Funny, I'm working on an article about some of my favorite overall soundtracks right now.
I'll share when I finish it (which will likely be in a few days, as it's hard to write about music when you can't listen to it XD ).
In the meantime, here's two of my faves I wrote about a while ago:
Secret of Mana - From the stirring opening track to the catchy overworld themes to the dire dungeon scores…Secret of Mana is without a doubt one of my favorite overall soundtracks. No other game to me has had such a soaring musical score that fits every single place it’s used. The tunes bounce back and forth from light to dark, soft to heavy, happy to sad. When your hero gets kicked out of town, the depressing tune that follows rings as one of the saddest songs I’ve ever listened to. The overworld theme in the early goings is the definition of a perfect fantasy song. The town themes are catchy and usually jolly, while the dungeon themes are rich in gloom and despair. When you visit a castle, the music makes you feel like you’re rubbing elbows with nobility. Everywhere you go, music that fits the motif will bless your ears with their great melodies. There’s a few tunes I don’t like (mainly the boss fight music, but it get the job done.) And when only a few songs rub you the wrong way, that’s a powerful statement.
Skies of Arcadia - Skies of Arcadia is my favorite game of all time, and one major reason why is its incredible soundtrack. It manages to capture the motif of piracy in the skies extremely well, and even blends in a ton of other cultural instruments to help broaden the experience. From the wonderful Ixa’taka Village tune, with its pounding drums and chants, to Yafutoma’s mellow composition rich with various Asian string instruments, the game’s world FEELS multicultural, as it should. Also of note include the depressing Lower Valua track, perfect for the location’s slum atmosphere. It makes one feel pity and remorse for the poor residents who are stuck living there. Couple in a fantastic battle theme, which is one of the first cases that a RPG’s music changes as you do well in battle (or vice versa), appropriate dungeon themes, and a great overworld song that drips with a sense of discovery (it varies as you head to different areas of the map), and you have a fantastic score to a fantastic game.
I'm writing about Brawl, Contra, Ogre Battle 64 and Chrono Trigger next, but here's a briefly annotated list of some others:
Mega Man 3 - NES sync at its best, adore Protoman's theme, Snake Man/Shadow Man/Needle Man's themes
Beyond Good & Evil - Awesome music that travels the world, and has quirky French rap and reggae
Zelda: Twilight Princess - Haters be damned, I love this STK. Epic and touching tunes can be found here
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 - Perfectly suited for the game's setting...need to unRAR these things 8bit found for me
Super Mario 64 - Mario's tunes have never been better, particularly like Dire Dire Docks and Bowser's Theme here
Super Metroid - Best atmospheric music ever
Tales of Symphonia - Some of it is rather meh, but the great ones, like A Glint of Light, Dry Trail and Walking on Tethealla, make up for it
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - Yuko Koshiro and Michuru Yamane make a match in heaven, some of the best DS tunes I've yet heard
Okami - Incredible use of Japanese instruments that are delightful to hear
Castlevania - My other fave NES STK, Wicked Child is the shit
Metroid Prime - How to properly update an older game's STK
Dragon Quest VIII - As above, another excellent update to an older series' music, and some beautiful orchestra work
Zelda: Ocarina of Time - I'd be crazy not to include this; some of gaming's finest songs hail from here
Persona 4 - Best use of vocals in a game in multiple songs, easily; fits the mood and setting to a t
Ogre Battle 64 - Fantasy infused music that matches the gameplay
I'll flesh those out later, but you get an idea of why I like them, I hope.
I'll share when I finish it (which will likely be in a few days, as it's hard to write about music when you can't listen to it XD ).