My Top 10 Favorite Videogame Soundtracks
Hey guys, Ivan2294 here with a brand new top 10. I haven’t written in a while so have mercy on me.
I recently booted up a game of [REDACTED DUE TO PARTIAL LIST SPOILER] expecting to start a match. Instead what I did was sit at the main menu listening to the in-game soundtrack. I was mesmerized and decided that I should write a top 10 for Videogame OSTs. Which, judging by the title of this blog, I did.
I’d like to establish a few things first though.
1. This is for the official soundtracks of a games. As such, individual songs are not enough, the whole OST must be good.
2. The songs must be made specifically for that game, so no games that only/mostly use licensed music.
3. My list, my opinions. Please don’t rage, but do comment and give advice.
Now let's get this started.
#10: Super Meat Boy
Soundtrack(Bandcamp):
Starting off at number 10 is the Super Meat Boy OST. This soundtrack tends to have a unique feel when compared to other retro games. I'm no expert on music, but I'm pretty sure some of the sounds/instruments used to make this OST aren't 8-bit or chiptune, but they were still able to capture the feel of a retro game, just like the actual game did.
Each song also has a Dark World Version which usually has more bass in it and tends to be more fast-paced in order to give a sense of greater difficulty, in case you didn't feel that way already.
But despite the difficulty, this game is very enjoyable and the music works well and is fun to listen to.
#9: Shatter
Soundtrack(Bandcamp):
The only game on here that I have not played, Shatter has a very catchy soundtrack. I'm not sure exactly what genre it would fit in, but Techno, or Electronic is my amateurish guess.
I can't really say much since I haven't played the game, but I have seen many gameplay videos(as well as watched my brother play it), and it seems to fit very well. Ironically, it may have a more epic Boss Battle song than most games, and this is a game that's essentially Pong if it was the year 8010.
But lets face it, the main reason it's on here is because it's really catchy, even outside the game. Most good soundtracks will be enjoyable both while and while not playing a game, and this OST certainly fits. With various techno beats it's bound to appeal to many players, and even non-players like me.
#8: GoldenEye 007
Soundtrack(Youtube):
I'll be the first to admit that I do not think this game has aged well, or that it's even that good now. I still think it was amazing for it's time and it helped revolutionize FPS games both on Consoles and in general, but most of it's features just don't stand up to today's games.
Most except one.
Anyways, the game has an amazing soundtrack that fits perfectly for each level, and the songs tend to be tuned to match both firefights and stealth segments(assuming there was someone who did, in fact, try to be stealthy), so it never truly contradicts the mood or feel of the game.
While modern games can pull this off easily, it's usually due to scripted scenes or dynamic music, a luxury that Rare did not have. Don't get me wrong, I love dynamic music very much, but the fact that GoldenEye achieved this without scripting and on the limited hardware of the N64 is amazing in itself, and combine that with it's almost film-quality feel and you got one of the best FPS Soundtracks out there.
#7: Modern Warfare 2
Soundtrack(Youtube):
Some people think that Modern Warfare 2 is an amazing game, others think it's just decent, and more still think it's terrible. As of this writing, I do not enjoy Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer, and I think that the storyline is okay at best.
But one thing that I can really appreciate about this game is it's amazing musical score. If I have my facts right, most of the music in this game is (at least partially) composed by a certain Hans Zimmer. He is known for composing for a few small films such as The Lion King and Inception, (although admittedly they're not the most popular songs in them).
So you have an amazing composer making music for a high-budget game. Chances are it's going to turn out great. Obviously it did because this is some very high-quality music, ranging from grand and epic music for large battles and important events, to some quiet, yet unsettling music for scenes of stealth and planning. It's perhaps one of the main reasons that the storyline is so engaging, even if you don't consider the storyline that great.
So whether you hate it or love it, you have to admit that the music in Modern Warfare 2 is certainly one of the best in the series, and perhaps in the world.
#6: AI War: Fleet Command
Sountrack(Youtube); Also available on iTunes
http://tinyurl.com/3wz95n9And yet another indie game makes it on the list. I'll admit I haven't played that much of the game, in-fact my first campaign isn't finished, but I have played it (unlike Shatter).
To be honest there's not a very good way to explain why this music is so phenomenal. The best way to understand is to read the backstory for the game. After reading the words "You are outgunned. You are massively outnumbered. You must win." you can't help but feel like you're humanity's only hope. The music is great because it enhances that feeling, whether it be calming or epic. The reason Arcen Games doesn't need to worry about the music matching the game is because the game is on such a large-scale that the music only needs to instill the idea that you must defeat the AI at any cost.
In short, this soundtrack is a perfect example of what Videogame music is for, enhancing the experience and instilling a feeling of immersion, as well as role-playing (to a lesser extent). In this particular game's case that feeling is that you are the leader of a dying race and must win no matter what. Truly a great soundtrack.
P.S. This is the game near the beginning of the blog that was redacted.
#5: Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland
I'll be honest, I have not played this game either. But I've been a fan of the Kirby Series long enough to know that much of the Kirby games share the same music, I simply chose this game due to it's wide range of more well-known songs. Think of this game as a representative of the franchise, chosen to be on this list.
Anyways, the Kirby series is well known and very highly praised by many. It's beloved tunes have been used again & again, but while some would say that it would get boring, I say that that is the reason this soundtrack is so great. Each game rarely adds new games, nor do they make major remixes of older songs (with a few exceptions), but they tend to subtly improve upon the last one. Eventually, however, the songs will become drastically different than the original, and as such the two different versions will only appeal to two different audiences.
Nightmare in Dreamland, is what I consider the mid-point in the series. It's a remake of Kirby's Adventure on the NES, and as such it has most of the memorable songs of the franchise. It's on the Gameboy Advance, giving it a definitive retro-but-newer feel. These two elements combine to make what I consider the best soundtrack in the franchise, contain what are arguably the best versions of the series most famous songs.
As such, Nightmare in Dreamland contains very light-hearted and happy songs that appeal to most fans of the franchise, earning it a spot in the Top 5.
#4: Minecraft
Soundtrack(Bandcamp):
http://c418.bandcamp.com/album/minecraft-volume-alpha
This was a hard one to list, not because it wasn't appealing (if that was the case it wouldn't appear at all), but rather because half of the songs in the official OST release are not featured in-game. Technically all 24 songs are part of the Official Soundtrack, but in actuality only 12 are ever heard. After a while I decided that I would only consider the 12 from in-game, but it's still worth checking out the other 12 unreleased tracks in the bandcamp link above.
The soundtrack in this game is unique, both in the music being very, very calm for a videogame that involves giant exploding green monstrosities and a portal straight to hell, and because since it's a sandbox game in a very literal sense the music simply starts playing at random.
Luckily, everything else in the game is also random, including the word itself. Since the world is random, a lot of the player's time is spent exploring, with the rest usually building. Luckily most music is made to invoke a sense of calming exploration and fits perfectly within the games confines. If you happen to be constructing a massive pikachu, or something similar, then the relaxing mood of the music fits in as well.
In addition to that, I can vouch for the music being appealing out-of-game as well, with the best usage coming from sleepy time music to a relaxing stroll to a simple wait. I found myself thinking alot about my surrounding, which I'm sure the music was made to do, but additionally I started think more about what to do with my life. I'm not saying it's life-changing or that the same effect would even happen on others, but the emotion of some of the music is worth mentioning.
Overall, the music is just soothing in almost everyway(although two of the Album-only songs are just downright creepy, while another two are very cheerful) and fits the game perfectly in everyway as well. If you check the Youtube comments on some videos using these songs, you'll find people "writing poems/short stories" about their adventures in the game. It's a comical sight, but also very touching and rare for music to cause. All of these factors earn Volume Alpha a place on the list, even without the additional 12 songs.
#3: Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game
Soundtrack(Youtube):
http://tinyurl.com/3garaje
One of the few movie-games to ever actually be considered great, Scott Pilgrim vs The World is a retro beat'em up fighting game with a few RPG aspects thrown in for good measure. Simply put, it's both a parody of and homage to the retro games of the 80's and 90's.
So obviously the music would be retro too. But unlike most games, the musical artist, Anamanaguchi, decided to not only make a completely unique retro-chiptune soundtrack, but many of the songs have additional real instruments, as in guitars and drums, to "support" the chiptune soundtrack. It's most noticable in the songs Another Winter(above) and Leave the Past Behind. It really adds to the music, and somehow makes it feel like a more retro experience.
The soundtrack just matches each situation uniquely and each boss theme is memorable and matches well. Overall it's a great chiptune soundtrack with plenty of attention to the workings of the song and is one of the best out there.
#2: Super Mario 64
Soundtrack(Other):
http://www.mariomayhem.com/downloads/sound_tracks/super_mario_64_original_soundtrack.php
While I might have my nostalgia goggles a little too tight for this one, I remain adamant that this game's soundtrack is one of the best to ever exist. It's cheerful and very "mario-like", being unique yet true to it's roots in Super Mario World and the original Super Mario Bros.
While admittedly not that much better than other amazing platformers, what makes it so amazing is that you could practically design an entire world around each song. The Dire, Dire Docks Theme invokes a sense of wonder and calm, fitting the ocean designs of the water worlds perfectly. Hazy Maze Cave's song makes you truly think of all the kinds of strange and potentially lethal things that you could find in the mysterious caverns you explored. The main theme for your typical over-land stage fits the idea of a simple grassy area with enemies that, while they could be lethal, are affable at best. The song slider is light-hearted, almost carnival-like experience and fits the fun-having times of the secret slide and carpet rides.
Overall, this game is amazing and so is the soundtrack. It's a perfect example of gamedesign, and the example extends to it's music as well.
#1: Portal 2
Soundtrack(Official Website):
If you recall, a few OSTs back I mentioned something about Dynamic music, and not-so-subtly provided a link to the Left 4 Dead wiki talking about the music in Valve's famous zombie series: Left 4 Dead.
While Valve improved and polished Portal into a full-blown game in Portal 2, if your a fan of Left 4 Dead's music you'll notice that they took a lesson from the/those game(s) and changed Portal's soundtrack to be dynamic based on what you're doing.
Arial Faith Plates add a screeching yet somehow still appealing sound to the music, propulsion gel add some faster, techno sounds, etc.
Even a certain Companion adds some light-hearted music to an otherwise lonely-feeling song.
Dynamic music is great, but it's hard to get the full experience outside of the game. As such, the official release simply adds the extra sounds as the song goes on. It's still great, but not as effective as in-game. Luckily, Valve was smart enough to keep some regular, non-changing music, such as the one showcased above.
While the music is amazing, most of it's dark and lonely sounding. But some of the music is actually quite light-hearted. Very much so, and sometimes very comically so. So whether your laughing out loud, or thinking about poor Chell, this game has a very amazing soundtrack. The humongous turret orchestra with a hidden/implied backstory for the otherwise mysterious main character also helps.
P.S. This is without consideration for Want You Gone and Exile Vilify which are a song about GlaDOS's feelings after Portal 2 by Jonathon Coulton, and a full-blown song by The Nationals made just for this game, respectively. If you take those into account as well, then the soundtrack is not only perhaps the best OST ever, but is at least 20% cooler than all the others combined.
That's my blog for today. Please comment and point out any mistakes I may have made. Discussions are encouraged, but no flamewars please.
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