Prime example: Super C
Super C (the second Contra game) has some of the best NES music ever. Best synth, best compositon, best everything. Sadly, because it's a NES game, something people general assumes only can at best make a "Beep beep beep boop boop", it gets overlooked.
And by the way, pretty much any Konami game out there on the NES has wonderful drum synth. I'm not a drummer myself, but it drives me up the wall to hear flat-sounding drums (heres looking at you Guilty Gear X). I can't stand just a "click" for a snare drum. Thankfully, Konami was able to create some great sounding drums on the NES, which leads us to another example:
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest. Another showcase of great NES music thanks to tunes like "Bloody Tears" and "The Silence of the Daylight". I can't stress enough how important this soundtrack my be. But enough on Konami games, lets move onto other stuff.
Double Dragon was a intresting find. I haven't played this in 15 years, and just by chance I decide to re-play it and I found one of the earliest guitar solo's on a NES ever. About 55 seconds into the song, the 'guitar' exploads onto the scene creating magic. It's really amazing to hear in a game that's 20-maybe years old.
Ninja Gaiden is another good source of NES music. Though the first games tunes are a bit... 'mindless', the second game really picks up with amazing songs, and even a drum synth that rivals Konam's. Too bad it goes back down for episode three.
"But what about classics like Mario, Zelda, Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy!?!"
What about them? Dragon Warrior is generic RPG stuff, Final Fantasy on the NES is when Nobuo had no idea how to properly make music without destroying the eardrum, Zelda... is good but not for listening to outside of the game and Mario...ah Mario... It's the reason for the stereotypical thoughts of people when thinking of NES music. Sure, it has popular tunes but it's what I think is where most people got the idea that.
So that's it for this article. I might update it later when I'm not so tired. If you have any suggestions on what to add, side "MARIO3!! DAGOOON QWEST! ZEEELDAAA AND FINAL FATNASY!", I'll take it into consideration.
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