Music is a powerful medium. Capable of stirring up long-forgotten memories and evoking powerful emotion in the listener, music can reduce even the burliest of blokes into blubbering, crumpled heaps. And who says that us guys are afraid to show their sensitive side? Poppycock. Of course, video games are no exception to this rule, and as often is the case, a stellar soundtrack can greatly accentuate the on-screen antics, elevating even the most perfunctory scene to hard-hitting greatness.
In a continued celebration of some of gaming’s ear-pleasing aural accomplishments, PSU presents yet another instalment in our on-going Classic Tracks series. For our latest entry, we’re still in retro mode as we extol Streets of Rage III’s ‘The Poets II’ track, available as part of the Sega Mega Drive Collection on PS3/Xbox 360.
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Name: The Poets II
Soundtrack: Streets of Rage III
Composer(s): Motohiro Kawashima
Although largely ignored in favour of its predecessors, Streets of Rage III’s soundtrack is a quintessential slice of mid-90s techno goodness. The score itself draws much of its inspiration from artists synonymous with Detroit’s techno scene at the time, such as Jeff Mills and Robert Hood, many of whom were popular in Tokyo dance clubs. Of all the tracks on offer however, ‘The Poets II’ is easily the best of the bunch, and oozes techno charm in abundance.
The track itself appears in two stages, showing up at the tail end of the first stage (before the boss fight with Shiva) and during the dash through the forest to Mr. X’s hidden laboratory. Series veterans will also no doubt recall the track was scheduled to appear in the scrapped ‘Motorcycle’ stage. Give it a listen below.