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 On 06/06/2013 at 12:03 PM by The Last Ninja See More From This User » |
I don't know about you, but I love NES music! Of course, the NES did not allow for authentic sounding instrument samples, so instead we got chippy sounds, yet that kind of music can still be enjoyable. There are so many great NES themes, but I've broken it down to 8 of my favorites. I've left out some of the obvious ones that everyone knows (such as the Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda themes), but I'm sure you've heard most or all of these here. As always, feel free to comment and let us know what your favorite 8-bit themes are. So here are my 8 picks, in no particular order.
Vampire Killer from Castlevania/Composed by Kinuyo Yamashita and Satoe Terashima
Castlevania is the game that defined the horror action genre. How exciting it was for the first time to take a whip (not a sword) to zombies, ghosts, medusa heads, and other hellish creatures. The game starts off with an exciting theme, the famous "Vampire Killer" song. It would come to be the Castlevania series' most beloved theme. And that's saying a lot, considering the Castlevania series has many great themes that have gained mass attention.
Enemy Air-Field from Super C/Composed by Hidenori Maezawa
Another Konami classic, Super C is the sequel to the beloved action shooter Contra. The Contra series is known for its fast-paced on-foot action as you shoot all kinds of alien scum. Super C is one of my favorite NES games as I grew up playing it with my brothers. The theme for the first level kicks off with an adventurous theme as Bill and Lance jump from a helicopter. This theme is exciting, progressive, full of tension, and fun. It's perfect to get you into the Contra mood.
Palace from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link/Composed by Koji Kondo
So I left out the Legend of Zelda main theme, but I had to put this one in. This is a famous theme, and for good reason. It gives off an ominous feel as you explore the castle you've entered. It's a much longer song than most NES themes, counting in at 1:32 before it loops. Ganon's castle theme is another great song from this game. I think it would be cool if Nintendo remade this game and enhanced it as best they could. It's not a bad game, it just happened to get stuck between two of the best Zelda games ever made.
Snake Man from Mega Man 3/Composed by Yasuaki Fujita and Harumi Fujita
I love 8-bit Mega Man music, but Snake Man's theme stands out above many of the other robot master themes for its fantastic melody and exciting progression. You can't deny that this is a great NES theme. I also like the themes for Cut Man, Metal Man, Bubble Man, Magnet Man, Gemini Man, Wave Man, Blizzard Man, and Plant Man. But Snake Man is my personal favorite (but I don't like snakes).
Beginning from Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse/Composed by Hidenori Maezawa, Jun Funahashi, and Yukie Morimoto
Here's another great Castlevania theme from one of the best games in the series. This theme for the first stage started you off on your grand adventure with a very exciting song. The theme evokes a great sense of adventure, something which the Castlevania series has always been the producer of. With its many stages of variety, two playable characters, spot-on gameplay, and classic horror villains (such as Frankenstein and Dracula), Castlevania III remains one of the best entries in the series. I believe it to be the pinnacle of the series in the NES days.
Title from Shatterhand/Composed by Iku Mizutani and Hiroyuki Iwatsuki
Perhaps you've heard of this action game, develped by Natsume and published by Jaleco. It stars a guy that, um, punches the bad guys. Apparently he has an arm of steel. Anyways, the music for the game is great, composed in part by Iku Mizutani, who composed for Shadow of the Ninja (NES) and the SNES Power Rangers game (which I really like, check out my review for it here). The opening theme is mysterious at first, then transitions quickly into an exciting song as you see the protagonist punch the bad guy right in the face! Hey, that's pretty cool.
The Amazon from DuckTales/Composed by Hiroshige Tonomura
Yes, it's the fantastic Amazon theme from the legendary NES game DuckTales! If you've never heard this theme (gasp!), you're missing out! It's one of the best themes ever, easily one of the NES's greatest themes. It's a great theme from a great game as Capcom pulled off a fantastic and fun platformer. The new DuckTales Remastered coming out soon might even be better than the original as WayForward develops and Jake Kaufman gives new life to these timeless themes.
Chill from Dr. Mario/Composed by Hirokazu Tanaka
Dr. Mario was released near the end of the NES's lifespan, coming out in July of 1990. It was a simple and fun puzzle game, but the music was great. The Chill and Fever themes are both great, but I prefer the Chill theme do to its sublime feel and masterful composition. The game was composed by the legendary "Hip" Tanaka. The theme is simple yet catchy; it never gets annoying while you're taking your pills, er, putting your pills in the bottle.
Nice picks man! I absolutely love NES music. That's a big reason why it's my favorite console. I just discovered Shatter Hand recently. Seems like a really cool game. I probably would have went with the Moon theme from Duck Tales and Hard Man from Mega Man 3. I love the basseline on that last one. Speaking of Contra, have you heard this remake?
Thanks. Very cool remix. NES music is unique and, let's admit it, more creative than some modern game music today. Thanks for reading and for the input.
Yes! I love this blog. Snake Man's theme is my favorite on your list. In fact, I listen to the stage music from the MM games on my iPod and it's great. If you do another one of these, how about some gameplay in these music videos? I still have the Castlevania one in my head. heh
Thanks for reading. I would show some gameplay except for the fact that NES music is often hindered from the sounds of gameplay (due to the capabilities of NES hardware). MM music is awesome! Those are some of my favorite NES themes.
Well one of my all time faves i spent lots of time listening to.
Thanks for sharing. River City Ransom is a great game.
I really like the Mega Man 1-6 8-bit soundtrack.
Of all the DuckTales themes out there, you didn't pick the Moon stage?
I love the Moon stage theme, but deciding between the two was difficult and I had to go with the Amazon theme. Sorry. Don't hate me lol
Oh yeah, I hate you so much.:) Just joking!
Are you excited about DuckTales Remastered? I sure am!
Absolutely! Anything WayForward touches is gold. I hope they continue to remak great games from the past.
Castlevania and Mega Man just have awesome music in general. My favorite Castlevania song would have to be "Bloody Tears," though.
That Zelda II theme I keep forgetting is from Zelda, but it is awesome.
Never heard of Shatter Hand before, but that was a great track, albeit a short one.
You're right, Castlevania and Mega Man games always have good music. As for Shatterhand, it's a pretty good game; I hope to review it soon as a retro game of the week.
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