Tryzon?s Nonsensical Gaming Trips
Top 20 pieces of game music
Prologue
Though the marketing campaigns will rarely admit it, music can and does have a more profound effect on one?s experience in a game than the visuals. You obviously can?t measure sound in the same way you can count pixels (yes, some people actually count the pixels), so most modern fan wars don?t involve soundtracks, but perhaps they ought to.
As I?ve said many a time before, my collection of games is vast and ever-expanding. As such, I?ve likely heard the entire spectrum of game music, from the best to the worst. This list celebrates the former. It was tough to pick the tracks, particularly since I?ve limited myself to one piece per game, but the final product is rather definitive. They?re in no order other than alphabetical, in case you were wondering. I hope that you?ll be introduced to some jingles you might never have otherwise heard. Lastly, choosing a pre-existing track would be cheating somewhat, since by that logic, then Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s would probably take up fifteen of the available slots. As such, every track must be at least a remix or otherwise unique version of an existing track.
***SPOILERS*** are a possibility, though I?ll try to highlight any massive ones. This thing is also eye-strainingly long, so don?t think I expect you to read all of it, though that?d be mighty kind of you.
For your convenience, each track has a link to YouTube where you can hear it for yourself. I'm so considerate.
Age of Booty (?08)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz89R0n-Auw
A couple of years back, I was absent-mindedly checking the PSN Store to see if there was anything new worth having. It was then I spotted something I?d never heard of called Age of Booty. All I knew what that it featured pirates and had a demo, so I downloaded the latter and hovered over the icon on the XMB. I expected jaunty shenanigans, but I hadn?t anticipated to hear was what may be the piratiest tune the world has ever known. Indeed, it?s the game?s only track, so all the effort was focussed onto it exclusively. If you can listen to the whole thing without wanting to plunder some swag with a wench on each arm, you?re clearly dead inside. Doesn?t hurt that the game is pretty nifty itself, too.
Colony Wars (?97)
Opus Beta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7beMaimpuA
Colony Wars needs to make a comeback for many reasons, but the fact that it has perhaps the spaciest soundtrack of any game is just another. Opus Beta is the greatest example of what I mean. It so perfectly paints the image of this vast, grand area of untold adventure and majestic serenity, before dipping into a more violent-sounding bit to indicate the massive amount of lasery death that?s also going on, and then concluding with that brilliant style of the opening. I admit I get nostalgic about Colony Wars at the slightest provocation, but its music hasn?t aged a day.
Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King (?06)
Sky, Ocean and Earth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NWq2C5zGtg
?We done it, Guv! We only gone and bleedin? done it!?
Yes, Yangus, we certainly done it, though I think the ending theme put it a bit more eloquently than you. Dragon Quest VIII is my favourite JRPG, though that?s not saying a whole lot; the gameplay and story are extremely simple and predictable, and yet it has this inexplicable charm that kept me grinding away to beat each of the increasingly annoying bosses. When you?re mercifully free of the evil forever, you?re treated to an extra-long conclusion and then get to hear some stupidly pretty and relaxing music. Sky, Ocean and Earth is the crown jewel of a wonderful soundtrack; it?s big, it?s moving, and it?s just a bit sad. I actually felt a bit snuffly as I listened to it all the way through without trying to skip or get a cuppa. I?d finished a huge adventure and wanted to savour my victory. The ending track is basically the world?s most extravagant way of saying, ?Hope you had fun, goodbye forever!?
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (?02)
Nerevar Rising / Call of Magic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWuNf4gxwuM
The eternal conflict between those who prefer Morrowind and those who prefer Oblivion rages on, and I still can?t decide which side I?m on, but if you ask me there can be no doubt as to which has the best theme music. Nerevar Rising (the better name, I say) starts small and gets big before fading away. It has a magical feel and an epic scale without resorting to the much-overused choir of people singing what may or may not be Latin nonsense poems. It?s so good, in fact, that both Oblivion?s and Skyrim?s themes are clearly variations on the same tune. The legend will never die!
Galactic Civilizations (?03)
DISC (Research complete theme)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_h0FPyPSJw
Managing an interplanetary empire is tough; you?ve got wars to fight, votes to win and resources to plunder. It gets pretty stressful, and even an evil overlord with a throne of skulls needs something to relax with. Fortunately, every time you complete some research, you?re treated to just about the happiest, most calming tune you?ll ever hear. The way the robot seems to be tapping away at his keyboard in time with the twinkling notes just enhances the effect. I love this track so much that I was outraged to find they?d replaced it with a far lesser one in the sequel, so I actually changed the music to the original one and have never looked back.
Note: you may notice that I'm the one who put the entire GalCiv 1 soundtrack on YouTube. No need to thank me; I was just doing my duty as a massive nerd.
God of War (?05)
Zeus? Wrath Divine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPRftE8qtVA
God of War has always followed the basic theme of just taking Jason and the Argonauts and filling it with ultra-violence and hilarious sex minigames. To match this, the soundtrack is less ?family-friendly whimsical cheesiness? and more ?ripping a cyclops? eye out with your bare hands?. Understandably, this makes picking a single track as the best of the bunch nothing short of Herculean, but the ludicrous quantities of choirs and drums in Zeus? Wrath Divine may just give it the edge needed. It tends to play during particularly hectic battles, and when you consider that just a couple of hits can kill you on the hardest setting, you?ll definitely feel like you?re doing the most epic deed ever performed as you roll between blows and dish out pain to the sound of an orchestra having a fit. It?s something special.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (?02)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p1vacn3KcE
Given that Vice City is just one glittery, big-haired love letter to the ?80s, it makes complete sense that it has a fittingly groovy opening theme. From the quiet opening beat, it expands into a marvellous synth melody whose calming tones seem to suggest lying on a sunbed outside your mansion, watching your pet tiger roam around and considering dumping another million into your counter-surveillance budget. Vice City Stories very nearly has an equally awesome theme, but I think the wave of relaxation that washes over you like the Miami tide when you hear this one makes all the difference. There's a reason the last bit of it plays every time you beat a mission, you know. It does somewhat clash with the inevitable Rhino rampage, but ah well.
Halo: Combat Evolved (?02)
Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rIUVSjlwdU
There is awesome, and then there is this guitar-flavoured remix of the haunting Halo theme. Seriously, this thing is just ludicrously cool, a fact which is only highlighted by its tendency to only pop up when you?re doing something particularly dangerous. Without a doubt its shining moment is during the climactic jeep escape; all the smeg you?ve put up with until then is finally coming to a head, and you?ve got to get yourself out of there before you?re obliterated. Suddenly, you hear those monks get scared away by a screeching guitar and thumbing drum beat, and every near miss and splattered zombie immediately seems to be making the difference between life and death.
Hitman: Contracts (?04)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4XbneG571M
Jesper Kyd?s distinctive music is responsible for half the atmosphere in the Hitman series; I honestly believe the games wouldn?t be as cool without his input. He?s also worked on things like Borderlands and Assassin?s Creed, but Hitman will always be his iconic franchise to me. Contracts arguably has the majority of the most memorable tracks, like the crazy leather fetish party song (yes) and the whooshing sound of stalking your prey in the snow. Kyd has a crazily good knack for dark themes and Contracts will likely always be his masterpiece if you ask me. But greatest of all is what you hear at the menu and sometimes during a tense gameplay bit: that weirdly bouncy-sounding rhythm that just seems a bit off and the creepy blokes singing something clever. It goes all over the place and kind of reflects the conflict that 47 is supposed to have, since he?s both a religious man and the best assassin on the planet, which are two rather incompatible character traits. Try walking in time to the beat as you stroll past security on your way to trigger a complex chain of events that?ll result in a flawless hit. You shan?t regret it.
Homeworld (?99)
Adagio for Strings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIUxwEJ-GXI
Take the most utterly depressing music ever composed and replace the strings with a sad choir. The result won?t be half as miserable as this. It?s actually like the world?s finest minds got together and meticulously designed what they deemed to be the most misery-inducing series of sounds ever conceived. Given that the original Adagio for Strings remains the most overused track in sad videos on YouTube, this is saying something and a bit. There?s gonna be a ***SPOILER*** here, by the way.
After an unsuccessful jump drive test during which you were assaulted by unknown attackers, you turn your city-sized ship about and return home to get fixed up and such. Upon arriving, however, you find your ancient home planet has been razed from orbit and what few ships remain are being destroyed before your eyes. It?s at this moment that the musical bombshell drops. Despite being only three missions in and knowing little about these people, I felt embarrassingly moved and angrily blasted the buggers who?d caused me such distress. It?s a shocking and powerful scene, which is a rarity in game plots in general. Indeed, the only problem with it is that the same insanely sad music is used briefly at the start of the very first level, which both suggests that something is going to go horribly awry and spoils the drama later on a bit. Even so, this remix is just sadistically blue, to the extent that the entire choir probably hanged themselves on their own vocal chords after the performance. Somehow.
Kessen II (?02)
Field Battle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3kMtI1776g
I once called Field Battle ?my favourite game track nobody else has ever heard?, and that?s probably true, since I?ve never met anyone who?s admitted to playing Kessen II. This is a shame for many reasons, but missing out on the soundtrack is a big one. There aren?t many pieces in the game, so they tend to get looped, and you?ll hear this ?un far more than should be tolerable. However, I?ve never got sick of it. I don?t know why, but this cheerful fighting tune never ceases to entertain me. Doubtless the fact that nobody else appreciates it contributes to my love of it, but the fact of the matter is that launching volleys of arrows is only half as cool without it.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (?99)
Ozar Midrashim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2RMWWBXYbs
An instrumental remix of a song by a band I know nothing about and whose other works I don?t care for, Ozar Midrashim?s description may not apparently fit the bill for the second instalment of the series with my favourite game plot in history, but when you hear it, all doubts are dispelled. Pounding, weird rustling, some kind of screechy thing, and a memorable chorus bit all combine to make one hell of a cool theme. It?s got a very tribal sound in a lot of ways, which ties in with some aspects of the game?s plot, though I daren?t go into detail for fear of spoiling somebody?s chance to try the saga themselves. Soul Reaver has some nifty original music of its own, but the recurring theme is by far the standout.
And, as I do every time I mention this series, I implore any people with the power to make a sixth instalment happen to get on it. Unlikely, I know, but if I say it every time, there?s always that slim hope I might catch someone important.
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (?05)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szzZQwawELc
You ever had a game that you spend about a month sincerely believing it?s the best you?ve ever had? Mercenaries is the classic example for me. It may not have the cool factor or comedy of Vice City, but I?d never seen such hilarious and impressive destruction in any game before, and few others have come close to rivalling the same levels of mad glee that can be had. Jeep + C4 pile = flaming missile! Anyway, I?ve probably spent a year of my life just sitting at the main menu, listening to the main theme blast out of the telly as the camera slowly pans across a courtyard that?s been reduced to smoke and scrap metal. But if you?re doing something important during a mission, you may just get to hear that same jaunty tune as you charge through town in a tank, fending off choppers and cursing every time a flattened pedestrian costs you a few grand. Good times.
Minecraft (?10)
Wet Hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQwMgc_ZT00&feature=related
I, like many, was badly addicted to this charming bastard of a time-eater for many a moon, and the way it periodically played some pretty piano in my ear every ten minutes didn?t help. It seemed that every time I started to get a bit bored and consider swapping to Painkiller, a gentle plinking would slowly emerge and lull me into a trance until I was engaged in some big project that crushed any hope of escaping. Wet Hands has a funny name, but is deceptively insidious, bewitching you with its accursed beauty at the first sign of disobedience. When it turns up to caress your cochlea just as you finish your crappy mud hovel, you?ll find said hovel transformed into a glorious mansion that you put together with just your own square hands and too much spare time. Damn you, Minecraft. Damn you and your lovely music.
Minecraft also holds the distinction of being the only game in this list to have not actually had a full release at the time of writing. Makes you wonder?
Shadow of the Colossus (?06)
Revived Power ~Battle with the Colossus~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DggH6CReCNA
When you?ve spent an hour being repeatedly stepped on and attempting to manoeuvre a giant monstrosity into just the right place to spring your trap, seeing him finally fall over and expose his vulnerable spot on his arse is awfully relieving. Having such an epic, happy track kick in and accompany you as you scramble up his fur and at last ram your sword in that sensitive area is insanely satisfying. SotC is famous for its soundtrack, and picking one from the selection wasn?t easy, but I had to settle on Revived Power in the end; it perfectly captures the childlike glee of excitedly stabbing an innocent behemoth as he desperately tries to fling you off.
Smash TV (?90)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfxD6aUg6NU
Fun fact: Smash TV was heavily influenced by classic Arnie flick The Running Man. Indeed, the game resembles the film on acid and fed through a maniac?s nightmare. And it?s every bit as awesome as the sum of its parts. When you load that badboy up and hear a funky ?80s-esque beat that could almost have come from the previously-mentioned incredible movie, you?ll be utterly in the mood to mow down legions of indistinct freaks. And then die. Lots. A merciless arcade blaster with some kickin? beats, then.
Star Wars: Republic Commando (?05)
Vode An
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiNyQD5Yq3E
The best Star Wars FPS also has probably the best original soundtrack of any game based on the franchise. Given that there are approximately three thousand, seven hundred and twenty of those in the galaxy, that?s no small feat, but nearly all the ones I?ve tried simply use the films? soundtracks. Not that I?m even implying that Mr. Williams? scores are anything less than brilliant, even managing to make the prequels seem halfway interesting at times, you can only hear Jabba?s theme so many times before eating yourself to death. Bounty Hunter has some tribally drums of unique origin, but can?t hope to rival Republic Commando?s booming monks. Every time a door explodes or some other thing goes terribly awry, these fellas blow your ears into your cranium with a sudden eruption of manly vocals. And it never gets old. Though there?s a distinct lack of screaming metal guitar.
TimeSplitters 2 (?02)
Siberia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZpNMn842k
Given how I?ve made referring to ?Splitters 2?s music during my reviews a running joke, it?s hardly surprising to see it here; I can?t hear a single note from any of its countless great tracks without wanting to behead the undead. Graeme Norgate is the man responsible for the soundtracks of not only every Free Radical game ever, but also a number of Rare titles you might be familiar with. Yes, that one. And yes, Free Radical was formed by a bunch of guys who split from Rare. A bunch of guys who helped make a certain famous N64 shooter?
But I?m rambling, as so often happens when ?Splitters is involved. Siberia is named after the opening level, which will look rather familiar if?yeah. But the point is it?s really haunting and stylish, in direct contrast to the equally amazing silliness of Anaconda, Circus or Return to Planet X. It not only demonstrates the sheer variety that this most precious of shooters contains, but also manages to be a genuinely chilling and mysterious track in its own right. If it had appeared in Splinter Cell or something, I wouldn?t have questioned its presence. Ah, the comedy of comparing two such utterly dissimilar series. Just buy the bloody game. For your own good.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (?05)
Scotland the Brave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoOl8LjxMFs
Not actually the famous bagpipe tune you?re thinking of, but rather what plays during the first proper level of the divisive third ?Splitters. Is it cheating to have two games from the same franchise? Maybe, but it?s my list. Anyway, Future Perfect may not have quite as many silly tracks, but it sure has plenty of pretty ones. Assaulting a castle of baddies as artillery fire pounds the island into rubble is made all the more outstanding by one mother of a nice Scottishy orchestral thing. I?m not good with music terms, okay?
Conclusion
So there you are. Feel free to suggest your own choices of game music, but keep criticism to a friendly level. I?m not overly fond of death threats, you see, though some of the better ones can be a laugh.
And if you?d like to hear s?more delectable game soundtracks, then see this YouTube playlist I made, which contains any tracks from games I happen to think are nice. Over a hundred, at the last count.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL2F2150F63B197448
Top 20 pieces of game music
Prologue
Though the marketing campaigns will rarely admit it, music can and does have a more profound effect on one?s experience in a game than the visuals. You obviously can?t measure sound in the same way you can count pixels (yes, some people actually count the pixels), so most modern fan wars don?t involve soundtracks, but perhaps they ought to.
As I?ve said many a time before, my collection of games is vast and ever-expanding. As such, I?ve likely heard the entire spectrum of game music, from the best to the worst. This list celebrates the former. It was tough to pick the tracks, particularly since I?ve limited myself to one piece per game, but the final product is rather definitive. They?re in no order other than alphabetical, in case you were wondering. I hope that you?ll be introduced to some jingles you might never have otherwise heard. Lastly, choosing a pre-existing track would be cheating somewhat, since by that logic, then Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s would probably take up fifteen of the available slots. As such, every track must be at least a remix or otherwise unique version of an existing track.
***SPOILERS*** are a possibility, though I?ll try to highlight any massive ones. This thing is also eye-strainingly long, so don?t think I expect you to read all of it, though that?d be mighty kind of you.
For your convenience, each track has a link to YouTube where you can hear it for yourself. I'm so considerate.
Age of Booty (?08)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz89R0n-Auw
A couple of years back, I was absent-mindedly checking the PSN Store to see if there was anything new worth having. It was then I spotted something I?d never heard of called Age of Booty. All I knew what that it featured pirates and had a demo, so I downloaded the latter and hovered over the icon on the XMB. I expected jaunty shenanigans, but I hadn?t anticipated to hear was what may be the piratiest tune the world has ever known. Indeed, it?s the game?s only track, so all the effort was focussed onto it exclusively. If you can listen to the whole thing without wanting to plunder some swag with a wench on each arm, you?re clearly dead inside. Doesn?t hurt that the game is pretty nifty itself, too.
Colony Wars (?97)
Opus Beta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7beMaimpuA
Colony Wars needs to make a comeback for many reasons, but the fact that it has perhaps the spaciest soundtrack of any game is just another. Opus Beta is the greatest example of what I mean. It so perfectly paints the image of this vast, grand area of untold adventure and majestic serenity, before dipping into a more violent-sounding bit to indicate the massive amount of lasery death that?s also going on, and then concluding with that brilliant style of the opening. I admit I get nostalgic about Colony Wars at the slightest provocation, but its music hasn?t aged a day.
Dragon Quest: The Journey of the Cursed King (?06)
Sky, Ocean and Earth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NWq2C5zGtg
?We done it, Guv! We only gone and bleedin? done it!?
Yes, Yangus, we certainly done it, though I think the ending theme put it a bit more eloquently than you. Dragon Quest VIII is my favourite JRPG, though that?s not saying a whole lot; the gameplay and story are extremely simple and predictable, and yet it has this inexplicable charm that kept me grinding away to beat each of the increasingly annoying bosses. When you?re mercifully free of the evil forever, you?re treated to an extra-long conclusion and then get to hear some stupidly pretty and relaxing music. Sky, Ocean and Earth is the crown jewel of a wonderful soundtrack; it?s big, it?s moving, and it?s just a bit sad. I actually felt a bit snuffly as I listened to it all the way through without trying to skip or get a cuppa. I?d finished a huge adventure and wanted to savour my victory. The ending track is basically the world?s most extravagant way of saying, ?Hope you had fun, goodbye forever!?
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (?02)
Nerevar Rising / Call of Magic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWuNf4gxwuM
The eternal conflict between those who prefer Morrowind and those who prefer Oblivion rages on, and I still can?t decide which side I?m on, but if you ask me there can be no doubt as to which has the best theme music. Nerevar Rising (the better name, I say) starts small and gets big before fading away. It has a magical feel and an epic scale without resorting to the much-overused choir of people singing what may or may not be Latin nonsense poems. It?s so good, in fact, that both Oblivion?s and Skyrim?s themes are clearly variations on the same tune. The legend will never die!
Galactic Civilizations (?03)
DISC (Research complete theme)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_h0FPyPSJw
Managing an interplanetary empire is tough; you?ve got wars to fight, votes to win and resources to plunder. It gets pretty stressful, and even an evil overlord with a throne of skulls needs something to relax with. Fortunately, every time you complete some research, you?re treated to just about the happiest, most calming tune you?ll ever hear. The way the robot seems to be tapping away at his keyboard in time with the twinkling notes just enhances the effect. I love this track so much that I was outraged to find they?d replaced it with a far lesser one in the sequel, so I actually changed the music to the original one and have never looked back.
Note: you may notice that I'm the one who put the entire GalCiv 1 soundtrack on YouTube. No need to thank me; I was just doing my duty as a massive nerd.
God of War (?05)
Zeus? Wrath Divine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPRftE8qtVA
God of War has always followed the basic theme of just taking Jason and the Argonauts and filling it with ultra-violence and hilarious sex minigames. To match this, the soundtrack is less ?family-friendly whimsical cheesiness? and more ?ripping a cyclops? eye out with your bare hands?. Understandably, this makes picking a single track as the best of the bunch nothing short of Herculean, but the ludicrous quantities of choirs and drums in Zeus? Wrath Divine may just give it the edge needed. It tends to play during particularly hectic battles, and when you consider that just a couple of hits can kill you on the hardest setting, you?ll definitely feel like you?re doing the most epic deed ever performed as you roll between blows and dish out pain to the sound of an orchestra having a fit. It?s something special.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (?02)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p1vacn3KcE
Given that Vice City is just one glittery, big-haired love letter to the ?80s, it makes complete sense that it has a fittingly groovy opening theme. From the quiet opening beat, it expands into a marvellous synth melody whose calming tones seem to suggest lying on a sunbed outside your mansion, watching your pet tiger roam around and considering dumping another million into your counter-surveillance budget. Vice City Stories very nearly has an equally awesome theme, but I think the wave of relaxation that washes over you like the Miami tide when you hear this one makes all the difference. There's a reason the last bit of it plays every time you beat a mission, you know. It does somewhat clash with the inevitable Rhino rampage, but ah well.
Halo: Combat Evolved (?02)
Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rIUVSjlwdU
There is awesome, and then there is this guitar-flavoured remix of the haunting Halo theme. Seriously, this thing is just ludicrously cool, a fact which is only highlighted by its tendency to only pop up when you?re doing something particularly dangerous. Without a doubt its shining moment is during the climactic jeep escape; all the smeg you?ve put up with until then is finally coming to a head, and you?ve got to get yourself out of there before you?re obliterated. Suddenly, you hear those monks get scared away by a screeching guitar and thumbing drum beat, and every near miss and splattered zombie immediately seems to be making the difference between life and death.
Hitman: Contracts (?04)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4XbneG571M
Jesper Kyd?s distinctive music is responsible for half the atmosphere in the Hitman series; I honestly believe the games wouldn?t be as cool without his input. He?s also worked on things like Borderlands and Assassin?s Creed, but Hitman will always be his iconic franchise to me. Contracts arguably has the majority of the most memorable tracks, like the crazy leather fetish party song (yes) and the whooshing sound of stalking your prey in the snow. Kyd has a crazily good knack for dark themes and Contracts will likely always be his masterpiece if you ask me. But greatest of all is what you hear at the menu and sometimes during a tense gameplay bit: that weirdly bouncy-sounding rhythm that just seems a bit off and the creepy blokes singing something clever. It goes all over the place and kind of reflects the conflict that 47 is supposed to have, since he?s both a religious man and the best assassin on the planet, which are two rather incompatible character traits. Try walking in time to the beat as you stroll past security on your way to trigger a complex chain of events that?ll result in a flawless hit. You shan?t regret it.
Homeworld (?99)
Adagio for Strings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIUxwEJ-GXI
Take the most utterly depressing music ever composed and replace the strings with a sad choir. The result won?t be half as miserable as this. It?s actually like the world?s finest minds got together and meticulously designed what they deemed to be the most misery-inducing series of sounds ever conceived. Given that the original Adagio for Strings remains the most overused track in sad videos on YouTube, this is saying something and a bit. There?s gonna be a ***SPOILER*** here, by the way.
After an unsuccessful jump drive test during which you were assaulted by unknown attackers, you turn your city-sized ship about and return home to get fixed up and such. Upon arriving, however, you find your ancient home planet has been razed from orbit and what few ships remain are being destroyed before your eyes. It?s at this moment that the musical bombshell drops. Despite being only three missions in and knowing little about these people, I felt embarrassingly moved and angrily blasted the buggers who?d caused me such distress. It?s a shocking and powerful scene, which is a rarity in game plots in general. Indeed, the only problem with it is that the same insanely sad music is used briefly at the start of the very first level, which both suggests that something is going to go horribly awry and spoils the drama later on a bit. Even so, this remix is just sadistically blue, to the extent that the entire choir probably hanged themselves on their own vocal chords after the performance. Somehow.
Kessen II (?02)
Field Battle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3kMtI1776g
I once called Field Battle ?my favourite game track nobody else has ever heard?, and that?s probably true, since I?ve never met anyone who?s admitted to playing Kessen II. This is a shame for many reasons, but missing out on the soundtrack is a big one. There aren?t many pieces in the game, so they tend to get looped, and you?ll hear this ?un far more than should be tolerable. However, I?ve never got sick of it. I don?t know why, but this cheerful fighting tune never ceases to entertain me. Doubtless the fact that nobody else appreciates it contributes to my love of it, but the fact of the matter is that launching volleys of arrows is only half as cool without it.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (?99)
Ozar Midrashim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2RMWWBXYbs
An instrumental remix of a song by a band I know nothing about and whose other works I don?t care for, Ozar Midrashim?s description may not apparently fit the bill for the second instalment of the series with my favourite game plot in history, but when you hear it, all doubts are dispelled. Pounding, weird rustling, some kind of screechy thing, and a memorable chorus bit all combine to make one hell of a cool theme. It?s got a very tribal sound in a lot of ways, which ties in with some aspects of the game?s plot, though I daren?t go into detail for fear of spoiling somebody?s chance to try the saga themselves. Soul Reaver has some nifty original music of its own, but the recurring theme is by far the standout.
And, as I do every time I mention this series, I implore any people with the power to make a sixth instalment happen to get on it. Unlikely, I know, but if I say it every time, there?s always that slim hope I might catch someone important.
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (?05)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szzZQwawELc
You ever had a game that you spend about a month sincerely believing it?s the best you?ve ever had? Mercenaries is the classic example for me. It may not have the cool factor or comedy of Vice City, but I?d never seen such hilarious and impressive destruction in any game before, and few others have come close to rivalling the same levels of mad glee that can be had. Jeep + C4 pile = flaming missile! Anyway, I?ve probably spent a year of my life just sitting at the main menu, listening to the main theme blast out of the telly as the camera slowly pans across a courtyard that?s been reduced to smoke and scrap metal. But if you?re doing something important during a mission, you may just get to hear that same jaunty tune as you charge through town in a tank, fending off choppers and cursing every time a flattened pedestrian costs you a few grand. Good times.
Minecraft (?10)
Wet Hands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQwMgc_ZT00&feature=related
I, like many, was badly addicted to this charming bastard of a time-eater for many a moon, and the way it periodically played some pretty piano in my ear every ten minutes didn?t help. It seemed that every time I started to get a bit bored and consider swapping to Painkiller, a gentle plinking would slowly emerge and lull me into a trance until I was engaged in some big project that crushed any hope of escaping. Wet Hands has a funny name, but is deceptively insidious, bewitching you with its accursed beauty at the first sign of disobedience. When it turns up to caress your cochlea just as you finish your crappy mud hovel, you?ll find said hovel transformed into a glorious mansion that you put together with just your own square hands and too much spare time. Damn you, Minecraft. Damn you and your lovely music.
Minecraft also holds the distinction of being the only game in this list to have not actually had a full release at the time of writing. Makes you wonder?
Shadow of the Colossus (?06)
Revived Power ~Battle with the Colossus~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DggH6CReCNA
When you?ve spent an hour being repeatedly stepped on and attempting to manoeuvre a giant monstrosity into just the right place to spring your trap, seeing him finally fall over and expose his vulnerable spot on his arse is awfully relieving. Having such an epic, happy track kick in and accompany you as you scramble up his fur and at last ram your sword in that sensitive area is insanely satisfying. SotC is famous for its soundtrack, and picking one from the selection wasn?t easy, but I had to settle on Revived Power in the end; it perfectly captures the childlike glee of excitedly stabbing an innocent behemoth as he desperately tries to fling you off.
Smash TV (?90)
Main Theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfxD6aUg6NU
Fun fact: Smash TV was heavily influenced by classic Arnie flick The Running Man. Indeed, the game resembles the film on acid and fed through a maniac?s nightmare. And it?s every bit as awesome as the sum of its parts. When you load that badboy up and hear a funky ?80s-esque beat that could almost have come from the previously-mentioned incredible movie, you?ll be utterly in the mood to mow down legions of indistinct freaks. And then die. Lots. A merciless arcade blaster with some kickin? beats, then.
Star Wars: Republic Commando (?05)
Vode An
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiNyQD5Yq3E
The best Star Wars FPS also has probably the best original soundtrack of any game based on the franchise. Given that there are approximately three thousand, seven hundred and twenty of those in the galaxy, that?s no small feat, but nearly all the ones I?ve tried simply use the films? soundtracks. Not that I?m even implying that Mr. Williams? scores are anything less than brilliant, even managing to make the prequels seem halfway interesting at times, you can only hear Jabba?s theme so many times before eating yourself to death. Bounty Hunter has some tribally drums of unique origin, but can?t hope to rival Republic Commando?s booming monks. Every time a door explodes or some other thing goes terribly awry, these fellas blow your ears into your cranium with a sudden eruption of manly vocals. And it never gets old. Though there?s a distinct lack of screaming metal guitar.
TimeSplitters 2 (?02)
Siberia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhZpNMn842k
Given how I?ve made referring to ?Splitters 2?s music during my reviews a running joke, it?s hardly surprising to see it here; I can?t hear a single note from any of its countless great tracks without wanting to behead the undead. Graeme Norgate is the man responsible for the soundtracks of not only every Free Radical game ever, but also a number of Rare titles you might be familiar with. Yes, that one. And yes, Free Radical was formed by a bunch of guys who split from Rare. A bunch of guys who helped make a certain famous N64 shooter?
But I?m rambling, as so often happens when ?Splitters is involved. Siberia is named after the opening level, which will look rather familiar if?yeah. But the point is it?s really haunting and stylish, in direct contrast to the equally amazing silliness of Anaconda, Circus or Return to Planet X. It not only demonstrates the sheer variety that this most precious of shooters contains, but also manages to be a genuinely chilling and mysterious track in its own right. If it had appeared in Splinter Cell or something, I wouldn?t have questioned its presence. Ah, the comedy of comparing two such utterly dissimilar series. Just buy the bloody game. For your own good.
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (?05)
Scotland the Brave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoOl8LjxMFs
Not actually the famous bagpipe tune you?re thinking of, but rather what plays during the first proper level of the divisive third ?Splitters. Is it cheating to have two games from the same franchise? Maybe, but it?s my list. Anyway, Future Perfect may not have quite as many silly tracks, but it sure has plenty of pretty ones. Assaulting a castle of baddies as artillery fire pounds the island into rubble is made all the more outstanding by one mother of a nice Scottishy orchestral thing. I?m not good with music terms, okay?
Conclusion
So there you are. Feel free to suggest your own choices of game music, but keep criticism to a friendly level. I?m not overly fond of death threats, you see, though some of the better ones can be a laugh.
And if you?d like to hear s?more delectable game soundtracks, then see this YouTube playlist I made, which contains any tracks from games I happen to think are nice. Over a hundred, at the last count.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL2F2150F63B197448
)
