Video Game Music: What do you like?

I don’t think a thread about this subject has ever been done in this forum. I did a search and there was one in Cafe Society that died last December, so rather than zombify that one, I figured I’d start one here.

So as the title says, what songs/soundtracks/styles have you enjoyed in the VG’s you’ve played?

One of my favorite songs is “Seeking Power” from Final Fantasy XII. It’s the theme music to the Paramina Rift stage (and makes a brief cameo during the last meeting Ashe has with Al Cid where it is decided that Rozarria will aid the resistance against Archadia). The haunting piano melody fits very well with the overall desolation of the Paramina Rift (pretty much nothing but snow–and enemies–as far as the eye can see) and the countermelody initiated by the French Horns and later taken over by the Oboe provides a wonderful counterpoint.

The song is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQghaLIt_sU

I also really like the Metal Gear Solid 2 Theme (which makes a cameo in the end credits of MGS: 3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHYh02uCCJo

Funny this topic comes up, as I got a couple VG earworms bad enough that I had to dig out the games and play them again. The first was Actraiser (had to dl a SNES emulator and find my cruddy USB controller to play though).

The second was a classic PSX GunCon game called Elemental Gearbolt. All the music is orchestral with a choir, very grand stuff. It was a pleasure to dust off my (sweet sweet) matte black Japanese GunCon and start blowing up baddies in that one. Here are some examples of the music. Anyone interested in light gun games should track down a copy. I wouldn’t suggest playing it without a GunCon and a CRT television; it would be like eating a scrumptious feast without a tongue.

Man, I could go on for ages, from Sonic to Zelda. I’ll just go with recently, the No More Heroes 2 soundtrack was mediocre except for Philistine (you cannot UNHEAR it and you will never hear anything else again) and to a very slightly lesser degree [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbdgJC9H8pA]It’s Kill Or Be Killed, the main theme.

I was just thinking of starting a thread like this. I think my favorite gaming soundtrack is Mega Man X, the standout from a series full of great music. The opening highway stage song and every robot master’s stage theme are absolute classics (except Sting Chameleon, that one never stuck with me for some reason), and my favorite videogame song of all time is the end credits (starts at 2:04 here)

I think Dragon Quest 8 has my favorite video game music. I’m particularly fond of this piece.

And from Dark Cloud, I love the music that plays when you’re in the town of Queens.

And, of course, the Final Fantasy 2 prelude.

I love Chiptunes. Let me just say that.

http://blibbblobb.blogspot.com/

has a couple podcasts that does covers and original music, from C64 Amiga and Game boy hardware.

I really do believe that as the Nintendo generation grows up, Chip Tunes will become a genre in its own right.

Not really what Hoopy Wanted [[I swear we need to map out everything we have in common]] but I feel it belongs here.

I love Sonic music.

Two games have tracks I like:

http://allthegames.net/tetris_miniclip.html

Which, has a weird Tetris piece in it. I will let you guys find it on your own. [The music changes per level. I like the later music.]

And

Cold Storage

http://www.miniclip.com/games/cold-storage/en/

Same here, the music changes later.

This in general is video game music I like.

None of them. They’re all flavors of “meh” for me, although some do stand out more than others.

For example, I don’t have to click on the Final Fantasy Prelude link a few posts up, because I’ve heard this music so many times.
Meeko, that first song in that Tetris game is so bad, I didn’t even finish the first level to get to the other stuff. That’s really super crappy.

My first love is and always will be Mega Man 2. As soon as I discovered I could use MP3s for ringtones on my new phone last month, I made mine the intro screen music (specifically starting at 0:45).

You can’t go wrong with the battletoads pause music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhl9pJB-2Ak

No love for Portals Still Alive?

I guess I’d say that Okami and Chrono Cross have the best music.

  1. Waka’s Theme from Okami

  2. Thank you from Okami

  3. Chrono Cross Intro(wait a bit for this one to pick up, but it’s great)

  4. Terra’s Theme(overworld) from FF6 is amazing as well.

  5. Also, Boundless Ocean from FF3(nes) is amazing.

Yeah I like that.

I normally don’t go for “songs” in video games. I like atmospheric background music which isn’t really very ear-wormy.

Age of Empires (all of them) had great music. I also like the intro theme from Civilization Colonization(even though I hate the game itself). I hate to say this,for fear of flaming, but I love the music in the original Sims game. Sims 2 and 3 had decent music,but for some reason the shopping music in the original sims just made me happy. Please bring it back EA,because the original sims and Windows 7 don’t play well together.

The song in this trailer for Mirror’s Edge suits the game beautifully. The singer’s voice just wraps around and through you.

The only game whose music I can honestly remember as distinct from the game-playing experience is Star Control 2.

Well, okay, and Still Alive, but I’ve never actually played Portal so I don’t know if that should count.

I always enjoyed the music from “Space Harrier.”

Oh, yeah, and the Peter Gunn music in “Spy Hunter”.

I liked this version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mg6wrYCT9Q (same music, different video)

I used to like Rob Hubbard’s work for the C64, but after a while, the cheesy SID chip sound got grating, especially in headphones.

I still have a soft spot for M.U.L.E. by Roy Glover.

I always liked the music on the 2nd level of Double Dragon II (Starts at 1:57ish and ends around 2:50).

Pretty much the entire soundtrack on Halo 1 & 2. Halo 3 had a great “Final chase scene” song, but overall lacked the traditional “Halo guitar/symphony” track throughout the game like it’s predecessors.

Fires of Liberation from Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation is awesome. It really kicks into gear at the 2:00 mark.

Though not in-game music, I thought the trailer for *Gears of War *used Mad World brilliantly, and the extended version made by a fan was pretty cool too.