In 1987, Rockman blasted his way onto the NES in what is arguably (and ironically) one of toughest games in the series. Since then the Rockman series has taken on several different forms and faces throughout the years.
With the series' 15th Anniversary in 2002, VGM enthusiasts saw the floodgates for the backlog of unreleased Rockman music open wide with the Rockman 1-6 box and the X1-6 box the subsequent year, giving these scores a place to call home outside of their respective games. The pace of releases hasn't let up any with Inti-Creates remastered series and soundtrack releases for newer games becoming more of a habit.
Rockman hits the big 20 this year and with Capcom/Team Entertainment cooking up a four release bonanza you might think that being a Rockman fan right now would be pretty sweet. However, despite this milestone these releases show that not everything in Mega Man VGM land is perfect.
As to not repeat anything that has already been talked about in various forums I'll try to keep this short: the Rockman 7 OST falls victim to all the woes you've been hearing about, and it's truly a shame considering how it continues the wonderful feel of the NES soundtracks on the SNES. Rockman 8 comes out for the better outside the exclusion of the Saturn exclusive tracks and a wonky transition in one of the stage themes. Of course, the world (and I) will survive but it certainly takes the level of quality and novelty down a notch.
Of the two, Shusaku Uchiyama's work on the Rockman 8 soundtrack is more likely to be overlooked because for a Mega Man score it is a little unorthodox in a few areas - pieces like Sword Man, Aqua Man, Wily battle themes and the synth is somewhat quirky. Anyway, even though Rockman 7 is a given to most in terms of musical content give Rockman 8 another chance if you haven't in a while. Both soundtracks also seem to sport a louder volume than their game-ripped counterparts.
Anyway, in closing, considering the continued effort in releasing back Rockman soundtracks does that mean I can count on that Rockman & Bass soundtrack I’d love to see in five years?
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
20th Anniversary: Rockman 7 & 8 Soundtracks
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Man did I love the MM7 Soundtrack! To me it felt like if any of the music from the previous games were rearranged using the SNES sound hardware, MM7's music would be the result. I haven't gotten around to purchasing this, but its pretty high on my list.
I also agree that while MM8's OST was a little unorthodox as far as Mega Man music goes, some of the songs on that game rival the best on MM7. The MM8 version of bass' theme is absolute garbage though.
Agree with you on the Rockman 8 rendition of Bass' theme - it never stuck me as being as powerful as the original. Still, when it comes to MM8 I can't resist the icy aura that radiates from Frost Man's theme :)
From one MM fan to another I will say despite the problems with the Rockman 7 soundtrack it is worth picking up... listening to it I've kind of gotten use to the SE scattered though it; like the X1-6 box you kind of block it out after a while.
Post a Comment