Video Game Music

[JiMing]

I have always appreciated the art of music, the joy of listening to those sweet melodies. My love of music also extends to listening to music from video games. Some people have called me weird for that quirky trait of mine, but I can't help it. Music found in video games can be a joy to listen to (especially in most Nintendo titles). So I'm wondering if anyone else has the same appreciation as I do for video game music. Discuss your favorite track from video games, your favorite video game music composer, etc. Just remember to have fun!

[GSR]

There's a similar topic that's about a week old - I don't know if the mods think this is distinct enough or if we should just use that topic.But anyways, I'm also a big fan of game music. Used well, it can add immensely to the quality of a scene, and even when listened to on its own can evoke similar emotions as playing the scene in question.

[Eeko]

Hopefully this one stays around longer than when I did it. :PMy favorite music usually comes from:ZeldaMetroidMega ManFire EmblemDonkey KongChrono TriggerZelda and Chrono definitely top the list though.Also, if you haven't heard Zelda Re-orchestrated's stuff, you haven't lived.

There's a similar topic that's about a week old - I don't know if the mods think this is distinct enough or if we should just use that topic.But anyways, I'm also a big fan of game music. Used well, it can add immensely to the quality of a scene, and even when listened to on its own can evoke similar emotions as playing the scene in question.

I believe this is different enough to warrant it's own topic, but that's just my opinion. Edited January 7, 2012 by Eeko

[JiMing]

I seem to like boss music, due to the feelings of intensity they can sometimes bring, or their groovy style that fits with the tone of the fight. Examples would be the Kirby Mass Attack boss music (remix of King Dedede theme), or the Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story final boss music (composed by the same person who composed for Kingdom Hearts).Though I also like background music too, the Throwback Galaxy theme from Super Mario Galaxy 2, which is one of my favorite themes ever.

[Zorrakh]

@GSR: Eh, it could probably go either way, since that seems like a "favorites" topic.To get on subject, all I can say is: Duh, of course it's great to listen to. Nintendo is probably the most well known in terms of video game music (music from Mario and the Legend of Zelda, especially), and I like listening to a lot of music from their games.Rayman Origins is another soundtrack I've been pleasantly surprised with, as it has a wacky side along with orchestral elements. One piece to point out is the the one that plays when you first fly on the back of a mosquito. It's got strings and a kazoo, and it's great.Another soundtrack I really like is Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. I've never played the game, but I love the mix of orchestral and electronic ambience elements. It has left a great impression on me.Video game music is, I feel, the best example of today's music. It has to be interesting to keep the person playing the game interested. It sets the mood of the level/whatever, which will leave an impression on the player. Not only that, but from a compositional standpoint, it is usually far superior to most pop music, as well as most other mainstream pieces. Video game music also seems better than a lot of current movie soundtracks, again from a compositional standpoint (I love complexity in my music, for the most part ), which seems a bit disappointing in some ways, but I'm happy to say that video game music has come a long ways in about 25-26 years.So, some of my favorite soundtracks:Super Smash Bros. SeriesLegend of Zelda SeriesMario SeriesChrono TriggerMetroid Prime SeriesMetal Gear Solid SeriesRayman Origins (I haven't heard soundtracks from other games in the series)Age of Mythology (PC RTS Game)World of GooSonic the Hedgehog Series (at least the first four, but some of the later ones as well, like Sonic and the Secret Rings and Sonic Unleashed)Starcraft: Brood War (Zerg track for Brood War is awesome )

[SonicBOOM XS]

I love video game music, and tbh it's pretty much the only music I listen to.I love Sonic music, my favorite video game music, but Nintendo's also amazing. Then there's all the other games like Rayman Origins, Uncharted, MGS, and a lot more.IMO, video game music is the best type of music out there.

[Mr. Fluffy]

Some of my favorites include:1. Winter: Phendrana Peaks (Metroid Prime), Freezeezy Peaks (Banjo and Kazooie)2. Water: Aquatic Ambience (Donkey Kong Country), Dire Dire Docks (Super Mario 64)3. Boss: Seven Force (Gunstar Heroes), Dark Samus (Metroid Prime 2 & 3), Red (Pokemon Generation 2), Super Dimentio (Super Paper Mario), King K Rool (DKC 2)4. Credits: Still Alive (Portal), Super Mario 64Some creepy tracks include: River Twygz (Super Paper Mario), Final Boss (Sonic CD US Version), Creepy Steeple (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)

[Terminus]

I recently came across the Atelier series (namely Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland and Atelier Torori: The Adventurer of Arland), and I must say, they have some rather fantastic music. One of the great things about it is that it actually fits the games' story rather well, which I've noticed happens quite a bit more than it used to.On of my favorite examples of this is Bayonetta, which has a great soundtrack, but it loses some of that since, at parts, it feels out of place. Jazz music wouldn't be my first choice for such an action-heavy game.Another one of my favorite game soundtracks is from The World Ends With You. Over 20 songs from the 36-song soundtrack are actually fully voiced, with a bit of something for everyone. There's your regular instrumental game music, Rock, Rap, Electronic, Pop, Dance, and even some 8-bit chiptunes thrown in for good measure. And one of the best things is that I find is that the music doesn't get old, even 40+ hours into the game.I'm also surprised that nobody's mentioned Final Fantasy, but it's a known fact that those games have great music, anyways. Even though I noticed the change after Uematsu stopped doing the FF music, I like the direction It's taking, the soundtracks for FF12 and 13 were both pretty different from those of previous games, but in a good way.And I'm also a big fan of pretty much all music from Nintendo games, especially Mario & Luigi, Zelda, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros. That music never gets old, and I doubt it ever will.

[kalhiki]

Love video game music. Makes me sad I can't get OST's for every game I play (War for Cybertron, for instance). Luckily I can usually find the songs that people just recorded from the game, so that's nice. A few of my favorites include:Rayman Origins (along with the other Rayman games)Machinarium (no one's probably heard of this one, but it's a great game with some great music)War for CybertronYoshi's IslandI'm sure I have more, these are just a few.Kalhiki

[a goose]

The Zelda music is awesome. I love videogame music, and the Zelda music is the best among the video game music, IMO. (Also, any Nintendo music. Including Pokémon)

Edited January 7, 2012 by Pirok the Va-Matoran

[BenLuke]

Zelda music is, indeed, very cool. Nintendo music in general is great ( As has been previously mentioned.). Portal 2 also has some awesome music. I'm listening to it right now.

[Protodite Karzahni]

......You know what. I'm not even going to say it. I've said it so many times, if you don't know, you should. It may be one of the finest soundtracks of all time, but...no, I won't even say NieR....DANGIT, I SAID IT!

[GSR]

To name a composer, Yoko Shimomura is responsible for a lot of great stuff, chief among them Super Mario RPG, Kingdom Hearts, Radiant Historia, and Xenoblade.I also want to give a shout-out to the Ace Attorney games because I'm a huge fanboy their music is excellent for setting a mood. It's an absolute thrill to have any given game's "Pursuit" track kick in as you make a key deduction, and a lot of character and event themes (in particular the "Reminiscence" tracks) are superbly done.

[Kothra]

MetroidThe Legend of ZeldaMario & Luigi Superstar Saga (and sequels)OkamiProject RealityPortal 2

[JiMing]

Ah yes, Ace Attorney music is epic (especially the Pursuit themes). And Rayman Origins music uses weird instruments (such as kazoos), but somehow, they work perfectly in creating the mood for the level.Yoko Shimomura does a lot of music. I love her work on the Mario and Luigi series, and her work on Kingdom Hearts (which she is most famous for).Zelda music is also great, I love the Main Theme of Skyward Sword, which is also Zelda's Lullaby backwards. :PWait, did Kothra mention Okami? I thought almost nobody here knew what that game was! Nontheless, it has epic music, the music embodies every place you are in, the scene that is being played, the fights you have, etc.I'm surprised at how much replies this topic has gotten, seems like I'm not alone in liking video game music after all!

[Valyou]

What interesting timing, because I just started the Mega Man X1 soundtrack less than a minute ago!Boy, do I love video game music so very much. 88% of my MP3 player is video game music or derived from such music, and I'm dead serious. I've got Mega Man 1-3 and X1, Sonic 1-3K and Sonic CD, Super Meat Boy (which a signed 2-CD copy of the soundtrack is my first physical copy of any video game music ) and it's slightly overflowing with Touhou music!I assembled a playlist of my top 20 (still working on it, so there's only 12 at the moment) final boss themes from video games, and I just love them so much.

[Rausaro]

Oh! I love this topic!I'm personally a fan of the music of Battlefield 2,3, and 2142.... The Halo Series, the Metroid series, Golden Sun, and Skyrim.For Battlefield 3: Main themeFor Metroid: Prime themeFor Halo: Delta Halo, unexpected encounters (Halo 4 trailer)Skyrim: Dovvakiin theme

[Kothra]

Battlefield 2142 had the best (and most complete) soundtrack of the series.

[Padishah Mehmet II]

Europa Universalis III, the Elder Scrolls games, and the Witcher games have some of my favourite soundtracks ever.-Dovydas

[The Shouting God]

Personally, the Elder Scrolls and Ace Attorney have the best soundtracks ever.

[Chols]

Ōkami has the best soundtrack ever and anyone who denies it is lying to themselves.Also love Zelda, Metroid, Cave Story and a bunch of other soundtracks.I guess I should add VVVVVV to my favorites list too. That's some good chiptunes there.

[T-Dawg]

Rundas battle in metroid prime 3 it really makes me think he was forced to fight you.

[JiMing]

I'm going to give the spotlight to an obscure video game: de Blob 2.The game was fantastic, as well as it's soundtrack. The music had a very jazz-like and groovy feel. It would also get more colorful as the world would, and would have different sounding effects depending on what color you were.Both the music and the game were great, and it's a shame almost nobody knows what it is.

[GSR]

Ōkami has the best soundtrack ever and anyone who denies it is lying to themselves.I guess I should add VVVVVV to my favorites list too. That's some good chiptunes there.

Can't believe I forgot these two. VVVVVV was a wonderful surprise in the sound department. Edited January 8, 2012 by GSR

[Toa Novu]

I listen to videogame soundtracks all the time. They're usually from whatever games I happen to be into at the moment; currently I'm playing the songs from Bastion almost nonstop.In general, I really like the atmospheric stuff, ones that give your spine a tingle. The quiet, haunting music that plays as you walk down a corridor, or the sad and mournful music as you learn more about someone's pasts. Music like that can add so much to what is happening on the screen and draw you further into the story of the game.

[Pikachu127]

IMO, several epic game tracks I've listened to:HGSS VS ChampionBiS VS Final BossHGSS VS RaikouSSBB Boss FightPKMN B&W Legendary BattleBionicle: The Game Le-Wahi/Ga-Wahi/Tahu Nuva Level...Angry Birds (Rio) Title Theme.

[Eragon3443]

I have always appreciated the art of music, the joy of listening to those sweet melodies. My love of music also extends to listening to music from video games.Some people have called me weird for that quirky trait of mine, but I can't help it. Music found in video games can be a joy to listen to (especially in most Nintendo titles). So I'm wondering if anyone else has the same appreciation as I do for video game music. Discuss your favorite track from video games, your favorite video game music composer, etc. Just remember to have fun!

I have the Lost Planet Soundtrack

[Mr. Fluffy]

"Calling to the Night" (sung by Natasha Farrow) from Metal Gear Solid is one of the most beautiful VGMs I've ever heard.

[Chols]

Oooooh yes that is a pretty song. :3Lyrical theme songs/credit songs are pretty cool.

[Zeddy]

There's a similar topic that's about a week old - I don't know if the mods think this is distinct enough or if we should just use that topic.

Seems different enough. That one's more what you own, and what you want to own, while this one's more what kind of video game music you like, why you like it etc.That said, I love the Assassin's Creed soundtracks, especially the Venice themes from ACII. I only just started listening to them because my copy of AC: Revelations came with a 'Best of AC Soundtracks' CD. :PAnd I think the Tony Hawk games (no matter the quality) have been pretty good in the soundtrack department. The songs really capture the feel of... skateboarding, if you know what I mean. Especially American Wasteland.

[Mr. Fluffy]

Daily Agony from Shenmue is another beautiful track.Of course, the only way I would've ever heard of this song is from Super Mario Bros Z. God, that flash series was awesome. It also featured a ton of awesome VGMs. Shame the creator has put the series on hold.

And I think the Tony Hawk games (no matter the quality) have been pretty good in the soundtrack department. The songs really capture the feel of... skateboarding, if you know what I mean. Especially American Wasteland.

I remember recently when I was going to listen to the band Motorhead for the first time, only to realize that I heard one of their songs, "Ace of Spades", from Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3. Edited January 13, 2012 by Superbionicle

[Legolover-361]

Maybe I'm just unique, but I don't like a lot of older video game soundtracks. A lot of them sound too fake and repetitive. Chrono Trigger's soundtrack isn't bad, though (funnily enough, Chrono Trigger is really the only old RPG I can stand ).Right now, my favorite video game soundtracks are from Portal 2, Sonic Heroes, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

[Angel Beat]

All this time, and no mention of the Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 soundtracks? :oFor that matter, Jade Empire has some amazing tunes as well.

[GSR]

All this time, and no mention of the Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 soundtracks?

The soundtrack for both games is quite good, but for some reason I just don't listen to them out-of-game that much. I guess it's because oftentimes the music is sort of secondary in the game, so it doesn't get as well associated with particular moments in my mind. Still, both are quite strong, and I'm looking forward to what ME3's team can do.

[55555]

I've always loved the music from the old Gamecube game Burnout 2, but alas, it is nowhere to be found.Besides that, I'm more into movie soundtracks, though I have listened to the Portal credit and in game music a few times.- 55555

[Mr. Fluffy]

Right now, my favorite video game soundtracks are from Portal 2, Sonic Heroes, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

I like the starting theme to Sonic Heroes, as well as Shadow the Hedgehog. They were fun games as well.

[kongutohunga]

I like the soundtrack to the shining the best (:

[BenLuke]

^ I'm pretty sure that's a movie, not a video game.

Edited January 14, 2012 by BenLuke-116

[Legolover-361]

Another video game with good music: Sonic the Hedgehog (the 2005 video game). Its main menu theme is epic -- or maybe I just have a bias toward staccato violins.

[Kohaku]

Right now, I can't get The Price of Freedom, from Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core out of my head. It is such a beautiful song.The Mother series has amazing music. Pollyanna is a huge favorite of mine.