Video Game Music Month Song #11: Tears

I love the King of Fighters series. I was hooked to SNK's fighting game baby since I started out with KOF '95, and the franchise has constantly evolved through the years, offering new challenges and combos for players to exploit. Unlike rival company Capcom, KOF is a team based brawler where fighters participate in groupings that usually consisted of three (sometimes four) members, fighting and eliminating each other until the side with the most combatants left standing wins. SNK also made sure that there were plenty of characters to experiment around with.

While my favorite character will always be SNK's primary mascot and Fatal Fury/ Garou lead Terry Bogard, I have to hand it to KOF's primary protagonist and lead character Kyo Kusanagi. The guy has to have some of the best music tailor made for his appearances in KOF, but I think the best one I've come to appreciate (in terms of solo character music at least) is his theme from KOF '99, entitled "Tears". It's a nice and solid tune that mixes an emotion note with japanese rock, as delivered only by the Neo Geo Music Performance Group!




King of Fighters '99 - Tears (Arranged Soundtrack Version)

Video Game Music Month Song #10: Deadman's Gun

I finally got around to finishing the main story of Red Dead Redemption just recently. I've been enjoying the game and taking my sweet time playing through it that I never really rushed to finish and find out what happens to main protagonist John Marston in the end. Well now that I've done the deed, let me just say that this is one of THE BEST games I've ever played coming from Rockstar San Diego, and released by the same fellows who delivered the wildly popular Grand Theft Auto gaming series. Set in 1911 during the twilight years of the wild west era, you pretty much get to experience the life of a nomad, bounty hunter, and cowboy, as you hunt down your former gang to save your family from ransom and see whether there is redemption down the road when all is said and done. It's a western fanatic's dream game come true, and Marston's a great character and a compelling protagonist to boot. It's just so nifty to see how a player dishes out his own brand of justice and honor throughout this game, and there be consequences as a result of the actions one takes.

With such an awesome score and soundtrack, choosing a memorable track from this game wasn't an easy task. However, I finally heard and found what I was looking for after getting the true ending with the credits rolling - Deadman's Gun. It's a fitting ending song and a salute to an epic western game like no other. The video below is an MV that contains scenes from the game, with SPOILERS of course. If you don't want to see it, just look for another vid at YouTube. Otherwise, click away and enjoy.


Red Dead Redemption - Deadman's Gun

Video Game Music Month Song #9: Rising Dragoon

For as long as I can remember, I've stuck with the fighting game circuit ever since I got into video games. My earliest memories stem back into the days of the arcade and SNES, when Street Fighter II broke into the scene and changed the way players had to brawl and settle disputes once and for all. Through the years, I've seen the series and other games in the genre grow, changing in shape and form and evolving into something that society generally accepts thanks to the intense competition these titles provide. These days the arcade business is slowly getting stale, and online competition is where it's at for most gamers of today's generation. Since I belong to the former, I still stick to my roots even as I conform to newer standards, and as the saying goes - "some things change, while others stay the same".

As a result of my Street Fighter nostalgia, I've been wondering what tune resonates with me today more than the other tracks that have clearly defined the series over the years. I have too many songs I like, and I'll probably pick others later down the line. Yet if I had to pick one for today, it would have to be Ryu's theme from Capcom and Arika's Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha - Rising Dragoon. Prior to the 2.5D fighting game we got with the Street Fighter IV series, this was the very first "Street Fighter game in 3D" to explode in the arcade scene, eventually getting upgrades and getting an enhanced port in the Playstation.  It's an upbeat and inspiring theme mixed with Japanese ethnic sounds and instruments. This is the arranged version (which is extended and has more emphasis), and I'd definitely recommend this track for SF peeps to give a listen to.


Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha - Rising Dragoon (Extended Ver.)