Your Favorite Video Game Music

[FedoraChar]

Or, if you're European/Canadian/Australian/anyone other than Americans, "favourite" ;)

Tell us the title, game, and composer if you'd like. Also, give links if you can find them (cause I would LOVE to listen to them myself xD) You don't have to be as detailed as I am below. I just went a little overboard xD


I wanted to put mine down as a top ten, but honestly, I'm having a hard time choosing. So, in no particular order...

Hollow Bastion (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nlCNVewMjA)::Kingdom Hearts::Yoko Shimomura
The Kingdom Hearts series is full of fantastic themes, but the track that has always stood out to me is the one that plays during Sora's visit to Hollow Bastion. Throughout the game, you visit familiar and bright Disney Worlds full of color and excitement, but when you reach the climax of your journey, you find yourself in a mysterious and empty world. Hollow Bastion has a sense of grandeur, but at the same time it feels twisted and abandoned. The music only adds to these feelings of mystery and creates such a memorable atmosphere for one of the final stages of the game :)

Magnus' Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kPwTTQb6D8)::Kid Icarus: Uprising::Motoi Sakuraba
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Kid Icarus: Uprising. You really should be playing it rather than sit here and read about me gushing over its gorgeous soundtrack. Seriously, why are you still here? Joking aside, this theme represents the crown jewel of the game's OST. It's grand. It's triumphant. It has freakin' brass and choirs, man. Even though it's the theme for a side character that only appears once in a while, hearing it makes you feel like you can take on the Underworld Army with your hands tied behind your back!

Id (Purpose) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TR8Xhgi9e0)::Fire Emblem: Awakening::Hiroki Morishita
I love the story of this game, and this theme represents that climatic final battle where you fight against destiny itself--and overcome it with glory. I really do like grand sweeping tracks with choirs, as you probably guessed from the last song I listed, and this track has plenty of it. As well as an accordion. But man, what an accordion. Who would have guessed it, right?

Don't Speak Her Name (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWO4ff1HXYY)::Fire Emblem: Awakening:: Yuka Tsujiyoko, Hiroki Morishita, Rei Kondoh
But Char, you already listed a FE:A song! Guess what? I don't care xD Honestly, how could I pick a favorite from that game and not bring this one along as well? The emotion that's poured into this piece follows up rather well with the events that transpire in the emotional Chapter Nine. WHY EMMERYN, WHY???

Hyrule Field (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzS5lq2Dp8o)::The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess::Toru Minegishi, Asuka Ota, Koji Kondo
I think Twilight Princess' soundtrack is a little underrated. The game itself is a little underrated, I believe. Go and listen to Zelda Reorchestrated's Twilight Symphony, and maybe you'll change your mind. Out of all the themes in the game, I believe I have to say that this simple overworld theme is my favorite--because it really brings out the theme of courage that represents the Hero of Twilight so well. Plus, I'm a fan of the oboe/bassoon :3 Yeah, I like odd instruments like that.

Title Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-U3sVX2G3w)::Metroid::Kenji Yamamoto
The ORIGINAL. In all its 8-bit glory. I actually have never played a Metroid game outside of Other M (yeah, yeah, I know; go ahead and grab your pitchforks :P), but I've been into a recent Metroid kick that's introduced me to its music. And I love it :D If I had to pick one to represent the entire series, I could think of nothing better than that original opening theme. When Kenji set about composing for the game, he wanted the music to feel as if we were encountering a life-form--and he captured that so well with that eerie, opening sequence. Other good ones I would recommend is Samus' theme and Ridley's theme.

Final Destination (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLJuT8zPmvA)::Super Smash Bros Brawl::???
Could you ask for any better kind of music to listen to while you're beating up beloved Nintendo Characters? What I like about this song is that there's such a wild variety of instruments--everything from electric guitars to singing choirs. It's chaotic, it's suspenseful, it's beautiful. I loved Brawl's main theme, and the way it's used in this track is amazing.

Apotheosis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypNgvc6c6Cc)::Journey::Austin Wintory
If games could be considered works of art, then this game is a true masterpiece. Not only is it beautiful to behold, it also touches you in an almost-spiritual way. The music only takes it that much further.

World Map (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZLnplV-blY)::Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch::Joe Hisaishi and Rei Kondoh
Hopefully, if you're a big fan of Studio Ghibli, you've come across a wonderful little game called Ni No Kuni that not only features Studio Ghibli-style animations, but scores composed by the legendary Joe Hisaishi himself. This piece is the game's delightful overworld theme, which just captures the spirit of adventure in my opinion. Listening to this makes me think of scaling mountains, crossing seas, trekking through woodlands, and so forth. It's feels cinematic and grand--which is right up my alley.

Miror B's Retro Groove (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAHHFc-gIeI)::Pokemon Colosseum::???
LET THE MUSIC PLAY!!!

[SassySnivy]

This is SUCH AN AWESOME IDEA FOR A THREAD. A compilation of everyone's favorite video game tracks from various video games, and why we like them. :D My playlist is basically nothing BUT OSTs to video games....Super Mario Galaxy, Kirby's Epic Yarn...some amazing soundtracks.

Since I have a lot from the Pokemon series, I'll leave those out for now. At least until later. I'll edit this post as more come to mind!

Stickerbrush Symphony (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJkVwt_JJXo) (SSB Brawl)
I've always really liked this arrangement. I'm someone that, I guess you could say, isn't too keen on the Donkey Kong Country series like some are. I remember this track from SSBB in the Jungle level. Didn't catch my ear until lately, when I got it stuck in my head. I do like this one much better than the original, though, from what I've heard! This song really stands out more when it's upbeat...yet at the same time, you still feel like maybe there's a little bit of underlying sorrow underneath the song. It's got a catchy little drumbeat, too. And just the use of all the instruments is just...GAH. I love the use of accoustic guitar and other strings in there.

Battlefield (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wELMFhuQHXU) (SSB 3DS/Wii U)
Can I just say that in general I've always, always, ALWAYS LOVED ANY ORCHESTRATED PIECE THAT COMES FROM ANY NINTENDO GAME. LIKE OH MY GOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDD
This is no exception. I never really cared much for the main theme to Brawl, but SSB4's main theme totally makes up for that. It just...sounds like something more Smash Bros.-like. And DAT INTRO. It's just so extravagant. You hear the first couple seconds of the song, and you instantly think: yes. THIS is freakin' Smash Bros.

More to come~! <3

[Scytherwolf]

I'm glad you mentioned Apotheosis. The Journey soundtrack is some of my favorite music ever (and the game is also one of my favorite games) and that is my favorite track from it.

I also love the music from the game Flower (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnqzVFgFfJQ).

Others that I can think of off the top of my head are Traverse Town from Kingdom Hearts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qU2tKMrUQ), the Jak and Daxter sountrack (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AF_PI6HQds), Candy Constellation from Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJvNZVlvNiA), and lots of music from Pokemon games, of which there are too many examples to list.

And pleeennntty of others. xD

I'm not in a very descriptive mood right now; sorry about that. xD

[Silverclaw]

Porky means business - earthbound

[EmeraldSky]

The Mario theme (and many more from that universe)
The Zelda theme (and many more from that universe)
The Final Fantasy Prelude (V's and VI's are my favorites)
The Final Fantasy Prologue (especially the version in XII)

[Neo Emolga]

Boneyard: Intro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApLGcFit7XY) - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 : Hans Zimmer
Even if you're not a Call of Duty fan, this track strikes me as both intense and emotional for a war game. It's used in several places in the game, but for all of them, it fits pretty well and sets the mood for the firefight. I don't play too many Call of Duty games anymore and most of the music seems pretty much the same, but it's the few rare gems that stick out. Gems like this one.

Invasion: Intro (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_5-Y2B7E-Y) - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 : Hans Zimmer
First, watch this mission briefing video. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC3tWDnPGUU) Russia intercepts USA's surveillance systems and unleashes a sneak attack. A northern Virginia suburb suddenly becomes a war zone, and US Army Rangers are deployed to deal with the threat. This track perfectly grabs you by the heart as you become a soldier, seeing what was once a peaceful and normal US suburb suddenly become a battlefield that quickly falls apart around you as the defending US soldiers struggle to fight the opposition. I have played a LOT of first person shooters, but moments like this are rare.

Junk Garage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf3mk68_b_U) - The World Ends With You : Takeharu Ishimoto
The World Ends With You has a LOT of great soundtracks (some are a bit repetitive, but no biggie). I like this one a lot, which is usually played for the optional boss fights. There's something about the beat, record skips and vocals (not sure what is actually being said besides "baby, baby"), but it definitely gets you pumped and ready to take on just about anything, which is great because some of those boss fights NEED that. I like this track for that.

Extol (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMum40OPp4Y) - Tetrisphere : Neil Voss
Tetrisphere was one of those fun puzzle games and had some good techno-style music tracks, but I LOVE this one and played and replayed it constantly for just about every round. Awesome beat with great energy, I even almost got to use this track for a job presentation video, as my boss really liked it and felt it fit well with the style of the video. However, the big issue was the presentation was much shorter than the song, so we resorted to something else. Still, it's a great track!

In The Zone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d93uWnR_lJw) - Extreme Road Trip 2 : Big Giant Circles
A great techno-style soundtrack from a smartphone game? Why not? This is a great example of how much difference a great music track can make, as the game is relatively simple, but the music gets you PUMPED and very energetic.

Goteki TS Remix (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bVDNcvxXR4) - TimeSplitters 2 : Graeme Norgate
It starts off a little quite and loopy, but wait for it... wait for it... and then you get energized by the beat and the "no clue what they're saying but it sounds cool" vocals. TimeSplitters 2 is a gold mine of great tracks, but this is definitely one of the best ones.

Super Power Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtovlHjBtS8) - Advance Wars Dual Strike - Yoshito Hirano
This theme doesn't mess around. It starts loud and stays loud, and it's oh so much fun to listen to as you make mincemeat out of your enemy's armies. The big drawback was that it only played during the use of Super Power, which was rarely used when you could just build up more toward the Tag Power, which was much, much stronger. Still, I like this theme anyway.

Max Kill (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoaQxWerOfc) - Max Payne 3 - Health
This awesome track is used for a action-packed boat level in Max Payne 3, and it works great by setting the dark and gritty mood while still upbeat for fast and ferocious action. I've beaten Max Payne 3 several times now, but I use this track for my Battlefield 4 playlist (Battlefield 4 has no multiplayer music). It works really well there too!

Tears (Game Version) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmuo3LrYFnY) - Max Payne 3 - Health (Alternate Soundtrack Version) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEH_LSL4rVw)
"Tears" was nominated as Best Song in a Game at the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards. It's not hard to see why. Suddenly, a whole corrupt police force has you pinned down in an airport and you're out for revenge and to take down a morally corrupt politician (avoiding spoilers). Only your wits, grit, determination, and the guns in your hands will get you there. This track with its pump-it-up beat and great lyrics does an AWESOME job of capturing that intensity and mood. It's a shame it only plays for a short while, but still, it's one of the best tracks in the game.

Drop Dead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj5wlFPO8eA) - Twisted Metal - Chuck E. Meyers
This is a FANTASTIC and INTENSE theme, especially considering you fight the final boss (a massive tank called Minion that is slathered with weaponry) to this on city rooftop, where it's easy to fall off and plunge to your death. Definitely one of the best last boss themes I've heard and doesn't hold back when giving you an intense and pounding track to fight hard with.

New York (The Big Leap) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIxai5JULKE) - Twisted Metal 2 - Chuck E. Meyers
Fancy some intense and insane rooftop vehicular combat above New York? This has you covered and the soundtrack is intense and fits the game and the map perfectly. If fast and ferocious combat is your thing and puts you in your happy place, this is another great one to add to your playlist. Play it loud!

[Sanctus]

You don't want any of this guy. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyyqKg3wDbg)