nonamesleft
* 6-May-2023(#1)
I've listened to plenty of video game music. Some great, some not so great.
You can have a great game with great music, and that's fantastic.
You can have a not great game, but with great music.
You can have a great game, but a mediocre soundtrack.
And you can have a bad game with a bad soundtrack
(best to stay away from those)
I think Chrono Trigger is a solid game with a great soundtrack.
The Mario & Luigi RPG series are games I enjoyed, all having music I liked too.
Phoenix Wright, fun games, solid tunes.
Undertale was a great game with a great soundtrack.
Those are just a couple.
When a game is good and also has good music, that really enhances the gameplay experience.
What's a game you think is worth playing to experience the music?
Rollobobo
6-May-2023(#3)I can echo Sayonara Wild Hearts. I liked the game and music so much I immediately downloaded the soundtrack. Great experience throughout
SupremeSarna
7-May-2023(#4)Best original soundtrack in gaming goes to Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, IMO. Some other strong recommendations are Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Rhythm Heaven Fever, Cuphead, and Donkey Kong Country 2. These have phenomenal tunes--can't recommend them enough. They're also great games, so you won't be disappointed.
SwiftJAB
7-May-2023(#6)Some games I've really enjoyed the music in:
Halo Combat Evolved
Tetris Effect
Final Fantasy VI & VII
Bastion
Chrono Tigger
Journey
The following contain some memorable songs that just make the game more fun:
SSX Tricky
Burnout Paradise
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Sid_Ceaser
7-May-2023(#7)Wipeout XL
Elemental Gearbolt
Einhander
Parappa the Rappa
Locoroco
First ones off the top of my head
nonamesleft
7-May-2023(#8)Rollobobo wrote:> I can echo Sayonara Wild Hearts. I liked the game and music so much I immediately
> downloaded the soundtrack. Great experience throughout
Heavyd814life wrote:> Nier Automata
>
> EDIT: Honestly there are quite a few, but when I think of games where the soundtrack
> really enhances the experience, Automata is the first game that comes to mind. Tetris
> Effect and Sayonara Wild Hearts are the other two that immediately come to mind.
>
>
>
I've listened to the Sayonara Wild Hearts track. I think it was actually recommended to me on here in the past. I don't know at all what the game is like.
How would you rate the soundtrack on its own, if you didn't play the game?
A soundtrack can enhance a game, especially when certain tracks are tailored to certain scenes/stages. But listening to game music with the gameplay can be different.
nonamesleft
* 7-May-2023(#9)Both of you @SwiftJAB @Heavyd814life mentioned Tetris Effect. Would you say the music on its own is great, or more so when combined with the gameplay?
I'll have to give that one a listen.
mcorrado
7-May-2023(#10)Mega man 2 is still one of the best soundtracks IMO. Even some of the remixes that you can find on YouTube are great.
nonamesleft
7-May-2023(#11)@SupremeSarna I'm not surprised to hear a Donkey Kong game being said to have a great soundtrack. The Donkey Kong series has some really great and memorable music.
The Kirby series too, though I didn't hear the Rainbow Curse soundtrack.
SupremeSarna
7-May-2023(#12)nonamesleft wrote:> @SupremeSarna I'm not surprised to hear a Donkey Kong game being said to have a great
> soundtrack. The Donkey Kong series has some really great and memorable music.
>
> The Kirby series too, though I didn't hear the Rainbow Curse soundtrack.
Rainbow Curse is a lesser-known one for a lot of reasons. But everyone who hears the OST agrees it’s fantastic. Fun fact: It was the first Kirby game to use human voices for some of its tunes (the choral ending to the unlockable song, “C-R-O-W-N-E-D,” is sublime). It also uses music from the Japanese version of the Kirby anime in some stages, which is rare for the series.
Alaisiagae
7-May-2023(#14)Okami
Morrowind main song is imprinted on my memory
I liked some of the God of War 2 music. Not the sort of thing I'd listen to if I wasn't playing the game. Meaning, the music really fits into the game and taking it out of context (not having the setting, story, and visuals) feels like it lessens the impact of the soundtracks.
Rayman Origins has a fun soundtrack
nonamesleft
7-May-2023(#17)Boss wrote:> DKC 2
Oh yeah, DKC has some really great tunes.
nonamesleft
7-May-2023(#18)Alaisiagae wrote:> Okami
> Morrowind main song is imprinted on my memory
> I liked some of the God of War 2 music. Not the sort of thing I'd listen to if I
> wasn't playing the game. Meaning, the music really fits into the game and taking
> it out of context (not having the setting, story, and visuals) feels like it lessens
> the impact of the soundtracks.
> Rayman Origins has a fun soundtrack
>
>
I've been meaning to play Okami for ages. Maybe after Tears of the Kingdom. Though I'm not sure if I'd rather play the original
version with motion controls or the
version.
nonamesleft
7-May-2023(#19)BucketofJustice wrote:> I’d pick a game not yet mentioned: Street Fighter II and its’ many iterations. Every
> stage/fighter has their own, memorable song. It’s a great soundtrack.
>
Spotify has actually played me numerous street fighter tracks, and I noticed that they were named after characters.
> Cheater picks would be Guitar Hero/Rock Band and other ‘real music’ games.
nonamesleft
7-May-2023(#21)Slickriven wrote:> Guardians of the Galaxy was great, if you like 80s music.
>
>
I want to play that one. There's no way my PC can run it. Hopefully it will get ported to the switch sometime. Or maybe I'll eventually get a PC upgrade.
SupremeSarna
7-May-2023(#22)Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. That game hits you with a fantastic metal song as soon as you reach the cursed island's shore, and the rest of the OST is brilliant, too.
Oduomega
7-May-2023(#23)Legend of Dragoon, hands down. I listen to it every night as I sleep, lol.
Simon_Belmont
7-May-2023(#26)FTL
Ben Prunty has composed one of the greatest, most epic ambient electronic chillwave score ever.
His score for INTO THE BREACH is great too, but FTL is a MUST.
SupremeSarna
7-May-2023(#28)The best part of Wario Land: Shake It! is its unfittingly-good soundtrack. Kirby’s Epic Yarn has an emotional OST by the same composer, so play that one, too.
nonamesleft
* 7-May-2023(#29)HEHEHATE wrote:> wow can't believe i forgot about pizza tower. such a banger when i first heard it.
>
>
>
Hey that's pretty great. Listening now. It kind of has Wario Land vibes. Something about it reminds me of the Wario Land series.
Would be even better if I could experience the music while playing the game. Seems it's only on PC for now though.
incubus421
* 8-May-2023(#31)There are really two discussions here I think. There are gaming soundtracks that handpick already released songs for their soundtrack. In this case games like Tony How Pro Skater (especially 3), Grand Theft Auto (Vice City, San Andreas, V), and my favorite...
imageIf we're talking about games that composed their own soundtracks, than most Squaresoft games make my list (Chrono, Mario RPG, FF), but my all-time favorites are:
Legend of Mana
Castlevania Symphony of the Night
and an honorable mention is:
Heroes of Might & Magic II -- the orchestrated opera tunes in each town are amazing and really capture the aesthetic of each one.
chyans6
8-May-2023(#32)I think a game that just does everything right, plus has a killer soundtrack is Nier Automata.
A game that is flawed, and maybe most worth playing for the soundtrack imo is Legend of Mana. I find the gameplay and story pretty mediocre, but the visuals and music are stunning and really immerse you in the experience.
Mega Man X6 is another good example. Horrible game, fantastic soundtrack.
nonamesleft
8-May-2023(#34)sailorneorune wrote:> Daytona USA
> OutRun
> Super Mario Galaxy
> Phantasy Star IV
> Beyond Oasis
> Streets of Rage 2
> Mega Man X
> Super Metroid
> Life Force/Salamander
> Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
> Kirby Super Star
> Katamari Damacy
>
>
Never heard of Life Force/Salamander.
nonamesleft
* 8-May-2023(#35)Scott wrote:> Secret of Mana
> Donkey Kong Country 1-3
> Final Fantasy IV + VI
> Chrono Trigger
> Halo (all)
> Blaster Master
> Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2
> Super Mario 3D World
> Super Mario Odyssey
> The Messenger
> Metroid: Samus Returns
>
Many solid tunes there! Nice. I think it was you in fact that recommended to me the DKC soundtracks awhile back. Great tracks. I'm not the biggest fan of the DK games, they just don't do it for me for some reason, I lost interest pretty quickly when I play them, but the soundtracks are great.
That's an example of a game which, for me, is okay, but excellent music.
Chrono: great game + great soundtrack.
Mario 3D World which I played multiplayer had great tunes and was fun.
Samus Returns? Hmmmm. I didn't play that one.
@Scott Which one of those game above did you enjoy the most when combining the game + soundtrack?
Simon_Belmont
8-May-2023(#36)nonamesleft wrote:> sailorneorune wrote:
>> Daytona USA
>> OutRun
>> Super Mario Galaxy
>> Phantasy Star IV
>> Beyond Oasis
>> Streets of Rage 2
>> Mega Man X
>> Super Metroid
>> Life Force/Salamander
>> Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
>> Kirby Super Star
>> Katamari Damacy
>>
>>
> Never heard of Life Force/Salamander.
It's part of the Gradius series. Fantastic space shooter, bullet hell.
Simon_Belmont
8-May-2023(#37)Did we talk about Thunder Force series? AMAZING original score. Im not huge on bullet hell games but I played the fudge out of 2,3 and 4 on Genesis. The intro for 2 is nuts.
nonamesleft
8-May-2023(#38)Simon_Belmont wrote:> nonamesleft wrote:
>> sailorneorune wrote:
> |>> Daytona USA
> |>> OutRun
> |>> Super Mario Galaxy
> |>> Phantasy Star IV
> |>> Beyond Oasis
> |>> Streets of Rage 2
> |>> Mega Man X
> |>> Super Metroid
> |>> Life Force/Salamander
> |>> Kirby’s Return to Dream Land
> |>> Kirby Super Star
> |>> Katamari Damacy
> |>>
> |>>
>> Never heard of Life Force/Salamander.
>
> It's part of the Gradius series. Fantastic space shooter, bullet hell.
Gradius 3 was fun. I remember finding a secret shortcut by accident. Decent tunes too. Where in the series is Life Force/Salamander?
Simon_Belmont
8-May-2023(#39)So Salamander/Life Force is a direct sequel to Gradius /Nemesis. It has 2 player co op and horizontal AND vertical stages. They simplify the power up system.
I don't know how it fits in the series timeline wise. You're still playing as Vic Viper from Gradius. The 2nd player has some rediculous Japanese name like "Capt British" or something like that.
I've only played Life Force, I've never played Salamander. I gotta add that to my MAME downloads.
Rollobobo
8-May-2023(#40)nonamesleft wrote:> Rollobobo wrote:
>> I can echo Sayonara Wild Hearts. I liked the game and music so much I immediately
>> downloaded the soundtrack. Great experience throughout
>
> Heavyd814life wrote:
>> Nier Automata
>>
>> EDIT: Honestly there are quite a few, but when I think of games where the soundtrack
>> really enhances the experience, Automata is the first game that comes to mind.
> Tetris
>> Effect and Sayonara Wild Hearts are the other two that immediately come to mind.
>>
>>
>>
>
> I've listened to the Sayonara Wild Hearts track. I think it was actually recommended
> to me on here in the past. I don't know at all what the game is like.
>
> How would you rate the soundtrack on its own, if you didn't play the game?
>
> A soundtrack can enhance a game, especially when certain tracks are tailored to certain
> scenes/stages. But listening to game music with the gameplay can be different.
I think the soundtrack for sayonara wild hearts really fits well with the game. The soundtrack can stand alone by itself, but what I think really brings it together is the gameplay along with it. The game almost plays like a pop/synthwave album... Maybe even an art piece. It's definitely worth tracking down and playing. I'm pretty sure it goes on sale digitally around the 6 to $8 price too. I've gone back to it a few times.
Fun fact, Queen Latifah is the narrator to the game. Didn't realize that till later on.
ErickRPG
* 9-May-2023(#41)Chrono Trigger, Lunar Silver Star Story Complete, Lufia, 7th Saga, Shadownrun, Earthbound, Final Fantasy 6, Banjo Kazooie, Snowboard Kids, Mystical Ninja N64, River City Ransom NES, Rythm Heaven DS, Dragon Quest 8, Shadow Hearts Covenant, Breath of Fire, Suikoden, Parapa the Rapper, Wild Arms, Persona 1 and 2 PSOne, Shining Force, . There's plenty more but those are the ones that pop out at me.
Oduomega
9-May-2023(#42)ErickRPG wrote:> Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
Recently picked this up!
ErickRPG
9-May-2023(#43)Oduomega wrote:> ErickRPG wrote:
>> Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
> Recently picked this up!
Nice, it's got some great music. But some especially touching and moving scenes heightened by music.
Oduomega
9-May-2023(#44)ErickRPG wrote:> Oduomega wrote:
>> ErickRPG wrote:
> |>> Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
>> Recently picked this up!
>
> Nice, it's got some great music. But some especially touching and moving scenes
> heightened by music.
>
As much anime as I watch, I tend to notice stuff from around this era having a fair bit of lipsyncing issues, lol. Can't help but pay attention to it, I guess.
SupremeSarna
* 9-May-2023(#45)Of the Zelda games, I find myself listening to the A Link Between Worlds OST the most. It’s grand and playful at the same time. You can’t go wrong with Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask’s tunes, either.
SupremeSarna
9-May-2023(#46)ErickRPG wrote:> Chrono Trigger, Lunar Silver Star Story Complete, Lufia, 7th Saga, Shadownrun, Earthbound,
> Final Fantasy 6, Banjo Kazooie, Snowboard Kids, Mystical Ninja N64, River City Ransom
> NES, Rythm Heaven DS, Dragon Quest 8, Shadow Hearts Covenant, Breath of Fire, Suikoden,
> Parapa the Rapper, Wild Arms, Persona 1 and 2 PSOne, Shining Force, . There's plenty
> more but those are the ones that pop out at me.
>
>
Banjo-Tooie, too. I can whistle Isle o’ Hags forever, and the various themes are awesome as well.
Simon_Belmont
9-May-2023(#47)I know someone mentioned Symphony of the Night, but Castlevania 1, 2, 3, Bloodlines and Aria of Sorrow are musical masterpieces.
nonamesleft
9-May-2023(#48)Simon_Belmont wrote:> I know someone mentioned Symphony of the Night, but Castlevania 1, 2, 3, Bloodlines
> and Aria of Sorrow are musical masterpieces.
Listening to Aria of Sorrow currently.
Dawn of Sorrow had some good tracks too. Played that one awhile back.
nonamesleft
9-May-2023(#49)ErickRPG wrote:> Chrono Trigger, Lunar Silver Star Story Complete, Lufia, 7th Saga, Shadownrun, Earthbound,
> Final Fantasy 6, Banjo Kazooie, Snowboard Kids, Mystical Ninja N64, River City Ransom
> NES, Rythm Heaven DS, Dragon Quest 8, Shadow Hearts Covenant, Breath of Fire, Suikoden,
> Parapa the Rapper, Wild Arms, Persona 1 and 2 PSOne, Shining Force, . There's plenty
> more but those are the ones that pop out at me.
>
>
Wild Arms has a great soundtrack. I've heard it multiple times. But I haven't played the game. I wonder what the music experience would be like if I played the game.
ChronoLe
9-May-2023(#50)I'm not very good at the game, but Radiant Silvergun and its spiritual successor Ikaruga I felt like had great tunes.
Alaisiagae
9-May-2023(#51)nonamesleft wrote: > I've been meaning to play Okami for ages. Maybe after Tears of the Kingdom. Though
> I'm not sure if I'd rather play the original
version with motion controls or
> the
version.
I played the original on the PS2 and Okami HD on the PS3. From what I recall hearing, the motion controls on the Wii version were dodgy. It's perfectly playable with the analog sticks. The motion controls are likely only used for the brush painting - I didn't find it difficult to make the desired brush strokes with analog sticks. I would tentatively suggest going for the Switch version, so you can get the higher framerate and higher-res graphics.
nonamesleft
9-May-2023(#52)Alaisiagae wrote:> nonamesleft wrote:
>> I've been meaning to play Okami for ages. Maybe after Tears of the Kingdom. Though
>> I'm not sure if I'd rather play the original
version with motion controls
> or
>> the
version.
> I played the original on the PS2 and Okami HD on the PS3. From what I recall hearing,
> the motion controls on the Wii version were dodgy. It's perfectly playable with the
> analog sticks. The motion controls are likely only used for the brush painting -
> I didn't find it difficult to make the desired brush strokes with analog sticks.
> I would tentatively suggest going for the Switch version, so you can get the higher
> framerate and higher-res graphics.
>
>
Thanks for the feedback. Then I'll go the
route. Adding Okami to the to-play list. Maybe after Tears of the Kingdom.
What about the soundtrack did you like?
nonamesleft
9-May-2023(#54)brian9824 wrote:> Persona 3-5
>
Listening to the instrumental version. An easy listen 🎶🎶🎶
I haven't played any of the games in the series, but have heard a lot of the music. Persona 5 has a very long soundtrack, hours.
SupremeSarna
9-May-2023(#55)Wild Guns Reloaded has a brilliant soundtrack. I'd say the original Wild Guns also, but the best track ("Underground") is exclusively in the Reloaded remake.
SupremeSarna
9-May-2023(#57)How could I forget Kirby 64? Every track in that short list is a gem.
nonamesleft
* 9-May-2023(#58)DrizzDrizzDrizz wrote:> Lotta great ones already mentioned, id add Parasite Eve and Astrobot PSVR, loved
> the music in those games
>
> But worth playing regardless
I heard great things about Astrobot. Would like to experience the soundtrack with the game, but I don't have a way to play it. Guess I'll just have to settle for just the soundtrack.
nonamesleft
9-May-2023(#59)SupremeSarna wrote:> How could I forget Kirby 64? Every track in that short list is a gem.
>
>
Kirby 64. Good game. Good tunes.
willyum
9-May-2023(#60)Heavyd814life wrote:> Nier Automata
>
> EDIT: Honestly there are quite a few, but when I think of games where the soundtrack
> really enhances the experience, Automata is the first game that comes to mind. Tetris
> Effect and Sayonara Wild Hearts are the other two that immediately come to mind.
>
>
>
Nier Automata for sure had an amazing soundtrack.
Renaissance2K
9-May-2023(#61)I'm a big champion of the scores from the Singletrac games for the original PlayStation. Literally everything game soundtrack before Rogue Trip is high energy, cinematic, and as close to a real band/orchestra as you can get with a synthesizer. Some great examples are
Desert Zone from Warhawk,
The Mediterranean from Critical Depth, and
Antarctica from Twisted Metal 2.
Alaisiagae
10-May-2023(#62)nonamesleft wrote:> Thanks for the feedback. Then I'll go the
route. Adding Okami to the to-play
> list. Maybe after Tears of the Kingdom.
>
> What about the soundtrack did you like?
I like that the soundtrack included the songs in the order you'd encounter them in the game, so I kind of get to replay it in my head when I listen to it. The multi-disc soundtrack also includes music from pre-release promotional stuff (like at a game demo at an expo/convention), and all the brief music associated with in-game actions - they're sorta like musical sound effects. I thought that was a nice bonus. So, the soundtrack is the whole enchilada, they left nothing out and included tons of content, from the region background music tracks to boss music (boss intro and boss battle music) to those sound effects.
egg
12-May-2023(#63)How did I not notice this thread until now. Or maybe I did?
Sonic Racing Transformed sound design is legendary and needs to be experienced for that reason alone. The way the menu and loading screen themes seamlessly transition to and from in game music and the way music from all these games across decades and genres are mixed in a way that makes it feel like they come from a single album.
Also:
Ridge Racer Unbounded
Ace Combat Joint Assault
Magic 2014
Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun
Also, Need for Speed Shift 2 Unleashed's menu music goes really hard for some reason!
Oduomega
12-May-2023(#64)egg wrote:> How did I not notice this thread until now. Or maybe I did?
>
> Sonic Racing Transformed sound design is legendary and needs to be experienced for
> that reason alone. The way the menu and loading screen themes seamlessly transition
> to and from in game music and the way music from all these games across decades and
> genres are mixed in a way that makes it feel like they come from a single album.
>
> Also:
> Ridge Racer Unbounded
> Ace Combat Joint Assault
> Magic 2014
> Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun
>
> Also, Need for Speed Shift 2 Unleashed's menu music goes really hard for some reason!
Tiberian Sun is a good game, especially if you have the expansion for it.
SupremeSarna
12-May-2023(#65)The LEGO Star Wars games contain the movies' soundtracks, and those are masterpiece John Williams symphonies (and Kevin Kiner's awesome tunes in LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars). If you'd prefer they sound more game-y, the Super Star Wars games convert them to 16-bit. They still sound excellent in those mixes, too!
SupremeSarna
16-May-2023(#66)Sid_Ceaser wrote:> Locoroco
Now that I've beaten it, yeah, I'm in agreement. Super upbeat and strange!
Foxhack
17-May-2023(#67)I'm cheating since I technically worked on this game, but...
El Tango de la muerte.
A good chunk of the soundtrack comes from
Santos Impostores by Yira.
Also, Night in the Woods' soundtrack. I'm kind of shocked no one has mentioned it yet.
nonamesleft
17-May-2023(#68)Foxhack wrote:>">El Tango de la muerte.
>
>" target="_blank">Santos Impostores by Yira.
>
> Also, Night in the Woods' soundtrack. I'm kind of shocked no one has mentioned it
> yet.
What about the game did you work on?
nonamesleft
17-May-2023(#70)EclipseLion wrote:> Perfect driving music:
>
>
>
>
Definitely good music for driving. Nice.
Foxhack
17-May-2023(#71)nonamesleft wrote:> Foxhack wrote:
>> (secure)" rel="nofollow">El Tango de la muerte.
>>
>> (secure)" target="_blank">Santos Impostores by Yira.
>>
>> Also, Night in the Woods' soundtrack. I'm kind of shocked no one has mentioned
> it
>> yet.
> What about the game did you work on?
It's a story about two young Argentinian kids who fell in love but were forced to split up because one of them had to flee the country to escape the cops. Decades later, they meet again and their love is rekindled. It's really hard for me to explain why the game is so good and I suppose part of the charm of the game is lost when you don't understand the lyrics (and even if I'm a native Spanish speaker, about a third of them are regional Argentinian saying so I'm lost) but... eh.
The music is an important part of the game. It wouldn't be the same without it.
Orlandu
17-May-2023(#72)Guardian Heroes has some pretty baller sax.
SupremeSarna
17-May-2023(#73)Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2 have amazing soundtracks, but it's a big ask telling someone to play 70+ hour RPGs to hear some good songs. (They're fantastic games, but still.)
egg
18-May-2023(#74)I forgot Sonic Riders Zero Gravity. It's actually one of the best soundtracks in the franchise.
nonamesleft
* 18-May-2023(#75)egg wrote:> I forgot Sonic Riders Zero Gravity. It's actually one of the best soundtracks in
> the franchise.
I think that's the game that introduced a new character named Silver. Played a little of it a long time ago. Must have been going back at least 15 years. Will need to give the soundtrack a try.
Edit: I mixed this up with sonic riders. I didn't know there were 2 games.
@egg I just looked it up to listen and found out that there was riders and zero gravity.
nonamesleft
19-May-2023(#76)These games people are saying have great soundtracks, I'd love to actually play them in order to experience the soundtrack. Sure, I could listen to the soundtracks, but it's not the same.
What to do. So many games, but can't play them all.
nonamesleft
19-May-2023(#77)Orlandu wrote:> Guardian Heroes has some pretty baller sax.
Listening right now. Saxophone is playing as I'm writing this.
nooitzben
19-May-2023(#79)Rollobobo wrote:> I can echo Sayonara Wild Hearts. I liked the game and music so much I immediately
> downloaded the soundtrack. Great experience throughout
I definitely agree with this one.
SupremeSarna
19-May-2023(#80)nonamesleft wrote:> These games people are saying have great soundtracks, I'd love to actually play them
> in order to experience the soundtrack. Sure, I could listen to the soundtracks, but
> it's not the same.
>
> What to do. So many games, but can't play them all.
Search them all on Howlongtobeat.com, then pick the shortest and most interesting-looking ones. Also, prioritize games you already own, or ones for systems you already own. Starting with Kirby is never a bad idea.
