Best Soundtrack in a game

[GeeseH]

Anybody remember how good the old C64 game soundtracks could be? Nope? Just me then...

my phone ringtone is the standard ocean loader theme so yeah, some still actively listen to c64 and amiga soundtracks

my c64 favourites probably being skate or die, delta (even though it totally aped koyaanisqatsi) armalyte, wizball, parallax, LN, LN2 & PLATOON!!

i still wonder what those composers are up to these days, especially martin walker

my vote for best soundtrack goes to vagrant story, hitoshi sakimoto who also worked on ffxii composed some really great tracks for that game. also gotta love ffviii.

kudos to jesper kyd for his works with & without the hungarian radio choir (shame about the movie though

sakuraba for making dungeon rpg's seem less so (the original versions not so big a fan of the retail arranges)

:already mentioned:
Mega man 2, Ocarina of Time, Actraiser, Axelay, Super Metroid, Metroid Prime, Super Castlevania 4, Castlevania: SotN. and Chrono Trigger - fantastic works, schala's theme still slows my heartbeat & relaxes me. not forgetting assault suit valken.

anybody who like me is a fan of the silent hill music really should see the film, a great example (maybe the first) of video game music making it to the big screen & really doing the film a favour.

a lot of mentions for HL2 & Halo, i'm a little surprised but hey

 

[Batadon]

Nobody's mentioned Ikaruga yet?!? I'm not saying the others here aren't worthy mentions, but, it's so epic...

 

[Nerdfury]

I like Bioshock, simply because you get this lovely ambient music, and then somewhere in the background you hear these wonderful strains of some fantastic, cheeful thirties or forties hit while you're being cheerfully attacked by some Splicer.

For music that seems to instantly alter my mood, and make even the worst day into something wonderful for me, I'd have to say the Okami soundtrack. Especially the Shinshuu Plains one. I dare anyone to listen to the soundtrack and not find one song that makes them happy.

 

[Fire Daemon]

I really like the music in Halo 2 that couples with the action scenes. It really puts you at the edgo of your seat.

 

[Kohlrabi]

Mafia - music by Django Reinhardt!
Battlefield: Vietnam - obviously inspired by Vietnam movies, still a nice selection
Grim Fandango - dance companeros!
HoMM 3/5 - perfect fantasy music
Wing Commander - classic space opera music

ah, the list goes ever on and on, I probably missed a lot...

 

[PaintChips]

http://www.ocremix.org/

Most everything on my MP3 player is from this site.

 

[Neverhoodian]

TheBenMan and Nquoid speak the truth. The Neverhood and Skullmonkeys has some of the best music I have ever heard in a video game. Their offbeat scores defy genres and conventional themes, but they fit perfectly with the wacky claymation settings.

I also enjoy the soundtracks from the following games:
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (the memories those remixes evoke!)
Viewtiful Joe 1 and 2
Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2
Metroid Prime
Halo
Medal of Honor: Frontline

 

[Slamhound]

Yoko Shimomura's and Noriko Matsueda's score for the first Front Mission was epic. Infinitely better than any Final Fantasy score. Take that, Uematsu-san. The only good thing you ever did was Dancing Mad, Sephiroth fanboys be damned.

Star Wars: Republic Commando had an excellent score too, plus it was largely original work, which is pretty rare in a Star Wars game.

Oh yeah, Audiosurf. Best soundtrack ever.

 

[genji_]

Final Fantasy Tactics

 

[Katana314]

Portal most definately Still Alive is an instant classic.

People will be surprised at me for saying this, but my favorite song from Portal is actually much earlier in the game. From the game content files, you can see it's called "Self Esteem Fund". It was a very somber melody that got across the feeling of loneliness and fear in Chell, and a little sense of "Am I going to make it out of here?"

 

[brazenhead89]

Oh God. You got me started. I'm a huge, HUGE fan of videogame music.

I'm discounting any of these votes for games that have licensed tracks in their soundtrack. As a lover of original game music compositions, I find the use of licensed tracks almost offensive when you hear the creative, original soundtracks to games such as Symphony of the Night, Rez and Mario 64.
For me, a videogame soundtrack actually has to work in tandem with the gameplay and remain consistent, and that's why I'm absolutely shocked to see nobody mention Hideki Naganuma's work on Jet Set Radio and Sonic Rush. Sure, JSR did have some licensed tracks, but Naganuma's original compositions compliment those games so beautifully, perfectly and artistically that I'd refuse to play the games without them.
Similarly, every game in the Metroid series has used music that's nothing short of appropriate, wonderous and epic. Later Castlevania games have also proved to have awesome soundtracks - the colisseum in SOTN providing a memorable, funky break from the dramatic or melancholic scores that otherwise layer the game.
Does anybody remember the "Lorenzo's Soil" stage of Earthworm Jim 2? The music to that was so inconsistent in tone to the rest of the game, yet actually worked for that level better than any other song in the game. To this day, it's still my ringtone of choice.
Finally, I have to recommend "One Night in Neo Kobe City" from the Sega-CD version of the underground hit Snatcher. Never before has cheesy funk / synth pop sounded so good, and if you manage to see the intro that accompanies it you'll appreciate just how perfect the music was. Geekgasm ends.

 

[Tony Harrison]

Lemmings and Street Fighter 2 are what immediately come to mind for pure midi catchiness. Wipeout also had a great soundtrack that was perfect for the game.

 

[Omnidum]

The Unreal music, I believe his name were Michiel Van Der Bos

 

[rockchild17]

for original soundtracks i'd say that the halo series and metroid prime series stand out as of recent. especially the original metroid prime. when it comes to lisenced soundtracks, tony hawk always does a good job of going through music and picking awesome songs, and i think that nothing has to be said about gta's abillity to do that.

 

[Andrenavarro]

SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS - Absolutely amazing soundtrack by Kô Ôtani, one of the best I heard in a game. The Colossus battles wouldn't be as epic without it.

ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION - Jeremy Soule perfectly captured the world of Oblivion in music. To travel across Cyrodill listening to the soundtrack is a pleasure.

BIOSHOCK - The moment Rapture is seen for the first time is a memorable moment in gaming, thanks in great part to the music by Garry Schyman, which remains efficient throughout the rest of the game.

MAFIA: THE CITY OF LOST HEAVEN - One of the best stories in gaming had an equally masterful soundtrack by Vladimir Simunek, who avoided Godfather-inspired notes and created something original and unique.

FABLE: THE LOST CHAPTERS - The main theme by the usually excellent Danny Elfman is a little generic but good nonetheless, and the rest of the soundtrack by Russell Shaw is a wonder to listen to.

GIANTS: CITIZEN KABUTO - The main theme is iconic, and most of the soundtrack by Jeremy Soule and Mark Morgan suits the game well.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME - Stuart Chatwood's music is great without being generic, and there's some memorable tracks.

METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SNAKE EATER - The main theme, 007-inspired, is fantastic. The rest of the music (composed by Harry Gregson-Williams) is very good. Metal Gear Solid 2 also deserves a mention.

ROME: TOTAL WAR - Jeff van Dyck's epic music makes the battles memorable, and the calm, slow music during the turn-based management part of the game manages to be excellent as well.

 

[Weaver]

Hell March 2 from Red Alert 2. That justified the entire sound track.

 

[Jhereg42]

Anything by Jeremy Soule.
Icewind Dale (Just so the guys on Page 2 know they are not alone. Inon Zur did an awsome job on the second game)
Both KOTOR games
Morrowind and Oblivion

What a great composer.

 

[smallharmlesskitten]

i am partial to the age of empires2 soundtrack for some bizzare reason and i am also very keen on the final fantasyX soundtrack, thats very good

but the best in opinion is the Dirge of Cerberus soundtrack especially the theme song by gackt