Remember back when I did that review about the Amiga and all the games I had remembered playing on it, and said that Turrican 2 was my absolute hands-down favorite because it’s music alone was what helped me find the game again after 15 years? Well, that was an understatement really, because the music of not only Turrican 2, but the entire Turrican series are some of the best of that era of gaming. Composer Chris Hülsbeck really outdid himself when he crafted the music for the Turrican series, going above and beyond what alot of games at the time were doing and cementing himself as a legend in the game music field.

Well now, 20 years after releasing his original Turrican Soundtrack Album, Hülsbeck is stepping it up a notch with a Kickstarter Project to help fund a new Turrican Soundtrack Anthology!

I’d like to create a Turrican Soundtrack Anthology Limited Edition Box Set, with nearly all of the music from the Turrican Series of Games. At least 3 CDs will contain these brand new, pristine studio recordings. Even music pieces that were featured on the 1993 Turrican Soundtrack CD will be newly recorded and arranged to update their sound. Highlights will include for the first time: the whole ‘Turrican 2 Title’, ‘Credits’ (all versions), ‘Metal Stars’, ‘Tower of Morgul’, ‘Unidirectional Flight’, ‘Concerto for Laser and Enemies’ and ‘Hall of Heroes’ – all as full length recordings/arrangements.

To fund the project, Hülsbeck has set a goal at $75,000. Those who donate get special goodies, such as signed copies of the early album release, and other signed memorabilia. So far the project has raised over 20k of the goal in just over 24 hours alone! With a June 3rd deadline, it’s not hard to believe that this dream could become a reality, but not without fan help! Please go donate and help Turrican and Hülsbeck fans relive a bit more of our childhoods!

Many younger Poweteers recognize Factor 5 from their PS3 disappointment Lair. A few older poweteers remember them for their awesome N64 and Gamecube Rogue Squadron games. Before those however, they created the equally awesome, yet severely overlooked Turrican games, which hit the Sega Genesis, Commodore 64, Amiga, and the Super Nintendo. Super Turrican 2 for the Super Nintendo is actually the third Turrican game released on 16-bit systems, with Super Turrican being released on SNES and Mega Turrican being released on Genesis. Like its predecessors, Super Turrican 2 is a side-scrolling platformer in the vein of Metroid (although the stages are linear). However unlike other games, Super Turrican frequently incorporates other styles of play, mainly vehicles. Many levels you’ll take control of a tank or jeep. Sometimes you’ll even engage enemies in a Mode-7 sequence. When he is on foot, your character has several weapons, including a grappling hook straight out of Bionic Commando. While Super Turrican 2 was nothing groundbreaking, it was still an excellent game that exemplified what was great about SNES platformers back then. All three Turrican games are available on Virtual Console, so check them out.