Top Ten Songs From:
_-_Logo_-_1.png)
Join the Top Ten Songs user group [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Top-Ten-Songs] to receive notifications when a new list is released, discuss my choices, your opinions, or game soundtracks in general, and have quick access to all of my released lists.
Didn't see a song you were hoping for in my last list? [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.262109-Top-Ten-Songs-Special-Very-Honorable-Mentions] Don't lose hope yet! At the beginning of each list, I'll put honorable mentions that either got barely beaten out of a spot or that I just forgot about.
Alright, I am f**king back. I'm caught up with work and all the power is working again, so it's time to get back to the full lists. This time, we're going deep into the other people's memories, with the other major platformer franchise- Sonic the Hedgehog. These are some more games that are known for their music, especially the mainstream rock of the third and second to last generations. But of course it still has its classics from the 16 bit days, and I have to say the music has aged a helluva lot better than the gameplay formula. But you all already knew that if you're on the internet reading this. Anyway, let's go ahead and get started, but first, I want to say that I've always been more of a Nintendo person, so I'm not as familiar with the Sonic games than I have been with the other franchises I've done. So I'll probably missa few some a lot of good songs, but bear with me for now, and you can help out in your post.
Number Ten (10):
"Green Hill Zone" from Sonic the Hedgehog
Yep. Everyone who has ever played a Sonic game should know the music from Green Hill Zone. It's the franchises Mario or Zelda Overworld theme, and it has been forever grafted into the minds of gamers. It's obviously been remixed many times, the best being from
Number Nine (9):
"Panic Puppet Zone" from Sonic 3D Blast
I liked this game. A lot. It was my first 3D Sonic game, and I still remember absolutely loving those tube levels. And the song I remember the most is this one. It starts out a little atmospheric, then gets a fast percussion line, but the almost carnival-sounding parts farther in are too off-putting to put this any higher.
Number Eight (8):
"Title Theme" from Sonic Colors
Yeah, it's a shameless rip off of Mario Galaxy's soundtrack, but hey, just like Darksiders, it's not necessarily a bad thing. The composer at least was able to write a pretty good melody for it, and almost everything done by a full orchestra sounds great. Plus, this being the first decent 3D game in a long time, it deserves to be recognized a bit.
Number Seven (7):
"Aquatic Ruin Zone" from Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Of course I have a water theme on here. I somewhat remember this from the game, and it sounds watery and ruiny enough while still keeping the traditional Sonic tone. If the entire song was like the intro, and if it was longer, it might be one space higher, but it does great anyway.
Number Six (6):
"Boss" from Sonic the Hedgehog 2
I know I've heard this somewhere other than the game, but I can't remember where. All I do know is that it's a perfect regular boss theme against Robotnik, and has the Sonic tone I mentioned earlier while still being a little intense.
Number Five (5):
"Aquarium Park" from Sonic Colors
Yep, it's another water theme. The best part about this song isn't the solo piano that gives it a great watery atmosphere, or the electronics that help to emphasize the main instruments and the strings that accompany it, but the percussion line. And for one reason. It does what Sonic Team hasn't been able to get right for years- it's fast. But yeah, it's a great, peaceful but upbeat song, and I just enjoyed listening to it.
Number Four (4):
"Final Weapon" from Sonic 3D Blast
Now THIS is intense. And the weirdest part about it is that the MIDI samples actually help the way it sounds. Whatever the samples are that play the main part of the chorus sound great, and really bring back some memories. The Genesis version didn't have a theme this epic, though, which is a bit of a shame, but at least they did it right the second time.
Number Three (3):
"Starlight Zone" from Sonic the Hedgehog
The nostalgia is strong in this one. (That was a reference, I now realize it sounded a little weird) I remember playing the original game on the Dreamcast at a friend's house for hours, and therefore it holds some pretty good memories while sounding very upbeat and happy.
Number Two (2):
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The following songs have been switched after the initial draft of the list.
"Solaris Phase 2" from Sonic the Hedgehog 2006
Oh, this hurts. I wish so much that this song could've been in a better game. But sadly, for myself and for all the Sonic fans out there, Sonic '06 sucked balls (Protip: Fire Sonic Team, they don't know what they're doing anymore. But keep their composer.). This is the perfect example of a type 1 final boss theme, and I'll be making a final boss theme list that better explains these types I keep talking about, so you can look forward to that, but anyway- everything about this song makes we want to kick some ass. It's possibly one of the most empowering songs I've ever heard. When the absolutely amazing percussion line comes in at about 0:30, I just phase out into a world of epicness. And once more, the second I decided to do this franchise, I knew I would be putting this at number one (NOTE: See the description for the actual number one for clarification). It's become one of my favorite final boss themes ever, possibly (not anymore) my favorite of all the type 1s, and, although I actually didn't finish the game, I'm sure the song has a huge effect while in this fight. You know, it's a little funny how my (second) favorite song from the franchise is in what's regarded as the worst game, but oh well. Hopefully we'll see more good Sonic games with great accompanying soundtracks in the future.
Number One (1):
"Live and Learn" from Sonic Adventure 2
I'm sorry. Really. I didn't want to have to do this, but... I like the song. I don't know why. I shouldn't. It goes against most of my musical tastes, but I like it anyway. So, yeah. Er... yeah. Anyway, I originally had this one at number four. I played it again while writing the description, and then one more time. Then again. After a while, I had listened to it maybe ten times, and went and bought it off iTunes. Then I listened to it some more. I love it. I don't remember it being that good from the game, but I guess my taste has changed a lot since then, because this is now one of my favorite songs ever. I've listened to it over fifty times over the last two days, and I still don't understand why. I hate this kind of rock from the early to mid 2000s, I've never liked a single one of those songs, but now this has completely invalidated that opinion. I can think of plenty of things wrong with the song, and plenty of reasons why I could put it lower, but somehow it overcomes all these problems and becomes an amazing song just by being that awesome. I can't believe that when I got the idea of making these I would ever come away from one with anything new, but now I have a new favorite song for probably a long time. I saw that this band, who's worked on basically all the newer Sonic games, wasn't involved in Colors, and I REALLY hope that doesn't mean they're done with Sonic Team (or whoever takes over the franchise next). They've made some outstanding music, and I'd hate to see them be taken from the opportunity to do even better. My fuzzy snow cap off to you, Crush 40. I never expected you to do this to me.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks again for reading, and I really never thought I would find a new favorite song. Really, I don't understand why I like that one so much, but I guess I probably never will. Anyway, because I know I missed some, go ahead and share your favorites, and I bet the honorable mentions will be packed next time.
Join the Top Ten Songs user group [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/Top-Ten-Songs] to receive notifications when a new list is released, discuss my choices, your opinions, or game soundtracks in general, and have quick access to all of my released lists.
Didn't see a song you were hoping for in my last list? [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.262109-Top-Ten-Songs-Special-Very-Honorable-Mentions] Don't lose hope yet! At the beginning of each list, I'll put honorable mentions that either got barely beaten out of a spot or that I just forgot about.
I had to put Lineland Road for the memories.
Just wasn't enough room to fit this one in. Probably would've been number six.
Already explained this at least twice.
Just wasn't enough room to fit this one in. Probably would've been number six.
Already explained this at least twice.
Alright, I am f**king back. I'm caught up with work and all the power is working again, so it's time to get back to the full lists. This time, we're going deep into the other people's memories, with the other major platformer franchise- Sonic the Hedgehog. These are some more games that are known for their music, especially the mainstream rock of the third and second to last generations. But of course it still has its classics from the 16 bit days, and I have to say the music has aged a helluva lot better than the gameplay formula. But you all already knew that if you're on the internet reading this. Anyway, let's go ahead and get started, but first, I want to say that I've always been more of a Nintendo person, so I'm not as familiar with the Sonic games than I have been with the other franchises I've done. So I'll probably miss
Number Ten (10):
"Green Hill Zone" from Sonic the Hedgehog
Yep. Everyone who has ever played a Sonic game should know the music from Green Hill Zone. It's the franchises Mario or Zelda Overworld theme, and it has been forever grafted into the minds of gamers. It's obviously been remixed many times, the best being from
Number Nine (9):
"Panic Puppet Zone" from Sonic 3D Blast
I liked this game. A lot. It was my first 3D Sonic game, and I still remember absolutely loving those tube levels. And the song I remember the most is this one. It starts out a little atmospheric, then gets a fast percussion line, but the almost carnival-sounding parts farther in are too off-putting to put this any higher.
Number Eight (8):
"Title Theme" from Sonic Colors
Yeah, it's a shameless rip off of Mario Galaxy's soundtrack, but hey, just like Darksiders, it's not necessarily a bad thing. The composer at least was able to write a pretty good melody for it, and almost everything done by a full orchestra sounds great. Plus, this being the first decent 3D game in a long time, it deserves to be recognized a bit.
Number Seven (7):
"Aquatic Ruin Zone" from Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Of course I have a water theme on here. I somewhat remember this from the game, and it sounds watery and ruiny enough while still keeping the traditional Sonic tone. If the entire song was like the intro, and if it was longer, it might be one space higher, but it does great anyway.
Number Six (6):
"Boss" from Sonic the Hedgehog 2
I know I've heard this somewhere other than the game, but I can't remember where. All I do know is that it's a perfect regular boss theme against Robotnik, and has the Sonic tone I mentioned earlier while still being a little intense.
Number Five (5):
"Aquarium Park" from Sonic Colors
Yep, it's another water theme. The best part about this song isn't the solo piano that gives it a great watery atmosphere, or the electronics that help to emphasize the main instruments and the strings that accompany it, but the percussion line. And for one reason. It does what Sonic Team hasn't been able to get right for years- it's fast. But yeah, it's a great, peaceful but upbeat song, and I just enjoyed listening to it.
Number Four (4):
"Final Weapon" from Sonic 3D Blast
Now THIS is intense. And the weirdest part about it is that the MIDI samples actually help the way it sounds. Whatever the samples are that play the main part of the chorus sound great, and really bring back some memories. The Genesis version didn't have a theme this epic, though, which is a bit of a shame, but at least they did it right the second time.
Number Three (3):
"Starlight Zone" from Sonic the Hedgehog
The nostalgia is strong in this one. (That was a reference, I now realize it sounded a little weird) I remember playing the original game on the Dreamcast at a friend's house for hours, and therefore it holds some pretty good memories while sounding very upbeat and happy.
Number Two (2):
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The following songs have been switched after the initial draft of the list.
"Solaris Phase 2" from Sonic the Hedgehog 2006
Oh, this hurts. I wish so much that this song could've been in a better game. But sadly, for myself and for all the Sonic fans out there, Sonic '06 sucked balls (Protip: Fire Sonic Team, they don't know what they're doing anymore. But keep their composer.). This is the perfect example of a type 1 final boss theme, and I'll be making a final boss theme list that better explains these types I keep talking about, so you can look forward to that, but anyway- everything about this song makes we want to kick some ass. It's possibly one of the most empowering songs I've ever heard. When the absolutely amazing percussion line comes in at about 0:30, I just phase out into a world of epicness. And once more, the second I decided to do this franchise, I knew I would be putting this at number one (NOTE: See the description for the actual number one for clarification). It's become one of my favorite final boss themes ever, possibly (not anymore) my favorite of all the type 1s, and, although I actually didn't finish the game, I'm sure the song has a huge effect while in this fight. You know, it's a little funny how my (second) favorite song from the franchise is in what's regarded as the worst game, but oh well. Hopefully we'll see more good Sonic games with great accompanying soundtracks in the future.
Number One (1):
"Live and Learn" from Sonic Adventure 2
I'm sorry. Really. I didn't want to have to do this, but... I like the song. I don't know why. I shouldn't. It goes against most of my musical tastes, but I like it anyway. So, yeah. Er... yeah. Anyway, I originally had this one at number four. I played it again while writing the description, and then one more time. Then again. After a while, I had listened to it maybe ten times, and went and bought it off iTunes. Then I listened to it some more. I love it. I don't remember it being that good from the game, but I guess my taste has changed a lot since then, because this is now one of my favorite songs ever. I've listened to it over fifty times over the last two days, and I still don't understand why. I hate this kind of rock from the early to mid 2000s, I've never liked a single one of those songs, but now this has completely invalidated that opinion. I can think of plenty of things wrong with the song, and plenty of reasons why I could put it lower, but somehow it overcomes all these problems and becomes an amazing song just by being that awesome. I can't believe that when I got the idea of making these I would ever come away from one with anything new, but now I have a new favorite song for probably a long time. I saw that this band, who's worked on basically all the newer Sonic games, wasn't involved in Colors, and I REALLY hope that doesn't mean they're done with Sonic Team (or whoever takes over the franchise next). They've made some outstanding music, and I'd hate to see them be taken from the opportunity to do even better. My fuzzy snow cap off to you, Crush 40. I never expected you to do this to me.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks again for reading, and I really never thought I would find a new favorite song. Really, I don't understand why I like that one so much, but I guess I probably never will. Anyway, because I know I missed some, go ahead and share your favorites, and I bet the honorable mentions will be packed next time.
