best BGM in games.

[Drake the Dragonheart]

what games have BGM (background music) that you absolutely love?

Mine would be both of my castlevania games, Circle of the Moon on my GBA, and Curse of Darkness on my xbox.

I have always loved the BGM of the metroid games, from the escape sequence, to super metroid - Ridley's lair, brinstar depths, brinstar, etc.

Phantasy Star Online had some amazing BGM

Divinity 2: Ego Draconis, the broken valley theme struck me as rather mournful. the dragon themes were neat though.

 

[suntt123]

I'd have to say my favorite BGMs are from Ragnarok Online.
It was my first MMORPG

Besides that, the Metroid Primes and Monster Hunter games have great background music.
Smash Bros Brawl had some good ones too.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Morrowind has some damn good background music. And easily the best version of the Elder Scrolls theme song.

 

[Glongpre]

I could have sworn we did this like a few times the past couple weeks...

Anyway, caution lots of vids.

Spoiler: planescape

Spoiler: Diablo 2

Spoiler: Sonic 2

Man so many games have awesome music that this will take forever to put them all up. So I won't, sorry.

 

[Smeggs]

I felt that the battle music (an a lot of the other music in general) in Arc the Lad: Twilight of Spirits was phenomenal.

 

[MCHG]

Zelda games have such good music. Especially Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I'd have to say Xenoblade Chronicles. The music was just excellent in that game and always got me in the mood for the different environments and battles more. Not to mention, the music is great to listen to in its own right, not just while playing the game.

 

[The Madman]

Background music as in just music that plays in the background, or at in background atmospheric sounds used to create mood and ambience with a musical twist? Because if it's the later Matt Uelmen and Eric Brosius are the kings of atmospheric sound design.

If you don't believe me just turn off the lights, crank up the volume, and listen to these.

Spoiler: Eric Brosius

Spoiler: Matt Uelmen

 

[Jolly Co-operator]

I've recently been playing Cave Story and La Mulana, and they both have fantastic soundtracks (woot woot, Sand Zone theme). If I had to pick between the two, I'd say I like La Mulana's soundtrack more, but it's close.

The Pokemon games have had some great songs, too. Whether you like or dislike the 5th generation's Pokemon, it's hard to deny that the 5th gen games had some pretty cool music: Elite Four theme, Plasma Battle theme, and the Driftveil City theme, to name a few.

Lastly, Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP had some great music. The remade versions of classic songs are both nostalgic, and fresh.

 

[Total LOLige]

Freaking Rayman Origins, you can't help but sing along. Go on play it and try not to whistle or hum along.

 

[The Wykydtron]

I really like a few themes in BlazBlue and Persona 4 Arena. Aigis' theme makes me play better with her I swear...

I don't particularly mind Labrys' theme but it's a little chilled out for her I think. I really like Shadow Labrys' one, both her theme and her stage is awesome. It's a little one-dimensional at first but there's enough subtlety there to make it work. I swear the violins were used in some Shadow related stuff in Persona 3... It's not supposed to be complex as a song anyway. Her entire character is that she's the physical representation on Labrys' own rage at her mistreatment at the hands of humans exaggerated to huge proportions so what room is there for complex background elements?

Also almost every song in BlazBlue is amazing except Ragna's one. Because fuck Ragna.

Choice selection go:

Spoiler

How to portray elements of tragedy in a battle song. If only I could play Tsubaki/she wasn't low tier. She sounds easy to play in theory because all her moves have continuations to catch people out and she has like 10 specials but gah why is Install a thing?!


Yeah I suppose the music accompanying a living weapon designed to destroy the entire world and feels pure hatred towards everything about the world including herself would have to be this awesome.

 

[Megalodon]

Do Brutal Legend and Vrock from Vice City count as background music? If so then definetely them.

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

Always, always, always the Metroid Prime series.
Followed closely by the Devil May Cry series.

 

[WWmelb]

The song playing during your encounter with Gwyn in Dark Souls. Gods i loves it.

 

[almightysheep]

Well I'd just have to say my favorite background music is handsdown the To the Moon soundtrack, it's more part of the experience than just background music in my opinion though.

 

[Gray Firion]

Plenty of games with BGMs that I like, would be unfair not to mention the likes of Tekken, Devil May Cry, Sly Cooper and Final Fantasy, and various platformers over the different generations (can still hum accurately the green hills and chemical plant zones from Sonic and various stages from Crash Bandicoot ^^).

My absolute favorites are the Metal Gear Solid games and Final Fantasy 9.

 

[Bix96]

The Ar Tonelico games have amazing BGMs but since the series is centered around music its no surprise.

 

[AuronFtw]

Final Fantasy 1-9. There are literally hundreds of great songs, far too many to list or link to. The most noteworthy is probably the opera from FF6 - done live in the Distant Worlds tours, it's incredible.

One of the best things about Final Fantasy music is that it's not just the famous themes or battle music that is high quality, it's *everything*. You'll find a town you only visit once for maybe 30 minutes and then never come back to again, and it'll have fantastic music. Nobuo Uematsu was truly a god of song.

Outside of that, early Blizzard games featured some really solid composition, with my personal favorite being Warcraft II. They were written with the game type mind; the songs are focused and driven, but aren't made to be 'listened to' as much as just played in the background. And naturally the songs for human and orc campaigns sounded distinct: brass and winds for humans, reeded winds and percussion for orc.

Spoiler

Opera: Maria and Draco Part 1 (FF6)
Opera: Maria and Draco Part 2 (FF6)
Warcraft 2: Human (one of several)
Warcraft 2: Orc (one of several)

 

[mooncalf]

Morrowind has some damn good background music. And easily the best version of the Elder Scrolls theme song.

Yup, basically anything by Jeremy Soule, he's our John Williams!

Just to mention some other gameland talents, Danny Baranowsky's super meat boy soundtrack and the Dear Esther soundtrack by Jessica Curry, "Jakobson" in particular. So haunting!