Top Ten Video Game Theme Songs

After a long hiatus between my first and my second entries, I'm making the third right after the second. I have to give credit to my brother, who gave me the idea for this one. This time I'm listing the top ten video game theme songs. Ground rules for this one are one per franchise and it has to be a theme from an actual game, not music from a music-based game. (IE, Rock Band, Guitar Hero, etc)

#10---Kirby's Dreamland--Level 1

I remember this tune even though I haven't played this game in over a decade. One of the first games I had on the Game Boy and it was very addicting. The first level tune was so catchy I hated passing it half the time. Sadly the rest of the game was fairly forgettable as far as the soundtrack went.

#9---Battletoads--Main Title Theme

I loved the title theme to Battletoads. Even though I'm not really a surfer, this theme made me imagine riding the waves on some sunny beach. I only wish the feeling you got after listening to the title theme for a few minutes wasn't crushed 15 minutes later trying to pass the hover craft part of Level 3!!!

#8---Contra--Energy Zone

This is about where the "one per franchise" rule started becoming VERY hard. Contra is a very fond memory from my childhood. I remember playing this game over and over with my brothers and enjoying all the aspects. The music, the game play, the stealing lives from each other... (It got to the point where we had to lay out a rule you could only steal so many lives) Only my brothers would get it if I said, "me first me first". After much deliberation I decided to go with the Energy Zone level. This one is just so "energetic" (couldn't think of any other word, sorry if it seems redundant.) It also sounds very frantic, if you allow yourself to be controlled by the tempo of the music it can lead to premature and unnecessary deaths!

#7---Donkey Kong Country--Jungle Japes

Another classic game from my childhood. Only bummer that we had to endure was that for some reason our second SNES controller wouldn't operate on this and a couple other games. That meant that we couldn't play as a team, which would have made this game funner. But the soundtrack is still awesome, it was hard to choose a favorite but I have to choose the original jungle tune. I love the beats of the drum and the soft flutes that accompany them. There's also an inside joke if I were to mention also in the running from this game was the theme, "The Burger King Kid's Club, just for kids!" I'm sure everyone aside from my brothers are scratching their heads on that one! ;)

#6---Double Dragon--Mission 1

This one was a toughie as well. I love most of the music from this game, from the title screen all the way to the caves in Mission 3. But I have to choose the Mission 1 music. This is where your journey to rescue your kidnapped girlfriend begins and the music sets the tone perfectly. Heck, this song is so perfect, they re-use it at the end of Mission 3. This is one of those songs that I feel if I ever got up the motivation to learn the guitar, I'd learn how to play this song on it.

#5---Goldeneye--Dam

Yet again, SO hard to decide on just a single theme. I have nearly the complete soundtrack and I had to review it all over again just to single it down to one. The one I think I wanted to put on this list actually came from the multi-player mode, but I wanted to choose a level theme and I chose the dam level. I love the percussion/drum part of it that runs in the background of the level. It's kind of interesting that if you're walking the percussion kind of keeps beat with your walking. When Activision re-made this for the Wii, I was half hoping they'd input the old soundtrack on top of it, but sadly no.

#4---Ducktales--The Moon

It's safe to say that the top 5 became the toughest as far as the "one per franchise" rule mattered. Ducktales was an amazingly awesome game for one based off of a cartoon. I also remember that I beat this game the very first time I played it. But now I try to play it and I need cheats to beat it!!! Nearly every level on this game are soundtrack gold. I have this soundtrack as well. But I have to follow almost everybody else's selection from this game and go with the Moon level. 

#3---Super Mario Bros--Overworld Theme (Multiple games)

Mario games have always had awesome music in my opinion, even oddball games like Mario 2 had memorable music.....choosing just one from the whole series would really be a tough task. But you just can't choose anything other than the original theme song that has become completely hand-in-hand with Mario. You can't really mention Mario to me without this theme song popping into my head, even if you aren't mentioning Nintendo's Mario!

#2---Legend of Zelda--Overworld Theme (Multiple Games)

Like Mario, the Zelda series has been prime with awesome, unforgettable music. From the very first one all the way through the series it hasn't disappointed. Ocarina of Time had a very memorable soundtrack to go with an awesome game. But you have to give the ultimate nod to the tune that started the whole series off. As soon as you turn the game on, it starts playing while telling you the story. (If you give it enough time before hitting start) If I had to choose a VERSION of this song, I'd have to say the Link to the Past version. I think the SNES really brought out a great version of this theme song. The percussion they added in gives it a little bit more "umph".

#1---Mega Man 2--Dr Wily Castle Levels 1 and 2

It was EXTREMELY hard actually putting this at number 1, because I often feel Mario or Zelda deserve the top spot, but this is a song I can just NEVER forget or get out of my head. Mega Man 2 is full of very awesome and moving music. (Except for perhaps Heat Man, that was a pretty blah song.) Bubble Man, Air Man, Flash Man.....this game was just the epitome of cool for me on the NES. But the first two levels of Wily's castle just has a very awesome theme song. So awesome Brentalfloss even created lyrics for it that pretty much sums up what you're up to:

Gotta run gotta run now, gotta run now, run slyly

Gonna get you, Dr Wily

Gotta climb gotta climb now, gotta climb up highly,

I am Mega Man, here's my mega plan: YOU DIE! (Copyright Brentalfloss)

And there are my top ten video game theme songs!!! I may take a bit of a breather now before my next entry. I've just had a bit of time on my hands lately to do these last two.