Video Game Music

[Dagger Dias]

My favorite thread has not been updated since christmas.... time to change that! Yes, I am still here. Just been busy with real life issues. So anyways, here is yet another addition to our collection of video game music. This time we will be looking at three tracks that bear a striking similarity. The themes from Final Fantasy 9 for Kuja and the Desert Palace. What I like about these two themes is that the latter is a remix of the former, while at the same time sounding like a new song alltogether unless you listen closely.

Here is Kuja's first theme by itself:

[YOUTUBE]UjFOTP47o2E[/YOUTUBE]


Now here is Kuja's other theme by itself:

[YOUTUBE]Sft4NZxGGXI[/YOUTUBE]


And here we have the Desert Palace, which is a remix of the two previous themes mashed together. If you listen carefully you can hear Kuja's first theme's melody playing behind the percussion of his other theme:

[YOUTUBE]tCGmQ_adlvA[/YOUTUBE]

Epic. Nobuo Uematsu is a brilliant master of video game composition because what he has done with these tracks (and others) is amazing. He took two songs, mashed them together into another track that's better than either of them, and thus created one of the most epic "evil villain's lair" themes ever.

 

[The Rob]

Okay, here are two complete contrasts:

[YOUTUBE]Ywf1WBcj0rg[/YOUTUBE]

A very strange choice I suspect. But I tell you something, when your playing a game like Bully where there is no other means of realistically being able to listen to other music (you can't steal cars, so therefore you can't listen to the radio), you count on the developers to produce a catchy yet peaceful piece of music that somehow manages to fit into the environment your playing in. Bullworth Academy still remains my favourite sandbox location in a video game, because it's an amazing realised school with an exciting and interesting town surrounding it. But this music was one of the reasons I found myself losing HOURS wondering around this place, because I loved the way it made me feel. Everything about this game captured my imagination, more so than any Rockstar game before or since and it remains my favourite game developed by Rockstar.

 

[Dagger Dias]

In honor of the release of Dragon Quest 6's remake.... here is THE song that is synonymous with everything related to Dragon Quest:

[YOUTUBE]Ca6Q3YPF5ik&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

Taken from the 7th game in the series, this song plays at the file selection screen of every single Dragon Quest game since #3 back on the NES. Every time I hear this theme I think of the fun quests, silly NPC's, comedic relief slime monsters, and difficult missions I will soon encounter. It's one of the best known themes in RPG's and video games in general because of how long it has lasted and evolved with its series, much like the themes from Final Fantasy or Zelda.

 

[Dagger Dias]

It's been two months. We are overdue for another bump to my favorite thread. Let's do a Final Fantasy 6 song this time around.

[YOUTUBE]4AFAfa5SEdk[/YOUTUBE]

Kefka's Tower.... Such a great final level. It has a darker tone to it and gives you the impression of the impending epic battle against Kefka himself. You don't know how good something is until it's gone, and (for the most part) great tracks for final temples in games seems to be lacking these days. Then what we do get pales in comparison to classics like Kefka's Tower because it has stood the test of time by setting such a great mood for a final level that was incredible for its time.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Time to bump this after two weeks. I'm doing two tracks in this post, one for each of the weeks I should have bumped this thread. Going oldschool once again with my favorite side-scrolling action game: King of Dragons!


[YOUTUBE]noSQW6G1NUI&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

Anyone who ever played this game should remember this theme. When I hear it I remember all of those annoying red slimes who would suck out all of your health. I hated those things more than any other enemy. Every time your trying to kill a pack of werewolves or lizardmen a couple of red slimes show up to ruin your day. All of those memories come back just from listening to this track.... and it would often be followed by....



[YOUTUBE]AHFAWun4Ytk&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

The very catchy boss theme. One of the best in the side-scrolling action genre. My favorites included the three headed hydra, the ninjas, the ice wyvern, and the minotaur. If the levels were bad enough, some of the bosses in this game were nightmarish. It was an incredibly challenging game, especially on the highest difficulty setting. I don't think there will ever be any that will top it for me. I enjoy listening to these two tracks because of countless childhood memories of side-scrolling action with my Fighter or my Sorceror that come back to me just simply from listening to them.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Here's one I'm sure we all have heard at one point or another....

[YOUTUBE]Xs-24608CCM[/YOUTUBE]

That's the Smash Bros Brawl remix of the legendary Tetris theme. I usually prefer the originals over remixes but I love listening to this track whether it is in Smash Bros, while playing Tetris, or even right now as I post this. Playing this track in the background while playing classic Tetris is amazing, it fits perfectly in the spot that its ancestor was used for. I like how this song got branched out from an old puzzle game into something like Smash Bros Brawl for a fighting background theme, it's another sign of a great track when it can be used successfully for multiple things because otherwise it wouldn't fit when used for something else.

 

[Lee]

like how this song got branched out from an old puzzle game into something like Smash Bros Brawl for a fighting background theme.

I just need to but in here.

Tetris type A as you know it is known as Korobeiniki, this is a Russian folk song about some love story. It has also been used several times by the Red Army Choir.

Here's original


So it makes sense that it could be used as an epic fight music. Still a classic, smash bros has tons like that.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Figured that the Ghaleon Battle from Lunar Silver Star was a perfect fit for how I feel at the moment:

[YOUTUBE]603YRchAOuo[/YOUTUBE]

So I took my last string of finals this week, I'm pretty sure I passed everything however all but one of my grades have come in, the one I was most concerned about is the very same one I'm still waiting on. I quite literally am in the middle of my final boss battle for college. It's a great final battle theme because it shows the struggle of the heroes, the dominance of the villain, and the need to have a victory in the end. Which is kind of how I feel right now while waiting patiently on my grade in the only class standing in my way of graduating. So, that's my entry to this thread to bump it today, alongside a cool little analogy to real life.

 

[Dagger Dias]

This week we will be looking at yet another rpg battle theme, Leon's battle theme from Tales of Destiny.

[YOUTUBE]d0feOFmmK1Y&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

Hear the sense of urgency within the song? It's a great fit for the fight, which takes place during one of the more shocking moments of the game. It also plays when you face him a second time towards the end of the game. I like it because it is able to show not only a sense of urgency but also the frustration of the heroes after a huge spoiler is revealed right before this fight.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I'll talk about two relatively lesser known NES games. It often amazes me how the music of NES games was so so good despite limited technology being available in those days.

RoboCop 3:

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]z754_a_aAHA[/YOUTUBE]

The game itself isn't all that great. RoboCop is hurt a lot more by even minor attacks in this game and the repair items are very few. But the reason why, as a kid, I thought this game rocked was because of the music when you first started up the game. The first twenty seconds are beautiful...there is just no other way to describe it and after that the tune is badass. You just get in the mood to kick some ass. The metal sound is awesome in this piece of music.

Batman:

Spoiler

Start Screen
[YOUTUBE]16LVfTOUIB4[/YOUTUBE]

Credits
[YOUTUBE]ttxpWEq4n4E[/YOUTUBE]

First stage
[YOUTUBE]MlGDKfgz4fA[/YOUTUBE]

Now this game is seriously underrated in my opinion. This is very hard to beat and features a good storyline and a good array of weapons. But what steals the show here is the music of this game. Each stage featured kickass music. The music is a bit mysterious but at the same time gets you in the superheroish mood. My favorite music piece from this game however has to be the credits piece when Batman's backstory is recounted. Hear it, and you will know why.

 

[Karilas]

Some bloody excellent suggestions in this thread! Props to the mentions of Zelda II and Oblivion, those are some epic soundtracks, but now for something a little less epic, yet totally phat...

[YOUTUBE]RcP91tQ4ZSM[/YOUTUBE]​

That's right, Rare's overly massive N64 platformer [I never did finish it].

Also, don't think I spotted this anywhere in the thread, some of the most badass race music OF ALL TIME...

[YOUTUBE]SKsb1BCi080[/YOUTUBE]​

F Zero X was simply wall to wall awesome when it came to high octane racing tunes, I still listen to "F Zero X Guitar Arrange Edition" on a pretty regular basis, and you all should too!

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'm in a Final Fantasy mood today.

[YOUTUBE]tIXU6uF5nzE[/YOUTUBE]

This is a great track because it fits its moments in the game nicely AND can be great to just listen to as background music in real life. It's been playing in my mind today, so I thought I'd post it as the next update to this thread.

 

[Karilas]

Oooooh, thought of some classic Amiga choons from Sensible Software...

First up, Sensible World of Soccer...

[youtube]qvbdwhSyBKE[/youtube]​

This tune took up pretty much all of disc 1. Well worth it, I say.

Next comes an all time classic video game song, again sticking with the Sensible crew, the absolutely sensational intro to Cannon Fodder...

[youtube]5Fl1pCPb504[/youtube]​

I'm sure you'll all agree that war has never been so much fun!

I don't know just how important Sensible were to the rest of you, but a great many of my formative years were spent stuck on Cannon Fodder, or going bankrupt and being sacked as the manager of a successful team on SWoS!

 

[Sean Valjean]

This is such a great thread and I've been meaning to contribute to it for a while now. You guys have already covered many of my favorites, so here's a few more off the top of my head:

[YOUTUBE]yoQex8CB9eA[/YOUTUBE]

I'm re-playing Super Castlevania IV right now. It's by far my favorite old school Castlevania and this is my favorite track from the game. Nothing gets me pumped up for slaughtering the supernatural like this track. Bloody Tears has been used in many Castlevania games, but IV's is my favorite version.

[YOUTUBE]SpRj8lxGoD4[/YOUTUBE]

My favorite track from my favorite Castlevania. It sets the mood perfectly. Dark and moody, but upbeat enough to provide a sense of spirit and adventure.



[YOUTUBE]9cfciHA3Lx4[/YOUTUBE]

This is probably my favorite track from Mega Man X4. As a kid, I always looked forward to Frost Walrus' stage and would sometimes drop the control and just let the music play. The music for the first stage is so calm and soothing, and really makes you feel chilly inside. The tempo picks up a bit in the second half and is reminiscent of some sort of ice ballad.

[YOUTUBE]-LYB7iLZNWE[/YOUTUBE]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is arguably my favorite game of all time. I beaten it more times than anyother game and have every song memorized in my head to a tee. The Chemical Plant Zone is the song that always comes to mind first when I think of the game and I've been caught humming it more than a few times.

[YOUTUBE]_CbFAZ2ztlE[/YOUTUBE]

This is an interesting one. I remember buying MGS 3 on day one and when this song started I thought "What the hell?" I was expecting the classic theme from the previous games. It was so weird and goofy, I didn't know what to think of it. But as wacky as that song is, I found myself more drawn to it each time I booted it up the game. Besides, any song that romanticizes the consumption of tree frogs can't be all bad.

[YOUTUBE]uPTm-8YqJfw[/YOUTUBE]

One of my favorite tracks ever. Jazzy, upbeat and instantly makes you think of the jungle. I remember drowning in nostalgic bliss out when I heard that tune start up playing Donkey Kong Country Returns.

[YOUTUBE]0cviOhUlGtU&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

Mortal Kombat has never been known for having a stand-out soundtrack, but the Subway level has always been a favorite of mine.

[YOUTUBE]7xGEUXC6p2I&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]

The best character select music ever. As soon as I hear that track, all my brain tells me is that it's fucking Kombat time. Bitch.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Here we have a classic that has been remade for the DS:

[YOUTUBE]jPKhiz25N9U[/YOUTUBE]

One of my favorite tracks from that series, and a great song. It's great for a final level theme (which is where it plays in the SNES version) and it fits in great in the DS version where it plays there too. It is in the Red version of Division Blade too, played in the locations containing the Quad-Forz. I like it because it's got the right mood for exploration of a place where something just doesn't feel right.


Here's the SNES version:

[YOUTUBE]6_wTNxseBTQ[/YOUTUBE]



Also, here's the version from the prequel which is the oldest version of the song:

[YOUTUBE]GzBsFGh6zoc[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Karilas]

@Sick_Sider13 - Wasn't Need For Speed Underground all licensed tunes?

Anyhoo, there's a shocking lack of Amiga music in this thread...

Gloom for the A1200. This tune is epic and gloomy.​

David Braben's incredible Frontier - Elite 2 had one of the best soundtracks of its era, lot's of excellent classical music beautifully trackerised...

If this intro doesn't put you in the mood for bold exploration of the unknown then dammit man, you're not right.​

 

[Dagger Dias]

This week my entry for my favorite thread comes in the form of one of my favorite tracks from my favorite game.... Tales of Symphonia's Dry Trail.

[YOUTUBE]FaZCIUpOLng[/YOUTUBE]

This is a beautiful and soothing track. I often loved going back to the mountains where it plays then open the menu to listen to it for a few minutes before turning the game off because it's one of those tracks you can lie down, close your eyes, and listen to while fading off into your own world. Such a great way to temporarily ignore life's problems. It's one of the best songs I've heard for mountain levels, and a great example of the phenominal music Tales of Symphonia has to offer. The song also appears in Division Blade Red as its theme for mountain levels.

 

[Karilas]

...Tales of Symphonia's Dry Trail....

That's very nice indeed! What system was Tales of Symphonia released for?

Anyhoo, time for some more modern [at least in game terms] wonders from the thoroughly excellent Eternal Sonata...

​

Yes. I know Chopin ain't exactly modern. Sue me.

Eternal Sonata has an astonishingly beautiful soundtrack. If you haven't played it yet, grab it and get a friend or two to play with you, it's a fun coop experience. Seriously, I can't stress enough how beautiful this game is, and the Chopin inspired soundtrack sets the tone for the game perfectly.

A short description of this game [may be inaccurate, it's been a while since I played it] for those who've never heard of it before...

While Frédéric François Chopin lies on his death-bed he has an intensely colourful hallucination, in said hallucination he teams up with a young girl in an attempt to rid the world of evil and restore beauty and colour and/or music to the world. It's a beautiful an enchanting tale [gotta start using more varied language if I'm to describe this game without too much repetition!] and quite the tear-jerker at times.

Gameplay takes the form of standard JRPG turn-based combat and overworld exploration and all is well executed on the gameplay front. I don't play many JRPGs and I didn't struggle with it myself. The added bonus is the possibility of cooperative play, wherein different people can take control of different members of the party in battle, which I believe is a bloody good idea and I wish more games would implement features like this.

Play it. Just bloody play it already, you can find it cheaply now so go on and do it! Do it! DO IT!

 

[Dagger Dias]

That's very nice indeed! What system was Tales of Symphonia released for?

Gamecube. It's bar none my favorite game of all time. In fact, here's another track from it, "Water Symphony".


[YOUTUBE]4qw3m94NZPQ[/YOUTUBE]

Another beautiful track from a game that does not have a single bad track in it. Much like "Dry Trail" from my previous post, this is also a good one to listen to while laying down with your eyes closed to fade away into deep thought over the various mysteries of life because of the calming serene tone it has. I have often relied on listening to tracks like this as a way to calm down if I am upset about anything. Music this good just isn't that common in video games.

 

[Darkshot77]

I am suprised that this song have not yet appeared.

When I was first playing through FF5 when i reached this point i was absolutely blown away by the music. It made the Big Bridge and the Naval fight enjoyable. And it is what makes Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh. Every cool character needs cool music and here it is.

[YOUTUBE]6CMTXyExkeI[/YOUTUBE]

and now for the Black Mages as a bonus track

[YOUTUBE]FCHD5Qudqc0[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Dagger Dias]

[YOUTUBE]DitXiBQ9Dyc[/YOUTUBE]


Quite possibly the most intimidating 27 seconds of video game music ever composed. I use it in the intro to nearly all of my youtube videos. The scene where it plays as you approach Magus' Castle for the first time with the bats flying off towards the tower was bone chilling to me as a child, and I look back on that event fondly today because of the memories of tough boss fights that would convince me to level up each character significantly in order to bulldoze my way through the castle. The scene where this plays foreshadows how difficult the castle you were about to head inside would be to complete. Little did many of us know, we had no idea just how tough it was. The song does Magus justice, adding to the intimidation factor.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Now that I have switched over to the new Cloud Strife avatar, I figured what better way to kick off my avatar switch than to add another Final Fantasy 7 song to this thread?


[YOUTUBE]TZdLmsOFxEc[/YOUTUBE]


Here we have the battle theme from when you face Jenova monsters. I picked it due to how it holds so many memories for me, and not just from FF7. Sometimes I would play it in the background of a muted battle in another game if I wanted to change things up a bit. I recall doing that quite a bit with Pokemon, especially if I was playing against one of my friends. I remember my first playthrough of FF7 and when I was on the boat getting to hear this track for the first time, and I thought to myself "Wow, with a battle theme this intense, this could be tough!". The memories. Great track for any battle in any video game, whether that be FF7 or another game with this playing in the background while the volume of the game is muted.

 

[Bish7]

Halo soundtracks are just brilliant, especially the main theme. Am a die hard Mortal Kombat fan and that music suits the theme perfectly.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'm in a Zelda mood today, so here's a Twilight Princess track.

[YOUTUBE]Dnh9VJ3TRc0[/YOUTUBE]

This is the theme from Ordon Village where the game begins. It has the feel of a quiet little town in the forest, which makes it fit perfectly for where it is used in the game. I enjoy listening to it because it's very catchy and serene, like many of the tracks I have shared in here. The track can also be found in Division Blade's red version as the theme for the town of Kerkwoog, which is where the hero of that game (Dagger Dias, my forum user name's namesake) is from.

 

[RicoLen]

Quality quality quality, that's what it comes down to for me, when it comes to video game music... I have more VG music than care to admit, but I have some select, high quality orchestration, and remixes that are professionally done and these are amazing... Here's a few you guys somehow missed. (Yah sorry, just joined the forums, but I'll make up for it joining in from here on. )

[YOUTUBE]jMFCM0SKbnY[/YOUTUBE]
Dancing Mad, by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy 6 - Final Boss Battle Theme

Music doesn't get much more epic than this if at all.

[YOUTUBE]B_MW65XxS7s[/YOUTUBE]
One Winged Angel (Advent Children), by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy 7 - Final Boss Battle Theme

Same vein as Dancing Mad, it's really just a matter of preference which you might find more enjoyable. They're both truly epic. Dancing Mad is more of a symphony with some metal thrown in, but One Winged Angel is much more symphonic metal.