Items16The creator’s order
  1. 1Impossible Mission (1984)Impossible Mission (1984) 6.9/10 on IGDBReleased Dec 31, 1984The voice of Elvin Atombender greets you before you have worked out what the rooms want from you. After that, the elevator noise or the scream on falling into a shaft can tell you more than music would. Try the C64 original if you want to hear how much personality a game can give a few spoken lines.0
  2. 2GhostbustersGhostbustersThe title screen plays the film's theme and adds a bouncing ball to lead a sing-along. It makes the opening something you can join in with before you start looking for ghosts. Let that screen run for a bit when you try David Crane's original game.0
  3. 3Skate or Die (1988)Skate or Die (1988)Released Dec 31, 1988Rob Hubbard mixed sampled guitars with the sounds from the C64's SID chip. The rough edges of the guitar make the opening stand out next to the brighter chip sounds. If you're going straight to a skate event, spend a moment with the title screen first.0
  4. 4Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance (1988)Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance (1988) 8.0/10 on IGDBReleased Dec 31, 1988Central Park has both a loading theme and a tune for when you start moving through the level. Matt Gray wrote the Central Park pieces first. Hearing the pair in the order the game uses them gives the change from waiting to exploring a momentum of its own.0
  5. 5Cybernoid II: The Revenge (1988)Cybernoid II: The Revenge (1988) 7.5/10 on IGDBReleased Dec 31, 1988Jeroen Tel's tune gives the game a beat that can outlast several tense screens. Give it long enough for the changes in the bass and the little electronic effects to come through. The music keeps its own momentum while you stop to work out what the next room is asking of you.0
  6. 6The Last Ninja (1990)The Last Ninja (1990)Released Dec 31, 1990Ben Daglish's in-game music for the Wastelands and Anthony Lees's in-game music for the Dungeons give two parts of the adventure their own identities. Try hearing each as you cross the first few screens of its stage. A change in where you are also becomes a change in what you're listening to.0
  7. 7Commando (2006)Commando (2006)Released Mar 31, 2006Rob Hubbard's music for the home version grew away from the arcade game's sound. The C64 action theme and the high-score music give you two different moods from the same short play session. Let the score screen sit for a moment instead of jumping straight back into the action.0
  8. 8Delta (1987)Delta (1987)Released Dec 31, 1987Rob Hubbard built the in-game music from short phrases and cited Pink Floyd and Philip Glass as inspirations. Listen for what changes inside those repeating patterns as the ship keeps moving. It's a slower kind of musical development than you might expect from a game that scrolls so quickly.0
  9. 9Sanxion (1986)Sanxion (1986)Released Dec 31, 1986The cassette loader plays Rob Hubbard's “Thalamusik.” The music has room to develop because it plays while you wait for the game. If you try a version that skips the loader, you'll miss the part of the original C64 presentation that makes this entry worth seeking out.0
  10. 10WizBallWizBallMartin Galway gives the title screen and high-score table different themes. Try hearing both on either side of a run. The sounds are part of what gives a game about bringing color back into the landscape a personality of its own, even on a screen where you're just putting in your initials.0