Memorable Music in Gaming #35

It's been awhile since we had a Memorable Music article, but my recent stint with the Sega Genesis Classics title has stuck some favorite tunes of mine into my head in recent days. So, I am going to pull down some songs from a variety of different games over the next several Memorable Music articles.

Streets of Rage (Genesis) - Stage 4 Theme

Streets of Rage was one of those games I sunk a ton of time into when it came out. I have long been a fan of the side scrolling beat-'em-up genre, and this game was as good as they came when it released. One of the reasons was the fantastic soundtrack, and while all of it was memorable for me, Stage 4 stood apart from the rest.

Golden Axe II (Genesis) - Ravage Village

There were a lot of really interesting stages in this game, but there was a combination of music, environment and activity that took place at this point in the game that made the music stick in my head.

Ristar (Genesis) - Planet Freon - Ring Rink

Ristar was one of those games that earned a cult following that admittedly was not among my favorites when it released. It has held up pretty well over the years, and going back to it is not as painful as some older games. One of those reasons is the music, which again - it never really resonated with me upon release - has also held up as rather enjoyable from the 16-bit era. This particular track is pretty chipper and matches the gameplay's pace rather impressively.

Shining Force (Gensis) - Shade Abbey

The mix of RPG and strategy elements in Shining Force made it one of my favorite games ever upon release. Wandering around the villages was a nice interlude between maps, and music like Shade Abbey really offered a restive, almost celebratory vibe between stages of combat that I looked forward to each time.

ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (Gensis) - Mellow Groove

The original ToeJam & Earl was a unique title when it came out, and I sunk a good deal of time into it without ever actually beating it. For whatever reason, Panic on Funkotron never landed on my radar and it was not until years later I finally played it. Still, as odd as these games have always been, their soundtracks have been pretty cool and Mellow Groove is a great example of these entertainingly funky beats.

Article by Nick