Get an Extra Life
This past weekend's visit to Berkeley, Calif., sparked a personal pop renaissance. Trips to Amoeba with Stark and FriedOreo led to the purchase of a few gems — among them, Mandy Moore's Coverage (yes, I got it because of an XTC cover — "Senses Working Overtime") and a different kind of covers album — a self-titled album by a band called The Advantage. (Their first album was called Elf-Titled. Ha. And they include a member of one of Stark's favorite bands, Hella.) Not everyone knows what it's like staying up till 2 a.m. trying to beat Gannon for the 40th time that month on the Legend of Zelda, but I do, and the Advantage's rocking versions of classic 8-bit Nintendo themes show that the band knows its music AND its Nintendo. Songs come from games including Mega Man 2 (Flash Man), Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Bomberman, Goonies II, Super Marios 2 and 3, and Zelda.
Bubble Bobble brings back memories.
What about you? Post what you think are the best video game themes -- from the classic Nintendo to the Okama GameSphere. If you said it's Magnet Man's level from Mega Man 3, you win in my book. But other responses may be valid.
posted by Mugshot @ 11:24 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Mugshot's visit to Berkeley was legendary.
The Mandy Moore CD is pretty sweet. She's come a long way since her silly first music video, which featured her driving a VW Bug, smiling and giggling with her 13 year-old friends.
The Advantage CD is even better. I was an RPG (that's short for role playing games, but you already knew that) growing up, and the music for the Super Nintendo games Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger are my favorites. Check out the music/trailer for Secret of Mana. Beautiful Stuff.
The above link isn't working. Check it out at:
http://www.fantasyanime.com/mana/somenter.htm
Thanks, FriedOreo -- that Mana theme is a great example of what makes good video game music. It's better than most movie music that comes out nowadays, since it's not too sappy and has enough drive to make you feel like you're on some sort of a quest. What makes good gaming music? Why does everyone love the music from those games?
This may sound sappy, but I used to get so emotionally attached to those games, and the music just stuck with me. Those Japanese video music directors are GENIUSES. The storylines behind Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger were excellent, allowing for full development of all the key characters. Plus, the games took forever to complete, and when you're playing all day it's the only music you have to listen to...
So far as the Megaman franchise is concerned, I still hold that Megaman 2 has the most consistently strong musical score, most notably Crashman, Flashman, and Doctor Wily's levels.
But perhaps I'm biased as it was the first game of the series I played and remains my personal favorite.
SONIC BOOM!
The music for the SFII boss levels were the best.
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