Video Game History Month AND Top Ten Tuesday - Top 10 Best 16-Bit Video Game Songs (For Me Of Course)

 Written By: Tyler

I haven't done a Top Ten Tuesday in a while, but I decided that since it's Video Game History Month, I'll do a Top 10 Best 16-Bit Video Game Songs. This is a collection of tunes -- mostly for the SNES -- that I can still listen to today and enjoy them as much as I did back then. These are top of their class-type songs.


10: Ogre Battle - Thunder (Revolt)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDAMxLKY2EY 

This song almost didn't make the list, but then I listened to it again. It's not a song that I listen to a lot, but when I hear it a lot of great Ogre Battle memories come flooding back to me. This is the song that often plays as you lay siege to everything, and it's such a great song for a war... watching your troops proceed and attack. Ogre Battle was special, and this song -- along with the battle theme -- help make it that way.


9:  General Chaos - General Chaos Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO63dZic1l8

There's a lot of war going on in my list. This song pumps me up for battle.


8: The Lost Vikings Theme (SNES)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAd9x5fTSVo 

I'm not entirely sure why they picked a song like this to be the theme music for a game about Vikings, but dammit it worked because I get excited every time I hear it. It's cool, and when you pair it with the images of the Lost Vikings posing, you have quite a team. The whole soundtrack is great, but this really sets the tone.


7: Secret of Evermore - Dog Maze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSQszBHMHHc

Secret of Evermore is a bit of an underrated game I think, and Dog Maze is one of the best SNES tracks of all time. The beginning especially is extremely haunting and it conjures up sad images in my head. After all this time, honestly, I can't even remember where the song is actually from but despite that the music fits the title. Dog Maze, indeed.


6: Final Fantasy 2/4 - Sorrow In Loss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfT4X-Sr6Bc

I could make an entire list of great Final Fantasy tracks. Hell, I could probably make a Top Ten of just Final Fantasy 4 tracks, but since I said I'd only pick one song from each game, I'm choosing to represent Final Fantasy 4 with one of the most depressing video game songs I've ever heard. It perfectly captures the mood and adds a lot to any scene it's in.


5: Super Metroid Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vYsVk23oxA

When you're flying through space as a bounty hunter, seeing things that a normal person could only dream of, you need a fitting song to represent the simultaneous badassdom and isolation. Cue the Super Metroid theme. It plays at the beginning when Samus is recapping what's been going on in her boring life, and as a kid it creeped me out. Now it just makes me go "hell yeah!"


4: Chrono Trigger - The Day The World Revived
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwi9cjQkteA 

There's a lot of good music in Chrono Trigger -- hell, despite placing this particular song at number 4 as opposed to 1, it's actually one of the best soundtracks of all time -- but I'm a miserable young man and sad, pretty music is what gets me. I considered the Magus theme because of how kick-ass it is for a theme of someone, but I went with this song that manages to install hope but be incredibly tragic at the same time.


3: Final fantasy 3/6 - Atma Weapon Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH40gYZhwWI

Atma gets its own battle theme, and it's awesome. It's such an intense song, and manages to make Atma feel like the biggest boss battle ever. 


2: Lufia & The Fortress of Doom - Fortress of Doom (Last Duel)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzBsFGh6zoc

I won't say a lot about the scene, but this plays at the beginning and this song will always benefit from the marriage of it with that scene. But even by itself, it's still one of the best "dungeon" songs of all-time. I hear it and I can't help but feel hyped to explore the fortress.


1: Secret of Mana - Opening Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6YAiLHXw_c

You don't have to wait long until you hear one of the best video game tracks ever. Turn on Secret of Mana, and just let it do its thing for a while. This gorgeous tune will play that will sweep you away to another world, and if you're like me, you will be in awe of how pretty and emotional it is -- and at this point you haven't even done anything yet! I can't quit this song.

Top Ten Tuesday -- Top 10 Playable Final Fantasy Characters From "The Greatest Generation" (FF6 through FF9)

Written by: Justin

Yooooooo! It's my first contribution to "On The Gamely", son!

Just to self-promote, here's who I am: I'm Justin, BridgewatersFinest on YouTube, BlockBuster_Guy on Twitter, and I run the world-famous "Resident Movie-(Love)er" blog -- yet another blog to which Tyler, your beloved blogmaster, contributes to.

Tyler has been up my butt for months about writing for On The Gamely (and up my butt for years prior, dating back to our carefree youth... but I digress), so I finally took the opportunity presented to me to toss out a top ten list -- which both Tyler and I will tell you, are one of our favorite things to do.

I also love RPG's. More specifically, I love Final Fantasy. And as a lover of Final Fantasy, it pains me somewhat to see what Final Fantasy has become versus what it USED to be. God, that makes me sound/feel old. To me, Final Fantasy has been subject to multiple generations -- the early years, up to entry 5, where it found its legs; these past few years and entries have arguably been the post-grad years, where it struggles to keep its identity in an ever-changing world; but the era in which I choose to address are those rebellious late-teenage-to-early-twenties years, the "Attitude Era" of Final Fantasy (for all you wrestling fans out there), which encompass Final Fantasy VI (1994) through Final Fantasy IX (2000). I prefer to dub this generation, "The Greatest Generation", in which I feel you find the best games, the best stories, and the best characters the series has to offer.

It is with this timeline in mind that I present to you...

JUSTIN'S TOP TEN (PLAYABLE) FINAL FANTASY CHARACTERS FROM “THE GREATEST GENERATION”

Let's start by first acknowledging three characters that did not quite make the list: FF8's Quistis Trepe, FF9's Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, and FF7's Nanaki. All characters that I love, but not quite enough to put them on the list. Aight, let's get started!

#10 ::: Seifer Almsay (FF8) – Seifer is a classmate & rival of Squall Leonhart, and later on in the game, a multi-meeting boss character. Short-tempered and attention-seeking, Seifer’s storyline is that of “being second-best” to Squall (in multiple ways), eventually becoming brainwashed as Edea/Ultimicia’s “knight”. Seifer plays almost identically to Squall, wielding a similar gunblade. Where I think Seifer sets himself apart from Squall (and every other playable in FF8) is the passion he displays in his character and story. Like Vegeta in “DragonBall Z”, he always considers himself the elite, willing to go anywhere and do anything to prove it, and his interesting point of view (that being, Squall and the others being the evil villains, and himself being the hero) pushes him past the rest of the game’s cast.

#9 ::: Aerith Gainsborough (FF7) – Everybody knows Aerith’s story: a flower merchant in Midgar, later revealed to be the last surviving Ancient (Cetra) and the supposed key to the discovery of “The Promised Land”, has a chance meeting with Cloud and forces him to be her “bodyguard” as protection against Shinra and the Turks. She plays as a support character, specializing in healing and buffing rather than offense. Aerith has arguably the most memorable death in video game history, and the mystery surrounding her character, her relationship with Cloud, and her own personal journey of self-discovery make her a fan favorite. Ultimately, she ends up directly playing a key role in Gaia’s fate, but in my opinion, she lacks the in-game longevity and playability to be considered the game’s best character.

#8 ::: Vincent Valentine (FF7) – Vincent is the only optional character to make the list. A former Turk member, he seeks vengeance on Professor Hojo for the genetic experimentation that was forced upon him and the love of his life. Vincent’s playability is hindered by a functionally-frustrating Limit Break, transforming him into various creatures due to the Jenova cells in his body. While the creatures can be helpful, they can also hamper the team during crucial battles. Much of Vincent’s story is shrouded in mystery in the game itself, but is fleshed out in subsequent games, and the story of love, loss, guilt, agelessness and revenge is some of the best storytelling Final Fantasy has to offer, overcoming the functional shortcomings of the character.

#7 ::: Celes Chere (FF6) – Celes is a former Empire general, genetically infused with magic to become a Magitek Knight, and is rescued by Locke after she is imprisoned for protesting the water poisoning at Doma. Celes is a popular Genji Glove choice with me, giving her the ability to dual-wield weapons in addition to her strong magic abilities. Aside from a personal theory about whether Celes was raped during her incarceration (hint: we believe she was), where she becomes most interesting is in the game’s second half, the World of Ruin. She is the first playable character after the party is separated, is constantly being pulled in two directions between party loyalty and her past with the Empire, and her attempt to save Cid’s life and subsequent suicide attempt make for compelling storytelling.

#6 ::: Terra Branford (FF6) – Terra is the daughter of a human and an Esper, enslaved by the Empire and exploited for her inherent magical abilities. She is the first character to be introduced in the game, and is liberated from the Empire by rebels in Narshe.  Terra’s story is integral to the game’s first half, as she helps facilitate the Returners’ alliance with the Espers to decimate the Empire. What I love about Terra’s story is how it transforms from a fairly-straightforward revenge mantra after learning of her past, to the more noble quest of making the world safe for children during the World of Ruin. Terra is constantly cited as a critical and fan favorite.

#5 ::: Sabin Figaro (FF6) – Sabin is a rogue warrior, the younger brother of the king of Figaro, Edgar. Sabin wins a rigged coin toss against his brother for the right to refuse their father’s throne, and instead seeks the man thought to be the killer of his trainer, Duncan. While his story may not be of the same quality as some other characters, his high abilities land him highly on the list. Sabin is another popular Genji Glove choice for me, due to his physical attack power, but Sabin is an all-around beast and that’s why I really like him. He is always on my team whenever available, and boasts the versatility to be either your top warrior or top magic user.

#4 ::: Vivi Ornitier (FF9) – Vivi is a black mage, who meets Zidane in Alexandria upon travelling there to take in a performance of “I Want To Be Your Canary”, joining Zidane to save Princess Garnet from being trapped in the Evil Forest. As he grows more comfortable with his magical abilities, he learns the dark truth behind his origins, and the true purpose of the Black Mages. Vivi is one of the most sympathetic characters in Final Fantasy’s storied history. His story and character have immense depth, while bringing to the table a child-like demeanor that has endeared him to fans for years. Vivi’s story is a wonderful story of redemption and of rising above the pain of the past to find a higher purpose, and Vivi’s very existence as a black mage is a wonderful compliment to the throwback nature of the game itself.

#3 ::: Tifa Lockhart (FF7) – Tifa is the owner of the 7^th Heaven bar in the Sector 7 slums in Midgar, and is a primary member of the eco-terrorist resistance group AVALANCHE. A childhood friend of Cloud’s from Nibelheim, they reunite when AVALANCHE recruits Cloud to assist in the attacks on several Shinra Mako reactors, eventually accompanying him in his desperate search for Sephiroth. Tifa can be described as a female version of Sabin, fighting primarily with her fists, having been trained in martial arts by Zangan in her hometown. In my opinion, Tifa is not only the greatest female Final Fantasy character, she ranks among the greatest female video game characters period, both in terms of playability within the game and of storyline. She struggles with her clear and present affections for Cloud and her duty to him as a friend, while at the same time acting as a mother figure to Barrett’s daughter Marlene, and an emotional and structural support for the AVALANCHE group in the wake of Sector 7’s destruction, and the death of Aerith. She displays strength, caring, beauty and determination, and represents everything that a Final Fantasy character should be.

#2 ::: Shadow (FF6) – Shadow is a mysterious assassin and mercenary-for-hire, who bounces back and forth between his allegiances during the first half of the game. Shadow is always accompanied by Interceptor, his attack dog. He attacks from a distance, and does damage by any means necessary, often throwing unused inventory weapons at enemies for big damage. Shadow has arguably the most interesting story in FF6. You never know when or where he might show up (often just when you’ve forgotten about him), and your skill level as a player literally decides whether Shadow lives into the World of Ruin, or dies on the Floating Continent. You only ever learn about him by USING him in the game, and only then through dream sequences, learning about his past as a train robber, his inability to grant his partner’s death wish, his fathering of Relm in Thamasa, living with the guilt of his past and ultimately allowing himself to die in Kefka’s tower at the game’s end. Based on story and player experience, Shadow is the perfect character.

#1 ::: Cloud Strife (FF7) – Cloud begins his story as a mercenary and an EX-Soldier First Class, who joins the AVALANCHE group to counteract Shinra’s use of Mako energy. His primary motivation, however, soon becomes his rivalry with former comrade Sephiroth, being drawn to find him, to gain revenge for the destruction of his hometown, and to learn more about the moments in his past that he either cannot remember, or which differ from the accounts of Tifa and others. Despite the possibility of FF6’s Shadow being an objectively “better” character, Cloud has an iconic status that sits him atop this list. Ignoring for a moment that he is arguably the best character in the game from a playability standpoint, Cloud’s story is highly-charged and emotional. Cloud’s is a story of a man so confident in his own abilities and history, being fractured and broken apart through a series of lies, false memories, and personal tragedies. In the end, Cloud survives on nothing but personal strength and the love of those closest to him, accepting and overcoming his past and standing up to a foe who claims himself a God. FF7 is admittedly my favorite game of all-time, so this ranking is subject to claims of bias; however, I genuinely feel as though Cloud is the greatest character in the history of the franchise.