Sega Releases Fighting Vipers Soundtrack for 30th Anniversary

The Fighting Vipers soundtrack released on CD and streaming services Thursday to commemorate the arcade game’s 30th anniversary.

It appears the album is being sold only through Japanese retailers, including Beep, Amazon Japan, Disk Union and Sega’s store on Ebten. The price is ￥3,630, which is about US$24.

It’s a two-CD set with each disc featuring music from the arcade and Saturn versions of Fighting Vipers, respectively.

A Sega site has links to all the streaming services that now host the soundtrack, including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. It also links to retailers selling it digitally, such as iTunes and Japanese sites LINE Music, KKBOX and more.

The streaming and digital versions lack two bonus tracks that are included on the physical CD set. They’re “Fighting Vipers ~Prelude~” and “Viper Venom ~If it is Long~” — both arranged by Koichi “Mickey” Namiki, a guitarist and former SEGA sound composer who was the leader of SEGA’s S.S.T.BAND until its dissolution in 1993. Koichi then formed the band B-univ with Takenobu Mitsuyoshi until 1995. While he wasn’t involved in the creation of Fighting Vipers’ soundtrack — David Leytze composed it — Namiki contributed to two recent Sega arrangement albums: Astro City Mini: Celebration Album and Mega Drive Mini 2: Multiverse Sound World.

The official website says the “Fighting Vipers ~Prelude~” arrangement is a medley-style overture based on the arcade game’s opening, while his “Viper Venom ~If It Is Long~” arrangement explores what the Saturn port’s opening song would be like if its length were extended.

The CD set also exclusively includes liner notes from Fighting Vipers director Hiroshi Kataoka, who is now executive officer and general manager of Sega’s Osaka headquarters.

Sega announced the soundtrack Oct. 19, as SHIRO! reported at the time.

Sega’s music label, Wave Master, released CD soundtracks for Sega Rally Championship and Burning Rangers last year — the former to celebrate the Sega Rally arcade cabinet’s 30th anniversary, and the latter to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Saturn’s Japanese launch.