# Video Game Music Appreciation Thread and 500th Post Dance Party **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2004, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324 "2004-04-16T06:23:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Poetgrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@Poetgrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poetgrrl)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/21 "2004-04-16T18:53:03Z")
The last 3 boss battles in Contra III for super NES had some of the coolest music I’ve heard in a video game. Most games, even those with very good music (Final Fantasy III, Chrono Trigger) still serve as ‘background’ for me, but the boss music for Contra III really got me amped up to kick some alien butt. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/22 "2004-04-16T18:54:59Z")
**Hot Buttered Toast** : Good, another GG fan. I like Writhe In Pain (the original GG version is actually the best in my opinion. More violins) and Awe of She. Of course, in GGX, Dizzy will probsbly kick your ass before you get through the intro. They chopped off the intro in GGX2, which is fitting because she’s no longer the boss. **Mojo** : Gears of Madness. Bravely Folk Song. All kinds of good tracks in Soul Blade. Gamecube’s Soul Calibur II has a nice rendition of The Legend of Zelda’s overworld theme, too. **av8rmike** : Never did play The Neverhood, but a friend of mine from tech school had the soundtrack. It’s good stuff, like you said. Best Licensed Music in Games: **Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3** had a nice selection including Anarchy In The UK. **Crue Ball** A pinball game for Genesis that had music from Motley Crue. And honorable mention to **Rock ‘N’ Roll Racing** , just for the version of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid on the first track. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/23 "2004-04-16T20:02:56Z")
Since no one has said **Betrayal At Krondor** I can only conclude that the bunch of you are punk kids with your newfangled video-toys like X-Station and PlayCube and GameBox. Rassin’ frassin’ kids, don’t respect their elders… ---
**Author:** ![HideoHo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@HideoHo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HideoHo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/24 "2004-04-16T20:11:43Z")
I don’t think you’d be able to find an NES game that is considered a classic that doesn’t have a great soundtrack. **Super Mario Brothers, Metroid, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Kid Icarus, Wizards and Warriors, Dragon Warrior, Crysalis** , and a hell of a lot more. What I really love is that so many people are making remixes of these songs in all kinds of different styles. **Tenticle Monster** mentioned OCRemix, but there is also [www.vgmix.com](http://www.vgmix.com) that has some really good songs. Also, check out the \*\*[Neskimos](http://www.neskimos.com) \*\*, which are very similar to the **Minibosses** , but they have a bit more energy in their songs. There are also the **Black Mages** , also similar to the **Neskimos** and **Minibosses**. I run a videogame internet radio station, here, that plays both remixes and original soundtracks. A lot of the soundtracks mentioned here are on the station, or will be soon, such as Guilty Gear, Jet Set Radio, Soul Calibur, Final Fantasy X2. One game that I can’t believe hasn’t been mentioned yet is **Xenogears** , which I think probably has a soundtrack as good as, if not better, than any Final Fantasy game. It, too, is on the radio station, one of the symphonic remixes. It is amazingly good. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/25 "2004-04-16T20:51:35Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > Best Licensed Music in Games: > > **Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3** had a nice selection including Anarchy In The UK. > > **Crue Ball** A pinball game for Genesis that had music from Motley Crue. > > And honorable mention to **Rock ‘N’ Roll Racing** , just for the version of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid on the first track. I’ll see your _Paranoid_ and raise you a _Highway Star_. I had heard it before on classic rock stations but wasn’t really aware of it, but **Rock ‘N’ Roll Racing** with its (IIRC) seven music tracks burned it into my brain. All of the **THPS** games have good music (THPS2 being my favorite by far) but the first Dave Mirra game had good tunes as well, even though the gameplay was slop. ---
**Author:** ![HideoHo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@HideoHo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HideoHo)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/26 "2004-04-16T21:03:09Z")
I can’t believe I forgot to mention the **SSX** series. The first one probably had the best use of a song ever, on the Untracked stage. The song fit perfectly with the feeling of flying down an icilly beautiful mountain with nothing around you but the wind and snow. The effect they used, turning down the volume of the song in conjunction with how long you had been in the air, only to crank it back up to full volume when you land was superb. I still occasionaly get the theme from **RC Pro-Am** stuck in my head. Of course, there was also the old Atari XE game, **King of the Mountain** that had great music, but then again, it was taken from Greig, so that doesn’t quite count. I’ll also mention **Final Fantasy VIII** for not only the main theme, (Vithos), but for the songs playing during the boat landing, the parade, and the final castle. As for the horrific musical hall of fame, I nominate **Legend of the Dragoon** , specifically the Winglee area battle music. If anyone else knows which song I’m talking about, I’m so sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/27 "2004-04-16T21:22:10Z")
To this day the Mega Man normal background music plays in my head. When I was a kid my friend Rob’s brother made up words to the song, and we would all sit there singing this truly odd song while playing. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/28 "2004-04-17T03:00:34Z")
Let me be the first to mention **Chrono Trigger** , a popular favorite. Among other RPG music I like is the **Earthbound** series, including **Mother** (Earthbound 0), as well as the **Super Mario RPG** series, with **Paper Mario** and **Superstar Saga**. The music from the **Pokemon** games, especially the battle themes, are very underrated, I think, and are some of my favorites. Pretty much every Mario and Zelda game has memorable music. Rare games also have great music, ranging from the generally upbeat **Donkey Kong** and **Banjo-Kazooie** series to the more epic **Jet Force Gemini**. On a more obscure note, **Gradius III** for SNES had a great soundtrack. I better stop there, I could go on all day about game music. ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/29 "2004-04-17T03:31:07Z")
I’m a big **Silent Hill** fan, so I’ll nominate that series, especially the music from **Silent Hill 2**. Just hearing _Theme of Laura Reprise_ makes me tear up. And the “scare music” in all the games is excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/30 "2004-04-17T04:03:23Z")
Oh yes, **Silent Hill**. I still need to pick up SH3 (comes with a soundtrack CD!). But easily the best pieces have to be: The music from the Dog ending in SH2 The music from the UFO ending in SH3 (my roommate back in tech school had it) ---
**Author:** ![Pixiesnix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/31 "2004-04-17T05:37:15Z")
I have **SH3** , and the music on it is so-so, save for a few good songs. The song near the end of the CD, which uses the originial **SH** theme music, is awful beyond words. And yes, the music from the Dog ending. It’s happy and bouncy and yet creepy at the same time, and every time I hear it I see that dog licking James’ face. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/32 "2004-04-17T07:04:27Z")
> [@lno](#): > > Since no one has said **Betrayal At Krondor** I can only conclude that the bunch of you are punk kids with your newfangled video-toys like X-Station and PlayCube and GameBox. > > Rassin’ frassin’ kids, don’t respect their elders… _Betrayal_ had MUSIC? The best thing about the Amiga was its sound, and there were plenty of games with fantastic music. _Apidya_ and _Shadow of the Beast_ especially, as well as _Battlestorm_ on the Amiga CDTV (anyone remember _that_ pile of junk? The first home computer with a CD-ROM drive, basically). The music from _Lemmings_ wasn’t good, exactly, but it was definitely memorable. The main theme from _Lotus Turbo Challenge_ was really good too.(da nehnehnehnehnehneh na na na, nehnehnehnehneh na na nehnehneh…) The original _F-Zero_ had great music, as did _Super Metroid_. _Metroid Prime’s_ has the best atmospheric soundtrack I’ve ever heard. For my money, though, _Killer Instinct_ has to win the best game-music award just for its main theme _The Instinct_ (a sort of steel pipe banging on concrete beat with a sequence of guitar chords and an emphatic synth bit at the end of each bar). ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/33 "2004-04-17T18:51:44Z")
the psychotic music in **Alice**. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/34 "2004-04-17T19:25:28Z")
Wild ARMS, the first _decent_ Playstation game I ever played (the _first_ one was Bubsy 3D), had some great Western-style tunes. It’s been years since I’ve played it, but I can still hear Boomerang Flash’s boss theme (mainly because he kicked my ass so many times it was funny). How could I have forgotten Chrono Trigger? Great tunes across the board. Did the battle theme remind anyone else of the opening theme to the old Nickelodeon show _Mr. Wizard_? Incredible Crisis had some great tunes from the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Pity I was the only person to ever play it. ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/35 "2004-04-18T04:41:07Z")
> [@](#): > > ``` > I'm shocked...no one has mentioned GTA3 or GTA:VS. Don't quite know why, but I never seem to tire of hearing Too Young To Fall In Love when I'm driving around causing vehicular mayhem. <slight hijack>...or the talk stations.</sh> > > ``` Perhaps because (in Vice City at least) the songs were actually comercially produced, so it’s not exactly strictly video game music. But VCPR is realy good, and there are some good songs as well (One Thing Leads to another, Tempted, La Vida Es Una Lenteja, Video Killed the Radio Star, and Keep Feeling Satisfaction are some of my favorites) And I love the song Automatic (“I’m walkin’ blindfolded/completely automatic/all of my systems are down, down down down down”). ---
**Author:** ![Iacob\_Matthew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Iacob\_Matthew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iacob_Matthew)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/36 "2004-04-19T02:32:52Z")
Square’s always had music going for it. The Airship theme from FF6 is a classic, and I enjoyed quite a few others that my mother insisted were originally by Bach. _Secret of Mana_ and _Chrono Trigger_ has memorable music, also, SOM having made me sit in dungeons and listen for hours, when summed together. The whole _Soul Blazer_ trilogy had its moments, getting better with each game (SB, then _Illusion of Gaia_, and finally _Terranigma_). The original _Breath of Fire_ for the SNES had two of the most touching moments of plot, and the second field background music was my favorite BGM for years, having been introduced at the perfect spot and being amazing on its own. Sadly, it had almost nothing else going for it, though it was fun to play. The sequel had Twisted Bridge and the Dreamland music, both of which deserve a place in any VGM hall of fame. The arguable best music in any game, however, is from the absolutely painful to play _Lufia and the Fortress of Doom_. The first hour or so of the game is great, then only the music can hold you. The opening when you just turn the game on is amazing, the field music is amazing, the boss battles are amazing, the important dungeons are amazing… You get the idea. You just don’t get sick of it. Of course, my two lovechildren, _Brandish_ and _Popful Mail_ merely have music that you could only call “fitting.” I couldn’t say anything but the mine stage in _Popful_ is that great, but you’d be hard pressed to find anything that’s more right for the area than what they put in. ---
**Author:** ![Israfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/87869e/32.png) [@Israfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Israfel)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/37 "2004-04-19T02:59:14Z")
I’m one of the judges at the previously mentioned ocremix, so naturally I’m into game music, here are my picks: **Castlevania** - melodic classical fusions. A bit sugary, but fun stuff. Seems to be heavily influenced by euro-metal. **Silent Hill** - most game music (while enjoyable) is fairly shallow. But the SH soundtrack is a complex, mature, modern and thoroughly artful work. The uncompromising electronic textures have the feel of a somewhat minimalist expressionism. **Wordtris (SNES)** - melancholic new age. Good, but the game is pretty hard to find. **Shivers** - one of the more successful horror game soundtracks. Not as artful as Silent Hill, but well-done nonetheless. I generally believe that most game music pales in comparison to the music one can find elsewhere, but there are some gems. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/38 "2004-04-19T03:13:11Z")
Wow. **Shivers**. You mean that game by Sierra (Dynamix?) with those nasty elemental thingies? Came out about the same time as **Phantasmagoria**? Holy crap. I think about twelve people played that. Haven’t seen you around here. Nice to have someone here representing OCRemix. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/39 "2004-04-19T03:20:43Z")
Yeah they’re commercial songs, but I loved the soundtrack to **BMX XXX** how many games have N.E.R.D. on them? Also there was a fighting game for the old 3DO system that was all White Zombie. As for actual video game music, I’m a big fan of Old-school Zelda. ---
**Author:** ![Israfel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/87869e/32.png) [@Israfel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Israfel)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324/40 "2004-04-19T03:38:57Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > Wow. **Shivers**. You mean that game by Sierra (Dynamix?) with those nasty elemental thingies? Came out about the same time as **Phantasmagoria**? Holy crap. I think about twelve people played that. > > Haven’t seen you around here. Nice to have someone here representing OCRemix. Yep- that’s the one. I’m really fond of that game. Even did a remix of the [main theme](http://www.dovermusic.com/music/Remixes/Dover_-_CRJ_Draft1.mp3) But you’re right- it didn’t get much attention. Which is a shame given that it was much better than the much hyped Phantasmagoria. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-game-music-appreciation-thread-and-500th-post-dance-party/240324.md?page=3)