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[Pilgrimzero]

Now sure, some games have iconic SONGS. Zelda main theme. Castlevania main theme. SMB etc but those games have like 2 songs. A lot of games have a great main theme song.

Then we have Mega Man 2 which not only has a song for each level (and menus etc) but each of those songs is a BANGER. Air Man and Wood Man levels alone are great tracks. Not to mention MM2 is probably one of the top 3 NES games ever. And I could argue #1.

OST here:

Frankly the only other game that even seems to stand apart from other games OST wise, is Castlevania SotN. Which yeah is PS1 era)

OST here:

And yes, Ducktales does also have a good OST but IMO none of them are the real earworm that MM2 has

OST here:

 

[Orta]

Sunsoft Batman had a fantastic soundtrack. Whilst Googling for examples found some clever sod had redone it using snes hardware...

 

[fart town usa]

I always thought Mega Man 3 had the best MM OST, at least for NES. Never played the series much after NES. It could also be pure nostalgia for me though, I'd play MM3 with my best friend when we were 5 years old and he would effing crush it, dude was a master at those difficult games. His parents divorced and we lost contact for the most part in middle school. I'm almost 40 and us being separated as friends still breaks my heart. MM3 takes me back to those days.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

I always thought Mega Man 3 had the best MM OST, at least for NES. Never played the series much after NES. It could also be pure nostalgia for me though, I'd play MM3 with my best friend when we were 5 years old and he would effing crush it, dude was a master at those difficult games. His parents divorced and we lost contact for the most part in middle school. Us being separated as friends still breaks my heart. MM3 takes me back to those days.

Agree, everyone only talks about Mega Man 2 online for some reason, but honestly 3 and even 4 are both better games to me. Including music.

 

[RoboFu]

Konami was one of the few ot have custom sound chips in their carts.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

Konami was one of the few ot have custom sound chips in their carts.

Nothing in the 8/16-bit eras can ever top Castlevania III's soundtrack, IMO

 

[shiru]

Capcom had so many genius composers during the 8 & 16 bit eras. Pretty much every game of theirs had stellar soundtracks.

 

[Marcinkowski]

Sunsoft Batman had a fantastic soundtrack. Whilst Googling for examples found some clever sod had redone it using snes hardware...

Batman games from Sunsoft had fantastic soundtracks and that sunsoft bass *cheff's Kiss*

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Megaman 2 is epic, but objectively speaking, MM3 is even better. The title screen music alone is ridiculous for a 8-bit game, and the rest of the OST is banger after banger all the way to the staff roll.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

Here is a banger that is a total sleeper: Adventures in the Magic Kingdom. I've timestamped one of my favorite tracks (which sounds like it could be a Mega Man track) but the whole soundtrack is pretty good. This is one of Yoko Shimomura's first OSTs, so that helps explain why it is so good.

 

[eNT1TY]

Best NES soundtrack:


Honorable Mentions that aren't Megaman 2/3:

 

[fart town usa]

Konami was one of the few ot have custom sound chips in their carts.

I was playing the Japanese version last night via the Castlevania Collection on PS4/PS5. International version music is still great but man, the Japanese version sounds so incredibly good.

 

[cireza]

Obligatory :


Game Gear was supported until 1996 I think, and received some fantastic soundtracks. This is Lunar, the entire OST is awesome.


GG Aleste 3 is a 2020 game.


Many others to check on the console. Sylvan Tale, GG Shinobi etc...

I was playing the Japanese version last night via the Castlevania Collection on PS4/PS5. International version music is still great but man, the Japanese version sounds so incredibly good.

Japanese version uses additional hardware in the cartridge. You could add RAM and sound channels through cartridges on NES.

It adds so many things it sounds a bit ridiculous lol...

Memory management controller (Nintendo) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Ulysses 31]

 

[Spukc]

Sonic 3
Doom 2016
Core keeper
Guilty gear xx reloaded
Need for speed heat
Need for speed underground 2

 

[nkarafo]

All these NES OSTs are fine and all... But you never heard the NES sound chip do this:

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

You should have specified consoles, because the computers win in audio during the "8-bit era) by default, not to mention 8-bit era includes other consoles from years earlier, and arcades too.

 

[a multicultural team of v]

You should have specified consoles, because the computers win in audio during the "8-bit era) by default, not to mention 8-bit era includes other consoles from years earlier, and arcades too.

Arcades are a whole different story, as are other consoles, but what are you even comparing the NES to from PC, the PC speaker? Because that is all that existed in 1983 and it isn't even in the same ball park as an NES. Adlib didn't come out until four years after the NES and only supported FM synthesis. While I love the sound of OPL I'm not sure it could be considered strictly "better" than what the NES output, just different. The SNES in 1990 would have compared very favorably against a Sound Blaster (not even Pro or 16, just the original because that is all that existed in 1990). Actually comparing Star Wars themes the SNES is clearly better, and the PC output is from an SB16 (OPL3), which wasn't even out yet when the SNES launched.




I tried checking out the DOS Mega Man games to use as a comparison and holy shit I forgot just how BAD those ports were, they aren't even the same damn games and don't even have music lol

 

[AngelMuffin]

I won’t argue with MM2 or MM3 but I love me some Journey to Silius.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Cool thread and very cool picks so far, but...
What about Super C?

 

[F31 Leopard]

8 bit NES I'd would have to go with Blaster Master and Ninja Gaiden Trilogy. Some tracks from each respective titles.

 

[fart town usa]

All these NES OSTs are fine and all... But you never heard the NES sound chip do this:

Damn dude, that game is nuts, just looked up a video of it. I figured it was some ROM hack or fan game. But no, it's a real thing from made for a competition in 1992.

Wild.

 

[iHaunter]

Mega Man X >>>>>>> Mega Man

 

[fart town usa]

Bucky O'Hare has a great OST too. Game is brilliant as well. Legit one of the best games on the NES when it comes to gameplay, graphics, music.

 

[Omnipunctual Godot]

How in the FUCK has no one posted any Follin stuff yet?

Wolverine


Silver Surfer


Solstace

 

[shiru]

A couple favorites from Gargoyles Quest II







G.I. Joe - A Real American Hero

 

[Cyborg]

There can only be one!

 

[GeekyDad]

...Then we have Mega Man 2 which not only has a song for each level (and menus etc) but each of those songs is a BANGER. Air Man and Wood Man levels alone are great tracks. Not to mention MM2 is probably one of the top 3 NES games ever. And I could argue #1.

OST here:

...

As something of an aside, in that form, you really can appreciate the beauty of the brick-and-mortar of the melodies. I say this in all seriousness (as someone who started studying music classically when I was six-years-old, studied music performance in college, and is still active musically), they should use these types of compositions in university as a sort of "basic training." That title-screen tune, alone, is saying so much with so little. Yeah, there's some true inspiration there, not simply technical prowess.

 

[DGrayson]

Always worth a repost