Sonic CD specifically the Japanese Soundtrack is phenomenal! My favorite song from the game hands down is Quartz Quadrant Present. Though when it comes to the Genesis Sonic games, Sonic 2 has my favorite soundtrack.
this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2026
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NES: megaman 2 - wily castle or megaman 6 - knight man stage SNES - megaman X - spark mandrill (really that whole soundtrack)
Megaman 3 is my favorite.
Is that the one with protomans castle? That theme is great.
I have that shit on vinyl
Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic
They went so unnecessarily hard on that one but it's great
I'm pretty fond of David Wise's work. The easy pick is Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2 for the SNES, but he also worked on Iron sword: Wizards and Warriors II for the NES which has some great tracks too. Also the entire Battletoads and Snake Rattle n Roll soundtracks if I recall correctly (I was a Nintendo kid, if it isn't obvious).
If it isn't stretching too far forward, Einhander on the PS1. It's still the side scroller I judge others against and the soundtrack just feels "right" from start to finish.
Dave Wise is probably my favorite retro Game Music composer. It's kinda hard to say that given all the other amazing music, but man, from the NES all the way to the modern era he's fantastic.
The Solar Jetman soundtrack is amazing to me.
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Chrono Trigger has a few bangers
Guardia Millennial Fair and Frog's Theme are absolutely brilliant
We often have music on in the office, and anyone can put on whatever they want. Chrono Cross Scars of Time came on and I nearly gave myself whiplash. I found who put it on and he started playing game music for the rest of the day, including CT and Final Fantasy. It was great.
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Ducktales NES Moon Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF32DRg9opA
The gamefeel on those cane mechanics 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻😩
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Mega Man II.
Dr. Wily's castle stage 1.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8tRMB0J4rM&pp=0gcJCYsCo7VqN5tD
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. They still haven't made a better Zelda or Zelda-like game. (No disrespect to the Ocarina of Time fans, but I consider 3D Zelda to be a different type of game... and not really one I want to play. I've tried, it's just not for me. I do love the 2D ones though.)
Replayed it recently, and even looking through my intense nostalgia for OoT, I must agree. lttP holds up shockingly well.
Try A Link to the Past Randomizer sometime.
Also try the A Link to the Past + Super Metroid crossover Randomizer, where one plays both games connected through portals. One has to collect items in the other game for progression. I'm sure you are aware of it, just telling it for anyone reading these comments who aren't. Man I love the Mods and Romhacking community.
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Have you tried Tunic? It's probably the closest non-Zelda game to scratch the Zelda itch for me.
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A Link to the Past was the first videogame I got obsessed with and truly love it. Glad I'm not the only one preferring it over Ocarina of Time. However, over the years I started thinking that maybe I was too hard on Ocarina of Time. But compared to A Link to the Past, I just don't want to replay it again. So maybe I was not wrong after all.
Ocarina of Time is too easy to play now. There's the original N64 version which should run on any machine. My iPhone can run it (via Delta, it's in the App Store). There's Ship of Harkinian, which is a PC port of the game which also runs on macOS, Linux, and Android. (Probably iOS too, but you'd have to sideload it and Apple does not make that easy.) I run it on my MacBook, it runs great. (I still suck at it.)
Sticking to legal methods, the 3DS port is probably the best version of it, since you get motion controls. The 3DS is also super easy to jailbreak with a 100% success rate, so you can go that route, but I own a 3DS (XL but not New 3DS) and I have the cart. Of course, I've dumped it to the 3DS internal memory, but I do own the cartridge. If you have a Switch (1 or 2), you can play it in the Virtual Console area. And of course the remake is coming to Switch 2.
I think Ocarina is worth a chance. I got farther in it than ever since when I was a kid. I remember I got to the village and was collecting chickens. Since then I haven't gotten past the first dungeon. The 3D stuff just doesn't work for me. Nintendo insists on making their controls ass backwards (they invert X which is weird AF but they don't always invert Y, which I absolutely need). So I can make the controls right on Ship of Harkinian, or most emulators where you can remap the controls. But it still doesn't quite move right for me. I wouldn't call myself a differently abled gamer (though, I do have hearing issues), but my issue with 3D Nintendo games falls somewhere in that category. I bought Super Mario Odyssey for the Switch and I have difficulty with that as well.
Going on a tangent, my wife got me Pragmata for my birthday, and I told her she should play the demo to see if it's a game she's able to play. By that I meant, it looks like a third-person shooter in the trailer, which is fine, but it's really a game where one person controls two characters, much like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (which she finished). However, unlike Brothers, you have to act fast. For those who aren't familiar, you play a mercenary/soldier, and a little robot girl. The soldier shoots and the android hacks. A lot of the gameplay is having the android hack enemy defences while you shoot them with the soldier. The android rides on the soldier's back, so unlike Brothers, you don't have to move both of them (at least, not in the demo). But doing hacking minigames with one stick while aiming with the other is not something every gamer is going to automatically get, and some gamers, I assume, won't be able to play the game... much like I find myself unable to play 3D Nintendo games.
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Top Gear - Mad Racer (first track in the game)
NES Batman, the first level. That is pops into my head all the time. Also, the main theme and cabin interior music from Friday the 13th. Final mention, Legend of Kage had some rad tracks.
all the MegaMan on the NES
The Thunderforce III and IV, the 3 (yes, three, including the experimental soundtrack of the third!) Streets of Rage on the MegaDrive Anything Nobuo Uematsu on the SNES (Final Fantasy IV, V, VI, Chrono Trigger, Actraiser, etc.) and U.N Squadron
Soldier Blade and Final Soldier (and Air Zonk!) on the PCEngine (that a small part of the world calls TG16 for some reason?!)
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Talking NES: I mean you gotta give it up for Solstice, I find the game a snooze but that opening track is just balls to walls you can feel the heat rising off that poor NES sound chip as it cranks out the jams. Personally I really like Kickmaster, its my NES fave and the soundtrack is pretty good and evocative of the era. Kirby's Adventure is maybe the best wall to wall absolute jock jams in a game. I was playing it with my kids last night and the tunes are just iconic.
SNES: Super Mario World is very memorable. Lots of amazing iconic tracks there.
Genesis: Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (or 1 I guess) is also just amazing. But ECCO 1 and 2 are peak. So atmospheric.
Super Mario Land or Mario Bros. 3. Amazing.
Top Gear - SNES:
https://youtu.be/cxAXTHBxgTw?si8nO81VKWhW6JohvY
This was better than a lot of electronic music available in the US at the time. Absolute bangers.
I would have brought it up myself if someone hadn't already.
Top Gear 2 is just as good in my book:
surprised i haven't seen much reference to Tim Follin's work! IMO the title screen music from Plok! is unquestionably the most impressive bit of sound i've ever heard from a SNES. just when you've picked your jaw off the floor from the amazingly convincing harmonica sound, the lead "guitar" kicks in and your jaw drops again.
for a bit of a more conventional chiptune sound, the NES Pictionary soundtrack (also Tim Follin) hits pretty damn hard considering that it is, well, Pictionary
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jeff's theme ~ maniac mansion
he was dumb as hell and completely useless but the theme was a banger
but also LITERALLY all of shadowgate nes <3
oh and secret of mana ~ snes, simcity ~ snes
and sonic 1 game gear just cause it reminds me of my uncle's house
Mega Man 2 still has the most consistently awesome soundtrack of any video game ever. Just banger-after-banger.
Sonic 2 - Mystic Cave Zone
Wonder Boy III - The Dragon's Trap on Sega Master System has some great tunes as well.
I don't have exotic choices to give, but Final Fantasy VI is still my favorite soundtrack. Kefka's theme is iconic.
Also, the music for the first level of Castlevania 3 ("Beginning") is timeless.
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Ristar
Corneria from Star Fox is a fucking banger.
Outrun. Magical Sound Shower. Splash Wave. Passing Breeze. Perfection.
I'm very surprised no one mentioned Earthbound/Mother 2 yet. The whole thing is just banger after banger, but this one's my favourite:
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Because I haven't seen these posted yet:
My GOAT, Vectorman - https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLErsx10Ke4uzHIN8IfCxR42aNjNJXaW8s
Sonic & Knucles - https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL60EFD683648EAABA Flying Battery Zone in particular.
X-Men - https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLErsx10Ke4uzRC7XAllJklKSGOqLBNV5U Honourable mention, at very least it vibes thematically.
Can't mention best NES tracks without Tim Follin. Silver Surfer level 1 is insane. Also the soundtrack for the unreleased game Time Trax.
NES is Contra Jungle
SNES is Simon's Theme from Super Castlevania IV
N64 is probably most of F-Zero X
The 'Cube is rough since I grew up with it so I love a lot of it. Luigi's Mansion, Mario Sunshine, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess. Too hard to pick.
TG16 is the original Bonk. That level 1 music lives in my head.
Oh yeah Super Castlevania IV has fantastic original music but especially Simon's theme.
Deep Blue immediately comes to mind:
But a deeper more interesting cut would be the entire Pictionary OST:
That game's soundtrack goes so much harder than you'd think it should.
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Plok
This is my cellphone ringtone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC-B3Q0cRrY
But I really like Road Rash 3 speed metal soundtrack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZVx18ONA5M&list=RDMZVx18ONA5M
Highly recommend the Streets of Rage Red Bull Music Festival stream where both creators perfomed most of the classics live for anyone who hasn't seen it.
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