Lurker > banshiryuu

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha A's - ETERNAL BLAZE
https://animethemes.moe/video/NanohaAs-OP1.webm (yeah the one on yt sucks lmao)

RahXephon - Hemisphere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t1_35xiub4

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny - ignited
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGt067uoLRQ

Macross F - Lion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGVO_Jw2q4Y

D.Gray-man - Doubt & Trust
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK-EVhaeB48

Law of Ueki - Falco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwBiWhBVcf4

Pokemon: Advanced Battle - Unbeatable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0ATPpDbRVc

Pokemon: Advanced Generation - Battle Frontier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hidHCbLHreg

to further the cycle...
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNXDORibqkE

Kirby - Kirby!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zstu-hcqqYo

29th: Sonic Mania Plus - Angel Island Zone
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 73/100 (7.4), Sonic Mania (10/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZiccIwYFfo

28th: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Angel Island Zone Act 1
Composer: Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi
Score: 73/100 (7.4), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (5/17)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbPPWKEfw6I

I'll just rate these together since it's so close for me, and the difference between the two is the "the Mania is a little too messy production-wise" problem that's come up like six times already so I'll just talk about the song in general!

Okay right off the bat this song starts out with those INSANE rolls I LOOOOVE the rolls everywhere, like also when it comes back really subtly at 0:47, and honestly just the composition style in general is so Cool and Chill and fun!!! The panned "call-and-response" in almost every part is so cool, both main sections at 0:14 and 0:29 that do this with like two melodies on two instruments that never really overlap but make one melody together, though the former is much more blunt with it and that makes it cool when they start to blend together in the second part, and then 0:44 everything really comes together and ends the song off strong. It's not as good a "first level" song as Green Hill imo, ironically for good reason cause it's much more complex of a song to me, and thus that makes it win out in general for me. Fun fact, I actually did know this song before doing this ranking because of Smash Bros... but I deadass thought it was the first level for Sonic 2 until this year. Oops.

(Also note, I've seen a common theory/thought that Tomonori Sawada is the one composer for this one and possibly Act 2 too, but he's confirmed he did the title theme and some jingles but nothing else. Since it's almost definitely not Howard Drossin, based on the album that the Sawada thinking comes from I think it's more likely to be Yoshiaki Kashima, but still also probably not Kashima. Why must you be like this Sonic 3???)

31st: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Hydrocity Zone Act 2
Composer: Masayuki Nagao
Score: 72/100 (7.3), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (6/17)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNYL4w-qxcE

Bouncy fun time in underwater drowning hell world yaay!! The intro really starts off setting the overall light-hearted mood, but it's when 0:22 happens that the song really kicks into gear for me. The melody from here on out to loop is just SOOOO damn catchy like WHat? Nagao's take on the jazzy and suave Act 1 and turning it into the high-energy banger is just... incredible, honestly. It's definitely the same composition at heart, but he just ran with it and turned it into this song that just makes me wanna dance, like I swear it's physically impossible to not bop to it at least a little while listening to it. Infectious to the third degree, and pretty damn deserving of the hype that it gets.

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30th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Tidal Tempest "B" mix
Composer: Masafumi Ogata
Score: 73/100 (7.4), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (8/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNS1bTtTOVQ

God I just fuckin LOOOOVE the ultra electric feel of the JP/EU Bad Future songs, like seriously taking "zone environment but if we put flashing neon dystopian lights on everything even" and embedding that thought process into a song is absolutely nutty and they nail it Every. Single. God Damn. Time. This one's pretty simple and doesn't really have a main melody like... ever, but it gets away with that by just hammering you with this image with every single sound that it puts forth and like AAAAAAA I am stuck in Blade Runner Cave Drowning Help! Incredibly successful in that regard and fun to listen to just to keep imagining the background to this song like I have never looked at "Tidal Tempest Bad Future What It Looks Like" Ever and I bet I could look it up and know exactly what it looks like.... Okay so there's not really lights from what I can see but its definitely rusty dystopian cool stuff great atmosphere good song!!!

33rd: Sonic Mania - Skyway Octane - Mirage Saloon Zone Act 1 ST Mix
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 71/100 (7.3), Sonic Mania (11/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc2jgJiBT6c

Very cool, unique sounds in this one! It's like a shmup mixed with a western racing game, but made for a platformer, and has that kinda old time-y feel strewn throughout in things like the recurring flute motif thing, and the guitar. Juxtaposed with the electronic drums and synths in the backing which are all doing really cool ostinatos makes this really fun to listen to and pick apart as it happens. The parts where the progression gradually raises chromatically is REALLY REALLY COOL like we're soaring now up to the rockin' skies!! Also hi Sky Chase I know I kinda blasted you but it's cool to hear that little homage in there!!! Really fun to listen to and conceptually impressive so yeah it's gonna get high marks from me.

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32nd: Sonic CD (USA) - Stardust Speedway "B" mix
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 72/100 (7.3), Sonic CD (USA) (1/21)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUG9lWhD0Ew

OKAY so hear me out I know I've blasted this game's guitar use before but THIS is the kind of electric guitar that makes me go WHOOOOOOA the grunginess of it as opposed to "LISTEN TO ME WAIL AND SOUND ""COOL"" WWAAWAWAWAA" that happens in a lot of the other songs, I really like what the song does. The main synth in the intro that keeps repeating and pans back and forth and gets filtered in and out is really fucking cool too like THIS SONG IS JUST SO COOL. Staaaaarduuuuuuuuuust it has the big slappy snare hits and claps that I go crazy for too what the heck this song is like the essence of what I actually like in rock stuff so good for you song, thank you for showing me the light of the USA Sonic CD Soundtrack!! Very good song!

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The time has arrived once again, and this time we say farewell to our first full-sized soundtrack... Sonic CD (USA). This one was probably the soundtrack I heard a lot of hype over from a number of people I know, so I feel kinda bad that what seemed to be quite a number of people's favorite soundtrack is the first big boy to head out. But regardless, I still really enjoyed the soundtrack overall! A lot of its under-performance came from me just personally not caring for a number of songs, but not necessarily finding them bad at all, so while it leaves the group early it certainly isn't gone without leaving a mark on my mind overall!!

161st (46, 6.0): Quartz Quadrant
154th (52, 6.3): Collision Chaos "G" mix
141st (57, 6.6): Palmtree Panic "G" mix
140th (57, 6.6): Palmtree Panic
134th (58, 6.7): Metallic Madness
133rd (58, 6.7): Metallic Madness "B" mix
118th (59, 6.7): Collision Chaos "B" mix
114th (60, 6.7): Stardust Speedway
113th (60, 6.7): Tidal Tempest "B" mix
110th (60, 6.7): Wacky Workbench "B" mix
105th (61, 6.8): Tidal Tempest
97th (61, 6.8): Wacky Workbench "G" mix
96th (61, 6.8): Tidal Tempest "G" mix
94th (61, 6.8): Wacky Workbench
93rd (61, 6.8): Palmtree Panic "B" mix
92nd (61, 6.8): Collision Chaos
90th (62, 6.8): Stardust Speedway "G" mix
61st (66, 7.0): Metallic Madness "G" mix
55th (67, 7.1): Quartz Quadrant "G" mix
54th (67, 7.1): Quartz Quadrant "B" mix
32nd (72, 7.3): Stardust Speedway "B" mix

35th: Sonic Mania - Oil Ocean Zone Act 2
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 71/100 (7.3), Sonic Mania (12/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn1cxLMt5nE

Oh sorry I think I'm in the wrong topic actually, I meant to rate a Sonic song not a Shantae song... well, apparently they're the same thing in this one! REALLY love the electronic backing in this one, it adds a really, really cool flair to the song that makes it so much fun to listen to honestly. It's kind of crazy to listen up from the original to Mania Act 1 to this remix and think about just how much I think it improves as it goes along. Makes me wanna get up and belly dance... not that anyone really wants to think about that probably. But seriously, what a good Shantae song!!

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34th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Mystic Cave Zone (2P)
Composer: Masato Nakamura
Score: 71/100 (7.3), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (3/14)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxPZqsc_uzA

BRUH THIS BASS THOUGH WHAT??? I absolutely love it and I'm really glad it stays for literally the entire song because it does a really good job of driving all these different melodies that come in and out and different snippits on different instruments all over the place. It's very engaging to listen to and has a lot of really cool harmonies to me as well, and it's really energetic and WOW just really fun!! How'd this get put as a 2P song instead of get used for a main zone?! Oh... wait......

Alright fellas, time to kick this thing into gear once again!!

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37th: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Azure Lake Zone
Composer: Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi
Score: 71/100 (7.3), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (7/17)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgbPjmA7GhQ

What an energetic song!! Super bouncy and fun without being too overly sugary happy, which somehow feels like a hard thing to do for some songs. But this one nails the feel perfectly. It actually reminds me a lot of Green Hill Zone in that regard, as well as the very distinct, different sections that it has, and a very catchy main melody. Just a really solid song overall!

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36th: Sonic Mania - Tabloid Jargon - Press Garden Zone Act 1
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 71/100 (7.3), Sonic Mania (13/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MndM7CKbq4

WHAT the WHAT how is this song so absolute(ly) chill (meg aman 10 heh) while also being very upbeat and driving and MECHANICAL WHIRRRRS and also I swear I listened to this for like forever and felt like it was a pretty long song and then it's literally a less-than-1-minute loop??? So like yeah you know a song is accomplished when you can fake getting more length out of it and get away with it. Very, very cool song, and one that I could see growing on me a lot. I already feel like I underrated it a bit!! We'll see how my opinion of it changes after I play the game ohhohohoho

39th: Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone
Composer: Masato Nakamura
Score: 71/100 (7.3), Sonic the Hedgehog (2/7)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1doxqp7lNY

Whoa what's this song!!! I've never heard it before!!! Just kidding, it's a song I actually knew of before this thing... but probably because everyone that has ever thought "video game" in their head knows it! (slight exaggeration... maybe.) It definitely has all the elements that you need to be an incredibly, incredibly memorable song, and its status as a "VGM classic" is nothing short of well deserved. Melody is an absolute ear worm, great movement to keep things new and spicy as it goes along, great sounds... just damn. Great piece of work, and one that I'll enjoy for time to come in the form of copious amounts of remixes and the like that come with this being the "main theme" for the series, so to speak. ...But also the original as well!

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38th: Sonic Mania - Green Hill Zone Act 1
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 71/100 (7.3), Sonic Mania (14/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBnUhZw8zDI

Oh wait the classic was made almost-the-same-but-actually-better huh. Very slightly gets the edge over the original version of the song because the FM sounds taken from the original aren't too drowned and muddied by reverb like some other songs are, (although they still kinda are) and the added stuff in there is pretty cool! It's kinda mostly background stuff but when you really pay attention they come out, and that's neat. But yeah it's a 2017 Green Hill Zone plain and simple, effective, good stuff.

i was deadass considering nominating sega pico kana pokemon page 5 how the fuck did someone else do it god bless

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire - Abandoned Ship
https://youtu.be/rd1Xm1s3Tu4

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 - Battle! (Colress)
https://youtu.be/S1DWNsV2rYA

Pokemon Colosseum - Cipher Peon Battle
https://youtu.be/0U5f_XivxDk

Pokemon Battle Revolution - Sunset Colosseum
https://youtu.be/zw8Knoli-ho

41st: Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble - Sunset Park Zone Act 3
Composer: Yayoi Wachi
Score: 70/100 (7.2), Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (1/7)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcWrovC-pXg

Very foreboding and almost downright sinister progression in the intro sets the tone for a very, very cool song, but when the melody section hits at 0:25 WHOOOA i love this melody like a LOT lol. Especially the little part at 0:30 idk what it does there if its just some funky chord change or what but its COOL. The constant beat sticking throughout the whole piece is also really cool and makes it really easy to listen to this just a ton of times lol. Definitely deserving of its position as my favorite SMS/GG game song!!

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40th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Quartz Quadrant "P" mix
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 71/100 (7.3), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (9/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyJp0Z9spRM

Okay well first off can we talk about how AMAZING that bass is?? I love how it sounds like its just rolling from note to note, chugging along and keeping the song in this really nice tempo and auhghguh I'm so glad it stays for pretty much the whole song I LOVEEE it!! Honestly pretty much every sample used here besides the bass is also pretty perfect lol, very very crisp sounding song very good ayaay

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As I mentioned at the end of its writeup there, the last of the Master System/Game Gear games takes its leave! Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble may have actually been overall (including stuff not eligible for the ranking) my least favorite OST that I listened to, but that didn't stop its highest high from shining above the other songs on the system!

169th (35, 5.5): Tidal Plant Zone
157th (49, 6.2): Meta Junglira Zone
126th (59, 6.7): Sunset Park Zone
119th (59, 6.7): Atomic Destroyer Zone
115th (60, 6.7): Robotnik Winter Zone
104th (61, 6.8): Great Turquoise Zone
41st (70, 7.2): Sunset Park Zone Act 3

Sooooooo... Pokemon happened. And is destroying my time and life. But in some fun news in case you haven't heard, prototype madness continues and a recently revealed proto of Sonic 3 dated for just around when Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were split up contains Genesis versions of the Sonic & Knuckles Collection tracks!! The whole lot of them are just a bit down the page here: https://tcrf.net/Proto:Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3

Launch Base Zone Act 2 would definitely jump a ton of place if this were revealed (and also eligible lol) before I started this.... actually, the original should probably be a lot higher anyway. It's really good!! All of these are really cool!!!

In real news, rankings should actually be returning tomorrow or Monday! But more than likely tomorrow!

oooooh okay no that's definitely where I was trying to go, but couldn't actually think of what "region" I was thinking of so I defaulted to the best thing I could think of haha. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is exactly what I was thinking of but had no idea exactly what I was remembering, so thank you for reminding me of that! That's pretty much exactly it haha

I actually didn't even realize this was going to happen but there goes the the last song for three of our Master System/Game Gear entries: Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS), and Sonic Blast. All three were sort of mixed bags for me, but all also have their gems!

Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS)
150th (55, 6.5): Jungle Zone
136th (58, 6.7): Green Hill Zone
91st (62, 6.8): Bridge Zone
89th (62, 6.8): Labyrinth Zone
62nd (66, 7.0): Sky Base Zone
42nd (70, 7.2): Scrap Brain Zone

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS)
155th (51, 6.3): Crystal Egg Zone
152nd (53, 6.4): Aqua Lake Zone
117th (59, 6.7): Gimmick Mt. Zone
100th (61, 6.8): Sky High Zone
95th (61, 6.8): Green Hills Zone
47th (69, 7.2): Under Ground Zone
43rd (70, 7.2): Scrambled Egg Zone

Sonic Blast
170th (31, 5.3): Yellow Desert Zone
159th (47, 6.1): Green Hill Zone
148th (55, 6.5): Red Volcano Zone
112th (60, 6.7): Blue Marine Zone
44th (70, 7.2): Silver Castle Zone

44th: Sonic Blast - Silver Castle Zone
Composer: Kojiro Mikusa
Score: 70/100 (7.2), Sonic Blast (1/5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIWEAKEJZoE

YES that's the kind of strong noise channel percussion that I like to hear in more minimal sound chips like the SMS/GG's. Very subdued but overlaying the kind of wildly moving countermelodies that I go crazy for in the first part of the loop, just a very very cool song. Not much to say cause it's a short one, and I know I say this a lot but it's the kind of short and sweet I could listen to for hours. Great stuff!

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43rd: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) - Scrambled Egg Zone
Composer: Masafumi Ogata, Naofumi Hataya
Score: 70/100 (7.2), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) (1/7)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktI0WUV8soc

Somehow this song makes things work without a true melody for a good majority of its run time! Intro is crazy good buildup; 0:12~0:25 is easily my favorite part, I love the effect of the slow fade in and quick fade out! 0:58 until loop end is a good contender though as well; I love the sort of "echo" effect that moving the bass note to its own channel and having it play extended over the melody instead of sharing the channel with it. (At least... I'm pretty sure that's what is going on here lol) Very cool!

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42nd: Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) - Scrap Brain Zone
Composer: Yuzo Koshiro
Score: 70/100 (7.2), Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) (1/6)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrIE04Koiqo

Okay I know I've said previous Sonic 1 SMS songs sounded like they were taken straight from Ys 1, but THIS ONE REEEEEALLY sounds like it. SUPER "retro" feel, very catchy melody, love love love that soft scale background stuff that adds a ton of depth to the song. The more sorrowful melody B that starts at 0:34 adds EVEN MORE depth to it and augh this is just fun as fuck. Just great stuff here.

47th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) - Under Ground Zone
Composer: Masafumi Ogata, Naofumi Hataya
Score: 69/100 (7.2), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) (2/7)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SWuUPJEF8s

Definitely feels like a song for some Sonic CD SMS version, which is not surprising given the composers! Really good energy, incredibly catchy melody throughout the whole thing, I've definitely had this song stuck in my head randomly a few times over the course of the past few weeks... and I didn't even really think that much of it when I first heard it. Somehow it managed to worm its way into my memory, but that just proves it's a good ass song!

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46th: Sonic Mania - Steel Cortex - Titanic Monarch Zone Act 2
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 69/100 (7.2), Sonic Mania (15/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnq21ayQGQ8

Holy crap I can't believe this is a Sonic level song honestly. Incredibly cool mechanical sound that would not be out of place in a really cool electronic/mechanical final dungeon area in a high-end JRPG. The number of different whirrings and blips and noises going on throughout is just so cool; that beep ostinato that persists in the background through most of it as well is incredibly cool. The piano part that starts at 1:01 and leads into full-force melody at 1:10 is actually insane, and then the piano run to cap off the loop right at 1:25 WHEW MAMA this one knows how to get me. Really cool song, definitely a unique one among the series.

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45th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Palmtree Panic
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 69/100 (7.2), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (10/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbGLPqs9SeQ

Yaaaayy!! We just had the "G" mix a few places ago which is rather similar to this song in many ways, but I prefer this one by quite a bit. It's not so over-the-top happy sugar rush parade and it's a lot easier to just... vibe with as a result. 1:06 is a good example of this; the piano just chills the song out for a little bit without actually killing any of the energy of the song so that it can just kinda glide back to full force at 1:22 yaaaay and not seem weird at all. Very well worked, very fun, great song!! Woo!!

49th: Sonic Mania - Oil Ocean Zone Act 1
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 68/100 (7.1), Sonic Mania (16/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH0VN3Nixwg

Alright now we're talking! I finally get to talk about a Mania song that I feel completely and utterly improved the original! The complete ditching of FM-sounding instruments was a risky but incredibly rewarding sound design choice and it helps this song fulfill its potential. The melody can still be quiet at times, but it doesn't feel like it's straight up taking a backseat anymore, and blends with the other stuff really well. It completely shed the hokey feel and now truly sounds like a mischievous Arabian adventure and god it's just so cool!! Thank you Tee Lopes for giving us this great rendition!! And yet we still have Act 2 as well......

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48th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Palmtree Panic "G" mix
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 68/100 (7.1), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (11/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEmvrmEecH4

Yaaaaay!!! This song is like being part of a samba float in a parade on Cinco de Mayo or something, it's just like injecting pure happy into your bloodstream and it's really fun!! I LOVE THE fake brass and its melody at 1:01 its so hilarious and just adds so much to the fun WOO! Very much a song to dance to, really fun!

Sorry for the delay!! Had a busy few days, but now I should be back to posting again. Time to get into the Top 50!

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51st: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Stardust Speedway
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 68/100 (7.1), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (12/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJY73z2fQQs

GET FUNKY GET FUNKY GET FUNKY EL POLLO LOCO (??) I'm actually really not into this song in general as it seems others are but like, it's still a goddamn BOP like its a very very good overall sound and hilarious sample usage HUEHUEHUEHUE. Just don't care for the two main melodies much; the first one starting at 0:24 at all, and the second one at 0:55 is good but I really don't like how much straight back-and-forth between notes there is without swinging it or adding in some syncopation or anything, its just whack. As the intro samples say, however, this one makes me GET FUNKY so there's no way it won't be at least somewhat high.

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50th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Aquatic Ruin Zone
Composer: Masato Nakamura
Score: 68/100 (7.1), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (4/14)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK33c2rV2Do

VERY cool Western-style composition that almost makes me second guess if it even actually sounds Western or just WHAT THE HECK it sounds like I don't know but it's very cool!! I like how much the melody relies on moving not-on-the-beat so it almost seems like it's kind of delayed or something as the song goes on. Extremely catchy, very cool sound, I like it a lot. Good stuff.

Crawdaunt

my poor buddy that I feel like is a shoe-in to get cut from swsh lol...

53rd: Knuckles' Chaotix - Electoria (Techno Tower Zone)
Composer: Junko Shiratsu
Score: 68/100 (7.1), Knuckles' Chaotix (3/8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhUL7Ixb5gQ

And here we have a Pokemon Game Corner theme that somehow found its way into the ranking! ...Well, I guess it'd be more accurate to say a Pulseman song found its way into the ranking. Love the foundation laid down for the whole song, and then the melody is incredibly catchy on top and makes this overall just a really, really fun song! Not much else I have to say, it's just solid as hell.

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52nd: Knuckles' Chaotix - New Moon (Amazing Arena Zone (Lights On))
Composer: Junko Shiratsu
Score: 68/100 (7.1), Knuckles' Chaotix (2/8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0zDRi-N-GQ

Absolutely INCREDIBLE percussion section on this one, especially in the beginning where it just goes HAM like damn. I can't remember honestly if I've touched on just how much I love the extra 32X PCM sample use in this game but it really, really shines on this song in particular. And then its got great melodies to add the cherry on top as well and seal it as a great, great song. Very fun.

56th: Sonic the Hedgehog - Marble Zone
Composer: Masato Nakamura
Score: 67/100 (7.1), Sonic the Hedgehog (3/7)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXukwNQG0uA

This one's another simple one but GOD is it catchy as hell. It's like Sonic is on a gondola ride in Venice rather than bouncing on baddies in a weird lava area. Definitely a very "video game music" song haha. By the way, I think this is the longest gap between a game's placing on the entire list; Sonic 1 was last seen with Scrap Brain at 123rd! Quite a divide in the quality of the soundtrack.

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55th: Sonic CD (USA) - Quartz Quadrant "G" mix
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 67/100 (7.1), Sonic CD (USA) (3/21)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAyjYGBs-I0

WOW it's actually kinda crazy just how different this one is from the present version... in a very, very good way. I mean, we're more than ONE HUNDRED placements removed from the present now (it was 161st) so like... what the heck? While the present version was this rock song that I really did not care for at all, this one is a super, super cool piece with an air of mystery to it that pulls me in and makes me get my groove on. It's really damn good.

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54th: Sonic CD (USA) - Quartz Quadrant "B" mix
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 67/100 (7.1), Sonic CD (USA) (2/21)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ1cZnMVfuE

Manages to edge out the "G" mix just a bit because I like the vocals in this one a LOT LOT more than the "G". The soft, almost melancholy droning has such a much better effect on that "air of mystery" I mentioned before over the shooby-dooby-doowa-yadda-da. Otherwise it's pretty much the same song, so I won't repeat myself much on it here.

59th: Sonic Mania - Hydrocity Zone Act 1
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 66/100 (7.0), Sonic Mania (18/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e48OijK2LiI

Okay so since we're starting to see the Mania remixes of Genesis stuff pop up now, time to lay some general thoughts down that'll influence a LOT of placements over/under the originals. While I really like how Lopes keeps the integrity of the FM sound in a LOT of instruments, I don't necessarily love the mixing on a lot of these pieces; they seem a little too washed out with reverb and it makes it not as nice to listen to as just straight up the originals. This depends on the song though, cause some songs don't seem to have this problem nearly as much as others. In general there are a lot of cases where I actually wish there'd be some variance in instrumentation other than modern percussion/an actual bass (which is NOT as good as an FM bass) so they end up lower.

And this is one of those cases! Pretty much both of those things apply to this song in general, but it's not a particularly egregious case of either in this song. So it's just slightly below the original, and I'll wait to talk about that instead for now.

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58th: Sonic Mania - Green Hill Zone Act 2
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 67/100 (7.1), Sonic Mania (17/28)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN7_Wnitn1E

And here instead we have a properly remixed song since Sonic 1/2 songs don't already have split Act 1 and 2s! I really do like this remix a lot, I think the amount of creativity put in while still feeling close enough to actually be an "Act 2" of Green Hill is astounding. But does it match up to the original? ...Nah, not really. Seems kinda of over-ambitious; stuff like the accordion solo at 0:41 is really cool but the change in pace from the rather lethargic melody of Green Hill Zone is just too weird. Still a very cool, fun song, almost like if Palmtree Panic was meant to be a Green Hill remix originally.

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57th: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Hydrocity Zone Act 1
Composer: Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi
Score: 67/100 (7.1), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (8/17)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrWepCaCJ7c

And now for the original! Super fun jazzy piece, love the swing in it, especially in the latter half of the song. Has a lot of room to breathe in there without actually feeling like there's empty space like I had complained a lot of songs in the lower part of the list did. Just an incredibly solid, fun piece, not much more I can say about it!

62nd: Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) - Sky Base Zone
Composer: Yuzo Koshiro
Score: 66/100 (7.0), Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) (2/6)


Yeah it's literally an 18 second loop and yeah it's pretty damn simple, but oh man is it effective! Such a catchy song, the kind where I could loop it and keep into it for hours. That last bit from 0:13 to loop at 0:18 is so Koshiro it's ridiculous lol, that "turning the dial up on the intensity AND pitch" that he does at the end of phrases. Super cool song.

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61st: Sonic CD (USA) - Metallic Madness "G" mix
Composer: Mark Crew
Score: 66/100 (7.0), Sonic CD (USA) (4/21)


134th - Metallic Madness

This song starts off with a SUPER cool intro, gets me super excited to hear what the song has to offer but then ohhhhhhhh here comes Mr. Filtered Guitar again awww. For how much I like how the intro sounds, I really wish it didn't go somewhere where I super do not care for the sound at all. And that it was faster...

YES YES oh my GOD THIS IS Exactly what I wanted after listening to the present and THEN even more on top. It keeps going with that super cool intro but then WHAT THE HECK THE BONGOS KEEP GOING TOO and they switch between being hardpanned in different channels in just an absolutely cool way and holy moley what a beat. Very impressed with how much this one improves upon the present version, very cool synth strings and of course those bongos can I just mention them again LISTEN TO THEM GO okay

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60th: Sonic Mania - Stardust Speedway Zone Act 2
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 66/100 (7.0), Sonic Mania (19/28)


It's kinda surreal to hear this start purely rave-style like the OG Metallic Madness almost, but then that suave Stardust Speedway jazz style comes back in quickly after the intro and that's what I like to hear. It's just missing all the crazy vocal samples that would make it a downright slapper! Very cool rendition, and I definitely appreciate the creativity done to the song here.

64th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Metropolis Zone
Composer: Masato Nakamura
Score: 66/100 (7.0), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (5/14)


Holy what that SCRATCH sample is so good, it's so not a sound I was expecting coming from the rest of Nakamura's work for Sonic 1 and 2 up until this point but the whole rhythm section in particular is on point. Pitch bends from dissonant notes and crunchy FM goodness in the latter half, all leading to everything boiling over and almost literally musically falling down at 0:47 to reset to the loop point like wow this song is just COOL. Like a theme song for a happy version of Terminator or something like "yeah I'm badass and gonna cap yo ass" that's what this song says to me and I am okay with it.

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63rd: Knuckles' Chaotix - Door Into Summer (Isolated Island Zone)
Composer: Junko Shiratsu
Score: 66/100 (7.0), Knuckles' Chaotix (4/8)


Walk through the door into summer and get smacked in the face by this song's amazing rays of sunshine that stick straight into your brain got DAMN. That constant ride cymbal and that bass lay the literal perfect foundation that this song just thrives off of and yeah this song just sounds really good, plain and simple. (or not simple cause I just said Some Bullshit) It's soooo niiiiceeee aaaaaaa summer please come back it just snowed for the first time today and I am looking outside listening to this right now and the snow is all melting from the Summer! (i wish) thank you good summer

66th: Sonic Mania - Lava Reef Zone Act 2
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 65/100 (7.0), Sonic Mania (20/28)


I'm actually kind of surprised that I prefer this version over the FM one as well, but that lead instrument (honestly blanking on what it actually is called phht) that comes in at 0:15 is SUBLIME like WOW! The slap bass just adds a cherry on top, very good addition there as well. Just as beautiful as the original, if not more.

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65th: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Carnival Night Zone Act 1
Composer: Michael Jackson, Brad Buxer
Score: 65/100 (7.0), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (9/17)


Okay phew now that we have the full song I can actually talk about it. Really fun song!! Sonic Carnival Night on the Dance Floor!! (actual carnival music finally again instead of EVIL CLOWN music) michael jackson JAM glass breaks There's just something about the happy nature of the melody against the minimal percussion with amazing samples like that super processed metallic rimshot/clap/whatever and the true star of the song the GLASS. and jam voice seriously how did someone figure out that was actually what that sample was... you know besides having the hint that 1:03 is LITERALLY jam but yeah what the hell. It's good!!

68th: Sonic Chaos - Intro / Electric Egg Zone Act 3
Composer: Kojiro Mikusa, Masayuki Nagao
Score: 65/100 (7.0), Sonic Chaos (1/8)


Oh hey so this game has both Zero's theme AND Counter Hunter Stage 2?! How's that fair at all?! Joking aside, this song has a really good moving melody and does some very cool stuff like the chromatic movement at 0:15, and the very "mega man" chords at 0:23. Very fun for a short song as well!!

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67th: Sonic Mania - Blossom Haze - Press Garden Zone Act 2
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 65/100 (7.0), Sonic Mania (21/28)


Yo this is frickin SMOOTH like seriously this is just chill concentrate, absolutely lovely sounds abound. The main melody starting at 0:27 is strangely nostalgic in ways I can't really describe and I love it. It's so short as well though!! Not actually that big a negative, but yeah it's really good lol

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And thus, just barely into the "top of the list", another soundtrack takes its leave. Sonic Chaos has a number of interesting songs; while only one stuck out to me as excellent and a few ranked fairly low, I still had quite a bit I liked about most of the game's offerings! For a quick recap:

165th (43, 5.9): Electric Egg Zone
149th (55, 6.5): Gigalopolis Zone
127th (59, 6.7): Aqua Planet Zone
125th (59, 6.7): Turquoise Hill Zone
111th (60, 6.7): Sleeping Egg Zone
81st (63, 6.9): Gigapolis Zone (Game Gear)
79th (63, 6.9): Mecha Green Hill Zone
68th (65, 7.0): Intro / Electric Egg Zone Act 3

70th: Sonic & Knuckles - Death Egg Zone Act 2
Composer: Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi
Score: 65/100 (7.0), Sonic & Knuckles (5/12)


Okay you may never, ever hear me say this again and this is kind of ironic that this is the one case where I think this way but I actually really like this song more without the overly-harsh FM that's in some areas in the Act 1. Like, the section at 0:26 it's definitely more subdued but still has that same kinda craziness to it that makes me really excited!!

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69th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Emerald Hill Zone (2P)
Composer: Masato Nakamura
Score: 65/100 (7.0), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (6/14)


If you ever told me there'd be reggae in here where I started this I'd wonder how in the world that would work at all but uh... here we are and it's really good!! Very relaxed yet still has good energy in the melodies, especially when the backing stuff takes over for the melody at brief sections during the part at 0:20. One of the many short but oh-so-sweet songs that'll be showing up now! Also... nice placement.

I cannot confirm nor deny this claim...

LeonhartFour posted...

also you should do a bonus boss themes list because it didn't occur to me that boss themes weren't included

Oh yeah I totally forgot to mention Im doing exactly this oops LOL

Well, its not a complete ranking but before the top of the top I am planning on doing some little bonus writeups of other songs that I loved and thought I could shoutout while listening to everything or something like that. If theres anything in specific youd want my thoughts on Ill definitely try and remember to get to them as well!

And with 71st place passing by, we have entered the zone of things I rated a 7.x or higher... which pretty much means everything that is left to appear is something I would say I loved!! We only just broke into the top half of the list and already we're at things that I'm kinda crazy for... just goes to show how much I enjoyed doing this! Since there's been a lot of songs in a short amount of time, I thought I'd give a little overview of what has yet to appear in the list. I actually made a spreadsheet overview for this project but... forgot to post the link here, so here's that now for anyone that wants a recap of past placings as well.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vA1lwHrhyz65SCF0S4i028sSnBISjg-epkX6-GR1JoM

Sonic the Hedgehog - 3 songs:
- Green Hill Zone, Marble Zone, Star Light Zone
Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) - 2 songs:
- Scrap Brain Zone, Sky Base Zone
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - 6 songs:
- Emerald Hill Zone, Chemical Plant Zone, Aquatic Ruin Zone, Metropolis Zone, Mystic Cave Zone (2P), Emerald Hill Zone (2P)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) - 2 songs:
- Under Ground Zone, Scrambled Egg Zone
Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - 11 songs:
- Palmtree Panic, Palmtree Panic "G" mix, Palmtree Panic "B" mix, Tidal Tempest "B" mix, Quartz Quadrant "P" mix, Quartz Quadrant "B" mix, Wacky Workbench "B" mix, Stardust Speedway, Stardust Speedway "B" mix, Metallic Madness, Metallic Madness "P" mix
Sonic CD (USA) - 4 songs:
- Quartz Quadrant "G" mix, Quartz Quadrant "B" mix, Stardust Speedway "B" mix, Metallic Madness "G" mix
Sonic Chaos - 1 song: Intro / Electric Egg Zone Act 3
Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble - 1 song: Sunset Park Zone Act 3
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - 9 songs:
- Angel Island Zone Act 1, Angel Island Zone Act 2, Hydrocity Zone Act 1, Hydrocity Zone Act 2, Carnival Night Zone Act 1, IceCap Zone Act 1, IceCap Zone Act 2, Azure Lake Zone, Chrome Gadget Zone
Sonic & Knuckles - 5 songs:
- Flying Battery Zone Act 1, Flying Battery Zone Act 2, Lava Reef Zone Act 1, Sky Sanctuary Zone, Death Egg Zone Act 2
Knuckles' Chaotix - 4 songs:
- Door Into Summer [Isolated Island Zone], Electoria [Techno Tower Zone], Speed of Sound [Speed Slider Zone], New Moon [Amazing Arena Zone (Lights On)]
Sonic Blast - 1 song: Silver Castle Zone
Sonic Mania - ..... 21 songs:
- Green Hill Zone Act 1 & 2, Chemical Plant Zone Act 1 & 2, Flying Battery Zone Act 1 & 2, Stardust Speedway Zone Act 2, Hydrocity Zone Act 1 & 2, Oil Ocean Zone Act 1 & 2, Lava Reef Zone Act 1 & 2, Metallic Madness Zone Act 2, Angel Island Zone
- Lights, Camera, Action! - Studiopolis Zone Act 1, Prime Time - Studiopolis Zone Act 2, Tabloid Jargon - Press Garden Zone Act 1, Blossom Haze - Press Garden Zone Act 2, Skyway Octane - Mirage Saloon Zone Act 1 ST Mix, Steel Cortex - Titanic Monarch Zone Act 2

So, anyone still have their favorites alive and well, or already lost every single song they've ever loved? Anything you're shocked is still even in this thing somehow? We've got a wild ride to the end, so I'll slow it down a bit but hopefully people are still enjoying it!

72nd: Sonic & Knuckles - Sandopolis Zone Act 2
Composer: Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi
Score: 64/100 (6.9), Sonic & Knuckles (6/12)


158th - Sandopolis Zone Act 2

Much like Mushroom Hill Zone Act 1, this song feels super empty when it doesn't really need to. Drum section is boring, and while the Arabic-styled melodies are pretty cool at some points, when they're the only thing to be focused on at all it gets really tiring. I hate beating the "I wish there was more to this song to make it sound fuller" message into almost all of these songs at the bottom of this list but this one needs it pretty bad. I wonder if they fix it...

HOLY MOOOLEY they sure as fuck fixed it! That absolutely AGGRESSIVE bass that just keeps going and going throughout the intro is fantastic it's actually insane that that's all it really needed lol. I miss it when it kinda goes away after the intro though like no come back make me FEEL that I am SINKING in quicksand and have to thrash about to get out. (please dont do that if you are ever in quicksand unless you are listening to Sandopolis Zone Act 2 i guess) Actually ridiculous how much this one improved upon the song.

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71st: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Mystic Cave Zone
Composer: Masato Nakamura
Score: 64/100 (6.9), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (7/14)


inspector... gadget....... what is up with this series and taking stereotypical carnival themes/melodies and making them EVIL this song sounds more like Mischief Cave Zone and I respect that a lot. Very fun song as a result, it makes me wanna sneak around and pull some pranks that are a mild incovenience to others. So close to be something absolutely superb.

74th: Knuckles' Chaotix - Midnight Greenhouse (Botanic Base Zone)
Composer: Junko Shiratsu
Score: 64/100 (6.9), Knuckles' Chaotix (5/8)


Okay HERE IT IS it's THE casino song but instead its a greenhouse what the heck?? Very relaxing song, honestly its an amazing song the put on in the background... but I have a hard time focusing on it for very long as just a song to actually listen to. So that holds it back for me since I don't usually listen to music purely as background music. I don't think I've commented on the extra channels from the 32X that are used in Chaotix but I generally really really love the dubious-quality percussion samples that are abound in this OST, which... probably isn't a surprise given how I've praised the CD Past songs' samples lol. So close to being something I love a lot!!

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73rd: Sonic & Knuckles - Lava Reef Zone Act 2
Composer: Masayuki Nagao
Score: 64/100 (6.9), Sonic & Knuckles (7/12)


God the intro is absolutely beautiful, I don't think there are many FM pieces that I can think of that match the quality of that kind of sound. Normally I would complain about the "empty feeling" from the lack of percussion, but here... nah, I definitely prefer it that way. The focus on the repeating motif from Act 1, the countermelody that's panned hard right with the echo in the left, the other scaley stuff in the background... it all just flows together so great. It just suffers from another case of "I wish there was so much more"!! Very cool song, it didn't break the 7.0 barrier but I do like it quite a bit.

76th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Collision Chaos
Composer: Masafumi Ogata
Score: 64/100 (6.9), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (14/28)


Amazing sound design here, love the little mechanical hiccup sample that recurs a lot, and just like... every sound in general lol. Could stand to be a bit more attracted to the actual song itself cause it leaves a bit to be desired from me, but when a song sounds this good, I can't let it fall down the rankings too much. I do believe this marks the first level to have all of its themes leave for the JP version of Sonic CD... while I didn't LOVE any of the Collision Chaos themes, they were are at least pretty cool, and this is best one of them by far!

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75th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Stardust Speedway "P" mix
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 64/100 (6.9), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (13/28)


Oh my god the low-quality hue hue is so fucking good lol. This one is sooooooo close to being something I really love as well, but is missing... something. I can't really tell what it is I want to hear in here! But of what is here, it's really cool! Sax and piano both sound crisp and sample-y (just how I like em god bless you RF5C164) and the straight use of the motif instead of overly-jazzy like the Present really helps the song to shine. Still a pretty good song!

78th FAKE SONG NOT REAL OOPS: Sonic Mania - Egg Reverie - Egg Reverie Zone
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 63/100 (6.9), Sonic Mania (23/28)


WELL I should've done a little research cause it turns out this is a boss song named like a zone so uhhhhhh oops oh well. I managed to catch Sonic 2 Death Egg Part2 (and that Sonic 3's is still okay) but guess I missed this one lol. ANYWHO I'll still writeup for it since I caught it after I started the topic.

I don't know how I didn't catch it either cause this is definitely "a final boss song" lol, that electric guitar over a super high-energy instrumental that sounds like Hosoe made it for Mega Man Network Transmission, and despite being generic somehow it still rocks! When it goes a little wild it gets really good though like just listen to 1:16 jesus CHRIST what a good part.

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77th EVEN WORSE SCREW UP FUCK: Sonic Mania - Egg Panicky - Egg Reverie Zone Pinch Mode
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 63/100 (6.9), Sonic Mania (22/28)


LOL SO i was wondering why deoxysprime's playlist didn't have this variation on it and so i looked it up and this song is literally unused except in the sound test so uhhhhhh oops. so this is an unused variation of a song that isn't even actually qualified for the ranking DOUBLE LAYER MESSED UP AAAaaaa... Anyway, love the intensity of this from the original version. The actual WILD intensity really compliments it well and puts it a little bit over the edge of the original. But it's a FAKE RANKING anyway so oh well!!!

81st: Sonic Chaos (Game Gear) - Gigapolis Zone
Composer: Kojiro Mikusa, Masayuki Nagao
Score: 63/100 (6.9), Sonic Chaos (3/8)


God this reminds me of like a very specific song and i DONT KNOW WHICH song it is... hmmmm. Really good high energy moving melody, 0:26 is very "rhythm game song" chopped up sections melody in bursts, it's funky as hell. Just overall really soliOH ITS Gimmick! - Aporia that's what this reminds me of! thank yo ugame gear

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80th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Quartz Quadrant
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 63/100 (6.9), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (15/28)


Oh looks like Sonic Mania took another hi--oh wait no its CD. Super chill, very good atmosphere but a little too generic for me to go crazy over I think. The part the "G" mix is based off of at 0:50 is reaaaally cool, which is ironic given that the "G" mix placed 142nd lol. Something about the little switch-up in there that makes it really cool. Good stuff.

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79th: Sonic Chaos - Mecha Green Hill Zone
Composer: Kojiro Mikusa, Masayuki Nagao
Score: 63/100 (6.9), Sonic Chaos (2/8)


Whoa Green Hill Zone is a Gundam now... a Gundam named Mega Man Zero.... I actually really wish this were a Genesis song instead lol, it definitely feels like one but hearing the squares instead of Sick Nasty FM (Robotic) Patches (seriously why is the intro zero - mega man x) that would be very cool to hear. Yeah it's a pretty good song.

84th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Wacky Workbench
Composer: Masafumi Ogata
Score: 63/100 (6.9), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (17/28)


ZAP ZAP ZAP really cool track, love the uneven beat of the back-and-forth scales in the background in the intro. When it starts to go super new jack swing sample-heavy at 0:50 is like exactly what I like about Sonic CD in general haha, just overall really fun.

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83rd: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Metallic Madness "B" mix
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 63/100 (6.9), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (16/28)


SONIC DEAD OR ALIVE ? Actually drop dead incredible opening, the vocal samples that are almost taunting you with how sinister they are against the rave backing is just GORGEOUS, but this song runs out of steam too quickly. The orch hits for the motif are kinda weak, and then the lead choice for the solo section also kinda is. The absolutely unrelenting vocal sample use saves this song a massive amount as it continues on. Really wish I could put this super high!! But alas, it's down here with the other "pretty good stuff I like". Granted, that's still pretty good lol.

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82nd: Sonic & Knuckles Collection - Launch Base Zone Act 2
Composer: Jun Senoue, Shigeaki Irie, Masaaki Nishizawa, Goro Takahashi
Score: 63/100 (6.9), Sonic & Knuckles Collection (1/6)


Really cool backing that's a lot like Wacky Workbench Present's, but more even in how it lines up with the beat and also much more moving. LOVE the part starting at 0:31, LOOOOVE the countermelody hardpanned right with the scales hardpanned left, makes for a very, very cool stereo effect through the rest of the song. If this was in the Genesis version and had some insane FM patches to it I could see myself going crazy for this song, and of all the songs that will show up in this whole list, this is one that I could see growing on me the most. Actually, it already had grown up to finalizing this list. Who knows what the future has?

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With this, our first soundtrack exits the list. Thank you to Sonic & Knuckles Collection for offering a few pretty cool alternatives to some of Sonic 3's classics, two of which I liked more than the originals!! For a look back at how they did:

146th (56, 6.5): Carnival Night Zone Act 1
138th (57, 6.6): IceCap Zone Act 1 & 2
120th (59, 6.7): Launch Base Zone Act 1
99th (61, 6.8): Carnival Night Zone Act 2
82nd (63, 6.9): Launch Base Zone Act 2

87th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Collision Chaos "G" mix
Composer: Masafumi Ogata
Score: 62/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (18/28)


Nice chill track, I like just about every single sound used here actually. The backing ostinato is really cool especially! The melody at 0:57 is also REALLY COOL but that part doesn't last for very long!! Yeah not much to say about it but "I like it" lol

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86th: Sonic Mania - Rogues Gallery - Mirage Saloon Zone Act 2
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 62/100 (6.8), Sonic Mania (25/28)


Hooo! This one super reminds me of the CD JP stuff, especially the lead chosen at 0:49. I mean, a lot of Mania reminds me of CD JP but this is like I would believe you if you told me it was a unused song from there lol. Well okay, maybe without the trumpet I would believe that. I think the trumpet is actually holding me back from liking this more, I don't like this specific trumpet being so prominent like that. It's really cool still, very boppin'. Good stuff!

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85th: Sonic Mania - Metallic Madness Zone Act 1
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 62/100 (6.8), Sonic Mania (24/28)


I feel very, very conflicted about this one haha. I really love a lot about it but the choice of vocal sample for the main melody beginning at 0:14 is just... not really that good. The rap part is also kinda underwhelming; the appeal of Metallic Madness' raps are how in-human the vocals actually sound to me, and this is just some kid goin' off. Cool mix of the Past and ....the Bad Future? (based on the way the motif is used, and also I think the intro vocal sample of the Bad Future shows up for a blip at like 0:35, 0:53, 0:57, etc.) It's Metallic fuckan Madness it still bops lol

91st: Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) - Bridge Zone
Composer: Yuzo Koshiro
Score: 62/100 (6.8), Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) (4/6)


Cute little song, it's super short and actually kinda too simple but I like the melody!! It reminds me a lot of an early area theme from some PC88 RPG or something, which... should come as absolutely no surprise considering it's by Yuzo Koshiro lol.

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90th: Sonic CD (USA) - Stardust Speedway "G" mix
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 62/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (USA) (5/21)


The intro is CRAAAAZY I am on the Information Stardusthighway going REALLY FAST and then oh no the guitar again... but it's not doing an overbearing melody so I'm cool with it. But then we get to 0:37 and its WIIIIIIIIIILD again for a little bit, this part is kind repetitive but its COOL, if it like added more layers or something when it repeated and builded it'd shoot this score up so much probably. Still a nice song!

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89th: Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) - Labyrinth Zone
Composer: Yuzo Koshiro
Score: 62/100 (6.8), Sonic the Hedgehog (SMS) (3/6)


Oh it's the theme for the dungeon you find while traversing the Bridge Zone map in yadda yadda random PC88 RPG! This one's got a really nice swing to it, it's really fun but like Bridge Zone is just sooooo short. Too short! But I still like it!

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88th: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Carnival Night Zone Act 2
Composer: Michael Jackson, Brad Buxer
Score: 62/100 (6.8), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (10/17)


oh boy here we go Michael Jackson Act 2s where he just turns OFF THE CHANNELS at random spots "oh its so cool you hear parts by themselves" no it... just does nothing for the song at all. Okay nevermind it's REALLY cool at 0:32 *glass break* *glass breaks in higher pitch* but yeah this is almost sad that this is the "second act more intense song" cause it's six billion times weaker for no reason with no effect. The fact I'm ripping it a new one and it's STILL just baaaarely not in the top half of the list... should probably spoil what I think of the full song maybe ((not really to what extent I like it more)) but yeah basically I really like the original song lol i wonder when we'll see it!!!

DeepsPraw posted...

banshiryuu posted...

Very interesting origin story of a beloved opening, very interesting indeed.

I know 8-bit Sonic 2 technically came out first, but CD had to have been in development for a while, right?

I would guess Sonic 2 SMS was already mostly complete by the time Sonic CD development started, considering the very primitive Sonic CD prototype that just got revealed is dated for December 1992, a month after Sonic 2 SMS came out. Depending on how far into the game's development the music composition happened (the earliest I could find evidence of its development is a year prior to that in December 1991), however, it is entirely possible that both songs are actually "variations of the same song" and were composed at the same time rather than either being based on each other. I'd definitely believe it, and I guess that possibility just adds more questions onto the pile lol

94th: Sonic CD (USA) - Wacky Workbench
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (USA) (8/21)


SUPER funky tune. This one also screams "wacky" but in a cool way. Good shoobie-da-doos, good groove, just a cool listen. Could stand to be more memorable outside of actually listening to it, which is a big hit to an otherwise fun listen for me. All of the Wacky Workbench tunes were rather close to each other; "B" in 110th and "G" literally in the previous post in 97th, but it's even clear to me that I like this one a sizable amount more than the "G".

Goodbye Wacky Workbench US!

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93rd: Sonic CD (USA) - Palmtree Panic "B" mix
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (USA) (7/21)


Unlike the "G" mix which sounded uncharacteristically like a prehistoric jungle theme, this one also gives off a sort of jungle vibe... but a dangerous, trap-filled jungle this time! The lyrical chanting is REALLY COOL OH GOD THE JUNGLE TRIBE IS ANGRY i will get attacked!! by happy sunshine coconut dinosaur machines. It's actually kind of crazy how similar yet completely, completely different these Palmtree Panic tracks are, and this one definitely took the cake for me. The previous two were basically tied at 140th and 141st, and here we are almost fifty places higher. That's how you know this one figured it out somewhat lol.

Goodbye Palmtree Panic US!

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92nd: Sonic CD (USA) - Collision Chaos
Composer: Mark Crew
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (USA) (6/21)


Now we're talking! After the "G" mix's appearance at 154th, and the "B" mix at 118th, we finally meet the Present mix. This fixes my two main gripes with the other two, by not having that cheesy guitar constantly doing whatever like the "G", and is much more upbeat and has more going on than the "B". While it can still drag a bit like its brethren, the flashes of brilliance that it shows at places early on like 0:10~0:16 and 0:30~0:38, or the break at 1:07 are really nice. Still could be more yet, but I won't complain about what we got.

Goodbye Collision Chaos US!

96th: Sonic CD (USA) - Tidal Tempest "G" mix
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (USA) (9/21)


The last of the US Tidal Tempest tracks that has to show up! Interaction between the sax/brass-like synth, the more spacey synth, and the vocals is super cool. Gets a little tiring over time, but then a cool guitar part comes in and... doesn't really do anything. But it all sounds cool still! And then guitar solo...... which I actually really like here! However, as I recall stating a bit earlier, I ranked these based off of the Sonic CD (2011) tracks, and from what I understand the 2011 versions bases the US tracks off of the official album release. Thus, the solo ends up at the beginning, where it seems like it comes in prematurely... in contrast, it takes forever to get to it in the original. There's just no winning!! Anyway, yeah cool song.

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95th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) - Green Hills Zone
Composer: Masafumi Ogata
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) (3/7)


Hahaha oh look it's Green Hill Zone agaiOH ITS You Can Do Anything!! There's a few problems I have with the song in the beginning, like the melody almost constantly being an octave higher than it really should be. The intro part before toot toot is also super flourished compared to what would eventually end up as You Can Do Anything, and it's not hard to see why it got "dumbed down", cause it's a little... excessive. Still, once it gets to toot toot... what a good melody this song has in the chorus. Also not hard to see why this got chosen to end up where it did. Very interesting origin story of a beloved opening, very interesting indeed.

100th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) - Sky High Zone
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) (4/7)


Zone theme? More like a really cool world map theme! Seriously, this reminds me of Super Mario Land 2 or something, more of Game Boy than a Game Gear. Not much to it here but for what it is, I like it.

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99th: Sonic & Knuckles Collection - Carnival Night Zone Act 2
Composer: Jun Senoue, Shigeaki Irie, Masaaki Nishizawa, Goro Takahashi
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic & Knuckles Collection (2/6)


Every time I begin to listen to it and wonder "wait why is this song this high up again?" 0:22 kicks in and I get surprised every time. Very surprising full sound compared to most of the other compositions/arrangements in Knuckles Collection, and its gotta a pretty nice melody throughout on top of it. The parts kinda jumble together but it's a fun song!

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98th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Wacky Workbench "P" mix
Composer: Masafumi Ogata
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (19/28)


Where Palmtree Panic takes you back to prehistoric times, Wacky Workbench takes you back to the... 40s in an alternate timeline where you hoedown to house music???? "Wacky" is definitely the best way to describe this song. Especially 1:00, it's a bit repetitive but its a good beat with that bass, and the transpose down is cool. And then 1:30 starts the real show! There's the Wacky Workbench scale that I like to hear! The end of the loop is so short but it saves the song a rather hefty amount. Yehaw!

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97th: Sonic CD (USA) - Wacky Workbench "G" mix
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (USA) (10/21)


BIG SLAPPY. Very big step up from the "B" mix seen earlier in the list; higher tempo and that hot fretless bass help bolster it a large amount. It's so quick though, and the outro is really long for no reason, so it seems like so much of the runtime is kind of a waste. Still, gotta appreciate what it does give us, so it still receives this high a placement.

104th: Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble - Great Turquoise Zone
Composer: Yayoi Wachi
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (2/7)


Weak melody is saved by all these cool little sound-effect-like things going on all around. The ease of being able to pay attention to these random little sweeps or trills without either overpowering the melody or in turn being overpowered by it makes this song a lot more enjoyable to me. Pretty cool overall!

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103rd: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Stardust Speedway "G" mix
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (20/28)


Very cool, but almost too simple for a motif that should be surrounded with complex stuff like Stardust Speedway's is! I feel like there should be at least one more layer added to pretty much every single part of this song. I like it quite a bit, but can't help but want more when I listen! Also is that kecak I hear at like 0:51 and 0:59 and other parts in there? What a bizarre place for kecak if so lol

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102nd: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Marble Garden Zone Act 1
Composer: Miyoko Takaoka
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (12/17)


For a song that's as empty as this one, it's got a lot of SOUND going on! The lead being so plucky does not help that case at all, but sounds like the GWWAAAaaaoooo BLEEEE at 0:15 are REALLY cool like WHOAA here you are in this nice area but you never know what will pop out at you like wherever the little part at 0:33 came from idk but its COOL. I feel like I could definitely force myself to like this one more than I say I do right now lol, it'll probably come with time and/or actually playing the game.

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101st: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Marble Garden Zone Act 2
Composer: Miyoko Takaoka
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (11/17)


Okay immediately the emptiness problem of Act 1 is fixed by a MUCH MUCH better lead patch like, it's not as plucky and instead of every. note. being. short. it gets to end phrases with a cool punchy staccato and I appreciate that a lot!! The BLEEEE is gone and I'm sad... but the little floaty 0:33 jingle is here so I am not as sad!! Yeah this one is definitely my preferred one of the two because of the lead pretty much. Cool songs thank you Miyoko Takaoka!! (confirmed composer, i can't believe that exists in sonic 3 what th eheck!!)

107th: Sonic & Knuckles - Death Egg Zone Act 1
Composer: Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic & Knuckles (8/12)


Pretty funky, very electric death-by-big-robot-machines feeling which is very fitting. Then 0:26 happens and WHOOOA I am being ELECTROCUTEd by sound very digitized death cool sounds. I really like the effect the rapidly changing hard panning has on the song too. Only real problem I have with it is a kinda blunt loop that's odd but there isn't anything I really dislike about it.

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106th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Palmtree Panic "P" mix
Composer: Naofumi Hataya
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (21/28)


I am in the past with the dinosaurs!! Of all the PCM tracks, this one is definitely the most "sound chip-y" out of all of them haha, the samples in this one specifically seem even more low quality than others, but that is not a bad thing AT ALL. In fact, I'd believe it was done on purpose for effect and it works. Very cool chill sound, I just think I could stand to care a bit more for the melodies in it. I don't particularly like how the Palmtree Panic motif is used in the later part of the song. However, it doesn't stop me from smiling when I do listen to the song.


In an extremely ironic case of perfect timing, a prototype of Sonic CD dated to December 1992 was just released to the public yesterday, which includes a version of this song with CD quality as opposed to the PCM quality of the final... and it's really cool! I can't really say for sure if I like it more or less than the final product, but given my holdups are pretty much all just composition stuff, I'd probably end up saying it's about on par. But still, a very cool listen.

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105th: Sonic CD (USA) - Tidal Tempest
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 61/100 (6.8), Sonic CD (USA) (11/21)


Wwssshoooooo... Finally a focus on the vocals!! The part where they suddenly come out of nowhere with a lick is actually incredibly hilarious to me. Cool backing sound, still somewhat generic but I like it. It would've been nice if it could catch my attention away from the wooosh and drip drip in the background and would probably make me like it more but yeah, I like it.

109th: Sonic Mania - Built to Rule - Titanic Monarch Zone Act 1
Composer: Tee Lopes
Score: 60/100 (6.7), Sonic Mania (26/28)


Electric Castlevania Zone. Except also with a bit of Mega Man and a Pokemon Colosseum ending in there too. Honestly just incredible sounds used here, including the dial-up noise which is actually amazing. Too bad I just don't really care about the composition like at all. Oh well, it's still cool to listen to at least.

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108th: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - Desert Palace Zone
Composer: Tatsuyuki Maeda, Sachio Ogawa, Masanori Hikichi
Score: 60/100 (6.7), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (13/17)


Intro is absolutely amazing, love the repeating chromatic dropping of the melody a lot!! And then 0:20 happens and I don't like it as much anymore! Another one I hate dropping so low, but alas. Really wish I could give this one a higher score, so I'll settle with making it the "best of the 6.7s" instead.

112nd: Sonic Blast - Blue Marine Zone
Composer: Kojiro Mikusa
Score: 60/100 (6.7), Sonic Blast (2/5)


Short but does some cool stuff in that short time. Anytime you have the melody and countermelody coming together at the end of a phrase and playing together like this song does in the beginning is always really cool to me, and the pitch up adds to it as well. Unfortunately, the second section of the song is kinda whatever, which is super not good when you have something of this length. So when I listen to it I ended up switching between "really like" and "don't care at all" for it.

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111st: Sonic Chaos - Sleeping Egg Zone
Composer: Kojiro Mikusa, Masayuki Nagao
Score: 60/100 (6.7), Sonic Chaos (4/8)


Contra the Hedgehog. This song is almost egregiously jazzy to me, like it's the equivalent of someone trying to show off with some elaborate solo during your high school performance, but instead its the composer showing off this funky stuff in his video game. Once again, there's a slightly different Game Gear version for this one, but it only switches up two single-bar sections with different, even more crazy solo-y sections. Honestly despite knowing that they're different they both sound the same to me so I don't really have a preference at all, and once again am ranking considering them the same.

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110th: Sonic CD (USA) - Wacky Workbench "B" mix
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 60/100 (6.7), Sonic CD (USA) (12/21)


Despite kinda panning similar songs in this list so far, I do think this one is pretty cool still! The vocal stuff is consistently cool among all the US CD tracks, and the bass/background synth in this one are pretty cool to listen to as well. 0:47 to the "end of loop" is really cool as well, I REALLY like the guitar solo that bleeds into the beginning of another loop as well, which might sound weird considering how much I've panned the guitar in these songs up until now. Guess it just managed to get used in the right away!

116th: Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) - Wacky Workbench "G" mix
Composer: Masafumi Ogata
Score: 60/100 (6.7), Sonic CD (JPN/PAL) (21/28)


PERFECT.. TECHNO. This reminds me of one of the Chao area themes in the Adventure games for some reason, but I'm not entirely sure which one. A very childlike feel almost, which might sound like I'm saying that as a negative but I'm not! Also has the 808 cowbell so yeah it's pretty cool in my book.

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115th: Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble - Robotnik Winter Zone
Composer: Yayoi Wachi
Score: 60/100 (6.7), Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (3/7)


What a weird name for a zone. Is it because Robotnik cause the winter to descend early or something? Either way this doesn't really come across as a winter theme at all, it's actually somewhat tropical so... yeah oops? Incredibly short but its got a great sound to it! Just not that memorable so that brings it back down to about average to me. Pretty nice.

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114th: Sonic CD (USA) - Stardust Speedway
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 60/100 (6.7), Sonic CD (USA) (14/21)


Really nice, chill tune. Yet another one that seems rather bizarre for its given area at first thought, but actually it fits really well after thinking about it. While the JP Speedways go for the "going fast in a luxurious car in the city" theme, this is more "chilling on a nice evening ride with the windows down" or something. Anyway, yeah, pretty cool, rather relaxing.

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113rd: Sonic CD (USA) - Tidal Tempest "B" mix
Composer: Spencer Nilsen, David Young
Score: 60/100 (6.7), Sonic CD (USA) (13/21)


This reminds me of the game intro to Class::XIO_PROCEED; for some reason, and that's a very good thing. The quiet background vocals add a lot to the atmosphere, and then when it turns into the breathy "ha"s it gets even better. Also very cool, but this kind of atmospheric can usually only do so much without some more exploring!

119th: Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble - Atomic Destroyer Zone
Composer: Yayoi Wachi
Score: 59/100 (6.7), Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (4/7)


Danger incoming!! Pretty intense, you can feel the panic in this song. The way it trips over itself at 0:14 is a cool little detail, but other than that it's not super notable.

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118th: Sonic CD (USA) - Collision Chaos "B" mix
Composer: Mark Crew
Score: 59/100 (6.7), Sonic CD (USA) (15/21)


Original link I had for this song got stopped by the GameFAQs filter lmao nice.

Our first case of a US theme coming back further away from another incarnation, we have the "B" mix here when the "G" was previously seen in 154th place. Higher tempo is a plus, stuff going on to take the focus off that guitar is a big plus, BIG slappy bass is a BIG plus. Yeah, an upgrade in a large number of ways for me. Still lacks somewhat and I'm not entirely sure where to place the blame. But yeah, pretty cool.

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117th: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) - Gimmick Mt. Zone
Composer: Masafumi Ogata, Naofumi Hataya
Score: 59/100 (6.7), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SMS) (5/7)


Good beat, it doesn't have much going on at all but it's at least got me groovin' so that's cool. Reminds me a lot of the Wacky Workbench motif, but watered down quite a bit. Overall good.