Fighting soundtracks that would follow this pattern would be Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Marvel VS Capcom 2, and the ear-grating Capcom VS SNK series. Street Fighter Zero 3's soundtrack was one of the first major soundtracks to break this mold, opting for a much more contemporary dance/techno style that concentrates more on having the music "blend in" with both the game and the mainstream music commonly found in the outside world than continuing to be unique. Early soundtracks, notably the ones for Mega Man series, Capcom's NES Disney games, and Capcom's later fighting game soundtracks ( Street Fighter II, Darkstalkers 1 & 2, Street Fighter Alpha 1 & 2, the Marvel VS series, Pocket Fighter, Rockman Power Battle, Rockman Power Fighters) all revealed a somewhat light-hearted, yet distinct melodic synth-rock that had become synonymous with the composers that worked for the company. In a lot of ways, this soundtrack was a turning point for Capcom's general composing style. True, it's not unique for a soundtrack to work better in context than alone, but few times have I encountered one that can be such a chore to listen to out-of-context as the Street Fighter Zero 3 soundtrack. Unfortunately, when isolated and listened to on its own, the soundtrack can come off as repetitive, lifeless, and downright annoying. Being a primarily techno-driven soundtrack, the often-mindless beats and grinding synths can be just the thing to put you in the right mind-set to block out all things going on in the real world and land that ultra-difficult 55-hit custom combo that'll win you the match and the awe of those standing around you. I spent a lot of time playing Street Fighter Zero 3 (as Street Fighter Zero 3 is known as, outside of Japan) and I can definitely say the music can get to be downright catchy, for hours at a time.
I've always had sort of a love/hate relationship with the Street Fighter Zero 3 Game Soundtrack.