VGM Saturdays #289: Does it Really Feel Like Christmas?

With 2020 being the year it has been, a lot of annual holidays have felt strange. I've wrapped a ton of presents, heard the songs and it still does not feel like Christmas. Even so, I'm still excited to see my family open their gifts and I do hope it feels like Christmas for you. We have some reappearing songs for this week's VGM Saturdays. Christmas-like music has become a reoccurring theme over the years of this feature and I don't intend to break that tradition. 

Stage 3-1 - Super Turrican (SNES)

The first Turrican game I ever played. Naturally the first thing I noticed was the soundtrack. Perhaps it was due to Super Turrican being my first game but this soundtrack is also really dang good! It is full of themes that scream adventure, action and urgency. The bells give this one an especially Christmasy feel.

Diamond Dust Act 1 - Sonic 3D Blast (SS)

The superior version of Sonic 3D Blast music. IMO of course. This is pure winter, Christmas music at it's finest. 

Freeze Man Stage - Mega Man 7 (SNES)

This one leans more towards winter than Christmas but I LOVE this track and I will jump at any chance to plug it. Despite the game's faults, Mega Man 7 remains  huge favorite of mine. The game is filled with secrets and in many cases, you have to use the special weapons from defeated Robot Masters to find them.

Cozy Cabin - Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)

This game is so freaking adorable. If you're looking for a chill game with a highly unique visual style that still holds up, Kirby's Epic Yarn is a wonderful jam.

White Ice (White Glacier) - Bomberman 64 (N64)

This little banger almost didn't make it into this week's VGM Saturday. I'm pretty sure I've posted this one before but those bells give it some added Christmas flavor and I'm going for more seasons greetings than anything else, so here we are.

Frozen Factory Zone 1 - Sonic Lost World (Wii U)

If not for Ice Cap Zone Act 1, this might be my favorite ice themed Sonic tune. I wouldn't end up playing Sonic Lost World until years after it released but I heard this song long before I played it. It was close to Christmas time, so for me, this song is one that I heavily associate with the holiday.

VGM Saturdays Database

VG Soundtrack of the Day 055: Sonic 3D Blast (SEGA Saturn ver.)

It has been a long time since we've had a Sonic soundtrack. Sonic 3D Blast was released on both the Genesis and the Saturn. The games play alike but the soundtracks to each version are very different. Everyone and their mother will go on and on about how the Genesis version is soooooooo much better than the Saturn music but those people are sick minded human beings that no one will ever love. Yes, the Genesis music to Sonic 3D Blast is good stuff but I'm one of those intellectuals that prefers the Saturn soundtrack. Rather than just be CD quality versions of the Genesis music, the Saturn music is completely new material, scored by Richard Jacques and it is exxxxxxxcellleeeeent.

Sonic 3D Blast (SEGA Saturn ver.) (YouTube)

VG Soundtrack of the Day Database

Favorite Tunes #274: Simply Having...

Christmas is but a mere four days away so this week's Favorite Tunes is peppered with some new material along with some old favorites. Happy holidays, everyone.

Planet Freon ~ Ice Scream - Ristar (GEN)

When Ristar was originally released in 1995, the game was overlooked. This was a time when the platformer was the dominate genre and it was pretty tough to compete with games like Yoshi's Island and Donkey Kong Country 2. Nonetheless, Ristar has its fans and SEGA has given the game plenty of love when it comes time to Genesis compilation releases. The game is a very competent platformer that shows off some marvelous visuals and some of the best music the Genesis has to offer.

Dhalsim's Theme [CPS-I] - Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (ARC)

There are some versions of SFII's music that I prefer over the arcade score. I think Sagat's stage music sounds better in home versions than it does on the stand-up audio. Dhalsim's theme is another one where the arcade version never really clicked with me. Until recently, that is. Sometimes it may take a while, in my case, years, before a music track grows on you.

Jack Turner Theme - Art of Fighting (NG)

The few Art of Fighting tracks for Terry's massive song list in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate got me to check out the soundtrack from the Art of Fighting series and yup, great jams across all three games. I am a sucker for a good piece of jazzy music and hearing this one really makes me wish it made the cut for Terry's song selection in Ultimate.

Frozen Factory Act 1 - Sonic Lost World (Wii U)

I played through Sonic Lost World a year or so ago and I gotta say, I didn't find the game to be the dumpster fire so many make it out to be. I thought the parkour system could have been executed better along with some level specific gimmicks, but overall, I had good time with the game. Of course the music was awesome, it was a Sonic game, after all. This one ranks as one of my top winter Sonic themes, right behind Ice Cap Zone Act 1.

Snow Mountain - Super Mario 64 (N64)

Super Mario 64 DS wasn't a bad port but I just couldn't get down with the controls. For that reason, the N64 version has always been my favorite, wonky Bowser model and all. I'd love an HD remaster of the game on the Switch and I'd have no complaints if the music were kept as is because this is still some of the best stuff Koji Kondo has ever composed.

Diamond Dust Act 1 - Sonic 3D Blast (SAT)

I'm one of those uncool dudes that prefers the Saturn version of Sonic 3D Blast's music. I still like the Genesis version well enough and there are some themes I think I better on the Genesis. Diamond Dust Act 1 on the Saturn however, wins by a mile. I love me some winter game music and doubly so if it sounds Christmasy. It has become something of a tradition to feature this track every December in Favorite Tunes before Christmas.

Favorite Tunes Database

Favorite Tunes #250: 50 from 300

We probably would have been past 250 by now but a few of my Favorite Tunes posts got delayed. Regardless, we're here now. Favorite Tunes grew into the feature it did out of my love for video game music and from observing fellow blogger Super Philip Central. This week also serves as a Christmas edition so there will be some Christmas/wintry music sprinkled in here. Happy holidays and gaming!

Once again, special thanks to Cat with Monocle for the (Mega Man 11 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) wallpapers.

Tundra Man Stage - Mega Man 11 (PS4, NS, XBO, PC)

Fun, challenging and introducing some new mechanics to the series, Mega Man 11 makes strides to push the series forward without relying on the old visual style that the previous two entries did. I've played through this game three times so it has certainly earned a spot on my top games of 2018 list. As winter/ice/snow themed music goes, Tundra Man's stage is pretty... cool. Sorry, not sorry. If you check the bio on Tundra Man, you'll find the company that manufactured him to be familiar.

F-ZERO Medley - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)

As per usual, one of the best things about the latest Super Smash Bros. is the music. It uses music from preexisting games, brings back remixes from past entries and has tons of brand new remixes. Ultimate is the first game since Brawl to give us some F-ZERO music other than a new Mute City arrangement. This F-ZERO Medley mixes Death Wind, Fire Field and Port Town. The man providing the lead vocals is the legendary Takenobu Mitsoyoshi, famous for providing vocals for the music in SEGA's Daytona series among other things.

Bleed Harder (Bleed 2 Theme) - Bleed 2 (PC, NS, PS4, XBO)

Something was missing in my video game library on the current gen systems I own: high octane, fast paced action. Bleed 2 delvers that in spades. You run, shoot, deflect bullets and defeat the enemy in style to a rocking soundtrack. It isn't a very long game. I think I finished it in under and hour, which gives it an arcade feel, but there's replayablity in earning higher rankings and unlockable characters.

Title - Phantasy Star (SMS)

The series is widely known for the online games these days, but back in the late early in early 1990s, Phantasy Star was an offline JRPG. If you're curious to check out the very first game, you should give SEGA AGES Phantasy Star a look on the Switch. As with most SEGA AGES titles, M2 has added new features like an auto fill in map feature, making navigating those 3D dungeons a lot easier.

Panacea - Hyper Light Drifter (PC, XBO, PS4, NS)

Before Ultimate released and begun consuming my time, I purchased Hyper Light Drifter off the eShop. It doesn't run at the promised 60fps, but that isn't a major issue for me. The game has a positively stunning visual pixel art style, so much better than what most other indie games that use. It's also quite hard. Like, really, really hard. Of the four paths I could take, I went to the right and while I've made some progress, I've died more times than I can count. I plan to get back into this one eventually.

Diamond Dust Act 1 - Sonic 3D Blast (SAT)

As has become  Christmas tradition, here's Diamond Dust Act 1 from the Saturn version of Sonic 3D Blast. Sonic 3D Blast is one of those games I often point at to demonstrate that the classic era of Sonic games is not all the sunshine and roses that so many fans and critics like to believe it was. Even so, both the Genesis and Saturn versions have really good soundtracks, which is a given for just about every Sonic game.

Favorite Tunes Database