How are you people so hopeful? Blizzard's music has sucked for their last two games, WarCraft III and World of Warcraft.

I never played Warcraft or WoW.
Only Starcraft and Diablo/Diablo II, during 2000/2005. (Admittedly, Diablo II's soundtrack was bad.)

I wouldnt have any idea.
All I know is the soundtrack for II was awesome.
Im not so sure about it now and I havnt heard I but yeah...
Im not much of a computer gamer anymore. Rather platformer.

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I like the music from Myst, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango Day of the Tentacle, Psychonauts, Baldur's Gate, Quest for Glory, Space Quest. And especially THE DIG which is a classical masterpiece. Michael Land is a musical genius, half of the stuff on that list was done by him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7RDhKMCHIQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjvD3C_n ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKMcKcGJ ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd6r3bE3Wnk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET_98Icv ... re=related

wow... Quad post. What happened here?

That's weird. The last time I looked it was only a triple post.

I can't believe it hasn't been mentioned, but have you guys heard Castlevania soundtrack? That is the best videogame music ever. Check out Abandoned Castle-Curse of Darkness if you don't believe me. Also, I always enjoyed the Donkey Kong soundtrack, especially the 2nd one. The music was incredible, my favorites being the ones featured in "Bramble Scramble", "Lockjaw's Locker" and the mine stages (I don't remember any names there). Awesome stuff.

Hmm, I think the SNES Donkey Kong games had great music, especially the second one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J67nkzoJ_2M

Probably the best song in any of them, it fits the level perfectly. David Wise is a great composer, but he's been pretty quiet lately.

I absolutely love the music in Symphony of the Night and all the games before that one. Fantastic stuff. If you ask me though, everything post-symphony music wise has been sub-par.

Oh man, thanks for this! I had to turn on the SNES everytime I wanted to hear that song.

Whoever said Silent Hill, agreed. I thnk the music in the first great provided great atmosphere, but I didn't much like the singing and stuff in later games, though I don't hate all the soundtracks to the later games, either, I just think SH1 was the best.

Lots of good replies! I am glad to see there are more fans of VG music on the forums. I've been checking out the links posted here, lots of good stuff. A lot of this music has a lot of nostalgia value for me, especially the Baldur's Gate and Donkey Kong Country soundtracks.

rexxz, great call on the Guilty Gear soundtrack. It kicks ass. That link prompted me to download the whole OST.

The Elder Scrolls games indeed have great music, especially the title themes. I would always have to sit there for a minute and listen when I loaded it up.

It is so clear that music is very important to video games, in that it greatly affects their atmosphere and feel. Why, then, do recent games have uninspired soundtracks? I find myself wanting to play my own music in the background in many cases, which is in my opinion a sign of failure on the developer/producer's part. Also, the trend of filling a game with popular music is annoying- if I wanted to hear this stuff, I'll turn on my radio. It worked in GTA, but they, I think, started a poor trend with their in-game radio. They should not be so lazy as to not have a score written or soundtrack composed, and instead just fill their games with already-popular music.

On a somewhat side note, did anybody ever play around with the Mario Paint composer? I used to have so much fun with it. Well, there's a port for the PC. Fun stuff.

Great song but I have to say I like the brawl version a lot better. This is a lot more chilled out though.

Oh man, I forgot how great that game was...I think I'm feeling some PC-emulation coming on.

Speaking of which, here's another one from DKC2 that's quite metal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6z2q8Lm ... re=related

Edit: Oh yeah, and part 3 had this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37dGKQPH ... re=related .Wow, this is really taking me back.

My favorite music from Metal Gear Solid :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=269JQ8IW ... re=related
As I remember the fight was cool too!

Ah, I remember my SNES days. Some of the best soundtracks came from games for that 16-bit system - Donkey Kong being a prime example.

I remember the levels off of DK2 that were really bleak and dark, but it fit the game so well.

I think it's pretty amazing he ended up being the composer for Contra 4 (DS), now that's just badass. He's definitely one of my favorite (online?) composers out there.

That is good, but I would still put these two ahead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9_RnUZf9n4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Z17Ip4 ... 7&index=22

Also just realized this thread sucks because there's no Ninja Gaiden in it, quick everybody punch yourselves in the head for not saying Ninja Gaiden:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rkaiKYE ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcCNgmOI ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP_D_YKn ... 0&index=17
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXxuS01P ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcb-SB5l ... re=related

Spyro the Dragon for the Playstation has one of the most whimsical soundtracks. Its kooky synths and trance inducing rhythms make the game all the more memorable.

Yep, certainly hasn't been mentioned before!

I'd also like to point everybody's attention to Resident Evil 4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhkU90Hn04k

And people wonder why 4 was so goddamn creepy and frightening.

Less listing, more discussion. No exceptions!

Umm... whoops.

It's ok, dude. I'm just giving you shit, haha.

Just rembered. A friend of mine bought Eternal Poison for the PS2, and it came with a soundtrack that kicked ass.

World of Warcraft actually has pretty good music (imo). from the last expansion here's a taste of Grizzly hills:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpyInx0ldfo

and also from the rest of posts I second Silent Hill, Monkey Island, Myst and basically all oldschool point and click adventures are great!

Morrowind is one of my ultimate favorites though, so awesome and so epic!

I would like to put up my personal amiga tribute here though, best videogame music ever!

Shadow of the Beast 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGf5xpaR ... re=related

Pinball Dreams:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezXDynQYRCc

Lotus Turbo Challenge 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kes7RQFnzk4

Canon Fodder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55cbGTlgHqI

Shadow of the Beast 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qipWqOwkceg

Turrican 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O53f4dP ... PL&index=5

and so on, and so on, and so on

*edit* sorry rexxz didnt see your post there, i'll stop listing stuff

Morrowind's main theme is most excellent. Some of the other tracks aren't half bad either.

Either I'm crazy or some posts are missing? Can't find my last reply.

I've been trying to listen to everything in this thread and I've caught up on most of it. The NES games are still my favorite. Megaman always has good stuff, and the Batman link was interesting. Ninja Gaiden has a few good standout tunes like Act 4-2 and 5-3 as linked earlier in the thread.

Aside from NES games, the Amiga stuff had the most promising music with similar qualities, especially Turrican since it looks like a cool game to begin with.

There's something about music from the 16-bit to modern era that always seem so gimmicky, trying too hard with quirky effects and relying on fast-paced intensity rather than melody. Others are just too monotonous. There's good stuff out there but nothing matches the quality found in certain NES games. I like symphonic stuff in metal, but in games it usually feels like ordinary background music.

It may fit the gameplay, providing the energy or epic feel that is required, but my first impressions are that most tracks don't have much to offer in terms of lasting memorability. But to be fair, one listen doesn't do much justice. Adding to that might be the fact that I haven't played most of these games and therefore lack the nostalgic value and full gameplay experience.

About Diablo 2, I have to disagree with the comments praising its soundtrack, as the original was far superior. Diablo 1 was a masterpiece in atmospheric quality both in gameplay and music. The Tristram theme is probably the best example, but the entire game had that same dark and gloomy feeling. A small town decimated by demonic forces, characters with life-altering experiences of being the lucky few who managed to escape the slaughter underneath the town, living with the emotional and physical consequences.

Instead of slowly trudging deeper into the labyrinth of Diablo toward hell, Diablo 2 was more "I'm done here, onward to the next town". The gameplay in Diablo 2 seemed faster paced with a greater emphasis on fun factor. The music was also underwhelming in comparison, further reducing the gloomy atmosphere. The music in Diablo 1 is an essential part of the gameplay experience, but when playing Diablo 2 I turn it off in favor of something else.

For anyone who likes the Tristram theme but hasn't heard the rest of the Diablo 1 soundtrack, here's a play list.

Adding more to the thread, fans of NES music should check out Shadow of the Ninja. This is another game that I never had much of a chance to play, but the music is very well done and quite catchy. The good stuff begins with the Stage 1 track (my personal favorite) around 0:48, but the other stages are good as well.

Shame on you, Shutdown, for not mentioning Tyrian! One of the greatest shoot-em-ups has a great soundtrack to boot. Upbeat midi techno at its finest, perfect for blowing through hordes of spaceships with massive clouds of lasers, missiles, bombs, lighting, and whatever other weapons you've slapped onto your ride. I've only beaten the game about 600 times, but the soundtrack doesn't get old...

Gah! I want to kick myself for not mentioning this game when I had the chance. This was one of my favorite games back in the 90s, and I still have a MIDI transfer of the soundtrack on my hard drive. *puts on "Come Back to Me, Savara"*

Ah, yes. Sorry about that. You may or may not know this, but babyshit sticks to walls like macaroni product with glue sticks to construction paper, and there was a certain user that very badly needed a diaper change--needless to say, some cleanup was required. Your post may have gotten caught up in the ensuing frenzy of chisels and pressure-washers.

In the future, we'll probably just leave the tools at the janitor's shack and go straight to infanticide.

Since this is still relatively on topic, if you're into Video Game Metal Remixes, I make them for fun and you can check them out on my youtube channel www.youtube.com/toxicxeternity

That being said, I love VG music and believe that the award for most all around awesome VG music always goes to the Pokemon games.

I've always loved the music in Pokemon games. Lots of nostalgia there, to be sure. The Lavender Town theme was so dreary and sad

Great thread! I, for one, am a fan of SNES-era video game music. I got into gaming with SNES, and Mega Man X2 was the first game I ever bought. And damn if that soundtrack (and game!) does not still kick ass, I'll be damned! The synthy metallic rock/trance mix, or whatever you'd call it, with those orgasmic SNES basslines! I think all Mega Man games, or at least from X to X3, have fucking great soundtracks.

I do love early 90s-ish gaming music in general though, and Castlevania, Guilty Gears and some others that have been mentioned, also have fabulous soundtracks. I kind of got back into gaming music after getting into Machinae Supremacy. A great band by the way, if you ask me. (And mind the slight offtopic).

Speaking of those metal remixes, which JackFliegler mentioned (your songs sound good by the way), there's this remixer called Saitama Saisyu Heiki (S.S.H), who absolutely kicks ass as well, though his work is less riffy and more synthy. Here's a sample: S.S.H - Holy Orders (Be Just or Be Dead) (The song is from Guilty Gears!)

Here's his site too, from where you can download all of his songs as mp3's as well. (Page is mostly in Japanese though).

Fable and Fable II! I love the music from those games! The music from those games really helps with the atmosphere of the levels. Hook Coast FTW!

I agree with many mentioned games, such as Baldur's Gate or Deus Ex. However the game which immediatelly came to my mind when I saw this thread is Planetscape Torment. How it's possible not to love such beautiful pieces like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12lgsK63S48&feature=related

I didn't also see any mention of Unreal. I was the first game which soundtrack really made an impression on me. To this day I remember the moment when your character comes out of the crashed ship. This landscape (so large!) combined with amazing music - it was something special. Easily one of the best moments in any game ever. See it for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYLQNi2gb4&feature=related

I just played Spyro the Dragon again today, and I'll be damned but the Dream Weavers overworld has quite possibly the best music in a videogame that I've heard. It's quite dreamlike. Hell, the levels in that overworld had interesting music too! It kind of reminds me of Kraftwerk sometimes. Ripto's Rage had a few good tracks here and there from what I remember.

Jade Empire, whilst being a rather mediocre game, had some fantastic tunes.