Your favorite NES soundtracks (top ten)

[celerystalker]

Sorry if this topic exists, but I didn't find it in searches. So, not necessarily the most iconic, but what are your just favorite NES soundtracks? Every chiptune-based system has its own unique flavor, so I'm not looking to compare NES to SMS or Turbografx or anything in this thread. So, yeah... what are your favorites? Is it because they set the mood, or just because they're good enough to listen to as a song?

Here's mine:

1. Kid Icarus-the title theme is my favorite chiptune. To me, there's a somber, but intrepid sense of adventure in the underworld stages, creepiness in the labyrinths, and wild romping in the above ground stages. I listen to it on my phone and on a CD I made years ago with a standalone CD burner I paid a stupid amount of money for that is totally obselete now.

2. Legacy of the Wizard-the variety and quality of this game's soundtrack is awesome. The overworld theme is probably my second favorite NES track, but the whole game and its music are fantastic.

3. Contra-I love everything about Contra's music. It has that distinct Konami drum sound that is in, like, every game they ever made.

4. Castlevania II-it might not be most people's favorite, but it's my favorite NES Castlevania game and soundtrack.

5. Rygar-I should specify the US version, as the Japanese one uses a mostly different soundtrack, and I much prefer the American one. The Gran Mountain area has this great march that just reeks of adventuring.

6. Zelda-the original has a better overworld and labyrinth track, but there are just more songs in the Adventure of Link. I love both title themes equally. I give the edge to the original.

7. Mother-the lullabye alone would get this game in my top ten. That music box track I put onto my mom's phone for when I call her, and people always like it and want to know what it is from what she tells me.

8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-I just like it. It's upbeat and catchy.

9. The Guardian Legend-the title theme is my default ringtone because I like it, but it pisses me off sometimes, because people at work always give me a knowing look and say, "Nice! Zelda was awesome." Then, I have to play nice and either try to politely explain what the fuck the Guardian Legend is to someone who hasn't touched an NES controller in 25 years or just play along and let it go. I usually just joke with a, "Nope, but close!" but I often consider changing it so I won't get lured into the trap of a conversation where someone thought we were gonna have a cool geek moment, when really we aren't. I digress.

10. Metroid-I love the title theme too much not to count it, although much of thr music is just atmospheric sounds strung together.

What are yours?

[Tron 2.0]

1.Batman
2.Castlevaina III,the famicom version ;)
3.Ninja Gaiden
4.Blaster Master
5.Mega Man 2
6.Mr.Gimmick
7.The Adventure of Bayou Billy
8.Metroid
9.Shatterhand/SolBrain
10.Zanac

Yeah i listed mostly third parties but they really know how to use the console far as music go's.

[Aussie2B]

No particular order:

Castlevania
Castlevania 2
Castlevania 3
Batman
Dragon Spirit
Metroid
Crystalis
Mario 3
StarTropics
Zelda 2

[calgon]

10. Batman
9. Mega man 3
8. Castlevania
7. Earthbound zero (mother)
6. Duck tales
5. TMNT 3
4. Castlevania 3
3. Maniac mansion
2. Shatterhand
1. Mega man 2

Wow, the third entry in a lot of franchises really filled up my list

[Arasoi]

No particular order for mine either.

Journey to Silius
F1 Sensation
Madara
Gimmick!
Little Nemo the Dream Master
Silver Surfer
Mega Man 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Life Force
Falsion

[Doonzmore]

Batman Return of the Joker
Tecmo Super Bowl
Double Dragon
Bionic Commando
Wacky Races
Young Indiana Jones
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Talespin
Rad Racer
Darkwing Duck

[Black_Tiger]

Some of my favorites in no particular order:

Destiny of an Emperor
Ys III
Ys II
Castlevania II NES
Castlevania III NES
Final Fantasy II
Dragon Warrior
Contra
Mega Man 2
Journey to Silius

[Scissors]

In alphabetical order:

Castlevania - I think the music sets the mood quite well.

Dragon Warrior - I really only like the castle and overworld themes in this one. I'm sure if I thought about it more, I could come up with a few games with music I like more. It probably only came to mind because I like DWII and DWIV quite a bit.

Dragon Warrior II - My favorite of the Dragon Warrior soundtracks.

Dragon Warrior IV - Great variety. I like how the overworld theme changes in each chapter. It really helps give each chapter a unique feel.

The Guardian Legend - Another game with great variety.

Legacy of the Wizard - I think this one may be my favorite, as it is the only one on this list that I'll regularly listen to outside of playing the game. I think it's the most under appreciated soundtrack on the system.

The Legend of Zelda - I may only like the music in this one because I like the game so much and the music makes me think about playing the game.

Lizard - Homebrew game that isn't even out yet, but from what I heard in the demo, the soundtrack is really good. The creator posted the full soundtrack online, but I want to hear all the music while playing the game first, so I haven't listened to the full soundtrack yet.

Pin Bot - There's not much music in this one, but what's there works well.

Werewolf: The Last Warrior - Surprisingly catchy music for a mediocre game.

[celerystalker]

In alphabetical order:

Castlevania - I think the music sets the mood quite well.

Dragon Warrior - I really only like the castle and overworld themes in this one. I'm sure if I thought about it more, I could come up with a few games with music I like more. It probably only came to mind because I like DWII and DWIV quite a bit.

Dragon Warrior II - My favorite of the Dragon Warrior soundtracks.

Dragon Warrior IV - Great variety. I like how the overworld theme changes in each chapter. It really helps give each chapter a unique feel.

The Guardian Legend - Another game with great variety.

Legacy of the Wizard - I think this one may be my favorite, as it is the only one on this list that I'll regularly listen to outside of playing the game. I think it's the most under appreciated soundtrack on the system.

The Legend of Zelda - I may only like the music in this one because I like the game so much and the music makes me think about playing the game.

Lizard - Homebrew game that isn't even out yet, but from what I heard in the demo, the soundtrack is really good. The creator posted the full soundtrack online, but I want to hear all the music while playing the game first, so I haven't listened to the full soundtrack yet.

Pin Bot - There's not much music in this one, but what's there works well.

Werewolf: The Last Warrior - Surprisingly catchy music for a mediocre game.

Totally agree about Legacy of the Wizard. It's a game that gets no love, probably because it was too difficult for kids. When I went back to it in my late teens (so long ago...), it suddenly became an all-time favorite as a soundtrack and as a game.

[Gatucaman]

Out of the top of my head which their entire soundtracks stand out with all their music pieces and in no order:

Megaman 3
Kick Master
Goonies II
Gargoyles Quest II
Little Nemo the Dream Master
Journey to Silius
Batman Return of the Joker
TMNT II The Arcade Game
Ninja Gaiden
Faxanadu

Honorable Mentions that has Mostly solid Soundtracks except for a few songs that don't hit with me

Megaman 4 (Some songs are weak)
Ninja Gaiden III
Double Dragon 2 (same as with Megaman 4)
Kickle Cubicle (Great and quirky mushy soundtrack but only a few songs)
Megaman 5 (Good Sounding but with less depth as parts 3 and 4)
RECCA (Not a fan of some its intrumentation but DAMN that is ENERGETIC)

[Wraith Storm]

Here are my top 10 favorites in no particular order.

1 Solstice - Composed by Tim Follin. I used to let the title screen music loop over and over. Showed it to all my friends and everything. Tim Follin really pushed the chiptune limits of any system he composed for.
2 Legacy of the Wizard - All these years of loving the OST I only just realized that it was composed by Yuzo Koshiro! The guy is amazing and never lets me down.
3 Castlevania II - By far my favorite Castlevania and some of the most iconic and bad ass tunes in the franchise!
4 Kabuki Quantum Fighter - The ost really fits the theme of this game. I love it.
5 Shatterhand - A fantastic pulse pounding ost to an excellent game! Too bad we never saw a sequel.
6 Willow - Love the movie, Love the game and LOVE the ost.
7 Shadowgate - Just flat out awesome moody music.
8 Dinowarz - Kind of a crappy game that I loved as a kid (still enjoy it) and the music still loops in my head.
9 Contra - Far better than I feel it should have been. Among one of my favorite chiptune soundtracks ever!
10 Batman, Journey To Silius and Blaster Master - Cheating a bit? Hey! They were all composed by Naoki Kodaka. I can't really choose one over the others and the guy was a master of composition so i'm putting all three on this list!

Then there are TONS of other great and Iconic NES soundtracks like Metroid, Zelda, Mario, Ninja Gaiden, Duck Tales, etc.

[Alianger]

Mega Man 2
Journey to Silius
Ninja Gaiden
Erik The Viking
Guardian Legend
Castlevania
The Smurfs
Duck Tales
Crystalis
Lagrange Point

I could fairly easily make it 20, but after that there's a noticeable drop in consistently great soundtracks. Lots of games have one or a few great tracks though.

[Dire 51]

So many to choose from... this is going to be tough. I've decided to leave Famicom-exclusive soundtracks out and stick to one entry per franchise, just to make things a little easier for me.

Okay, in no particular order:

Castlevania
Life Force
Contra
Mega Man 2
Legacy of the Wizard
The Guardian Legend
Journey to Silius
Shadow of the Ninja
Metroid
Godzilla

I also have to give a nod to Predator. Sure, it ain't the greatest game in the world (although it is one I have a soft spot for), but I've always loved the soundtrack.

[Graham Mitchell]

I also have to give a nod to Predator. Sure, it ain't the greatest game in the world (although it is one I have a soft spot for), but I've always loved the soundtrack.

The predator soundtrack is ace. And I happen to think its a fun game. It's just not what people expected.

Here's some of mine in no particular order:

Nazo No Murasame

Mega Man 2

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (the non-cart levels have great music.)

The Guardian Legend

Legacy of the Wizard (it's Yuzo Koshiro!)

Life Force

Blaster Master

Shadowgate

Deadly Towers. Just admit it. The soundtrack is great.

Runner up:spelunker. The title screen theme is gorgeous, and it's apparently an actual classical piece adapted to the game.

[kupomogli]

No particular order.

Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Ninja Gaiden 2
Castlevania 2
Castlevania
Castlevania 3
Blaster Master
Strider
Duck Tales
Final Fantasy 2

[Edgarmcfly]

10.-Metal Gear 1
9.-Robocop 1
8.-Duck Tales 1
7.-The Legend Of Zelda
6.-Dragon Ball (PAL)
5.-Adventure Island 1
4.-Cheetahmen (Action52)
3.-Mega Man II
2.-A nightmare On Elm Street
1.-Castlevania 1