Video Game Music: What's Your Favorite Song? - GameSpot Q&A

Welcome back to GameSpot Q&A, a weekly section where we ask our staff and readers an interesting discussion question about video games. Look at this as a forum where you and others can discuss and compare your opinions of this beloved hobby of ours. Let us know what your answer is to this week's question in the comments below!

This week's question is:

What is your favorite song from a video game?

When we spend our time playing video games, there are moments along the way that we find music from them that we absolutely love. From catchy 8-bit tunes that we can't get out of our heads to sweeping orchestral themes that move us in the most profound ways, what's your favorite song from a video game? Here's our top picks.

"Exile Vilify" from Portal 2 | Chris Watters, Host

It didn't feature very prominently, only a small sample of it looped on a broken radio in an out-of-the-way room, as I recall, but even that small snippet of "Exile Vilify" in Portal 2 was enough. I sought out the song online, downloaded it, and it now occupies a cherished place in my musical rotation. I don't think I've even listened to other songs by The National; the haunting, soul-stretching strains of that song sustain me.

"Epona's Song" from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Synthia Weires, Community Manager

"Epona's Song" from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. When my daughter was born, I didn't know any lullabies and for the life of me couldn't figure out what to "sing" while I cuddled and swayed my child in an effort to convince her to go to sleep. One night I just started humming it. I could almost see the C-buttons in my mind as I starting harmonizing for my daughter. It's now one of her favorites.

"Nothing Hurts" Now from Dreamfall: The Longest Journey | Jess McDonell, Host

"Nothing Hurts Now" by Magnet. Dreamfall: The Longest Journey was punctuated by Magnet tracks and this one landed just after the protagonist had given her all to a quest and discovered she had lost more than she found. It's a devastating moment and being that I am known to cry at everything, this part always gets me. I've played Dreamfall several times but I always feel like I'm right there with Zoë when she's crying on her bed and Magnet underpins the mood with lyrics like, "Nothing hurts now that didn't hurt before, so I won't pretend that it was the end of the world."

"Sparking" from Tekken 5 | Zorine Te, Editor

This is an incredibly difficult question, mainly because I'm a music nerd. One song that always gets me pumped for the day is "Spar King" (sparking?) from the opening of Tekken 5. The boys and I used to sing this in class and make the dumbest jokes from it, mainly because the lyrics we found online did not make sense of any kind. One particular line which was suggested, "destiny or terebi" and "rice cooker" always had me in stitches. Regardless of its poor lyrical content, the song has always evoked fond memories of goofing off in class and hanging out in arcades with my friends.

"The Decisive Battle" from Final Fantasy VI | Edmond Tran, Video Director

Which Final Fantasy has the best soundtrack? The best Final Fantasy game, of course. Final Fantasy VI. No, you're wrong. So many great tracks, but "The Decisive Battle" was the one I really latched onto. I spent tons of time trying to perfect the piano collection rendition of it and almost flunked out of my actual music exams. Also massive shout out to the whole Gitaroo Man soundtrack, which is still the greatest rhythm action game ever. Ever.

The title theme from Dragon's Dogma | Tamoor Hussain, News Editor

Have you heard the Dragon's Dogma title screen theme? It. Is. Incredible. I popped that game in for the first time and just sat on the screen listening to the title theme for the full four(ish) minutes it lasts. I couldn't understand a single thing the main singer, who is a Japanese man singing in English, said, but the energy behind it was enrapturing. It's the same kind of passion and commitment that made the Daytona USA theme an earworm. It's a kick ass track.

"Fire-Field" from F-Zero X | Rob Crossley, Editor

F-Zero X has the best worst metal music ever I've ever heard; a slightly revolting monaural crescendo of lo-fi pig slaughter mixed with genuinely sufficient guitar riffs, all compressed onto a slither of cartridge space. The best track of them all is the one that plays on the Fire-Field level, but much like with Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club and Dark Side of the Moon, F-Zero X's appalling soundtrack can only be fully understood and appreciated in its entirety.