Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Mega Man Music -- MM2

Hey y'all.  Time for more Mega Man!

I really love all Mega Man music.  A lot of people say the second game had the best, and I personally disagree.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe I find the songs of the other games more cohesive to each other or something.  But whether or not MM2 is my first favorite is really beside the point; it's a good, solid soundtrack with a lot of fun stuff to listen to.  Definitely one of the better ones.

As far as the game itself goes, it's very good.  MM2 establishes permanently what the Mega Man games are stylewise, with its influences stretching out beyond the Classic series.  It extends the number of robot masters to eight, cleans up the graphics, eliminates the point system, and creates some classic enemies like tellies, sniper joes, and pipies.  MM1 was wonky in pretty much every way, and MM2 straightens things up.  It actually gives an intro and intro music to Mega Man, of which MM1 had none.

As far as the music goes, MM2 ends the notorious short looping and allows the music to extend further and take the time to really develop into the fun stuff it is.  The music becomes the storytelling of the game, which is highly necessary when your game has basically no on-screen plot.  Video games aren't obligated to be storytellers, but dang if the music doesn't try.

The intro explains the happenings for the first Mega Man game, and in fact actually uses the music from the ending of the first game for this intro.  It segways perfectly into the title screen music of this game, going from a mellow, tragic intro into an action packed title with Mega Man standing on a skyscraper with his hair blowing in the wind.  It's perfect.  Hey wait, why isn't this soundtrack my favorite again?

Anyways, this game definitely has my favorite password music ever.  It's short, repetitive, and squeaky, but it's awesome and I love it.  Yay!  It just makes me so happy.  The boss select screen music is good.  Sounds like a great intro into the danger that one will surely face on an adventure.

Okay, so here's the list of robot master themes from what I think are the worst to best written for this game.  Note that I didn't say my favorite, but most skilled.  Also note that "worst" only means compared to the other robot master themes.  All the themes in this game are awesome.  Each of them evokes the proper emotion and imagery related to their robot master.

#8  Notedly, I really enjoy Heat Man's music, and it evokes in my mind images of lava and gunfire, perfect for a fire-element baddie.  Trouble is, they went though a lot of work making the other songs on this soundtrack, and this one seems like its looping is still too short.  Still, it's funny when you play the level, mess up, die, and be mocked by the music as you try again.  Well, you have to deal with his disappearing block segment from hell with some sense of humor, or you'll get pissed off.  Go play Air Man first. 

#7 Crash Man's theme song is kind of weird.  It's a lot more goofy than the others, and this makes it really stick out.  It's completely enjoyable, though.  It gets a bit too goofy for me in parts, which is why it isn't higher in this list, but hey, it's still Mega Man music.  Party on.

#6 Air Man's theme is so much fun. A lot of the time I get "I Can't Defeat Air Man" stuck in my head and forget about this song, but this song is great game fare.  It's interesting enough to enjoy, and not too weird to distract or annoy as you play the level.

#5 As a kid, I never really cared too much for Wood Man's theme.  It's good video game stuff, but it didn't evoke too much for me.  As an adult I enjoy it, and I see why a lot of people like it the best.  It's dramatic adventure stuff.  I guess the problem is it just doesn't seem unique to me.  It just doesn't say "Wood Man".  All the same, it's a good song, and it reminds me of being a fighter pilot for some reason.

#4 Metal Man has some great music.  He's known for a lot of his stage hazards, like those drills that pop up through the floor and ceiling, and also his metal blade weapon.  Honestly, Metal Man is all around awesome.  The song gives a great, adventurous tone, and really deserves its higher spot on the list.

#3 Bubble Man's theme reminds me of Air Man's in the sense that it's more relaxing than otherwise.  It has a sense of calm without losing that nice drive and oceanic wonder.  It's such a deep song with lots of yummy layering.  Good stuff, good stuff.

#2 Flash Man's theme is a lot of people's favorite.  It's just a fun theme with mysterious tones. It wasn't my favorite, but y'know it's solid and a lot of fun.  The level just wouldn't be the same without it.  You get the sense of foreboding as you wander the glowy maze of mischief.

#1 That leaves Quick Man for the number one slot.  Yeah, this theme is weird.  It feels odd that the little "vrrreen" from the instant death lasers isn't playing along with this song.  It's the best because not only is it good, but it's also unique. 

Now, the Mega Man universe has always had good fight themes, and this is no exception.  However, MM2's just isn't as good as the ones from other games.  It's solid, but doesn't carry the strength of others.  Also, the game over music is too darn cheerful.  I mean heck, Mega Man just died here.  No need to laugh at him.

Next up is one of the greatest Mega Man songs ever.  Any true classic gamer recognises this as one of the best pieces of gamer music of all time.  That would be Wily levels one and two.  The theme played there is magnificent and has spawned many a set of person making up lyrics to it.  My favorite is the ridiculously fun Okkusenman, a Japanese song about missing the innocent past and how the years slipped away.  Seriously, you gotta hear it.

Okkusenman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzSR_TFMirs

Notedly, some people don't like this theme, but it has been kinda overplayed in gamer circles.  That, however, doesn't take away from its genuine quality.

Wily levels three and four cut out all the fun.  It's like, "okay guys, you spent the last two levels partying, so now it's time to focus and kill the mad scientist".  It's very focused on this, and you won't be thinking about the theme that much at all.  Let's move on.

The Wily boss fight doesn't have a separate theme, but there's a short victory theme.  It's okay.  The real gem of the ending plays along with a melodramatic ending scene where Mega Man is walking home through petals, leaves, snow, and rain.  Once the sun comes up, Mega Man reaches his home in the country, leaving his helmet behind on the hill.  The song evokes drama as if Mega Man regrets war or is just tired and ready for peace.  This begins the trend of super melodramatic Mega Man endings, one that doesn't end even until the Zero series (or maybe ZX; I've never seen playthroughs of those).  It's a sad, touching song, but I miss having happy endings.

Fortunately, MM2 doesn't leave me hanging.  They pep it up for the credits with a very much underrated song.  It's fun, party, and leads right back into the title theme as it closes off.  Yay!  Rock on!

Oh hey, you can listen to the soundtrack here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVn96gyZ5cM

So yeah, MM2 has a great soundtrack.  Though I played this game (ie watched my brother play it) as a kid, it's the one out of the first five that I remember the least.  Looking back at it on youtube evokes fond memories, and I do start to remember certain things, like the spike blocks in Air Man's stage, the dragon in Wily 1, and the giant chicken thingies in Wood Man's.  It represents what Mega Man is supposed to be as a game, and it's fun as mess.  Some of the kinks as far as gameplay go aren't really worked out, but whatever.  Glitches in small doses only improve a game.

No comments:

Post a Comment