Out With the New, In With the Old: Memorable Video Game Music

Skyrim, Fallout, and Halo music are my favorites.

For a segment on music it's odd that it included so very lil of the classic video game music we love. Hmph.

I wish more game developers would hire the Civilization series' composers. Civ 4 had some of the best music I've ever heard.

These days it feels that the music in games is faint. I can barely hear it. And a lot of other games use music that is popular now which is meh. Good songs but i kinda want original songs. This is why i like Sega and Square enix.

1. All kingdomhearts soundtrack

2. Ice cap zone- Sonic the hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

3.Blinded by the light- FF13

4.Sabers Edge boss battle theme- FF13

5. Crisis city- Sonic the hedgehog

1. Sonic 2 (GEN) : Metropolis Theme

2. Final Fantasy 1-9 : The Ending Theme

3. Lufia II (SNES) : Ending Theme

4. Grandia (PSX) : Opening Theme

5. Xenosaga (PS2) : The Nephilim Song

Chrono Trigger: "To far away times"

My list of five soudtracks (because I like too many songs on each to pick just one):

1.) Final Fantasy VII

2.) Castlevania: SotN

3.) Xenogears

4.) The Legend of Zelda: OoT

5.) Mega Man X (and Maverick Hunter X, the remake)

I simply cannot fit all of my favorites into a list of five.

I have been an appreciator of video game music ever since I started gaming at the age of four (I'm now 27). Hell, my computer has over 6,000 songs from video games, and it is ever-growing. I always take the time to get my hands on the best of the best game music, no matter the genre, but there is one thing that stands out about my collection - the fact that most of it is from the 90s, and the majority of my that music is from JRPGs. The music contained in those games was undoubtedly some of the best and most memorable ever recorded.

My issue with modern games is that they have Hollywood scores that are almost indistinguishable from the next. You made a great point with the FPS comment, Gareth. Well done, sir.

I am also disheartened by the lack of quality Japanese game music as well. Very few modern JRPGs have been able to engage me enough to create the desire to acquire their soundtracks. I was particularly disheartened by the quality of music in the Final Fantasy series (although Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII's score was a masterpiece - thank you, @bojan_sokol ). I am glad to hear that the Legend of Zelda series has not lost its flair through all of these years - it is one of the few gems in modern times, as far as gaming time is concerned. I know I'm not mentioning some of the recent indie gems in this list, but do not think that I have completely forgotten them.

I'm going to finish my rant by echoing the statements of a few readers below regarding a game not mentioned (and, yes, I know it was from the 2000s):

SILENT HILL 2.

'Nuff said.

The main music I remember is from Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and Warlords Battlecry. The music from those games is so good. Also the music from the original Rayman was amazing

An integral part of the video game experience, video game music, died in the late 90's. Gaming hasn't been the same since.

Seriously, don't tell me the Galaxy Map music from the Mass Effect games isn't an amazing piece of music.

the music soundtrack is better now. It may not be as memorable as Zelda ocarina of time, Donkey kong Country, Super mario or final fantasy 7 8 and 10 theme music, but music quality is higher, and i must say i preffer Orchestrial music over digital computer sounds.

Games like L.A.Noir, Zelda Skyward sword and Skyrim have a great soundtracks, but you don't hear them as well as the old games, personally I think this is because the Orchestrial music blends better inn the game then the old digital music.

oh ok... list of 5...Mega Man 2

Mike Tyson's Punch Out

Zone of the Enders 2

Legend of Zelda

Grim Fandango

those are my five top... that i can recall.

I've always found old video game music to be more memorable. I listen to them more than the modern video game music. It just doesn't stick with you.

Final Fantasy, Battlefield, Sonic, Mario, Zelda, Metal Gear Solid. All of those are excellent soundtracks but i am obliged to put Megaman and Streets of Rage OST on top of those.

nice feature, there was an excellent little game called Mechanarium about a year or two ago with a beautiful soundtrack.

There are some soundtracks today that I find very memorable, especially if you listen to the soundtrack a couple times or play the game a lot. But there truly are some simple and memorable tunes back in the day.

Music should enhance the experiance, not control it. The best game music is blended in with the gameplay seamlessly and is not intrusive. A good example of "immersive" music from this generation would be in Red Dead Redemption.

they were just as many bad soundtracks back then as there are now. the AAA games always had great ones, as they do now (except FPSs)

Elebits soundtrack. No seriously, it's amazing.

Quake 2 not only has the best ost from all games I played, but also my favourite song of all time: Descent Into Cerberon.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. (And Warrior Within's soundtrack was absolutly epic, but it didn't have the magic the Sands of Time soundtrack has.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLTBKNrRg2k

my favorite XD

All of Final Fantasy IX

the opening scene in particular sets the mood for the game so perfectly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk-jGZoK7Ns&feature=related

One of my favorites from FFVII Crisis Core "The Price of Freedom" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOJ91H4mraU

sad to see on console games there...as much as I love mario zelda ans snake, the song that reminds me the mos about a game hands down n The Ladder by Yes from the epilogue of Homeworld...in fact gonna listen to it now

One of my favorites was the intro cutscene from the original ninja gaiden on nes

Kingdom Hearts background music was nice touch.

cyan's theme from final fantasy 3 (6).

castlevania-- epic score.

Uh... Dragon Age and World of Warcraft (Warcraft series in general)

I am a sucker for older video game music, but there definitely are some memorable tunes in newer games. I'm HUGE fan of the Skyrim soundtrack.

Although the themes from Mario and Zelda are definitely memorable, I think it has more to do with the fact that those games were so iconic that everything about them - music, characters, voice acting, etc. - became iconic. (Also the fact that the music for both was by the same person.) I'm pretty sure that almost everyone here could hum the Elder Scrolls theme, and it'll be just as iconic ten years from now. I'd hardly call the soundtracks from Deus Ex: HR, Assassin's Creed, or Mass Effect a "lull". In fact I'd say game music is getting way better.

Bastion has an awesome soundtrack.

I disagree with the Battlefield theme being the same, thats an amazing theme, Dun Dun DUNDUNDUN Dun Dun DUNDUNDUN!!!! the remix of the bf theme in bf3 is also insanely awesome...but still you can never beat Sonic the Hedgehog 1,2 and 3 boss themes.

Castlevania, Simon's Quest, and Symphony Of The Night. Hands down the BEST video game music I have ever heard.

Most memorable soundtrack will forever be the simple tunes from Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and Maybe Majoras Mask:

Song of Storms, Hymn of Time, Song of Healing

Completely untrue. The only reason you're seeing worse music is because you're looking in the wrong places. Of course you're finding cinematic, "Hollywood" style music if you look into that genre. If you look in areas besides the huge-scale HD releases from the top publishers, you'll find other styles.

mass effect 3 and deus ex both have brilliant scores! crysis 2 had a very unique soundtrack also.

5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm_xuXR2DcA

4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ6ABV_Q9qU

3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtfNm3Pb8HQ

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6miaTf1gF4g

1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc7BCZFP9Ww

As you can see, I'm a sucker for a certain style.

Another very memorable piece of game music, Dreaming Of The Shore, Bordering Another World from Chrono Cross. That piece of music is amazing and has so much emotion to it, it's been a huge inspiration for me with my writing over the past decade plus.

@zoxdj - That track is so deep and epic. I used to stay on the world map just to hear that tune. I wanted to put some of the tracks from Mass Effect 3 on my list, but the "Chrono" series has my heart always :P

I kind of wish Kingdom Hearts was credited in this video.... I don't think I'll ever forget Simple and Clean.

They played a KH track but didn't at least show a clip of it?

Okay, GS.

Sonic games always had great tracks

World of Goo

oh and Flying Tigers

1) Shining Force III - The main theme has been stuck in my head, on repeat, since 1998.

2) Gunstar Heroes

3) MegaMan X4

4) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

5) Uncharted 3

it's a shame you didn't mention the kingdom hearts series although in half of the episode you put one of the themes of it this is the last game i remember the music truly one of the best series there is

Back then game music was unique compared to other medias and all of it unlicensed. I agree that modern games have some good bits, but usually those are things that try to mimic the past (Deus Ex HR, ME3, some Oblivion) and not go for the huge orchestra feel.

I prefer my game music sounding synthetized and something that is unique to the game. When games had worse graphics, music was a lot more important. And with the lacking technology back then they really had to deliver with creative quality. Now game developers hire some big name who repeats the same routine he has done a million times before in every media.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvLIRa6PG2Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gZrnEARFeA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgW-Drt-YEs

I have my own video game music list on itunes as well ;P

some pretty amazing tunes