I’ve put together a list of 60 tunes that have stuck with me through the years, inspired by Jeffrey Canam (@GrahfMetal)’s Twitter rundown of his top 100 favourite video game tracks. I’ve attempted to limit myself to a couple songs per game, but there are exceptions.

I’ll post them here and on Twitter every Tuesday and Thursday using the hashtag #KongsTdayTunes.

#31

When it comes to rocking video game tunes, it’s hard to beat Capcom during the NES years. Most people think of Mega Man, with some Duck Tales thrown in for good measure. I opened this list with Duck Tales mainly to foreshadow its composer’s better work: everything on the Destiny of an Emperor soundtrack.

After posting one battle tune on Tuesday, I couldn’t resist including another one today. This one has a fantastic contrapuntal line with a crazy reverb-like effect. Lots of different little elements working together brilliantly in this tune, and the simplicity of the NES sound channels makes the overall song sound huge without being confusing.

Track: “General Battle” (YouTube Link)
Game: Destiny of an Emperor (NES, 1989)
Composer: Hiroshige Tonomura