Great licensed songs in games

[MajorTomServo]

Some might see it as lazy, but I think that a well-chosen and well-placed licensed song can really be memorable in a game. The two examples I can think of off the top of my head are Power in SR3 and Ain't No Rest for the Wicked in Borderlands.

Any of you have a memorable rush of dopamine from a "real world" song in a game?

Edit: To clarify, I don't mean "I like this song, here's a game that it's in." I mean a song that perfectly catches the tone of the scene it's playing over. One that combines the feelings the game is creating for you and all the preconceived feelings you already had for that song into that one perfect moment.

 

[Username Redacted]

I can count two games that introduced me to solid bands in Mass Effect 1 with The Faunts who did the song they used for the end credits in M4, pt. II and Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines which had Cain by Tiamat playing in ones of its clubs.

 

[Tom_green_day]

Das Malefitz at the end of ME3 was written by the Faunts, not sure if licensed or written for the song.
My favourite however will have to be I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire by the Ink Spots, in Fallout 3. Brilliant soundtrack for that game, really fitting.

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

I've always loved the punk rock songs that crop up in the Tony Hawk's games. I think for a series of games about skateboarding, nothing feels more right for it than when some fast-paced punk rock comes on, like Superman by Goldfinger in the first Pro Skater game, or Less Than Jake's That's Why They Call it a Union in American Wasteland.

 

[Scrustle]

The soundtracks to several NFS games have been excellent. The Underground games and the original Most Wanted stand out among those. The Burnout games also had brilliant soundtracks that were much in the same vein.

Braid is an amazing example. The music in that doesn't sound like licensed music at all. It fits the mood perfectly. It sounds like it was written specifically for the game, but none of it was.

And of course we can't forget to mention the GTA games. Everyone loves the Vice City and San Andreas soundtracks. The others are great too, but those two specifically have become iconic. In fact, GTA is pretty much the reason why almost all sandbox crime games even have radio stations, let alone their actual gameplay design.

The old PS2 era SSX games had great soundtracks too. It was also similar to what you heard from NFS and Burnout. At that time in history it seemed like pretty much every licensed soundtrack from an EA game was guaranteed to be awesome.

 

[Edguy]

I remember loving Blow me Away by Breaking Benjamin towards the end of Halo 2, and M4 pt. II, by Faunts, fit perfectly at the end of Mass Effect.

 

[Total LOLige]

I was chuffed to bits when I found Feeder - Renegades in Saints Row 3, every game needs a bit of Feeder. It's the only song that I have on my in-game Saints Row mixtape. One of the best "new" Feeder songs and it's got one of the weirdest videos ever, and it might not be safe for work btw. Feeder had a few songs on the Gran Turismo games back in the day as well. FIFA games have always had a good soundtrack.

Spoiler: The Song

 

[Popadoo]

Fallout 4 and Fallout: New Vegas are full to the brim with them. I also loved the music in the Tony Hawk: Underground games.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Recently, I'd have to say Bioshock Infinite.

You guys know what I'm talking about

 

[Nouw]

Pick and choose from Mafia II's vast library of traditional pop music. My favourite has to be 'Pocketful of Dreams,' because it's so damn catchy and positive.

 

[WaysideMaze]

Some might see it as lazy, but I think that a well-chosen and well-placed licensed song can really be memorable in a game. The two examples I can think of off the top of my head are Power in SR3 and Ain't No Rest for the Wicked in Borderlands.

Any of you have a memorable rush of dopamine from a "real world" song in a game?

Power was a brilliant choice, but I thought that Bonnie Tyler song on the final mission was just perfect.


The drama was kind of lost when I got trapped in a ditch and had to restart the mission.

 

[MajorTomServo]

Recently, I'd have to say Bioshock Infinite.

You guys know what I'm talking about

Thanks for not spoiling it for me. My PS3 died a couple of weeks ago, the internet is a minefield now...

 

[Evil Smurf]

Does the music in Bastion count? Also the Manson song in SR3 got to buy the "High End of Low" album. To be fair I do like his music and did before the game.
<youtube=A_uMGuktiqo>

 

[Juan Regular]

Black Mountain in Spec Ops and Alela Diane in The Walking Dead were absolute highlights for me. Alan Wake had a bunch of great songs as well.

Spoiler

<youtube=uhMlNWn10p4>

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Recently, I'd have to say Bioshock Infinite.

You guys know what I'm talking about

Thanks for not spoiling it for me. My PS3 died a couple of weeks ago, the internet is a minefield now...

The internet is not safe for those who have yet to play the game

 

[Poetic Nova]

Any game with at least one song by the band Fear Factory: Sleeping Dogs, Shiny's Messiah and Demolition Racer to name a few.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

I haven't played the game, but doesn't Grand Theft Auto IV have a rock/metal station with some pretty legit bands on there? If I remember correctly, there was even a Bathory song on there. Given half my username, it should be quite obvious what I think about that.

 

[Dead Seerius]

Having Pierce and your main character sing What I've Got by Sublime in Saints Row 3 was a memorable moment for me.

Also Shortchange Hero in Borderlands 2.

Any chance one of Lisa Foiles' old Top 5 lists inspired this thread? I've started to re-watch them so it at least seems relevant in my own head. XD

 

[fix-the-spade]

<spoiler=The finest use of a licensed song in a videogame><youtube=OxDZv_1NcMs>
This specific moment made me fall in love with the game, perfect choice of track and used in a way you still dodn't see much in games.

<spoiler=The second finest use of a licensed song in a videogame><youtube=9BQctAyQMOE>
This is the first game I can remember that wasn't football and had licensed tracks. That it was the Manics is a plus but GT's entire soundtrack was mind blowing to the ten year old me. The Manic Street Preachers, Feeder, Garbage, Ash, one game set me on music I'd be listening to for the next fourteen years and counting.

I was chuffed to bits when I found Feeder - Renegades in Saints Row 3

I have a playlist in SR3 with just that song on infinite loop, didn't know it was in the game either, was just driving along one day and wham, result!

 

[Bestival]

Hrm, ninjad by first 2 posts.

Bloodlines is full of perfectly fitting songs though. Totally into Genitorturers thanks to that now. Fair warning, nothing they do at all is even remotely save for work at all. (This is a band that features onstage fisting and pegging, you have been warned!)


I already fucking loved the use of Power in that SR3 trailer they had, and then you end up jumping out of a heli to Rambo the fuck out of some fancy pad with it blearing, I damn near creamed my panties.

GTA Vice City was great too, nothing better than cruising the boulevard in a fat rambler looking deathtrap and blasting Gary Numan - Cars or Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran.
Heck, any sandbox game that gives you a bunch of music, and allows you to pick what type you like, is just great in my book.

Skyrim should have had something like that, like a bard follower little person that would play Safety Dance.