Video Games Memorable game soundtracks

[Sword Iris]

I've been going down the nostalgia lane and listening to soundtracks from some games I played years ago. And noticed something interesting.

There are a few games that I loved and spent hours playing, but when listening to the music now, I couldn't recall which place or event was associated with some tracks. While some other game tracks evoked memories of specific places or battles.

Which game soundtracks you find the most memorable?
Maybe something that you still remember over the years, or something you're playing now and think you'd remember forever.

 

[Count Gensokyo]

I've retried this game so many times trying to actually beat it that I can hum everything to a perfect tee. The OST still has that authentic video-game synth sound, and it has plenty of memorable tunes. Who says you need to have live recorded music to have a good soundtrack?

The whole thing is short. You could listen to every song in about an hour tops.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAEE88CEB2AC8A108

 

[Negative Zone]

My father had an NES and played it a crapload when I was a very young child. As a result, the soundtracks to most of his games are basically baked into my mind and will be until the day I die.

Fortunately, he had pretty good taste.







A lot of SNES and PS1 era JRPGs evoke the same feeling for me.









Honestly I could go on for hours about game soundtracks that are pretty much always in my head but these are some of the ones that seared themselves in the brain at a formative age, haha.

 

[Sword Iris]

Oh man, the Chrono music. I'll surely remember it forever.

For me it's this one though ^^


Also this one. I almost tear up when I hear it, because this game OST is probably my favourite of all time.

 

[Count Gensokyo]

My father had an NES and played it a crapload when I was a very young child. As a result, the soundtracks to most of his games are basically baked into my mind and will be until the day I die.

Fortunately, he had pretty good taste.







A lot of SNES and PS1 era JRPGs evoke the same feeling for me.









Honestly I could go on for hours about game soundtracks that are pretty much always in my head but these are some of the ones that seared themselves in the brain at a formative age, haha.

Booster Tower theme? Excellent choice. I was expecting "Beware the Forest's Mushrooms", but this is a welcome surprise.

 

[Negative Zone]

I've retried this game so many times trying to actually beat it that I can hum everything to a perfect tee. The OST still has that authentic video-game synth sound, and it has plenty of memorable tunes. Who says you need to have live recorded music to have a good soundtrack?

The whole thing is short. You could listen to every song in about an hour tops.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAEE88CEB2AC8A108

For as much as I dig video game soundtracks this is my first time really dipping into the Touhou OSTs. Some of the tracks kind of remind of Yuzo Koshiro's recent work on the Etrian Odyssey series in a roundabout way which is one hell of a good thing.

Oh man, the Chrono music. I'll surely remember it forever.

For me it's this one though ^^


Also this one. I almost tear up when I hear it, because this game OST is probably my favourite of all time.

The first CD I burned back when we got a computer with CD writing capability was a CD of Chrono Cross music. I was so stoked to play video game music on my goofy little sound system in my room. The Chrono Cross OST is absolutely fantastic at evoking that sun-drenched tropical archipelago feel that suffuses the whole game.

It's a shame nothing more happened with the series after the PS1 era. I keep hoping for a revival but at the same time it feels like the Chrono series is very inextricably tied to 90s Squaresoft.

EDIT: I post too slow and look what happens!

Booster Tower absolutely mystified me when I was a kid, I spent so much time in there. It was a tough choice because the Super Mario RPG soundtrack is just golden from front to back.

 

[CJAlex]

The original Tomb Raider theme comes to mind. No other game track truly evokes nostalgia for me than that. Runner-ups would be any of the Build/Buy songs from the original The Sims franchise. I poured days worth of straight playtime into those games on my dad's PC as a teen.

 

[Count Gensokyo]

For as much as I dig video game soundtracks this is my first time really dipping into the Touhou OSTs. Some of the tracks kind of remind of Yuzo Koshiro's recent work on the Etrian Odyssey series in a roundabout way which is one hell of a good thing.

Holy heck, that particular EO track sounds like it came straight out of the retro PC-98 Touhou games, especially with that "harpsichord-like" instrument in the background.

Check this for comparison. These two themes in particular sound kind of similar.



If you dig what you're listening to, there's more than 200 original tracks throughout the entire game series and various canon novels/comics, and there are troves upon troves more remixes and arrangements of those original themes. The whole reason why this game series and fictional world exists is because the author, ZUN, wanted to teach himself how to make music. Basically, he makes the music first and builds the game, story, scenario, and character designs all around that, and the fans just run with it once a new game is a released.


For me, I was stuck in the Exor fight for the longest time growing up. I went back to the game years later, actually beat him, and proceeded to get stuck on Smithy's final form at the end. It took multiple frustrating tries, but I finally beat the game.

This weirdly happened to me with a lot of Mario RPG's. First, I couldn't beat Fawful and then Cackletta in Superstar Saga, and I quit for 3 years in Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door because the final boss (and so was the back-to-back penultimate boss, now that I think about it) was absolute bullcrap for me growing up. I returned 3 years later and beat it on the second try, much to my disbelief.

 

[Rantos]

Yo you wanna talk memorable? Let's talk Nier. I ain't talking non of that 2017 chizz. I'm talking classic 2010 Nier!

Spoiler: Some of the better songs from Nier

And that's just a taste of the magnificence!!!

Alternatively a slightly older game from my childhood, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Darkness (2008) has two songs that I will always hold fondly in my heart.

Spoiler: Yo check it!

And Okami!

 

[Mufflebuns]

There are so many memorable soundtracks, that it's quite difficult to choose one. If I had to though....then I would say that Pokemon B/W has many songs that I remember fondly. N's theme, the Elite Four Theme, the Rival Theme...so many good ones out there.

I also have to mention Undertale's soundtrack. While I may not really be that big into the fandom, I definitely have to enjoy the various songs there, the overworld and the battle themes being extremely well made and fit the tone and atmosphere very well.

 

[Trouble]

For me, that'd be:



I love Mogwai!

 

[Tove]

Final Fantasy XV and X.

 

[peaches]

Fallout New Vegas. Hands down

 

[Foxy]

Pretty sure Halo has been mentioned and if not we have some delusional people in these forums xD

 

[crumbelivable]

Back in the '00s these was this old 3d racing game that all the cool kids, me included, played called Need For Madness. All the music in the game is taken from obscure electronic tracks found on the internet, and it's great. The 2nd game, which came out around 2010, had a lot of synthwave in its soundtrack, and that was pretty good

 

[Roach]

I think my favorite would be the soundtrack Alec Lambert made for We Know the Devil. It was such a good blend of atmosphere and harsh noise. Though, I enjoyed a lot of the Silent Hill soundtracks too, and found those rather memorable.

 

[Maki]

The persona 5 soundtrack is the best I've listened to in awhile.

 

[Count Gensokyo]

The persona 5 soundtrack is the best I've listened to in awhile.

That's an awfully new game to have nostalgia for, eh? ;)


Regardless, the P5 soundtrack is basically the king of smooth. It's addicting. Shoji needs all the praise he can get for the superb job he's done with the game's music.

 

[Maki]

That's an awfully new game to have nostalgia for, eh? ;)


Regardless, the P5 soundtrack is basically the king of smooth. It's addicting. Shoji needs all the praise he can get for the superb job he's done with the game's music.

It is rather new, but i have a feeling it'll stand the test of time.

 

[Count Gensokyo]

It is rather new, but i have a feeling it'll stand the test of time.

Amen to that.

 

[Cold Ramen Noodles]

LOZ: Windwaker.

And....Sonic. "Rolling around at the speed of sound!"

 

[kokobuns]

i'd also throw in persona 4, but perhaps that was just because the ost game with game i received. lol
but then again shoji meguro makes some pretty memorable soundtracks.

 

[Chachalotte]

 

[Verona Mystice]

So easy. I love the soundtrack from Super Paper Mario. Its variety of tunes can fit any situation, and Brobot L-Type and the Underwhere are very very amazing! Super Mario 64, Yoshi's Island, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Super Mario World are great too.


Though I'm shocked nobody has mentioned Undertale. From the nutty beat of Bonetrousle to the foot tapping treasure in Dummy! to the jam induced rhythm in Another Medium, I love it all. My favorite is easily Spider Dance. It's so frantic and fast paced, perfect for the situation.

 

[Doctor Nope]

I'd say the Ace Combat series. It's a fairly old series dating back to the PS1 if I remember correctly, and each game has it's own amazing soundtrack that can be instantly linked to its specific game in the franchise.