The PC Engine's best BGM?!

[Tatsujin]

Rule: only one vote for one existing track!! which would be your ultimate favorite one?

mine: Gate of Thunder: "stage 3 - Mines".. listened to it at least about 10'000 times (over the last 15 years), and never got bored. just true quality!! it's way beyond the fuckin' limit.

:edit:

break beats meets hardrock. great combo.

[RuninRuder]

Legendary Axe, the first part of Stage 5.  No other tune gets me pumped up like that one does.  It really feels like a grand adventure is about to reach its climax. 

[ccovell]

We've got to split this into Hu and CD, for sure.

On CD, there are the ones that everyone already knows about (GOT, YsIII, etc).  But what really, really pumped me up were the tunes to Shubibinman 3, Super Darius II, and NEXZR.

On HuCard, it's anything by Macco / "Hiro T. Suzuki", like Ankoku Densetsu, Maniac Pro Wrestling, and Dungeon Explorer.

[edit: I didn't notice the rule, so I get to ignore it.]

[Keranu]

The "See You Again" song played during the ending credits of Ys Book I & II, which is actually normally played for Ys I's credits in the other games from what I understand.

[Seldane]

The Paleozoic Era from Dragon Spirit.

Best-song-ever.

[esteban]

I, too, want to totally violate the rules that Tatsujin made in his first post, because I can't pick just one chiptune at the moment (I don't even want to consider Red Book tracks).

Legendary Axe II is phenomenal -- I have a hard time choosing just one track from it. Same goes for Dungeon Explorer (though it isn't as brooding as LA II).

So, what I'll have to do today is choose my current favorite(s):

Dragon Spirit

My vote goes to:

04. Kazan - MASTERPIECE. Period. Adrenaline-pumping, in-your-face, yet still majestic song. Whereas Kodai was cheerful, Kazan is urgent and more serious. The urgency of the first half of the song gets you stoked, but seamlessly transitions to the grand, sweeping second half. The second half is no less urgent: but it achieves it in a more epic manner. This variety keeps the entire song fresh -- even upon multiple listens: no small feat.

Runner-up:

10. Hyouga - This is a fantastic track with a wonderful progression from start to finish! It starts off epic (evoking the feeling that you are soaring in the sky), then there is a moment of reflection as the composition gets sparse (I love the sound of the slightly droning, fading synth here), then the composition builds, punctuated with synth "handclaps" (I can't think of another way to describe them) and the brooding B-52 drones underneath. Wonderful.

And in the "short little ditty" category:

05. Hinotori - Gosh, I love this bittersweet track...  Yay!

If this is what it takes to get folks to give a serious listen to the Dragon Spirit chiptunes, than I couldn't be any happier.

[CrackTiger]

Tengai Makyou Fuun Kabuki Den: Garp's Theme

[Spector]

I like the title theme to Salamander and level four on Gradius, which sound better than the arcade to me. Also, what about the brilliant opening to Galaga 88 when the ship takes off. That huge chord change was one of the first things I heard when I got my PC Engine for the first time, and I'll never forget that moment
I can only choose one? OK - Gradius level four, but I've only touched on a small portion of the PCE back catalogue.

[esteban]

The Paleozoic Era from Dragon Spirit.

Best-song-ever.

Awesome! Apparently, you posted this while I was composing my response. Yay! At this point, I have no reason to suspect you are teasing me...

[nat]

Dungeon Explorer, since it clearly has the best soundtrack of any video game ever made.

If I had to pick one, one of the tunes in the later dungeons, I think stage 11 maybe.

Runner-up: title track to Air Zonk.

[Joe Redifer]

Tengai Makyou Fuun Kabuki Den: Garp's Theme

Wow.  A PCE-CD game with actual effort put into the music!  That's rare.  Usually they are simple tunes performed on whatever Casio synthesizer that could be purchased cheaply at the used music store (like Final Zone).

[Seldane]

Nice stevek666. Finally someone who appreciates this game!

I recommend the album Magical Trick Society: Dragon Spirit - Lead into Genesis, it is a dojin album with Dragon Spirit remixes. It's pretty poor, but I love the remix of Paleozoic Era (despite it being too rock-ish for my taste).

I will upload it along with the songs you mentioned here. Why? Because they need listenin'.

The Paleozoic Era
Jungle
Dark Castle - Boss

[Keranu]

Tengai Makyou Fuun Kabuki Den: Garp's Theme

Wow.  A PCE-CD game with actual effort put into the music!  That's rare.  Usually they are simple tunes performed on whatever Casio synthesizer that could be purchased cheaply at the used music store (like Final Zone).

Yeah but those cheap Casio synthesizers make for some awesome quick tracks ;) .

[esteban]

Tengai Makyou Fuun Kabuki Den: Garp's Theme

Wow.  A PCE-CD game with actual effort put into the music!  That's rare.  Usually they are simple tunes performed on whatever Casio synthesizer that could be purchased cheaply at the used music store (like Final Zone).

You are a snob, a musical snob! I don't know why you hate "cheap" synths so much. For example, I love the synth horns used in Valis II...

[Joe Redifer]

Because they represent a lack of effort.

[Keranu]

A lack of effort can be greater than too much effort ;) .

[offsidewing]

From a straight up bonafide musical snob:

Runnin' in the Dark - DE2.  There really isn't a better song made for a video game, ever.  It's a proven, undeniable, unfallable truth.  Heavy on the ride symbol, choc full o' power chords, one finger bass, full synth, and I don't even like metal.

I heard Starfleet is doing a reunion album and this is track one.

[Joe Redifer]

A lack of effort can be greater than too much effort ;) .

Yes, for example when comparing a low-effort Hudson-made game to a high-effort Accolade-made game... Hudson will most certainly win.

[nat]

From a straight up bonafide musical snob:

Runnin' in the Dark - DE2.  There really isn't a better song made for a video game, ever.  It's a proven, undeniable, unfallable truth.  Heavy on the ride symbol, choc full o' power chords, one finger bass, full synth, and I don't even like metal.

Is that one of the re-arrangements of a Dungeon Explorer 1 track? Where in the game do you hear it?

[offsidewing]

From a straight up bonafide musical snob:

Runnin' in the Dark - DE2.  There really isn't a better song made for a video game, ever.  It's a proven, undeniable, unfallable truth.  Heavy on the ride symbol, choc full o' power chords, one finger bass, full synth, and I don't even like metal.

Is that one of the re-arrangements of a Dungeon Explorer 1 track? Where in the game do you hear it?

I haven't played the game in a decade (but it's sitting on my book shelf) but I rock out to it on my Hudson 93 Music CD often.

[Tatsujin]

From a straight up bonafide musical snob:

Runnin' in the Dark - DE2.  There really isn't a better song made for a video game, ever.  It's a proven, undeniable, unfallable truth.  Heavy on the ride symbol, choc full o' power chords, one finger bass, full synth, and I don't even like metal.

Is that one of the re-arrangements of a Dungeon Explorer 1 track? Where in the game do you hear it?

I haven't played the game in a decade (but it's sitting on my book shelf) but I rock out to it on my Hudson 93 Music CD often.

may you make a rip off and upload it somewhere? since this title STILL isn't in my library:|

:edit:

ah sorry, it can be downloaded in the BGM DL section > http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DRZNMM3P

[grahf]

I can think of thee different SCD tracks from the top of my head, but dont know the track numbers or names...
Hucard wise, im currently digging the 3rd stage music from Final Soldier.

[Keranu]

A lack of effort can be greater than too much effort ;) .

Yes, for example when comparing a low-effort Hudson-made game to a high-effort Accolade-made game... Hudson will most certainly win.

I thought our posts were mainly referring to Telenet games? You don't need to spend a whole crap load of effort and time making a good song. The synthy songs in a lot of Telenet games are just simple and catchy, all you need for a good song and more especially for a video game.

[esteban]

Nice stevek666. Finally someone who appreciates this game!

I recommend the album Magical Trick Society: Dragon Spirit - Lead into Genesis, it is a dojin album with Dragon Spirit remixes. It's pretty poor, but I love the remix of Paleozoic Era (despite it being too rock-ish for my taste).

I will upload it along with the songs you mentioned here. Why? Because they need listenin'.

The Paleozoic Era
Jungle
Dark Castle - Boss

Thanks for sharing those tracks . It is fun to hear different versions, even though the HuCard tunes rock even harder! You and sunteam_paul must have missed the bashing that Dragon Spirit's soundtrack took not too long ago -- I was the only one to defend its honor.

I haven't really heard any Dragon Spirit remixes, so I should check them out.

[Joe Redifer]

The Ryo Yomenitsu arrangements of Dragon Saber are pretty good.  It's like Ys meets Dragon Spirit if you can imagine something so incredibly CrAzY!