Sometimes, it almost feels like these guys make lists like this on purpose just to cause some sort of negative reaction. I will find it hard to believe that anyone can agree fully with this list...

10. Metroid
9. Blades of Steel
8. Wizards & Warriors
7. Dr. Mario
6. Punch-Out!!
5. Shadowgate
4. Contra
3. The Legend of Zelda
2. Castlevania
1. Super Mario Bros

http://games.ign.com/articles/811/811667p1.html

I'll just mention as many things as I can on why this list is just horrible.

1. Ninja Gaiden - Should be #1. IMHO, it was so far above and beyond anything else that was around at the time, and nothing after it surpassed it. It made their "honorable mention" list, but should have AT LEAST made this list...

2. Dragon Quest (Warrior) IV - This one didn't even make the "honorable mention" list. I find it almost insulting that this game's soundtrack didn't make the list. This is easily in my top 3, and one of my personal favorites of all time...

3. Mega Man III - OK, Mega Man II was the better GAME overall, but III had the best soundtrack. So, not only did they give Mega Man II an "honorable mention," which is just wrong already, but they gave it to the wrong Mega Man. Regardless of which one is considered the better soundtrack, both of them could have (and at least one of them should have) been on this list...

4. Final Fantasy - Not sure if they just forgot about this one. I don't see how you forget Final Fantasy's soundtrack. Of all the Final Fantasy pieces ever composed, Matoya's Cave is still my favorite of all time...

Their top 3 isn't all that bad, and if there is ONE really positive thing I can say about this list, it's that I'm glad they made sure Shadowgate was on the list. That game's soundtrack deserves to be in any top 10 list IMO, not just 8-bit...

Other's thoughts?

I'd like to add Batman. This and many sunsoft games had great soundtracks with very cool drums.

And I agree that Ninja Gaiden rocks.

C'mon, what the f... with this dudes? Super Mario Bros in number one? Metroid Soundtrack is better than SMB.

megaman 3 lacks the metalman level theme. the choice should be clear !

The list ain't that bad, only I would've given Castlevania the first place. I don't even know what's a game like Dr. Mario doing on this kind of list :-(

Dr. Mario and Metroid should be switched around...catchy as the Fever theme may be...

why does every1 hates on megaman plzz answer me why

I'm basically okay with the list, although I'd like to see Ducktales and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on there as well. Battle of Olympus also had a good soundtrack, as did Blaster Master and Gremlins 2 (no joke). I also agree that Ninja Gaiden, Final Fantasy, and Batman are deserving. I'd maybe take off Blades of Steel (which has a good theme song) and replace it with Batman (which has great Stage 1 music) or Ducktales (for the Transylvania and Moon stage themes).

it's IGN. mainstream media outlet.

what do you expect?

I agree with you on Mega Man III. love that soundtrack. Even the password screen music is a good piece.

Megaman III holds a special place in my heart. It definitely belongs on that list. How about some good ol' 8-bit shooters? Zanac (Konami) and Hector '87 (Hudson) both have some pretty impressive soundtracks. The list isn't that upsetting, though.

Streets of Rage 2 FTW!!!

Mega Man 2, Mega Man 3, and Mega Man 5 all deserve a place on a list like that. Castlevania 3 does too.

You can't spell the word "ignorant" without "IGN".

I still find such "best" lists interesting though. There weren't any poor selections but considering the 800+ game library the NES had, narrowing down a mere top ten list to just a handful of popular titles hardly indicates that much thought and research (and for that matter, effort) went into this.

I am suprised to see 'Shadowgate' make it. It's a fairly overlooked title.
No love for the Sunsoft sound team or the Follin bros.? I consider them the "aces" of NES music production.

One other thing that annoys me about this list is that the article is titled "Best 8-Bit Soundtracks" when it only covers NES. There's quite a few TurboGrafx games I would mention for such a list.

(Ninja Gaiden, Target: Renegade, and Gremlins 2 are my favorite 8-Bit soundtracks, by the way.)

Gremlins 2..NICE

Yeah, as everyone else said, it's IGN, mainstream, etc etc.

I stopped basing my opinions of games from websites like this a long time ago.

if your talking 8 bit, i would have to include all the c64 sid stuff. but isnt streets of rage n all that stuff 16 bit? just my 50pence