Poll:
https://linkto.run/p/150VQCF4

Home computers only, no other platforms.

Consider creativity, sound chip limitations and technical achievement, composition (melody or hook, progression, complexity), dynamics (range between quiet and loud, soft/diminuendo and hard/crescendo), pitch range, punch, instrument and instrument envelope variety and quality, and so on. We're going by original release dates.

Try to say something about your favorite(s), it's more fun to read!


Music links (multiplatform list):
https://minirevver.weebly.com/vgm-1991.html


Previous winners:
1987: Ys 1 followed by The Last Ninja 1
1988: Last Ninja 2 and Ys 2 followed by IK+
1989: Ys 3 followed by Quest for Glory

Well, at least the sound chips improved and most of the music can be listened to without bleeding ears.

Turrican 2 on the Amiga, Chris Huelsbeck at his best.

1991 had some solid MT-32 soundtracks. Although most sounded terrible on FM synth.

Yeah it was underutilized by a lot of western composers. Supaplex and 4D Boxing sound pretty good though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB9h6LHYgN0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Cj0f8BIT0

Ah, finally. The list is back to looking more familiar.

So what's your pick?

But... those links were for the Adlib/SB music?

Supaplex MT-32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjzgyTNTLLU

4D Sports Boxing MT-32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAtoj_EUF6g#t=112 (at 1:52)

Anyway I don't consider those that good myself, they sound quite plain to me and don't really use the advanced features of Roland MT-32. (It kinda surprises me Supaplex always seem to get so much recognition for great music when I find it quite uninteresting, but opinions schopinions...).

I voted for Space Quest IV, it utilizes MT-32 very well and has quite a good range of different types of music. There were other good Roland MT-32 examples there too like Nova 9, Willy Beamish, Eco Quest, Castle of Dr. Brain and of course Monkey Island 2.

Yes. He said the FM synth was usually terrible so I mentioned a couple of good ones.

Yeah, MT-32 Supaplex isn't the best use of MT-32 but still pretty good in the context of 1991.

I think I picked SQIV.

Oh, by "it" you were referring to FM, not MT-32...

The reason why 4D Sports Boxing sounds so exceptionally good is that it mixes samples (the drums, the "fight!" shouts etc.) with FM synthesized music. The FM-only (= Adlib) version of the music has much less oomph. It was kinda neat though that they enhanced the Soundblaster version of the music that way, as the drums tend to be probably the weakest part of OPL-2 or OPL-3 instruments.

I generally don't like OPL-2 FM synthesis music in PC games as it was a definite downgrade from what I was used to with Amiga games (before I got my first gaming PC). I guess that is why I had to have Roland LAPC-1, and later Roland SCC-1, for PC game music...

The best OPL-2 FM music I recall hearing have been:

1. Some Japanese PC RPG or strategy game whose name I don't remember. I just saw a Youtube video of it many years ago, and was surprised how good music they could muster out of an OPL-2 FM synthesis sound card. Too bad I didn't memorize the game's name, I just recall it had a 2D overhead view and there was probably some dragon or other beast on the playmap...

2. 688 Attack Sub Sim: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V9CYTIkU-Y

(The Tandy version was quite good too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_j_0nbff28 )

3. Dune https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjHon6yg-r8

Albeit I am odd in that way that with Dune I preferred the Roland MT-32 version of the music...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9K2UxJTgGM

I know, I mention the samples in 4D Boxing on the list on my site. The fm use is decent though and seems different from the fm only one.

I've also documented and made a rough ranking of about 90%+ of games using OPL2 on it, including what you mentioned:
https://minirevver.weebly.com/ym3812opl2adlib-pc-arc-music.html

I like OPL2/YM3812/Adlib when used well, and FM synh in general but it is one of the weaker FM chips being 2-op based with not enough channels to quite make up for it, and in mono only. But it does have more default waveforms than sine which is cool.

I might start participating from like 1992, 1993 onwards. I barely played any games from before that.

digger

Diggers? That game is from 1993.