Oh good lord...where to begin?
There's been SO much incredible music from within the gaming industry it's hard to just pick one. Or even a few.
That said, I'll do my best, being sure to spoiler everything to save space. (something that should be a requirement with threads like this)
I could honestly keep going for some time, but I've already linked waaay too many youtube vids, so I'll stop.
For now. Might list more at some point.
There's been SO much incredible music from within the gaming industry it's hard to just pick one. Or even a few.
That said, I'll do my best, being sure to spoiler everything to save space. (something that should be a requirement with threads like this)
Kelly Bailey and Mike Morasky are still some of my favorite game soundtrack composers. Their collected works across all of Valves catalog of games is nothing short of fantastic and representing a great mix of genres from dark, atmospheric, upbeat, heart-thumping, moody, and even comical.
I still hold the Homeworld series soundtracks as some of the best ambient and atmospheric soundtracks in the industry's history. Paul Ruskay is a grossly under-appreciated composer.
Say what you will about post-Microsoft buyout Rare, or even pre-buyout Rare, but the one thing you can't deny is that they put out some fantastic games with equally fantastic soundtracks.
Gregory Alper and Jeehun Hwang crafted not only superb soundtracks for MechWarrior 2 and it's add ons, but helped define the sound and feel of the series and, in some ways, the genre.
If Homeworld has a spot in the upper echelons of greatest ambient and atmospheric soundtracks in gaming, Metroid Prime easily deserves a spot right next to it. Kenji Yamamoto and Kouichi Kyuuma were able to take some classic tracks from Metroids previous entries, remix them with their own compositions, and craft an incredible soundtrack and score.
I could honestly keep going for some time, but I've already linked waaay too many youtube vids, so I'll stop.
For now. Might list more at some point.