - it seems like the only original piece of music throughout the entirety of this flaming turd of a game, but even this one is derivative. Anytime I have a conversation at work about "edutainment", this horrible game comes up. At least it's like a 2D Mario walking simulator game? The musicians behind the score did a really nice job reinterpreting the classic Mario music (as long as we forget about the horrendous psuedo-Asian Mario theme for the Japan/China level). 
9. FEZ, "Majesty" (Disasterpeace) - Words cannot begin to describe how strongly I feel about the score for FEZ. It was that moment that converged all of the things I love in video games and folded it all into a single, cohesive, intellectually-stimulating, and at times, emotionally-gutwrenching package. There's a good reason this game is rated so highly and why the music continues to endure so strongly. The music is the core heart of this game. It takes something that could just be a simple pixelated puzzle platformer and utterly transcends it to a mystical, almost spiritual place. Breathtaking. 
10. Paperboy, Main Theme - this was hard, cuz literally every single underrated title either isn't underrated now and is apparently a "hidden gem" on the internet. I thought about Nobunaga's Ambition, but Yoko Kanno has a cult following. But unfortunately, the only thing that came to mind was this little ditty from one of the most dull ideas for a game ever to grace a microchip. Wonder if anyone has tried to make a new "newspaper route simulator" game for 2021... Could be a missed opportunity for a game designer to become a billionaire with a killer game theme like that!
11. Uncharted Waters New Horizons, "Mast in the Mist" (Yoko Kanno) - Nothing says open sea quite like the Uncharted Waters series. Only recently did I learn that composer Yoko Kanno has a fan base of music collectors who snatch up all her work, including the arranged Koei Soundware CDs. As a Koei collector it sucks because the Yoko Kanno fans drive up all the prices. In any case, this is a beautiful, wistful piece of music that makes you contemplate while staring out at sea. 
12. Aoki Densetsu Shoot, Title Screen - while I'm sure I won't care too much about the gameplay of this title, I am definitely intrigued due to the outstanding music. I first heard this one on a YT video that features short clips of every single SFC/SNES game, and the music jumped right out at me. 
13. Atmosfear, "Hellin's Toyworld" - I have no idea who composed this, but it's all kinds of creepy wonderful. In high school we used to go to one guy's house at lunch to close all the blinds and play Nightmare, the VHS board game. "ANSWER ME, YOU MAGGOTS!" became our running joke. So to see that this game almost became a video game is super fascinating to me. Though not intriguing enough for me to bother spending actual time to research it.
14. Sim City, Village - I've been a fan of calm, relaxing, slow-paced games since the late 80's. Even today, I gravitate towards thinky, turn-based games that feel like board games. The SNES Sim City is a masterpiece of slow gaming, with an equally outstanding soundtrack. But it's the first few city levels I like best. As soon as you hit the big time and your town becomes a city, the music stops being good. 
15. Actraiser, "The Beast Appears" (Yuzo Koshiro) - This soundtrack was absolutely mind-blowing when it came out. Nothing in video games before ever sounded this cinematic, this dramatic, or this intense. The ramp up music as you descend from heaven to the first level of Fillmore. And then the moment when the centaur boss arrives, with this killer piece of boss music. I couldn't believe how emotionally intense this experience was when I was a wee lad experiencing this game for the first time. 
16. Final Fantasy VI, Kefka (Nobuo Uematsu) - Nothing personifies evil quite as effectively as Kefka, who remains my all-time favorite video game character. I love how when you first hear this tune, you notice the quirky clown aspects of the arrangement. The plink-plink-plink-plink doesn't intially scream "this character is the ultimate evil", so it comes across as questioning with a slight air of concern. It's not until you see Kefka poisoning the river that his true nature starts to reveal itself and the music takes a darker turn, even though it hasn't changed at all. While others may prefer "Dancing Mad," I can't resist this more indirect interpretation of evil incarnate.
17. Shodai Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-Kun, "Shodai Medley" - I have a real soft spot in my heart for the Kunio-Kun characters, especially of the chibi variety. Super Dodge Ball remains a favorite. I love the music in the Super Famicom title in the series, and this medley captures all that rad fun energy of the series. Such a great tune.
18. Street Fighter II Turbo, Ken - I'm used to the SNES version of SF2 as I spent so many more hours with it than any other version. For that reason I can't help but choose this one. 
19. Shovel Knight, "Strike the Earth (Plains of Passage)" - this track could easily have been in the #18 position here for "tracks that get me pumped". I love the music in Shovel Knight, as it's so evocative of those classic NES sidescrolling adventures. While the gameplay feels like Duck Tales, the overall vibe feels more like a higher-energy Castlevania-meets-Faxanadu. Off on an adventure, ready to go. This one 'slaps' as the kids might say. 
20. E.V.O. The Search for Eden, "Cry for the Past" (Koichi Sugiyama) - Talk about one of the dirtiest tricks a game designer could ever play on a player. You have no choice but to be emotionally punished for playing the game here. You're playing the game, killing enemies, eating their meat, evolving, rinsing and repeating. In this scene you get attacked by some bastard yeti, so of course you do what you've been doing all along. You kill him. And then of course, it's all tears and sadness as you just killed and ate the yeti child's dad. Then you're hit by this tragic funeral dirge music straight outta the Shrines of Dragon Quest. But let's be real - I love this game. 
21. Super Off-Road, "Sidewinder" - Had no idea who composed this great music before. Turns out it's the Follins. I'm sure most other people will pick this track, too. Oh well, it's awesome. 
22. Aerobiz Supersonic, "Tears in Heaven" "North America" - God this track still makes me laugh every single time it comes on. At the 0:30 mark this cheeze-ball horn-like instrument starts farting all over the track, only to be concluded by the lamest little high-hat 'tiss' afterwards. It almost comes across like a SNES rimshot. I also love that they chose a composition by a British musician (Eric Clapton) to butcher as the music to epitomize America. Hilarious. Was this a Rick-Roll for Koei back in the early 90's? So great. 
23. Romancing SaGa 3, "Last Battle" (Kenji Ito) - I had no idea SNES music could be this metal before I imported some old SaGa Battle Music CD from Japan. Holy crap is this ever metal. Double kick drum type stuff. If you want something to feel intense and anxious, just put this on. An easy way to make a menu-based JRPG feel like an intense experience. The most intense menu navigation experience ever. 
24. Shining Force II, Town Theme - I could just listen to town themes all day. While I absolutely adore SF2 and think it's one of the crowning achievements on the Mega Drive, I couldn't honestly say that the music stands up against the Final Fantasies or Phantasy Stars. I believe this particular Shining Force remains a Sega exclusive. 
25. Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force, Gadget Room (In-Game Version) (SilvaGunner) - Confession: I hadn't heard of SilvaGunner until this challenge, so it took me a minute to figure out what the heck was going on. When I looked him up, this was the latest video, uploaded an hour before I searched. Small world. I picked this "high-quality rip", as it's the first conventionally-published video game I worked on (CPEPF), having written for the script in the game. My tiny claim to 'fame' as it were. While the Bugsnax track is decent, the original "Gadget Room" tune is better. 
26. Tetris, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) - There's only one classical track that I now associate more with the game than the original source, and that's the Tetris rendition of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy". This little ditty will forevermore be cemented in my little brain as NES music, not Christmas ballet music. 
27. Duck Tales, "Moon Theme" - Talk about the most predictable choice ever. But is there really any other choice other than this? I was tempted to pick the totally zany moon music from Final Fantasy IV here, but it still doesn't hold a candle to the Duck Tales moon theme. 
28. Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, Stage Five (Tamayo Kawamoto) - It took me ages to finally reach this level when I was a kid. My dad and I had to work together to get to the ending of GnG. What a slog! This game is still brutally difficult to me. 
29. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, "In the Final DX" (Yoko Shimomura) - Talk about a great piece of music! And tonally unexpected for a Mario RPG game in my mind. Almost feels out of place in a Mario game in contrast to all the Paper Mario music. 
30. Final Fantasy IV, Finale - Best endgame music ever. Simple. 

Edited April 2, 2021 by tigerwolf
Ketchup Time

[0xDEAFC0DE | 1,277]

I think I'm going to be a bit briefer this month since it took up a lot of my time to write those long descriptions. I'm also not sure what difficulty I'm going for. I'll try to keep my picks diverse and definitely not duplicate any of the same songs, but I've never had the best knowledge of VGM.

Day 1 (Prologue): The Legendary Hero - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, this was the first thing that came to my mind. I might come up with some honorable mentions when I have more time.

Day 2 (Title Screen): Title Screen - Super Mario 3D World, I've used the Mega Man's already.

Day 3 (Menu/Stage Select): Menu [Ultimate] - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, when I think of Menu music the Smash bros series is my go to. All of the games have great menu music, but Ultimate has my favorite, a instrumental version of Lifelight.

Day 4 (Heroic): Overworld - The Legend of Zelda, I could think of anything more heroic.

Day 5 (Forest/Jungle Area): Bamboo Boogaloo / Bamboo Boogaloo II - The Messenger, from Bamboo Creek, and Bamboo forest. I couldn't decide if I liked the NES or Genesis version more so I linked both.

Day 6 (Game You Don't Like): Stage 1 Challenger 1985 - Gradius, I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head. So, I started going through shooter music until I found something I liked.

Day 7 (Rock): Steam Gardens - Super Mario Odyssey

Day 8 (Educational): Zoombiniville - Logical Journey of the Zoombinis, I don't remember any music from the Educational games I played as a kid. So, I started going through the OSTs of the games I remember playing. I really enjoy the one I found, even though I have no memory of the song itself. Also I loved the game.

Day 9 (2010+): Welcome Horizons - Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I couldn't find anywhere else to put ACNH (besides Ambient/Calming but I have something else planned), so I figured it would fit here. I decided I'd go for the main theme although 1 AM is my favorite hourly song, and Stale Cupcakes & Bubblegum K.K. are my favorite K.K. songs.

Day 10 (Underrated Music): Stage Theme 05 - Rygar, I never hear people talk about Rygar's music. To be honest, most of the soundtrack is a bit above average, but Stage 05 stands out above the rest.

Day 11 (On the Open Seas/Skies): Main Theme - Return of the Obra Dinn, I recently Obra Dinn and loved the music. The whole game takes place on a boat, so I figured it would fit perfectly. There are several other great songs on the OST including Escape, Unholy Captives, and the Pub Cover of the Main theme.

Day 12 (Game You Never Played): Supremacy, time for my C64 showcase. I've never really played any C64 games, but I love their music. On my first list I've already mentioned the great Ghouls 'n' Ghosts by Tim Follin and Monty on the Run by Rob Hubbard. I was also considering One Man and His Droid and Delta both by Rob Hubbard, but I decided to feature another artist I love, Jeroen Tel.

Day 13 (Prototype/Scrapped/Unreleased Music): Thriller - Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, I had a hard time finding something as I couldn't think of anything and Google was failing to find anything interesting. Instead, I browsed through TCRF's list of prototypes until I found something I liked (which was until the M's). This is a bit of a cheat since it's really just a genesis rendition of the song, but who cares Thriller is great. This was supposed to be stage 3's music but got cut due to licensing issues. Honorable mention: Main Theme? - Bubble Bobble (Arcade) I didn't like the actual music that much, but I found this totally different music very interesting

Day 14 (Ambient/Calming): Hello? - A Short Hike, another indie game I've recently played. This was my favorite track. It reminds me of Super Mario Galaxy and in fact the composer has responded in the comments to confirm that is the case.

Day 15 (Boss Battle): Dummy! - Undertale, this had made my honorable mentions from list 1, but Undertale is one of the few games where I like all the boss music (I generally don't care much for boss themes). Honorable mention: Balrog's Theme - Cave Story (Another recently played game that I'm saving for later)

Day 16 (Evil): Sweet Little Dead Bunny - Doom, I picked the version with a little context leading in, if you just want to hear the music skip to 0:50 or watch this version. Anyway, this is the music that plays when you beat Doom. It starts as a happy whimsical tune, and then as the camera pans over, the music turns evil and a bunny head on a spike appears.

Day 17 (Medley): Staff Credits - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, my mind immediately went to the credits music that is a medley of the rest of the soundtrack. Of those, BotW's is amazing.

Day 18 (Pump-up): Bicycle Training / Warming Up with Doc - Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, nothing much to say beyond that I always really enjoyed this theme.

Day 19 (Modern Retro): The Requiem of Shield Knight - Shovel Knight, for me Shovel Knight defines modern retro as it was one of the first games I played in that style. It was hard to pick just one song, but I settled on this classic.

Day 20 (Ice/Snow Area): Cool, Cool Mountain - Super Mario 64, I'm sure there are plenty of good Ice/Snow Area music, but I couldn't get Cool, Cool Mountain out of my head.

Day 21 (Super Follin Bros.): Black Lamp (C64) - Tim Follin, I've already featured quite a bit of Follin on this list and past lists, so I decided to go with something a little more obscure (although truthfully I don't know how obscure this is, it's just something that I don't hear mentioned often). The first track in the link was the only one I was familiar with, but there are some other great ones in there as well (including a surprise Greensleeves).

Day 22 (Samples/Inspired By/Sounds Similar): Star Dust - Lazy Jones (C64), so you may recognize this tune as from Kernkraft 400 by Zombie Nation, but it's a bit more complicated than that. First, Kernkraft 400 (1999) actually sampled from Lazy Jones (1984) originally without permission until David Whittaker (author of Lazy Jones) was paid an undisclosed sum. But, some say Star Dust borrows from It Happened Then by Electronic Ensemble. Although the connection is a bit more tenuous and David Whittaker denies that's where he got the melody from.

Along the way of researching this I went down a bit of a rabbit hole. Although David Whittaker denies getting the melody for Star Dust from another song, he definitely stole some other songs for the rest of the soundtrack. Some examples:

• 99 Red Balloons sampled from 99 Luftballons by Nena (1983)
• The Turk sampled from Post Horn Gallop by Hermann Koenig (1844)
• Outland sampled from Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Gene Page (1978)
• Restroom sampled from Living on the Ceiling by Blancmange (1982)
• Wild Wafers sampled from Fade to Grey by Visage (1980)

Day 23 (Chaotic/High Energy Music): Credits (You've Got To Have Freedom) (and the rest of the game) - Ape Out, so Ape Out doesn't really have a soundtrack as the entire game is procedural jazz drumming which sounds amazingly good. However at the end, drums are joined by the rest of the band as if the game was all one really long drum break. The credits song is actually licensed from You've Got To Have Freedom by Pharoah Sanders.

Day 24 (Sega Exclusive): The Sinking Old Sanctuary (Stage 2) - Castlevania Bloodlines, I searched a couple best of playlists, but I feel like I'm missing a lot of good stuff. Regardless this is a good song (although a bit repeative).

Day 25 (SiivaGunner Remixes): Kass' Theme Fusion Collab, this was very hard to decide on, and I had to go through over 100 until I settled on one. Many on these remixes are good for a laugh, but most I wouldn't care to listen to more than once (a lot of times it's because I don't care about the mashed pop song). Anyway on with my pick. This remix takes the Kass Theme from BotW and mashes up several artists interpretations of it. I've technically both used BotW this month as well as used Kass' Theme in the first month, but whatever I like this remix. There's a reason I chose Kass' Theme for the "music you never get tired of" category. Honorable mentions: Athletic Theme (PAL Version) - Super Mario World (the classic remix. It's the most popular one on the channel for a reason), Game Over - Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic 1 + Gangsta's Paradise. I have to imagine this was based off the move trailer, but it goes together really well), Hammer Bros. Theme (OST Version) - Super Mario Bros. 3 (SMB3 + We are number one. Another mashup that works way better than it should)

Day 26 (Opera Music): Cara Mia Addio - Portal 2, I decided to limit this category to opera since adding in classical music makes this too broad of a category for me. Also, my choice here is a bit of cheat because I used it on my month one list. But I love this song too much not to pick it for the Opera category. Honorable mention: The Phantom of the Bwahpera (Act 1-3) - Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (there's just something so good with how Ubisoft disses Mario in this song. Also, the cutscenes that this song plays in are amazing)

Day 27 (Outer Space Area): Travelers - Outer Wilds, I recently beat this game (which is an amazing game that you all should play). The goal of the game is to explore this small solar system. However, the music is a lot more folksy than you might expect. The reason I picked this specific track has a little to do with it's context in the story. I don't want to spoil it since it plays towards the end of the game, but it's doing a thing I really like.

Day 28 (Final Stage/Area): Cave Story (Theme Song) - Cave Story, this is another game that I've recently played and really enjoyed the music. The song actually both plays during the title screen and the final area (as I see AstralSoul picked for day 2 although I was already planning on using this song). It is my second favorite song from Cave Story behind Mimiga Town which I couldn't find a good category for. 

Day 29 (Final Boss): Dededestroyer Z - Kirby Battle Royale, I decided to find something not as obvious as the only things coming to my mind. So, I went through someone's best of final boss music playlists, and was surprised by this track (from apparently the worst critically received Kirby game)

Day 30 (Credits/Ending/Epilogue): Voyager (Ending Theme) - Castlevania, I've already mentioned the Megaman, Zelda, SML theme in my first list. So, time for a new series.

Edited March 31, 2021 by 0xDEAFC0DE

[AverageOliver98 | 715]

[ZeldaFreak | 3,600]

5 minutes ago, AverageOliver98 said:

Hahaha, these day cards just keep getting better and better as time goes on!

[nesmaster14 | 432]

These banners are so awesome! Love the pixel rendition of my avatar

[AverageOliver98 | 715]

With today's special guest, Jeevan!

Edited March 3, 2021 by AverageOliver98

[Aguy | 771]

@ZeldaFreak That Belmont's Revenge stage select is awesome. I own the game, but I don't think I've ever taken the time to actually listen to it.

@nesmaster14 I know what you mean about that DOS game style. The lows sounds so good, but to me the highs can be too shrill, like metal scrapping.

@acromite53 I think you are right, epic is the only way to describe that Turrican II title track.