Classic Game Music vs. Current Game Music

Something occurred to me the other day while I was playing Castlevania III on my Wii. Classic gaming music is much more memorable than current game music. It seems kind of strange that in an era where the graphics are so amazing, the scores aren't that compelling. Scores range from heavily symphonic to hard rock nowadays. While the scores seem exciting while you're playing the games, you don't really remember them though.

Composers only had 3 notes to work with in the NES era. Yet those composers constructed the most memorable game scores of all time. From Mario to Zelda to Metroid to Mega Man; all of those franchises had amazing scores. I can recall most every score to every level in Mega Man 2 & 3. It's hard to forget the triumphant score from Zelda. I doubt there's a gamer alive that doesn't know the Mario theme. The music from World 1 in Super Mario Bros 3 is in the top 5 game scores ever.

Then there is Castlevania. I think that series produced the most memorable scores of any franchise in history. Every level in Castlevanias I-IV is mezmerizing. The triump of the series is level 9 in Castlevania IV. Granted the composer had more than 3 notes to work with since it was a 16-bit system, but it's impressive what he managed to do with that technology.

There is only one other game score that equals that level. That would be the "March of Norfair" from Super Metroid. As you descend into the depths of Norfair (Ridley's lair) you are greeted by a building cadence. That cadence then grows into a cacophony of chanting and horns. The lower depths of Norfair look like Hell and the score fits the locale.

The N64 had some memorable scores, but not enough to compare to NES and SNES. There were a few memorable scores on Game Cube, PS2, and XBOX. 360, PS3, and Wii have some decent scores, but none of them are awe inspiring. I'm afraid those days are over.

Fortunately most of these old school scores can be found online. There are a lot of remixes, but you can find some pretty accurate reconstructions. Even if these scores weren't online, I'd still be able to hum and whistle them. These scores helped define a generation of gaming that will never be forgotten.