Video game music

[Dead_Soul]

The music of modern video games is drivel, primarily because its composition is entirely driven by the game developers, not by the composers.  The music of composers who also compose for video games is often very good.

Good video game soundtracks: Terranigma, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Edit: actually, I should say, Terranigma and Illusion of Gaia - both have absolutely fantastic soundtracks, though Terranigma's is more varied, and, thus, more evocative.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiW2DbKa_dI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTTLonw3StY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8ivcBbzdgE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuWkz5R_ijc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFd17FhjYy8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb20Ob_a77w&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Edit 2: use of motifs in this game's music is phenomenal.  Listen to the last youtube link there, at around 1:50, and then listen to these two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhqdOJibkUc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqPrwAgZA8g&feature=related

I'm assuming that very few of you have actually played this game before, so I'll tell you that the eponymous "Elle" of that last track is, essentially, the main character's girlfriend from his home.  However, he has been forced, by divine providence, to leave his home in the underworld, and to travel across the overworld, bringing into existence the life of planet Earth.  I think it's fantastic that the composer was able to use that theme to represent not only the sadness of others throughout the game, but, principally, the hero's sense of loss, and also his sense of triumph (the theme returning during the final battle).  The theme also returns at the end of the game, upon the possible death/disappearence/reincarnation of the hero.  There are other motifs (and even leitmotifs) which crop up again and again in the game's soundtrack.  It's easily up there with the best Metal.

Did you ever play Chrono Cross? This track portrays the general ambiance of the game very well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qml20JrzTc&feature=related

[Cargést]

Chrono Cross was on the Playstation, right?  I only had a SNES at the time, so I had to stick with Chrono Trigger.  Still, that's an interesting piece of music.  For some reason, it makes me think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hH_3Q87Z40

I'll have to look up Chrono Cross, see if I can't get a copy and borrow a friend's Playstation, if I ever want a break from Music/Philosophy/East Asia, which seem to be what my days at University consist of.

[Parasite]

Castlevania does have some great music in their games, SOTN has the best probably , it only gets a little simpler with the later games but still good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRrJQiYR5Gw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49W2fOAqQHg&feature=related

and ill put my favorite up for Super Metroid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98RdRDaOsNg&feature=related

[Nimbostratus]

Best ever:

Chrono -burning- Cross: What Once Was

Super Tolkien Bros. Silenius & Protector Quest in Middle-Earth

Operation HYPERBOREA: Battles in the North


How good composition is regardless texture.

[Humanicide]

Total Annihilation had one of THE best soundtracks I've ever heard in a video game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1v3wZ1ZTiM&feature=related - quiet, peaceful, reflective music when building one's army/gathering resources

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CBTZqO83WQ&feature=related - rousing, thrilling soundscapes when thrust into the midst of battle.

Honestly I've never heard a game soundtrack that came close.

Some other favorites:

Diablo/Diablo 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONWo3aMRgXo

Starcraft - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnbCXkAYTGE (Starcraft 2's soundtrack is actually not bad, but it doesn't have the magic of the original)

Doom series (here's a really well done re-imagining of a Doom 2 theme, done metal of course) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh505gEhRNo&feature=related
Here's another, a medley of the first Doom soundtracks, done metal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDey8JnltP0&feature=related

[Parasite]

I love DOOM and i love the covers!

[Transilvania]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-AYq3PMIMg&feature=related

I'd like an Anusian opinion on this one.

It's very somber "sounding" but I'm not sure if it it structurally coherent in any way.

[watermeary2]

so good,i like the music very much

[Cargést]

Jeremy Soule has composed a lot of good music (Total Annihilation, the more recent Elder Scrolls, Guild Wars).  I also like Michael van den Bos, who composed the music for Age of Wonders, Unreal, Deus Ex, and the Overlord series.  I'd also recommend Hiroki Kikuta to anyone who likes "prog" done well.

[Andrew]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JVtVyfAHNc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_RobPq0JJk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6WaBKHOF5s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v0vw11taUM

Though nostalgia is probably a big factor in why I like these songs so much.

[20145689]

Nice thread. Great to see Total Annihilation getting mentioned too. I thought FEAR was trash, though it had a good set of music with it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0LbjOJ7JGI&feature=related

Obviously we have the likes of Silent Hill and Soul Reaver, but you would have had to play those games when they were released for the best experience. I uploaded the excellent Stalker soundtrack here too - http://www.anus.com/metal/hall/index.php/topic,6610.0.html - I'm surprised the board mods haven't deleted it, frankly.

What about 'The Best is Yet to Come' from the Metal Gear Solid soundtrack? That one is just beautiful - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6miaTf1gF4g

And Shogun Total War - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYwlnVc5DBU&feature=related

And Medieval Total War - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykw76EJwx64&feature=related - like Graveland, perhaps.

What else? Possibly... R-Type Delta - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skUhrvxmrus

Master of Darkness - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmgk-Y7J6bQ&feature=related

[indjaseemun]

I enjoy Monkey Island (1, and "the curse") music a lot.

[zetein]

I can't believe nobody posted something from Heroes 2 and 3 (soundtracks by Paul Romero):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6LO1ZSzdmQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OOpglmeXOw

[nothingnowhere]

"The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind" is one of the only soundtracks I've really gotten into in a game, especially the main theme. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWuNf4gxwuM

[hćthen]

Graveland's Intro - Day of Fury from the Immortal Pride album was taken from the SNES game The Lord of the Rings Vol. 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BLiQIMTMCc

My personal favorite soundtrack would have to be from the mighty Golden Axe II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8-CUFsRMSk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC5Wet2CcyE

This stuff is right up there with the excellence that is found in Summoning.