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Which game has the better music: Super Mario World, or Sonic the Hedgehog?

  • Super Mario World

    Votes: 310 41.9%
  • Sonic the Hedgehog

    Votes: 378 51.1%
  • Can't decide

    Votes: 52 7.0%

  • Total voters
    740

Lobster Roll

signature-less, now and forever
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Sep 24, 2019
34,256
I voted "not sure", but now I'm just excited that Sonic has a chance of getting a W and I'm pulling for it.
 

Deleted member 1627

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Oct 25, 2017
2,061
The real battle would be Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) vs Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Now that's a fight.

This is not such a fight, Sonic wins.
 

Nocturnowl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,052
My immediate thought was that it's Sonic surely, I mean Super Mario World is the same one theme remixed over and over for the most part while Sonic 1 has Starlight and Green Hill Zones.

But then I remembered that Scrap Brain zone kinda grates on my ears and I'm indifferent towards Marble and Spring Yard.
And the less said about the Special Stages the better.

Digging deeper into SMW gets you a bunch of instantly memorable and punchy to the point map ditties, dat bonus room/switch palace theme, and the water, castle and athletic variants of the main overworld theme are tops with an HM to the echoey cave theme that also isn't just 1-2 yet again.
Both have solid boss themes and title screens, but SMW has a full blown credits number while Sonic goes for a lazy ass medley.

If this was Sonic 1 Master System Sonic 2 it'd be a handy stomp for Sonic but honestly Sonic 1 lacks the sauce for me, I'll go with SMW.
 

Ferrs

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
18,829
Crazy seeing people saying Sonic 1 OST is weak. Shit has no bad tracks, unlike other Sonic games (Top Hill anyone?)



And has the better final zone track of all Mega Drive Sonic games
 

Deleted member 12790

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Oct 27, 2017
24,537
well damn, lmao

I mean, I gave it to Sonic on the strength of Green Hill alone - I didn't know the game was marketed anywhere as an audio tour-de-force. Here in America when I was a kid, it was about how cool and fast Sonic was! I learned something today.

In fact, Sega doesn't even own the OST to Sonic 1 and Sonic 2, they are owned by Dreams Come True.

Sonic 2's ending was actually a hit single in japan. It was written for Sonic 2:





They even gave it an international release:



AKON remade it in 2006:



Like, watch that second video, how nuts is that? The Sonic 2 ending theme, being played to an entire stadium of cheering people. And it's not a video game concert.
 

greenbird

Teyvat Traveler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,093
I've never been a big fan of the Sonic series, and I've played SMW so much back in the day that all of those songs are imprinted on my brain...

Sonic still has a better soundtrack
 

Ferrs

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
18,829
In fact, Sega doesn't even own the OST to Sonic 1 and Sonic 2, they are owned by Dreams Come True.

Sonic 2's ending was actually a hit single in japan. It was written for Sonic 2:



0:48
68f.jpg
 

manzoman96

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,503
I've always enjoyed this rendition of the ending theme from Super Mario World.

 

Woylie

Member
May 9, 2018
1,849
imo it's sonic, one of the few areas where it seems completely better than smw.

smw music never really stood out that much to me - it's nice in a "this circus music vibe suits the upbeat tone of the game" way, and it has a lot of nostalgia for me these days, but sonic's early soundtracks were actively great, even separate from the games themselves.



sonic soundtrack just has a more cohesive vision and style, while the mario world soundtrack feels more generic to me. there's a reason why you'll hear people hear a certain 80's/90's synthy sound and describe it as sounding like a genesis sonic soundtrack, but you never really hear anyone refer to music as "sounding like super mario world" - at least, not referring specifically to the snes game.

smw's still the better game for sure, but the soundtrack doesn't stack up.
 
Last edited:

Nocturnowl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,052
Pick any mainline sonic game and it's ost will be better than any mainline Mario game.
And I'm not even talking about insert theme songs that the adventure era was famous for.
ANY Mainline?


Didn't know you were such a fan of these dying duck synths

You're a monster! A MONSTER.
I wanted to single out a really bad NSMB DS track to post here but upon looking into it, I find it's more that the entire swathe of them are just so mediocre they send you into sheer apathy, not even fun to dunk on like the above, just resounding blandness.
 

Poltergust

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,819
Orlando, FL
SMB2 overworld can't carry nearly that hard to win against the might of Sonic 2

Maybe the REAL fight is
Sonic 4 Episode 1 vs New Super Mario Bros
"owww my freakin' ears"
Sonic 4 has much better compositions, but the instrumentation is just terrible.

So NSMB wins for at least not being annoying to listen to. And yes, I'm including the "bahs" when I say that.
 

Lyre

Alt Account
Banned
Feb 12, 2020
2,996
London
Super Mario World's music is so great it's stuck in my head for over 20 years

Tbf its long themes might not be as good as Sonic's, but it does a great job of hitting you with memorable little microthemes


 
Last edited:

Nocturnowl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,052
Sonic 4 has much better compositions, but the instrumentation is just terrible.

So NSMB wins for at least not being annoying to listen to.
Only Tee Lopes can save us now



You know, honestly even with Sonic 4's infamously shitty audio, I think I like a bunch of tracks way more than the first NSMB which has the overworld and castle as the only ones I'd admit to liking.
Basically someone give me non shitty sounding Mad Gear Zone
 

Deleted member 2474

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i mostly played sonic 4 episode 2 with a mod that replaced the entire soundtrack with music from panty & stocking and it was a tremendously better experience for it
 

yap

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Oct 25, 2017
8,870
I'm honestly not attached to sonic 1's ost but smw's ost is just... there. There's few in it that stanss out.
 

Nocturnowl

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,052
It sucks that when all the classic Mario games got new stage themes via Mario Maker 1 and 2, SMW still got swindled with its reliance on remixing that one theme, which is of course true to the source but even then the new forest, airship and snow themes were just a bit weak when compared to what SMB1 and 3 got.

That said, the Desert theme? hell yeah
 

Deleted member 2474

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Oct 25, 2017
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the fact that this poll isn't an absolute fucking blowout honestly just proves how poisoned the sonic name is to some people
 

Mekanos

▲ Legend ▲
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Oct 17, 2018
44,088
Crazy seeing people saying Sonic 1 OST is weak. Shit has no bad tracks, unlike other Sonic games (Top Hill anyone?)

I like Hill Top Zone...

I wouldn't say Sonic 1's OST is weak in and of itself, but I definitely think the other Genesis games beat it (which I consider to have some of gaming's all time great soundtracks). But then I'm personally not a big fan of the Green Hill theme, my favorite themes are Starlight and Scrap Brain. (I voted Sonic in the poll.)
 

TheOne

Alt Account
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May 25, 2019
947
If it was Sonic 2, I'd go with it in a heartbeat but Sonic 1? Meh. SMW easily has the edge for this one.
 

Deleted member 12790

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The actual demo tapes Masato Nakamura sent Sega from Dreams Come True for them to digitize into the Sonic soundtrack:







 

spman2099

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,891
This is the one place Sonic can match Mario. Both have really fun, light tracks that perfectly fit their games. I can't really decide.
 

HououinKyouma

The Wise Ones
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,366
You know, when I first saw this question I immediately was going to say SMW. But I'm listening to the Sonic 1 OST now and good lord, these were bangers.
 

Deleted member 419

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Oct 25, 2017
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SMW's soundtrack is like 3 songs with variations, this one goes to Sonic and it's not even close, and that's even with Sonic 1 having the weakest OST of the Genesis/MD games.
 

Ferrs

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
18,829
It's funny how the Mega Drive synth versions shit all over the original tapes. Tells you how important is to have a good sound engineer too.
 

mute

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Oct 25, 2017
25,062
I'm sure I'd recognize some SMW songs if I heard them but at the moment only Sonic is coming to mind.