The Greatest Game Music

Reviews of truly outstanding game music

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Battletoads Soundtrack (Arcade)

Battletoads Soundtrack (Arcade)

Battletoads Soundtrack (Arcade), David Wise, 1994

The final entry in the Battletoads franchise also happens to be one of its less well-known ones. Electronic Arts made a rare attempt at releasing an arcade game, publishing Battletoads as a coin-op, three-player beat’em up. It’s hard to say how successful or not the game was, but no console ports ever saw the light of day. And so, three years after the release of the original NES Battletoads game, the franchise was laid to rest – at least until E3 2018.

The fact that the arcade Battletoads didn’t seem to have made any waves is a bit of a shame. According to both reviewers of the arcade title and the 2015 Rare Replay re-release, this Battletoads game might well have been the strongest entry in the franchise. In a departure from previous Battletoads titles, this game skipped any genre-hopping (no more platforming and speed biking) and only focused on the brawling elements. This made for a less adventurous, but more focused game. Battletoads was also enhanced by great graphics that ramped up the cartoonish violence that had always been part of the franchise – but usually in fairly tame fashion. This time however, Rare was clearly happy to work outside of the limits set by Nintendo’s content policy. The result played like a test run for Conker’s Bad Fur Day, with plenty of blood, swearing and crude jokes.

Of course, David Wise’s soundtrack follows this over-the-top aesthetic. The result is music that’s almost the polar opposite of the NES original’s soundtrack. That earlier score effectively undermined action scoring stereotypes, full of jittery tension and frayed nerves. On the other hand, this Battletoads soundtrack is the most testosterone-driven score of the entire franchise. It makes for few stylistic surprises, but fittingly underscores the game’s cartoonish, exuberant mood.

Battletoads Soundtrack (Arcade)

First track “Vulture – Robotic Rabble – Bonus Round” wastes no time in setting the course that this Battletoads soundtrack will take. With its speed metal-inspired staccato riffing, “Vulture – Robotic Rabble – Bonus Round” is easily the heaviest Battletoads track so far. It takes the hard rock sound of the SNES Battletoads & Double Dragon soundtrack and cranks up the intensity to take this score into metal territory. The guitar tone is hollower than on the SNES game, but “Vulture – Robotic Rabble – Bonus Round” is sufficiently varied and filled with enough indomitable energy that its fairly muddy sound matters little. And between the sledgehammer riffing, Wise still weaves in a handful of rousing guitar leads.

“Big Blag’s Stronghold – Scores” is closer to the SNES Battletoads & Double Dragon’s melodic mid-tempo riffing. And indeed, Wise finds a memorable riff that he rides for all that it’s worth, right from the track’s beginning. Once the track’s rock-solid groove is firmly established, Wise finds the perfect moment to layer in anthemic synth fanfares. The synths bring flawlessly timed cinematic drama and raised-fists-to-the-sky defiance through their proud, catchy melody. “Boss 1” is a more straightforward metal track, setting a galloping rhythm section against howling guitar riffs. The drums’ constant push is merciless, but thankfully never turns monotonous (a sin “Boss 2” is unfortunately guilty of).

Like Battletoads & Double Dragon, this Battletoads soundtrack is built on heavy rock guitars, with some genre mixes and experiments thrown in for good measure. Their number is slightly larger than on Battletoads & Double Dragon, giving Battletoads are more colourful feel. “Arctic Caverns” is a less surprising affair than its NES counterpart of the same name, but the cue is still a playful and effective evocation of its location. Wise has great fun pitting hammering ten-ton riffs against chiming Christmas bells and the expected bouncy rhythms. Despite the jaunty synth melodies though, “Arctic Caverns” never turns into overt parody and remembers to simply keep rocking.

Battletoads Soundtrack (Arcade)

Other tracks that venture outside of the standard hard rock/metal template reprise parts of the Battletoads franchise’s musical heritage. “The Dark Queen’s Battleship” feels like a more focused take on the synth pop/rock/new jack swing melange that was Battletoads & Double Dragon’s “Roper”, with an insidiously catchy beat that despite little variation is strong enough to carry the entire track. “Hole” recalls the carefully paced mid-tempo orchestra/rock mix that the SNES Battletoads in Battlemaniacs soundtrack.

However, “Hole” pulls off this approach much more successfully. The composition – despite its length – never meanders, with a clear sense of progression and constant rhythms. The latter help the music to develop an impressive sweep in steady, calm fashion as the claustrophobic atmosphere builds and builds and heavy melodies push the music forward, but only under great duress. It’s arguably a repetitive track, but for good reason, as the cue keeps hammering home its defiant melodies against increasing odds.

To close the musical history of the Battletoads franchise – at least for now – Wise caps things off in a more celebratory mood than on previous Battletoads games. “Ending – Credits” opens with a beautifully layered brass fanfare, highlighting Wise’s impressive orchestral writing skills that would power several of Donkey Kong Country 2’s highlights. More intriguing still is the cue’s B section, an expansive violin melody with good amounts of light woodwind counterpoint. It’s a style of music that hasn’t been heard on any previous Battletoads score. It’s fun to see that while in some ways this Battletoads soundtrack plays more by the rules than previous franchise scores, it keeps an appetite for musical surprises – maintaining a proud tradition that started with the 1991 NES original.

  1. 01 - Vulture (Stage 1) ~ Robotic Rabble (Stage 6) ~ Bonus Round David Wise 2:16
  2. 02 - Arctic Caverns (Stage 2) David Wise 2:55
  3. 03 - The Dark Queen's Battleship (Stage 3) David Wise 2:50
  4. 04 - Hole (Stage 4) David Wise 4:05
  5. 05 - Big Blag's Stronghold (Stage 5) ~ Scores David Wise 3:55
  6. 06 - Boss 1 David Wise 2:09
  7. 07 - Korpse Kount David Wise 1:36
  8. 08 - Ending ~ Credits David Wise 1:12

Tagged With: 1994, Arcade, Battletoads (Franchise), David Wise, Fighting, Rare, Rock/Metal

Racing Hero Soundtrack

Racing Hero Soundtrack

Racing Hero Soundtrack, Hikoshi Hashimoto, 1989

Starting with Hang-On in 1985, Sega commenced a run of classic arcade titles that made full use of the company’s revolutionary Super Scaler technology, providing a spectacular illusion of 3D gaming unrivalled by anything on home consoles. However, not all Super Scaler games are equally well-remembered. Take Racing Hero, obviously an update of the Hang-On formula of lighting-fast motorcycle-racing. With its colourful, impressively fluid graphics, varied courses and solid gameplay, Racing Hero was hardly a disappointment upon release. However, it also didn’t differentiate itself much from previous Sega arcade racers, which had turned into their own genre. And since no arcade compilations on consoles included Racing Hero, the game has mostly slipped from view when fans consider Sega’s arcade glory days.

Still, there’s much to like about Racing Hero – including its soundtrack. It was the debut work of Hikoshi Hashimoto, who would kick off a decades-long game music career with this title. Of course, previous Sega arcade racers like OutRun had set the bar high with their pioneering scores. Thankfully, Hashimoto proudly and successfully walks in the footsteps of his predecessors, crafting a score that feels like a summary of everything that made these 80s arcade soundtracks such a blast. It’s certainly an auspicious debut by a composer out to prove himself – and as it turns out, Racing Hero ranks as the best score of Hashimoto’s career.

Disregarding a few shorter cues, the Racing Hero soundtrack consists of four substantial compositions. As on other Sega arcade scores of the era, these are surprisingly lengthy tracks – each clocking in between five and six minutes. Hashimoto is clearly up to the task of sustaining such extended cues, thanks to his lush arrangements and melodic gifts. “BGM 1” kicks things off on a comparatively laid-back note, using its jazz influences to create a relaxed groove perfect for a carefree cruise along the beach. Using the electric bass almost as a second lead instrument, Hashimoto builds a supple foundation for his expansive keyboard soli. On “BGM 1”, these soli provide more expansive melodies, stringing along a series of shorter 80s pop-inspired hooks. Occasionally, these border on repetitive, but Hashimoto does a fine job at judging their staying power correctly, moving on to new musical ideas just in the nick of time.

Racing Hero Soundtrack

The entire Racing Hero soundtrack maintains this uncomplicated, fun attitude – but that doesn’t mean the music is superficial or lacks intricacies. On the contrary, Hashimoto makes full use of the sound hardware at his disposal to create full-bodied compositions that would have been impossible to recreate on home consoles of the time (unless they sported a CD drive). “BGM 3” takes the rhythmic complexities of “BGM 1” a few steps further, building from a syncopated, bumpy bass line with pronounced stop-start dynamics. 

Melodies contrast with the roiling bass underneath and are as soaring as they are elsewhere on the score. However, note how this time each phrase fades out on a sustained note rather than leading straight into the next tune. Other details cement “BGM 3” ’s standing as the soundtrack’s most playfully experimental track – take the high-pitched synth rhythms on the left and right stereo speakers, pulsing in different metres to each other and the underlying bass. It’s a surprisingly heady mix, anchored as always by Hashimoto’s strong pop hooks.

Racing Hero Soundtrack

The Racing Hero soundtrack’s other two cues are more straightforward in their approach, but just as great. “BGM 2” and “BGM 4” are cut from the same cloth, underscoring the adrenaline rush of speeding down a highway at 300 km/h. Pumping rock drums and a riding bass line open “BGM 2” before one of 80s game music’s most anthemic, grandstanding melodies (and that’s saying something) kicks in. If any proof is needed that Hashimoto knows how to pen a stadium rock-sized tune, “BGM 2” delivers in spades, while its relentless bass races the music along. That surplus of pent-up energy catapults the track’s B section into majestic synth-pop/rock heaven. Hashimoto crafts yet another magnificent power anthem that skyrockets even higher when powered by the soundtrack’s most densely layered countermelodies and rhythms – so far.

Because if there’s one way to describe “BGM 4”, it ‘BGM 2 on steroids’. Even more energetic than that earlier track – taste that single-minded bass that fires up the cue – “BGM 4” is a glorious finale to this ode to motorcycle racing. Hashimoto combines even more musical layers on top of each other than before – finally, the drums also get to play a significant part in shaping the music’s rhythms. They underpin the flurry of great melodies that somehow burn even brighter than on “BGM 2”. It’s fitting that “BGM 4” is the Racing Hero soundtrack’s most melodically rich composition – Hashimoto’s keyboard soli are more extended and complex than before. Still, they don’t entirely abandon catchy pop hooks either. There’s no better finale for a score like Racing Hero than this joyous wall of sound – a victory lap that celebrates the pure, unadulterated joys of racing games.

  1. 01 - BGM 1 Hashimoto, Hikoshi 5:37
  2. 02 - BGM 2 Hashimoto, Hikoshi 6:17
  3. 03 - BGM 3 Hashimoto, Hikoshi 6:17
  4. 04 - BGM 4 Hashimoto, Hikoshi 5:50

Tagged With: 1989, Arcade, Electronic, Hikoshi Hashimoto, Racing, Sega

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1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2008 2012 Action Adventure Adventure Akihiko Mori Battletoads (Franchise) Chiptune Chunsoft David Wise Electronic Electronic Arts Fighting First-Person Shooter KOEI Michael Giacchino Might and Magic (Franchise) Mixed Music Genres Mobile N64 NES Orchestral PC Platformer PlayStation PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 Racing Rare Rock/Metal RPG Sega Genesis Shoot'em Up Simulation/Strategy SNES XBox 360 Yoko Kanno