The Game Music Thread

[Deleted]

I figured a site like this would have to have a thread for this topic, but I looked through the first five pages of threads in General Chat (where I figured it'd be), and the only music thread was for download requests.

Personally, I have a lot of favorite game music. The soundtracks to Persona 4 and Sonic Generations have been on my mind, lately. One that's come up recently is something I consider to be rather obscure, but I played it a lot when it came out, and it had pretty good title music:



Unfortunately, the game after that didn't have very good music.

[Nester the Lark]

Great idea!

IMHO, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers has one of the best, most eclectic, and most overlooked soundtracks of this past generation.  Composed mainly by Hidenori Iwasaki and Ryo Yamazaki, it has an impressive amount of variety in it, and all of it is pretty excellent. Picking only one or two tracks does not do it justice.

But here's the title screen music, "The Sacred Haven."

[nocturnal YL]

To me, most winners would go to Super Famicom. There are Kirby Super Star and Fire Emblem 4 for more "traditional" game music, Sutte Hakkun has some more soothing ones, and all 3 Parodius games (that are avilable on SFC) have nice, wacky remixes of other music.

I could easily fill this post with YouTube music just from Super Famicom games.

F-ZERO - Silence [Top fav]
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Castle Theme
Super Mario Kart - Koopa Beach
Kirby Super Star - Candy Mountain
Kirby Super Star - Revenge of Meta Knight (later stages)
Kirby Super Star - Credits [Top fav]
Fire Emblem 4 - Girl of the Spirit Forest (Chapter 1 Player Phase)
Fire Emblem 4 - Disturbance of Agustria (Chapter 2 Player Phase) [Top fav]
Fire Emblem 4 - Light and Darkness (Chapter 10 Player Phase)
Fire Emblem 4 - Versus Alvis
Yoshi's Island - Castle Theme
Sutte Hakkun - Stage 2
Sutte Hakkun - Stage 6 [Top fav]
Sutte Hakkun - Stage 8
Super Bomberman 2 - Battle Theme 3 [Top fav]
Undake30 Same Game - Let's Play
Goof Troop - The Pirate Fortress
Parodius Da! - Labyrinth (Stage 3)
Gokujo Parodius - Athletics Cry for the Candies (Stqage 3)

I'll save the non-SFC ones for later.

[8bitretroshit]

I love me some VGM and I love me some VGM threads. Usually there's a few soundtracks I overlooked or plain didn't know of that'll end up on my VGM partition.

Like that FFCC:CB title music for instance. Never going to bother with that franchise after that shitstain NGC game, but that Title music is pretty damn neat. And I can't remember that RCT2 music even though I swear I played it before. Some of those customisable tunes were pretty relaxing. Also YL, those exact tunes were the reason I spent so much time hunting down the FE4 soundtrack, which was actually pretty hard a few years back.

Being a huge VGM nerd with a shitton soundtracks on my drive I could post a humongous wall of links nobody would bother with, so here's some C&C music. The Westwood C&C soundtracks are still my favourite when it comes to RTS games. Always was fond of 'Fogger', such a relaxing tune that becomes sorta sad at the half point.

And I think even non-C&C players recognise Hell March, but the original's Act On Instinct is pretty rad too. Though it's not really the same without REINFORCEMENTS HAVE ARRIVED affimativeaffimative UNIT LOST

[Wildcat]

I adore game music. It's something I listen to fairly constantly. Lately I've been charmed by the EarthBound soundtrack, as I've been playing through the game for the first time. I don't want to pick a particular song yet, as I've not finished it, but the overall soundtrack is quite quirky and mostly wonderful.

EDIT - I've revised the list a little to be more current.

TOP 10
Mega Man 3, Protoman’s Whistle Concert, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uikEuigprFE
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Midna’s Lament, www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7GWf3e_I3w
Chrono Trigger, Memories of Green, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr9-OcPLO3M
Beyond Good & Evil, Home Sweet Home, www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTdcJWDNsao
Castlevania, Wicked Child, www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7PFm7mrdVY
Red Dead Redemption, Far Away, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IkvAb6THQY
Okami, Shinshu Plains (1 and 2), www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yKG-Qu4WvM
Silent Hill 3, You’re Not Here, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz3ufaZCoVw
Secret of Mana, Into the Thick of It, www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3N9lrq-rks
Skies of Arcadia, Lower Valua, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlJxG1FmMOU

The Rest:
A Boy and his Blob (Wii), Forest, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC_u7bmVsSc
A Boy and his Blob (Wii), Plains, youtu.be/pfmiI9AttYc
Age of Empires III, A Hot Meal, youtu.be/jB1R5s3PVEM
Age of Mythology, Suture Self, youtu.be/KhvklZT0LMg
Age of Mythology, Chocolate Outline, www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBpz9S6I07g
Batman (NES), Stage 1/5, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlGDKfgz4fA
Batman (NES), Stage 3, youtu.be/zERK-4IgQAg
Beyond Good & Evil, Hillyan Suite, www.youtube.com/watch?v=p48dpXQixgk
Bionic Commando (NES), Area 1, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hl5UCCBCXI
Bionic Commando (NES), Area 2, www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIvcYCbWMfY
Blast Corps., Angel City, www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2eRyyj_NCo
Blaster Master, Level 1, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUnwRFMo6D0
Blaster Master, Level 2, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIjIUyXrBJg
Body Harvest, Outdoors (Violin), youtu.be/pC41_–XeqQ
Body Harvest, Indoors (piano), youtu.be/wURLANzjDLk
Breath of Fire, Deep Forest, youtu.be/1iCbSLFrqrU
California Games (NES), Flying Disc, youtu.be/5iYMN2FKkoY
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Jail of Jewel, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtRdjcXfXsc
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Dracula’s Castle, www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgF0uBjCds0
Cave Story, On to Grasstown, youtu.be/VlmOhXoKmoQ
Chrono Trigger, Wind Scene (Yearning of Wind), www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqZaFDA7PXY
Contra (NES), Level 3, www.youtube.com/watch?v=U58a-svZok8
Deus Ex, Hong Kong Streets 1, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzvw8uSWucM
Diablo, Tristram Village, www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8jJJXgNLo4
Dragon Quest IX, Heaven’s Prayer, www.youtube.com/watch?v=myjd1MnZx5Y
Dragon Quest VIII, Strange World, www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN9Up_0zuUs
Dragon Quest VIII, Heavenly Flight, www.youtube.com/watch?v=taVdFgxvhRg
Ducktales, Transylvania, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UuHesrJROw
EarthBound, Twoson, www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3rxfNjBGqQ
EarthBound, Fourside, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Am7OPTsSk
Final Fantasy, Temple of Fiends, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW56QbT0lrM
Final Fantasy VI, Terra’s Theme, youtu.be/W7RPY-oiDAQ
Fire Emblem (7 in series order), Wind Across the Plains, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFWOvIrBCgc
F-Zero GX, Captain Falcon’s Theme, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L0pW3Eol6k
Grandia II, Mirumu, youtu.be/ZG_oW5XH71Y
Heroes of Might and Magic IV, Swamp Lands, youtu.be/Cffc_s0eN5Q
Hotel Dusk: Room 215, The Last Sleep, youtu.be/BwdCg8Gqqfk
Jet Grind Radio, Magical Girl, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h9f939bW3c
Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Butter Building, www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfdJbaCfXjQ
Kirby’s Adventure, Ending, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OVKyjZs-nU
The Last Ninja, Stage 1, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiLvoMpLQFA
The Last Story, Toberumono (Title/Credits Theme), www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOJuMhtH9ZQ
The Last Story, Machi No Neiro (Lazulus City), www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lvzMahu9iY
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Forest Temple, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4o3EMdYaKw
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Spirit Temple, www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0PVz2pIEcw
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Kakariko Village, youtu.be/LdERRFGaUjY
Mario Kart 64, Credits, www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYwZT3CvpMw
Mega Man 2, Air Man, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FINefcN9pPc
Mega Man 3, Snake Man, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM-Fub7Oc_A
Mega Man 5, Wave Man, youtu.be/Nd2O6mbhCLU
Mega Man 6, Flame Man, youtu.be/qdWeTin2mho
Metroid, Ending, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQeUkUp4uRc
Metroid Prime, Phendrana Drifts (second version), www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbbUv1hz6mE
Metroid Prime, Tallon Overworld, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mziw3FQkZYg
Monster Tale, Ancient Ruins, youtu.be/iQ1D6UJW5Jg
M.U.L.E., Main Theme, youtu.be/VI2e-jwjhN4
Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Seifu Meigetsu A, www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUF1lkbvoUs
Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Bosyoku Souzen A, youtu.be/c9qBwD4bxO8
Ogre Battle 64, Premonition, youtu.be/Rel-IOyQTX0
Ogre Battle 64, The Sensational World, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSnlp1YAUJ0
Okami, Reset, youtu.be/zpuGNH75pUc
Perfect Dark, Chicago – Stealth, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJbwLjKhVGw
Persona 4, Your Affection, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ChrBp1pEGM
Persona 4, The Almighty, www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNVMKpk__HQ
Portal, Still Alive, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ljFaKRTrI
Power Blade, Level 4 – Tower, youtu.be/c-R6Zp3n608
Rayman Origins, Sea of Serendipity – Panic at the Port!, youtu.be/5UVPJxSmt54
Rayman Origins, Sea of Serendipity – Lums of the Water (“Glou Glou”), youtu.be/oNV2uakCtzs
Secret of Mana, A Wish, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLK8IrYrZxA
Shadow Hearts: From the New World, Dead Fingers Talk, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5clzlxOZQeU
Shadow Hearts: From the New World, Adios, youtu.be/-lkRjV7Zp-k
Silent Hill, Silent Hill, youtu.be/_EN-_1OGtUY
Silent Hill 2, Laura, youtu.be/6LB7LZZGpkw
Silent Hill 3, Breeze ~in monochrome light~, youtu.be/OneUwrYiGIw
Skies of Arcadia, Kingdom of Ixa’taka, www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F-hJjD3XAs
Sly 2: Band of Thieves, Dmitri’s Nightclub, youtu.be/RCX3tV7lSdk
Sonic CD, Sonic Boom, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJXKoubh9sQ
Super Ghouls and Ghosts, Ice Forest, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4URokdL-dfM
Super Mario 64, Koopa’s (Bowser’s) Road, youtu.be/0rygsWPCjNQ
Super Mario 64, Water Course Theme (Dire Dire Docks), www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqcPSbkS9TQ
Super Mario Galaxy, Gusty Garden Galaxy, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z2kxFCQ_mQ
Super Metroid, Maradia, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxobPQMNY_w
Super Metroid, Brinstar (Plant Overgrown), www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ULlqfeNLWY
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Bramble Blast, youtu.be/G3rnyqI7dFc
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Metroid Theme, youtu.be/3MRznLSFGFQ
Tales of Symphonia, Like a Glint of Light, www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFWadiZkA_8
Xenoblade Chronicles, Guar Plains, youtu.be/xweRl4LZlmo
Xenoblade Chronicles, Title Theme, youtu.be/nNR-wsFAfiU
Zoda’s Revenge: Startropics II, Dungeon Theme #2, www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF-30Dg9Xs4
Zoda’s Revenge: Startropics II, Dungeon Theme #6, youtu.be/22ATqffTkIk

[Deleted]

I also really like the soundtracks to DK64, SMW2: Yoshi's Island and Banjo-Kazooie. Alex Kidd's title music was none too shabby, either. I've always loved Sonic the Hedgehog music, and Sonic 3 stands out the most, for me. The series hit a musical dry spell after Sonic Heroes, but I started really enjoying it again around Sonic Unleashed, and they completely floored me with Sonic 4 and Generations.

I don't know how I managed to leave those older games out. I've been focusing on newer games lately, I guess.

[8bitretroshit]

That's one bigass list Wildcat but there's some good ones in there I never heard before. Thread succesful!

When it comes to ye olde console music, I find Konami, Capcom and especially Sunsoft have awesome music all around. As good as Sunsoft's NES music is, their SNES soundtracks are pretty dull in comparison unfortunately.

Also most of David Wise and Tim Follin's videogame tracks. David Wise ofcourse most famous for being the composer for DKC1 and 2 (and 3 GBA). And Tim Follin for... well, damn:


Dude's a damn chiptune wizard

[Deleted]

I changed the title of the thread to suit the topic a bit better. Just share music that you like when you feel like it!

I've had this on my mind lately. The stars don't twinkle, the moon doesn't shine...

[Nester the Lark]

Not to milk the Crystal Chronicles cow too much, but I really wanted to share these.

The opening and ending themes to the original FFCC, "Morning Sky" and "Moonless Starry Night" respectively, were sung in-game by Donna Burke, who also wrote the English lyrics. Well, she recently posted live performances of them on her YouTube channel.  A real treat for a fan like me!

"Morning Sky"


"Moonless Starry Night"


I always loved this one. It's so pretty, and a very poignant reward for finishing the game. Kinda reminds me of Annie Lennox's "Into the West" from The Return of the King.

[Shadrio]

Lately I've been having boss themes at the back of my head, with Weldar from Banjo-Tooie being the most prominent.

Loved this boss (and game, of course) as a kid.

Outside of that, I remember having a big list of VG music from back when I used to play hacked SSBB. I always tried to see what songs would work well in stages that had nothing to do with the song. The only one I can remember as of now is how well Dr. Stewart's Theme from F-Zero GX worked on Lylat Cruise. I wonder if I still have that list...

[Nester the Lark]

Been listening to a lot of Sonic music lately. That's another series that I think has generally great music, especially the earlier games. The later ones (Sonic Adventure and on) get kinda cheesy, but I tend to like that '80s-style rock.

Off the top of my head, here's some of my favorites from the series:

Ending medley - Sonic the Hedgehog
The catchy music from the original game (composed by Masato Nakamura of J-Pop group Dreams Come True) really defined the personality of the series as much as Sonic himself.

Ending medley - Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Dreams Come True made an equally awesome soundtrack for the sequel! Incidentally, they reused the ending theme for one of their own pop songs, "Sweet Sweet Sweet," available in both Japanese and English! Epic!

Ice Cap 1 - Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Let's get this straight: maybe Michael Jackson did compose music for Sonic 3, but almost certainly none of it ended up in the actual game. Still, it captures Jackson's style quite well nonetheless.

Lava Reef 1 - Sonic & Knuckles
And again with this "other half" of Sonic 3. Also check out the OC Remix of this track, "Lover Reef," for a cool vocal interpretation.

Azure Lake - Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Meanwhile, the music from the 2-player mode of Sonic 3 seems to recall the catchy style of the first two games. Also, check out "Sonik Azure." It's one of my favorite OC Remixes, and excellent music to chill out to!

Splash Hill 1 - Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
I think the music in Sonic 4 did a pretty good job of recapturing the simpler, poppy themes of the classic games. Some people complained that it didn't try to emulate the Genesis/Mega Drive's sound chip exactly, but I don't think it was meant to.

Puppet Panic 1 - Sonic 3D Blast (Genesis/Mega Drive version)
Most people will remember this as the music from Twinkle Park in Sonic Adventure, but it actually came from (the mostly forgettable) 3D Blast, and was probably the best music track in that game.

A Symbol of Thrill - Sonic Adventure
I'm not sure why this song is the first to come to mind when thinking of Sonic Adventure's soundtrack. I think it's the rockin' piano. In any case, I remember replaying Red Mountain a lot just because I liked the music!

Escape From the City - Sonic Adventure 2
Performed by Crush 40. Best Sonic vocal song? Quite possibly! The classic remix from Sonic Generations is pretty epic, too!

Tropical Resort 1 - Sonic Colors
Colors has a pretty good soundtrack, but not quite as distinctive to me. Still, Sonic usually start off with great music right in the very first level. I love the surf rock vibe in this one.

And as a bonus track, I'll post the OC Remix, "Unknown From M.C." The original Knuckles rap theme song from Sonic Adventure was pretty campy. José E. Felix not only managed to improved it, but made it pretty darn awesome!

[Deleted]

The way I see it, the campy nature of Sonic Adventure's music kind of gave the soundtrack its own charm. I agree that Sonic is a great series for music, and personally, I'd extend that to apply to most SEGA games since the Dreamcast, excluding some games during Sonic's quality rut. Jet Set Radio and Samba de Amigo stand out, and I also really loved the general zaniness of Billy Hatcher's music.

I'm not sure if Bayonetta applies as a true SEGA game, since it was developed by a third-party, but the music in that game really stuck with me, too. A very classy soundtrack, fitting for a game that's known for its odd mix of class and... well, the opposite. Riders of the Light and its rendition of Fly Me to the Moon are CATCHY.

[Nester the Lark]

As long as we're on Sonic music, I thought I'd post the other vocal song I kinda like: "It Doesn't Matter" from the original Sonic Adventure, also by Crush 40.



I checked out some of Crush 40's other music, and they have a pretty cool classic rock sound, like a mix between classic Bon Jovi and Hagar-era Van Halen. I'm tempted to think that's the Japanese influence (Crush 40 is a mixed Japanese-American band consisting of core members Jun Senoue and Johnny Gioli), as Japanese music seems to be more of a direct evolution of '80s music. On the other hand, I think the direction of American music was radically altered by the grunge movement of the early '90s.

Not that I'm really all that knowledgeable about music culture.

Jul 16, 2013 4:04:00 GMT -5 @michaelivan said:

The way I see it, the campy nature of Sonic Adventure's music kind of gave the soundtrack its own charm. I agree that Sonic is a great series for music, and personally, I'd extend that to apply to most SEGA games since the Dreamcast, excluding some games during Sonic's quality rut. Jet Set Radio and Samba de Amigo stand out, and I also really loved the general zaniness of Billy Hatcher's music.

I'm not sure if Bayonetta applies as a true SEGA game, since it was developed by a third-party, but the music in that game really stuck with me, too. A very classy soundtrack, fitting for a game that's known for its odd mix of class and... well, the opposite. Riders of the Light and its rendition of Fly Me to the Moon are CATCHY.

No reason not to consider Bayonetta a "true" Sega game. A lot of classic Sega franchises were created by external studios (Ecco the Dolphin, Toejam & Earl, Vectorman, Gunstar Heroes), and some are not even owned by Sega (Wonder Boy/Monster World, Thunder Force). I think it's just a case of people identifying the game more with the developer because of their distinctive style (as with Treasure and Gunstar Heroes).

I agree, though, that Sega games usually have pretty great music in general. Even going back to their '80s arcade titles, games like Outrun, Space Harrier, Fantasy Zone and Golden Axe all have very memorable soundtracks. Just listening to some of the official remixes reveals their true brilliance:

- "Magical Sound Shower" from Outrun 2
- "Wilderness" from the Sega Ages version of Golden Axe

[Nester the Lark]

I was recently thinking about David Wise returning to the Donkey Kong Country series to co-score Tropical Freeze, so I thought maybe I would look back at some of his music here.

One of his earlier scores that stands out for me is Battletoads from 1991. Here's the main theme from the NES version, but the simple pause beat is probably more known these days.

I really took note (no pun intended) of his music in 1994 when the original Donkey Kong Country came out. I even bought the DK Jamz soundtrack from Nintendo's club catalog! One of the things I love about Wise's music is that it's very layered. They start with a simple theme, but they keep piling on more melodies until they're dense and complex. It's really satisfying.

Here's the famous "Jungle Hijinx" from the original game. It's a surprisingly complex piece for a console game from this era. Wise mentioned in an interview not long ago that originally it was literally three separate songs that he composed as potential level themes, and one of the Stamper brothers simply asked him to stitch them together.

The soundtrack to DKC2 is one of my all-time favorites, and it was composed entirely by Wise. (He worked with other composers for the other games, except for, I think, the GBA version of DKC3.) "Stickerbrush Symphony" is probably the most famous piece from this game. Even Wise, himself, once said he thought this was the pinnacle of what he could achieve with the SNES's sound chip.

Also, I still think the beginning of "Bayou Boogie" is an homage to Phil Collins.

One of the interesting things about the soundtracks to the original DKC trilogy is that there are very few remixes. Each game had almost entirely original music, and the few times it did bring back old themes, it usually did something distinctly different with them. Compare Cranky's theme from the original DKC with the one from DKC2, or even more radically, "Gang-plank Galleon" with "Rattle Battle".

Beyond DKC, I also really enjoyed his soundtrack to Star Fox Adventures. "Thorntail Hollow Night" is one piece that particularly stuck with me.  It's very beautiful and moody, and it carries emotion with it in a way that a lot of Wise's music does.  In fact, his music sometimes adds unexpected emotion to games that you wouldn't necessarily think would even have much emotion.  Especially with the DKC games.

So anyway, that's my rambling about David Wise.  Just felt like talking about him, I guess.

[8bitretroshit]

Oh man, I forgot we had this thread...

David Wise was also responsible for the Battletoads Arcade soundtrack, right? Seems to be completely different from the console versions. That stage 1 music is boss.

I think music from DKC (1 and 2) still holds up to modern videogame tracks. Partly because of the instruments. With most SNES OSTs it's pretty easy to tell you're dealing with a SNES audio chip. Hell, I'd say DKC's instrumentals are better than a good deal of the midi music N64 games churned out.

And I never got far with Starfox Adventures. At all. I tried when I borrowed the game from a friend, but the whole Zelda adventure style genre just doesn't appeal to me. I did get to Thorntail Hollow though and dayumn. Long hours spent searching for the soundtrack on the 2003 internet. Downloading OSTs sure was a bitch back then. The best I got was a shitty mic recording through Kazaa of all things, but damnit I cherished it