Great game music.

xmbts

Still Approved by Shock
Legacy
May 30, 2010
20,800
37
53
Country
United States

Final Fantasy XIV has an abundance of very good, or at the very least interesting music. Here's the title theme of the current expansion.
 

Chimpzy

Simian Abomination
Legacy
Escapist +
Apr 3, 2020
12,265
8,532
118
It's Ice Cap Zone. It's always been Ice Cap Zone. Particularly the act 2 version.

I'm willing to accept Hydro City as a close second.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BrawlMan

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,905
118
It’s been a few years so I went back to revisit Killzone: Shadow Fall for a second take to perhaps try finding some hidden merit, and nab some more campaign trophies. Aside from being arguably the smoothest playing iteration in the series, and still looking rather delightful for a launch title, I was reminded of what a bonafide gem its soundtrack is.

Wandering around a derelict space ship with this thumping through my headphones is like a sonic gut check.

Bates is ok, but Lorn should definitely do more game soundtracks.

 

Bedinsis

Elite Member
Legacy
Escapist +
May 29, 2014
1,446
714
118
Country
Sweden
Question: what's everyone's favorite piece of game music that is from a game you've never played?

Sometimes it feels like these lists turn into "Here are the games that I've played where I've enjoyed the music" which means that the positive emotions can be more due to positive memories with the gameplay/story, where the soundtrack just happened to be playing.

Anyway:


Also, to bring up a game I've never played:

 

happyninja42

Elite Member
Legacy
May 13, 2010
8,577
2,982
118
A bit restrictive, I think, well for me because the sort of game I play doesn't have climate/biome based themes for the most part, so I'll give a cop out answer.

For all I like the Family motif for Assassin's Creed series, the best theme music will always be the opening to Deus Ex: Human Revolution when Adam Jensen is being operated on in the background:

Honestly that whole soundtrack is awesome, Mankind Divided as well. I've actually bought some of Michael McCann's other albums, that are non-game albums, and I really dig his style of sound. Even used one, along with the YT thumbnail, as the themesong for a mage character I played in Mage: the Awakening.
 

Agema

You have no authority here, Jackie Weaver
Legacy
Mar 3, 2009
8,598
5,963
118
Oh god, the nostalgia. Deliberately awful, even for the limited capabilities of early 80s. Particularly for the modern era, feel it and weep.


I've got to say, soundtracks normally pass by me entirely, but a few stuck with me from the Amiga days.

 

Asita

Answer Hazy, Ask Again Later
Legacy
Jun 15, 2011
3,198
1,038
118
Country
USA
Gender
Male
I invoke this every time we get a thread like this, but screw it: Setting Sail/Coming Home from Bastion. It plays over the end credits, and I just love the way it works. It combines two other songs, "Build that Wall" - which in universe is an Ura warsong about the futility of Caelondia's walls - and "Mother, I'm Here", which is effectively the dirge of a dying man...and they combine so well as an optimistic backdrop to whichever ending you choose, whether you retroactively rebuild the shattered world that you called home, or evacuate what's left with the intent of building a new home.


I'm also a sucker for the music in Ori and the Blind Forest (and Will of the Wisps), particularly the title music which I want to describe as "haunting". I'll only link one here because they're pretty similar.

 
Last edited:

happyninja42

Elite Member
Legacy
May 13, 2010
8,577
2,982
118
Because I started playing this again recently.


Then this is just the OST, which the entire thing is just SO fucking chill. It's seriously awesome music to float around playing reverse jenga to.

 

Dirty Hipsters

This is how we praise the sun!
Legacy
Feb 7, 2011
7,927
2,290
118
Country
'Merica
Gender
3 children in a trench coat
I'm a huge fan of the Halo ODST soundtrack.

Halo has some bangin' sound tracks, and ODST is the best one.


 

Catfood220

Elite Member
Legacy
Dec 21, 2010
2,099
358
88
Seeing as I have been pretty much addicted to Spiritfarer, this game has some amazing music in it. Like this.


The perfect soundtrack for being struck by lightning.
 
  • Like
Reactions: XsjadoBlayde

Bob_McMillan

Elite Member
Aug 28, 2014
5,196
1,871
118
Country
Philippines

This one sticks with me more than MGS3’s, even if that was the better game.
Damn that brought back so many memories. As a 10 to 13 year old kid, MGS4 was a fricking behemoth to me. The music really helped scare the absolute shit out of me.

OT: I'm really not the kinda guy who takes note of themes, so whatever the music plays in Witcher 3 when you're just galloping through a field on Roach.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kae

CriticalGaming

Elite Member
Legacy
Dec 28, 2017
10,830
5,352
118
I believe that Final Fantasy as a series has the best theme music hands down. That doesn't mean that other games don't have great themes themselves, but Final Fantasy games have always been musical powerhouses. Showcased exceptionally well in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, who's music is the best part of the game.

Other notable great themes imo are:

Halo
The Witcher 3
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Mario
Tetris

See everyone of those themes are songs that i can instantly recall and hum.

There are games with fantastic musical soundtracks, but a lot of times great music fades into the background and it just part of the atmosphere. Soulsborne games are key examples of this. The boss music for these games is amazing, but I'm willing to bet if you played a random sample of just music to any player of the games they would not be able to tell you what boss it belonged to. Additionally, none of those player could hum any given song because they aren't meant for recollection, they are meant to build the moment and nothing more. Fantastic, but ultimately limited.

And i'm sure there are many games that people have even linked, that might absolutely qualify as fantastic music samples, but don't count as memorable themes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gorfias

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,905
118
I believe that Final Fantasy as a series has the best theme music hands down. That doesn't mean that other games don't have great themes themselves, but Final Fantasy games have always been musical powerhouses. Showcased exceptionally well in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, who's music is the best part of the game.

Other notable great themes imo are:

Halo
The Witcher 3
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Mario
Tetris

See everyone of those themes are songs that i can instantly recall and hum.

There are games with fantastic musical soundtracks, but a lot of times great music fades into the background and it just part of the atmosphere. Soulsborne games are key examples of this. The boss music for these games is amazing, but I'm willing to bet if you played a random sample of just music to any player of the games they would not be able to tell you what boss it belonged to. Additionally, none of those player could hum any given song because they aren't meant for recollection, they are meant to build the moment and nothing more. Fantastic, but ultimately limited.

And i'm sure there are many games that people have even linked, that might absolutely qualify as fantastic music samples, but don't count as memorable themes.
Idk man, I can recount a lot of the music in Bloodborne at least, because it went hand-over-fist above Souls in terms of an OST. Like, I think this was FROM’s first time having an actual orchestra, or at least one that felt dedicated.

I knew who Cleric beast was just from his theme first time playing-


Same goes for Father Gasciogne -


But yeah, FF has always had that general listenability to it. Like this piano cover in particular-

 

CriticalGaming

Elite Member
Legacy
Dec 28, 2017
10,830
5,352
118
Idk man, I can recount a lot of the music in Bloodborne at least, because it went hand-over-fist above Souls in terms of an OST. Like, I think this was FROM’s first time having an actual orchestra, or at least one that felt dedicated
I mean sure but could you tell it apart if you didn't know which of the games it was coming from? For example you put all the bosses theme's in a playlist and shuffled the shit out of it would you be able to tell?

Which is what I was getting at.

I think that's what has to set apart when people think of a game's theme versus a game's soundtrack. Because absolutely the souls games have some brilliant music, many games do. But few games have stand out and memorable themes.
 

XsjadoBlayde

~it ends here~
Apr 29, 2020
3,224
3,362
118

Hurry up and plz make Hades on ps4 pretty plz? But don't rush of course. No hurry! But maybe confirm it is a thing at least if possible? Plz? I can't listen to the music before playing the story, robbing context and all that.
 
Last edited:

hanselthecaretaker

My flask is half full
Legacy
Nov 18, 2010
8,738
5,905
118
I mean sure but could you tell it apart if you didn't know which of the games it was coming from? For example you put all the bosses theme's in a playlist and shuffled the shit out of it would you be able to tell?

Which is what I was getting at.

I think that's what has to set apart when people think of a game's theme versus a game's soundtrack. Because absolutely the souls games have some brilliant music, many games do. But few games have stand out and memorable themes.
If it was previously established where it was from I could, certainly. Like, the first couple bars of each would be enough to name that tune, so to speak. But I’ve also heard them all dozens of times over the years.

Of course having said that, the biggest test is that of time, and few in the medium have stood it like FF.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CriticalGaming