I love these games and I think the soundtracks are underrated as an essential part of their appeal.
I'll Start with one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk72RMv9d0s

Tube of Medusa from Ecco2: Tides of Time.

Personally, I think the Sega CD version soundtrack is... fine, but it has a different composer. If I remember correctly, it;s the composer from the first Ecco. In my opinion, it's inoffensive, but completely forgettable.

EDIT: I have edited the topic to include older stuff.

Wanna also highlight the theme song for Phantasy Star 4: End of the Millennium. Amazing game. Way ahead of its time!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMplusdva5k

I've chosen two Genesis/Megadrive songs, even though I'm generally a SNES guy, lol.

This is my cellphone ringtone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC-B3Q0cRrY

But I really like Road Rash 3 speed metal soundtrack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZVx18ONA5M&list=RDMZVx18ONA5M

The music in the Streets of Rage games is so unique. The song you linked to from Road Rash 3 is great.

People know about the bizarrely complex prog rock intro theme from Sosltice (NES) but in case you don't, listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA

Top Gear - SNES:

https://youtu.be/cxAXTHBxgTw?si8nO81VKWhW6JohvY

This was better than a lot of electronic music available in the US at the time. Absolute bangers.

Deep Blue immediately comes to mind:

https://youtu.be/LHhjnJP0VCo

But a deeper more interesting cut would be the entire Pictionary OST:

https://youtu.be/SJwh3erQlyE

That game's soundtrack goes so much harder than you'd think it should.

Bloody Tears is the most iconic Castlevania tune for me.

Best Piano Version I've heard:
https://youtu.be/u9GRIrHtM8U

OG NES VERSION:
https://youtu.be/e2oZtvjg5oA

I would have brought it up myself if someone hadn't already.

Top Gear 2 is just as good in my book:

https://youtu.be/nGeyVf5kkjI

I'm pretty fond of David Wise's work. The easy pick is Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2 for the SNES, but he also worked on Iron sword: Wizards and Warriors II for the NES which has some great tracks too. Also the entire Battletoads and Snake Rattle n Roll soundtracks if I recall correctly (I was a Nintendo kid, if it isn't obvious).

If it isn't stretching too far forward, Einhander on the PS1. It's still the side scroller I judge others against and the soundtrack just feels "right" from start to finish.

Ducktales NES Moon Theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF32DRg9opA

Goonies II and Blaster Master

Mega Man II.

Dr. Wily's castle stage 1.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8tRMB0J4rM&pp=0gcJCYsCo7VqN5tD

The Spring Yard and Starlight Zones from the original Sonic game.

Chrono Trigger has a few bangers

Guardia Millennial Fair and Frog's Theme are absolutely brilliant

Dave Wise is probably my favorite retro Game Music composer. It's kinda hard to say that given all the other amazing music, but man, from the NES all the way to the modern era he's fantastic.

The Solar Jetman soundtrack is amazing to me.

You know, from that game I particularly love Marble Zone.

Highly recommend the Streets of Rage Red Bull Music Festival stream where both creators perfomed most of the classics live for anyone who hasn't seen it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW03QgubN0M&t=52m30s

Holy shit, Tim Follin! The composer of the song I posted about elsewhere in this thread. I had no idea! Thanks! That Pictionary song is crazy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_gObHt1uZA

Yoshi's Island for the SNES was great I still hum some of those

Mega Man 2 still has the most consistently awesome soundtrack of any video game ever. Just banger-after-banger.

Sonic 2 - Mystic Cave Zone

Wonder Boy III - The Dragon's Trap on Sega Master System has some great tunes as well.

The mainline Nintendo games all seem to have incredibly memorable sounds. Just earworms from start to finish. Yoshi's Island, being late on the SNES, has a unique sound.

There are too many. I'll post here some lesser known tracks and games, and no JRPGs. And no CD based tracks, just good old 8-bit and 16-bit chip music. :-) Invidious is a privacy respecting alternative frontend for YouTube, so I have both links to the songs. Also I have a little bit of bias towards SNES.

• Slime World 1 - Global Gladators by Tommy Tallarico (Genesis / Mega Drive): YouTube | Invidious
• Stage 03 - Over Horizon by Masaharu Iwata (NES): YouTube | Invidious
• Track 5 - Monster Max by David Wise (Game Boy): YouTube | Invidious
• House of the Dead - Addams Family Values by Keith Tinman (Super Nintendo): YouTube | Invidious

Alright, I can't hold it any longer back, here are few which doesn't care my above rules:

• Battle Theme - Final Fantasy Mystic Quest by Ryuji Sasai (Super Nintendo): YouTube | Invidious

R-type. Specifically the tg-16 version.

Turtles in Time for the SNES, every song is a banger

I also like "Battletoads & Double Dragon" (the crossover) a lot. You can hear out how it sounds like Donkey Kong Country 2 lol. Level 3: YouTube | Invidious

I'm very surprised no one mentioned Earthbound/Mother 2 yet. The whole thing is just banger after banger, but this one's my favourite:

https://youtu.be/oAKtSltDgfA

The live performance of this by bit brigade was possibly the coolest thing I've ever seen:

https://youtu.be/MUHlVdqRlPA?t=1548

Time stamp links might not work through lemmy but it starts around 26:00 👍

kirby!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnfL3tzFx1Y

Your right, there's nothing else on the SNES that sounds anything like it. It's fantastic. Smiles and Tears makes me cry.
https://youtu.be/gJs5YXUeFug?is=1EkPMZqZzCP3Z4_G

I'm surprised no tracks from mainline Final Fantasy have been posted! So many too choose from, but my personal favourite is Battle at the Big Bridge from FFV.

https://youtu.be/jH-Pddk-_4w

Also, it's usually overlooked, especially in comparison to other games from the same era, but I do love the soundtrack from Super Mario World.

I have a love for the Mega Drive era of music, stuff like Streets of Rage and Hang On.

https://archive.org/details/go-sega-60th-anniversary-album-wm-0806/2-12+-+Streets+of+Rage+2+(Go+Straight)++MD.mp3

Okay, so La-Mulana is technically a more recent game, but I remember the original version from 20 years ago looking just like an MSX game.
Anyway, the gate of guidance theme really stood out to me.
Oh, and the village's theme too, and several others.

We often have music on in the office, and anyone can put on whatever they want. Chrono Cross Scars of Time came on and I nearly gave myself whiplash. I found who put it on and he started playing game music for the rest of the day, including CT and Final Fantasy. It was great.

It's unfortunate to me how memed the song has become. It is a delightful product of the time and I truly adore the song, but it's getting overused.

Saw this post, BlasterMaster came to my head instantly.

Here's the most of my playlist called YM2612:

Guess I'll save this thread for later >:)

surprised i haven't seen much reference to Tim Follin's work! IMO the title screen music from Plok! is unquestionably the most impressive bit of sound i've ever heard from a SNES. just when you've picked your jaw off the floor from the amazingly convincing harmonica sound, the lead "guitar" kicks in and your jaw drops again.

for a bit of a more conventional chiptune sound, the NES Pictionary soundtrack (also Tim Follin) hits pretty damn hard considering that it is, well, Pictionary

Phantasy Star detected

Cybernetic Carnival detected

If only I could upvote twice

I don't have exotic choices to give, but Final Fantasy VI is still my favorite soundtrack. Kefka's theme is iconic.

Also, the music for the first level of Castlevania 3 ("Beginning") is timeless.

Wonderboy in Monster World on Mega Drive

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. They still haven't made a better Zelda or Zelda-like game. (No disrespect to the Ocarina of Time fans, but I consider 3D Zelda to be a different type of game... and not really one I want to play. I've tried, it's just not for me. I do love the 2D ones though.)

Md/Gen

• Gunstar Heroes
• Streets of rage 1/2
• Thunder Force 4

I'm quite fond of Italy, from 8 eyes.

Replayed it recently, and even looking through my intense nostalgia for OoT, I must agree. lttP holds up shockingly well.

Basically all the music from Final Fantasy 6, but in particular, the one from the haunted forest.

The OG Castlevania still brings me so much spooky joy ,but you're right, FF6 is next level.

It is? Like where? Not any of the videos I see.

The gamefeel on those cane mechanics 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻😩

Stickerbrush Symphony from Donkey Kong Country 2 is still goosebumps territory.

And so many awesome remixes etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdPlcKg-qFs

Pictionary brings it HARD!