FM synth brass hits so hard in this sequel that it practically melts the System 2 board. "Submerged City" opens with this urgent, layered pulse that makes you feel like you're already behind on saving the world, then "Volcano" cranks the intensity with aggressive percussion and a melody line that refuses to let up.
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The arrange versions included here are genuinely wild, fleshing out those arcade originals with studio production that still holds up. "Ice Cave" in particular gets this crystalline rework that. The whole thing has that late-era Namco arcade aggression where every track feels like it's pushing hardware limits.
If you ever wanted proof that shoot-em-up soundtracks peaked early, start here.