Your Top-5 shmup soundtracks

[shmuppyLove]

1. Highly Responsive to Prayers
2. Story of Eastern Wonderland
3. Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream
4. Lotus Land Story
5. Mystic Square

[trap15]

Good taste

[ebarrett]

You know, whatever the intentions that's not bad for a joke post. Anyway:

Darius Gaiden
Battle Garegga
Guwange
Pink Sweets
G-Darius

[Herr Schatten]

Jets'n'Guns
Apidya
Mushihimesama
ESPGaluda
Katakis

Honourable Mentions: R-Type, Z-Out, all Parodius games

[KAI]

#1

[ebarrett]

Oh, of course, I forgot the real purpose of this thread was to feed KAI's ego.

[KAI]

Exactly, good job everyone.

[Arcatech]

Border Down: Could listen to this without the game and enjoy it just as much.

Mushihimesama: Has a nice fantasy vibe to it that gels really well with the setting.

Battle Bakraid: Sounds like redbook audio on a pcb. Really smooth

G-Darius: Haunting. Unorthodox and thats what makes it unique

Raiden DX: typical shmup soundtrack with over the top melody. Enjoy it a lot though.

[Evilmaxwar]

1. Paperboy
2. Call of Duty
3. Frogger
4. Doom
5. Doom II

<3

[Drum]

I don't get the "it's good because it's unconventional" argument. If I'm going through a tension filled segment of the game such as a boss battle, I'd expect a theme that conveys tension, terror, badassery, action (something Raizing did masterfully most of the time) or something on those lines, not something completely detached from what's going on screen.

[End of Darius Gaiden music hate]

Contrast is a thing.

[Nitrous]

1. Thunderforce IV - Metal Squad forever!
2. Axelay - Just awesome in every aspect!
3. Ikaruga - Fantastic orchestral score.
4. Dodonpachi Dai Fukkatsu (iPhone exclusive soundtrack) - Best soundtrack in a Cave game ever!
5. Gate of thunder - Rockin' and rollin'!

[e_tank]

my top 5 with a link to my favorite track(s - exception for gradius 3) from each

1. gradius 3 (arcade ver)
such an epic score. i love how most of the tracks sound as if they're cheering you on against impossible odds, which it pretty much is for many of us..
deadend cell
try to star
2. ketsui-pachi (ddp dfk bl arrange mode)
virt arranges ketsui. an already awesome ost becomes even more awesome..er
defensive line - lurking in the darkness
(actually, interception is probably my favorite track, but since Zetzumarshen already linked to it i figured i'd go with this insead. this track is also very similar to the one virt had already done for the official ketsui arrange album years earlier)
3. lords of thunder (segacd ver)
t's music gets someone to do his best yngwie malmsteen impression
helado
4. eschatos
short but sweet
point of no return
5. darius burst
it's tough to choose a favorite zuntata ost..
goodbye my earth (couldn't find a youtube vid just for the music)

and just because i haven't seen it mentioned yet i have to include one more

6. detana twinbee
iirc, while not the first ost michiru yamane worked on, it's the first that had any really stand out tracks
crossing the sea of clouds

[e_tank]

Worst soundtracks:
Every Psikyo game ever

lol, agreed

DoDonpachi

HEY! come on now, that's some classic head bangin music for long hairs right there

funny story about the ddp ost, years ago i burned a copy of ddp on the psx for someone but never bothered to label it, which i almost never do. months later he told me he mistook the disc for a mix cd he had just burned for listening to in his car. my reaction was something like "ha, sorry i didn't label it - so you got generic butt-rocked didn't you.", and his response was something like "nah man, don't be sorry, i was rockin out all the way to work to it!", and then proceeded to tell me how whenever he hears the music he gets so pumped to play some ddp and couldn't wait to get home.

[shmuppyLove]

You know, whatever the intentions that's not bad for a joke post.

My first joke list seemed to go over people's heads, I'm glad someone noticed this one.

Everyone loves FM synth! Playing through Doom and Doom II again with ZDoom, and the music is actually pretty decent with their snazzy OPL softsynth

And here it is because you all know you want it - PAPERBOY

/thread

[iconoclast]

1. Akai Katana Shin
2. Dodonpachi Daioujou
3. Ketsui
4. Eschatos
5. Darius Gaiden

[Klatrymadon]

Contrast is a thing.

It isn't as though it in any way detracts from the experience, either. "Singing in the Brain", for instance, complements the ethereal Prickly Angler battle quite beautifully. I wouldn't swap it for anything. The soundtrack might be slightly unusual and experimental, but it never just plays over the game, as seems to be the implication - it always works with it.

In any case, it still has a fair amount of energetic and relatively straightforward pieces, such as Fake and E.E.G.

Edit: Dead End Cell and Try To Star are some of my favourites from GIII, too. Nice one, e_tank!

[BIL]

Always liked how after an interlude of pronounced silence, DG busts out the decidedly un-ethereal, un-contemplative "Reflection" for Zone M at the precise moment its multi-screen killing machine of a boss appears. It uses the track elsewhere too, but nowhere is it quite as sobering. A moment of hard lucidity amongst all the Tranquilizers and Visionnerz. ;]

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

1. Darius Burst
2. Raiden II
3. Lotus Land Story
4. Gun Frontier
5. Gradius III

[shaowebb]

1. Castle Shikigami 2
2. Jade Penetrate Black package
3. Eden's Aegis
4. Raiden Fighter Aces Jet
5. Dodonpachi Resurrection

[sjoecool1991]

This is in no particular order:

Eschatos
Ketsuipachi
DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu Black Label
Einhander
Gradius V

[EmperorIng]

1. Darius Burst
2. Raiden II
3. Lotus Land Story
4. Gun Frontier
5. Gradius III

Gun Frontier's ost is really lovely stuff.

There's something just magical about how the level 1 bgm starts playing when you fight the Wild Lizad's "monster tank" in the penultimate stage.
Nosing out the gold, indeed.

It's one of the big reasons I'm still considering buying the Saturn import.

[KAI]

I've always wondered if the Saturn version of Gun Frontier has an arranged or a rematered soundtrack like Metal Black. Any idea about it?

BTW, Supersweep have been delaying their Gun Frontier/Metal Black arranged albums for almost a year. I'm getting impatient.

[EmperorIng]

Hm, I didn't know Metal Black's saturn variant had a remixed soundtrack!
All the more reason for me to buy it

[KAI]

It has a stereo remastered soundtrack. Dual Moon sounds a thousand times better on Saturn.

[FIL]

You know, whatever the intentions that's not bad for a joke post. Anyway:

Darius Gaiden
Battle Garegga
Guwange
Pink Sweets
G-Darius

Protip: Don't open all those youtube links at once.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

Gun Frontier's ost is really lovely stuff.

There's something just magical about how the level 1 bgm starts playing when you fight the Wild Lizad's "monster tank" in the penultimate stage.
Nosing out the gold, indeed.

It's one of the big reasons I'm still considering buying the Saturn import.

My reason for picking Gun Frontier is mainly because of this track. Progressive Rock+Classical Western is probably the most glorious genre fusion out there.

I'm still on the fence whether I want the Saturn port myself considering I already have it for TL2, and unless I misheard, the Saturn version is missing 2 BGMs...

[Vexorg]

In no particular order:

Gradius III
Battle Baktaid
Raiden 2
Radiant Silvergun
Thunder Force IV

[Shin Daisuke]

No order:

Mushihimesama Futari
Salamander
Ikaruga
Radiant Silvergun
Under Defeat

Honorable mentions: Parodius, Battle Garegga and Gunbird 2

[Zaarock]

no order:

Soukyugurentai
Battle Garegga
Senko no Ronde
HellSinker
Rayforce

[Eaglet]

1. Battle Garegga
2. Metal Black
3. Radiant Silvergun
4. Ketsui
5. Border Down

Very hard to rank 2 to 5 but i think this should be right.