Best Music of the Year on Sega Systems: 1988 (MD & 16-Bit Era ARC)

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, 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!

Regarding the links below, the list on my site is more complete (I've listened to every game I could find from each year) and multiplatform, but mainly based on sound design analysis which you can read more about on the main page about retro sound chips. If an OST isn't in the poll list, it's mosty likely still on that page and you can still vote for it (pick Other and mention it here), so don't worry.

Links:
https://minirevver.weebly.com/vgm-1988.html
https://minirevver.weebly.com/impressive-vgm-by-sound-chip.html

For some perspective, besteveralbums' top albums of the year:
https://www.besteveralbums.com/yearstats.php?y=1988

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SMS poll 1988:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/916382-sega-master-system/79068756

Fave songs from this year:
https://vgmrips.net/packs/pack/power-drift-sega-y#04-like-the-wind-b-course
https://vgmrips.net/packs/pack/power-drift-sega-y#07-artistic-traps-e-course
https://vgmrips.net/packs/pack/altered-beast-sega-system-16b#01-rise-from-your-grave-round-1-4
https://vgmrips.net/packs/pack/galaxy-force-ii-sega-y#05-defeat-scene-b-level-2
https://vgmrips.net/packs/pack/dynamite-dux-sega-system-16b#02-holy-moly-it-s-a-duck-downtown-round-1
https://vgmrips.net/packs/pack/scramble-spirits-sega-system-24#07-bgm-3
https://vgmrips.net/packs/pack/gain-ground-sega-system-24#08-door-of-the-space-time
https://vgmrips.net/packs/pack/wonder-boy-iii-monster-lair-sega-system-16b#11-dragon-s-castle
https://vgmrips.net/packs/pack/wonder-boy-iii-monster-lair-sega-system-16b#10-big-house

WB3:ML is full of great tunes but really could've sounded better.

My top pick:
Dynamite Dux (ARC) - Composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi. "Downtown" is my favourite track.

Runner-up:
Scramble Spirits (ARC) - Composed by Tohru Nakabayashi and Yasuhiro Kawakami. "BGM 1" is my favourite track.

If you like the more hip hop/breakbeat style tracks in SS, also check out Crack Down.

Gain Ground