[Capa Langley]

We all enjoy video game music here. Bahamut's project here gave me an idea; How does video game music describe itself to you? We experience all sorts of variety of vgmusic, but what sort is our favorite? How do we differ them from each other? There are too many projects and competitions for remixing on this forum, but why not listen to the original tracks from time to time?

Theme #1: Battle Music

What is needed:

• Link a stream or youtube video of your favorite track that must correspond with the current theme. Not limited to one.
• Write up at least 3 sentences or a full paragraph telling us when you first heard it and why you like it.
• Some favorites will often be shared between more than person. This means someone else will likely post a track which you like. So instead post your 2nd favorite or so forth. No duplicates. The idea here is to spread more music as possible.
• Or, you can post a track you've never really listened to before and write why it should be enjoyed.

For now I am thinking about letting each theme run it's course for a month. In the short future, I might possibly jump to having it once every 2 weeks. We'll just have to see the popularity of this sort of proposal.
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T260G's Final Battle

This track raises your tension right away with the opening beats. The melodies doesn't drown out the rest of the track, nor the sound effects, and never distracts you from the actual battle. This is the sort of track that makes you feel as if you're part of the battle and makes you just want to fight as one of the characters rather than controlling them. I'm a JRPG fan and when SaGa Frontier first came out I was reluctant to actually play T260 at all, but when I did and came to finishing his story I was blasted away from this and always went back to it whenever I could.

[AkumajoBelmont]

Now, hardly the most hardcore RPG gamer, but this has to be one of the greatest Battle Themes of all time.

Grandia II - Fight!! Ver.3 ~ Boss Battle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-QGg9FGzj4

The Grandia games were always the most accessible RPG's I have ever had the pleasure of playing. The fantastic voice acting always lent the titles an old-school 'Saturday Morning Cartoon' vibe that really appealed to me. And this battle theme pretty much embodies everything I love about the Grandia series; it's fun, melodic, empowering, cheesy and it never, ever grates on ones nerves. Noriyuki Iwadare's masterful score for Grandia II is incredibly diverse... and this battle theme perfectly captures the utter uniqueness and pure fun the Grandia battle system could provide. It's a product of it's time, and I dare say that themes as fun and energetic as this will become less and less common, which is rather sad. But I digress. Listen and love it.

[Jedi QuestMaster]

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ~ Boss Battle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbgupNMxNrA

Whether good or bad, Majora's Mask borrowed heavily from its predecessor, Ocarina of Time. Music was no exception, but the few themes (& even fewer that weren't composed by Koji Kondo) were excellent. This theme in particular made those epic battles seem much more... epic. You can even feel the build up right at the beginning. *CHILLS*

[Lizz]

Earthbound: Pokey Means Business!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkwzRz4mKes

(MASSIVE EB SPOILERS TO FOLLOW)



When I first bought earthbound for a whopping $7 (came with the guide too!) I wasn't sure what to expect. When I turned it on and started playing I worried that it was going to be an unfun RPG. Now I'm not a graphics freak but something about the buildings in Onett turned me off. But I kept playing. And playing. The story drew me in. The writing was both humorous and sincere. From saving the Runaway Five to eating "Magic Cake" I loved it. And there were more touching moments. Ness' memories from the sanctuary locations. Collecting melodies just like in Mother. Delving deep into Nothingness with Mu.

And the final battle. The way this starts you think it's going to be awesome and badass and you're going to kick Pokey's ass. When it busts into death metal from chiptune, you're even more hyped up. And then he turns off the Devil's Machine and from then on, the final battle music is akin to what I imagine a failing electrical plant to sound like. The battle is no longer about kicking ass but surviving. And as the party prays, you find yourself doing the same.

[Altermentality]

The boss theme that immediately pops into my head as my favorite would have to be this.

Donkey Kong Country: Gangplank Galleon

I first heard this theme when I was four or five years old, and my dad would rent games allegedly for my entertainment, although I could really only play the easiest levels and he would tackle the rest. Gaming became, at the time, something like an unpredictable, high-stakes cartoon that I would watch my dad partake in. Donkey Kong Country and its sequels were probably the first games that I ever really fell in love with, and their incredible music has stuck with me forever.

One thing I love about this tune is it doesn't start out badass and intense from the beginning. Having wandered through jungles and mines and factories, the Kongs now suddenly find themselves at a totally foreign locale- on a pirate ship. It seems pleasant enough, and there's a beautiful view of the island which you've just traversed in the background. The tune introduces you to the new location with a jolly sea song- but suddenly the merriness fades out and the intense percussion rolls in, and you know it's on, as your giant reptilian nemesis appears for the final showdown.

I always associated the really heavy percussion and bassline with the power of all the things that keep falling from the sky in this battle onto the shaky wooden deck of the ship, whether it be cannonballs or the leaping K. Rool himself. It's these things which add the driving force to the song, while the guitar riff cuts straight to your heart, crescendoing and then fading back out again, eerie, almost already like a melancholy call to tell you this is the end. It seriously gives me chills.

[Txai]

TMNT (Arcade) - Boss Music

Rockin' tune complete with Konami's trademark FM synths and orchestra hits.

[Sbeast]

Super Bomberman - Boss Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE-FPF4BgNI

I played this game many a time when I was younger, usually doing co-op with my bro. The theme is perfect for a boss battle, its truly epic, but it remains funky and catchy which fits in with the general feel of the game.

[DragonAvenger]

Final Fantasy VI - Atma Weapon Theme/Fierce Battle/Ultima Weapon

Possible spoilers:
This was the first game I personally remember having a boss with his own battle theme separate from the end boss. You knew that after getting through the floating continent and approaching this dude, and then hearing this music, that you were in for quite a fight. I loved the intensity throughout, along with the awesome riffs.

[Schwaltzvald]

Castlevania - Black Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiJy2w2hlMg

Way before "Dance of Illusions" ever graced my ears on SotN, back on the NES this particularly track always struck something for me. It was not graceful, nor give any sign that it would be a long, arduous fight. No to me it said, "Fuck you I'm finishing this NOW!"; an all out fight. It had been twenty one years since the first I've heard it and to finally hear what I had vividly imagined within my mind come back gloriously once more...

It simply reaffirms my continued and invested interest in VG music all over again.

Some tracks will often be shared between more than person, so don't post one that has already been posted. Instead, post your 2nd favorite or so forth. No duplicates. The idea here is to spread more music as possible.

I could very easily post tons of Touhou boss music, but I'll put one of my absolute favorite ones

Perfect Cherry Blossom - Necro-Fantasy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fChWlOzWLaU

When I first heard it, to me it seemed very dream-like or ethereal. A fight that didn't have the significance of saving the world or myself. Merely a confrontation and test of will power; more so than anything that would come to mind.

[LuketheXjesse]

Thunder Force IV - Evil Destroyer (stage 1 boss)

Def one of my favorite boss battle themes out there, I love the synth lead and the powerful synth guitars. I get incredibly pumped up just hearing this song. I even went as far as to learn it on guitar and I actually have an old wip of this I'll finish someday, but until then...yeah. Anyway I love how this entire soundtrack has such a metal feel to it, and there's even some Jazz Fusion style songs. I'd say this is easily one of the best Genesis soundtracks out there.