Entry #84 (Whatever I Want) Sonic The Hedgehog 3 "Lava Reef Zone"

 This week's final track comes from Sonic The Hedgehog 3 the 1994 Sega Genesis platformer starring the companies punk rock mascot. This track is really just fun pop, but I felt it would be a good cap for this week.
Developer(s): Sonic Team
Sega Technical Institute
Composer(s): Michael Jackson,
 Brad Buxer,
 C. Cirocco Jones,
 Bobby Brooks,
 Darryl Ross, 
Geoff Grace, and 
Doug Grigsby III

Entry #83 (Whatever I Want) El Shaddai "Insane Motherhood"

 This next track comes from El Shaddai: Ascension of The Metatron a strange game I actually received for Christmas. It details the Book of Enoch, or how a Japanese team of video game designers interpret that book. It's really, really weird- I wish it got more exposure.
Developer: Ignition Tokyo
Composer(s): Masato Koda
Kento Hasegawa
You can get the Japanese soundtrack from some sellers on Amazon.

Entry #82 (Whatever I Want) DuckTales "The Amazon"

 This next track comes from DuckTales, a beloved NES/Famicom platformer released in 1990. This catchy, bluesy track comes from the Amazon stage.
Developer: Capcom
Composer: Hiroshige Tonomura

Entry #81 (Whatever I Want) Rainbow Cotton "Track Two"

 This next track comes from the 2000 3D shoot-em-up Rainbow Cotton on the Sega Dreamcast. This track is so catchy and infectiously happy. Also, there is an accordion which is all a video game track really needs.
Developer: Success
Composer: Great Nakamura

Entry #80 (Whatever I Want) Chrono Cross "Those That Passed Away"

 This next track comes from Chrono Cross's masterfully made soundtrack. This particular track is as heart-wrenching and beautiful as the name implies. Chrono Cross was released on the Playstation One in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in North America. It's also available for download on Playstation Network as a PSOne classic.
Developer: Square Product Development Division 3
Composer: Yasanouri Mitsuda

Entry #79 (Whatever I Want) Red Steel 2 "Vultures' Prayer"

 This week's track comes from the second entry in the Red Steel series. This track has many layers of complexity; at first glance it may appear to be a simple Asiatic-rock blend, but the more I listened to the track, the more I picked up on the small details that I really love, such as the little boing-ing sounds that proliferate the piece.
Developer: UbiSoft Paris
Composer: Tom Salta
The soundtrack is available on Amazon here.

This Week's Topic: Whatever I Want!

 This week I made the decision (or, rather, the non-decision) not to think about what topic I should cover this week. As a result, I hastily decided on Saturday morning (when I usually write all of this stuff up) that I would do a week with no real theme. Instead, I'm just going to share six random tracks from six games that happened to come to mind while I was compiling a list! 

Enjoy the focus! 

Entry #78 (2012 In Music) FTL: Faster Than Light "Main Theme"

 This week's final track gives me a chiptune fix. FTL: Faster Than Light is a roguelike spaceship simulator, available from various PC outlets including Steam. It was released on September 14th, 2012.
Developer: Subset Games
Composer: Ben Prunty
If you really don't want to get the excellent game/soundtrack on Steam, the soundtrack alone is available on Ben's Bandcamp page.

Entry #77 (2012 In Music) Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance "Dearly Beloved"

 This next track comes from the 3DS title Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. This track literally oozes teenage melodrama, and I like it. It has a bit of corniness that makes it feel special and beautiful, in a weird way.
Developer: Square Enix 1st Production Department
Composer(s): Yoko Shimomura
Takeharu Ishimoto
Tsuyoshi Sekito

Entry #76 (2012 In Music) Skullgirls "Maplecrest..."

 "Maplecrest: The Lives We Left Behind"
 This next track comes from Skullgirls (released on PSN on April 10th, 2012). This track is interesting for a variety of reasons. First, it comes from a fighting game- a genre usually not known for jazz fusion. Second, it has a jazz fusion feel. Third, there is a female vocal solo that comes out of nowhere in the song. It's very good.
Developer(s): Lab Zero Games
Reverge Labs
Composer: Michiru Yamane (according to the Amazon listings, featured below)
This soundtrack is available on iTunes, and Amazon here.

Entry #75 (2012 In Music) Sine Mora "Cardinal Canyon A"

 This next track comes from Sine Mora, the shoot-'em-up released on XBLA on March 21st, 2012. This particular track has a lot of weird sound effects and is compelling in a weird way. It's kind of techno, kind of chiptune, kind of salsa- a very weird, excellent track.
Developer(s): Digital Reality
Grasshoper Studios
Composer: Akira Yamaoka

Entry #74 (2012 In Music) Journey "Apotheosis"

 This next track is part of a beautiful, swelling, orchestral score for the amazing PSN title Journey (released in March of 2012). There is nothing about this track that I could describe with words, just listen.
Developer: thatgamecompany
Composer: Austin Wintory
The soundtrack is available on Amazon here.

Entry #73 (2012 In Music) Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning "Dalentarth"

 This week's first track comes from Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. This game comes from the ill-fated 38 Studios and Big Huge Games (it was released on February 9th, 2012). This particular track has an almost Christmas-y sound, with a heavy emphasis on bells. It also sounds a little bit like a Danny Elfman track which is, again, a complement. 

Developer(s): 38 Studios

Big Huge Games

Composer: Grant Kirkhope 

The soundtrack for this game is available on Amazon both as a physical disc and MP3 download here.

This Week's Topic: 2012 In Music!

 2012 is over. It was a great year for gamers of any type; I've decided to commemorate the year in the best way I can: through video game music tracks. I've compiled a list of six tracks from six games that does not even scratch the surface of what the last year had to offer. Rest assured, I will still play some wonderful tracks from deserved games. Also, since all these games are pretty recent there will be ample opportunity to support the artists highlighted in this focus! 

Enjoy the focus! 

Entry #72 (Post-Apocalyptic Games) Outlander "Driving"

This next track comes from the post-apocalyptic racing game for the SNES Outlander. This track would be at home on the Sega Genesis, but it's synthy poppy sound still works on the SNES. 

Publisher: Mindscape

Composer: Unknown

Entry #71 (Post-Apocalyptic Games) Contra III "The Streets of Neo City"

 This next track comes from the side-scrolling shooter Contra III: The Alien Wars. This game was released on the Super Nintendo in 1992.
Developer: Konami
Composer: Miki Higashino

Entry #70 (Post-Apocalyptic Games) Enslaved: Odyssey to The West "Menu Theme"

 This track comes from Enslaved: Odyssey To The West. It's a low-key, beautiful track full of harps and pianos and such.
Developer: Ninja Theory
Composer: Nitin Sawhney

Entry #69 (Post-Apocalyptic Games) Chrono Trigger "Corridors of Time"

 This next track comes from the Super Nintendo role-playing-game Chrono Trigger. This track has an almost sitar sound, as well as a New Age sound. Really chill, good stuff.
Developer: Square
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
The soundtrack can be purchased on Amazon.

Entry #68 (Post-Apocalyptic Games) Bastion "Spike In A Rail"

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 This track comes from the hit 2011 RPG Bastion. This game presents a beautiful (and at the same time dark in it's own way) post-apocalypse. This track has a really Western vibe, and some cool electric guitars. It sounds like a vocal-less stripped down country song.
Developer: SuperGiant Games
Composer: Darren Korb
You can download the soundtrack here.