14 Best Synthwave Albums You MUST Listen To
8. Mega Drive - 198XAD (2014)
It's been mentioned already that the Hotline Miami series did favours for one artist on this list, with the same being said for [surprisingly not sued by Sega's similarly named] Mega Drive.
Having been active and putting out EP's and albums since 2013, it was the addition to Devolver's second Hotline Miami game that saw Mega Drive take off. Despite 198XAD being released the year before, 2015's violent sequel saw the inclusion of Acid Spit in one of the games more bombastic levels in the game. The fast paced, heavy sounding track was a brilliant pairing to the nature of the game, furthering Mega Drive's standing in the ever-expanding genre.
The album itself is a great example of cyberpunk synthwave, which you could listen to and picture it playing in the background to any vintage anime, like Angel Cop or Cyber City Oedo 808. Sounding like chiptune with more dynamic range, it's a welcome inclusion to any serious purveyor of the electronic genre.