We will try to tackle this on a series by series basis, with each feature taking a look at the music featured in a particular video game series and at some of the best tracks. At the same time we will also be taking a look at some famous composers such as Nobuo Uematsu, Michiru Yamane, Shoji Meguro, Daisuke Ishiwatari and Koji Kondo to mention a few.
Games like Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo and several sports titles feature an extensive play list of licensed tracks. Such soundtracks however, will not be the focus of this feature, instead we shall praise originality. This week we listen to some music of a certain platformer series that many people today simply love to hate.
Sonic the hedgehog
We shall start this feature by taking a look into some music featured in Sonic the Hedgehog games. Admittedly, the series has taken one hell of a downward spiral after the release of Sonic 3 & Knuckles but the games have always featured a very dynamic soundtrack that covers a diverse range of genres such as rock, jazz, techno, trance, industrial and several others. Even the in-house vocal tracks are decent efforts. The Sonic the hedgehog series is well regarded (and yes even disregarded) for many reasons, with the unique and interesting style of music being one of them.
Notable composers
- Jun Senoue
- Richard Jacques
- Masato Nakamura
- Michael Jackson?
The Megadrive Sonic games had some really good music and surprisingly they hold up quite well today, with many tracks still being remixed and played live. The tracks in these games were quite uplifting without sounding too bubbly, as was the case of most anthropomorphic platformers back then. Let’s take a look at some examples here:
Here is a track we all know and love. It gives one a feeling of hope and that feeling of a fresh start. That is exactly what Sonic needs to do now, start over.
Taken from the much superior PAL and NTSC-J OST of Sonic CD, this track has a very tropical and relaxing vibe to it. One of the reasons why Sonic CD is praised so much for its OST is because of stellar tracks such as this one.
Taken from what maybe the only reason why it’s worth hunting for a Megadrive 32X. Knuckles Chaotix was perhaps the true sequel to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, a fantastic game that had some really good music. This track and all the others gave the game plenty of style and charm.
Just by listening to these tracks you can get a pretty good idea of what made Sonic the Hedgehog games so cool and charming back in the day.
Many tracks were also quite edgy, complimenting the adrenaline pumping and high speed gameplay of Sonic games and the general cool blue attitude of Sonic himself. Some examples of these more aggressive tracks include:
Nice 16-bit retro guitar riffs in this one. One of the more hard hitting tracks in Sonic games, very few 16-bit platformers had music this cool.
You can imagine why this track is ideal for a heavy metal remix, quite aggressive and yet a tad groovy.
There were some tracks that had more serious undertones, even going as far as sounding epic and dramatic. Back in those days, such music was common in RPGs while platformers generally had lively, happy and amusing music. The tracks below were something one would expect from a RPG and that was one of the reasons why these Megadrive Sonic games were so captivating.
A beautiful track that truly feels dramatic and epic, too bad Sonic Chronicles didn’t feature music this epic.
This track is quite sad and mellow, a mood not too common in Sonic games.
Hauntingly beautiful and mysterious.
A vocal intensive experiment with mixed results
The 5th generation console era was almost a no show for the blue hedgehog, but then along came Sonic R. A racing game that had an interesting gameplay style but what was even more unusual was the soundtrack. It featured very generic 90s pop songs performed by British singer, TJ Davis. The soundtrack received a mix response and those who hated it did so because the sheer cheesiness of it, while others appreciated the inspiring and positive lyrics of the songs. It is interesting to note that ever since the release of Sonic R, vocal tracks became a norm in Sonic games.
Quit sulking in a corner! Tomorrow is a new beginning! Life goes on!
Amy: “Oh Sonic! You’re my Diamond in the Sky!”
A few unlikely Middle Eastern tunes
Sonic games generally feature a desert stage which is accompanied by background music that has a very strong Middle Eastern folk music flair. Sonic and the Secret Rings had an Arabian Nights theme so the entire soundtrack had that Middle Eastern vibe, but apart from that a few other examples of that style can be heard here.
Hmmmm… Sounds oily…
A nice hypnotic instrumental.
The new age
The Sonic series in this day and age is much different from what it used to be, as it caters for a whole new audience and has that new “extreme” attitude. Even with the modern technology we feel that the music in these newer Sonic games simply lacks the same charm and magic of the classics. That’s not to say that there aren’t some good tunes every now and then, but the soundtrack is now mostly generic guitar centric rock tunes with some really annoying vocal performances and equally cheesy lyrics. Of course, there are some really good symphonic/orchestra tracks such as the ones in the atrocious Sonic the Hedgehog, but nothing catchy enough to stay stuck in your head for years.
Remixes, remakes and rearrangements
Over the years, a lot of hardcore Sonic fans have put together some really impressive remixes and rearrangements of Sonic music, as well as some simple but admirable piano/guitar covers. You can find several good covers and tributes on youtube, but we strongly recommend checking out Project Chaos and Megadriver’s Metalhog album. These rearrangements are but two of the many you can find out there and we strongly recommend everyone to give these albums a listen.
There are also quite a few official remix/remakes of classic Sonic tunes. Take this Green Hill Zone BGM remix as an example.
Sunset Hill Green Hill, Tomato Tomaato.
Wrapping it up
We hope you enjoyed the debut of the Sound Test. Seeing that Sonic games have featured a very diverse range of music over the years, we most likely have overlooked quite a few of your favourites. Our focus was to highlight some of the more significant tunes and have mainly shed light on the older stuff, the good stuff.
Your games may blow now but you’re still a hero to many of us Sonic!
Please feel free to send us any feedback, comments, suggestions and requests. We will try our best to play all your favourite hits.
), I was going to include them but there were too many songs so had to cut a lot of tracks. Removed the new age stuff becuase I figured everyone would enjoy the classics 
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