30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 1 

title screen music:
Solstice (NES) - title
composer: Tim Follin

probably not the only time you'll see a follin song on this list, but this one was too good to pass up

youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZ

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 2 

opening level music:
Touhou Imperishable Night (PC) - Illusionary Night ~ Ghostly Eyes
composer: ZUN

a very good first stage theme that really sets the tone for the game

youtube.com/watch?v=oJmFNLpeZh

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 3 

8-bit music:
Pokemon Trading Card Game (GBC) - Club Master Duel
composer: Ichirō Shimakura

i was tempted to go with pc-88 music since that's technically 8-bit, but i decided to instead go with a rather obscure but very good piece of psg music

youtube.com/watch?v=VgMHWxN2U_

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 4 

music from a console exclusive series:
Ecco the Dolphin (Sega CD) - The Vents
composer: Spencer Nilsen

a rather unique track for the time. in general i find early redbook audio vgm to be experimental but this one is among the best

youtube.com/watch?v=upJ_1Q1WJy

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 5 

hub world or overworld music:
Dragon Quest VIII (PS2) - Strange World ~ Marching through the Fields
composer: Koichi Sugiyama

an overworld theme i never get tired of

youtube.com/watch?v=KWh7Qg8JRv

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 6 

music that makes you feel relaxed:
Sonic Adventure (DC) - Snowy Mountain (Icecap)
composer: Jun Senoue

not much to say about this one, just a very relaxing and atmospheric track from a game i like

youtube.com/watch?v=GsgjBf7nzb

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 7 

music from an indie game:
Freedom Planet (PC) - Jade Creek B
composers: Woofle, BlueWarrior

this game has so many good songs, it was hard to choose one. this one has a bit of a mega man feel

youtube.com/watch?v=G4aNj7uPhx

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 8 

music from a shooter (first or third person):
Metroid Prime (GC) - Magmoor Caverns
composer: Kenji Yamamoto

this counts, right? at least i didn't pick music from a shmup for this one

youtube.com/watch?v=QQCZIb0fbt

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 9 

music from a licensed game:
X-Men Children of the Atom (Arcade) - Avalon
composers: Takayuki Iwai, Syun Nishigaki, Hideki Okugawa

i generally don't like capcom's fighting game music as much as snk's or arika's but this is a very good final boss theme

youtube.com/watch?v=-MrRqivXJ8

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 10 

rpg battle music
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga - Hunting
composer: Shoji Meguro

feels somewhat unique even for an smt battle theme, and i like it

youtube.com/watch?v=EVCPSFvNls

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 11 

puzzle game music:
Cleopatra Fortune - In Game Music
composer: Zuntata

this list has gone long enough without a zuntata track

youtube.com/watch?v=49MH6AeFA2

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 12 

music that makes you sad:
Bionic Commando (NES) - Area 5
composer: Junko Tamiya

a have certain associations with this track thanks to listening to it a lot during a certain period of my life, but even on its own it's a standout nes track from a composer that deserves more recognition

youtube.com/watch?v=GjKzFihYYf

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 13 

music you like from a game you don't like:
J.J. & Jeff (TG-16) - Field 3
composer: Takeaki Kunimoto

how does a game about toilet humor have a track this good?

youtube.com/watch?v=VuE_eBH5l-

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 14 

music featuring vocals:
Final Zone II (TG-CD) - Momoko Ring's Theme
composer: unknown (developed by reno)

while final zone 2 features telenet's usual bottom tier english voice acting, both the japanese and english versions of this song are very good

jp: youtube.com/watch?v=fq5A4h3DRY
us: youtube.com/watch?v=2OBjRp0AaX

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 15 

boss battle music:
Phantasy Star 4 (Genesis) - Laughter
composer: Izuho Numata

it doesn't have to be a normal boss theme, right? this ost in general is one of my favorites, but i love this song in particular because it puts you in the exact mood for fighting the bosses this theme accompanies

youtube.com/watch?v=IvszxdJNvt

30-day Video Game Music Challenge meta 

forgot to do this yesterday because i was busy, so i'll do both now

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 16 

16-bit music:
Popful Mail (PC-98) - Jungle (Battle)
composer: Falcom JDK

pc-98 is a 16-bit computer, so why not show off the original version of this great track?

youtube.com/watch?v=ttbnZWaEVC

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 17 

music you never get tired of:

Galaxy Force II (Arcade) - Defeat (Scene B)
composer: Katsuhiro Hayashi

this was a tough one to pick for, so i decided to go with some classic sega jazz fusion. the same composer also did the soundtrack for quartet, which i considered for this list

youtube.com/watch?v=win0VX0jsx

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 18 

music in a game released the year you were born
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSX) - Wandering Ghosts
composer: Michiru Yamane

nearly every track in this game is a classic, so i decided to showcase one of my favorites that isn't among the more commonly talked about ones

youtube.com/watch?v=o_Yf8FFBar

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 19 

cover of music by a different artist:
Ashane - Ninjascape
cover of Ninja Gaiden II (NES) - act 3-2, composed by Ryuichi Nitta and Mayuko Okamura

probably my favorite ocremix

youtube.com/watch?v=znclJua7Q_

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 20 

music from a racing game:
Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune (Arcade) - Stream of Tears
composer: Yuzo Koshiro

you should listen to the soundtracks for all these games, they're amazing

youtube.com/watch?v=hFYFL_UaCn

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 21 

music you associate with frustration:
Gradius III (Arcade) - Crystal Labyrinth
composers: Miki Higashino, Seiichi Fukami, Kozo Nakamura, Mutsuhiko Izumi, Junichiro Kaneda

the music is probably one of the reasons i love the gradius series but the games are very unforgiving. the crystal stage (found only in the arcade version) is infamous for the cube rush section at the end

youtube.com/watch?v=2Ge9SYF4G7

30-day Video Game Music Challenge meta 

(updated since english wikipedia listed the wrong k. nakamura composer who worked at konami)

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 22 

town/village music:
Shining Force II (Genesis) - Town
composer: Motoaki Takenouchi

a very energetic and upbeat town theme we wish got more recognition

youtube.com/watch?v=v8g1L0STny

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30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 23 

underrated music:

Darius Gaiden (Arcade) - VISIONNERZ ~Hallucinated People~
composer: Hisayoshi Ogura

more zuntata goodness! what makes this track so amazing is how it contains the music used for the first stage, first boss, and second stage and seamlessly flows between all of them

youtube.com/watch?v=6FEdlAL3bX

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 24 

music you constantly have stuck in your head:
Hyper Duel (Arcade) - Cosmo Babylon
composer: Hyakutaro Tsukumo

the debut soundtrack of the thunder force 5 composer is very good

youtube.com/watch?v=c7VDsBzfPU

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 25 

music that gets you pumped:
Midnight Resistance (Genesis) - Flood of power
composers: Azusa Hara, Tatsuya Kiuchi, Hitomi Komatsu, Hiroaki Yoshida
arranged by Hitoshi Sakimoto

sakimoto's md soundtracks are legendary, and this one elevates a port marred by awkward control schemes

youtube.com/watch?v=e2l08TqFD6

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 26 

music you like from a game you haven't played:
We Love Katamari (PS2) - Katamari on the Swing
composers: Yuu Miyake, Yoshihito Yano

we love katamari has a great and varied soundtrack and we recommend you listen to all the songs on it

youtube.com/watch?v=NwmDUVxBxA

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 27 

music from a handheld game:
Mega Man Battle Network 2 (GBA) - Internet World
composer: Yoshino Aoki

probably our favorite of the mmbn internet themes

youtube.com/watch?v=afFOMVO3un

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 28 

music that makes you feel nostalgic:
Zelda Ocarina of Time (N64) - Zora's Domain
composer: Koji Kondo

already used a song from sonic adventure so why not have something from zelda instead

youtube.com/watch?v=AUyqvUG0yp

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 29 

final boss music:
The King of Fighters 95 (Arcade) - Guitar, Omega, and Rugal
composers: Akihiro Uchida, Masahiko Hataya, Yasuo Yamate, Brother-Hige, Pearl Sibakiti

snk fighters are known for their cheap final bosses, but at least they're accompanied by good music. the video linked here contains the original and arranged version of the song, the latter of which contains a sample you may recognize

youtube.com/watch?v=wX3ki-yllg

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 30 

credits music:
Metal Gear Solid 3 (PS2) - Way to Fall
composer: Starsailor

maybe this is cheating since this song wasn't composed for a video game, but it's too good not to use and gives a fitting mood to the end of a prequel starring a future villain

youtube.com/watch?v=F9hagVL-__

30-day Video Game Music Challenge day 25 

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