The purpose of this article is to pay tribute to some of my favorite ending songs from various games that I've completed, and to make these sound files available for others' enjoyment. This article is separate from the Music Downloads Page because it contains MIDI files as well as MP3s.
www.ocremix.org
ABADOX (NES)
Composer: Kyouhei Sada
ENDING IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
Kyouhei Sada is better-known for doing some of Konami's NES soundtracks, like Contra, but his Abadox score wasn't half-bad. The ending song may not be the best work he's ever done, but it's okay. (My personal favorite from this game though is the Blue Forest theme.)
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: No.
WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT?: No. I considered it, but it's not one of my top favorites.
ACTRAISER (SNES)
Composer: Yuzo Koshiro
ENDING IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY FLIBBIT
Even though this piece clearly rips off the "20th Century FOX Fanfare" in the intro, and sounds a lot like Star Wars music in some parts, I still love this epic ending to ActRaiser, the game that put Yuzo Koshiro on the map.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Probably. The sound quality impressed me when I first heard it.
ALUNDRA 2 (PS1)
Composer: Kohei Tanaka
END CREDITS SONG IN MP3 FORMAT
Extremely high cheese factor warning!!! This one is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's not really that great (although it's a helluva a lot better than that song at the end of the first Alundra game.) It's sung by the character Princess Alexia who is voiced by veteran voice actor BJ Ward.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: No.
WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT?: No. It's cute, but not great.
ARC THE LAD: TWILIGHT OF THE SPIRITS (PS2)
Composer: Takashi Harada
ENGLISH VERSION IN MP3 FORMAT
JAPANESE VERSION IN MP3 FORMAT
This is song that the character Lilia sings during the end credits. I have to confess that I prefer the Japanese version. It sounds a bit fuller. One thing I like about it is that the sound used for Lilia's Ortena is from the same instrument that was used in the late, great Elmer Bernstein's soundtrack for the movie, Ghostbusters. The credits on the English version of the game call this song, "There Must Be a Soul", but the translation of the song title on my Japanese CD soundtrack is "Stellar Memory" or "Memory of the Stars", which is odd, because even in the Japanese version the line, "There must be a soul" is clearly sung in English.
Footnote: For those of you who felt compelled to inform me that this is the "worst vocal song in a game ever", please be aware that you are speaking to someone who has actually heard "I am the Wind" (as well as that terrible "Nocturne" song in the Japanese version of SOTN), the song at the end of the American version of Alundra, all the lyrical songs in Rhapsody, and "The DK Rap". And for every one of you who complained, there were at least five others who actually requested that I put this song up shortly after I made some other Arc 4 songs available. So get over yourselves and stop quoting Comic Book Guy. The joke was old five years ago.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Maybe, but only the Japanese version.
ARCANA (SNES)
Composers: Jun Ishikawa & Hirokazu Ando
"THE SYMPHONY OF ELEMEN" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY TOM HATFIELD
A great song that's very aptly-named. It really does sound like a symphony orchestra. Jun Ishikawa is an underrated composer. She's nowhere near as well-known as Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu, or Yuzo Koshiro, but she's done some amazing work, including this fantastic piece, that certainly rivals theirs.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Definitely! The ending of this game kind of sucks, but the phenomenal music makes up for it.
AXELAY (SNES)
Composers: Sotaro Tojima & M.C. Ada
"RETURN TO MOTHER" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY YUMMY YUME
You know, it always bothered me that Life Force had such excellent stage and boss music, but a mediocre ending song. Although I don't like Axelay anywhere near as much as I like Life Force, it has really outstanding music, including this stellar endpiece, which is a remix of the first level theme.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Maybe. I still like it, but it's got some tough competition.
BLASTER MASTER (NES)
Composers: Naoki Kodaka & Marumo
ENDING IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY JEFF ANDERSON
Blaster Master's entire soundtrack is excellent, having that unique hard-driving sound that Sunsoft made popular in their NES games. The ending theme sounds really happy and lighthearted. I love how the midi even includes the "Game Over" tune at the end of it.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Maybe. I like it, but if I had to get rid of something in favor of some others I've discovered since writing the original article, it might be on the chopping block.
BREATH OF FIRE (SNES)
Composers: Yasuaki Fujita, Yoko Shimomura, Minae Fujii, & Mari Yamaguchi
FINALE (EPILOGUE) IN MP3 FORMAT
ENDING (STAFF ROLL) IN MP3 FORMAT
A great, two-part ending theme for Breath of Fire ripped directly from the game. A memorable touching melody for the first part, and some bombastic stuff for the second. There's a little bit of goofiness, but the credits music is generally a rousing epic march. NOTE: This is the entire credits sequence song for getting the true ending of the game.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Probably. I need to get a better recording of this up eventually.
BREATH OF FIRE 2 (SNES)
Composer: Yuka Takehara
"FINALE" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY SIVAK DRAC
This song is one of my favorite things about Breath of Fire 2, which I thought had some good music, but in general, had a weaker soundtrack than the first Breath of Fire game. This one's quite long and covers a number of styles and tempos, sometimes sounding like a march, sometimes slow and melodic, and sometimes really fast and upbeat. In mixes in pieces of the game's various overworld themes. Overall a happy number, and a great reward for finishing this extremely long (and sometimes tedious) RPG.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Definitely! Although I generally like BOF's soundtrack more than BOF2's, I like this ending theme more.
CASTLEVANIA 2: SIMON'S QUEST (NES)
Composer: Unknown
"A REQUIEM" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY QUINCY WEST
Unlike many other game ending songs, "A Requiem" from Castlevania 2 doesn't try to sound happy or uplifting. It is, in fact, quite ominous and sad, which is part of what makes it so memorable.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Yes. It's one of the few ending themes I've heard that sounds sad instead of happy or uplifting, which gives it a unique edge.
CASTLEVANIA 3: DRACULA'S CURSE (NES)
Composers: Y. Sasaki, J. Funamashi & Y. Morimoto
"EVERGREEN" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY THE JADE EMPEROR
"FLASHBACK" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY TDKIM
Castlevania 3 gave us not one, but TWO really great ending songs! "Evergreen", like "A Requiem" from Castlevania 2, is rather melancholy, but then we're also given "Flashback" which is more upbeat - music perfectly suited to the heroes who have completed their mission and returned home.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Yes. Although I think how much you appreciate them will be determined by whether or not you actually finished this long, challenging game.
CHRONO TRIGGER (SNES)
Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda
"TO FARAWAY TIMES" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY ???
What can I say? This one is so mind-blowing it's a must-listen.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Without a damn doubt! This was pretty close to the top (#3, I think).
CONTRA (NES)
Composer: Kyouhei Sada & H. Maezawa
ENDING IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
Back when this article used to be a "Top 50" I received several letters practically demanding to know why Contra was not included on the list. I really don't get what the fuss is over. I like some of Contra's music, but the ending isn't one of the better ones and it's not particularly memorable, either. I'm not saying it's bad, but that someone might not have it amongst their top favorites is not an unfathomable opinion. But anyway, since not everyone was a complete jackass about it, and because I am a fan of Kyouhei Sada's work, I decided to include it "by popular request". See, there's no reason you have to be mean about it. It's just as easy to be nice and you're more likely to get a response out of people if you are.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: No.
WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT?: No. Put up by request.
CRYSTALIS (NES)
Composer: Yoko O.
ENDING IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY CHRIS NADEAU
MIDI (VERSION 1) CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
MIDI (VERSION 2) CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
Another great game with another great ending song. This is one of my favorites from the NES era. Seeing that tower finally go down at the end of Crystalis while hearing this song play was one really awesome moment I'll always remember. Too bad they had to totally ruin it, music, ending, story and all, in the Game Boy Color remake. (And please...do not tell me what Nintendo said about how they "had to change it" because the NES version "wasn't complete". That's total bullcrap.) The second midi I converted was more successful than the first one.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Definitely! But the level of appreciation might be greater if you've actually beaten the game and seen the ending.
DARK SAVIOR (SATURN)
Composer: Hiroshi Kondo
"GARIAN & KAY'S FMV THEME" IN MP3 FORMAT
Technically, this is heard right before beating the final boss of Parallel 2 (I have absolutely no idea why they show the ending FMV BEFORE the boss, but some things about this game just don't make any sense). However, it is also used as the actual ending for the secret Parallel 5. It's a soft guitar rock ballad that underscores the romantic relationship between the main characters Garian and Kay.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: No.
WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT?: No. It's kind of cool, but I wouldn't call it one of my top favorites.
DONKEY KONG COUNTRY 2 (SNES)
Composer: David Wise
"DONKEY KONG RESCUED" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY SHANNON MASON (PONGBALL)
REMIX BY *ZERO BASS* IN MP3 FORMAT
I took notice of this one thanks to Crawl and 1000 and also thanks to this amazing fan remix I found somewhere. Normally, if I wanted to recommend a fan remix, I'd link to the webpage where I got it, but in this case, that page no longer seems to exist. So I hope the person who remixed this doesn't mind if I use it, because it's really, really good.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: No.
WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT?: Hard to say. I really like the *ZERO BASS* remix more than the actual game song.
DRAGON SPIRIT: THE NEW LEGEND (NES)
Composer: Rich Kiyosi
ENDING (NES VERSION) IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI (VERSION 1) CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
MIDI (VERSION 2) CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
This one just keeps getting better and better every time I hear it. It's definitely in the running for being one of my all-time top favorite NES ending themes. Another melancholy melody reminscent of the ending song of The Guardian Legend. I remember using Dragon Spirit's Sound Test just so I could hear this song. My second midi turned out a little better than the first one. The song seems to work best when done as a pure guitar piece.
BTW, if you're interested, here's an mp3 for the original arcade version:
ENDING (ARCADE VERSION) IN MP3 FORMAT
The reason I'm keeping it separate from the NES version is because it's nowhere near as good. The NES synth just works a lot better for this piece.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Definitely! And I probably should have ranked it higher.
DRAGON WARRIOR (NES)
Composer: Koichi Sugiyama
ENDING THEME IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
This one's a rather simple, piano melody that may not quite be the best game ending song ever, but it's a rather nice reward for beating this game. And it's the longest and most complex song Dragon Warrior has. A simple song for a simpler time in the era of role-playing games.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: No.
WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT?: No. I considered it, but it's not one of my top favorites.
DRAGON WARRIOR 2 (NES)
Composer: Koichi Sugiyama
ENDING THEME IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
Wow! Even better than Dragon Warrior's ending! Simple, but really good piano and clarinet melody. This midi that I converted came out really nice, too, one of the best I've done. Rarely does NSF2MIDI work that well.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: No.
WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT?: Maybe. I actually like this more than some of the others that made the list, but I never finished the game so that's why it wasn't included.
DRAKKHEN (SNES)
Composer: Hiroyuki Masuno
"STAFF ROLL" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
A calm melody that takes full advantage of Drakkhen's offbeat instrumentation and ambient "new age" music style. Not for everyone, but it complements the atmosphere of the game's ending scenery quite well.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Possibly. I probably wouldn't mind axing it in favor of some other things, though.
EARTHBOUND (SNES)
Composers: Keiichi Suzuki, Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka, Akio Ohmori & Ritsuo Kamimura
"GOOD FRIENDS/BAD FRIENDS" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY CHAWA
"SMILES AND TEARS" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI SEQUENCED BY CHAWA
EarthBound has two fantastic ending songs with a music style that breaks away from the traditional symphonic stuff found in other RPGs. This is more like hot blues and jazz. The first one is a compilation of the game's town themes played in the style of the Runaway Five's music. The second is a ballad based on the Sound Stone melody. I love the part where the music completely dies and a voice says, "I miss you..."
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Absolutely! The Runaway Five part alone completely blew me away when I first heard it.
ELEMENTAL MASTER (GENESIS)
Composer: ???
"ROKI'S DEATH" IN MP3 FORMAT
"HEALING WOUNDS" IN MP3 FORMAT
This was submitted by forum moderator, Codie Martin, who says "Roki's Death" is self-explanatory, and "Healing Wounds" is, "A more upbeat song with a 'got the job done' feeling. I like this one more, although the part from 2:23 to 2:49 sounds a little out of place."
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: No.
WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT?: I haven't beaten the game, so I can't really say at this point.
EVO: SEARCH FOR EDEN (SNES)
Composer: Koichi Sugiyama
"CREDITS" IN MP3 FORMAT
Certainly one of the best songs in this game, which has a soundtrack of extremely lopsided quality. The good songs are really, really good. The bad songs are really, really annoying. The symphonic ending theme, which is a remake of the title music, is thankfully one of the good ones.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Yes. One of Koichi Sugiyama's most outstanding pieces of work.
FAXANADU (NES)
Composer: Jun Chikuma
ENDING IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI (VERSION 1) CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
MIDI (VERSION 2) CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
MIDI (VERSION 3) CONVERTED BY FLYING OMELETTE
Technically, this song is just a remix of Faxanadu's title theme, but it's still a great song. Never before had a game wowed me with just one ending screen as Faxanadu did, and this music always reminds me of that wonderful surprise.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Yes. Though it's another one in which the level of appreciation is greater if you've seen the ending.
FINAL FANTASY (NES)
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
ENDING THEME IN MP3 FORMAT (NES VERSION)
ENDING THEME IN MP3 FORMAT (PS1 VERSION)
MIDI SEQUENCED BY ???
I have to be honest - I was never really that fond of this one. Well, I do kind of like the melody, but I'm not fond of it as an ending song because it's nearly identical to the game's town music, which is heard so often elsewhere in the game, it's hard to consider this a truly separate song. HOWEVER (and that's a big "however"), the arranged version of this song that's in the Final Fantasy Origins PS1 remake is phenomenal! I wanted to include it for that reason. What a difference a little added instrumentation can make.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: No.
WOULD IT HAVE MADE IT?: No. I do like the arranged PS1 version, but I haven't actually finished that version of the game.
FINAL FANTASY 4 (SNES)
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
"EPILOGUE PART 1" IN MP3 FORMAT
"EPILOGUE PART 2" IN MP3 FORMAT
"EPILOGUE PART 3" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI (PARTS 1, 2, & 3) SEQUENCED BY JOHN VIVAS
Like Star Fox's ending, this is another amazing piece of work that seems more than a bit inspired by the work of John Williams, particularly his Star Wars scores. With music like this, it's easy to see why Nobuo Uematsu has achieved such a high reputation as being one of the best videogame composers.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Absolutely! If ANY top game ending songs list was made and this one wasn't on it, I'd raise an eyebrow or two. (Originally #2 on the list.)
FINAL FANTASY 6 (SNES)
Composer: Nobuo Uematsu
"ENDING THEME PART 1" IN MP3 FORMAT
"ENDING THEME PART 2" IN MP3 FORMAT
MIDI (PARTS 1 & 2) SEQUENCED BY IAN MAK
Nobuo Uematsu's bombastic ending theme for Final Fantasy 6 is my Number 1 favorite videogame ending song of all time. I really love how it incorporates a lot of the game's most recognizable themes, including every main character's theme in the first part, and Terra and Setzer's themes in the second part. I'll also remember thinking how awesome it was at the very moment I first heard the Final Fantasy "Prologue" kick in. The ending is the only place in Final Fantasy 6 where that song is heard. An epic masterpiece, it really makes the story go out with a bang.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Absolutely! Since I ranked it at #1, I'd be doing one helluva 180 by removing it.
FINAL FANTASY MYSTIC QUEST (SNES)
Composers: Ryuji Sasai & Yasuhiro Kawakami
ENDING IN MP3 FORMAT
I could never hate Final Fantasy Mystic Quest if only because of the really great music it has (and of course that hilarious ending that this music will always serve as a reminder of). Proof that you don't have to be Nobuo Uematsu to make a great Final Fantasy soundtrack.
ORIGINAL TOP 50?: Yes.
WOULD IT STILL BE ON IT?: Probably. Although I think what I like the most is only the very last part of it.
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