Favorite Tunes #218: Inkwell Isle One

One of my favorite robots in gaming is getting some love in Favorite Tunes this week. No, it is not Mega Man. Or Proto Man. Or even X. There's also a rendition from Secret of Mana, the flying opossum, Sparkster and a lesser known Nintendo racer.

Fear of the Heavens - Secret of Mana (PS4, PSV, PC)

I have not read any reviews for this remake but I'm well aware that is has been getting blasted both by fans and critics. Nevertheless, I bought the game on release day and as a big fan of the original, I've really been enjoying it. The music seems to be a miss with most folks, but you have the option to switching over to the original SNES score. Not every arranged track is a winner but I've liked most of what I've heard.

Stage 3 - Sparkster (GEN)

There's an SNES version of Sparkster that released the same year as this Genesis version did. They are two completely different games, however. Both games do use some of the same themes so it is nice to see how certain tracks come out on their respective hardware. Much like the original Rocket Knight Adventures, Sparkster was largely overlooked.

Inkwell Isle One - Cuphead (PC, XBO)

Beautiful, cartoonish visuals, chaotic run and gun gameplay and a a plethora of bosses. Cuphead has done extremely well on numerous fronts. I picked up some Cuphead merch in the form of adorable plushies of the two main characters, Cuphead and Mugman. Just a few days ago, I snagged the Devil. If a physical release of the Cuphead soundtrack became available en mass, I would cop that with the quickness.

Mission 2 (Cilius Moon Weapon Factory) - Sol-Feace (SCD)

In the monumental Favorite Tunes #200, I posted the Genesis rendition of Mission 2 from Sol-Deace (no idea why the two versions go by different names). Well, here's the arranged SEGA CD (MEGA CD for my Japanese and European readers) version of that very same track. It does not lose a single ounce of bounce on CD quality audio.

Monster Dance - Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally (NES)

Released only in Japan, you'd think this baby would get more exposure on Nintendo's eShop but no such luck. At least not yet. That cool backwards hat and mechanic uniform Mario is sporting in Super Mario Odyssey is taken from this very game. The composer of this super catchy, highly upbeat track is Soyo Oka. You may have heard of her. She wrote the music to a little game called Super Mario Kart.

Planet Brainwave - Super Bomberman R (NS)

Hopefully last year's Super Bomberman R isn't the last we've seen of our favorite little blaster. But this is Konamiw we're talking about. The game may not have set the world on fire but at least Konami managed to not screw it up with microtransactions or charging for additional save slots. Heck, one of the updates included some Konami costumes such as characters from the Mystical Ninja Games and the Vic Viper from Gradius.

Favorite Tunes Database

Fantastic First Level Themes Vol. 5

They say you never forget your first. First kiss. First car. First level of a video game. We're here to focus on that last one. The first level of a video game can say a lot about the rest of the game. It can be a great way to grab the player for invested play time. For a lot of us, not only do we remember the first level because it is the start of a game, but because the music with that beginning level really stayed with us.

Challenger 1985 - Gradius (ARC ver.)

Almost every Gradius game after this one starts out with a track that uses a quicker pace. The original Gradius starts things out a bit slower and I'm perfectly fine with that. Challenger 1985 is one of the more cheerful Gradius themes and will have you humming along as you blast enemies and power up the Vic Viper. I love the old synth the first Gradius game uses.

Lakeside - Sparkster (SNES)

Sparkster is a follow up to the Genesis Rocket Knight Adventures game, which was a Genesis exclusive. Sparkster, however, is on the SNES and Genesis, But while the share the same title and music, they are both two completely different games. The SNES version of Sparkster opens with this beautifully triumphant, heroic theme. If Sparkster was given a designated tune, I think this should definitely be it.

Got2BAStar - Mighty Switch Force! 2 (3DS, Wii U)

The good news is that the Hooligan Sisters have reformed. The bad news is that they are still getting into trouble. You've got a whole planet on fire and like a bunch of dumb blondes, all of them are smack dab in the middle of the inferno. Everything is burning to a crisp and the game starts off with this oh-so-lively beat. Well the original Mighty Switch Force was known for it's upbeat music, so, no surprise that this one keeps that same quality.

Corneria - Star Fox (SNES)

Do a barrel roll! Oh wait, that phrase came about one game later. Regardless, barrel rolls, could still be done in the original Star Fox. I can still hear those garbled out voices just listening to the game's opening theme. You can pick from one of three routes, with each path serving up different stages, you'll always begin on some version of Corneria.

Splash Hill Zone Act 1 - Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I (Multi)

Sonic 4's music may not have been Jun Senoue's best work, but it was hardly terrible. It has a distinct
Genesis flair but with a modern touch. The opening act of Splash Hill Zone is like a homecoming to the blue blur and no whinny fans complaints about the physics not being like the Genesis games is ever going to ruin that for me.

Missing in Action

The world of gaming holds a copious amount of characters. Some have been fortunate enough to obtain superstar status. Others haven't been so lucky and have faded away. But even massively popular characters can take walk on the bad side of the virtual town and end up disappearing for a while. The characters listed below aren't quite dead but considerable time has passed since they had a game to call their own.

 Mega Man

While he isn't quite gone, the treatment he's seen over the past year and half is pretty unusual for such a big icon. One of the biggest franchises at Capcom, Mega Man hasn't seen an original title since 2010's Mega Man 10.  Things really turned sour when both Mega Man Universe and Mega Man Legends 3 were canceled in 2011. The cancellation of the aforementioned games has caused many to believe that Capcom wants to kill the character off, hates him, and wants nothing to do with him. His exclusion from Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was highly suspect given that the character was in the first two games. Giving Zero an X skin as an alternate costume did little to quell fan's rage. Mega Man did end up being included as part of the roster for Street Fighter X Tekken, but since it bordered on being an older, cosplay-like version from the American 1987 Mega Man, it only added fuel to the fire. True, his inclusion was planned long in advance, but the character's reveal couldn't have come at a worse time. But isn't all gloom and doom for Blue Bomber fans. In May of 2011, Archie's Mega Man comic launched and has been running strong ever since. X will also be a playable character in Namco Bandai's Project X Zone for the 3DS. Having said that, no one knows when any incarnation of Mega Man will come back with his own game. This year will mark Mega Man's 25th anniversary and Capcom has some plans to celebrate but fans aren't getting their hopes up.

 Pulseman

Believe it or not, Game Freak has made games other than Pokemon. They were responsible for the excellent GBA Drill Dozer and long before that, there was Pulseman, an amazing 2D platformer on the Genesis that boasted some of the finest audio and visuals the system had ever seen. Pity that was Pulseman's only game because they character loos so cool. Game Freak didn't completely forget about Pusleman as there are numerous references to the character and the game throughout the Pokemon series, including Pokemon designs, battle themes and attacks. Still, it would be nice for Pulseman to make a comeback.

Sparkster

It seems like Konami is all about Metal Gear and Silent Hill these days but back in the '90s, someone got the brilliant notion to give a possum a rocket pack, a sword, some armor and call him a Rocket Knight. Sparkster was born out of the mascots with attitude craze that Sonic the Hedgehog spawned but unlike all the cheap knock-offs, Sparkster didn't have an attitude and his games were actually good. Sparstker stared in three games in the 1990s. Right knight Adventures on the Genesis, Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 also on the Genesis and Sparstker on the SNES. While Rocket Knight Adventures 2 and Sparkster share the same box art, the differences between these games are like night and day. Sparkster saw a revival a few years back on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in Rocket Knight but few find the game as memorable or engaging as Sparkster's past exploits. This character is one of the best things to come out of Konami so I wouldn't mind seeing him in more games. And would it kill Konami to release all three 16-bit Sparkster titles on Virtual Consoles, PSN or XBLA?

Alex Kidd

1990. That's how long it has been since Alex Kidd had his own game. This little guy was Sega's unofficial mascot in the days of the Master System. He certainly wasn't a bad character by any means but he wasn't swaying gamers away from the likes of Mario. When Sonic the Hedgehog hit the scene, poor Alex Kidd was given the boot and has been regulated to making cameo appearances ever since. He was one of my favorite racers in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing so I'm hoping he returns for the sequel.


Gunstar Heroes

Soldiers Red and Blue were the playable protagonists of the Genesis classic Gunstar Heroes. Released way back in 1993 fans were finally given a sequel in 2005 with Gunstar Super Heroes on the GBA. It was a great game but most tend to agree that the original was the better of the two. This was easily Treasure's most famous game, having been re-released numerous times. Originally, Treasure didn't make many sequels but Gunstar Heroes is one of the four game's the company has developed to be given such treatment, even if Gunstar Super Heroes caught some flack for reusing many of the original's ideas. Seeing as how Treasure is one of the most innovative developers in the business, I honestly believe they could find something new to implement into the series.  

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I realize I didn't even come close to scratching the surface on this topic but as I said, the gaming world has seen many faces come and go. I just picked a selection of characters I'd like to see get more attention. Who are some characters you'd like to see back in action?