Your Favorite Newer Game Music
I know there was a recent thread about most memorable game music and sounds, but I want to take this in a bit of a different direction. With composers like Jeremy Soule making it big in gaming, music is becoming more and more important to getting a proper setting in games, and it's approaching the scale, perhaps even surpassing the scale, of major motion pictures.
So, with that in mind, what are some of your favorite musical selections from recent games?
I'll start with a few of mine.
I really enjoy the music that plays when you get to Tom Bombadil's house in LOTRO.
There are a number of selections in WoW that are pretty impressive as well, like going into Stormwind.
One of the more surprising selections recently was the choice to use 80's sci-fi style synthesized music in Mass Effect. It was incredibly effective and worked so well that I can't imagine the game with traditional music.
Anyway, I'll stop there, so as to leave you guys with something else to talk about. And let's limit the choices to the first console and/or PC game to be able to feature CD-quality audio and music, and leave off the 8 and 16 bit systems for now. So, PS1/Early CD-ROM gaming eras.
I really enjoy a lot of the WoW music. Especially since they don't have it looping constantly by default. I originally bought the CE and it came with a soundtrack and there are even some good songs on there that I don't believe ever made it into the game.
If I had to pick some favorites, I'd have to go with the Duskwood theme and the Dun Morogh theme. I think both of those areas just mesh so well with the music that it creates a really spooky & lonely atmosphere.
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Soule's themes really worked for me in Oblivion.
With the movement seemingly being away from constant background music, recently a few games have made really effective use of targeted music cues enough to come immediately to mind. Whilst Levine doesn't need any more loving from this website, I think Bioshock used its cues really well, specifically Sander Cohen's mad piano background music, and all the jazzy period music. The score is well worth downloading too if it's still on the website.
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I really enjoyed the bulk of the music in Guild Wars and its expansions, and the Morrowind and Oblivion music, too... so, I guess, anything by Jeremy Soule
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Garry Schyman's Bioshock score is far and away my favorite of recent years.
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Infinity Ward seems to be firing on all cylinders musically with their recent Call Of Duty games. Both CoD 2 & CoD 4 sport some of the most epic & theatrical tunes in recent memory. Their music composition sounds like it came straight from Hollywood's finer efforts. It definitely helps to deepen the immersion factor in these titles.
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The custom music done for the Minerva: Metastasis mod for HL2. Some very nice, hauntingly soulful stuff that makes my speakers whine and tuck their tails between their legs.
I also have a LOT of music from OCRemix in regular rotation.
Mystic Violet wrote:
I kinda liked the music in Peggle.
Politely rude. Briskly vague. Firmly uninformative.
Even with soaring scores in these epic games, I think casual games are just as valid. Peggle's music definitely worked for the game. I'd like to give a vote for the music in Catan. There are only three or four selections if memory serves, but they're good.
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The music in Bioshock greatly added to the creepy and disjointed atmosphere.
I also have to give a nod to the score of Super Mario Galaxy. The use of the classic themes such as the airship battles added a nice touch of nostalgia, and the theme for the Gusty Garden galaxy just makes a happy light shine in my heart.
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The portal music that plays from random radios through out the game. doo doo doo dooooo doo
Your friendly neighbourhood hair splitting singularity.
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Well, Bioshock is going to win it hands down. I've been listening to the soundtrack pretty regularly, and it even got me to go out and buy a Bille Holiday collection.
"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made."
The Wii Shopping Channel music
Do do do do doo doo... do do do do do do do dooo
--
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Yeah, all of the IW-developed Call of Duty games have had absolutely top-quality composers: Michael Giacchino for the first game, Graeme Revell for Call of Duty 2 and Harry Gregson-Williams and Stephen Barton for Call of Duty 4.
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Seconded on the WoW music. In fact Blizzard in general has some pretty talented composers and audio people. I still have the Diablo 2 music in my mp3 folder, as well as a lot of the WoW music.
On the subject of this, I was really impressed after listening to the sound and music panel from Blizzcon 2007, where the composers talked about how they created the ambient sounds for some of the new areas in TBC so that it complemented the music playing in that area. Try it sometime - listen to the music for an area on its own, then pull out the ambient track and play it in a separate directsound-capable player at the same time - it really makes a difference.
Other random stuff recently that I've enjoyed the soundtrack on:
Castlevania DS games
Phoenix Wright DS games
Darwinia
(not to be a broken record, but) Aquaria (it has such awesome music I wish I could rip it out)
Half Life 2 and its episodes
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Mass Effect. I even bought the CD.
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Before that Katamari Damacy and We Love Katamari hands down.
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Of all recent soundtracks in memory, I would say the one from Divine Divinity was by far the most memorable to me. Not only was it an excellent RPG score that fit the mood of the game, but it has a much more distinctive flavour then most of the contemporaries.
http://www.larian.com/Site/english/divinity/music.html
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Both Oblivion and The Darkness were memorable for me.
Morrowind and Oblivion just capture that general epic awesomeness that you know is about to unfold. Big, striking theme song, yet many subtle and mellow slower songs to accompany your journey.
The Darkness was also amazing. Such somber, sad music, but so good. Definitely added to the atmosphere.
Edit: Thirded for WoW. Almost every zone was completely memorable. I still remembering the first time stepping into Winterspring, I love the zone music there.
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I know we've all been oversaturated with it, but I'm going to throw my hat in for Halo. Especially Halo 3 - I just really like that theme from the announcement trailer, and they did a good job of developing it throughout the game, and interacting it with the other, already iconic, themes from the earlier games.
Also, the scratchy-sounding period music from Bioshock really made the setting feel authentic to me. And creepy.
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Yeah, love or hate the game, the Halo theme is a modern classic.
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I agree with everyone above, and I'd like to add that Final Fantasy XI has some amazing music. Ronfaure is one of my favorites. Uematsu hits it out of the park 99% of the time for me. I could pretty much just list his catalog. The only big miss I can think of right now is that wailing butt-rock they put behind the boss battles in Blue Dragon. Huge WTHeck on that.
Whoever did the John Williams adaptions for KOTOR did an excellent job as well. They kept the iconic feel, but added a little something of their own for the newer bits.
And I'm saying this with a completely straight face, I like the music to the weather channel on my Wii. And no, I don't know why.
I have the Out of Darkness song from Devil May Cry 4 stuck in my head right now. Hopefully I can replace it with something out of Lost Odysee here in a few minutes.
edit -- How can we forget Johnathan Coulton and dear GlaDOS!? Re: Brains is also very good.
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Mafia's music was excellent. And Jeremy Soule's always a win.
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Ah, yes, Uematsu. Return to Zanarkand is possibly the best Final Fantasy piece of music that exists.
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I loved Mass Effect, on paper not a choice you would have thought worked, but it did and greatly added to the enjoyment of the game..
As others have added Oblivion and Morrowind, soundtrack added to my enjoyment of the gaming - the effects in the Ayleid ruins seriously creeped me out, but I am a sissy
I hate the music for Halo 3, the theme itself is epic, but why can't you tone the background music down during gameplay? For me after a period of time it becomes like the most torturous elevator music when trapped between floors and no chance of escape
Fuelling the flames beneath the bubbling cauldron of life.... Oh cr*p!!!
The Raconteurs and Stephen Malkmus: It's the music I play lately when I'm playing random XBLA games.
But seriously - Bioshock and Tom Bombadil for sure. I think that the LOTRO soundtrack gets the shaft because it's "game music" but I love it.
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Chrono Cross has an amazing soundtrack.
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Damnit! I thought I was gonna get to be the cool kid who posted the cool indie soundtrack in this thread! Now it's all mainstream...
In all seriousness, the soundtrack is awesome. You can download the songs for free here:, they are absconditus, liberalitis, omnia, and duco ergo sum. I especially recommend the first.
I'm also digging on the soundtrack for Trackmania.
Going back a little further, the Max Payne 2 theme is also pretty damn sweet. Cello = awesome.
Finally, I also think that the Metroid Prime theme is more memorable and haunting then the Halo theme, although the later is not too shabby either.
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Portal should be immediately disqualified, like the Bible from the NY Times Nest Seller list.
I tend to turn off the music in most games, and rock my own tracks. When it comes to simpler experiences like Peggle, WoW, Mythos, Fallout, etc. I will usually listen to a podcast.
For more intensive experience, I try to limit distractions. No Music when I am in an RTS, FPS.
But as far as musical integration into a game. Team Fortress 2 and Oblivion are top tier. Each sound is as ubiquitous as the Imperial March for indicating mood, or characters, or action in those games. In Oblivion, like in a film, the music changed when you were attacked, at tender moments with NPCs, etc. If you are killed by a nemesis, get revenge, etc. the music changes in TF2.
Music and Cut scenes share a common thread in that they are almost always separable entities from the game. You have a game, then a separate story is told, and separate music plays.
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All Rez tracks, if not for Joujouka or Fear alone.
Lumines has some great songs, and could win the thread for Mondo Grosso - Shinin' by-itself
Shadow of the Colossus, easy.
Evaccania Doom, the true last boss (TLB) of Ketsui has one of the best drum 'n bass boss fight tracks used in a videogame.
Every Extend Extra Extreme has some great catchy tracks, even if they will drive you to madness after a 3-hour game...
Space Channel 5 had some great tunes.
Time Crisis 1 needs to be redone with a frikkin' orchestra. It's that tense.
Devil May Cry 1 and 3 have some great stuff. I should play 4.
The early midboss fight theme from Kingdom Hearts 2 is awesome, as with much of that soundtrack.
Gradius V has some amazing tracks. Mainly Intermezzo.
Zuntata puts out some decent stuff. Their work in G Darius is excellent. The Adam track is badass.
Beyond Good & Evil has some good stuff.
Ikaruga has some epicness.
Tetrisphere. Hell yes.
Soul Caliber 2's Hellfire is sweet.
Phoenix Wright 1 has some great courtroom tracks.
Killer 7 and No More Heroes music work well in their games.
The Smash Brawl remakes of Butter Building and Gourmet Race from the Kirby stuff are wicked sweet.
The Halo theme is always nice. At least Steve Vai's version.
And this is prolly too old, but I'm name-droppin' Plok. Because its music is the titties.
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I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who uses that phrase as an adjective.
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