Favourite haunting melodies in game music

[Mr. Fister]

I hear the word "lament" and my brain starts playing that certain song from Twilight Princess. So sad, and fitting.

Honorable Mentions:

Ocarina of Time (For obvious reasons)
Secret of Mana (Mana Forest, Ice Country, and the Seasonal Forests especially)
Halo (Say what you will, but the game has some very high-quality music)

 

[homoagogo]

The Silent Hill music all around.

Newer(ish) ones:

The theme from 'Silent Hill 2'. Actually, *any* music from 'Silent Hill 2'.

AGREED!
I have the soundtracks for silent hills 1-4 plus a remix album, the hardest things I've ever tried to find. I am a hopeless fanboy for the composer, Akira Yamaoka. He is arguably the biggest influence in dark ambient music alive.

 

[Zetona]

Still Alive from Mirror's Edge

Portal, dude.

But neither one is really haunting...then again, I haven't heard the Mirror's Edge version of "Still Alive" in-game.

Wait, there was a Mirror's Edge version?

Yes, I'm actually listening to it right now. It's a different song to that of Portal, sung by a Swedish singer, Lisa Miskovsky. Personally I do find the song to be quite haunting and beautiful, although it would be more so without vocals (however, the vocals are actually the best bit of it).

Strange coincidence isn't it? Two years in a row, out comes a first-person game that doesn't focus on combat, has a largely white color scheme, features a female protagonist and at least one female antagonist, and has a song called "Still Alive" sung over the end credits by a female singer.

 

[Trivun]

Still Alive from Mirror's Edge

Portal, dude.

But neither one is really haunting...then again, I haven't heard the Mirror's Edge version of "Still Alive" in-game.

Wait, there was a Mirror's Edge version?

Yes, I'm actually listening to it right now. It's a different song to that of Portal, sung by a Swedish singer, Lisa Miskovsky. Personally I do find the song to be quite haunting and beautiful, although it would be more so without vocals (however, the vocals are actually the best bit of it).

Strange coincidence isn't it? Two years in a row, out comes a first-person game that doesn't focus on combat, has a largely white color scheme, features a female protagonist and at least one female antagonist, and has a song called "Still Alive" sung over the end credits by a female singer.

Really? What was the other one then, if one was Mirror's Edge? Unless you're referring to Portal...

 

[Zetona]

Still Alive from Mirror's Edge

Portal, dude.

But neither one is really haunting...then again, I haven't heard the Mirror's Edge version of "Still Alive" in-game.

Wait, there was a Mirror's Edge version?

Yes, I'm actually listening to it right now. It's a different song to that of Portal, sung by a Swedish singer, Lisa Miskovsky. Personally I do find the song to be quite haunting and beautiful, although it would be more so without vocals (however, the vocals are actually the best bit of it).

Strange coincidence isn't it? Two years in a row, out comes a first-person game that doesn't focus on combat, has a largely white color scheme, features a female protagonist and at least one female antagonist, and has a song called "Still Alive" sung over the end credits by a female singer.

Really? What was the other one then, if one was Mirror's Edge? Unless you're referring to Portal...

I am.

 

[Erana]

Different type of haunting, but the only song from the Persona series that I find very appealing. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPogJsxnpAM]

Oh yeah, and any song from Kirby 64. Particularly This song. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaRn1WCVIlY] I've never heard another song that uses the N64's audio capabilities as its own unique sound.

 

[Blow_Pop]

The Silent Hill music all around.

Newer(ish) ones:

The theme from 'Silent Hill 2'. Actually, *any* music from 'Silent Hill 2'.

AGREED!
I have the soundtracks for silent hills 1-4 plus a remix album, the hardest things I've ever tried to find. I am a hopeless fanboy for the composer, Akira Yamaoka. He is arguably the biggest influence in dark ambient music alive.

1-5 music is amazing...some of the bioshock music is pretty awesome too....and dead space had a few too....have to replay it to tell you when but...

 

[Demonic Panda]

Super Mario Bros. 1-1
nuf said

 

[Grand_Poohbah]

LoZ:MM had some creepy music, one of the creepier ones was the snowhead temple theme [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnrOO4I_fq0]. That's not to say there weren't creepier music that's just the one that sticks out the most to me.

Wow...the song is really haunting.

 

[darkroastbeans]

Bioshock is a fantastic soundtrack. Homeworld also had an excellent rendition of Adagio for Strings, and several other great songs. The theme from Max Payne 2 is very haunting -- great violin work. The main theme from Morrowind is another good one (actually pretty much all of Jeremy Soule's work is awesome). The Myst series had some pretty good themes. "What's the World Come To" from SiN Episodes is kind of haunting, in the way similar to the Mirror's Edge theme.

 

[acer840]

I'm going with Final Fantasy 10's temple songs, Hymn of the Fayth. Its a chant that every time I hear it, I get this creepy feeling I can't really explain. Kinda weird.

 

[51gunner]

http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/188279

It's a remixed version of the Mirror's Edge theme, Still Alive. This version is titled Edge of Faith. Still, all the original versions of the Mirror's Edge songs are beautiful in their own right: that game had solid audio.

 

[Toomachine]

Mantis' Hymn from the Metal Gear Series. Definetly sets the tone of something really wrong. Yet, its still kick-ass.

 

[scnj]

Damn. Someone beat me to Silent Hill 2 and Max Payne 2. There's the main theme from Resident Evil Outbreak. And Glory of Cyrodiil from Oblivion. Oh, and Vigil from Mass Effect.

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

The vaguely rockish music that plays when you lose Nazi Zombies.

 

[-Seraph-]

Final Fantasy 6 with the Phantom forest theme and the "another world of beasts" theme. Nothing else comes close for me.

 

[SadisticSquirl]

anything from Bioshock when you hear that creepy music then hear a spider splicer scream for blood as they crawl above you... i usually got some chills from those moments.

 

[PhysicalEd]

In Stalker, playing on the radio in various places (including the very first trader) is a sad haunting song that perfectly fits the tone of the game. I'd hang around his office just to hear it. Turns out it is a Ukrainian band named Firelake, the track is "Dirge for the Planet". Anyway, it works really well in that game, playing quietly in the background over a staticy old radio...

 

[whiteclaudia]

"Alone In The Town" from Silent Hill 2. I've never heard a better game tune than that.