Top 25 Soundtracks 2011: Number 24

Number 24: Megaman II

Ah the NES. The days when games only had a few colors they could display at one time, were really hard, and had terrible box art. But what they lacked in graphics and sophistication they made up for with gameplay and music, and Megaman II is one that succeeded wonderfully on both accounts. As scary as it may sound to us modern players, Megaman II almost never made it. That would be a tragedy, because every part of the game is stellar. Including the soundtrack. Composed by a three man team of Manami Matsumae, Yoshihiro Sakaguchi, and Takashi Tateishi (thanks Wikipedia, the original credits were aliases), the Megaman II soundtrack to this day is still remembered by players and fans as one of the most memorable soundtracks of the NES era.



Megaman II mkes great use of its limited sound set. While the NES really only allowed a few sounds to be played at once, and only a few simple melodies, Megaman II's composers created a fun, bouncy and clever soundtrack with a lot of life and vibrancy for the technology afforded to them, delivering tunes that to this day many players can still hum (like say, metalman or Wily's castle). It's that sort of attachment that wins over listeners, because while the game may have lacked the technology to produce the grand opuses of today, it could use the classic chiptune sound to generate catchy, catchy music. It's fun to listen to, that's all there is to it. These tunes brought smiles to gamers faces 20 years ago, and they still do today.

Megaman II's legacy continues to pay off today. So memorable are the tunes from Megaman II, that a quick check of OCRemix's Megaman II page shows an astonishing forty-seven remixes, all of differing types and genres, but still true to those same melodies laid down all those years ago.

Our hats off to the blue bomber. Megaman II is a great example of classic 8-bit music at its best.

Megaman II

Enjoyment: 3

Stand Alone Quality: 3.25

Composition: 3.5

Emotional Reaction: 3.75

Non-Gamer Enjoyment: 0

Nostalgia: 1

TOTAL: 3.63

Number 24--Megaman II by Manami Matsumae, Yoshihiro Sakaguchi, and Takashi Tateishi

Number 25--Dawn of War II by Doyle W. Donehoo