Videogames OST list?

[jhfagan]

Would it be appropriate to post what your favorite game soundtrack is, and/or post a list of the soundtracks you own?

Pending of course, that you have ownership of the game that you have the official or ripped soundtrack from, and in no way plan on distributing said music.

 

I personally would love to see what soundtracks everyone has, and discuss what it is about the music of the soundtracks you like the best.

 

I have recently been speaking with Barry Leitch ( Gauntlet OST's, most notably ), who has given me alot of insight into the making of a videogame soundtrack, and it has kinda sparked my interest in soundtracks even more than I already had.

And seeing how little these musicians had to work with, especially in the early days of videogames, gives me a little more respect for being able to create such memorable pieces of music out of almost literally nothing.

 

What's everyone got? I'll post mine if you post yours, and the mods all agree.

[Robot Monkey]

Hey, neat idea. I like the original Prince of Persia soundtrack by Staurt Chatwood of Tea Party.

[jhfagan]

Well, I've got alot of soundtracks that I almost like equally, but on different levels.

Some, like the Baldur's Gate series, I like for the higer quality orchestral scores, whereas games like MediEvil ( which is probably my favorite of all ) have that almost campy, but just serious enough musical style to always keep it fun, and interesting....very Danny Elfman-ish, which was really what the composer of the game music intended, since the game had that Nightmare Before Christmas type feel to it.

Then there's Streets of Rage 2. GREAT fun soundtrack!!!! Just really really cool all the way around.

But others simply have a special place in my heart because I had so much fun playing the game itself, so it's more of a fond memory than an actual "quality" piece of music.

[Angry the Clown]

The music for the two Ecco the Dolphin Games that came out on the Mega CD/Sega CD are amongst my favourites. They were composed by Spencer Nilson. Very ambient, often channeling Vangelis in their sound. Just wonderful.

 

Daniel

[Camp]

I can't play the game but I'm loving the Devil May Cry 3 soundtrack. Over the top pop-metal usually isn't my thing but this is good stuff.

[Rob B]

lotta love for the zelda games music

 

 

Also

 

Beyond Good And Evil

Halo

Halo 2

[JFo]

I have the soundtrack to Katamari Damacy. It may be a little on the weird side -- okay, it's strange as fucking hell -- but damn it's catchy. I can't wait to hear the music in the sequel next month.

 

I also have to mention the soundtrack for Silent Hill 4. In particular, the songs are all excellent, especially the haunting "Room of Angel". Once I heard that song, I knew I had to make sure to the get the official soundtrack.

[jhfagan]

I remember when Romier got the Jet Set Radio Future game, and we were playing it one night, and it was the first time I saw the game. Then that damned Birthday Cake song came on, from Ciba Matto, or whatever their name is!!!!!!!

Stupid thing was in my head for a week!!!!!!!!!

Love the song though....!

[AnthonyVolpe]

Best videogame soundtracks ever:

Chrono Cross - despite the MIDI cheesyness of it, it's still awesome. Whimsical, atmospheric and passionate...

Final Fantasy X - just as great, but with better instrument quality

Parasite Eve - amazing what you can do with a piano and a drum machine - the music in this game was just cool as hell, even in spite of the cheesy opera singer pad

Halo/Halo 2 - fantastic on its own or while you're getting corked by Elites - the first time the Flood music appeared, damn, my hair was on end...

Soul Blade/Calibur/Calibur II - I'm a sucker for big overblown orchestras

 

Worst:

Dynasty Warriors # - butt rock + Romance of the Three Kingdoms = uh, no.

Fuzion Frenzy - uh! hip hop ya don't stop! uh! hip hop ya don't stop! uh! hip hop ya don't stop! uh! hip hop ya BANG!!!! shut up

[Romier S]

I can't play the game but I'm loving the Devil May Cry 3 soundtrack. Over the top pop-metal usually isn't my thing but this is good stuff.

Thank god I'm not the only one. I do however the love the game itself as well. As you noted though, the heavy rock soundtracks like the one found in DMC3 usually end up being terrible, but somehow it manages to be totally listenable in the game (it definitely gets you pumped during combat!).

 

damned Birthday Cake song

 

Stupid thing was in my head for a week!!!!!!!!!

"It's your sirtiest bursday."

 

Jeff mentioned Silent Hill 4 above which is definitely a great one. "Room of Angels" is indeed fantastic, as is "Waiting for You". I highly recommend giving both the Silent Hill 2 and 3 sountracks a listen as well.

 

I'm also an enormous fan of the music from the Panzer Dragoon series (big suprise). Panzer Saga and Orta being key favorites there. The first two Onimusha games have wonderful soundtracks (I haven't got far enough into the third to be able to comment on it). Especially the first game which has a wonderful orchestral soundtrack that you can loop endlessly and not get tired of.

 

I would be criminal for me to not mention the work of Micheru Yamane of Castlevania fame. Symphony of the Night to this day remains my absolute favorite videogame soundtrack. Also, Lament of Innocence wasn't as fantastic a game as I would have liked it to be, the soundtrack sure as hell was. :tu Any of the Castlevania games should easily be on a favorites list IMHO. Worthy of note are Super Castlevania 4, the aformentioned Symphony of the Night, Lament of Innocence, and Rondo of Blood.

 

Finally, you can put me down for anything that says Jeremy Soule on it.(ie Icewind Dale, Guild Wars, Dungeon Siege, Knights of the Old Republic etc. etc. etc.). The man has yet to do a videogame soundtrack I don't like. Icewind Dale is an absolute masterpiece of game music that *MUST* be listened to.

[Robot Monkey]

Oh, another one I remember is Thexder using Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (although my memory is pretty hazy). It was just beeps from my PC speaker, but it's pretty distinctive.

 

I remember thinking that it seemed it like an odd choice, but one that worked. You know, like Nine Inch Nails doing the soundtrack for a Mario game...

[Romier S]

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata

Also wonderfully used in both Phantom Dust and the original Resident Evil. I especially like the Phantom Dust "megamix" of Moonlight. Very cool piece of music.

[Rob B]

Phantsy Star III had some good music as well.

Sorwd Of Vermillion from the Genesis days too.

[Dimness]

Somebody mentioned the game earlier, but I would like to add that the opening track to Chrono Cross kicks ass.

[Derrik Draven]

I'm twisted: some of my favorite stuff is from the soundtrack of Doom 1 and 2. :insane:

 

Hell Gate

Hell Beneath

Phobos Lab

Toxic Refinery

Mt. Erebus

 

...some of my favorite stuff!!! :tu I have the entire soundtrack, including the title screen, ending screen, on my laptop. :rock

[iainl]

I'm sure I really don't have to mention my collection of wipEout soundtracks yet again, but today I'll give a big shout to CoLD SToRAGE, who as Psygnosis' in-house guy produced some amazing work that easily holds its own up against the big-name likes of Prodigy and Orbital elsewhere on the discs. Tim has his tracks up there for legal and free download too, which is nice.

 

Similarly predictable, I adore Richard Jaques' reworkings of the OutRun music for the XBox release of OutRun 2. Glorious loungey house stuff, and well worth finding.

 

Back to the Old School stuff, I still love the first level music of R-Type. It's so intricately entwined in my head with the joystick movements required to get through the level that I simply cannot play the game without sound.

[jhfagan]

I'm sure alot of people already know this, but alot of earlier PS1 games' soundtracks were already written onto the game disc as an audio CD, the files already converted to CDA. Just pop them into a CD player, and you have the music already to listen to.

Wipeout series

Mortal Kombat Trilogy and a couple others too.

I think even some Sega Saturn games were like that too. I know that if you put them in your CD drive, the files were accessible right off the disc.

 

That was pretty damned cool. Then they started to embed the music files into the main game code, which sucked. Now we have to either find file editors to extract it, or wait and/or pay out the ass for an official OST CD.

[Anthony G]

Tempest 2000 (Yes, I own an Atari Jag ) is the best I have ever heard.

[Angry the Clown]

The orchestral release of the Shenmue score is also worth tracking down.

 

Daniel

[jhfagan]

I like the 1st Crash Bandicoot game soundtrack too. I can't find it ANYWHERE. That, and the complete Gauntlet Legacy soundtrack. Even Barry Leitch, the guy who made it, doesn't have the complete soundtracks. He only had like 6 of the files, which he was kind enough to email to me, but I'd like to find the whole thing.

[GrumpyElf]

I have a ton of OST's, PM me if you are interested in something, I may have it.

[GrumpyElf]

Soundtracks for Shadow of Colossus and Resident Evil 4 are both up on the web, in the usual locations... thought some of you may like to know.

 

T.

[GrumpyElf]

HALO Volume 2 came out today, anyone have this yet? I look forward to hearing it. Does anyone have the Jade Empire OST? Please PM me if you do.

 

T.

[Romier S]

I have the Jade Empire OST Grumpy, AIM me when you get the chance. There's very little in the game soundtrack department that I don't have one way or another.

[Romier S]

Thanks to Grumpy for the Halo 2 Volume 2 soundtrack. This is more like it! It's all the pure music score from the game. No bands being "inpired" by Halo or any of that crap. It's fantastic too. (hope you're enjoying Jade Grumpy)