GR's ongoing tribute to the beloved world of videogame music
Welcome to GamesRadar's daily blast of all things pertaining to the ever-growing field of game music. Each post will introduce new sounds, games, composers and fan-made remixes of gaming's greatest aural achievements.
Game: Sonic the Hedgehog
Song: Scrap Brain Zone
Composer: Masato Nakamura
Earlier this week Segarevealed the first songfor the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the game we all pray lives up to its lofty promises. Though its strayed far from its former glory, in the early to mid-'90s, Sonic was king of all he saw. The series' breakneck speed anddizzying level design were a huge part of this success, but so was the unforgettable score that blended impossibly well with the onscreen action.
"Scrap Brain Zone" is one of my personal favorite VGMs of all time. Up to this point in the original Sonic, the music had been relentlessly upbeat, no doubt meant to mirror the hyperactive running and jumping. With this song, the game takes a semi-serious tone (as it's the final area) and now, for the first time in the game, you feel like something's at stake, something's about to go down and this entire adventure is nearing its end. The ominous screeches, the pounding drums, it all works so well.
That's the new "Splash Hill Zone" track from Sonic 4, which hits XBLA, PSN and WiiWare this summer. Can't wait to see and hear more.
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A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.
