The Greatest Game Music

Reviews of truly outstanding game music

  • Soundtracks
  • Composers
  • Companies
  • Platforms
  • Franchises
  • Music Genres
  • Game Genres
  • Years

A Nightmare on Elm Street Soundtrack (NES)

A Nightmare on Elm Street Soundtrack

A Nightmare on Elm Street (NES), David Wise, 1989

Before developer Rare became one of gaming’s powerhouses in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it toiled away for several years as one of the many companies churning out NES titles for various distributors. One of those distributors was LNJ – infamous for the usually low quality of the products that the company peddled. Rare developed more than a few of their games – almost all of them justifiably forgotten.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1989, Chiptune, David Wise, NES, Platformer, Rare

Battletoads & Double Dragon Soundtrack (SNES)

Battletoads & Double Dragon Soundtrack

Battletoads & Double Dragon Soundtrack (SNES), David Wise, 1993

In 1993, the Battletoads franchise was in a slightly curious spot. The 1991 NES original had been successful enough to spawn several ports. There was also Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, a SNES (and later Sega Master System) game that ultimately felt like a remix of the 1991 NES title. So where to next for the burgeoning, but not quite yet established franchise? Publisher Tradewest had released Battletoads on several platforms and held the home license for the venerable Double Dragon franchise. Why not combine two forces of nature in one amazing game? The match seemed to be an entirely natural one, given that Kevin Bayliss, co-designer of Battletoads, was a big Double Dragon fan.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1993, Battletoads (Franchise), David Wise, Fighting, Rare, Rock/Metal, SNES

Battletoads in Battlemaniacs Soundtrack (Sega Master System)

Battletoads in Battlemaniacs Soundtrack

Battletoads in Battlemaniacs Soundtrack (Sega Master System), Matt Furniss / David Wise, 1994

There aren’t a lot of Sega Master System ports of SNES games. There are even fewer ports where the Master System soundtrack improves on the SNES original. And if that score emerges from what was an unfinished release, we might be dealing with a minor miracle. Or maybe such a lucky outcome wasn’t entirely unpredictable. After all, it was Matt Furniss (working with Shaun Hollingworth under the Krisalis moniker) who ported the Battletoads in Battlemaniacs SNES score.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1994, Battletoads (Franchise), Chiptune, David Wise, Fighting, Matt Furniss, Rare, Sega Master System, Syrox Developments

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.

[Read more…]

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

Battletoads Soundtrack (NES)

Battletoads Soundtrack

Battletoads Soundtrack (NES), David Wise, 1991

The Battletoads soundtrack might be David Wise’s best and most creative NES score. That’s certainly no small feat – after all, Wise scored a whopping 46 NES games during his prolific career. Of course, a soundtrack release was all but impossible in 1991. It took until 2015 – when enterprising game music label iam8bit released a raft of Rare scores on vinyl – that the Battletoads soundtrack received its belated, but very much deserved album release.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1991, Battletoads (Franchise), Chiptune, David Wise, Fighting, NES, Rare

Battletoads Soundtrack (Sega Genesis)

Battletoads Soundtrack (Sega Genesis)

Battletoads Soundtrack (Sega Genesis), Hikoshi Hashimoto / David Wise, 1993

Yes, it might have been a blatant attempt to ride the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ coattails. Still, Rare’s 1991 NES Battletoads game was successful enough to see it ported to a plethora of other platforms. Probably the highest-profile port was the Battletoads version released for the Sega Genesis in 1993. Reviews of the game were somewhat divided. More than a few critics pointed out that the developers could have done more to improve the game in the two years that had passed since the NES release, instead of releasing what was mostly a simple conversion that arguably didn’t push the Genesis graphics chip much. In fact, where the Genesis port of Battletoads probably shines the brightest is with its score.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1993, Arc System Works, Battletoads (Franchise), David Wise, Electronic, Fighting, Rare, Sega Genesis

Blast Corps Soundtrack

Blast Corps Soundtrack

Blast Corps Soundtrack, Graeme Norgate, 1997

Developer Rare arguably rose to fame and worldwide success with its Donkey Kong Country trilogy. However, it’s usually the Nintendo 64 era that is considered Rare’s golden age – no surprise, as the company seemed incapable of not churning out classic after classic for a while. That winning streak began with Blast Corps, released just in time for the console’s launch in Europe. The title was based on an idea by Rare founder Chris Stamper. For years, he had wanted to make a game about destroying buildings – simple as that. Beginning production in 1996, a team of just four developers (sometimes expanded to seven) fitted a gameplay concept around this idea: a nuclear missile carrier was out of control and steamrolling ahead on autopilot. To clear the way, the player controls an array of sometimes bizarre vehicles (including a giant one-armed robot with a rolling attack).

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1997, Action, Graeme Norgate, Mixed Music Genres, N64, Rare

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest Soundtrack (SNES)

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest Soundtrack

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest Soundtrack (SNES), David Wise, 1995

While Donkey Kong Country remains the most historically important (and best-selling) entry in the franchise, it is Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest that is usually most fondly remembered among gamers. Polished and bursting at the seams with ideas, Diddy’s Kong Quest remains one of the best 2d platformers ever created.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1995, David Wise, Donkey Kong Country (Franchise), Mixed Music Genres, Platformer, Rare, SNES

Donkey Kong Country Soundtrack (SNES)

Donkey Kong Country Soundtrack

Donkey Kong Country Soundtrack (SNES), Robin Beanland / Eveline Fischer / David Wise, 1994

It’s probably safe to say that Donkey Kong Country was always destined to be a blockbuster. What set the game on course for domination of the 1994 Christmas season were its ground-breaking graphics. More than nine million sold copies later, Donkey Kong Country had become a milestone in gaming history.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1994, David Wise, Donkey Kong Country (Franchise), Eveline Fischer, Mixed Music Genres, Platformer, Rare, Robin Beanland, SNES

Donkey Kong Land 2 Soundtrack

Donkey Kong Land 2 Soundtrack

Donkey Kong Land 2 Soundtrack, Grant Kirkhope / David Wise, 1996

When developer Rare released Donkey Kong Country on the SNES in 1994, reviewers hailed it a technical marvel that very few people would have expected to see on the ageing hardware. When Rare released a Game Boy port called Donkey Kong Land a year later, jaws hit the floor again. How could those Silicon Graphics workstations-rendered 3D sprites possibly translate to the monochrome Game Boy display? Turns out it was possible to bring those pre-rendered graphics to the 4-bit platform – although the result was visually overly busy and impacted gameplay.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1996, Chiptune, David Wise, Game Boy, Grant Kirkhope, Platformer, Rare

GoldenEye 007 Soundtrack (Nintendo 64)

GoldenEye 007 Soundtrack

GoldenEye 007 Soundtrack (Nintendo 64), Grant Kirkhope / Graeme Norgate, 1997

It’s no exaggeration to say that GoldenEye 007 was a game-changer. By the mid-1990s, games based on movies had (justly) developed a disastrous reputation, and the fact that GoldenEye 007 was released a full 18 months after the film didn’t help matters. And of course, this was a first-person shooter designed for a console, rather than for a PC – back then, the natural home for FPS titles. But in the end, none of this mattered. GoldenEye 007 went on to sell more than eight million copies, becoming one of the most successful games of its console generation. Its reception among reviewers was just as enthusiastic, and there’s no doubt GoldenEye 007 has left a lasting legacy – who could forget its legendary multiplayer mode? Not bad for a title developed by an inexperienced team that spent a full three years completing the game.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1997, First-Person Shooter, Graeme Norgate, Grant Kirkhope, Mixed Music Genres, N64, Rare

Kameo: Elements of Power Soundtrack

Kameo: Elements of Power Soundtrack

Kameo: Elements of Power Soundtrack, Steve Burke, 2005

It’s hard to say whatever curse it might have been, but throughout the 2000s, developer Rare struggled with cancellations or lengthy delays on several of its games. This fate also befell Kameo: Elements of Power, which was in development for a full five years. Initially announced as Ariel’s Quest for the GameCube, production was moved to the Xbox after Microsoft purchased Rare. Ultimately, Kameo: Elements of Power became one of the launch titles for the Xbox 360. Given its protracted development, it was no surprise to see just how polished Kameo was, with its lavish fantasy visuals praised by nearly every critic. Views on the game’s playability and length were slightly more divided. Still, while Kameo didn’t manage to capture the magic of Rare’s classic Nintendo titles, it enjoyed strong enough sales and a generally warm reception.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 2005, Action Adventure, Orchestral, Rare, Steve Burke, Xbox 360

Mickey’s Speedway USA Soundtrack (N64)

Mickey's Speedway USA Soundtrack

Mickey’s Speedway USA Soundtrack (N64), Ben Cullum, 2000

For a few years, it felt like Rare just couldn’t help producing outstanding games for the Nintendo 64, titles that were bound to be classics – Blast Corps, GoldenEye 007, Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo-Kazooie, Jet Force Gemini, Perfect Dark… it seemed that Rare couldn’t go wrong. That winning streak came to an end in late 2000 with Mickey’s Speedway USA. The verdict from reviewers was almost universally that yes, this was a decent enough game, with the usual depth and amount of content one had come to expect from a Rare title. But compared to its spiritual predecessor Diddy Kong Racing, Mickey’s Speedway USA fell decidedly short – unlike GoldenEye 007, this was not a game that transcended its origins as a licensed title.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 2000, Ben Cullum, Jazz/Funk, N64, Racing, Rare

Monster Max Soundtrack

Monster Max Soundtrack

Monster Max Soundtrack, David Wise, 1994

Sometimes the universe (or at least video game publishers) work in mysterious ways. On paper, Monster Max should have been a success – not a million-seller (few isometric action adventures on the Game Boy were), but still a game that would deliver respectable sales figures. Its pedigree was impeccable – a collaboration between Rare and the duo of Jon Ritman and Bernie Drummond. Both parties had created genre classics in the 1980s – Rare with Knight Lore, Alien 8 and Nightshade, while Ritman and Drummond (inspired by Knight Lore) were the men behind Batman and Head Over Heels. Ritman had just finished work on a development system Rare used for many of their games, and he decided to start work on a Game Boy title.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1994, Adventure, Chiptune, David Wise, Game Boy, Rare

Perfect Dark Soundtrack (Nintendo 64)

Perfect Dark Soundtrack

Perfect Dark Soundtrack (Nintendo 64), David Clynick / Grant Kirkhope / Graeme Norgate, 2000

If you want to kick off a debate amongst seasoned console gamers, try “Is Perfect Dark better than GoldenEye 007?” According to reviewers, the answer is usually ‘yes’. After all, this game allowed Rare to finetune their approach to developing a first-person shooter after creating a genre classic with GoldenEye 007. Arguably pushing the Nintendo 64 to its limits, Perfect Dark provided such a wealth of content and degree of polish that it was hard to see how a console shooter in 2000 could be any better. Then again, GoldenEye 007 had arguably been the more groundbreaking title, popularising console FPS games. Consequently, Perfect Dark didn’t have quite the same impact, as it was ultimately an immense refinement rather than another quantum leap.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 2000, David Clynick, Electronic, First-Person Shooter, Graeme Norgate, Grant Kirkhope, N64, Rare

Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll Soundtrack (NES)

Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll Soundtrack

Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll Soundtrack (NES), David Wise, 1990

Among the original properties Rare launched on the NES and Game Boy, the Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll games must rank among the best, up there with the Battletoads franchise. Inspired by Marble Madness’ isometric view (Rare developed the NES port), the developers concocted a joyfully bizarre and off-beat – not to mention funny – platformer. Its stars are a couple of snakes that need to gobble up as many enemies as they can, so they’re heavy enough when hopping on the scales at the end of each level, hoping to be admitted to the next stage. Initially released on the NES in 1991, Snake Rattle ‘n’ Roll’s playability and creative multiplayer mode made the game enough of a success to warrant a Sega Genesis port in 1993, netting equally strong reviews. Meanwhile, the Game Boy saw an original, somewhat more middling 2d platformer starring the two slithering protagonists.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 1990, Chiptune, David Wise, NES, Platformer, Rare

Viva Piñata Soundtrack

Viva Piñata Soundtrack

Viva Piñata Soundtrack, Grant Kirkhope, 2006

There was a time when Viva Piñata was touted as one of the fledgling Xbox 360’s most important franchises, even accompanied by a tie-in television show. Ultimately, Viva Piñata didn’t go down in game history as anything close to a gamechanger or a classic like some of developer Rare’s previous titles. Still, the game’s colourful graphics and relatively novel nature as a first-person life and gardening simulation left a positive enough impression with reviewers and gamers. In fact, the feedback was strong enough for Rare to release a sequel titled Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, allowing the developers to implement features they had to leave out of the first game due to time pressures.

[Read more…]

Tagged With: 2006, Grant Kirkhope, Orchestral, PC, Rare, Simulation/Strategy, Xbox 360

Twitter

Follow us @BestGameMusic

Search

Popular tags

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2012 2021 Action Action Adventure Adventure Akihiko Mori Chiptune David Wise Electronic Fighting Final Fantasy (Franchise) First-Person Shooter Koei Matt Furniss Mixed Music Genres Mobile NES Nobuo Uematsu Orchestral PC Platformer PlayStation PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Racing Rare Rock/Metal RPG Sega Genesis Shoot'em Up Simulation/Strategy SNES Square Switch Xbox 360