Game music, Chiptunes, NesTunes, however you want to call them. Please post them here.

Dehnus

Dehnus

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Sep 13, 2013
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Is there any favourite music in an Old Nintendo, SEGA or NEC console that you would love to share. Please share them here. Furthermore while I am certain old SEGA and NEC consoles aren't too offtopic to post, do keep Playstation and Xbox out of here. Not because they don't have good music, but their consoles simply are too new and they have their own subforum as well ;).

PS: If there is an MSX or C64 tune you just adore... do share as well, just please do keep it to games as it isn't fair to use demo scene music :p, developers simply didn't have the same tools back then :).

I for one would like to start by posting the following two tunes.
The first is the Famicom Disk System version of the Zelda 2 Intro:

I just love how they used the extra Wave table channel of the system it adds a lot of "oomph" to the already dramatic opening of this offbeat in the Zelda franchise. Just compare it to the original and it is simply blowing you away.

The second is the Japanese version of Castlevania 3:

It uses an extra chip on the cart that added a few more channels. While Nintendo explicitly forbade the use of such chips in the west, and Konami had to make do with a mapper that just added one extra channel. The Japanese version is just a gem to listen to. The atmospheric sound, gritty NES like quality meeting that typical Konami add on chip sound (Also found in the SCC chip, which in turn is surprisigly similar in hardware to the Sound hardware of the PC Engine). Just take a listen and enjoy the magic of the VRC6 :).
Specifically "Overture" and the Intro where the lightning strikes the cross are favourites of mine.
Overture is just so.. dark and gloomy knowing that Dracula will be waiting for you, and he's ready:

The subtle use of the Square wave in the background is just pure genius!

As for the intro, it's just the standard epic tune:


Last that I wish to share in this post is a game that made me make this thread in the first place. The Brilliant work of Yuzo Koshiro. Not only known for Act Raiser, he also was behind Streets of Rage and was a fellow Composer in Kid Icarus: Uprising (Magnus's Theme and Dark Lord Gaol).

Specifically I would like to share the work he did for SEGA's Gamegear version of Shinobi 2. With the limited sound available Yuzo Koshiro was able to often get a nice beat out of the system:


And another tune that just spells Yuzo Koshiro in style :).
http://youtu.be/2o24H52QX_0
 
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Love this one: Donkey Kong Country 1 end boss music



The Legend of Zelda: A link to the past had much great music, this is the one I remember best:

 
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DLC said:
Love this one: Donkey Kong Country 1 end boss music



The Legend of Zelda: A link to the past had much great music, this is the one I remember best:

Click to expand...

Both epic indeed, I must say that especially Rare knew how to make that SPC700 sing like a Canary :).

But then so could Tecmo on the NES:

Ninja Gaiden stage 4-2

Intro to Ninja Gaiden 2
No aditional soundchips what so ever :).
 
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Viktor said:


Click to expand...

Both not completely fair, as one is using very modern hardware to simulate that old sound, and the former uses some newer software tools and maybe also modern hardware. ;). Do you a have any tune from the time span of not CD perfect audio that you really love? LIke NES, MSX, Master System, Megadrive, SNES, PC Engine, C64?
 
PC Engine
Splatterhouse, Evil Cross and Nightmare. Cathedral level and it fit perfectly


Legendary Axe, Level 5. I love this song.......ask my wife lol


Super Star Soldier - Stage One.
 
amigaengine said:
Super Star Soldier - Stage One.
Click to expand...

That one is just such a dead give away that Konami's SCC chip used in the MSX and how they approached extra channels in NES and Gameboy... was so similar :). I mean it has that typical MSX Konami sound to it that only the simple wavetables of the time could produce.

But I know the PC Engine also had a DMA channel for it, so it was a bit more advanced. But in general, just a bunch small integer values and you loop over them to create a wave form. Increase frequency for a higher not (increase loop speed), decrease for a lower one :p. It is masterful in it's simplicity and it can create such brilliance as :

((Flame planet is also brilliant,
((Especially the first (Living Planet)one of this and "Space Tricky Area"))

Even on Gameboy did they have that typical Konami Sound, and I doubt they used extra soundhardware for this, but with Konami you can't be sure ;).


PS: This is also what I mend a bit with setting an atmosphere with music, like in Wonderful 101's Ocean Metropolis Neo Mu, the Flame and Living Planet of Nemesis also just.... fit :).
 
I'll reserve this spot for Zelda 2 Palace Theme. I'm always on my phone, maybe I'm missing it but can't find YouTube url on mobile.
 
Dehnus said:
Is there any favourite music in an Old Nintendo, SEGA or NEC console that you would love to share. Please share them here. Furthermore while I am certain old SEGA and NEC consoles aren't too offtopic to post, do keep Playstation and Xbox out of here. Not because they don't have good music, but their consoles simply are too new and they have their own subforum as well ;).

PS: If there is an MSX or C64 tune you just adore... do share as well, just please do keep it to games as it isn't fair to use demo scene music :p, developers simply didn't have the same tools back then :).

I for one would like to start by posting the following two tunes.
The first is the Famicom Disk System version of the Zelda 2 Intro:

I just love how they used the extra Wave table channel of the system it adds a lot of "oomph" to the already dramatic opening of this offbeat in the Zelda franchise. Just compare it to the original and it is simply blowing you away.

The second is the Japanese version of Castlevania 3:

It uses an extra chip on the cart that added a few more channels. While Nintendo explicitly forbade the use of such chips in the west, and Konami had to make do with a mapper that just added one extra channel. The Japanese version is just a gem to listen to. The atmospheric sound, gritty NES like quality meeting that typical Konami add on chip sound (Also found in the SCC chip, which in turn is surprisigly similar in hardware to the Sound hardware of the PC Engine). Just take a listen and enjoy the magic of the VRC6 :).
Specifically "Overture" and the Intro where the lightning strikes the cross are favourites of mine.
Overture is just so.. dark and gloomy knowing that Dracula will be waiting for you, and he's ready:

The subtle use of the Square wave in the background is just pure genius!

As for the intro, it's just the standard epic tune:


Last that I wish to share in this post is a game that made me make this thread in the first place. The Brilliant work of Yuzo Koshiro. Not only known for Act Raiser, he also was behind Streets of Rage and was a fellow Composer in Kid Icarus: Uprising (Magnus's Theme and Dark Lord Gaol).

Specifically I would like to share the work he did for SEGA's Gamegear version of Shinobi 2. With the limited sound available Yuzo Koshiro was able to often get a nice beat out of the system:


And another tune that just spells Yuzo Koshiro in style :).
http://youtu.be/2o24H52QX_0
Click to expand...



Yuzo knew how to make some tunes and the work he did with both the GG and Genesis is nothing short of amazing considering the hardware.
 
One of my favorite tunes on the Genesis. This along with Ghouls and Ghosts was the reason for owning the Genesis

 
Yuzo Koshiro is easily my favorite game composer. I love his work on Streets of Rage 2. My favorite level in the game, the baseball stadium:
 
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DanJiblets said:
I'll reserve this spot for Zelda 2 Palace Theme. I'm always on my phone, maybe I'm missing it but can't find YouTube url on mobile.
Click to expand...

There you go, the Famicom Disk System version is completly the same as the original. Sadly in this case they didn't use the extra sound hardware for the music. I do love the cover art design of the sword, without going over the top like so many swords and shields do in recent games. (Good Grief Blizzard, REALLY!? compensating or something?)
 
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1341976123945.jpg
 
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Revenge of Shinobi, one of the first games that I bought for the Genesis. Great game and kick ass soundtrack. I'd embed a couple of the tracks, but fukking safari keeps crashing when I try to embed.
 
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BDaddyK said:
Revenge of Shinobi, one of the first games that I bought for the Genesis. Great game and kick ass soundtrack. I'd embed a couple of the tracks, but fukking safari keeps crashing when I try to embed.
Click to expand...

The early Genny games are still brilliant. Shinobi, Outrun, E-Swat list goes on forever lol




BDaddyK said:
Sword of the Beserk much?!
Click to expand...

Dehnus likes big swords :) Seriously who didn't like that game ?
 
amigaengine said:
The early Genny games are still brilliant. Shinobi, Outrun, E-Swat list goes on forever lol






Dehnus likes big swords :) Seriously who didn't like that game ?
Click to expand...

In like swords, let there be now denying that. From Innuendo to actual well designed medieval mancleavers.... erm. I'll move on now ;).
 
Okay, time for some Hatlelid SID Magic!

Keep in mind this chip was released UNFINISHED! in 1982 with 3 voices:

This is the intro to a lovely little racing game on the C64. Really showing what the that beast could do in the right hands.


Test Drive 2: The Duel. Not to be confused with Test Drive 2 by EA, this from a time when Don Matrick still was awesome ;). Again Kris Hatlelid, using the 3 voice of that well known SID sound to produce some awesome sampling.

Now we have established what this chip can do, let's see what another couple of Brothers where able to pull off with it, before making their work on the NES.


Tim and Geof Follin. They also could work magic on the ZX spectrum and are two of my favourite classic game music composers, for those wondering why I make this slight detour. Well we've been talking a lot about Japanese Composers, but my most favourite NES music came from these two. Very well known titles, but they did a lot more on the NES:

Silver Surfer
Not even Konami could top this stuff, and there was NO extra Sound chip used. This is all NES all the time :).
Solstice:

Youtube videos do not this tune Justice, it is best heard on the imperfect speakers of a 90's TV. As the crackling really adds to the whole feeling and deepness of the sound.

If you are even a bit impressed by this music from actual games, no modern trackers or simulators to simulate old chips involved, then do check these composers out. Matt Furniss, David Whittaker, Rob Hubbard (No not that creepy dead Sci Fi cultist that's Ron ;)), Jeroen Tel, Chris Huelsbeck (from Rainbow arts fame that later formed ... Oh I don't know. FACTOR 5:D).. not to mention the good people at Dice/Digital Illusions and their Pinball machines simulators... before they became shooter producers for EA ;).

So yes from a time when Don Mattrick was still cool and an okay guy, check out these Europeans if you wish to hear some great chiptunes on several consoles :).

Hmm, maybe next post a bit more info about Factor 5 would be nice. As they always where very good with music, their N64 and Gamecube work certainly proved that :).

Sorry for my hodgepodge of a post, I'm a bit in a hurry :).
 
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