Ah, the Super Nintendo, aka the best darn video game system known to mankind. As you may or may not know, I am not only a big fan of video game music, but I also do some remixes from time to time (such as the BIT.TRIP remix featured in our podcast) as well as write my own music. I am currently in the midst of creating a video game soundtrack for a game that does not exist anywhere outside of my head. Well, I’m calling it a soundtrack, but it might just end up a mishmosh of semi-related, sort-of-gamey-sounding music. We’ll see.

While writing this so-called soundtrack, I’ve been thinking a lot about what “video game music” means, or to be more precise, what it means to me personally to think of myself as a “video game musician”. In the 8-bit era video game music was limited heavily by hardware (check out my Top 10 NES Original Soundtracks (OSTs) here!), and the result was a distinct sound that could be instantly identified as video game music. The 16-bit era introduced better hardware, opening up more possibilities, but the resulting music still generally had its own sound. However, that hardware limit no longer exists (for the most part), and we are seeing all kinds of music popping up in video games, from classic chiptune sounds to sweeping cinematic tracks to rap, rock, electronic and anything else that the minds of musicians can imagine. Has video game music lost its identity? It seems to me that the only thing that defines video game music in the current gaming era is that it is music that appears in a video game.


Yes, this is pretty much the best video game system ever made.
I suppose that I still have a sense of there being a specific “video game” style nonetheless, even if it is not as concrete as it used to be. Personally, I draw upon a wide range of music when creating my own, and my major influences include punk rock, electronic, piano pieces, and yes, of course, retro video game music. I like to think that my music is more along the lines of the direction video game music would have went towards if it had not turned so cinematic (not that there is anything wrong with cinematic game music, but it generally can’t stand along with retro game music for my tastes.) What does this long and boring story have to do with my top 10 list? Well, when all is said and done, 16-bit video game music, specifically that of the Super Nintendo, is probably my biggest musical influence. Period. The 8-bit era had some awesome music, no doubt, and it is no surprise to me that when musicians look to retro video games for inspiration, they tend to look at the 8-bit era first and foremost. But much like with visuals, gameplay, controls, etc. I really feel like the 16-bit era was everything that the 8-bit era was and then some, and that is where the bulk of my favorite video game soundtracks come from. So in making a list of my top 10 Super Nintendo soundtracks, you’re not just seeing a list of soundtracks that some nostalgic gamer is throwing together years after the fact, you are seeing a list of soundtracks that a musician has drawn upon heavily over the years, and that have never stopped influencing him deeply at his creative core. Neat!

Before we start, I have a self-imposed rule for this list; I will only choose one soundtrack per franchise. Otherwise a few key franchises might overrun the entire list, and that would not be fun, would it? I’m also choosing one song to post with each soundtrack, but this is not a best songs list, it is a best soundtracks list. The song is meant only to give a taste of what the soundtrack has to offer.

So let’s go already!

So there you have it, my top 10 SNES original soundtracks. Do you agree? Disagree? Why not list your top 10s?! And don’t forget to check out my Top 10 NES Original Soundtracks (OSTs) as well!

Just missed the cut: F-Zero, Earthworm Jim, Gradius III, Star Fox, Super Castlevania IV, Super Mario RPG, Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers

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@kriswright I've never played Earthbound! Blame Nintendo for not putting it on VC!

Mop it up said:

Mega Man X's soundtrack is about as generic as 90s games get.

This is patently wrong on every single level. I can tell you for a fact that both in the production style and the song-writing there is not much else like the Mega Man X game music.

Those aren't facts, they're just preferences, like all this is.

"Generic" isn't really a preference though, it is not saying anything about the individual's tastes. It is saying something very specific about the thing in relation to its peers.

For instance, you can say that Phoenix Wright is a crappy game and that is a preference. But you can't accurately say that it is a generic game, because it doesn't have some standardized set of qualities that a bunch of other games have.

What I meant by that is that it sounds generic to me, I hear nothing unique about it and can't tell the difference between it and most of the other rock music of that decade. It's like how you consider it to be special, you're not saying it like it's a fact that it stands out, it stood out to you and you like it.

Yeah I think you could maybe say the argument that the samples in the game used are generic, since they are used in many other games, but I don't see how its compositions are any more generic than, say, Final Fantasy IV, which by all accounts could just be labeled as an SNES game that attempts to have a brassy, epic, orchestral score. I think if you break down the compositions in Mega Man X, they're just...undeniably Mega Man.



I mean, does that really sound any more or less generic than an NES game with fantastic music? I know it's using more instruments than an NES game but I think the composition really shines through. There are some weird lines in Sting Chameleon's song. It's so...in your face? But then it's kind of chill and ramps back up to the main melody. Looooove it.

There's 8-bit music of Mega Man 7 by the way. Makes me feel like MM7 was just an NES game that got canceled and moved to the SNES.

I think it is kind of a fact that it stands out as far things that are measurable like production styles and composition. Whether that makes it stand out to any given person listening to it well... YMMV.

BUT... if you know some rock bands that sound like Mega Man X music, I'm totally up for a listen. That's what I've been looking for like all of my life! This Bad Religion song kind of reminds me of Mega Man style music... but only kind of.



Mostly just the beginning riff. But it is just a single guitar doing the solo, it would need dual lead solos to truly feel like Mega Man, heh.

Wait, you like Mega Man 7? Quick, see if you can figure out which Mega Man 7 song I ripped off in this song I made.

@PogueSquadron That's the thing though, I'm not trying to argue anything, just stating what it sounds like to my tastes.

@Zero How would you measure those things though? I mean you can measure production values and sure, they put effort into Mega Man X's soundtrack. But that doesn't mean the actual music sounds good to everyone. It doesn't to me.

Yeah but "generic" is not a judgmental term, it doesn't inherently mean that something is good or bad. It just means that it shares a significant amount of qualities with its peers without having a significant amount of unique qualities. Most people considering that a bad thing, true, but generic doesn't automatically mean bad. As for the reverse, being not generic certainly does not make something automatically good.

I kind of wish there was a ton of stuff that sounded like Mega Man / Mega Man X music in the world of rock. I feel like a large part of why I got into trying to make (punk) rock music came from me thinking fine, if no one else will make the songs I want to listen to, I guess I will have to do it myself...

...not that I got very far back then. My rock career was kind of a failure, lol. So now I do mostly electronic stuff. But even in electronic there still isn't much that captures what the 16-bit Mega Man stuff did. Mostly it just rehashes 8-bit style music, but much, much worse.

And that's what I was saying, to me it doesn't sound unique. I'm not saying it isn't like it's a fact, I am saying what it sounds like to me. That's the distinction that I think was lost in my original statement, and may still be being lost as I try to explain. I don't think it's bad, I don't think it's good. It didn't stick out to me, hence, I used the word "generic." Perhaps I should have said "generic-sounding" or something that would have solidified it's what it sounded like to me and I wasn't trying to say it as a fact that it is what it is. Something can sound generic to a person without actually being generic.

I wish there was more music like the soundtracks of the SNES because I feel like most of it is a lot more melodic than game music of today, and that's the kind I like best.

Ahh Lufia music. I have yet to play 1 but 2 is one of favorite RPGs ever. It's a shame that Lufia was constantly overlooked in that era compared to Final Fantasy.

The ending song to Lufia II is such a sad song.

@Mop it up Ah yeah I see what you mean now. And yeah I agree 100% that it was way more melodic than most current soundtracks. This is how I try to write music as well.

Very strange list. Strongly agree with some (but not their placement) and strongly disagree with others.

10 isn't nearly enough. Should be top 100. SNES games had fantastic soundtracks.

Off top of my head I can easily think of games like Prince Of Persia, Actraiser (2 as well), DKC1 (arguably better than 2), LTTP, FF2, Super Adventure Island, Mystical Ninja, F-Zero, Chrono Trigger (though I think it's overrated), and tons more.

Where is the DKC3 love everyone! I hear you all talking about 1 & 2 when we all know 3 is the best!

3 is... not the best. It is inferior to 2 on pretty much every measurable level. And certainly music.

Zero said:

BUT... if you know some rock bands that sound like Mega Man X music, I'm totally up for a listen.

I know this was just part of your argument, but I couldn't resist Metal (particularly heavy metal) is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Mega Man X-esque music; particularly when guitar solos come up.

- this song has some melodic guitar leads spread throughout, so it has that in common with a lot of Mega Man X music

- This is the first song I thought of; Judas Priest is like the ultimate Mega Man X band

- anything Slayer would have to be boss/final stage related, haha

- This would fit well in Mega Man X3's Super NES soundtrack. I'm thinking Tunnel Rhino in particular.

- This reminds me of Wire Sponge's theme.

- This is probably an unusual choice, but this makes me think of some of the more atmospheric/doomy Sigma stage themes; particularly the first and fourth Sigma stages in the first X game.



I could probably come up with enough songs to fit every level in the first three X games

Oh yeah as others mentioned, Star Fox really really is worthy of a top mention.

Illusion of Gaia has some great tracks too.
And Super Castlevania 4.
Gradius 3?
Final Fight.
Super Ghouls N Ghosts.

Edit: I'm an idiot, in my last post I said you were missing some that were indeed there.

@X-pert74 Oh yeah, metal is probably the most video game-like genre, at least in the way melodies and dual melodies and such happen. I do like some metal, although I can't get super into it overall. I like the more melodic stuff in general. You know, the stuff the "real" metal fans think is for wussies.

@Zero
3 is my favorite. The music may not be better but the world design is great and level design is great.

carlosrox said:

Chrono Trigger (though I think it's overrated)

BANNED FOR LIFE.

@Pokefreak911

I think you're the first person I've ever "met" that really enjoyed Donkey Kong Country 3.