Video Game Music

[Ella]

Self explanatory really. Let us share our varying tastes in music within the video game world.

I know a fair few people who do occasionally tune into their favourite tracks from a mixture of video game platforms, be it the retro era from the 80's/90's, or the most modern mix from the 21st century. The majority hold their nostalgic value quite well, as well as creating a unique atmosphere that's enough to inspire you, captivate you, and steal you from the real world and into your own.

Me personally, i like to indulge into the horror element, from games such as Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Manhunt, and even to games like Timesplitters, and Tomb Raider (Gallows Tree anyone?).

Here i'll Youtube it up with a few tracks:

Resident Evil 0 - Study Room


Timesplitters: Future Perfect - Hotel


Manhunt - Strapped for Cash


That's all from me for now, time for you guys to deliver the goods. Also, if you do listen to video game soundtracks, are there specific occasions, such as Blood mapping, or other creative reasons etc? Or would it be as in my case, lay back and wonder aimlessly?

Also, to avoid Youtube spamming, i'd personally limit the embedded videos to about 2 or 3 and just link the remainder, otherwise the page will end up around a mile long.

[Shadowman]

Oh, you know what I like.
Sonic music all the way!

Also the Grim Fandango soundtrack is awesome.

[Le Babe]

I'm not difficult at all when it comes to music in video games.

I like almost all midi tracks from all the games from 1985 to 1999.

Also, music from the Quake games are awesome.

Those I listen the most though are musics from BLOOD, EarthWorm Jim series, Heroes of Might and Magic 2 and other random old console games. Perhaps I'll give some links later on.

Music from grim fandango : approved !

[Daedalus]

Guilty as charged. I'm a huge fan of videogame music, spanning from the asinine to the atmospheric. I think it can be attributed to the fact that some videogame music tends to veer towards generating a particular theme. Like most albums, I suppose, it tends to sometimes be a case of each game having three or so songs that are top notch, so by taking samples from each game one collects a fine assortment.

Some notable mentions:

Blood. Obviously some of the most unusual and amazing stuff in town.

Unreal, Unreal Tournament to a lesser extent and Deus Ex. These are created by the same composer/s and I'm in love with the instrumentation on them. There's a certain sound and feel they evoke that nothing else does. Never really bothered to track the composer down, though.

Frank Klepacki's a damn genius. He's the guy who worked on the C&C and Dune games. My undisputed favourite of his is the Tiberian Sun soundtrack, though. This is one of those instances where the soundtrack is superior to the game.

Warcraft II - really, nothing can go wrong with this. StarCraft earns a mention, too.

Diablo and Diablo II. Most of these tracks are immortal. I don't normally appreciate an orchestral style in games, but Diablo II tries to be faithful to the source material, uses some interesting instrumentation and gets a few hits just right. Notable mentions are the Wilderness and Jungle themes.

Heroes of Might and Magic 2's soundtrack has a lot of soul.

System Shock 2's music is a bit limited, but what's there is amazing. Med/Sci 1 (think that's its official name) is my current top hit.

Some older mentions include the Megaman series and my secret love Ecco the Dolphin. Contra's music's great, too.

As to the use, a lot of it is simply easy, atmospheric listening. Some of it I listen to during Blood development. Some of it I'll listen to in games with inferior soundtracks. A notable one is an atmospheric track from vanilla Dawn of War (which can't be heard in later expansions), which I tend to play when I'm writing a long letter of a personal and/or affectionate nature.

Matt out!

[RedFanatic]

Game music is some of the best, theres an app for Ipods and Ipads...(i think) called the Sid Player or it could be CID.

Either way it basically thousands of Game musics from the early years and music of that style, and it just epic. Once spent an entire day playing Flatout Ultimate Carnage while listening to the Sid player

As for game music highlights......Well the best ever is The options music for the dos game Burntime.
also the music of a game called Zone66 (or zone warrior not sure which) there are a few modern games with good tracks and background music but mostly it's early dosgames that really get me going.

[Umnir]

Unreal, Unreal Tournament to a lesser extent and Deus Ex. These are created by the same composer/s and I'm in love with the instrumentation on them. There's a certain sound and feel they evoke that nothing else does. Never really bothered to track the composer down, though.

Alexander Brandon! He also composed the brilliant Tyrian soundtrack. His early soundtracks were made with "trackers" that were popular especially in the 90's, with what I also started my hobby with. If you dig up, you can find atleast some UT songs in original tracker form where you can see how it was composed, with ability to change things as you please. In fact, I think UT (not sure of DX) used the raw files.. not sure. Eitherway, in games that DID use those tracker files, lagging also slowed the tempo of music rather than distorting it.

[Ella]

EarthWorm Jim series

Damn, forgot about the original CD soundtrack. I loved the Intestinal Distress track all those years ago, really haunting.

[Dimebog]

Some of the stuff I like has already been mentioned. Grim Fandango's music is probably my all time favourite. Most entries from Matt's post as well, most notably System Shock 2, Deus Ex and Warcraft 2. I also like the music from following games:

- Blood 2
- Doom and Duke Nukem 3D (Bobby Prince)
- Duke Nukem 3D (Lee Jackson)
- Heretic (can't recall)
- Fallout 3 (just because it fits so well)

[Umnir]

Ok, here's one of my fave:



more:

Spoiler: show

Jesper Kyd's best work. It rrrrreally sank me into the story, with it's epical symphony. It varies fantastically from icy Russia, isolated Japanese fortress in cold mountains to hot and intense mid-east and exotic india (amongst others). Jesper has fused this kind of music to electronic too with great success, but this one is mostly and purely "real instruments".
If you don't find the idea of game appealing, atleast listen to the great soundtrack!

I'll post other liking later as this computer is not showing me love and I let others post too.

[Panoptic Blur]

Hitman 2 is easily my favorite Hitman game overall, and it's up there alongside Thief and Deus Ex for open-level freedom of sandbox play.

The music is amazing too. I seem to recall the orchestra they used was the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra or something similar? Well worth the production costs.

[morhlis]

Just about nothing beats Castlevania in terms of soundtracks. So many good songs.



The Waterfall is a beautiful track:


And don't forget Reincarnated Soul:

[Umnir]

One of the saddest themes I know made for game, composed by Angelo Badalamenti himself. Fits the game so brilliantly.


Way too short soundtrack, and perhaps even too repetive despite it's greatness. Can't remember hearing much soundtracks like this have you? Beautiful.


Bloodlines had two part soundtrack, with the OST and featured artist part. This is the OST part, that is played when you dwell deep beneath the sewers, to the nosferatu clan dwellings with blood pools, rats crawling, houses made of trash and whispers talking to you (not heard in the song). It's a powerful moment.

[Krypto]

Outstanding thread deserves a sticky at this rate of popularity.

Super Castlevania IV

Bastard beat me to it!

I think this is one of my favourite orchestrated game scores rich in the composition of ethereal splendour, the orchestra of many a piece is enticing as the gameplay was addictively gripping. Consistently high aesthetic quality, creative and eccentric with a rich atmospheric grip. It leaves many lasting memories.

[Drakan]

Oh christ, I could talk about this all day! When it generally comes to video game soundtracks few of them have ever had the unfortunancy of being cast down. What I find I feel about the whole thing in general is that since it's the music must be composed for the game at hand, the artist would likely be free, limited by what nature of music must be composed I would imagine, to explore his mind and compose as he or she sees fit. As a result, I feel such an industry has pumped out from beginning to today some of most brilliant and mind evoking music I have ever heard. OK, I'll limit it to three videos here, so let's start with the master system, Sega CD, and DOS!!!

Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap - The Monster's Lair (Feel free to wet yaself, Matt )


Ecco the Dolphin CD - Opening Title


Jazz Jackrabbit - Medivo = FUCK YES!

[Krypto]

Unfortunancy

That is not a defined word. Not that it is important as I commonly disjoin and conjoin phrases intuitively indicating creativity. The entire genre itself is steeped in eccentricity, abiding to the rich atmosphere and ambience of suspenseful and adrenaline enducing situations. I concur with the notion of composers being free to explore the infinite possibilities of their creative potential, as they need not adhere to any critera of melody. Theirby enhancing the ability to express themselves fully.