The videogame music thread

Here's where you can discuss and share music from videogames
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

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

Post by Flabyo »

While Jesper Kyd’s music from the earliest Assassin’s Creed game is rightfully lauded, I think it’s easy to skip over the fact that the series has continued to be musically very strong.

This is ‘Legend of the Eagle Bearer’, the main theme of this year’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Credited to ‘The Flight’, it uses instrumentation that you don’t hear all that often...



(And as a curio, here’s their version of ‘Ezio’s Family’, which has become the theme for the series as a whole now, that they used in Odyssey on the pause menu)

User avatar
duskvstweak
Member
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

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

Post by duskvstweak »

Pain from Xenosaga by Yasunori Mitsuda, sung by Joanne Hogg of the band Iona.



Xenosaga is a game that, as the more time goes on, the more fondly I look back on it. It was a grand space opera full of unique characters and dealt with topics that, at the ripe age of 16, I was excited to see in my game. Really, any time a game was mentioned of dealing with religion, politics or existentialism, I was paying attention. I think I was at the right age for a cluster of big ideas to be thrown at me. Not that Xenosaga is Immanuel Kant, but still. I also had fun with the actual game and battle system, which seemed to be ignored by a few reviews upon release, in exchange for talking about the length of the cutscenes.

It's only in the past year that I've rediscovered the soundtrack and it's a cool, overdramatic collection of music that perfectly fit the game, which was filled with melodrama. This track is one of the vocal "singles" and one that I forgotten all about until my recent look back. It's cheesy, for sure, but I'm a sucker for the instrumental outro, as well as the lyrics that clearly spoke to my moody, teenage soul.
User avatar
duskvstweak
Member
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

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

Post by duskvstweak »

Sunder the Night from Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon by Michiru Yamane



Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is something that caught me by complete surprise upon release. Having no idea of the kickstarter, I wasn't even area that this game, one that looked like a pure love letter to NES-styled Castlevanias, was a "place holder" release for an even bigger game yet to come! Not that any of that mattered. The game is gorgeous, with fantastic pixel art that creates memorable environments and massive bosses to break out of them. I had no qualms starting the second, more difficult mode immediately after finishing my first playthrough. It might be an oversimplification, but Curse of the Moon is a cool game.

And the music fits right in. I don't know if the composer limited themselves to technology from the NES-era, but the soundtrack could easily sit with the best of the original Nintendo's titles. Sunder the Night, in my opinion, is the standout track of the game. It has a romantic flair about it, while still informing the player of the danger they're in. The music plays as you make your way through a pirate ship, rain and lightning crashing all around you in the dead of night. It's an exciting stage and both the level design and music make it feel like something I've been playing since the 80s.
User avatar
Mr Ixolite
Member
Posts: 189
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 3:02 pm

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

Post by Mr Ixolite »

I Can’t Beat Airman

Airman is a tough boss. His tornadoes fill up the entire screen, block your shots, and his stage is full of pitfalls. He’s easier to beat with Wood Mans weapon, but Wood Man is no pushover either. Wood Man is weak to Heat Mans weapon, but Heat Mans stage has an infuriating disappearing block section, which can be easily crossed with a support item… which you get from beating Airman. This conundrum is the subject of the gloriously memetic rock number “Can’t Beat Airman”, which is a treat for any mega man fan.

I personally have managed to beat Airman (though I’ve never figured out how to dodge his damn tornadoes), but my fanboyism is not the reason I love this song. When I discovered it, I was studying abroad in Canada, and experiencing what would turn out to be one of the most important periods in my life. I was undergoing tremendous personal growth, and one of the ways this manifested was when I took up Karate on a lark. I don’t know how exactly it happened, but somehow this silly little song- can’t beat Airman- became inseparably tied to this, as I would listen to it every single time I walked home from training, gradually picking out Mega Man terminology from the rapid-fire japanese. And even though it never failed to pump me up, I never listened to it before training; it was a reward, my personal victory march. Ten years and one Black Belt later I will still listen to this on my way home from time to time. The song cheers me up, and makes me feel like I can achieve anything- despite its actual subject matter.

I was torn on whether this was a “proper” suggestion as it is technically more “music about videogames” than “videogame music”, but to my joy I found that the track had been incorporated into an official Japan-exclusive mobile game that nobody seems to actually like. Loophole!! I would therefore very much like to request “I can’t beat Airman” by Team Canned Catfood from the Rockman Xover soundtrack, specifically the standalone single version. It is my secret dream to one day do a flawless Kareoke version of this song.

User avatar
Mr Ixolite
Member
Posts: 189
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 3:02 pm

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

Post by Mr Ixolite »

GALAXY MONKEY, Ape Escape, Soichi Terada

The Ape Escape game are great, and singlehandedly taught me the merit of adding two giant nubs to my beloved Playstation controller. But a large part of this credit goes not just to the ape-catching shenanigans, but to the minigames, which I may have sunk in enough time to eclipse the core campaigns themselves. And shining brightly among these was Galaxy Monkey, the final minigame of the original Ape Escape, which puts you in an ufo, and tasks you with blasting away a bizarre menagerie of enemies, including floating pig heads.

It was my first ever exposure to a twin-stick shooter, and my first experience with co-op. I spent countless hours blasting through this thing, so it’s a good thing the background music is so dang catchy – in fact, Galaxy Monkey is the first time I can remember being put into the fabled flow-state, and this music is surely a huge part of that. Even though it isn’t the official credit theme theres’ a celebratory feel to it, and it’s no accident that its saved for the final minigame, and the true final boss battle. It’s a great capper to the whole experience, to the point that it has morphed into a sort of theme song for the entire series in my head.

And speaking of sound, to anyone wanting to check out the game, go for the European version. It features the same music, but a much cooler, and much more british version of Specter.



User avatar
Marco
Member
Posts: 24
Joined: February 18th, 2017, 8:00 pm
Location: London

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

Post by Marco »

Fist of the North Star Lost Paradise (or Hokuto Ga Gotuku if you want to find the soundtrack anywhere) is an absurd game that has kept me entertained for hours now. It has some great music but the developers appear to make you want to work for it. There are excellent driving tracks but If you want to play Magical Sound Shower while you drive, you have to get the quest map that in turn lets you find the tape to play in your buggy. If you get there in time. It's the boss themes that stand out for me. Every boss you encounter arrives with their own theme that, as far as I know, is never repeated. Obviously, this makes each encounter feel special and they just about make up for the fact you will hear the regular battle music a seemingly infinite number of times.

If you've ever played Metal Gear Revengeance and didn't like the music don't listen to this:
Receive You


This brought back memories of Streets of Rage:
VS. Souther


Somewhere in between the two:
VS. Jaggi
User avatar
Mr Ixolite
Member
Posts: 189
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 3:02 pm

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

Post by Mr Ixolite »

Fusing my two prior submissions together, I would like to submit GALAXY MAN('s theme), composed by Yu Shimoda for Mega Man 9. Its the best theme of the game, and one of the best of the classic series, demonstrating the Mega Man knack of clear melodies that wring unexpected depth from the 8 bit limitations, and can easily sustain repeated loops across a hazardous platforming stage. I find Galaxy Man in particular irresistably catchy, and have long restrained myself from an urge to throw it onto playlists at parties. Instead, it is my go-to example whenever I attempt to convince someone of the merits of chiptune-based music.

User avatar
MauricioMM
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: April 8th, 2016, 7:37 pm
Location: Costa Rica

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

Post by MauricioMM »


"Prague. Time Machine Mix", by Sascha Dikiciyan (Deus Ex: Mankind Divided)

Another brilliant soundtrack for the Deus Ex series, this time for Mankind Divided. I like how melancholic and even kind of oppressive this particular piece feels. It adds so much to the atmosphere of this fictional version of Prague, a city dealing in this game with a quite cyberpunk-y dichotomy between artistic-technologic advancement (high tech / machine / new world) and institutionalized persecution (low life / flesh / old world.)
User avatar
fieldy
Member
Posts: 110
Joined: June 17th, 2015, 9:10 am
Location: London

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

Post by fieldy »

I'd like to submit the track 'Move Me' by Kohta Takahashi. This track IS Ridge Racer for me - I have very fond memories of playing the type 4 demo over and over on my brothers PS1 as a teenager and listening to this track, later when I managed to get my hands on a PSP I would play Ridge racer religiously to this track - sublime!

User avatar
Stanshall
Member
Posts: 2370
Joined: January 31st, 2016, 6:45 am

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

Post by Stanshall »

Gorgeous track there, fieldy. I love that Japanese jazzy synthy drum and bass that was all the rage back then. GT Sport has a housier take on that sound, very 'classy' and clean-sounding.
User avatar
fieldy
Member
Posts: 110
Joined: June 17th, 2015, 9:10 am
Location: London

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

Post by fieldy »

cheers, I've been looking at GT sport for some time now, just need to find the time to sit down properly with it 😉
rob25X
Member
Posts: 177
Joined: February 16th, 2017, 8:34 am

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

Post by rob25X »

While playing Gran Turismo 6 literally non-stop for the past week I've been thinking about the series soundtracks.

My favourite music from all games in the GT series has to be 'Obscure' by Daiki Kasho from Gran Turismo 3. Memories.

User avatar
Magical_Isopod
Member
Posts: 993
Joined: May 29th, 2018, 11:57 pm
Location: London, ON, Canada

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

Post by Magical_Isopod »



Here's a phenomenal track from the excellent indie platformer, Iconoclasts. I feel this one really encapsulates what makes this game so special - the experience is a ton of fun, it's got a very hyperactive vibe to it... But where the game really elevates from "really good" to "outstanding" is when its story beats really start coming together around the 3/4 mark.

The track here starts with a strong sensation of pathos before a surprising tempo change that sends chills down my spine every time I hear it. It's such an evocative, emotional piece that works perfectly for the scene it accompanies - it's mournful, even as it jumps from a sombre cutscene section to an amped-up boss fight tune. It's really something special.

Music credited to Joakim Sandberg, also known as Konjak, who developed the entire game and soundtrack as a one-man project.
User avatar
MauricioMM
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: April 8th, 2016, 7:37 pm
Location: Costa Rica

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

Post by MauricioMM »


"Field of Hopes And Dreams", by Toby Fox (Deltarune Chapter 1)

Toby Fox is unexpectedly (but welcomingly) back! And fortunately his new tunes are as catchy and memorable as before, among them this one. I’m glad that not only these new themes have the characteristic Undertale sound but that, just like Deltarune itself, they also have their own personality that helps refresh the formula in a subtle enough way.
User avatar
Octorok385
Member
Posts: 13
Joined: November 23rd, 2016, 3:34 pm

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

Post by Octorok385 »

Do you mind playing Counterattack from the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 soundtrack? It's over-dramatic and bombastic, like a Saturday morning cartoon, and it's glorious.

User avatar
Gingertastic01
Member
Posts: 26
Joined: January 4th, 2019, 1:00 pm

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

Post by Gingertastic01 »

Mummy Demastered

Great Metroidvania with an incredible soundtrack. Any track from this this album would be fitting of Sound of Play but a couple of highlights are;

Title Theme



Salt and Sepulcher



Arid Euphony



Enjoy
User avatar
fieldy
Member
Posts: 110
Joined: June 17th, 2015, 9:10 am
Location: London

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

Post by fieldy »

I really wanted to submit Gentle loves - Onett (earthbound) A tribute to Satoru Iwata. I can't seem to find it on youtube but it is available on iTunes, Spotify etc - it really is a beautiful version of the iconic Nintendo track. technically its a cover but I urge everyone to seek it out - it never fails to bring a tear to my eye given its context.
User avatar
Gingertastic01
Member
Posts: 26
Joined: January 4th, 2019, 1:00 pm

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

Post by Gingertastic01 »

Plok (snes)

I can remember playing this game a lot back in the day, actually don’t know if I ever finished it. Not sure how it holds up now but the soundtrack sure does, it features many great tracks from Sound of Play favorites Tim Follin and Geoff Follin.

The track I have picked out is titled Beach



Enjoy
User avatar
duskvstweak
Member
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

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

Post by duskvstweak »

Altar of Echoes from Alwa's Awakening by Robert Kreese



Alwa's Awakening is not...a perfect game. It's an indie title inspired by the platforming adventures of the NES and it nails that tone, to it's own detriment at times. I'd recommend it to fans of the genre because it's a charming title but it's not for those who don't want to die often and painfully.

The soundtrack throughout is fun but this is the only track that stood out to me. Like most great platformers, the final boss isn't a character, but a dungeon that requires you to use every skill you've learned along the way. The design of the the last dungeon is reverent and somber and the music matches that well. It's also a rather peaceful track to go along with some of the toughest platform bits of the game.
User avatar
duskvstweak
Member
Posts: 1123
Joined: August 23rd, 2017, 6:40 pm
Location: North Carolina
Contact:

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

Post by duskvstweak »

Rabanastre Lowtown from Final Fantasy XII by Hitoshi Sakimoto



Final Fantasy XII has a interesting soundtrack. It never reaches the highs of previous games, but it's also trying something different, matching the MMO nature of the game itself. While this left me underwhelmed as a whole, there were some great moments.

Rabanastre Lowtown is one of the few tracks that had me returning to the area just for the music. It's got some great beats, you can clap along with it, and it balances being atmospheric and a little bit goofy. What I also like about it is that if feels like it could go with any of the previous Final Fantasy games, making the departure of Nobuo Uematsu a little easier to bear.
Post Reply