The Best Video Game Music of the 16-Bit Era

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Composer: John Baker
System: Sega Genesis
Date: 1991

Toejam & Earl was a send-up of 1980's hip hop culture, starring two alien rappers who were trying to get back to Planet Funkatron. Decked in bling and armed with nothing but tomatoes, the aliens had to take down all manner of Earthlings to repair their crashed ship. Toejam & Earl was a critical success, and it spawned two similarly acclaimed sequels. The music was appropriately funky, and with its killer bassline and laid-back vibe, "Toejam Jammin," is video game music to lean to. Groovy, man.

Composer: David Wise
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1995

For their second outing on the Super Nintendo, the Kong family hit the high seas. With peg legs, cannons, and eye patches galore, Donkey Kong Country 2 was even better than its predecessor. It also introduced us to the adorable Dixie Kong, whose ponytail helicopter spin saved every player from certain death. The whole soundtrack was classic, but "Snakey Chantey," with its nautical instrumentation, was the highlight. It best captured the game's joyful, seadog spirit.

Composer: Masahiko Yoshimura
System: Sega Genesis
Date: 1992

This early, turn based RPG was a Tolkien lover's dream. A fanciful steampunk journey, you assembled a band of wizards, dwarves, centaurs, and elves to defeat the evil Darksol. The game wasn't graphically impressive, but it made up for it with the soundtrack. It had a majesty befitting the fantasy genre, and "Battle 3" was its most exciting song. When all hell broke loose, those snare drum rolls made your palms sweat with geeky excitement.

Composer: Masaya Kuzume
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1996

Originally published as Panel de Pon, this deceptively simple puzzle game switched out its Pokemon characters for Yoshi and his pals. Similarly to Jewel Star, you flipped colored blocks to create chain reactions. Like all great puzzle games, it was deceptively simple – it got increasingly stressful as the blocks filled up the screen. That's why the theme for the Water Stage were so perfect – the soft bells were reminiscent of rain droplets hitting a lake, and they soothed your restless nerves.

Composer: Yuzo Koshiro & Motohiro Kawashima
System: Sega Genesis
Date: 1992

Streets of Rage 2 was the beat 'em up video game to end all beat 'em video games. With trickier gameplay than TMNT: Turtles in Time and better juggle mechanics than Final Fight, it was a benchmark for quality sidescroll play. With four selectable characters, each with his/her own unique moves, this game made for some fantastic multiplayer action. The very first song, "Go Straight," captured the techno feel of '90s club culture, back when laser effects and The Prodigy were still cool.

Composer: N/A
System: Super Nintendo & Sega Genesis
Date: 1992

A board game adaptation with an awesome soundtrack? Absolutely. Clue wasn't a massive seller, but it had the perfect music to accompany its tale of murder in the upper class. The opening theme had rich, classical instrumentation, with kettle drums, violins, and trilling flutes. The key shift in the second half of the song was particularly beautiful – the song was classy, with just the slightest undertone of menace. Mr. Boddy clearly needed to make some new friends, or at least confiscate all the blunt objects in his house.

Composer: Soyo Oka, Taro Bando
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1992

You have the same awful memory that everyone else does – of Lakitu pulling you out of the deep water, and stealing two of your coins as payment for the privilege. Koopa Beach was a pain for first time Karters, and unless you managed to get a Mushroom to propel you across the water, you could be in for a long race. At least it had a catchy tropical theme to go along with it. After all, you needed something to cheer you up.

Composer: Masato Nakamura
System: Sega Genesis
Date: 1991

Sonic was Sega's attempt to steal Mario's thunder. With his cocky demeanor and bright blue colors, Sonic was an icon, and although Sega ultimately lost the console war, the first three games in the series have endured (the less said about the 3D Sonic games, the better). The Green Hill Zone theme was the first song of the first level of the first game – even if you didn't have a Genesis, this was the level you played at the department store while your parents went shopping.

Composer: Masanori Adachi & Taro Kudo
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1991

In subsequent years, the Castlevania series has never got better than this. Super Castlevania IV had the graphics, the play control, and a whip with full range, able to swing Simon over pits and attack in eight different directions. Despite its high difficulty, it was refreshing to play a game where you were in complete control of your destiny – when you died, you knew that it was your fault, and not the game's. The soundtrack was critically acclaimed at the time, and Simon's high energy theme still endures – driving with its rhythm, haunting with its organ melody.

Composer: Koji Kondo
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1991

Princess Zelda sure spends a lot of time in a sleep state. This lullaby has recurred in Zelda game after Zelda game, but it started here. When Link met Zelda for the first time, and each time he saved a Crystal Maiden, this pretty melody played. It's become a running motif throughout the series – it's been most recently utilized in Skyward Sword on the Wii and in Spirit Tracks on the DS. Sometimes, less is more, and this lullaby, with its simple, straightforward beauty, was proof of that.

Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu, Noriko Matsueda
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1995

The Super Nintendo was the system for amazing RPGs, and Chrono Trigger was the greatest of them all. It had multiple characters, multiple endings, and multiple settings – only in Chrono Trigger could you fight a dinosaur and a robot in the same game. Magus would become your ally eventually, but you first, you had to defeat him in battle. His theme sneaked up on you – high, slow synths set an unsettling tone, before picking up in excitement and speed.

Composer: David Wise, Eveline Fischer Novakovic, Robin Beanland
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1994

The Jungle theme was a joyful romp, and it began the proceedings properly. It started with jungle noises – birds tweeting and animals screeching, until the bass drums kicked in, and then we knew, "This game is going to be awesome." Donkey Kong Country did things with a 16-Bit System that we didn't even know were possible. Its unique platforming elements, such as barrel cannons and mine cart death runs, still make for some of the most difficult level design, even today.

Composer: Hirofumi Murasaki, Morihiko Akiyama, Masayuki Nagao
System: Sega Genesis
Date: 1993

It was that relentless hi-hat cymbal that did the trick – that rat-a-tat-tat this was all business and all badass. "Whirlwind" was perfect action adventure music, and it's the highest ranking Genesis song on this countdown. The Super Nintendo had the superior sound system, but this song almost put that into question. Couple that with vicarious gameplay, which let you dabble in the mystical arts of ninjitsu, and you had an instant classic.

Composer: Koji Kondo
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1990

Mario made the jump (pun intended) to 16-bit in a big way. Kondo's music was thematic and varied - echoing restlessness for the caves, otherworldly creepiness for the Ghost Houses. Nothing, however, compared to his "Athletic Theme." Catchy and frenzied, the piano melody seemed to trip over itself at times. This song nailed the "Oh my God, I'm running out of time" mentality of the Mario series. It was music to die to. Again. And again. Until you hurled your controller at the screen.

Composer: Yoko Shimomura & Isao Abe
System: Super Nintendo & Sega Genesis
Date: 1991

The entire Street Fighter II soundtrack deserves recognition for its consistency and ethnic flavor – each character theme had the musical stylings of its character's origin. Chun Li's theme had high-pitched, Chinese instrumentation, and Blanka's theme had Brazilian wood flutes. Guile's patriotic theme, however, topped them all. It was loud, brassy, and distinctly American in its gung-ho approach. It was the only music theme that made you feel like saluting when it started up.

Composer: Hiroki Kikuta
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1993

It's another RPG with an amazing soundtrack – how typical. As is typical with games such as these, it's difficult to choose just one song as the representative of the lot. In Secret of Mana, however, the final boss song, "Meridian Dance," was a slight cut above the rest. It was a fast, busy refrain, befitting the hideous rainbow beast that you had to slay. The only one in your party that could injure him was Randi, and unless you had enough Moon Energy, you were in for a bumpy ride.

Composer: Kenji Yamamoto & Minako Himano
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1994

This song signifies the moment in Super Metroid when shit got real. After fighting monster fish in Maridia and taking down the Phantoon in the Wrecked Ship, Samus was fully powered and pissed off, ready to murder Ridley for taking the Metroid Hatchling. This theme, which played as Lower Norfair filled up with Lava, got your heart rate up. There's something about chanting choirs that can make anything seem epic, and this song was no exception.

Composer: Shigesato Itoi
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1994

At the time of its release, it sold close to nothing. Its fanbase, however, has been rabid, and today, Earthbound is a cult classic, an RPG that stands the test of time. It was recently released on the Virtual Console – great news for fans who only know Lucas and Ness from Super Smash Brawl. Music played an essential role in this game – "Eight Melodies," in fact, was crucial to defeating the final boss. The song was sweet, soft, and crushingly sad – it was sound of childhood waving goodbye, of innocence that once was.

Composer: Hajime Hirasawa
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1993

Polygons that stretch as far as the eye can see – Star Fox may not be much to look at now, but in 1993, its Super FX chip was revolutionary, paving the way for the 3d games. As Fox McCloud, you had to stay alive while barrel rolling, shooting, and pulling Slippy's useless ass out of the fire. The Space Armada level was where the excitement hit its fever pitch, as you flew to the core of a mother ship to take out its core. The music's string arrangement and brass section conveyed heroism and triumph, and its piano/forte dynamics made you believe that victory was in reach.

Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
System: Super Nintendo
Date: 1994

Talk about high concept. Opera and 16-Bit aren't supposed to mix, but Final Fantasy VI found a way to make it work. Performed by Celes as a clever deception, the opera tells the story of Maria and Draco, two lovers separated by war. Gorgeous melody aside, the composers did an amazing job of mimicking the human voice with the limited technology they had. They showed the power of multi-layered, literary storytelling – a story within a story structure that set precedence for the complex storylines we see in games today.