I recently played Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection on the 360. It was quite a trip down memory lane. I loved the Genesis, at times more so than my #1 console of all time, the SNES. The games were awesome, and the music is some of the best that any console has to offer. There’s no giant orchestra, no vocals, not even MIDIs, just classic sound chip beats. There are a ton of memorable songs from the Genesis era, and here now are my Top 5 Genesis Tunes:
#5 Clue – Colonel Mustard’s Theme
This is a strange choice, I know. For some reason, I was addicted to Clue on Genesis. Everyone has a weird game that they played non-stop when they were younger. One of my friends loved The Adventures of Bayou Billy on NES. Another played Loaded and Re-Loaded on PS1 until his discs stopped working from overuse (not a scratch on them, oddly enough). Mine was Clue on Genesis. The animations for each characters were cool, the cheesiness factor is way high, and each character’s specific theme is awesome, with Mustard’s "proper Englishman" theme being my favorite.
#4 Streets of Rage 2 – Go Straight (Level 1 Music)
I had forgotten all about this game until I played the collection. I don’t know how I forgot about it, but I did. Bashing thugs’ heads in as Max brought back a lot of memories, but the music is what really got me going. A couple of tracks, like this one, I had remembered but forgot the source. This track serves as a perfect background for crushing some skulls, with its funky grooves and driving beat. Can’t beat it man.
#3 Sonic 2 – Casino Night Zone
I’ve decided that the first time I go to Vegas (hopefully for EVO, but that’s another story) I want this song in my ear when I walk onto the strip for the first time. This is a perfect song for a casino-style Sonic zone. It’s got a Vegas-sideshow quality to it, like you could close your eyes and there’d be girls dancing on a stage surrounded by lights. Masterfully done.
#2 Sonic 3 – Final Boss
I remember how hard I worked to get to the final boss of Sonic 3, and I remember how pissed off I was when I would get there and I’d be dead in no time, game over, back to the beginning and all. This song added to my frustration, with its "You better not F this up or the world is going to blow up" feeling. This sets the tone for a tough battle, which is exactly what that damn boss was. I’m getting angry just thinking about it, dammit.
#1 Comix Zone – Intro
This might be a surprising pick for some, but this is my favorite song from my favorite Genesis game. The intro was rocking, and the "SEGA" screen was far better than any other Genesis game. The game was awesome, the beat-em-up style blending perfectly with its comic-book setting and cool story, and the entire soundtrack is heavily influenced by rock music, which happens to be my favorite genre. If you haven’t played Comix Zone, do it. I don’t care if you download a ROM to do it (not that I advocate piracy, but this calls for it) but play this game. It’s well worth it.
Ah, the Genesis days were good days, weren’t they? It was tough deciding between SNES and Genesis every day, it basically came down to what game I fely like playing. The music on the Genesis was awesome too, some of the best gaming music ever.
However, as I said above, my favorite console ever was Nintendo’s little gray box, the SNES. Perhaps next week?
Until next time,
Keep listening. You’ll never know what you’re missing if you don’t.
