Hmm. Haven't seen one of these threads in months. Cool beans. Gives me a reason to link to some of my favorite game songs again.
Anyway, I'm not entirely sure I can pick just one, as there are so many great soundtracks. And, depending on my mood (or other factors) I may enjoy one more than another, and vice versa.
The music of a game is very important to me. I view it as an integral part of the experience. A game with lack-luster music is only half a game to me.
That said, I tend to find myself bored with the standard kind of game soundtrack. The ones that are often filled with generic sounding orchestral pieces, overly bombastic film-esque beat tracks, or fast, pop-y music. So, as a result, I often gravitate towards ones that are more unique, atmospheric, or "catchy".
In no particular order, here are some of my favorites:
This series has always had an incredible blend of atmospherically dark tracks and adrenaline-pumping electronic. I still think of Kelly Bailey as one of the greats among VG soundtrack composers.
To this day Paul Ruskay remains one of the most under-appreciated game composers out there. His tracks are so beautifully tonal and atmospheric. They instill a sense of approaching danger while also getting your heart pumping.
What can I say? Rare had some of the best game music composers ever. And bonus: A track from Conker's Bad Fur Day and a track from Perfect Dark.
When I was young I had fallen in love with this game. Everything about it just resonated with me. The gameplay. The aesthetic. The challenge. But most of all, the music. The music just stuck with me for years and years. I still occasionally find myself whistling a tune from it.
Man, Rare had a knack for making fantastic and memorable music. Especially David Wise.
I'll be honest, I was never THAT big a fan of the original Deus Ex. I recognized it's importance and appreciated the essence of it, but for some reason it never clicked. So, as a result, I went into DX:HR not expecting much. (and almost regretting buying it in a Steam sale)
Boy am I glad I purchased it. And of note, especially, was the soundtrack. I still include tracks from the game in my usual media player playlists.
Now, I'll grant that not every song in the soundtrack is an utter work of brilliance, and in some ways it fits into that "overly bombastic" category I listed above. However, much of it is brilliant, in that it blends so perfectly with the game-play, in a context sensitive manner, that it beautifully sets or accompanies the tone of the current situation.
Serious kudos to Respawn and Stephen Barton.
I could probably go on for hours, listing dozens and dozens of soundtracks. But I'll stop.
The Bastion OST's pretty good, but then again, I have a thing for westerny sounding guitar twangs and mournfulness.
I'll second any suggestion of Zelda/something other than "brooding orchestral rock" that seems to permeate most games.
The one game that made me pay attention to gaming soundtracks was Warcraft 2. I was obsessed with classical music at the time, well at least until i discovered death/black metal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGl4slGxY8U
Followed by Super Metroid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oTzxyFWDyE Every part of this game made me feel angry and clown suit fun.
and then this game came along. Not my favorite game of all time but the sountrack is the best for the scenario PERIOD. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ2Vb1t1-Js&list=PL5B82515552B35BE3
To lazy to post the links, and in the middle of a DOTA2 battle.
Anyways these three games made me rethink the beauty of game music.
Not sure I can pick a favorite but I know what one of my favorites is.....Sonic Adventure 2 Battle........*builds gigantic steel castle, digs hole 10 stories down, build super reinforced bunker, activates Fort Knox level security, puts on pit helmet, takes cover with Ak-47 behind a barrier of sand bags, posts small sign on front of door saying "Come at me."*
The N64 game soundtracks were always a favorite of mine including Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask were good as well but the best in my opinion was Donkey Kong 64 for the opening DK Rap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcP91tQ4ZSM
Not sure I can pick a favorite but I know what one of my favorites is.....Sonic Adventure 2 Battle........*builds gigantic steel castle, digs hole 10 stories down, build super reinforced bunker, activates Fort Knox level security, puts on pit helmet, takes cover with Ak-47 behind a barrier of sand bags, posts small sign on front of door saying "Come at me."*
too many to mention really, most of the stuff on my mp3 is gaming soundtracks so here's a current listen to list:
Assassin's Creed (All of them but I'm currently listening to Black Flag)
Mass Effect 3 (Including the Citidel DLC soundtrack)
InFamous 2 (Including the hidden track "Half as Long, Twice as Bright")
Dragon Age (Both Origins and II)
Saints Row 3 and 4 (I'm not big on industrial but it works well for these games)
Not sure I can pick a favorite but I know what one of my favorites is.....Sonic Adventure 2 Battle........*builds gigantic steel castle, digs hole 10 stories down, build super reinforced bunker, activates Fort Knox level security, puts on pit helmet, takes cover with Ak-47 behind a barrier of sand bags, posts small sign on front of door saying "Come at me."*
As was already mentioned: Deus Ex 1 without doubt. Stuff like "The Synapse" (Wan Tai Market) or the also already mentioned Duclare Chateau. Closely followed by System Shock 2. Honorary mentions go to Dark Souls (Ornstein and Smough theme...had to hear it sooo many times) and Alice Madness Returns.
My first instinct is to say Gothic 3. As many problems as it may have, the soundtrack is absolutely glorious and I find myself listening to it quite often even out of game. Some of my other favourites include Stronghold and its sequel Stronghold Crusader, Wizards & Warriors, Risen, Hexen and Rome: Total War and Medieval II: Total War.
The Witcher soundtracks are good also, but a little inconsistent.
Don't know about ever, but I've been listening to the soundtrack for Transistor pretty regularly since its release. The vocal tracks especially are all exceptional, I can't think of any others like them in the gaming industry.
It's tempting to link some of the slower pieces here for those that haven't played the game, but the songs lyrics tend to be a bit spoilery so here's the song that was in the trailer and a brilliant piece in its own right.
Bastion, made by the same people, is another great game soundtrack I never get tired of listening to.
I'm surely forgetting a few games here, but maybe I'll edit the post later.
In no particular order, since I never really tried to compare them in any meaningful way. I also sometimes like them for rather different reasons.
"Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines"
I don't like all of the soundtrack, but most of the combat-themes and background-noise-themes are quite good and I just love the themes of the four hubs, especially Chinatown and Downtown.
"Diablo 2" & "Diablo 2 - Lord of Destruction"
The game is still one of the most atmospheric games I know in spite of being 2D. Guess what does account for that ;-) (That last sentence somehow sounds wrong. I hope you get, what I'm trying to say.)
"Bastion"
I can't really describe it very well, but it's just a very varied, very well done soundtrack.
"Machinarium"
Kind of reminds me of STALKER for some reason. Oftentimes rather subtle and it fits the visuals and story quite well.
"Far Cry 2"
Most of the soundtracks on this list don't work as well on their own. But some are still great outside of the game. "Bastion" for example. For STALKER or Machinarium this doesn't really aplly and I feel this is also the case for "Far Cry 2". But it fits the African civil war - scenario and the constant slog through the wilderness just so very well.
"Planescape: Torment"
Another case of a sountrack just supporting the game perfectly. A good example would be "The Smoldering Corpse Bar".
"STALKER"
"STALKER - Call of Pripyat" had six different themes for the three maps and day/night, which was a neat concept and an interesting deviation from the two previous games in the series. For "STALKER - Shadow of Chernobyl" the soundtrack is usually a bit more in the background. Or at least that's how I percieved it. I also believe, that there is a different set of tracks used for the different maps, but it's rather subtle.
"Shadows of Amn (BGII)" & "Throne of Bhaal (BGII-Addon)"
I'm listing them here partly due to nostalgia, but there still were quite a few good tracks and there certainly were many of them. Unfortunately they usually don't seem as unique and fitting as in Planescape for example.
No other game has such a variety in it's soundtrack, while at the same time maintaining it's core themes and melodies throughout it. I'm not really a music person, but I just know that each and every song in Chrono Cross made me just stop and listen to it every single time I heard it for the first time.
Hands down, my favorite soundtrack is the Halo: Combat Evolved soundtrack. So many great, memorable songs that add to the setpieces in the game and are just damn good music in general. My favorite track is hard to pin down but it's probably "Rock Anthem for Saving the World."
Other really good soundtracks... Mass Effect, Deus Ex, the other Halo games, and the Metroid series (particularly Metroid Prime and Super Metroid).
And by extension, Symphony of The Night, also by Michiru Yamane.
The Silent Hill franchise, Rule of Rose, Persona 1-4, and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne are others I can name off the top of my head, but Skullgirls takes the cake.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
