Line #80 AwesomeMusic/ThirdGenerationOrEarlier


1	This is the SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic page for Platform/{{NES}}, [[Platform/SegaMasterSystem SMS]], Platform/{{MSX}}, [[Platform/GameBoy GB]] etc.
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3	* ''VideoGame/BlasterMaster'' for the NES was quite a popular game back then. It also had a very cool soundtrack. While it has been remixed before, there is only one that stands out from the rest. A Medley by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdG_MIEh9rI Vomitron]] is the most epic, so much it will make you sad when the remixed credits music ends.
4	* Ah, Korobeiniki! [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmCCQxVBfyM This song has burnt its way into the minds of almost every single gamer that has ever grasped a GameBoy in their lives. It's old, but damn if it's not good.]]
5	** Bradinsky from Atari/Tengen ''Tetris'' too!
6	** ''Tetris: The Grand Master ACE'' has an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMwrJdSEZ5s#t=4m18s epic trance remix of Katjusha]]. It plays during the latter 2/3 of Another Road, which makes it into a 20-minute [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels Crowning Level Of Awesome]].
7	** The ''Tetris: The Grand Master'' series, while lacking Korobeiniki, has some awesome music in its own right: "Hardening Drops (Instant Death Mix)" from [=TGM1=] (level 500-999), and the music from the first part of [=TGM3=]'s [[HarderThanHard Shirase]] mode.
8	** It's even ''better'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBmZAg8HxfY with a Live Orchestra]]!
9	** The [[https://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.
10	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWTFG3J1CP8 A Complete History of the Soviet Union Through The Eyes of A Humble Worker.]] It's still Korobeiniki, but the lyrics are sheer brilliance.
11	** The NES version has "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0YLjccRPZg Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy]]" as its main song.
12	** The [[http://vimeo.com/8914906 EPIC C64 Tetris]] music is 25+ minutes of pure awesome. It's the only good thing about that version of the game, but man, it's awesome.
13	* Rob Hubbard was one of the masters of the SID (Sound Integration Device), the Platform/Commodore64's sound chip. The list of truly awesome tracks he composed for [=C64=] games is long and mind-boggling.
14	** ''[[https://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' [[https://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, Platform/Commodore64 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. If that's not enough, here's an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAiigYSIE20 instrumental version]].
15	** The next game in the ''VideoGame/MontyMole'' series, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQG8vkNG8aM Auf Wiedersehen Monty]]'', stands by its predecessor in the awesome music department. From the creepy opening, to the upbeat "main melody", to an extended jam on said melody, and finally to the eventual return to the key and atmosphere in which it began, it is six minutes of musical gold.
16	** Thalamus' 1986 side-scrolling shooter ''Sanxion'' boasts a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSjoISoJNAg first-rate soundtrack]] to which Hubbard contributed the loading screen theme, "Thalamusik", a tribute to Music/JeanMichelJarre's 1984 track "Zoolook" (which Hubbard also remixed using the SID chip for demo purposes) with a stunningly diverse array of timbres in its five-minute runtime. And as if that wasn't awesome enough, the title screen music is a transcription of "Dance of the Knights" from Sergei Prokofiev's ballet ''Romeo and Juliet'' that retains all of the original's stunning counterpoint and harmonies and expertly shows off the capabilities of the SID chip.
17	%%** Beyond the ''Monty Mole'' series, Rob Hubbard composed the music for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loxNsskgMkk One Man and his Droid]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdzfOXkZrY0 Nemesis the Warlock]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmmEBO2lDVI Thing on a Spring]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrQuR1LHAVI Commando]], [[https://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.
18	%%* Chris Hülsbeck should really get his own page for composing a lot of awesome songs for games such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGqA654iCVo R-Type]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfZx2K6vTHU Great Giana Sisters]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF7snDHit60 Jim Power in Mutant Planet.]]
19	%%Lists of titles are not context; what's awesome about them?
20	* ''VideoGame/Action52''/''Cheetahmen II'' was never considered a very good game, being so buggy it's almost unplayable... but what's this? The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3hC3V_HDjc music]] is awesome? And it's spawned [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUeYdjZJJBM dozens]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6gXH1zxdy4 of]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbC5dBqTI-k remixes]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lyg809cbWw on]] [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Nico Nico Douga]]? What's going on here?!
21	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPWKlpbGtHE Various themes]] from ''Mike Tyson's VideoGame/PunchOut''. Yes, even the one now famous on the internet for [[MemeticMutation "Nigga Stole My Bike"]]. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndaP9iieaok Main Theme]] was also given a first-rate remix for the Wii version.
22	* The vintage economic-simulation game ''{{VideoGame/MULE}}'' had possibly the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6L6MhSgpgo catchiest theme tune]] ever.
23	* Behold, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3n6BRUVAl0 the Xenon 2 Megablast theme]]. It was a pretty good game too.
24	* Shell we start naming Sunsoft games of that era? Distinctive Sunsoft Bass.
25	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvzsFS4Plmw Batman]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bNCGR1D9WE Batman - Return of the Joker]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PdW6a77kEk Gimmick]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoiZOFC_dBk Gremlins 2]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Ebsa_Pc9U Blaster Master]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjG2ZjPqzzE Journey To Silius]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w8X2m_Yz7I Super Spy Hunter]] are a few of them!
26	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr3AgwGNXlU Ufouria]], too. Now with a ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqpNHElfzUs rendition]].
27	** Also, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW8byCf_Crw Fester's Quest]]; [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames as bad as it was]], it gave an epic soundtrack to a game based on Series/TheAddamsFamily. The ''TV series''-- not TheMovie, which came out after the game.
28	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OshyhWVquA0 Then]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyv_pc8y7QU there's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qgoGV1TB6k the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO2zQ4d1n3Y music]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j4hDxfYz9Y from]] ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLg_wbFvPOU Gimmick!]]''
29	* ''VideoGame/DuckTales'' laughs in the face of TheProblemWithLicensedGames, regularly being cited as Exhibit A [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames in licensed games' favour]]. And one reason for this is the outstanding music.
30	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_80PQ543rM The Moon]]. One of the classics of the 8-bit era.
31	*** Oh, and there's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Uvozz1Sp0 an orchestrated remix on YouTube as well.]] It's every bit as awesome as the original.
32	*** As if the two aren't awesome enough, the Remastered version has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMOwW7rO8fM this amazing remix.]]
33	*** It's so iconic that ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' turned it into a lullaby about going on adventures that Della Duck wrote for her sons.
34	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B7SI-jsJok Transylvania]] too. And the boss theme, and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouRX7KUUycA Amazon]]... pretty much every track in the game.
35	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6_fzLLt3W0 African Mines]].
36	* NES ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon II'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtsaGZIZVLs Shizukanaru Tsuiseki (A Quiet Pursuit)]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKP7SFst4MM Asayake no Kaishingeki (A Pleasant Advance to the Morning Glow)]] and of course [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggQopFG5RVQ Souryuu no Otakebi (Roar of the Twin Dragons)]].
37	* ''VideoGame/{{Recca}}''. Not only is it the only licensed NES game to get a trance soundtrack, it also fits the game like nothing else . [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoySgoAHxTs Some music samples to make you get the full soundtrack somewhere.]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPstr5ufuDQ And also]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAhzc9DiPnI remixed.]] Officially.
38	* The ''Stuntman Seymour'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO1Fpf9up1c in-game theme]] isn't half bad for a C64 game. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO1Fpf9up1c (The high-quality version feels a little more 8-bit.)]]
39	* The attract mode music for the 1982 arcade standup [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKzx1mBV2PU Reactor]].
40	* ''Tecmo World Wrestling'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4UWv7zgTEU Invincible Attack (theme of Akira Dragon)]], as well as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-20hNc8p4Q this mildly Russian-flavoured tune]].
41	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XetgpWY7WOg#t=35s The C64 version]] of ''Skate or Die'' had a rocking theme. ([[https://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.)
42	* ''Skate or Die 2'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8TmIxHSBcU one of the most metal soundtracks for the NES.]]
43	* The arcade versions of ''VideoGame/{{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 [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEueYGq2mT4 a catchy little baroque tune]] known as "Morning Music".
44	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wStE9_o8HMc Turbo Outrun]] and [[https://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''.
45	* The music of ''ComicBook/BuckyOHareAndTheToadWars'' for NES. Most of the music from this game is really badass. We have the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLTyibrt_Sg Green Planet]] level music, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTZ8Oq2dafE Red Planet]] music, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnZUSNaN7tg Yellow Planet]] music, and if that isn't enough, there's two of the four melodies for the final levels: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDpWilXKPRY Salvage Chute]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2StDbSgBPhs Escape]] music themes.
46	** The music for the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVNGVrbcO64 final boss battles]]. It brings the feeling that you are fighting with the most terrible adversaries in the game, and you're going to listen this song constantly, especially in the fight with the [[ThatOneBoss second-to-last boss]]. It's terrible hard.
47	** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtdavtO9QyI Ending Credits]] music qualifies as SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, too.
48	* ''Ottifanten: Kommando Störtebeker'' was an obscure Game Boy Color game based on a German cartoon, released only in German-speaking countries not long before the GBA came out. The game itself was not all that interesting; indeed, it's a fine example of TheProblemWithLicensedGames. [[https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7ACBE540FC2DF52D Its soundtrack]], on the other hand, is ridiculously amazing; it was composed by demoscene veteran Stello Doussis, and it shows.
49	* Stello Doussis did another equally awesome soundtrack, too-- this one for a licensed game based on a hippo-shaped chocolate candy. Behold ''[[https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BD150034C0286A95 Das Geheimnis der Happy Hippo-Insel]]''.
50	* You wouldn't expect a [=McDonald's=] licensed game to have good music, but [[https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8B4A8298E164AE88 MC Kids]] pulls that feat off quite impressively. Again, no surprise that it's the work of a C64 demoscene vet, this time Charles Deenen from Maniacs of Noise. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhYM63nfMNA stage 2 theme]] is particularly excellent.
51	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me9irVO5hho Thunder Landing]] from the arcade ''Super Contra''.
52	* The entire [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLerJRzju3k soundtrack]] from ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheBeast'', by David Whittaker. One of the game's two big selling points, along with its [[SceneryPorn art]].
53	* ''Penguin Adventure'' for the MSX had some crazy good music. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4Zc0czbuZc Listen!]]
54	* ''VideoGame/{{Robowarrior}}'' for the NES may have been a frustratingly difficult game, but it had some [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYEblYwTeNc great music]]. However, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gGFeiT6NgE this]] piano version is arguably better than the original.
55	* 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 ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardofOz'' text-adventure.
56	* ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}''. No surprise, really; it's by David Wise, who'd go on three years later to compose some music for [[AwesomeMusic/DonkeyKongCountry a little series involving a giant ape and his simian sidekick]]. Even the short loop that plays while the game is ''paused'' rocks.
57	* ''VideoGame/{{Crystalis}}'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckwYeesRJl0 the overworld theme]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-hk3qNUXoY Mt. Sabre's theme]].
58	* One of the main selling points of the ''VideoGame/{{Dizzy}}'' games was their always top notch soundtracks.
59	** On the Platform/ZXSpectrum, there's the in game music from ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMrfaGbjeKI Fantasy World Dizzy]]'', ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVIPCoqqbuQ Magic Land Dizzy]]'', and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX1vSMMby08 Spellbound Dizzy]]''.
60	** The Platform/Commodore64, meanwhile, has the in game music from ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kdBlRwG7kA Treasure Island Dizzy]]'', which conveys a real sense of mystery and adventure perfect for exploring an exotic yet deserted island; ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMoPaqGiaH0 Magicland Dizzy]]'', an upbeat track well suited to the fairy tale/legend pastiche that forms the game's premise; ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5VIpMpLuOc Spellbound Dizzy]]'', which runs the gamut from an upbeat section that practically shouts "Let's ''do'' this!" to an eerily atmospheric section that equally seems to say "What strange world is this?"; and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNIo6PoJYYA Prince of the Yolkfolk]]'', which may revolve around just two melodic phrases (apart from a haunting interlude about two-thirds of the way through) but varies the instrumentation to keep them sounding fresh.
61	** The Platform/{{Amiga}} versions mostly used the same music as the Spectrum and/or [=C64=] versions, benefitting from the Amiga's sound chips (examples include ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZGQ1bSqXaA Treasure Island Dizzy]]'', ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=405UwC4rMng Magicland Dizzy]]'', and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIAxl5Fv_Vg Spellbound Dizzy]]''), but used a newly composed track for ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeU-r12Yz1Y Prince of the Yolkfolk]]'' which starts out as a synthesised trumpet-heavy processional march before segueing via a hard-rocking section into a sinister minor mode passage, changing tempo in the process. After an even heavier guitar section, the music backtracks to the hard-rocking section that preceded it, just in time to wrap around with the march.
62	** The NES versions of the ''Dizzy'' games were no slouch either. ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EkvYxqT9bs Fantastic]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCMWpbFwky8 Dizzy]]'', in particular-- composed by Matt Gray, of Commodore 64 ''Last Ninja 2'' fame.
63	* On the ZX Spectrum, the technical achievement involved in mixing the in-game music together with the sound effects on a system with only one sound channel in ''VideoGame/ManicMiner'' and [[VideoGame/JetSetWilly its sequels]].
64	* ''Contra''! [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tifv7qh_hmY The first stage]] deserves merit.
65	** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JHi04pGLJs Snowfield theme]] is among the best themes in the game.
66	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5JlGQ5orL8 This jam]] by Chris Kline is absolutely ''dazzling''.
67	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHOPEjpMv1A The Stage Clear theme]]. So much than an ''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic absolutely epic]]'' TriumphantReprise of the series' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOG9U3aEnlU#t=0m9s Stage Clear theme]] plays when you defeat [[BigBad Black]] [[FinalBoss Viper]] in ''Contra 4'' for the Platform/NintendoDS.
68	* Even at the classic ages, ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' gives out nifty music.
69	** The first game has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuyktFDC6oc this piece from the Stage 4-2, which doubles as the credits song.]]
70	** The sequel opens up with an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC24luXaI_I awesome first stage track]].
71	* Neil Baldwin, the same guy who did the ''James Bond Jr.'' soundtrack, had several other impressive soundtracks. ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp6T2YueKig Magician]]'' was his first NES work-- and he cobbled this together with no prior knowledge of the system, and with manuals only in Japanese. [[http://dutycyclegenerator.com/ No, really, Word Of God.]] Also, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbJl71X3Cv8 Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge]]'' has some great tunes, even if the credits theme is reused from ''James Bond Jr.''
72	* The Game Boy version of ''VideoGame/NBAJam'' has a nice [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nap8Kkt4rho title theme]].
73	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v23dgFdccTE Mission 2 - Kendhull Badlands]] from ''Project S-11'' is very catchy.
74	* A somewhat obscure pinball game, ''Rollerball'', had only one table, and one background song. But it was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OetY-T9YSu0 awesome.]]
75	* ''VideoGame/SweetHome1989''. AKA the Famicom game that was the precursor to today's survival horror games such as ''Resident Evil'' and ''Silent Hill''. Here is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A8O5KA3m5o the]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiKUc0qv14U entire]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H11vSCVfDfs soundtrack]].
76	* From ''Dragon Spirit: The New Legend'', the music for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T08ddGaUuOQ stage 3]].
77	* The Famicom tie-in to Osamu Tezuka's ''Manga/{{Phoenix}}'' has some excellent music. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wpHJ7b9gdI Stage 1]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQI8IgcdpbA Stage 3]] stand out.
78	* The [[https://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 also the same song as the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ljfawOKLc Yoshi's Island theme]].
79	* As bad as the NES ''Rambo'' game was, it had some awesome music, such as the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAPDTRhNd3U Title Theme]] and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3iEOXcT6TI Jungle Theme]].
80	* Late in the Famicom's life, Konami came up with a 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 Platform/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 ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W015Wlpgy1E Lagrange Point]]'' all claim it has the most technically sophisticated music of any game on the system.
81	* The Platform/BBCMicro isn't the first platform that comes to mind in terms of awesome music, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w8ivhw9RZE Galaforce]] is one that Beeb fans don't forget easily.
82	* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTmJJ0lUyQc in-game music]] for ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOuVKxzW4Do (NES version)]] may be too catchy for its own good.
83	* Platform/ZXSpectrum's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S0bVF36r2Y Havoc]]'' theme. Some of the most intense bleeps and boops you'd hear on that machine.
84	* ''Power Blade'', a relatively obscure game featuring a boomerang-throwing Arnold-esque main character from Taito features some pretty kickass music. Here's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb9QZCzb-QM Sector 1]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BkQDqTYFiU Sector 5]].
85	* The ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' theme:
86	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Tam9lv1KQ The original arcade version.]]
87	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EyIcYPqzQI The Sega Master System version.]]
88	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ-g0QwWslc The Sega Classics version.]]
89	** Finally, Marc Gordon's [[http://www.sonicretro.org/ Sonic Retro]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3byA9Uaun0 arrangement]].
90	** And while it may have come later, there's the utterly glorious [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsW4TwZs0Sg Climax Mix]] from ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''.
91	* Namco's ''VideoGame/RollingThunder'', released in 1986, had some of the best music of any arcade game in its day, especially the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhgme63EnOM first stage theme]].
92	* ''[[VideoGame/{{Pitfall}} Pitfall 2: The Lost Caves]]'' was one of the first games to have music play during gameplay on an Atari 2600. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5FsDi-EMr8 And most of it is awesome]].
93	* ''Global Commander'', also known as ''Armageddon Man'', has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrFjeOHjqhM one hell of a great theme tune]] by David Whittaker. Want something even more epic? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlr2vY2KzpM Here's the orchestral remix.]]
94	* ''Treasure Master''[='=]s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7hOL2yP0B0 soundtrack is so awesome]] it sacrificed ''all other game audio'' for it.
95	* ''VideoGame/ManiacMansion'''s soundtrack rocks out loud. There are different cool themes for each character, and if you picked Razor or Syd, the tune they play on the piano could land them a music contract.
96	* As bad as the game is, ''Toxic Crusader''[='=]s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZYiRP2pVZ0 Stage 1 theme]] is surprisingly good.
97	* ''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.
98	* ''VideoGame/MarbleMadness'' 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 still sounds awesome to this day.]]
99	* ''VideoGame/ProWrestling'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8FxLWL5zXk GO FIGHT!]]
100	* ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'' for the NES by Taxan was surprisingly good, both for being a LicensedGame and being done by a company with only a small library of largely obscure games. Examples include:
101	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej_mdKW0_4s Infiltration]], the music that plays in all second-act base stages.
102	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiusb8whbFQ War Machine]], the theme for all first-act vehicle bosses.
103	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teyjgo76AUs Henchman]], which backs all second-act base bosses.
104	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiUP7yLqdEw Villain]], the music for all third-act major bosses.
105	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSWBX-BZ_p0 Vehicle Ride]], which plays when a Joe captures a Cobra vehicle for their own use.
106	* ''VideoGame/MetalStorm'' may be as NintendoHard as Creator/{{Irem}} games nearly always were, but it makes up for it with a killer soundtrack.
107	** The easy-going [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGPw1zT9ufE Stage 1 track]] helps to create a sense of fun as the player is introduced to the gravity-switching mechanics of the game.
108	** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajnfFIU3cpg Stage 2 track]] may be short, but its atonal melody helps to ratchet up the tension in parallel with the game ratcheting up the difficulty.
109	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0niw5LjGK8 Stages 3 and 5]] share background music, and the urgent-sounding bassline provides just the right atmosphere for the ever increasing stakes.
110	** The edgy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uENIV_lrgkU Stage 4 track]] helps to take the sting out of the game's autoscroller level, and its harsh melody and use of parallel fifths complements the frantic scramble around the box in which the player rides through the stage very well.
111	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzFFC1z5OmM Stages 6 and 7]] share a music track that, while one of the shortest in the game, gives a real sense that the player is closing in on the final boss, and there's no turning back now.
112	** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-vxqFJP7a4 boss battle theme]] pulls no punches, and is sure to get your adrenaline pumping if the mad dash to get out of the way of the attacks of the various bosses isn't doing this already. The haunting [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpZF2m9JP7s boss rush version]] slows things down and scales back the instrumentation to enhance the sense that the game is reaching its peak. And while the final boss fight is an AntiClimax, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IIikGJm4Vc music]] helps to make up for it as the tempo builds and builds and builds.
113	* The NES tie-in to ''Film/RoboCop3'' has the amazing [[https://youtu.be/bq-9-GcVM_o title screen theme]], which is very complex for an NES game, as well as catchy and generally great, starting calm and picking up the pace shortly later.
114	* In ''Iron Tank'' for the NES, the [[https://youtu.be/JJPtEBZGyF0 Final Area]] theme is perhaps the game's most epic music piece. Consider it a reward for [[NintendoHard having progressed that far]].
115	* Ocean's 1986 ''Series/MiamiVice'' game falls headfirst into TheProblemWithLicensedGames thanks to its unresponsive driving controls and inscrutable gameplay, but the soundtrack by Martin Galway, especially for the Platform/Commodore64 version, is by far the best thing about it.
116	** The title screen and "raid" sequences get [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MPqiBYy-aA a glorious minimalist piece]] that does an incredible amount with a very simple idea (especially with constant shifts in timbre), and may make you walk around the buildings aimlessly (well, more so than usual) just to listen to it for longer.
117	** The frustration of the driving sequences is offset by a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RKK1BEQYFk killer rendition]] of the theme from the television series, which sounds absolutely first rate played by the SID chip's instrument bank.
118	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jndSqvG7JAE The music]] in ''VideoGame/TetraStarTheFighter'' consists of a PublicDomainSoundtrack, but it sounds really impressive even by Famicom standards. It even features actual samples of timpani!
119	* Ocean's 1989 ''Film/{{Batman\|1989}}'' tie-in game sees SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames, and Matthew Cannon's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knrbC5PL6Go soundtrack]] provides an outstanding accompaniment to the GameplayRoulette that unfolds on screen. Whether it's the pulse-pounding tension of the title screen music (which is so catchy you may find yourself waiting to actually pick up the joystick), the high drama and the ebb and flow of the Axis Chemical Plant theme, the sheer adrenaline rush of the Batmobile Chase theme (distilling the excitement of barrelling down Gotham's streets into musical form), the furious urgency of the Chemical Analysis theme (especially as the key climbs up the chromatic scale in the second half), the equal parts jaunty and sinister Carnival theme (just the thing for zooming around in the Batwing cutting toxic gas-filled parade balloons loose), and the ominous grandeur of the Cathedral theme as Batman closes in on the Joker, every track does the adventures of the Caped Crusader proud.
120	* Although Ocean's 1987 tie-in game for ''Film/{{Platoon}}'' is [[NintendoHard frustratingly difficult]] from the word "go", Jonathan Dunn's soundtrack takes some of the sting out of it. Highlights include the sombre, haunting [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkzUvB2rzk8 title screen music]] that creates an appropriately grim atmosphere for a game set amid the [[WarIsHell horrors]] of UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar, and the resolute, marchlike [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awghpZ-bavc Stage 1 theme,]] its synthesised snare drums and guitars conveying a real sense of purpose as you trek through the jungle on a mission to blow up a bridge and infiltrate a Viet Cong settlement.[[note]] The first stage was so large and labyrinthine that for many gamers, this was the only stage music they ever heard.[[/note]]

Context AwesomeMusic / ThirdGenerationOrEarlier