Evocative VGM titles

[NYN]

From Battle Mania Daiginjo - SEGA Mega Drivo:

Mighty Gals 2; Pick Me Up, Boy!; Blue Sky Laundry; Dancing Hunter; Hachimaki Please.

Haven't seen any Bloody Tears around. Mayhaps I got something in my eye?

[BIL]

Armored Green

Day of Judgement

Suburb / Armored Green was love at first sight. So cute yet menacing rather like the stage itself. It's literally an armor-infested green lmao! I like EVAC Industry / The Judgement Day just on sheer gravity. Defensive Line / LURK IN DARKNESS is super atmospheric and again bluntly accurate, a gutturally blasting guitar roar for a hard, dark place bristling with a fuck-ton of absolute defenders.

My favourite's gotta be NO REMORSE though. Metallica reference is a bit hackneyed but it works so well in TLB context.

THE STAIRS TO Z Despite its technical roughness, Space Harrier II has some timelessly surreal cosmic fantasy going on.
NUCLEAR SHOCK
HANDCUFF The tracklist adding an air of menace, faint yet unmistakable even to a small kid.
JELLY SYNDROME
OUTSIDER
REVERSE INFECT
AN EPITAPH (^Space Harrier II) Even moreso than a 9000MPH pylon to the face!

ALEXANDRA I just dig incendiarily longing paeans to fetchingly-named women (cf LAYLA)
A Bird Crossing The Desert So picturesque! Good luck Mr. Bird, that is some real shit.
Wings of Darkness (^The Legend of Xanadu) Formidably sweeping imagery backed up by a miniature Falcom epic.
GET OVER THE BARRIER (Zero no Kiseki) Sig-worthy. Show some guts and L2P you whiny fuckin noobs.

A VISION OF DARK SECRETS Michiru Yamane wrought a towering epic horror OST from the MD, among the series' most strikingly-tracknamed to boot.
BONDS OF BRAVE MEN Surpassingly valiant player select trackname.
IRON BLUE INTENTION
CALLING FROM HEAVEN From heaven...
THE VAMPIRE'S STOMACH ...straight to hell, visceral, gluttonous and devouring.
REQUIEM FOR THE NAMELESS VICTIMS I like to think this is a nod to the game's WW1 backdrop. (^Vampire Killer)

BATTLE OF THE HOLY Engrish as hard and grave as steel!
DEATH FAIR Evilly playful, befitting the jaunty theme to an autoscrolling parade of murderous contraptions.
REVENGE (^Dracula Densetsu) Absolute enmity shearing both ways across generations.
ROAD OF ENEMY
EVIL GODS Imperious, merciless.
CHROMATISCHE FANTASIE (^Dracula Densetsu II) A nightmarish showdown borrows some appropriately dazzling, discomfiting Bach.

PLANET OF THE E.A.R.T.H. CRS68k isn't a comedic STG per se, but good lord does its tracklist (and music) cheer me up.
JUSTICE OF GALAXY "X (of the) X" is like Schrodinger's Engrish. Simultaneously ridiculous and galvanising until you hit "play."
PLEASURE TRIP
I'M FIGHTING TO YOUR HAPPINESS
CHIPS! Boss mki, the chips are down motherfucker!
IMPOSSIBLE ONE Boss mkii, heavy BGM artillery w/ Bloody Tears pipe organ
COOKIN' ON THE HELL Boss mkiii, today's special is TACO DE MUERTE
WE LOVE THE E.A.R.T.H. (^Cho Ren Sha 68k) I love Loser Kashiwagi

[Sumez]

TOWER OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH

One of the most indelible from a VGM house of legend. Actually quite a verving tune too, which I always found cool - you're stepping into an iconic place of fear and grueling trial, there's no need for overt menace.

I never played Ys 4, and thought this was a callback to a song from Ys 1 - but it turns out, it's called the exact same thing in that game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPXK0OkB04U

[BIL]

Yep! I've not played IV either, but AFAIK you revisit Darm Tower in that one, so I was never surprised to see its theme on the OST. "Feena" and "See You Again" tend to recur through the series too, if I remember right.

EDIT: Hm, maybe not "See You Again." That's a great ending BGM, surprised it doesn't seem to have recurred. Anyway I mostly just want an excuse to post IV's floor-shatteringly heavy version of "Feena."

[Squire Grooktook]

GET OVER THE BARRIER (Zero no Kiseki) Sig-worthy. Show some guts and L2P you whiny fuckin noobs.

Even alongside other Falcom bangers, the Kiseki series has a knack for titles that subtlety refer to the events of the story without losing their general applicability.

Personal favorite:

A Gravestone Struck by Lightning
(Final boss, phase 1 from Sora No Kiseki SC)

Furious, volatile, and bitterly poignant. Moreso when you realize that it (spoilers)

Spoiler

Refers to the mid-battle revelation that our antagonist is indirectly responsible for the death of the two mc's mother and sister, respectively.

[Blinge]

Aha! Been slowly making my way through the thread listening to good TRAXX.

Gotta contribute once more. What's the deal Birru, URLs to better songs only?

La Mulana time! These are mostly bangers too.

Mr. Explorer

Fearless Challenger

Grand History

G-U-I-L-D

Giant's Rage

High Speed Beast

My favourite: CURSE OF OCEAN
^I believe the original was called CURSE OF IRON PIPE

MOON LIGHT DANCE

Giant's Cry

Wonder of the Wonder

GIGA-MAGMA

Mother Will Be Awaken

Last one for now:

Song of Curry

[BIL]

What's the deal Birru, URLs to better songs only?

Not necessarily better, just stuff I think leaps out more, and/or complements its name especially well. Also just laziness on my part.

CURSE OF IRON PIPE

Fuckin rad. Can imagine a whole Kunio-esque off that. The juxtaposition of the lofty and the comically brutal Reminds me of King Kong 2: IKARI NO MEGATON PUNCH.

Could work pretty well for an H-game too.

[Jonny2x4]

I DO FOR NOBODY ELSE BUT ME! YEAH
I DO FOR NOBODY ELSE
BUT ME!
I AM A HIGHWAY KILLER!

[BIL]

HIGHWAY KILLER

Fuuuck yeah. Swaggerin'. Sounds kinda like early 80s Scorpions.

I DO FOR NOBODY ELSE BUT ME!

Words to live by while out highway killing.

Lots of colourful tracklists and killer cuts lurking in those lesser-feted Konami arcade OSTs (lesser-feted Konami music in general, really). Also from their racing canon, Chequered Flag's NIGHT LINE is an absolute foot to the floor stormer.

Even alongside other Falcom bangers, the Kiseki series has a knack for titles that subtlety refer to the events of the story without losing their general applicability.

Personal favorite:

A Gravestone Struck by Lightning
(Final boss, phase 1 from Sora No Kiseki SC)

Furious, volatile, and bitterly poignant. Moreso when you realize that it (spoilers)

Spoiler

Refers to the mid-battle revelation that our antagonist is indirectly responsible for the death of the two mc's mother and sister, respectively.

Hell of an image. Not ashamed to say that outside of Ys, I've possibly spent more time browsing Falcom's OSTs than playing their games... no slight on them, they're simply a VGM powerhouse impossible to ignore. Even without getting into the frequently excellent arranged / live stuff! (The Legend of Xanadu alone yields several outstanding albums)

[Blinge]

Come the fuck on.
Hang the fuck on.

OUTRIDE A CRISIS

[Durandal]

MR DECEIVER, I'M HERE
WHEN THE HAMMER FALLS
A HYSTERIC WOMAN GOES OVER THE SUUUUUUUUUUN

(W.A.O., RUN OF THE DESTINY)

A SINGING VOICE ECHOES THROUGH THE CANYON
NONE OF THE PHENOMENA IN THE UNIVERSE
FLAP TOWARDS THE HOOOOOOOOOOPE (RUN OF THE DESTINYYYYYY)

[copy-paster]

BRILLIANCE

This track is pure brilliance, love the intro and the beat. Another Konami goodness.

[BIL]

WHEN THE HAMMER FALLS

Formidable yet faintly elegiac boss tracknames follow Tsukumo everywhere Also, good gravy, that's one fucking hell of a track. The pulsing techno-ethereal malevolence of Electric Mind with the battlefield death drums of Fatherless Baby.

(W.A.O., RUN OF THE DESTINY)

omg Was gonna use both, glad to see someone else go ahead.

It Was Called "Victim" Guilty Gear lore and style clangs off me a fair bit, but when it's good it's fairly inimitable.
SOUL DEALER I wish that heart-rending Wilderness Graveyard BGM from Isuka didn't have such a flailing title.
NO MERCY
BLOODSTAINED LINEAGE
A Solitude That Asks For Nothing In Return I know that feel, Pacman Ghost homie.
WRITHE IN PAIN (^ Guilty Gear X) Fuckin' rawwwk!
D.O.A.
Good Manners and Customs This is the trackname I'd give a hapless, gut-wrenchingly possessed sap, too.
Haven't You Got Eyes In Your Head? Slayer-sama has not just one but two mighty tracknames!
KA-GE NO MA-TSU-RI As "Festival of Shadows" is known on the PS2 sound test. I always found it a cute rendering of I-NO's laid-back theme!
Nothing Out Of The Ordinary Quality mirror match trackname.
THE MIDNIGHT CARNIVAL
EXISTENCE (^ Guilty Gear XX) A trackname so apropros it actually turned me around on the song itself. Grueling trek to a hard-won chorus release.
The Vampire Saga Korean #R ver Slayer, sounding even more Castlevania than it already would.
Dogs On The Run
CRASH AND BURN (^ GGXX #Reload Korean Soundtrack)

Dracula Battlers Naoto Shibata and Akio Shimizu's day job has set my knackers aflame, once again. 3;

SHOW ME YOU VENOM STRIKE

Spoiler

Are albums based on/inspired by VGM okay? Pls bop me on the nose w/newspaper if not. These two are soulful Thunder Force/Castlevania-styled killers through and through.

HELLHOUND An incendiary devotional to, and from, Tecno Soft music legend kicks off with an appropriately implacable namesake.
The Endless Road Rugged, indomitable.
SLEDGEHAMMER ala Hyper Duel's Black Angel, music for great big awful biomechanical fuckers, and the artillery needed to bring them down.
To Today Struggle for your future against your DOUBT.
To Tomorrow Nothing written here is gonna do more justice than the title itself. Heartening.
EXTREME FIGHTER I wonder if this was a nod to Nekketsu Oyaku, haha. Wa-taaah!
MIDNIGHT VISITOR
KNIGHTS OF TRADITION My fellow TFII OST appreciators will dig this one. Worthy homage to Knights of Legend.
MIDWEST 2151 I know it's "YM2151", but the blistering guitar tone and violent drums make me think of storming some hellish alien-dominated highway.
Goodnight 2608 ...after which, this is definitely a welcome respite.
SCREAM OF THE DARK LORD
Run To The Future
May Fortune Be With You ( ^ Spirit of Stone)

THE BECKONING ENSLAVED DIAD, an OST for the 32X Dracula that lives in my head.
PILLARS OF CREATION Fuck you mean "is it any good?"
MERCILESS "Please... help me..." "Oh JEEZE! BOOTY-HIME WAS KIDNAPPED AND I'M OUT TO KILL A MUHFUCKA"
DIMENSION-REVERSING DUALITIES ^ that's the attract mode text, and this one's the penultimate stage BGM. Gets even face-meltinger arrange as bonus track.
THE GREAT VOID (PERIHELION)
THE CHAOTIC VASTNESS (APHELION) (^ DIAD)

[Squire Grooktook]

Their Own Brand of Justice <- It's time for revenge, let's attack agressively.
The End of Raging Waves / The End of Raging Winds <- Yuzo Koshiro's best composition, IMO. Track title always felt vaguely biblical and apocalyptic to me.
The Evil God in the Dark Ocean Depths
Calling that Detestable Name
Faith is My Pillar
-Etrian Odyssey

Inherited Memory
An Unavoidable Choice / (Original Version) <- Manly tragedy is in the air.
Forest Demon
-Tales of Alltynex

Goodbye, My Earth
The World of Spirit
CATABOLISM <- My favorite track from Darius Burst overall.
Expecting You <- Another incredible title for a final boss
-Darius Burst

Mortification of The Flesh / Trials and Tribulations
-Groove Coaster

Fortress of Philosophy
-Raiden V

Reach for the Moon
Necrofantasia
The Sea Where Ones Home Planet Reflects
Emotional Skyscraper
Sailor of Time
-Touhou

[hilaryyy]

Vampire Savior all day every day.

War Agony, Tower of Arrogance, Vanity Paradise, there are a ton of incredible tracks, both for the state of DnB at the time of the time of the game's release as well as showcasing CPS2's soundscape.

[Blinge]

Ah forgive me Squire, I have to add some anime into the mix.

Hunter X Hunter:

Hegemony of the Food Chain

Kingdom of Predators
- and its use in the show, a good little snapshot of our world..

aand the theme of Blinge attempts to spar IRL

Obvious Difference of Power

[Jonny2x4]

MASTER OF PUPPETS AMONG THE DISEASE
SOUNDBOARD II version? or SCC version? Which do you prefer?
EDIT: Fixed the links.

[BIL]

Same link, I believe? I'm gonna go with SCC for now anyway, that thing is sublime. Just the right balance of warmth and buzz. I once spent two hours working on an essay with this on loop, intending to add some more tracks. Never ended up bothering. Every time the expertly-delayed refrain finally surged forth to that awersome thudding bass, my concentration redoubled.

[Jonny2x4]

Yeah, I messed up. The link to the PC-88 version should be correct now.

[BIL]

Ah, the Black Disc. I've not heard that album in ages, good to know its sound source. Come to think of it, it's been forever since I browsed Red Disc too.

Its "Puppets" is damn good. Undeniably more sophisticated-sounding than the SCC version. Ultimately I prefer SCC for that very reason, its basic, carved-outta-rock chiptuneness. Sound Board II is most definitely how to translate a song to a technically richer platform. (see my favourite whipping boy Ninja Ryukenden Tomoe for a categorical how NOT to).

SCHIZOPHRENIA (Saya no Uta) Are VNs okay? This is one helluva sick-as-a-dog groan of misanthropy.
No Answer Is Also An Answer (Abandoner) Cold! Nice little trip-hop tune as well, I like how the piano riff patiently orbits the scene.

The Bathead Weird little intro trackname on its own, but it's important for later.
CREATURES IN THE DEPTHS Horror boss tracknames rarely get more picturesque. Quite the pumpy choon, too.
MOON FIGHT Utterly ridiculous. That's why I like it. ESPECIALLY the detonatingly funky PS1 AST ver.
Etude For The Killer Evil trackname, tune and stage. And I totally PWNED my grandma at Scrabble with it too!
YOU GODDAMNED BATHEAD (^ Akumajou Dracula X68k) As I was saying. No evocations of blood feud here, just explosive anger! Fuck off you goddamned bathead!

SOLITARY Ninja action ethos in a word. Kicks the door down, then settles into a comfy groove and breezy hooks. Flying battleship demolitions ain't no thing.
Inner Darkside As storied and atmospherically lit as st3-1's grim laboratory. Authentically punishing YM2612 drum solo.
Trap Boogie BOUNCIN'. Death-defying superhuman gymnastic prowess, yes, but Musashi does this shit for a laugh.
MANDARA The sound of a zen master who's had the fuck enough of your shit, cf when it roars in to announce the ZEED grudge match proper.
My Dear D (^The Super Shinobi II) Your dear what now? Appropriately enigmatic, ambiguously dark name for an unclassifiable elegant pulveriser.

CREATURE FROM OUTER SPACE (Super Contra) How'd I forget? I've always loved the blunt existential terror of it, particularly in a game with such singularly unfriendly aliens!

WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
=*= STG BOSS TRACKS DAISAKUSEN =*=
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING

VISITOR (Metal Black) The uneasy, soon to be horribly clarified variant of "Creature From Outer Space."
CRY OUT ENEMY (Pulstar) THINGS HAVE OFFICIALLY GONE TO SHIT MEN / KILL OR BE KILLED
BLOODY BATTLE (Einhander) Funky battle tbh. Hardcore gaming is all about good times orbiting a core of mortal threat.
METAL STORM (Raiden IV)
EVASION (Radiant Silvergun) Even a will to survive as singularly ferocious as RSG's must contend with the reality of overwhelming force.
TSUBAZERIAI (Akai Katana) "Handguard clash." Calculatedly brutal head-on struggle, drive the enemy back to land a murderous decisive blow.
RAGING DECIDE (ESP Ra De) I used to headcanon this to "deicide." Stupid edgy me! MUCH cooler as-is.
BURN YOURSELF (DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou) Feel the heat of battle as it burns your balls, scrubs.
INTOLERANCE (Raystorm) Ray 2nd's lethal interplanetary war is an exclusively human affair. A them/us dirge presaging a grievous bodycount whoever the victor.
NO REMORSE (Ketsui Kizuna Jigoku Tachi)

PARAPSYCHOLOGY (Battle Bakraid) The theme of VAMPIRE, fittingly elusive yet absolute menace.
ETERNAL VOTIVE SWORD (Alltynex Second) Shooting game never die.
ANGEL DUST (RefleX) On the verge of upper-orbit incineration. Bust til you return to dust.
He Who Will Judge (Kamui) "VENGEANCE IS MINE" sayeth The Lord. "Now, shoot down that uppity space station for me."
PASSING PLEASURES (Raiden III) Ohoho, irony! I get it! MOTHERFUCKER I'LL KILL YOU
BOTTOM OF THE WHEEL (Zanac Neo) Existential rumble in hell's sullen, chilly basement. "YEAUUUHHH"
DIVIDED BY ZERO (Shippu Mahou Daisakusen) This towering speed metal inferno is yet more cataclysmic sans the typo, imo.

(Pace dozens of excellent picks already mentioned)

[bottino]

GET OVER THE BARRIER (Zero no Kiseki) Sig-worthy. Show some guts and L2P you whiny fuckin noobs.

A Gravestone Struck by Lightning
(Final boss, phase 1 from Sora No Kiseki SC)

Overdosing Heavenly Bliss

[BIL]

Old Konami STG favourites label. And others. I'd forgotten all about a bunch of these.

OUT OF THE BLUE FROM THE HYPERSPACE JUMP Picturesque and forceful! BOOM! Makes a helluva scene in-game.
LET'S GIVE 'EM THE BIZ XEX GON GIV IT 2 YA. Oh XEXEX. What a goofy little thing for "Konami's X-Multiply." I love it.
WITH ZERO G Ye muhfucka, that is how you do some space shumping.
BOOST UP!* / GIMME A HIGH FIVE Demolishing evil armadas with much camaraderie, bonhomie and ragazzi.
HAPPY DAYMARE Sums up the game's oddly feel-good BIOMECHANICAL DAYMARE SHOOTING pretty well. Irresistibly catchy vintage Konami.
GO FOR BROKE! YE MUHFUCKAAA
SIX FEET UNDER Not playing with that Game Over BGM though. :O
TIME TO PARTY HEARTY (XEXEX) Time to force myself not to list all the really crazy shit you mad fuckers put on the tracklist!

MACHINE GRAVEYARD** (Thunder Cross) Good place for a REQUIEM FOR REVENGERS.

*Shooting Battle Perfect Selection ver for trademark Shibata/Shimizu artillery barrage glam assault. **And synth cowbell of apocalypse.

Come to think of it... X-Multiply has some alluringly fucked tracknames too. Only it's squarely xenodemonic horror, so the effect is rather different.

BODY SCRATCHERS ( X-Multiply) You wot m8?! Horrifying and ridiculous.
LUSTY HER MAJESTY Phwoaar! I mean AIEEE!
BABE GOOD-LOOKIN' Okay stop. >_>
BLOODY BLOOM (X-Multiply) And get those checked out. >_>

Darkly languid ebb/flow Illegal Illusion is an utter masterpiece, but I never really rated the title. Same with The Rolling Worms ; towering, churning goth-metallic evil with a clanger name.

KESSEN "SHOWDOWN" Inescapably badass boss BGM trackname.
MOON I like the sheer synergistic bluntness across title/BGM/scene, particularly in a largely Japanese tracklist. A bleakly refugeless rice field, absolutely smashed by a dourly glaring moon, underscored by guttural, keening menace.
KANE "TOLLING" Countdown to extinction. "Continue?" BGM so funereal you can practically hear the dirt hitting the coffin.
KIZASHI "OMEN" A nearing nightmare realised in an onslaught of battlefield death drums. (Saigo no Nindou)

SURVIVE Axiomatic in title and composition. Balls to the wall deadly feelgood shooting.
POINT OF NO RETURN Fuck me this thing cooks. Koshiro-esque. The hi-hat is flying beyond all return!
RUSH INTO
EXTERMINATION You started it, cunts! 凸(｀ω´メ)
SCREAM OUT Shoulda gone in STG Boss Tracks Daisakusen tbh
EXIT CODE (Eschatos) Should probably do a Game Over one next :O BTW Durandal your channel owns @ STG BGMs

SUDDEN ATTACK I don't rate ESPGaluda's OST all that highly tbh, but I do like the tracklist's reflection of the game's harsh scenario.
IN ORDER TO SURVIVE
TREMENDOUS PRESSURE
The Dream Seen As A Child (ESPGaluda) Always makes me a bit blue this one, plaintive in war child context. Wish it'd been given to the longing End BGM, though.

DESCEND Boss trackname with a savage entendre; works particularly well with the ESPs' trademark bloody violence.
Aerial - Sadness Bathes In Dust Affecting. Tune itself is ridiculously euphoric. Still, contrast is a thing too!
Hatred - I've Waited A Long Time For This Moment (ESPGaluda II) Again, irresistibly bouncy tune, but man, what an overt title. Good synergy, nice callback to the first game all-around.

QUEEN IN THE DARK NIGHT Fuckin rawwwk!
I'LL DESTROY YOUR MIND (Rusty) Presumably after invading it ala Raiden Fighters II! :O Ravey!

THE SUPER FIGHTER INVIGORATED US It's goofy! And smack in the middle of a brutal wargame! And this song is played straight as fuck. GOOD COMBINATION
THE MOURNFUL WAR (Herzog Zwei) The mournful fuckin hard action BGM too, soberly ass-whoopin'.

Rock n' Roll Cinderella (Valis II) Cute! Helluva mood upper too!

[Squire Grooktook]

Overdosing Heavenly Bliss

Sexy ^_^

But speaking of sexy...

No Answer Is Also An Answer (Abandoner) Cold! Nice little trip-hop tune as well, I like how the piano riff patiently orbits the scene.

Hooooly fuck where did you find this gem

Spent the last weekend listening to this games ost. Whole damn thing blew me away.

Killer artwork too from what I can dig up, though there's barely any info / discussion of the game online.

[BIL]

Glad you enjoyed. It's an obscure little thing, it seems. Apparently SSH did some music for it (or its series) too, in his trademark blazing style. That quieter soundtrack was ripped by good ol' #gamemp3s ages back, and I thought the game title and tracknames looked rad, so I gave it a go. Validates this thread in a way, doesn't it.

Still no idea about the games themselves, beyond that they're VNs of some sort. I think?

[cj iwakura]

Always been a fan of Killer7's Russian Roulette, which couldn't be more literal.

[copy-paster]

THE DUSK GATHERS Another sick techno/electronic music from Shin Contra OST, perfect theme for Mr. Heli Robo.

[cj iwakura]

Maximum Tune 2's Atheist on the Highway, describes the Devil Z to a T.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlD26gez-dU

[Squire Grooktook]

Starting out with a revival on this thread we have...

Rehearsal for Murder - Title takes on a tongue in cheek tone in combination with the jazziness of the track and the silly "muh trenchcoat and katana" aesthetic of the game, as if equating a jam session with studying the blade.

Destiny Awaits No One - Classic call to The Heroes Journey! An adventurous track name for an upbeat and adventurous track.

nde ~ Near Death Experience - Very clearly referring to the "one foot in the afterlife" visions, by use of the specific initials. Solemn as hell battle theme for supernatural horror rpg action. The exotic and ancient elements of the song thoughtfully fit the subject matter just as much as the universally hard hitting climax.

Also naming your ending theme "endless" makes for a pretty good koan.

[PerishedFraud ឵឵]

Skull Gods from Weaponlord. Rare instance where the SNES sounds better than the GEN/MD. SKULL GODS.
Murderous Desire from Cloudphobia. This song doesn't seem very fitting until you play the game. Get good at the game and suddenly it makes perfect sense. Cybattler eat your heart out. Same game gives us A Good Day for Airstrikes.
Ulcer from Alien Storm. All you need to make an impression is one word.
The Stairs to Ruin from RefleX is a short and really intense track. Sounds more like the elevator to ruin but then again, that wouldn't be a good track name unless it's in a psychedelic Taito game.
Funky Writer from Sub-Terrania. When the stage intro screen gets its own kickass song you know you're in for a good one. Suffice to say Kyd nailed the game's soundtrack and aesthetic.

I also can't help but find myself dissapointed that Adam didn't find its way here.

[BIL]

THE NINJA WARRIORS AGAIN Imperative and unstoppable in both name and nature. Currently in fine form driving the final trailer for TNWAA!

Train Tracks in the Snow Every other trackname on the OST, released a good twenty years post-game by the heroes at City Connection, is a reservedly prosaic "Street," "Harbour," etc - making this picturesque title seems like a happy accident. Compositionally the sound of implacable righteous pursuit - not quite the vibe I'd attach to the title, but in-game it's the adrenaline shot needed for a surprise last rally.

PURSUED BY MACHINES THROUGH THE SNOW (・｀W´・)

Spoiler

Nowhere to run to, baby / Nowhere to hide ♫

PALACE OF DESTRUCTION [Ys, via Perfect Collection] All respect to the surprisingly addictive Pacmanesque rescue it soundtracks, but holy fuck did this trackname + arrangement give me some apocalyptic magma-geysering visions BITD. Still does! Even further respect to Messrs Koshiro and Yonemitsu.

RUINS OF MOONDOORIA [Ys II via Perfect Collection] Same same. The Ys tracklists scream off the page via the Perfect Collections.
TERMINATION [via Complete] Unalterably succinct final boss BGM burner.

VARESTEIN [Ys III, via Perfect Collection] You heard me motherfuckeR. Early 2000s VGM backup HDD never die.

The Ancient City Struggles To Be Born [via WOODSOFT] As it was known to me long ago. Yet again, visions of total earth-rending seismic meltdown. Something that should've stayed buried... is refusing to!

Field of Gale [Ys V, via Orchestra Version] Weapons-grade field BGM, absolutely scintillating. AST takes on an almost Morricone-esque pathos, versus the more immediate punch of the OSV.

Lost Kingdom [Ys V] Trades in fire and blood for dust and tears. Will always love the intro's plaintive tone.

An Odd-Looking Creature Richly understated! Sakimoto's pulse-pounding confrontation with what most would term "Jesus Christ there's a fucking monster on the roof"

THE MILITARY SYSTEM It's time for revenge. Full Metal Jacket up in this muhfucka
JUDGMENT Let's greet them with ULTRAVAIORENCE and BALLS-HARD HARRIS BASS CLANK
FIRST CONTACT
KISS IN THE DARK A soaring killer cruelly fated to soundtrack button-mashing sequences.
GRAVESTONE Metal Slug 2 Like the accompanying graphic, iconic and well-worn by this and further sequels.

COSMIC BLAST RISING
Valkyrie's Launch
Killing Bedroom
Megalomania
Power, Glory and Tragedy
Search and Destroy
Meat Biscuits
Plug In Monster
Valkyrie's Barefoot [GunValkyrie] A future-militant yet unmistakably rock n' roll tracklist, reading for all the world like a Lemmy Kilmister side project.

Labyrinth Runner, Konami's Topdown Knight 'Em Up to Battlantis's Barbarian same. Reminds me a bit of Toaplan's Wardner too, endearingly scruffy like a stray puppy.

Spoiler

Get strapped motherfucker!

Oh! IT'S A BIG FACE This exclamative trackname has returned to torment me at the most inexplicable times, ever since lurking #gamemp3s in the late 90s.
MILLION LEGS Primordially creepy, and just like the preceding track, bound to be realised in horribly literal fashion!

A Trap Of Octopus Poison of Snake's lesser-feted cousin. Cool bassline, thing's going balls-out.
THE BLOODY GATE LR's a deeply mixed bag audiovisually. Heroic odyssey pocked by ultranondescript Druagamazes. This one connects, accompanied in-game by menacingly dry non-Engrish!
I never thought you would make it. Now, let's have some fun.

I'm a Lonely Streamer Prescient
After Rovely stuff, truly.