By Karl Koebke 09th Nov 2009
Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony, PC, 25,264 views
Check out our list of some of our favorite music in gaming
Top Twenty Original Soundtracks in Gaming
This was not an easy list to come up with. Indeed, what started off as a top 10 soon mushroomed into a top 20, and could have gone much higher still, but limit ourselves to 20 we have. It was certainly enjoyable though; listening to some of these soundtracks made us want to replay some of these often classic games.
A word of caution – we do not for one moment pretend this list is definitive. It is a list of soundtracks that have most impressed a few of us on the staff. Feel free to come up with your own lists/suggestions in the comments section.
20. The Sims
Yes, we did just pick The Sims. Ok, ok, so it’s like a cross between elevator music and some corny sitcom tv show, but it suits the game so well and it seems to encapsulate the phrase ‘love to hate’ (is that a compliment or an insult?). Sit back, relax and tinker with the lives of your Sims whilst this music plays unashamedly in the background...
19. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Zelda is one of the most beloved video game series of all time, so it comes as no surprise that it has produced some equally loved music. Ocarina of Time in particular has some tunes that stick with you even if you haven’t played the game in years. Not every song is a knock out of the park, but there are definitely enough great songs to make it No.19 on our list.
Chrono Cross may not be quite as loved as its predecessor, but you can’t fault it for music selection. Sure, stylistically it sounds like a lot of other JRPG games, but it does the music so well that it’s the standard that many other JRPGs that attempt this type of music should be held to.
17. Ico (PS2)
Some may find the addition of Ico to be suspect, what with the soundtrack only having two notable songs. However, both of those songs are so fantastic that it helped Ico to just barely make its way onto this list. Both ‘Castle in the Mist’ and ‘You Were There’ have a haunting sound to them thanks to the strings and vocals respectively; they help to set the mood for one of the most atmospheric games ever created.
Mirror’s Edge has both a great title track and an excellent overall soundtrack. Composed by Magnus Birgersson, the game’s score consists of a large selection of ambient electronic music tracks. Both the game’s world and the soundtrack itself have extremely minimalist and pure styles; this is one of the most fitting soundtracks in modern gaming. As a bonus you can also access the entire soundtrack from the game’s extras menu. Below we’ve chosen the game’s main menu theme.
One of the only issues we had while playing Persona 3 was that the song usage felt repetitive. Persona 4 had no such trouble. Each dungeon has its own theme song with that playful style that Shoji Meguro brings. It is great to hear a JRPG that goes outside of the norms for music in the genre and brings us something truly unique. Here’s one of the best battle songs in the game.
We’ve opted for something a little bit different at No.14. Featuring a funky, catchy soundtrack, with music spanning genres from hip-hop to jazz, it’s a soundtrack which perfectly captures the game’s carefree, cheerful and bouncy personality. The music is interactive as well, so that as you apply paint to the surroundings you help shape the music. Here’s our favourite track from de Blob.
13. Earthbound (SNES)
The Mother series has had a tough time with localization in the West, but that doesn’t stop it from having some of the most beloved music out there. Earthbound especially has some impressive track diversity considering the limitations of hardware at the time. Perhaps it is because I grew up loving the game, but to this day I love the music enough to use the Mr. Saturn song as my ringtone.
12. Halo Series (360, PC, Xbox)
OK, so we’re cheating slightly by selecting the whole series, but hear us out. Martin O’Donnell, Bungie’s audio director, has composed the music for all of the games from the main series, and this continuity is clearly reflected in the evolution of the music from one game to the next. Each successive game maintains that distinct Halo sound, often epitomised by a rousing orchestral main theme. And then Halo 3: ODST came along, with its subtle, atmospheric soundtrack which perfectly suits the darkened tone of the game. Beautiful though that soundtrack is, it’s perhaps not the best soundtrack to select a track from, so we’ve opted for Halo 3’s iconic main theme instead.
The greatest RTS game ever made also has one heck of a soundtrack. Anyone else out there linger in the menus before going online just to hear the music build up? Then there are the three races, each of which has its own selection of tracks, brilliantly composed so that they accentuate the differences between the races. The Zerg get a creepy, dark and brooding soundtrack, the Protoss a soothing, mystical one, but we think the Terrans get the best tracks...
This was not an easy list to come up with. Indeed, what started off as a top 10 soon mushroomed into a top 20, and could have gone much higher still, but limit ourselves to 20 we have. It was certainly enjoyable though; listening to some of these soundtracks made us want to replay some of these often classic games.
A word of caution – we do not for one moment pretend this list is definitive. It is a list of soundtracks that have most impressed a few of us on the staff. Feel free to come up with your own lists/suggestions in the comments section.
20. The Sims
Yes, we did just pick The Sims. Ok, ok, so it’s like a cross between elevator music and some corny sitcom tv show, but it suits the game so well and it seems to encapsulate the phrase ‘love to hate’ (is that a compliment or an insult?). Sit back, relax and tinker with the lives of your Sims whilst this music plays unashamedly in the background...
19. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Zelda is one of the most beloved video game series of all time, so it comes as no surprise that it has produced some equally loved music. Ocarina of Time in particular has some tunes that stick with you even if you haven’t played the game in years. Not every song is a knock out of the park, but there are definitely enough great songs to make it No.19 on our list.
Chrono Cross may not be quite as loved as its predecessor, but you can’t fault it for music selection. Sure, stylistically it sounds like a lot of other JRPG games, but it does the music so well that it’s the standard that many other JRPGs that attempt this type of music should be held to.
17. Ico (PS2)
Some may find the addition of Ico to be suspect, what with the soundtrack only having two notable songs. However, both of those songs are so fantastic that it helped Ico to just barely make its way onto this list. Both ‘Castle in the Mist’ and ‘You Were There’ have a haunting sound to them thanks to the strings and vocals respectively; they help to set the mood for one of the most atmospheric games ever created.
Mirror’s Edge has both a great title track and an excellent overall soundtrack. Composed by Magnus Birgersson, the game’s score consists of a large selection of ambient electronic music tracks. Both the game’s world and the soundtrack itself have extremely minimalist and pure styles; this is one of the most fitting soundtracks in modern gaming. As a bonus you can also access the entire soundtrack from the game’s extras menu. Below we’ve chosen the game’s main menu theme.
One of the only issues we had while playing Persona 3 was that the song usage felt repetitive. Persona 4 had no such trouble. Each dungeon has its own theme song with that playful style that Shoji Meguro brings. It is great to hear a JRPG that goes outside of the norms for music in the genre and brings us something truly unique. Here’s one of the best battle songs in the game.
We’ve opted for something a little bit different at No.14. Featuring a funky, catchy soundtrack, with music spanning genres from hip-hop to jazz, it’s a soundtrack which perfectly captures the game’s carefree, cheerful and bouncy personality. The music is interactive as well, so that as you apply paint to the surroundings you help shape the music. Here’s our favourite track from de Blob.
13. Earthbound (SNES)
The Mother series has had a tough time with localization in the West, but that doesn’t stop it from having some of the most beloved music out there. Earthbound especially has some impressive track diversity considering the limitations of hardware at the time. Perhaps it is because I grew up loving the game, but to this day I love the music enough to use the Mr. Saturn song as my ringtone.
12. Halo Series (360, PC, Xbox)
OK, so we’re cheating slightly by selecting the whole series, but hear us out. Martin O’Donnell, Bungie’s audio director, has composed the music for all of the games from the main series, and this continuity is clearly reflected in the evolution of the music from one game to the next. Each successive game maintains that distinct Halo sound, often epitomised by a rousing orchestral main theme. And then Halo 3: ODST came along, with its subtle, atmospheric soundtrack which perfectly suits the darkened tone of the game. Beautiful though that soundtrack is, it’s perhaps not the best soundtrack to select a track from, so we’ve opted for Halo 3’s iconic main theme instead.
The greatest RTS game ever made also has one heck of a soundtrack. Anyone else out there linger in the menus before going online just to hear the music build up? Then there are the three races, each of which has its own selection of tracks, brilliantly composed so that they accentuate the differences between the races. The Zerg get a creepy, dark and brooding soundtrack, the Protoss a soothing, mystical one, but we think the Terrans get the best tracks...
