Best Game Music

[Batman]

PS: Any reason you didn't want this in AMP, MoO?

For whatever reason, computer game music threads tend to go here. Either that or I'm hallucinating.
-IWD series
-BG series
-XOut
-Grand Monster Slam
-DSA trilogy
-Pirates
-Mechwarrior 2

And on second thought, as IIRC all the computer game music threads happend BEFORE AMP, I officially have no clue where this belongs.

[Faabio]

Hmm yes all the great ones been mentioned already. Tie-fighter, Mechwarrior2 and Phantasy star. I would add Homeworld. The best score in "modern games". But for alltime favorite would be ocean loader and the music from Last ninja 2. Those were the days of truly great and original gaming music.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Because it's about music from video/computer games.

Right, and music is the main point of discussion.

I figured I'd ask because there are a lot of people who forget that AMP is for music now too. Wasn't trying to be difficult.

Wasn't implying that you were.

I used to visit VGMusic quite a lot, but stopped after I discovered BIGmog.com (RIP) and OC Re-Mix. Plus I don't think Sarah likes MIDI format anymore. Although I don't really, either.

[thecreech]

Isn't this thread done like every other day. ANy way

The Panzar Dragoon Games have fantastic soundtracks that everyone should listen too. Best RPG music ever

Wipeout- With a mix of original and group music it really wants to make you race. I listen to it in my CD player all the time

Castlevania- All the games have memorible music. CV4 if updated could possibly have some of the greatest video game music ever


LightingForce 4- Old shooter game with awesome rock tracks. Not bad for a shitty Genisis sound chip.

Alien3 (SNES)- I don't know why but i loved that game and the music. Very moody

Halo- Gotta love the epic style of halo's music, gives it a movie type feeling.

There are tons of others but i will stop here

[Master of Ossus]

PS: Any reason you didn't want this in AMP, MoO?

I admit that threads like this one fit in something of a gray area, but the thread focuses solely on videogame music and hence belongs in G&C. If it was a thread on the graphics of videogames it would also go here as opposed to AMP (though user-made models appear there), and it's largely the same concept.

[Hamel]

Broads on 28, where do I start?

• Plok
• Air
• Einhander
• Raystorm
• Doom
• aaaaaaand I'll end this list with Legend of Mana

Definately, if you want to hear what the SNES is capable of, listen to Plok.

[Spacebeard]

This will be a long list, since I deeply appreciate good game music. It's also in no particular order.

Myst
Riven
Myth I and II
Myth III (only for Journey Cello and Grim Choral, the rest sucks)
Halo
Ultima VII
Uplink
Deus Ex (especially Lebedev, Area 51, and the ending credits)
Deus Ex 2 (especially Seattle, Trier, and the second trip to Cairo)
Thief 3 (especially the Seaside Mansion level)
Red Faction
Descent 1 (the CD audio from the Mac version, not the MIDI)
Descent 3 (only for the title theme, which is wonderful, the rest is dull)
Lineage

EDIT: Addition:

Uru and its expansions. The music for the unfinished fourth sphere in the Ahnonay age is wonderful.

[Damaramu]

Some of my faves are:

Beyond Good & Evil
Streets of Rage 2
Tekken Tag Tournament
Einhander
Star Fox


I'm sure I'm forgetting a few, heh....

[SpacedTeddyBear]

My favs:
Wing Commander ( 1-4).
Halo 1&2.
Descent Freespace 1&2.
Legend of Zelda.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

I'm going to come out of left field, here and do a few most of you probably haven't heard of:

Some of the best music I've heard in a game came from Wizardry 7: Crusaders of the Dark Savant (although they replaced it with crap when they re-released the title as Wizardry Gold).

Frontier 1 and 2 also had some great music, although it's all renditions of classical music so it probably doesn't count.

Snatcher for the Sega CD also featured some great music.

X-Com: UFO Defense took the cake on haunting, suspensful.

I could probably think of more given enough time.

[Exonerate]

Megaman X. Great action music.

[Sharpshooter]

Einhander

Damn, that reminds me - I've got to take a look on Half.com for that one.

Megaman X. Great action music.

The third installment really sort of jump-started the series' music, I tink - the others before it had quite agood number of tracks, but oftentimes felt a bit more passive and muffled, whereas X III was blazing full force.

That reminds me of another title: Mega Man Legends II. Sure, the plot near the end might get confusing as hell, but quite a lot of the music really struck me. Some were quite fitting, others simply excellently composed, and a few others (namely GLyde's theme) had that great-tasting cheesy, over-the-top flavor I aways sort of get a kick out of.

To finish this one off, I'll also nominate Grand Theft Auto Director's Cut: London 1969. It was a nice, good, all-around trackset that spent quite a few hours in my CD player - and who could forget (I think) Track 6?

[Nephtys]

Halo 1 and 2 - Orchestral! Lovely ambience too. Truth and Reconcilliation Suite quite memorable.

Total Annhiliation - Most impressive battle music /ever/
Various tracks from FF7, 8 and 10 - Love One Winged Angel, Aeris's Theme, Man with the Machine Gun, the FF8 opening theme, and Zanarkand theme

Freespace 2 - Most all of the music was lovely.

System Shock 1 - That was fantastic music back in the day.

Homeworld 1/2/Cata - All had perfect atmospheric tracks, varying from angelic to arabic.

Star Control 2 - Doesn't anyone remember how great those .mods sounded?

[Alan Bolte]

Don't forget about VGmix.com, it also does video game remixes and arrangements like OCremix.org, but it holds everything anyone releases, rather than only posting what's judged good enough. Big WIP section as well.

Just stuff I didn't see already listed:
Contra series
Gradius series
Earthbound
F-Zero (not sure about the sequels)
Metroid series (I'm a total whore for Metroid games, I really am)
Mega Man games before X are at least as good!
Ninja Gaiden 1&2
Sonic the Hedgehog series (at least the early ones)
I'd just like to reiterate here how almost all of the Super Mario music is wonderful.
Ultima series
Wizards and Warriors 1&2

[Lord Pounder]

The last time we did this thread i said Homeworld and nothing between then and now has changed. Every time i hear Adagio for Strings i have visions of a world burning and an infant fleet being pounded.

Smack Down Versus Raw for the PS2 has some damn good music on it too, it was this game that introduced me to Powerman 5000

[Powerofgreyskull]

Can't believe no one's mentioned Katamari Damacy...

[Darkdrium]

It's been mentioned time and time again in the past, but Chrono Cross' music will always have a special place in my heart. You know the game has a kickass soundtrack as it opens with Time's Scar. Dear god that music is beautiful.

Not to mention Orphan of Flames, The Girl who Stole the Stars, Those Seized with Life, and Marbule's theme interpreted by Nikki (Mikki?) are some of my favorites.

Damn, now I have to make a new game.

[Ace Pace]

Homeworld is still king, followed closely by Freespace 2.

Morrowind is also high, but NOT ENOUGH, NOT ENOUGH.

UT2K4 had nice music for an action game.

The main menu theme from GC, nice military march.

[Alferd Packer]

My top two: Secret of Mana and Doom.

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

My perennial favorites are always theme songs from Star Control 2, especially the anime -ish Yehat Theme, but the Hyperspace Theme also rocks.

I also love C&C Thang, Act on Instinct, Rain in the Night, and Just Do It from the original Command & Conquer.

From Red Alert 1, my favorite is Fogger. It's a good lovemaking song, by the way.

Stones from Ultima 6 and Ultima VII is also soothing. There's also a song in Ultima VII titled Falling in Love; romantic, but a little bit short.

But if there's a theme song I've never mentioned before but I really like it, it's the in-flight theme music from Jane's ATF/Jane's US Navy Fighter. Brilliant, although the transitions between different tunes (to reflect our situations) is not as smooth as Wing Commander.

[Oberleutnant]

Lots of good mentions here. Now this might sound like parroting Batman and Ossus...

Although mentioned here earlier, Baldur's Gate II and especially its expansion pack "Throne of Bhaal" boost a quality soundtrack. Latter was composed by a guy named Inon Zur. You can find examples of his work at his website www.inonzur.com

A track he made for Icewind Dale II
http://www.inonzur.com/audio/mp3/icewinddale2_01.mp3

It's very similar to some of the stuff in BGII: ToB.

So beautiful.

[Vanas]

Damnit, I forgot FreeSpace 2. Especially the Revelations. 'Like angels singing' one reviewer described it as.

As for Homeworld, the only music I remember from it is an awful piece from Cata and the nifty Arabian bit at the end of HW2

[charben]

Some of these have been mentioned but here are my picks...

KotoR I & II
MechWarrior II
all of the Medal of Honor series (including Mercenaries)
X-wing/TIE Fighter/XWA
Dark Forces/Jedi Knight/Jedi Outcast/Jedi Academy
Republic Commando
Baldur's Gate I & II
Icewind Dale

Here's a few obscure ones--

The Dig
Jurassic Park: Trespasser (awful game, great music)
Babylon 5: Into the Fire (cancelled game, some of Chris Franke's original tracks have been posted on the net)

And finally, EQ2. The deluxe version of the game comes with a soundtrack CD. A friend of mine who plays the game copied it for me. Full orchestral/synth score with some great themes and melodies. Quenos and The Commonlands both stand out.

[darthdavid]

Homeworld 1
Starcraft

[Nephtys]

I guess we can rule out DDR for this thread?