Best Video Game Music

[Achernar]

What background music from a video game sets the mood very well, or is just a great song in general?

I submit the adventurous overworld theme from Legend of Zelda (tragically absent from Ocarina of Time!).

[Genseric]

I've always loved the Castlevania music, from the original three NES games. Great tunes, those.

[ricksummon]

Why, that's easy. The 7th Guest, of course! The best MIDI music ever written, by far.

[Cisco]

TO THIS DAY I have the theme from Dr. Mario (I belive it was "cold") perpetually stuck in my head. When was that game? '89? '90?

[Badtz Maru]

Originally posted by Cisco
TO THIS DAY I have the theme from Dr. Mario (I belive it was "cold") perpetually stuck in my head. When was that game? '89? '90?

Great, now it's stuck in my head too - the GameBoy version.

Columns for the Sega Genesis had great music, mostly electronic versions of classical stuff like Toccatta and Fugue in D Minor.

The music in Dig Dug is remembered fondly.

And the music played when you are invincible in Vanguard really got ya going.

[Bossk]

Originally posted by Badtz Maru

And the music played when you are invincible in Vanguard really got ya going.

Well, that's from STAR TREK, so you really can't count it.

REACTOR was pretty catchy, and for some reason, the music in BUBBLE BOBBLE never gets old. The music in POKER LADIES is very loungy, bachelor pad music. And the tempo quickens as the women get more and more undressed. Stylish.

[Natural-J-Bankie]

The best music by far is Megaman II, with Megaman III in a real close second. Though which of the specific themes is the best I can't say for sure. Dr. Wily stage 1 from MM2 might be it though.

Chrono Trigger, then Castlevania come in next.

Try http://remix.overclocked.org for some excellent remixes of classic video game tunes. Go late at night when the bandwidth limits are off.

[MrVisible]

The music from the bizarre Playstation game, Incredible Crisis, is a real blast; fully orchestrated hyperactive Japanese ska. Fits the game well.

[Dragonblink]

I'm a huge fan of Matt Uelmen's music for the Diablo series, especially the stuff from Lord of Destruction where he had a whole orchestra to play with. I have a CD of it almost perenially in my CD player.

[Achernar]

I'm definitely with you on The 7th Guest and Dr. Mario. I liked the cut-scene music for Chrono Trigger, but not the music that played during the actual game so much, especially the combat music. But, whatever. I haven't played any of the other games mentioned, though.

I've got a lot more suggestions, but I didn't want to be the only one posting. Since others have gone, here goes:
Mystic Cave 2 from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Opening scene in Space Quest IV. Theme to The Attack for TI-99 (not sure if that's its original system). Dire Dire Docks from Super Mario 64. Forest Temple from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. My friend once had a Mahjongg (Taipei) game with different theme boards, each with different background MIDIs, but I don't remember the game's name. Anyway, the SciFi board from that game had a really goofy song.

Also, probably nobody here is familiar with Star Control II, my favorite video game, but it has some great MOD themes. Excellent mood music includes: Opening Scene, Combat, Hyperspace, Earthling, Arilou, and Yehat. Also, the Umgah, Pkunk, Spathi, and Melnorme themes are just fun.

[Badtz Maru]

Originally posted by Bossk
Originally posted by Badtz Maru

And the music played when you are invincible in Vanguard really got ya going.

Well, that's from STAR TREK, so you really can't count it.



Are you sure about that? I thought it was an older, possibly classical piece.

[SPOOFE]

I've always loved the Final Fantasy 3 soundtrack. Every single piece works so well together.

I also constantly listen to the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 soundtrack, along with the Quake 2 soundtrack (yay, Sonic Mayhem!).

I've also been a longtime fan of the Super Mario RPG soundtrack, and the Super Metroid soundtrack, and the Descent 2 soundtrack, and the Mechwarrior 2 soundtrack, and the Diablo 2 soundtrack (notice all the 2's).

Basically, most of the music I listen to either came from a video game, Pink Floyd, or Weird Al.

[Natural-J-Bankie]

Counting PC Games too? Well then it would have to be Monkey Island! I'd say X-wing/TIE Fighter, but that doesn't count.

[Saitou]

My favorites:

Rob Hubbard's classic International Karate+ theme on the c64

Robert Holmes did a great job setting the mood in the Gabriel Knight series, as did Clint Bajakian's excellent music in Outlaws

(special mentions: Space Control 2,Grim fandango,FF3, Last Ninja)

[Erroneous]

I went through a phase a couple of years ago where I was grabbing every Final Fantasy .mp3 I could find. The symphonic and orchestral ones are pretty impressive, in a nerdy, cheesy sort of way. The jewel of my collection is an orchestral version of the opera scene from FF6 (FF3 in the USA). All 26 minutes of it.

[Snooooopy]

"Peter Gunn" theme on Spy Hunter. For years, I knew that tune as "The Spy Hunter Theme."

[furryman]

These are some of my favorites:
The main theme from Final Fantasy III
All the background music from Sonic 3-D
The two songs in the remake of Lunar: Silver Star

[Lute Skywatcher]

Like nearly all of my original C64 software, it probably doens't work any more but one of my programs is a collection of music and sound effects from a few games published for the 64. My favorite of these is the theme from "Roland's Rat Race". I never played the game but that is some infectous music. Yes, UK dopers, this game is based on the Roland Rat show. Would anyone know if the show had the same music?

[HeyHomie]

Don't forget the awesome music in the Tomb Raider franchise! [listening to it now...] Clever use of the clarinet, harp, and all those Gregorian-chant sounding voices.

[geepee]

Streets of Rage 1 and 2 (bare knuckle for some)

oh and possibly also R type delta

[tanstaafl]

Final Fantasy VI was always my favorite, with The 7th Guest a close second. One of the 7th Guest CDs had an audio track on it with several songs from the game as well as a few other songs "inspired" by the game that would play in a normal CD player.

[Mojo]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Ghouls & ghosts, Metroid, Rygar, and Mike Tyson's Punch Out. I'll definitely second Zelda, Castlevania for the NES (although the Playstaion music wasn't bad), Super Mario Bros. (and Super Mario World on the SNES) and Mega Man for good tunes. Dunno if it's a coincidence that the Minibosses (http://www.minibosses.com/) have covered a lot of these.

As for newer tunes, I like Jet Set Radio for Dreamcast and Soul Edge for PSX. "We all need to shine on to see....."

[shmigheghi]

All these are good, but have any of you heard the Chrono Cross opening theme? Best piece in videogame history.

[elfkin477]

I'll define my favorite as being the only video game music I can stand- that'd be the music in Tony Hawks Pro-skater 2. I hate hate hate the music to all other games(video and pc) and usually mute it to put on a cd.

[Netbrian]

Woah, it's time for me to de-lurk, and post my vote!

I absolutly MUST vote for Ys 1, 2, and 4. I haven't heard much of 5 yet, though I'm trying. Each song is so unique and fitting, as well as very catchy. Plus, the melodies are complex enough to handle the massive amounts of remixing Falcom likes to do with their songs (twenty-five remixes of Feena!)

I really love almost everything about Falcom, and wish they were a bit more well known here... *sigh*

[Mahaloth]

1. Final Fantasy VI

2. The Seventh Guest

[Politzania]

and the theme from "leisure suit larry" pops unbidden into my head.

And I didn't even play the game! It was my then-boyfriend Mr. Pol!

If you're curious (or nostalgic) visit Sierra Soundtrack Series (http://www.queststudios.com/quest/lsl2mp3.html)

[The Mad Hermit]

Whoa! Someone mentioned Metroid- I still have that music in my head. I commented to my friend Kirk that we should imagine that music playing as we went about our daily business. Kinda gives a self-important feeling, like you're living the life of a superhero.

For something a little more modern, I think the music on the Twisted Metal series kicks ass, and for PC games the music from Planescape: Torment really sets the scene.

[King Hobo]

pacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacm anpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpa cmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacman pacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacm anpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacmanpacman did i mention pacman

[sturmhauke]

Total Annihilation has some great orchestral pieces, and Warcraft II has some good ones also. The SSX techno soundtrack fits well with that game. Diablo II music is cool, but I actually like some of the ones that didn't make the cut better. You can find them here. (http://www.battle.net/diablo2/mp3/) My other pics: Super Mario Bros., FF3, Fallout, Baldur's Gate (music in this game only appears in the context of musicians performing, very cool), Threads of Fate, Vanguard Bandits (cheesy J-Pop for a cheesy anime mech combat game, gotta love it), Secret of Mana. I'm sure I'll think of more after I submit.

[SolomonGrundy]

You're all wrong. The best videogame music ever is in

Jet Grind Radio

with Space Channel 5 coming in a close second.

And I'd have to second the nominations for Outlaws, Grim Fandango, and Monkey Island (especially the third game).

[LifeWillFall]

Well I'll have to second anyone who answered Metroid for the nes, I actually re-bought(my version crapped out) this game after hearing the Tool song Schism because it reminded me of the music.

But I also love the soundtrack in Wipeout XL for Playstation, Techno and totally rocks.

I'll add Rocket Arena 3 for PC but this is kinda cheating because it's more of a compilation of a bunch of really good techno tracks than anything else.

[SouprChckn]

Sweet lord, how could this thread go so long before someone mentioned the greatest PSX game ever:

PaRappa the Rapper

and its more average sequel

UmJammer Lammy

[saepiroth]

grim fandango gets a third vote.

oh, but what i really love is...

the seven character themes from Sonic Adventure! especially tails', with knuckles' a close second.

[Natural-J-Bankie]

How could I forget Grim Fandago? And also another vote for Final Fantasy, Zelda, Metroid, and 7th Guest.

Quest for Glory, and Kings Quest also had some excellent music. Sierra put out a CD many years ago that I might still have somewhere with songs from all their big games played with real instruments (or at least good synthesizers rather than the SB FM synth stuff)

[grendel72]

I just have to post that SolomonGrundy is 100% correct abou Jet Grind Radio... Super Bruddah!!! Rock that shit homie!
Close second would have to be the original Grand Theft Auto.

[D_Nice]

I would have to go with Final Fantasy VII as my favourite sound track. Also my favourite game in terms of cinematics.

[bouv]

Many good selections so far (castlevania, zelda, etc...)

But I love the soundtrack to Crazy Taxi It has Offspring! Offspring, I say!

[Cisco]

Originally posted by bouv

But I love the soundtrack to Crazy Taxi It has Offspring! Offspring, I say!


I was in the movie theatre the other night and suddenly I heard a Bad Religion song :eek: so naturally I went to seek out the source, because, ya know, you just don't hear Bad Religion in public, and it turned out to be Crazy Taxi. I thought that was pretty cool.

[MyFootsZZZ]

I love the Donkey Kong Country series music... it's almost cool enough to get on CD

[MyFootsZZZ]

I HATE games that are all Techn, they need to creat a mood for the level you're on

[Juniper200]

More votes for Castlevania (I've got a great techno mix of the theme in my MP3 player right now.) the Gabriel Knight games (#1 was great, but let's not forget the great Schloss Ritter music from #2--not to mention the opera at the end!) and The 7th Guest (In my mind, I am grooving to the strolling-around-ambient-sound music that went ba ba-ba ba-ba-ba ba BA ba ba ba ba ba and then there was a rest and then a few clicks and then the piano bit. You know what I mean.)

[Ranchoth]

Well, I've always been partial to the music in Maxis' "Sim City 2000". Very jazzy.

And there's a game called "Nightmare Creatures" on the N64 that had some neat original music...Though, as I understand, there's an updated (Playstation?) version with music by Rob Zombie...Which, cool as it may or may not be, I can't see as keeping with the Young Sherlock Holmes-ey music.


And, of course, there's "Maniac Mansion." :)





Ranchoth
"Don't be a tuna head."

[rjung]

Let me just start off by spouting stats -- I've got almost 400 video-game music MP3s on my computer, which constitutes about 3/4ths of my total music collection. It'd be bigger, but I only keep the tracks I really like. When I feel like wasting money, I'll go and buy expensive imported Japanese video-game soundtrack CDs and add 'em to my collection. I don't suppose there's any interest in trading/sharing this stuff?

Anyway... choosing "best videogame music" is kind of tough these days, since so many tunes are just regular songs that have been licensed by the companies (examples: Crazy Taxi, WipeOut XL). Role-playing games traditionally have been big on classical music, but IMO that's a bit of a cop-out, since classical music is not too hard to do wrong. Similarly, a lot of games tend to go for techno/electronica tracks these days, and while they're also neat, it's also something that's relatively easy, IMO.

With that in mind, let me make a few nominations that (mostly) haven't been mentioned yet:

"Splash Wave," from Sega's Outrun video game. Fast-n-easy pop/rock, with an infectious beat.
The title theme from Lucasarts' Sam and Max Hit The Road, for a nice lighthearted jazz number that captures the "gumshoe attitude" of the game.
The background music for the "Chemical Plant Zone" from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Short, but really sticks in your mind, especially the horns.
Most of the tracks from Taito's The Ninjawarriors Return for the Super Nintendo game system. Each one is a fairly long loop, with a great "heroic endeavor" feel that fits the game.
The title music to the Atari Lynx version of Klax. A thumb-slapping pop-rock theme that definitely needs stereo headphones to be appreciated.
The ending credits to Nintendo's Starfox for the SNES. Yeah, it's a John Williams-wannabe orchestral piece, but it's a damn good John Williams-wannabe orchestral piece.
The title theme to Electronic Arts' original Archon computer game. The opening cascade alone is enough to bring back memories.
Finally, just about anything from Sonic R for the Sega Saturn. Great pop music, nice bubblegum-pop love-song lyrics, and awesome singing.

I could go on and on, but I think I've geeked out enough already... ;)

[TwistofFate]

Selected songs from the KJAH or Game fm radiostations in Grand Theft Auto 3.

(because we give it all that we GAAAAAAT!! )

[Mikahw]

The final boss music for Sonic Adventure is the best I've ever heard. It sets the pace quite nicely.

Now if I could only remember the words. I have the instrumental version stuck in my head.

Uniracers (SNES) also had some pretty nice music. Well it fit my tastes, anyways.

I love the Donkey Kong Country series music... it's almost cool enough to get on CD

I have a cassette tape (you remember those, right?) :D that has DKC tunes on it. It was released before the game, IIRC. No! Not more music to get stuck in my head! Argh!...

[Stupendous man]

Well, as far as fairly recent games go, There have only been two games that I have enjoyed the music well enough to allow it to play in the background constantly. For me, background music has to be subtle, catchy, and not me screechy or noisy.

the two games are:

MediEvil for Playstation and
American McGee's Alice.

[Geshtal]

I've always had a fondness for the main theme to Final Fantasy IV, although the rest of the series has some quality work. Lately I've also had the music from both Vigilante 8s and GTA2 rattling in my head.

[PublicBlast]

Nobody's mentioned Final Fantasy Tactics or it sucessor by the same musicians, Vagrant Story? There are plenty of good games with decent rock soundtracks, but very few pull of successful orchestral/classical pieces like the above two.

And I second Netbrian's nomination for Y's. The music in the games themselves are remarkable: they were among the first CD-ROM video games ever made, and the audio was terrific. The music was so good, in fact, that like Netbrian said, there are whole CDs of just remixes: vocal collections, piano arrangements, orchestral arrangements (I have one by the London Philharmonic!) and jazz/funk remixes. Zounds!

BTW, I think the music from FF3 is completely overrated. Sure, the cheesy opera made us laugh, but good music? Pshaw.

[Disciple of Alf]

There are quite a few games that have music that I really like.
My favoritres, though, are The Longest Journey's soundtrack, and that of Little Big Adventure (aka Relentless in the US).

The music in TLJ is always incredibly appropriate for what's going on, and I like it just for what it is.

The music in LBA is just beautiful.

-Disciple of Alf

[Anal Scurvy]

there was this moon game on Atari that had awesome tunes.

bleep bleep bleep bleep boink bleep bleep boink boink bleep bleep bleep bleep

[alphatek_00]

wipeout and the up and coming wipeout fusion

[RocknRoll Killing Machine]

Interstate '76
Jet Grind Radio was awesome, so was Diablo and Red Alert.

[infinitii]

if you were curious, the greatest video game composer of all time is the legendary koji kondo, probably most famous for the super mario bros. music, but he has done plenty of other stuff, too. just thought i would mention it since video game composers don't get a lot of attention.

[keithnmick]

Most of my favorites have been mentioned - Streets of Rage, Parrapa, Jet Grind Radio, Spy Hunter...
Here's an obscure one - does anyone remember the loading music for Ghouls for the BBC Micro? Not really great, but cool, and it got louder and louder as you watched the game load. Desert Strike on the Genesis/Megadrive had some cool music (for the time) that rocked when in attract mode... I think that was rob hubbard too.

[SolomonGrundy]

Originally posted by PublicBlast
Nobody's mentioned Final Fantasy Tactics
Only because that music is running in a constant background loop in my head anyway so I didn't think of it. The "choose your party" music is as ingrained in my head as "Happy Birthday" at this point.

I finally found the soundtrack at a CD store in Japantown in San Francisco and paid an embarrassing amount for it. It's not quite the same without all the little screams, though...

[rjung]

Originally posted by Anal Scurvy
there was this moon game on Atari that had awesome tunes.

bleep bleep bleep bleep boink bleep bleep boink boink bleep bleep bleep bleep
Assuming you weren't trying to be funny, I believe you're talking about Moon Patrol, the port of the Williams arcade game. Definitely a goofy and bouncy tune there.

[projecttwilight]

My favorites:

-"One Winged Angel", the orchestral/choral piece that plays over the final Sepiroth battle in "Final Fantasy 7"

-The Zelda stage in "Super Smash Brothers"

-Sonic the Hedgehog 2-"Aquatic Ruin Zone"

=An obscure Playstation game "Critical Depth" has an excellent soundtrack.

[psychogumby]

Gran Turismo has a killer soundtrack. Garbage, Feeder, etc. If I ever bought a Nissan Silvia (which is about the only GT-calibre car I could afford), I would have to get a copy of the GT soundtrack to play whilst driving it. :D

'if flesh could crawl my skin would fall right off my bones and run away from here ... far from God ... as heaven is wide ...'

Whilst the soundtrack for GT2 was kinda poxy in comparison, some of the music played in the background on selection screens are classics! That cheesy pipe organ piece that plays in the background when you bring the Licence Test selection screen up is a classic example.

[Amazing Tiki God]

I digged the vast majority of the music used in Final Fantasy VII. It was groovy and set the mood very well.

[Why A Duck]

My favorite for a long-time has been Trent Reznor's soundtrack for the original Quake.

I used to throw my Quake CD into the CD player just for the background music, it was a little creepy, but it was great music to read to.

[Achernar]

Originally posted by projecttwilight
-The Zelda stage in "Super Smash Brothers"Yes! I was wondering when someone was going to back me up on this. This is, of course, the same tune I mentioned in the OP. My favorite mix of it is probably that from Death Mountain in Link to the Past.

[Juggler]

Hmpf, no-one mentioned Turrican II for amiga or even Manic Miner for the spectrum sx. Manic Miner even showed the tune it was playing on a onscreen piano. Aaaah nostalgia...

[musicguy]

Syphon Filter

[ElwoodCuse]

Final Fantasy VII I think has the best original music of any game. The composer (I forget his name, it's something Japanese, Nobuo Umatsu or something like that) is just so prolific it's ridiculous. There's so many different styles and moods, and they are all amazing.

Sim City 3000's original jazz is very cool too.

The Command and Conquer series (Frank Klepacki) also fits moods very well. I never played Red Alert with any other music besides Hell March.

I always thought the Gran Turismo series made excellent use of existing music in its games. And I'm glad they made a playlist for GT3 so I never again have to hear Snoop Dogg singing about how phat the game is. I do wish that they would someday use Cake's "The Distance" for their opening movie. Also, if you've never heard the Japanese theme song, Moon Over The Castle, check it out. It's awesome.

Metal Gear Solid 2 has very excellent music too. Harry Gregson-Williams did a great job adding his own touches to the existing theme and creating some new stuff too. I also love the end credits song "Can't Say Goodbye To Yesterday" by Rika Muranaka.

[pincushion]

The music from Star Control 2! It is, by far, my favorite game of all time, and the music is very fitting and fun to listen to.

Grim Fandango and The Longest Journey have good ambient music, but I don't listen to them much.

Ultima IX: Ascension has some beautiful orchestral music. MechWarrior 2's soundtrack is superb, as is that of Total Annihilation (well, the first 7 tracks anyway). I also enjoy parts of the Sacrifice and Battle Realms soundtrack.

To keep this list from growing too large, I'll stop here.

[madcowmccoy]

the panzer dragoon games for the saturn. nice stuff.