History AwesomeMusic / ThirdGenerationOrEarlier

* ''ACTION52''/''Cheetahmen II'' ...what's this? The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3hC3V_HDjc music]] is awesome? And it's spawned [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUeYdjZJJBM dozens]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6gXH1zxdy4 of]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbC5dBqTI-k remixes]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lyg809cbWw on]] [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Nico Nico Douga]]? What's going on here?!

* Despite the limits of 1984 technology, ''[[Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy Below the Root]]''[='=]s soundtrack made use of melody to invoke the chants and rituals that pervaded Green Sky life in the original book. Windham Classics also did a great job with classical music for TheWonderfulWizardofOz text-adventure.

* The Famicom tie-in to Osamu Tezuka's ''{{Phoenix}}'' has some excellent music. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wpHJ7b9gdI Stage 1]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQI8IgcdpbA Stage 3]] stand out.

* ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure'' pushed the sound generating capabilites of the NES to its limit, and it shows - a variety of tunes in a number of styles, from [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHGAkDTQMd8 cheery]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUS_S6dVDTo intense]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAaPQOhLA2Y ethereal]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgEfy2yNjnY pure awesome]].

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpyKPFpPWXw Showdown at the Tower]] from ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong94''. It even has a neat solo around the middle!
** [[http://www.jonnyatma.com/gametal/stage98.html And here's an impossibly epic fan remix.]]

* ''VideoGame/JourneyToSilius'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vTs2P-qMDI Level 2 music.]] May your auditory senses weep with joy at such epicness.

* ''VideoGame/JourneytoSilius'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vTs2P-qMDI Level 2 music.]] May your auditory senses weep with joy at such epicness.

* ''VideoGame/MarbleMadness''. It was one of the first games to even have a proper soundtrack (as well as the first game to use FM synthesizers for audio), [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g2eQeA15-s and it's still sounds awesome to this day.]]

* Namco's ''RollingThunder'', released in 1986, had some of the best music of any arcade game in its day, especially the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhgme63EnOM first stage theme]].

** The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VNyQgGSXzQ B Theme on the Game Boy version]] also stands out to many players as the perfect music for going for a record high score. It's the bass line.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZpJ7zVZUg4 This cover]] especially brings out its inner badass.

* ''Film/TopGun: The Second Mission'' has an awesome [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjClragapBw soundtrack]] to make up for the near-complete lack of music in its prequel, and someone made an even better [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr2uEU9plWc remix]] of the first level music.

* ''VideoGame/DuckTales'' laughs in the face of TheProblemWithLicensedGames, regularly being cited as Exhibit A in licensed games' favour. And one reason for this is the outstanding music.

** The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VNyQgGSXzQ B Theme on the Game Boy version]] also stands out. It's the bass line.

* As bad as the game is, ''Toxic Crusader''[='=]s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZYiRP2pVZ0 Stage 1 theme]] is surprisingly good.

* ''[[{{Kirby}} Kirby's Adventure]]'' pushed the sound generating capabilites of the NES to its limit, and it shows - a variety of tunes in a number of styles, from [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHGAkDTQMd8 cheery]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUS_S6dVDTo intense]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAaPQOhLA2Y ethereal]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgEfy2yNjnY pure awesome]].

** The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtdavtO9QyI Ending Credits]] music califies as CrowningMusicOfAwesome, too.

* ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}'' claimed on the title screen that the programmers denied responsibility for "the elevator music" - which does the soundtrack a disservice, as it's seriously kickass. At least half the tracks would qualify as awesome:
** Some of the tracks are taken from earlier awesome works such as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbPg24abDAE Offenbach's Galop (AKA "The Can-can")]] (which, through its use in the game's first level, remains one of the most instantly recongisable ''Lemmings'' tracks), [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlJpl1nHHEQ Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca]], and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fILi4wR04EA Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Little Swans]] (which sounds truly eerie in its ''Lemmings'' incarnation).
** Meanwhile, some of the arrangements achieve awesomeness through humour, such as the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4-kmCgHPb8 doglike sound effect-laden arrangement]] of "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?" and the hilarious [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b8EzCd9w54 medley]] of "Ten Green Bottles", the Funeral March from Chopin's Piano Sonata No.2, and the [[LohengrinAndMendelssohn Bridal March]] from Wagner's ''Lohengrin''.
** Among the originals, there are many first class contributions from Tim Wright and Brian Johnston, including [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvCFnS6ttfU "Lemming 1"]] (a Music/PachelbelsCanon-inspired track first heard in Fun 2), [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKSgJS5e9s4 "Lemming 2"]] (first heard in Fun 4), [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5jYvzAX3jQ "Lemming 3"]] (first heard in Fun 10), and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5jYvzAX3jQ "Tim 4"]] (first heard in Fun 15).
** And then there are the tracks taken from previous Psygnosis games for levels which pay homage to said games, including the blood-chilling ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBOAhd2BWL4 Shadow of the Beast]]'' and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XUS5X0kP6Y Shadow of the Beast II]]'' and the adrenaline-charged ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLZYJCBAoNM Menace]]'' and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUuFp646yFo Awesome]]''.

** Some of the tracks are taken from earlier awesome works such as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlJpl1nHHEQ Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fILi4wR04EA Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Little Swans]] (which sounds truly eerie in its ''Lemmings'' incarnation), and a hilarious [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b8EzCd9w54 pastiche]] of "Ten Green Bottles", the Funeral March from Chopin's Piano Sonata No.2, and the [[LohengrinAndMendelssohn Bridal March]] from Wagner's ''Lohengrin''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}'' may have claimed on the title screen that the programmers denied responsibility for "the elevator music" - which does the soundtrack a disservice, as it's seriously kickass. At least half the tracks would qualify as awesome:

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TKV_90aYgI Music]] from ''ShadowOfTheBeast''.

* Contra! [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tifv7qh_hmY The first stage]] deserves merit.

* Even at the classic ages, ''NinjaGaiden'' gives out nifty musics. Like [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuyktFDC6oc this music piece from the Stage 4-2, which doubles as the credits song.]]
** The sequel opens up with an [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC24luXaI_I awesome first stage music]].

* The Game Boy version of NBAJam has a nice [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nap8Kkt4rho title theme]].
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v23dgFdccTE Mission 2 - Kendhull Badlands]] from Project S-11 is very catchy
* A somewhat obscure pinball game, Rollerball, had only one table, and one background song. But it was [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OetY-T9YSu0 awesome.]]
* ''VideoGame/SweetHome''. AKA the Famicom game that was the precursor to today's survival horror games such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Here is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A8O5KA3m5o the]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiKUc0qv14U entire]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H11vSCVfDfs soundtrack]].
* From "Dragon Spirit: The New Legend", the music for [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T08ddGaUuOQ stage 3]].
* The Famicom tie-in to Osamu Tezuka's {{Phoenix}} has some excellent music. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wpHJ7b9gdI Stage 1]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQI8IgcdpbA Stage 3]] stand out.

* The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZygu06kiQU Ending Credits]] of the GB Version of ''[[VideoGame/PanelDePon Tetris Attack]]'' is one of the most Heartwarming songs ever written. The part from about 2:00 onwards is notably heartwarming.
** It's the same song as the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ljfawOKLc Yoshi's Island theme]].
* As bad as the NES Rambo game was, it had some awesome music, such as the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAPDTRhNd3U Title Theme]] and the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3iEOXcT6TI Jungle Theme]].
* [[{{Kirby}} Kirby's Adventure]] pushed the sound generating capabilites of the NES to its limit, and it shows - a variety of tunes in a number of styles, from [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHGAkDTQMd8 cheery]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUS_S6dVDTo intense]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAaPQOhLA2Y ethereal]] to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgEfy2yNjnY pure awesome]].
* Late in the Famicom's life, Konami came up with an mapper called the [=VRC7=] which among other things packs a derivative of the [=YM2413=] sound chip, in essence combining the sound capabilities of the Famicom and the SegaMasterSystem. Sadly, it was only ever used in one game which was released in 1991 [[NoExportForYou in Japan]], but it didn't go to waste. It should therefore come as no surprise that those who have played ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W015Wlpgy1E Lagrange Point]]'' all claim it has the most technically sophisticated music of any game on the system.

* ''Treasure Master's'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7hOL2yP0B0 soundtrack is so awesome]] it sacrificed ''all other game audio'' for it.

* ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EcgruWlXnQ Monty On the Run]]'' was often described as "worth buying for the music alone". The music, the first half of which is a SuspiciouslySimilarSong to Charles Williams' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2eqX93umXo "Devil's Galop"]] (the theme tune of late 1940s radio adventure ''Dick Barton - Special Agent'') but the second half of which is EpicRocking, UsefulNotes/{{Commodore 64}} style (it takes nearly ''six minutes'' before the tune finally wraps around, an eternity by 1985 game music standards), regularly features near the top of lists of the greatest tracks from the [=C64=] library.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAiigYSIE20 Instrumental version of the above]].

** By the same composer (Rob Hubbard), [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loxNsskgMkk One Man and his Droid]]
** Really, most of Rob Hubbard's output. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdzfOXkZrY0 Nemesis the Warlock]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmmEBO2lDVI Thing on a Spring]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrQuR1LHAVI Commando]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWxKwq_89B4 Lightforce]], and many others. There's a reason one out of every six songs on [[http://remix.kwed.org/ remix.kwed.org]] is a Hubbard song.

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPWKlpbGtHE Various themes]] from ''Mike Tyson's PunchOut''. Yes, even the one now famous on the internet for [[MemeticMutation "Nigga Stole My Bike"]].
** the Wii Remix of the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndaP9iieaok Main Theme.]]

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr3AgwGNXlU Ufouria]], too.
*** Now with a VideoGame/{{Lemmings}} [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqpNHElfzUs rendition]].

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppy75ve4f8E Epic music is epic]].
* ''VideoGame/DuckTales'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_80PQ543rM The Moon]].
** Oh, and there's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Uvozz1Sp0 an orchestrated remix on YouTube as well.]] It's every bit as awesome as the original.

* NES VideoGame/DoubleDragon II: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtsaGZIZVLs Shizukanaru Tsuiseki (A Quiet Pursuit)]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKP7SFst4MM Asayake no Kaishingeki (A Pleasant Advance to the Morning Glow)]] and of course [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggQopFG5RVQ Souryuu no Otakebi (Roar of the Twin Dragons)]].
* {{Recca}}. '''TOO''' bright example not to get a mention. Not only is it the only licensed NES game to get a trance soundtrack, it also fits the game like nothing else (some may say, though, that Recca needs a GOOD music replacement, while 70% or more of people disagree meanwhile). [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoySgoAHxTs Some music samples to make you get the full soundtrack somewhere.]]

* The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO1Fpf9up1c Stuntman Seymour in-game theme]] isn't half bad for a C64 game. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO1Fpf9up1c (The high-quality version feels a little more 8-bit.)]]

* Tecmo World Wrestling: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4UWv7zgTEU Invincible Attack (theme of Akira Dragon)]], as well as [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-20hNc8p4Q this mildly Russian-flavoured tune]].
* Skate or Die 2 has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8TmIxHSBcU one of the most metal soundtracks for the NES]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XetgpWY7WOg#t=35s The C64 version of the first game]] had a rocking theme as well. ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKb1YDvYaNw The NES version]] wasn't bad either, but it's those guitar and synth samples that makes the C64 version even better.)
* You know what, lets's just say the Commodore 64's schtick is CrowningMusicOfAwesome and leave it at that. The thing has a freaking programmable FILTER in its SID chip.
* The arcade versions of ''{{Gradius}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'' used a type of magnetic "bubble memory" that required the machine to literally warm up to a certain temperature, a process taking over a minute and a half. That's a long time for an arcade operator to wait, so thus, while the machines booted, they played [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEueYGq2mT4 a catchy little baroque tune]] known as "Morning Music".
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wStE9_o8HMc Turbo Outrun]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RypdLW4G1Ng Hot Rod]], by Jeroen Tel. Keep in mind that those sounds are coming from a ''Commodore 64''.
** And as if that weren't impressive enough? WordOfGod (see the [=YouTube=] comments on that first link) says that Jeroen coded these tunes in assembly language as a ''teenager''.

** And the same guy did another equally awesome soundtrack, too-- this one for a licensed game based on a hippo-shaped chocolate candy. Behold [[http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BD150034C0286A95 Das Geheimnis der Happy Hippo-Insel]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}''. At least half the tracks would qualify (some because they're taken from earlier awesome works such as Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca) but among the originals, there is [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz1pX4wntM8 Level 15]].

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JWyeybes9g Monty On the Run.]]

** From the next game in the ''VideoGame/MontyMole'' series, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQG8vkNG8aM Auf Wiedersehen Monty]].

** The UsefulNotes/{{Commodore 64}}, meanwhile, has the in game music from ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kdBlRwG7kA Treasure Island Dizzy]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMoPaqGiaH0 Magicland Dizzy]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5VIpMpLuOc Spellbound Dizzy]]'', and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNIo6PoJYYA Prince of the Yolkfolk]]''.

** The {{Commodore 64}}, meanwhile, has the in game music from ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kdBlRwG7kA Treasure Island Dizzy]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMoPaqGiaH0 Magicland Dizzy]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5VIpMpLuOc Spellbound Dizzy]]'', and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNIo6PoJYYA Prince of the Yolkfolk]]''.

** And while it may have come later, there's the utterly glorious [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsW4TwZs0Sg Climax Mix]] from ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''.

* ''Treasure Master's'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7hOL2yP0B0 soundtrack is so awesome]] it sacrificed ''all other game audio'' for it.

* The BBCMicro isn't the first platform that comes to mind in terms of awesome music, but [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEzbcmgo-_A Galaforce]] (starts at 3:12 on the linked video) is one that Beeb fans don't forget easily.

** On the ZXSpectrum, there's the in game music from ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMrfaGbjeKI Fantasy World Dizzy]]'', ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVIPCoqqbuQ Magic Land Dizzy]]'', and ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX1vSMMby08 Spellbound Dizzy]]''.

* ZXSpectrum's ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S0bVF36r2Y Havoc]]'' theme. Some of the most intense bleeps and boops you'd hear on that machine.