Hi guys, I'm finally back with the Tekken 2 OST review. Thank you for everyone who watched the first video and requested this one, frankly I was overwhelmed by all the positive responses I got... The next "Is The Music Good?" video be about a different franchise, but after that, I will give Tekken 3 a listen. It's probably my favorite entry in the series and I know there's a ton of fantastic music waiting there! 😁 (If you have any requests for OST reviews, feel free to write them in the comments!)
Fantastic video and review I can't wait till you check out Tekken 4 and so on Tekken 4 is definitely if not one if my all time favorites you are definitely getting a follow from me
Hey man, thanks a lot for the support! Yeah, T2 has some very memorable tunes for sure. And yes, I will cover the entire series, even if it takes a while lmao
The intro track was a banger. It got me into playing with drum machines and keyboards. When I had rebirth 338 on the computer I was trying to write the intro
I haven’t played this tekken in about 20 years as an elementary kid but I’m sure that nostalgia is going to kick in. Airport theme from tekken 4 has grown better w/ time for me. I think it’s called “touch & go”. I hear that & it takes me back to those days like a Time Machine
Michelles theme is very nostalgic for me, takes me right back to the mid 90s, the atmosphere of the instrumentation and the catchy intro chord pattern, its very of the era, one of the best themes for nostalgia i reckon. Production of music has changed so much since then. Its a great memory playing this game all night with friends, before full adoption of DAW's and the internet, when music was mostly made by instrumentalists first.
Let's be real, most tekken games have as good or better music than the last game. But when it comes to the best we can't not add 4,5,and 6 to the list.
Tekken 2 OST SLAPS! This was the 1st game in the franchise i played as a kid & these songs hold so much nostalgia for me. I remember pausing mid game & just vibing out to the jams esp jun & kazuya’s themes lol. Can’t wait for the tekken 3 review. Another classic full of absolute bangers🙌🏽
I remember recording the music on the voice recorded of my old Motorola phone. No I have the entire soundtrack in prestige condition, both original and arranged.
Tekken 3 may be the best Tekken of the PS1 era but T2 holds a very special place in my heart thanks to its soundtrack! There's so many memorable tracks in here it's amazing! 🤩🎵🎶
Tekken 2 was my intro to the Tekken series. I skipped the first one because I thought it to be a Battle Arena Toshinden come at the time. But yes, Tekken 3 is my most favorite in the series to this day....the gameplay, and especially the music❤
@@AidanMclaren Nah, Tekken 3 was the peak of the series. The attitude era of Tekken. Not to take anything away from Tekken 2 because Tekken 2 is legendary as well. But Tekken 3 does EVERYTHING better than the rest of the series. It has the best music, the best looking character models, the most game modes, and the best and most memorable character endings. Ever since Tekken 5, the series went down a cheesy path and Tekken 4 wasn't well received because it doesn't feel like a Tekken game
I also love it, he is the representative of America in the mid 1990's (just like New York City is as a place), fresh from "winning" the Cold War and full of cocky energy with an underlying sense of weariness (I am thinking of what I guess is a sax melody). There is a Fear song called New York's Alright that points out that sax is quite popular as a street instrument. Even in my lowly Sacramento you can hear the lonely sounds echoing from empty parking garages. Basically, "you're in the big city kid" and "you need street smarts to survive here". Even though Rudy G was "cleaning up" the city in the 1990's abroad it probably had retained the danger of 1980's NY from afar. Love it.
Can't wait for Tekken 4 music review eventually. It is my favorite, mainly due to the heavy atmosphere that hits very different compared to any other fighting game.
I know Tekken 3 is considered the golden child and its objectively the best in terms of fighting mechanics and balancing but I've always seen Tekken 2 as a superior full package. It was just leagues better than the original in every aspect. It's still my favourite to this day and the soundtrack is one of the biggest reasons why!
5 is the best Tekken imo with 3 the 2nd best. My next statement may be blasphemy but my 3rd favourite may actually be Tekken 4. At 1st when I played it I too didn't like it much. But being a big Tekken fan I had to buy the game and after a while of playing my own copy I grew to love it.
For Michelle's theme it invokes adventure and nostalgia. King's theme sounds like you've offended royalty, now you're going to get a divine ass whooping. Jun's theme is what you'd imagine her soul to sound like. Paul's theme is everything about the 90s summed up especially New York. Kazuyas theme sounds honorable, like theres still a hint of virtue in him. Devil sounds like the death of every good quality in someone, now you enter hell. Yoshimitsu sounds like a man finding solitude to fight his demons. I prefer the arcade fighting select theme though, sounds more edgy and raw. Black Winter Night Sky is one of the greatest fighting game intro themes of all time. Tekken 2 has more depth while Tekken 3 has more rebellious edge to it
Heihachi's theme will not kick in until the 2/3 of the song. Thats actually the best part of it. I can understand people not liking it because it takes too long to kick in. But I believe once you reach those final parts of the song, you can say its actually good. This theme also shows somehow his "good" side. You can also see the love umbrella carvings on the floor with Kazumi and Heihachi's name on it.
Morning Fields is easily one of my most cherished videogame themes of all time. It's a theme you can enjoy during a spring or summer bicycle joyride, or while you're kicking the hell out of a punching bag. It's such a cheerful "bucolic" theme and yet you can totally feel its fighting game undertone.
No question, Tekken 2 has the best soundtrack in the series hands down. I recognized it the second it started playing in the Smash reveal for Kazuya and it was kind of jarring immediately knowing the franchise without even seeing the screen while everyone else was confused.
I really love Yoshimitsu's PS1 theme in Tekken 2, The Headshaker. It just fits to both Yoshi and his stage just perfectly. And yes the PS1 OST is better than that of the Arcade version.
The way you slept on heihachi’s theme is criminal. Didn’t even let the beat drop. I won’t deny I slept on it for a while aswell, but the last section Lowkey warms up and almost connects you to the human side of heihachi and the fact he was in a temple. It almost turned towards a slightly redemptive feel when the chords swing in the final chorus.
That track "Are You Ready" was totally inspired by Cathy Dennis' "Touch Me (All Night Long)". She even charted in Japan in the 90s so it's not farfetched.
Heihachi's theme really comes into its own towards the end, just before it loops back to the beginning. It's like the very concept of determination (which fits contextually) has been put into musical form. Appropriately, it rewards the patience it takes to get through the long build up. Give it another shot. It went from being a track I used to consider one of the weaker tracks on an otherwise uniformly strong OST, to becoming one of my favourite tracks. It's a grower.
Your sense that something wasn't quite right with Quiet Interim Report is crazy to me. I always felt like it captured the essence of excitement in seeing something new that I did not know about previously in my youth. Its like the theme I feel when I wanted a game and my dad would say... Sure son let's go get it :)
T2 to me is still the best OST to date of any tekken game (original and arranged). Its similar to T1 but expanded. It works so well for that game. It will always have that special spot in my heart.
Black Winter Night Sky (Opening) is quite possibly the most "of the times" sounding track during the PS1 era ever. I swear I cannot not help but be taken back to my childhood when listening to it. Giving you that late 80s to early 90s vibe almost as if it's nior esque in certain parts of the song. I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to putting into words of what most sounds from songs may sound like. But I can tell you one thing, this is a song that just cannot be replicated in these modern times.
my favorite soundtrack from Tekken saga and, in Tekken 2, my favorites are the Nina, Paul and Kazuya's theme. Nina the runway model, Paul the jazz-loving streetwalker, and Kazuya the samurai. ps: you know what? the soundtrack of Ridge Racer saga for ps1 is closely similar to the tekken soundtrack on ps1, could you give your opinion of these too
Hey man, thanks for the comment! I‘m not familiar with Ridge Racer at all, but I‘ll make sure to give it a listen and put it on the list for future videos!
It's a synthesized flute in Paul's track. Most likely from a Yamaha of some kind. I love that piece btw. When I go back to this soundtrack I go to yoshimitsu, Paul, Michelle, Roger and Jun.
I love the T2 soundtrack start to finish! such a good and nostalgic soundtrack. a fun note that went unmentioned in the video: at the tail end of Law's theme, it briefly reuses a musical motif from Wang's/Szechuan! its a fun touch.
The Tekken 2 OST has always been my favorite in the series, so I really enjoyed this video. Regarding arcade vs. arranged versions, for the most part I prefer the arranged versions, except for Jack-2. The arcade version of his theme has a "Terminator" vibe to it, which I really like, while the arranged version gets a bit noisy with all the machine sound effects. My Top 5 tracks of this OST, in no particular order: Paul's Miracle Deathfist (Paul) Silent Assassin (Nina) The Headshaker (Yoshimitsu) Quiet Interim Report (sub boss) Are You Ready? (character select)
This is my first Tekken and it absolutely has the best OST in the series. Every theme captures the respective character flawlessly. I miss when simple stuff like thus mattered to Namco bc good music adds so much more to a fighting game. Thanks for doing these vids, brother
the atmospher in tekken II is so great with its musics, I still hear it in my head 30 years later and for many of these stages I even ghost hear the sounds of the characters (sensual voice of Anna in her world, law's high pitch screams, Paul's charging attack, all in all so great) even the fight against Devil, so calm and full of contemplation or the ending credit song aaaaaah what a time it was... good times
I like when some people take time to give good soundtracks like this one the attention they deserv, please keep it up! I'm absolutely looking forward to the Tekken 3 analysis, and the duel between arcade and console tracks, since the gap in sound quality isn't quite as big, and some track diverge a lot between the two (looking at you, Xiaoyu). A personal suggestion of mine for future analysis would be Ace Combat II, very rock/metal-oriented but with some interesting variety thrown in. Also you mention doing harmony analysis in the future, I'm all for it, especially because I was thinking the same about Michel's theme.
Hey, thank you so much! I really enjoy doing this series, so it will be my main focus going forward for sure :) Tekken 3 will definitely be interesting, I‘ll cover it (most likely) right after the game that comes next. Ace Combat II sounds interesting, I‘ll put it on the list for future videos! Also, I‘m brainstorming for ideas how I could include more in-depth analysis in my content, but it‘s probably gonna be just streaming it lmao
Still have a memory of me and mother waiting at a bus stop near a grass field up in the country and morning field popped in my head while we waited for the bus in 1997. Every Time I hear it it brings that memory back and reminds me how fast time goes by sadly.
I think it might just be a forced association from playing the game so much, but I like the law pairing with his soundtrack. It has a kind of be like water feeling that might underpin his aggressive playstyle.
The whole soundtrack totally represents my childhood. I spent so many hours playing T2 and every track is carved deep in my memory ❤ While I agree with most of your analysis, I learned to pay much more respect for Heihachi's track. It progressively becomes richer and more fascinating until it reaches the climax! But my most favorite is Quiet Interim Report: so ominous and atmospheric. It really gives the feeling of entering the final stages of the game as you're approaching something very dangerous.
Tekken 2 is not only the best Tekken Soundtrack of all time. The Tekken 2 Soundtrack is one of the greatest Video game Soundtracks ever. I never heard this kind of music ever again. It’s magical, It has the oldschool Martial arts Flavor and the Intro has in my opinion the best Intro music in a Video game. By the Way tekken 2 is my favorite one of the series. I love the stages. It’s realistic. Down to earth and not so anime like modern tekken games
I think Anna’s theme’s name (and icy vibe) might have been subtle foreshadowing for the future of her story arc (the cryosleep) that she was placed in after the tournament.
In my opinion Tekken 2 is the best OST of the entire Tekken series. As much as I love Tekken 3's music because of my love for rock music and how Tekken 3 OST was mostly rooted in that style of music, I have to veer slightly more towards Tekken 2 because of how experimental and varied the music was. So many different genres explored in this game and they all manage to sound beautiful and unique, I may be a bit bias because I have lots of nostalgia for this game's music but I genuinely feel that it has held up very well.
So I guess I'm going to be the only one on here that preferred the original arcade version of the Tekken 2 soundtrack? LOL! It's all good. Each to their own 😊.
Love the video. Glad you love Michelle theme. Really hits me deep in my heart, have ig set to like 5 stages in tekken 7. I know you're doing tekken atm, but even if u dont make a video on it, id like you to check the Dragon ball Z: ultimate tenkaichi OST. It feels pretty underrated because of the game its tied to.
I wished you liked Paul's theme more, I see it as a reflection as of his youthful, funny, fiery spirit for fighting. He is a tough guy but also an honest and geniune friend to Law. He wants to be the toughest in the universe but not dominate the world, just to prove it to himself and be a good role model for his students/admirers and Forest Law in future.
My first tekken experience. The music was incredible, worth losing rounds to hear the songs finish. I own the t2 soundtrack cds of both the arranged and arcade themes. Nostalgia!
Just the opening alone in Tekken 2 it was fire! Even with both original and arcade versions it was pure nostalgic! 🤌🔥 It definitely made you feel relax, groove, energy, and much more depending. Beautiful without a doubt! 😎👍
Any chance to see people talk about the other aspects of fighting games, like music, I will take! Hoping to see a lot more from this series, both from Tekken and other FG's!!
I never thought I'd stumble into a deep dive into the Tekken 2 ost! great video my friend! I truly have a feeling I got my taste in jazz fusion at an early age from binge listening to Lei Wulong's stage track or at least that's what I like to believe, Tekken 2's soundtrack is one of my favorite from the 90's gaming era, along with Killer Instinct.
Tekken 2 was my very first introduction to the original Sony PlayStation. Seeing and hearing that intro playing in the BJ’s kiosk sent chills down my spine. I thought “Wow, this is the further of games.”
I know when it comes to music it is always subjective to the listener. But I share the same opinion you have for almost every track, especially the Opening theme and Michelle’s theme they are 2 of my favourite tracks and I know it’s probably just the added nostalgia I have for them but I feel like I enjoy them a lot more now than what I use to.
Oh, god, yes. And this was the last Tekken before Keiichi Okabe became the de-facto composer for the franchise with Tekken 3. The opening theme and character select still stick in my mind.
😱 This is some spicy critique, each to their own I guess. One thing you could have mentioned was that Nina and Anna's stage share a melody, basically Nina's stage theme is a completely fresh remix of a Tekken 1 track :) Can't help but feel like you just don't get how good it actually all is, but I might just be a really snooty fan 😤 🤣
with Law’s theme, it actually encompasses what I call the bruce lee era of king fu music at the time, the bruce lee vibes, or the funky music mixed with pentatonics and sometimes not. It doesn’t say, inspire directly from Enter the Dragon, but you can tell it’s going for the idea of Bruce Lee, how he keeps his cool during almost of a fight, sometimes exploding into a fury of power when he knew his opponent is finished (like how the song reaches its climax for Law) the interesting part about music is when you look at how themes are done from japanese composers for characters in video games, especially fighting games, they are usually trying to tell you something about that character, be it personality, or a feeling they give off. Dan Hibiki in street fighter alpha 2 is a great example of this, where Jazz/funk can give off a more relaxed feeling about the character, but then you pair that with the structure of the music and it’s chorus and you get the bigger picture which to stem that to Paul in tekken 2, he isn’t necessarily a joke character, but he is a good and honest guy who’s actually quite friendly but obsessed with being #1…though never reaching it (which some of his endings are rather silly; failing somersaults, wanting to taken on even Aliens once he’s number 1). he dreams big but his good nature doesn’t flee him (like how he tells Law in tekken 5, he will give him the prize money when he wins since all he cares about is being #1)
Absolute favorite song + level pairing on this game was yoshimitsu’s. The level and music was so captivating. It drew you in. It almost called out a ninja spirit that made you feel like you were in that forest and you could be meditating or fighting people beyond the mist. Song tapped so much creativity. Game was so full of gems.
I can’t wait till you get to tekken tag. I love the music on there. Loving the channel so far. You gotta do Mortal Kombat to if you can. I will definitely support this channel. Your doing an awesome job.
Man Tekken 2 was my first Tekken when I was a kid, I played hundreds of hours on PS1. So much nostalgia for this one, and it was a banger for its time. OST still holds up 100 percent 😁
Despite any other Nobuo Uematsu scored game you may have played, Tekken 2 has the greatest videogame soundtrack of all time. Do not fight this (because I main as Baek, and his triple kick will leave you weak)
As a diehard Tekken 2 fan, I greatly appreciated this video. I loved a mix match of the arcade and arranged music. I had moments where I wished I could have had certain characters/stages be set to their arranged or arcade versions. Strictly my opinion and fan wish, I know which ones could be swapped and make slightly better sense for character setting and music: Wang's fast pace swapped for Law's slow pace. Kuma's music for Anna's(the cold breeze and his hills fit). Lastly, Paul and Bruce. Not only swap music, swap their backgrounds too. Their movie endings fit the background. Paul's ride near a canyon mountain with falling rocks and Bruce using a punching bag at a gym near a city street. Fits better. Again great video👍
Tekken 2 is hands down my favorite ost in the Franchise with Tekken 3's ost a very close second, i also loved how the original Tekken and Tekken 2 had that vibe of the Martial Arts Films from the 80's and early 90's
*Of all the fighting games the Tekken franchise has the best OST’s. This one in particular is very nostalgic for me. Tekken 3, Tekken Tag Tournament 1, Tekken 4, and Tekken 5 all have phenomenal scores.*
lol i was waiting to see if you had anything to say about Tekken 2’s Arcade intro song, never had a clue what the composer was aiming for with that one and it always gives me a good laugh
