# Video Game music.



## Kezza

I play a lot of video games. And they just wouldn't be very good without the fantastic music.

The Final Fantasy Series and the Dragon Quest both by square-enix.
The scores for these games are just epic.
Nobuo Uematsu is the Final Fantasy composer
Koichi Sugiyama is the Dragonquest composer.
Both extremely awesome. I recommend if you get the chance to listen to some of the works by these guys.

For some of the best Music of Nobuo's pick up the Movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.
Just Awesome.

Also the Very popular MMORPG World of Warcraft has some excellent scoring and I'll be soon to pick up the soundtrack.

Check it out


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## Metalheadwholovesclasical

Best video game music?

SUPER MARIO BROS

haha, NO CONTEST.

But in terms of classical work, Resident Evil 4. The Typewriter Theme gets me depressed and gives me the chills every time.


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## SalieriIsInnocent

Zelda had some good music especially twilight princess. ocarina of time was pretty good too


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## Kezza

I played the Gerudo Valley theme on Xylophone for my assessment at school.
It was so cool.


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## Rondo

I have a recording of the Mario Bros. theme conducted by John Williams,... I think (either with Boston Pops or London Phil.). It's pretty nice.


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## SamGuss

As a video game player I enjoy:

The Final Fantasy series and music
World of Warcraft music 
and Eve online music - though it tends to be more electronic/rave than classical


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## SalieriIsInnocent

I think a game should have goodmusic. I really sadly love the old MIDI themed music. They had so little towork with and yet did a great job. I always loved the music for Super Mario Bros. 3. Twilight princess had some good tunes. I would have prefered full range orchestrah music with a bang. bt i guess im old fashioned like that.


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## Ramamaiden

Wow, Final Fantasy series has the best music imo. Nobuo Uematsu it's a genius, so many amazing pieces of music that always brings good memories when i hear them. Someone mentioned Zelda, i really love the music of that game too. 
It's amazing that those games wouldn't be the same if they didn't have that superb music.


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## Kezza

And I play those 2 games more than anything else. Nobuo is my Hero. Watching him play in his concerts he just has so much fun and you can tell he really enjoys the music.
Unfortunately I don't speak a word of Japanese so I can't know what he was saying about the pieces but it's still awesome.

I have a dvd of Prima Vista Philharmonic doing a Final Fantasy Concert. Absolutely Epic


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## Weston

I think the Halo (1) music is pretty awesome in places. I haven't found any that quite compare to really good film music, like Bernard Hermann's. (But then I've never heard the Final Fantasy music.)


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## Kezza

You haven't lived until you have!


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## soundandfury

How about Manic Miner (really bad beeper renditions of An der Schoenen Blaue Donau and In the Hall of the Mountain King)


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## Elgarian

I'm not widely experienced in this genre, but the best music I ever heard in a computer game was in _Uru_ - most of it being terrifically atmospheric in a way consistent with the feeling of 'here is a mysterious lost civilisation' in the game. But it also contains one particular piece of wordless soprano singing that lasts only a couple of minutes, but which (representing as it does the tragic death of a civilisation) has haunted me for years.


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## Pudding

Pokemon (I loved the gold/silver/crystal series), the music was good.


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## phoenixshade

I saw this thread, so I just had to post this...

*Percussion ensemble performs Super Mario 2 Overworld theme*

I laughed out loud at a certain point. If you grew up with this game at all, trust me, you will too.


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## jurianbai

here some of my favorite game musics:

for japanese :

- Final Fantasy music by Nobuo Uematsu, I post some youtube link in other topic (http://www.talkclassical.com/4041-guitar-hero-i-hate.html#post33955)
- Legend of Dragoons by Dennis martin and Takeo Miratsu (February 15, 1960 - September 5, 2006)
- Tales of ........ series from Namco.

US game :
-Heroes of Might and Magic series by Paul Romero


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## PostMinimalist

Here is a link to my profile on reverbnation where I keep some things I wrote for a video game last year.

Fergus Currie on Reverbnation

There is a wde variety of sound track material here all from the game 'Thesis' which will be released in 2009


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## PartisanRanger

The Halo Battle Theme and the Fable main theme are two pieces that come to mind. A lot of the music in KOTOR is quite nice.


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## emiellucifuge

Elders Scrolls: V Oblivion is great

as is all the stuff in Halo, especially in 3 the choral stuff on the main menu.


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## Zuo17

Hello fellow gamers,

Emiell, I have to agree with you on the _Halo 3_ music: it is awesome! It may seem a little too electronic and repetitive at some parts of the music, but the melodies are great. I especially love some of the orchestrations that was done for few of the songs. Also, I've enjoyed the percussive style of the military music.

Another video game score that I liked was Inon Zur's _Prince of Persian_. Even though the game sucked(_in my humble opinion, since it was a bit repetitive to play....unfortunately, this is a music forum, not a video game forum, haha_), the main theme for it was fantastic.

For all you Playstation gamers(_I'm a Xbox 360 player, Xbox FTW!_), one video game score that I want to point out is the _Kingdom Hearts_ video game series. The orchestrations were well done, especially _Hikari's theme for orchestra and Capriccio march for orchestra and piano._ Another favorite for me was _Dearly Beloved_, as it was really a simple melody that spoke volumes of expression. It was amazing to me that instead of just ripping off Disney music, the video game composers(_Square Enix, gotta love those guys_) decided to write completely new music for the game.

One of my most cherished video game song is from _Final Fantasy X(10)_. *You know what I'm talking about!* _To Zanarkand_ is so wonderful, I can't even begin to describe it! The feeling and emotion it invokes, especially with the video game cutscene, is *PURE GENIUS.* I am ashamed to admit this at first, but I was literally crying when I heard that song with the cutscene,lol. _"Hymn of the Fayth"_ also was a favorite for me.

Until again,
Zach


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## Somnifer

Nobuo Uematsu! He is not only the greatest video game composer ever but one of the most brilliant composers to have lived, full stop.


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## Yoshi

The music from the SuperMario videogames


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## nickgray

Doom, Hexen, Transport Tycoon, Heroes of M&M 2,3, Might and Magic VI, Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate 1,2, Warcraft II, Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Chrono Trigger, Duke Nukem 3D... and probably a dozen or two more. I played one too many video games as a kid


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## dmg

Anything Jeremy Soule - _Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Guild Wars, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights_, and more. He's also composing the score for an upcoming PC WWII strategy game from Square Enix called _Order of War_.

He basically decided to revolutionize the music in games, and did. He composed his first game score right out of high school (_Secret of Evermore_ by Squaresoft):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Soule

There are a lot of excellent video game scores out there, which are often overlooked and under-appreciated because of the medium they're found in. Many Asian game composers become well-known in their respective countries, where video games garner more respect as an artform. Some other favorite scores of mine:

_Final Fantasy VIII _- Nobuo Uematsu
_Shenmue _- Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
_Skies of Arcadia_ - Yutaka Minobe and Tatsuyuki Maeda (the end credits theme is amazing - nearly had me in tears when I finished the game)
_Halo _- Martin O'Donnell (didn't care for the game, but the score was awesome)


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## chillowack

post-minimalist said:


> Here is a link to my profile on reverbnation where I keep some things I wrote for a video game last year.
> 
> Fergus Currie on Reverbnation
> 
> There is a wde variety of sound track material here all from the game 'Thesis' which will be released in 2009


Fergus, beautiful work! I'm listening to these themes now and really admiring what you've done. Even without knowing anything about the game, I'm visualizing what it must look like, based on your wonderful soundtrack. (I love the swelling, majestic horns and voices in "Ritual" and "Element of Fire"--very powerful stuff!)

Can I ask how you came to be the composer of this soundtrack? How does one become a video game composer?

The whole field of video game composing had not even really appeared on my radar until I found this thread--I've been dreaming of one day composing for films, but the work of Fergus and others is now making me realize that a whole new frontier has opened up in the composing realm.


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## dmg

Excerpts from my favorite game soundtrack:






















It's actually some of my favorite music.


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## Argus

I prefer the old 8 and 16-bit soundtracks. That's what games should sound like. Some off the top of my head:

Toejam and Earl
Monkey Island
Tetris
Taz-mania (Raymond Scott's _Powerhouse_ featured IIRC)
Road Rash (Jaco Pastorius' _Kuru_)

The composer had to work around the limited amount of timbres and tones available on the old systems and therefore created a more unique sound. Nowadays, I don't have the time or the effort to play games but from what's been posted they just sound like music that could have been related to anything (films, TV etc) and not specifically computer games.


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## emiellucifuge

What do you all think of Hans Zimmers score for the new Call of Duty game?


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## mueske

emiellucifuge said:


> What do you all think of Hans Zimmers score for the new Call of Duty game?


Substandard drivel, much like the game itself.

I quite like the music in Halo, and ODST surprised me a few times. Very atmospheric. I also have a thing for the Scherzo in the BioShock score.

I actually agree with almost all of you, except Uematsu, his music is nice but not the godsend gift almost everyone makes it out to be.


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## emiellucifuge

I agree about the music Mueske, but the game is excellent!


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## World Violist

mueske said:


> I actually agree with almost all of you, except Uematsu, his music is nice but not the godsend gift almost everyone makes it out to be.


Actually, I like Uematsu more than most other video-game composers I've heard (not to say that means much...). His mood pieces are really atmospheric and just beautiful.


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## mueske

emiellucifuge said:


> I agree about the music Mueske, but the game is excellent!


God no...

Modern Warfare, along with other "casualised" games (commonly known as "crap") are destroying the whole industry.

Gaming is a Far Cry from what it used to be. (pun intended)


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## dmg

Uematsu has a few good ones here & there, but he's far from the best IMO.


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## emiellucifuge

Far Cry is great too...


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## SamGuss

Got this awhile back - but incredible stuff!

http://us.blizzard.com/store/details.xml?id=1100000362


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## SalieriIsInnocent

Troels Brun Folmann did some amazing work on Tomb Raider Legend and Anniversary. The music was so ambient and then it would get wild and aggressive. I haven't played much of Underworld yet, but I will soon.


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## cw4257

It's not newly composed music, but the 1940s jazz music used in Bioshock and Fallout 3 were just sensational. Ink Spots, Billie Holiday, etc etc


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## Il Seraglio

A couple of favourites of mine. Panzer Dragoon is probably my favourite VG series for music.


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## tubamage17

i definitely think final fantasy has the best music scores.


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## Chopin_Fan777

Super Mario Galaxy's soundtrack music won my heart over. The orchestra soundtracks were simply stunning.


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## Boccherini

_Heroes of Might and Magic_ games - Paul Romero and Rob King (the greatest IMO).
_Might and Magic VI & VII_ - Steve Baca, Rob King, Paul Romero and Jennifer Wang.
_Hammer of the Gods_ (When your hero is dying, the angel of death takes you while Wagner's _the Ride of the Valkyries_ is being sounded).
_Fable: The Lost Cahpters_ - Russell Shaw.
_King's Bounty - The Legend & Armored Princess_ - Mikhail Kostylev along with _TriHorn Productions_.
_Mount and Blade_ - Jesse Hopkins and a few more, if I recall correctly, have done a wonderful job composing M&B's Medieval Music.
_IL-2 Sturmovik 1946_ - Jeremy Soule.
_Warlords IV: Heroes of Etheria_ - ?
_Rise of Prussia_ - There's a few Violin Concerti by *Vivaldi*.
_Disciples II_ - Philippe Charron.
_Age of Wonders_ - Michiel van den Bos.


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## jurianbai

damn I also big fans of HoMM series. the era with HoMM3 and those customized maps around the community was my best gaming experience . i missed the 3DO community fellow. for music, HoMM 4 and so on are great, but the game just missed its classical touch afterthat.


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## Boccherini

jurianbai said:


> damn I also big fans of HoMM series. the era with HoMM3 and those customized maps around the community was my best gaming experience . i missed the 3DO community fellow. for music, HoMM 4 and so on are great, but the game just missed its classical touch afterthat.


Nice to see a HoMM fan over here. For music, it's very hard to choose, but I _do_ think II & III are the best while for gameplay HoMM IV is the worst (though, there's a few folks who would say it's the best, for some weird reasons) and HoMM III is the greatest (IMO). Frankly, I think HoMM V is very good but, as you said, missed its classical touch therefore _might_ not be the best.

BTW, I have..... this:








The part that might strongly catch your eyes is the soundtrack CD of HoMM V including its expansion packs with short biographies of Paul Romero and Rob King.


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## jurianbai

I like the great storyline overthere, from HoMM 2 to HoMM 3 there was great storyline about Erathia etc. There also good story about how the fight between two hero (I forget the name, the elf vs barbarian) and the weapon clash blow the continent.


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## jurianbai

just remember this. the Wing Commander franchise music, also got a great moment in video game music imo. really like it:


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## jameswhite428

Metal Gear Solid has got best Music


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## 151

Ico






Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory






Grand Theft Auto


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## afterpostjack

dmg said:


> Anything Jeremy Soule - _Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Guild Wars, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights_, and more. He's also composing the score for an upcoming PC WWII strategy game from Square Enix called _Order of War_.
> 
> He basically decided to revolutionize the music in games, and did. He composed his first game score right out of high school (_Secret of Evermore_ by Squaresoft):
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Soule
> 
> There are a lot of excellent video game scores out there, which are often overlooked and under-appreciated because of the medium they're found in. Many Asian game composers become well-known in their respective countries, where video games garner more respect as an artform. Some other favorite scores of mine:
> 
> _Final Fantasy VIII _- Nobuo Uematsu
> _Shenmue _- Takenobu Mitsuyoshi
> _Skies of Arcadia_ - Yutaka Minobe and Tatsuyuki Maeda (the end credits theme is amazing - nearly had me in tears when I finished the game)
> _Halo _- Martin O'Donnell (didn't care for the game, but the score was awesome)


I like Jeremy Soule. I used to listen to his soundtracks for Supreme Commander (not FA) and Total Annihilation (TA has the greatest game soundtrack that I've heard), before I rediscovered to the real masters of music. I still listen to his music, alhough not nearly as oftenly as any Beethoven symphony.


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## wagner4evr

World Violist said:


> Actually, I like Uematsu more than most other video-game composers I've heard (not to say that means much...). His mood pieces are really atmospheric and just beautiful.


I totally agree. The orchestral of these are amazing:

Aerith's Theme
Cloud's Theme
The opening of FF8
Eyes on Me

& especially, To Zanarkand

There was another from Crisis Core but can't remember the name.


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## Norse

Braid has some nice music. It sounds folksong inspired, and it's the only game I can think of that has an acoustic soundtrack without being for full orchestra.


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## Huilunsoittaja

Although this thread has to do with video game music, may I share a bit of computer game music...

Jeremy Soule is the composer of music to _Total Annihilation_, a sci-fi strategy computer game.

Here's a clip. I think the music is very legitimate.


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## Yoshi

I adore the music of Super Mario games (especialy Super Mario bros & Super Mario 64), Zelda, Sonic 3, Tetris... you know all those classics  It might have helped that I grew up with them.
Oh and some of the Final Fantasy music was just beautiful aswell, my personal favourite is Final Fantasy 9.


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## David58117

Back to the OP - Mario gets my vote as well!


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## BachSucks

Why were my posts deleted? Can't a guy post his opinions? Why are you trying to opress freedom of speech?

One day, you'll get what you deserve, admins, and forget about hitting F1 for help, 'cause it won't help you out.


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## Aramis

> Why are you trying to opress freedom of speech?


Because it sucks.


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## BachSucks

and so do you.


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## Aramis

:tiphat::tiphat::tiphat::tiphat:


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## BachSucks

-.-' what do you have against freedom of speech?


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## Gangsta Tweety Bird

some video games music is OK but i wouldnt wanna be caught listening dead to it if im not playing the video game..... can you say NERD


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## ghostViolin

Elgarian said:


> I'm not widely experienced in this genre, but the best music I ever heard in a computer game was in _Uru_ - most of it being terrifically atmospheric in a way consistent with the feeling of 'here is a mysterious lost civilisation' in the game. *But it also contains one particular piece of wordless soprano singing that lasts only a couple of minutes*, but which (representing as it does the tragic death of a civilisation) has haunted me for years.


That little piece can only be described by these 2 words : hauntingly beautiful.

And the Myst franchise has some great OSTs too. I played all of them (Myst thru Myst 5), and enjoyed them all.

Oh, btw, how come nobody mentioned the music of MechWarrior 2? One of the earliest games to make use of orchestral music and release it as an OST, I think...


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## Drayhn

Sonic games had great music.


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## Listener

Star Trek Deep Space Nine The Fallen by Steven Von Kampen


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## Ravellian

Sonic the Hedgehog CD had some fantastic music.. here's a few samples:


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## DebLewis

I looked through a couple pages and didn't see it.. but I just have to mention the Soundtrack for the MMO Lord of the Rings Online.. best game soundtrack ever and something I listen to on its own often..


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## Ven

lonlonjp on youtube arranges and plays all kinds of video game music
on guitar

check him out


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## Saturnus

Starcraft II has a really great music









But none of it is comparable to the terran music from Starcraft I


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## Falstaft

Maybe it's because I believe it to be the best single-player game I've ever played (by quite a wide margin), but parts Mark Morgan's score for *Planescape: Torment* are rather unforgettable.






Makes me want to replay right now!


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## LordBlackudder

nobuo uematsu,masashi hamauzu, nathan mcree, tomohito nishiura, kimitaka matsumae, norihiko hibino to name a few.


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## billoflavorsia

I have to sing Uematsu's praises like a lot of others. His music has brought "Final Fantasy" games into a deeper dimension of emotion and epicness! Especially during the 8-bit/16-bit era and how limited the tools were for orchestrating at that time. 

I also LOVE Yasunori Mitsuda/Uematsu's music from "Chrono Trigger", which is also a fantastic game! 

I catch a lot of flack for it, but for some reason I really like Hitoshi Sakimoto's music from "Final Fantasy XII". I just get a good vibe from it, even though it has a sort of Star Wars-ish feel to it at times, but then again so did the game.


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## Lunasong

Argus said:


> Nowadays, I don't have the time or the effort to play games but from what's been posted they just sound like music that could have been related to anything (films, TV etc) and not specifically computer games.


Our local orchestra is performing "Play! A Video Game Symphony" next weekend and an accompanying newspaper article promoting the program may shed some light on the above.

Game Music in the Conservatory

Michael Sweet, an associate professor of film scoring at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, has no connection to "Play!", but he's an expert in the growing field of game music.

Berklee is one of the few but growing number of conservatories that offer specialized study in the field. It offers a minor, which is an offshoot of the major in composing for film.

"We're seeing the evolution of classical music," he said.

"We're seeing kids want to play the violin, horn or other instruments because they've heard it in a video game or seen it at one of these concerts."

He started working in the game industry in 1992 and came to Berklee in 2008.

"Students here decided this was stuff they wanted to learn because it's important to know. They wanted faculty who could teach it to them. We have developed several courses. There has been extraordinary growth in this area."

The music has evolved rapidly. "Pac Man" and "Space Invaders" have blossomed into the full soundscapes of "Halo," "Mass Effect" and "Uncharted."

"In the last 10 years we've gone from blips, bloops and beeps to full orchestral scores for games. Budgets to develop top-tier games can range from $30 to $60 million. That rivals what's spent on many films and exceeds some," Sweet said.

"In the old days, the goal was to develop an identifiable melody. Now, we have the full orchestral palette of sound and more>"

There are similarities to helping set a scene with music in film: "You don't want to notice the music on its own," he said.

There are major differences: "A film may run for two hours. When playing a game, you may be planning to invest 12 to 15 hours of your time. How to avoid repetition is a challenge. In a movie, you have specific scenes playing at specific times, but in a game, that time can shift depending on the player. We need to be adept at making clean transitions between, say, battle mode exploration mode or a romantic theme."
****

Playlist for "Play!"
1. Play! Fanfare
2. Super Mario Bros
3. Shadow of the Colossus
4. Sonic the Hedgehog
5. Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross
6. Castlevania (US premiere of new arrangement)
7. Legend of Zelda

Intermission

8. Kingdom Hearts
9. Dragon Age: Origins (US premiere)
10. Guild Wars
11. Halo
12. World of Warcraft
13 One Winged Angel: Final Fantasy 7
14 Encore


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## kanonathena

diablo 2
starcraft 1 
freedom fighter / some Hitman tunes - Jesper kyd
splinter cell 3 - amon tobin
MGS3

final fantasy tunes


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk

A friend of mine is making a Bioshock fan-film and asked me to arrange/orchestrate this bit 




I am all kinds of out of the loop on video games, but i have a lot of admiration for this track and i think i shall go on to check out the rest of the score. this is genuine organic music here, while game scores in general seem to be ruled by the sensationalist robotic standards of the industry.


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## PhillipPark

Some all time favorites:


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## Sofronitsky

For me the best video game music came from Grant Kirkhope, especially in the Banjo Kazooie series.





^ This piece received air time on a few classical music radio stations seeking to acknowledge great VG music. (Imagine if you could hear it from a live orchestra!)




This is a piano transcription (hackneyed in some spots) of one of the more intense themes to the game.

It all has a bit of camp to it and isn't exactly serious music, but I love it to death and will most likely transcribe my favorite pieces for a piano suite at some point. I'm curious to see what other people think of this music, because I grew up with it and maybe am a little biased.


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## kanonathena

right, I forgot dead space


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## Elgarian

I can really only bang one drum in this area; but I wondered if the wonderful 'Gallery Theme' from _Uru_ (which I mentioned earlier in this thread) was on Youtube somewhere. And sure enough here it is:






The singer is lamenting the end of a civilization. In the game, the theme is heard on entering the 'Kadish Gallery'. It's an almost perfect welding of the aural and the visual, and it has a tremendous impact when encountered in the course of playing the game. In fact my first experience of entering the gallery and exploring it to the sound of this music has provided me with a memory as haunting as any 'real' event.

View of the Kadish Gallery:


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## regressivetransphobe

The following make me nostalgic:


























And something I was forced to hear for well over five hours due to being stuck for long, the tune of my worst nightmares:


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## Curiosity

Two of Nobuo Uematsu's best compositions.


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## KaerbEmEvig

Falstaft said:


> Maybe it's because I believe it to be the best single-player game I've ever played (by quite a wide margin), but parts Mark Morgan's score for *Planescape: Torment* are rather unforgettable.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Makes me want to replay right now!


Because PS:T *is* the best game ever made! Period.


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## violadude

I just bought these two discs. Oh nostalgia, how I love you.


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## Norse




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## MilanStevanovich

Alone in the dard- best game music ever. Red Alert too...


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## Philip

the elder scrolls v: skyrim (11-11-11)





making of:


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## Ven

This is great!


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## Argus

Get this album:


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## Miaou

Sims 1 (and that's why it's better than the sequels)
Those of Makin' Magic are especially good.


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## Philip

This goes out to ma boy LordBlackudder:


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## Mesa

That's almost as bad as the novelty dubstep version of the Tetris theme that every club in my squalid hometown played out four times a night for about 2 months!

Here's a quality arrangement of something that was ace to start with. I remember going to the options menu in Castlevania Bloodlines and listening to it for about 10 minutes as a lad. I didn't have many friends, like 





Also, i remember the Neo Geo CD versions of loads of dweeby games (Fatal Fury, King Of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, Last Blade etc) all had really good arranged music by the mysterious and wonderful 'SNK Sound Team'. This was the standout though:


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## Zauberberg

This is so beautiful...


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## Philip

Alright, i'm coming out. Favourite Zelda game:

Zelda II The Adventure of Link Music: Title Theme 





Zelda II The Adventure of Link Music: Overworld Theme 





Zelda II The Adventure of Link Music: Palace Theme 





Most adequate use of arpeggios, brilliant intensity, timeless Zelda themes by *Akito Nakatsuka*.

Holler if this is your favourite game of all time!


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## Stargazer

I'm not usually too into most video game music, but here's one I liked:


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## raydobbs

I would have to say that modern video games are made or broken with their soundtracks. Having the right music at the right time with the right feel can really make the entire scene come together for the player - as it helps fill in that nuances lost by not being surrounded by the situation. A good example in modern gaming would be Mass Effect - all three games had wonderfully appropriate soundtracks, everything from futuristic techno to sad, mournful piano pieces ('An End Once and For All' from Mass Effect 3 would be the one I am thinking of).

On the flip-side of that coin, games that fail to license songs the players can connect to are usually doomed to failure (see Test Drive Unlimited 2, amongst countless others). In open-world games, the player seeks out common items to tie themselves to the universe. Turn on the car stereo, you expect to hear music you'd hear when you turn on the car radio in real life - not some hack-kneed cheapo music the publisher could get their hands on for free, from groups no one has ever heard of, or 'deep tracks' from known artists that NO ONE likes.


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## Yoshi

The Sims 1, how I miss that game and that music! I have The Sims 3 now, but I get bored easily while I remember being completely addicted from the first day I got the original. I also wish I could listen to the music from the first one while I play it.


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## Norse

Trine has some decent tracks (Trine 2 has exactly the same kind of music, but I found the tunes in the first one a little more memorable). It's kinda cliché fairy tale/fantasy music, some of it a little cute and quirky, some modal 'folksong' elements etc. Sets the tone nicely for the pretty, charming fantasy world. 











The 'rocking' last level music.


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## Mesa

Spent large chunks of my childhood on this game.

Honestly didn't remember how good it was, especially with the constraints of the N64's dodgy processor-powered sound setup/90s GM programs.

Would love a real orchestral version.

Edit: Never mind!


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## Dodecaplex

There is no video game in history with a more beautiful soundtrack than Shinobido. The erhu transcends this world.


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## Norse

When it comes to the good old 8-bit days I think the Ducktales game on NES had some of the most catchy tunes. It's probably the nostalgia speaking, but I still think these are really cute.  (Yes, I know the Moon theme is the famous one..)











Speaking of retro stuff, the indie game VVVVVV has a soundtrack that is inspired by the 8-bit days (and the graphics look even more retro). I thought this one had a nice little tune. (Main melody doesn't start right away)


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## Philip

I just realized that *World of Goo* has an amazing soundtrack: http://kylegabler.com/WorldOfGooSoundtrack/

Conflict Of Interest - World Of Goo





Ode To The Bridge Builder - World Of Goo 





World Of Goo Theme - World Of Goo


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## DeepR

I'm not impressed with most of today's VG soundtracks. Most of them are just background music.

SNES era is where it's at. From its limited audio system came great creativity.

Super Castlevania IV, easily my favorite video game soundtrack of all time. Every level has brilliant atmospheric music.






This has to be the most briliant end boss battle theme of all time (Dracula):





And one of the greatest video game ending themes of all time:


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## DeepR

You don't hear cool themes like this in today's games:





Chandeliers, fantastic tune:





Most crazy intense battle theme ever:


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## Philip

Mesa said:


> That's almost as bad as the novelty *dubstep* version of the Tetris theme that every club in my squalid hometown


*brostep



Philip said:


> Golden Axe Music - Commodore 64 version







best 8-bit track ever?


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## Arsakes

I like Heroes of Might and Magic 2,3,4 soundtracks.

Also Medieval - Total War II and Sim City 4 have some good tracks.

I like the works of the composer of Paradaox games: Andreas Waldetoft ... he has composed dozens of epic soundtracks already.


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## Philip

haven't played the game, nor have i heard the soundtrack... but i hear the Assassin's Creed OST is decent. caught this one on the radio, apparently it's part of it:

woodkid - iron


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## Norse




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## Philip

Yeaaaaaaaaaaah!!

Saki Kaskas - Siwash Rock (NfS2SE soundtrack) on guitar.


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## LordBlackudder




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## BurningDesire

Personally I don't think the whole of film music even holds a candle to the whole of video game music. Video game composers are more imaginative in pretty much every respect, in terms of orchestration, harmony, melody, rhythm, style. There are film composers who are totally brilliant too, but there are way too many who turn out music with no personality, that does nothing to capture the characters or the story, its all just dramatic noise that could fit any generic scene (I mostly speak of feature films, not television series, and by no means do I mean all film music is crap). It kinda pisses me off that great composers like Nobuo Uematsu, Ko Otani, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Danny Baranowsky, and C148 are treated like nothing because they write for video games (which tend to be looked down on as an artform by ignorant people) and people who write total crap like James Horner and Hans Zimmer get praise and get played on classical radio stations... its just total humbug.


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## Krisena

I'm a big fan of Masashi Hamauzu, especially for his work on Final Fantasy XIII and Unlimited SaGa. He manages to capture and compliment the visuals and atmospheres of the games he composes for to a stunning degree, while still creating music that works perfectly on its own, outside of the game. Regardless of how absurd the environments in a game is, he finds sound palettes that fits, often mixing orchestral music with electronic effects and sounds.

I may create some controversy now, but I think the Final Fantasy series is better off with Hamauzu than it ever was with Uematsu. My humble opinion. 



BurningDesire said:


> Personally I don't think the whole of film music even holds a candle to the whole of video game music. Video game composers are more imaginative in pretty much every respect, in terms of orchestration, harmony, melody, rhythm, style. There are film composers who are totally brilliant too, but there are way too many who turn out music with no personality, that does nothing to capture the characters or the story, its all just dramatic noise that could fit any generic scene (I mostly speak of feature films, not television series, and by no means do I mean all film music is crap). It kinda pisses me off that great composers like Nobuo Uematsu, Ko Otani, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Danny Baranowsky, and C148 are treated like nothing because they write for video games (which tend to be looked down on as an artform by ignorant people) and people who write total crap like James Horner and Hans Zimmer get praise and get played on classical radio stations... its just total humbug.


In my experience, a lot of film music is about creating tension and letting the visuals speak for themselves. So when you call Hans Zimmer and his likes "crap", I think you are exaggerating a great deal. Most of the time, their music isn't meant to be heard consciously. Depending on the style the film is going for, the actions on screen are by far the most important, and the music's role is to augment them, not detract from them. You probably know this, but then again, reading your statement leaves me in doubt.

And btw, composers like Uematsu, Otani and Sakimoto are treated as super stars in their native country. They get a lot of respect, they don't have it so bad. They're not praised on the same level as western film composers, but that's evidently because they aren't exposed to such a big an audience as film composers do. How can you expect them to be famous and reckognized when video games is such a negligible medium here in the west?


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## BurningDesire

Krisena said:


> In my experience, a lot of film music is about creating tension and letting the visuals speak for themselves. So when you call Hans Zimmer and his likes "crap", I think you are exaggerating a great deal. Most of the time, their music isn't meant to be heard consciously. Depending on the style the film is going for, the actions on screen are by far the most important, and the music's role is to augment them, not detract from them. You probably know this, but then again, reading your statement leaves me in doubt.
> 
> And btw, composers like Uematsu, Otani and Sakimoto are treated as super stars in their native country. They get a lot of respect, they don't have it so bad. They're not praised on the same level as western film composers, but that's evidently because they aren't exposed to such a big an audience as film composers do. How can you expect them to be famous and reckognized when video games is such a negligible medium here in the west?


First off, I love Masashi Hamauzu's work too, though I wouldn't agree with him being way better than Uematsu 
Secondly I understand that about film composers like Zimmer, and that is WHY I think they suck. To me, if film music is to be good, it should capture the characters (their personalities, their motivations, their actions) and the events of the film in a very personal way. It doesn't detract from the film to have music that can actually work separate from the film. Such music can compliment the film far better because it REALLY fits the film's characters and story, rather than just being dramatic noise that could go to any movie. For example, take film composers Ennio Morricone or Danny Elfman. Their scores tend to work way better, because they are great music, and they capture the story of the film in great compositions, their music isn't a slave to the film, it is a partner to the film. If its about letting visuals speak for themselves, then why bother having music at all? The music is their to say something about the visuals. To me, much of film music lacks these qualities. Many scores are based on musical stereotypes, with zero imagination employed. Orchestration is limited to a late-19th century orchestra most of the time, with certain instruments brought in to fulfill stereotypes. It has nothing to do with the characters nor their story, just with certain types of scenes. You get action scene music and silly scene music and whimsical scene music and sad scene music and climactic battle music, but it hardly ever captures a particular story. I don't think film composers deserve leeway to write generic crap because people assume film music is supposed to be bland and in the background. Its not supposed to be when its actually good. I suppose if it sucks you'd want it to be something you can ignore.

Lastly, I am aware that Uematsu is quite successful in Japan, wasn't aware that any of his colleagues shared that success, but thats great if they do. I'm just saying that the music that these artists write tends to be a million times better because, like with much Morricone's and Elfman's works that I've heard, they capture the characters and stories beautifully in music, and I think that is what deserves praise and fame, not being adequate enough to write generic dramatic sounds to sit in the background and be ignored while people enjoy the visuals. Music that proudly dances along with visuals, that sings with the dialogue and makes it WAY better, WAY more expressive, not just "enhancing mood".

Thats what I think :3


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## DeepR

After Super Castlevania IV (see my post on previous page) my favorite soundtrack is Secret of Mana:

Check out these fantastic pieces.
The thing is there's such a special and pleasant low-fi sound to it that this specific atmosphere can't be reproduced with orchestra or whatever.

intro theme





overworld theme





flying theme


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## matsoljare




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## Ralfy

Sorry for any reposts!


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## Ralfy




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## Ralfy




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## Ralfy




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## Ralfy




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## Ralfy




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## Ralfy




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## Ven

The greatest video game soundtrack of all time ...

2.5 hours for your listening pleasure ...


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## Philip

My first exposition to electronic music:


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## Zauberberg

Just leaving this fantastic soundtrack, *Intelligent Cube* 




The playlist with the rest of the OST: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2C207527A56D97E8


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## Sonata

My husband is presently working on the piano music of "To Zanarkand" from Final Fantasy on the keyboard at home. I unfortunately am not quite there yet.


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## clavichorder

There's a dude at my school who picked out this piece by ear on the piano. When he first played it, I hadn't thought of it in years, and yet I knew what it was without too much thinking.


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## contra7

Zauberberg said:


> Just leaving this fantastic soundtrack, *Intelligent Cube*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The playlist with the rest of the OST: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2C207527A56D97E8


This is absolutley fantastic piece!!!!


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## jani

Sonata said:


> My husband is presently working on the piano music of "*To Zanarkand*" from Final Fantasy on the keyboard at home. I unfortunately am not quite there yet.


Best piece of video game music i have ever heard!

Both piano&orchestral versions are amazing!


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## dmg

I know I mentioned this, but I think it deserves a video as well. Quite fond of this track:


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## Norse

This one is kinda catchy.


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## stanchinsky

I always wanted to play Intelligent Cube. I don't think I ever saw it in a store though, and I just did a quick Amazon search, over three hundread dollars for a new copy. Oh well I guess I can listen to the music at least, it's pretty good, reminds me of Ravel.


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## LordBlackudder

for those that are interested there's a sudden coverage of video game music on classic fm website with podcasts and interviews.


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## Lunasong

Quiz to take: Video game music or not?
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/di...o-game-music-quiz-can-you-tell-the-difference


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## userfume




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## Rola

I'm surprised people talk about 8-bit tunes here, but didn't mention symphonic orchestra score composed by *Michael Giacchino* for first *Medal of Honor* games.





(check that channel for more tracks)

...and if you get tired of the heroic soundtrack as if straight from Spielberg's film, you can relax with this:


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## Norse

I've been playing a bit of Rayman Origins lately, a quirky, 'happy' platformer with beautiful, cartoony graphics and a pretty original soundtrack as far as games go.

This music plays while you're flying on a big mosquito 






A cute and slightly hypnotic underwater theme:


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## Evoken

I found the OST of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim by Jeremy Soule to be really great:


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## lll

Ice Cap Zone, Act 2 - Sonic the Hedgehog 3


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## Winterreisender

My favourite video game music ever is from "The Sims." I specifically refer to six very beautiful pieces for solo piano which keep you company whilst you are building a house. The composer is called Jerry Martin. I'm not sure to what extent my judgement of this music is too clouded by nostalgia to be impartial (this game was after all the soundtrack to my childhood!) but I still listen every now and then.


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## DeepR

DeepR said:


> Super Castlevania IV, easily my favorite video game soundtrack of all time. Every level has brilliant atmospheric music.


After beating 3 sub-bosses in a row, you walk up the stairs towards the very top of the castle to face Dracula himself. Then this music starts. Quite surprising for a final boss battle. Something subtle, instead of a nervous bombastic tune. And what a good choice. Makes it feel like you're about to enter a cosmic battle of good vs. evil. 
The soundtrack to this game was so well done that the music enhanced the entire game. Oh well, nostalgia...


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## Delilah

How about Chrono Cross Time's Scar performed by an Orchestra??? I never tire of listening to it!


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## TomDickson

I'm a big fan of Jason Graves "Dead Space". This being said, this Mario soundtrack inspired by the Shepard Tone is brilliant video game writing.


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## perempe

Forbidden Forest, Commando (c64)


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## Lukky

Tomb Raider series
AION The Tower of Eternity
Assassin's Creed 2
(+ some tracks from Uncharted 2 & 3)


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## Norse

Skyrim has been mentioned before, but the track that has stuck with me the most is probably this one. In a sense it's sort of big and 'cosmic' (maybe it's mostly because I can remember looking up at the night sky the first time I really noticed the music ) and at the same time really comforting. Sounds like most of it is ostinato-based.


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## kishi

I have a space in my heart reserved for Pokemon music.
On a related note, the Pokemon: Symphonic Evolutions have announced tour dates.
http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-symphony/
*patiently waits for London dates to appear*


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## HungarianDancer

not sure, if anyone else is a fan, but the music created for the fable series, namely the original game, and the anniversary edition, is brilliant, as well as the music for World of Warcraft.


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## Harmonie

Ooh, there's a lot of video game music I love! What always comes first to mind (aside from Zelda) is Kingdom Hearts (series) OSTs by Yoko Shimomura.

La Cloche from Dream Drop Distance




The Silent Forest from Birth By Sleep





Also, randomly, here's a fun one from Pokemon X/Y:

Route 4







Winterreisender said:


> My favourite video game music ever is from "The Sims." I specifically refer to six very beautiful pieces for solo piano which keep you company whilst you are building a house. The composer is called Jerry Martin. I'm not sure to what extent my judgement of this music is too clouded by nostalgia to be impartial (this game was after all the soundtrack to my childhood!) but I still listen every now and then.
> 
> ...


Oddly enough, my favorite The Sims music may actually fall in the "elevator music" from the Hot Date Expansion Pack. I know... Elevator music, but it's actually really pretty at times:

My One and Only by John Sbarra and Timothy Johnsen Haynes (yes, I looked this info up lol)





It really fell through the cracks, but I remember it because going to Downtown in Hot Date was really fun, and I loved going to the stores and restaurants that they played this and other songs at. It was such a wave of nostalgia when I heard them last year for like the first time in a decade. Lol.


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## Dim7




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## Laurelindo

Probably the most beautiful video game track I have ever heard in my life, and also probably one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever heard in general.






_*EASILY*_ comparable with Mozart's most beautiful compositions.


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## DeepR

How about demo's from the demo scene?

Hard to imagine now, but this blew my mind back in 1994, when I was 13. These demos are the very thing that made me realize the potential of the PC. 
I still like the tracker music. Ahhh nostalgia....


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## Classical Music Fan

I wish there was a game like guitar hero but instead you're conducting an orchestra.


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## Norse

I'm kinda nostalgic about a lot of the TESIV:Oblivion soundtrack. Occationally I'll find it on YT for some escapism into a fantasy world for a little while.


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## TonneEnevoldsen

Super Mario and Angry birds <3 music vedio


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## Dim7




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## bharbeke

My new favorite video game remix from my favorite video game of all time:


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## Ethereality

I've always been very attracted to the base simplicity and beauty of Video Game Music. It can highlight a variety of pleasant ethnic instruments or synths, nice melodies, thematic moods and simple effective harmonies. It's one of my favorite genres.

Here's a top variety of favorites:


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## Ethereality

continued...


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## Ethereality

continued...


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## Norse

A big band arrangement of a tune from Super Mario 64 (By that time I had moved on to PC, but it's a catchy tune that works without the nostalgia)


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## TheMusicalScorpio

I cant wait to properly go through this thread and check out some recommendations. Being the huge horror fan I am, I love a sound track that adds tension in the moment (or to be honest just a beautiful musical piece in general works to) 

Aside from some of the tracks already mentioned ill see if I can add some.

Silent Hill 2 - Promise (reprise)
Silent Hill 3 - Maternal
Resident Evil 3 - Feel The Tension

im sure theres many more that will come to mind eventually and ill post them when they do


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## ThaNotoriousNIC

Saw this thread and had to leave a comment. Big gamer since the tender age of three. I've played mostly Nintendo and XBOX games and here are a couple of games I think have great soundtracks:

*1) Super Smash Bros Melee (2001, Gamecube):* Most of the Nintendo's biggest franchises got grand orchestral reinterpretations for this game and I still listen to these tracks occasionally. In the new Smash games, I still change the music settings to get all of the classics from Melee. Favorite tracks: Fountain of Dreams, Corneria, Venom, Jungle Japes, Fourside

*2) Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018, XBOX One):* One of the more recent games that I've played that had a great soundtrack. Apparently the game creators wanted the music to have a real acoustic sound, so there is a lot of folk and country elements to the soundtrack. There are a couple real stand out songs as well. Wonderful game with a strong soundtrack. Favorite tracks: Cruel World (Willie Nelson), Unshaken (D'Angelo), Moonlight

*3) Kirby Air Ride (2003, Gamcube):* They must have hired the same guys who did the Melee soundtrack because this one has big orchestral tracks. Not the most memorable game, but a real nice soundtrack came out of it. Favorite tracks: Checker Knights, The Legendary Air Ride Machine

*4) Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Wii):* One of the best Mario games of all time and it had an all-time soundtrack to go with it. Like Melee, the soundtrack is largely orchestral with some electronic accompaniment. It is not as fresh on my mind as the previously mentioned games but I remember that it had an impact on me after playing. Favorite tracks: Overture, Comet Observatory 2, Melty Molten Galaxy

Some honorable tracks:

1. Kratos Theme, God of War 3
2. Universal Petroleum, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
3. The soundtrack of most Star Wars games for obvious reasons
4. Assorted tracks throughout the Mario franchise (Underwater Theme in SMB, Ground Theme in SMB2, Airship theme in SMB3)


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## Phil loves classical

Been playing this game lately. I thought the music was pretty well done and moody.


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## ComposerCristina

I'm based in Nashville and most of the new video game music is recorded here at Ocean Way Recording. Just a fun tidbit!


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## Jacck

Phil loves classical said:


> Been playing this game lately. I thought the music was pretty well done and moody.


sounds pretty good. I have not played the game. But it does not come even close to the Poledouris Conan sountrack


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## Jacck

Dragon Age Origins Full Soundtrack


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## Jacck




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## Ralfy

Battlefield 1942






Live performance:


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## Ralfy

"Dragonborn Theme - Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - IntoNation Chor der Hochschule & LJO Bremen Deutschlandd"


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## Ralfy




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## Phil loves classical

Here is a what I thought a really nice theme in this video game I'm playing. The graphics and art direction in the game is also great.


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## Jacck

Kingdom Come: Deliverance ► Brotherhood of Bravery





Kingdom Come: Deliverance - Full Soundtrack


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## Jacck

*Dead Space *





Dead Space is probably the best horror game I ever played. In terms of immersion and atmosphere better than any horror movie I have ever watched. (System Shock 2, Silent Hill 2 and Amnesia were pretty good too though)

_"Creator Glen Schofield wanted to make the most frightening horror game he could imagine, drawing inspiration from the video game Resident Evil 4 and films including Event Horizon and Solaris. The team pushed for innovation and realism in their design, ranging from procedural enemy placement to removing HUD elements. The sound design was a particular focus during production, with the score by Jason Graves designed to evoke tension and unease."_


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