The videogame music thread

Here's where you can discuss and share music from videogames
papapishu

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by papapishu »

An amazingly funky tune from a game I've never played. Originally called Zombies it was later renamed to Corporate Lifestyle Simulator, both game and music were made by an indie developer/musician going under the name bignic.
The game can be found on Steam with the tagline "An isometric orgy of bloody violence and huge chiptunes" that from the videos seems about right.

While this is my favourite from the soundtrack there are plenty more gems in there so it is well worth a listen.

Tetzuha

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Tetzuha »

This is my first submission, but it just came to me and I had to look it up.

This game has some great memories for me. My friend from school owned this game and a PC to run it. I would go round to his house and we would take turns playing and helping each other with the missions. I eventually brought this for the PS1 along with the PS1 mouse. I remember feeling that Command & Conquer Red Alert was just epic for the time, and the soundtrack and intro reflected it. Building an army and steam rolling the enemy base felt so good.

I believe the track is called Hell March and was composed by Frank Klepacki. According to Wiki it was also voted best video game soundtrack of 1996 by PC Gamer and Gameslice magazines.

Sorry if you have already played this, I just had to share.

Kid Skitzky

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Kid Skitzky »



There's something beautiful about distilling life itself into an interactive video game. Which is why I think The Sims is one of the most important video games ever made, often neglected in conversations surrounding the medium. It reflects on the mundanity of life, and how they shape our personal stories. The Sims is a journey through existentialism, made approachable through the silly, yet identifiable moments it has to offer. Today I imagine myself years ago, a kid too young to know what "woohoo" even meant, experiencing a virtual summary of life from cradle to grave, a life I had yet to really experience myself. Perhaps there's something inherently reductive in translating the intricacies of life itself on a $40 computer disc, but the way it reframes our lives is enthralling, at times a little disturbing, and yet beautiful all at once. Okay so yeah, I might have accidentally trapped my sims in a burning room until they turned to ash, and yes, I may have accidentally peed on the floor in another sim's house, but even these ridiculous scenarios grant levity to what is, at its core, a contemplative tour through life. To be honest, I really don't have a great segue into the song, only to say that it reinforces that powerful tranquility you get from pausing the world for a moment and just placing furniture in an empty room. It's a feeling unmatched by anything else, and one of many reasons why video games mean so much to me.
Azure

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Azure »

Now that the soundtrack's been released, I'd love to suggest the track "Mallard's Tomb" from the very recent release Night in the Woods. There's quite a bit of pleasant music in the game, from the energetic and eerie themes in the Demon Tower minigame levels to the dynamic orchestrations of the dream sequences, but I think this has been my lasting favorite as a single track.

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Flabyo
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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Flabyo »

Breath of the Wild time? I'll put the chat about it in spoiler tags, even though I won't actually spoil anything, because some people won't want to hear it ahead of coming across it in the game...


Spoiler: show
so this is the theme for Hyrule castle. It's actually the outdoor version, there's an indoor version it blends into as you venture inside where the brass becomes pipe organ and the part where it plays the main legend of Zelda theme changes to Zelda's lullaby. But I like this version better.

The score for Breath of the Wild is very understated, mostly ghosts of a melody played lightly on piano. The towns use versions of familiar themes from elsewhere in the series, and for the most part it holds back the music for dramatic moments. (Pretty much all the completely new themes in the game appear in cutscenes).

This march takes a lot from series history. As well as the main Zelda theme in there it also has a ghost of the Hyrule castle theme from Link to the Past, Ganon's leimotif from Ocarina, and the main melody feels like it could be inspired by Ballad of the Wind Fish in a much lower key.



Todinho

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Todinho »

Started FFXV and man from the get go the music is fantastic, Im not even talking about the epic themes that play when you enter combat or fight a Boss, just the regular town and wandering the world theme are amazing such as the hammerhead theme that is so relaxing and invinting,just makes you want to lay down at the end of an afternoon:


The regular exploration theme Wanderlust is also amazing,it starts very peacefull and starts building up making this powerfull track that just pumps you up to see what's over that next hill:
Sam_What

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Sam_What »

I'd like to request a track from Suikoden II. One way or another, I missed out on a lot of the ground-breaking JRPGs that came out around the millennial transition and I know I have a lot to catch up on.

One surprise wonder I recently discovered was Suikoden II, though the story of how the game quite literally fell into my hands is for another day. This JRPG had everything; tactical and engaging combat, platoons of diverse characters, and a thrilling story about the power of the people overcoming a bloody empire. The personal and familial story at the centre however, rooted everything in Suikoden II so tightly together.

This track plays during some of the game's more reflective, quiet moments. Where children forced into a war for their future must eventually rest and be themselves; lamenting on lost friends and easier times burned away.

Yacobg42

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Yacobg42 »

With the re-release of the excellent World of Goo on the Switch, it seems like a great time to revisit one of the cheesiest and most fun songs from an absolute marvel of a soundtrack. Red Carpet Extend-O-Matic plays during a bizarre level that involves smashing a large blob of makeup-wearing goo into her various goo-balls. It has the bonus of having a similarly fun and bizarre description by the artist, Kyle Gabler.

He writes: "this song is designed to sound like every cheap 90's dance song ever made. The singer is great though, an astrophysicist named Jessica. I gave a her a chainsaw for her wedding and we never spoke again."

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macstat
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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by macstat »

Im gonna continue my shameless lobbying of Hollow Knight, because the lack of attention this game recieved is just criminal ;)
This time i managed to find one song-one video type of deal so here you go:

Greenpath


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brazenhead89
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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by brazenhead89 »

I'm submitting this obscure little gem from Konami's lesser-known arcade brawler, Violent Storm, primarily because it's ridiculous. Whatever you think of it - and I'm sure responses will vary from 'delightful' to 'awful' - I can't think of anything that captures the feel of an 80's Saturday morning cartoon like this. The excited brass hits, wailing guitars, jazz organs and saxophones seal the deal, and give this track a 'time-capsule' effect that I doubt the musicians or producers ever intended for a second.

You are *SO* welcome...... ;)

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Combine Hunter
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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Combine Hunter »

I love how brilliantly evocative the Guardian theme from Breath of the Wild is. It sounds like the inner workings of an automaton, and there is something sinister about the constant unfeeling, repetition. This is emotionless machine that will stop at nothing to end you!

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brazenhead89
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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by brazenhead89 »

I probably should have mentioned before; this is my first time posting, so hello all! Love the podcast and especially love the inclusion of fan submissions.

Anyways, I KNEW there was another track I meant to provide, and only just remembered. It comes from the most unlikely of video game soundtracks; Earthworm Jim 2.

This is the PS1 version of a track taken from the second level of the game, "Lorenzen's Soil". Whilst the Genesis version sounded suitably beautiful, even on that rough and gravelly soundchip, the 32-bit Saturn and Playstation versions took that same composition and translated it expertly into this gorgeous, ethereal track.
I remember at the tender age of 9, being not only surprised by how dramatically different the tone of this song was to the rest of the game, but the calming and hypnotic effect it had on me. I tucked the melody and sounds into the back of my head and would play them back to myself when I found myself nervous or concentrating. Growing up in an age where this song is available at the click of a button makes me grateful that I no longer have to carry those memories in the back of my adolescent skull.

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Octorok385
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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Octorok385 »

Could you play 'The End of Raging Winds' from the Etrian Odyssey 4 soundtrack? The tune was originally featured in Etrian Odyssey 3, then updated to use live players for the series' move to the 3DS. The first three minutes is a pretty good showing; the guitar solo at 2:40 is particularly shredworthy.

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Mechner
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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Mechner »

Scabb Island Overview - Michael Land

This piece of music, perfectly captures the night time laziness, of Scabb Island in Monkey Island 2. It sounds like an old drunken pirate, happily swaying through the streets at night, to find a bed to lay his head. Michael Land is a genius for mixing old English Folk with Reggae, It perfectly sums up Monkey Island in a nutshell. MI2 is ironically the second game I ever played, and I was born the year it came out, My sister and I would spend hours playing it on an old IBM PC my family owned, my dad had copied floppies from a friend at work for us to play, which I still have. It is up in my top 5 game series, and is one of the few things that can always make me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

I have opted for the Special Edition version of this track, as the "real" flutes give it extra layers of depth.

My friend frequently says how he likes to put this piece of music on repeat as he is falling asleep, I can see why.

Sam_What

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Sam_What »

Congratulations on reaching 90 episodes! Here's to many, many more..!

I'd like to reqest an obscure little track from Rayman 3:

Rayman 3 built on the foundations of The Great Escape and was certainly one of the more inventive platformers for its time, with fresh ideas around every corner. This game kept a lot of what made the previous entries unique; the whimsical characters and artistic environments, not to mention the French humour.
The soundtrack is as varied and charming as even the latest Lemons and Oranges titles.

'Interrupting Begoniax' is an odd but appropriate title, since your debut in the Bog of Murk comes via a portal right above the poor witch's outhouse. The sweet music is only interrupted by the croaks and shrieks of the muddy wildlife, while the playful fiddle and humming cello welcome you to one of the most disgusting yet charming worlds of Rayman 3.

Mononoke

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Mononoke »

It's been quite a while since I posted any more submissions so I thought I'd finally remedy that.

My first pick of two is 'The Sun Rises' from the Okami soundtrack, easily one of my all time favourite video game soundtracks for its unique fusion of traditional Japanese music with bombastic orchestral flare (my previous Shogun II submission accomplishes something similar too). I could pick any number of tracks from this wonderful score, but for me 'The Sun Rises' really stands out as representing this blend between the two worlds the best. It is a very momentum driven piece with its quick tempo and beating well... beat, and if memory serves it is used in a few of the games 'race against time' moments within the narrative. Never has Japanese-style music sounded so pumping yet so atmospheric at the same time!



My second pick is in a similar 'pumping' vein with 'The Last Array' from the Destiny soundtrack. Despite playing about 30 hours of Destiny and enjoying it at the time, on reflection its not a game I would recommend to any but the grinding-driven MMO nuts out there and the FPS fans looking to see what all the fuss was about (read: not much). Nonetheless, Marty O'Donnell's brilliant score transcends the game itself, following on from his absolutely stellar work on the Halo franchise (and much-missed I might add). 'The Last Array' represents the best of the action-orientated pieces on the soundtrack for me, having a really great build-up of bombast as the intensity of the battle escalates and a great melody is introduced that really instils a sense of heroism in the listener/player.

Sam_What

Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Sam_What »

Mononoke wrote: April 25th, 2017, 3:48 pmI could pick any number of tracks from this wonderful score, but for me 'The Sun Rises' really stands out as representing this blend between the two worlds the best. It is a very momentum driven piece with its quick tempo and beating well... beat, and if memory serves it is used in a few of the games 'race against time' moments within the narrative. Never has Japanese-style music sounded so pumping yet so atmospheric at the same time!
Couldn't agree more. Great pick and it's certainly one of the best and most memorable grand finales to any game I've played. You feel the swell of energy coming from everyone you've met along the way and that track brings the feeling crashing into the room!
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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by rob25X »

There are two amazing tracks that stand out for me in Resident Evil 5, 'Rust in Summer' ('Slayers Theme') and 'Sad But True'.

'Sad But True' plays during the epic and best part of the game when Chris fights Jill.

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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by ashman86 »

For my 11th birthday, my parents gifted me a copy of Lords of Magic, a hybrid strategy game that combined a turn-based (almost) 4x strategy game with real-time-with-pause combat. The idea behind the game was to combine Lords of the Realm with Heroes of Might and Magic, and while the result was a unique experience that offered a lot of fun but largely fell short of its immense promise, Lords of Magic continues to hold a special place in my heart.

At the time, I didn't have a PC capable of running the game. My parents had checked the minimum requirements, but they hadn't understood at the time that our home computer lacked an SVGA graphics card. My aunt, who lived only a block away from us at the time, had only recently purchased a new computer from which she could work from home, and she invited me to play at her house whenever I wanted. I took full advantage of the offer and spent countless afternoons at her house over the next few months. I was grateful at the time to be able to play my new game. I'm grateful now, in retrospect, to have had the time with my aunt, who would go on to encourage and support me throughout my life.

The theme for the Order civilization, one of 8 playable factions, remains one of my favorite pieces of game music to this day. Keith Zizza's music is quintessential fantasy, and the medieval style guitar still manages to tug at my heart now the way it did twenty years ago.

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Re: The videogame music thread (also Sound of Play submissions)

Post by Jobobonobo »

Since summer will be with us shortly, I thought the music that plays during the credits of Bully would be most appropriate. Schools Out by Shawn Lee evokes a nostalgia of summertime adolescence that is a perfect way to end what I feel is one of Rockstar's finest outings.

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