Let the music set the mood...

The Niggardly King · January 4, 2009

I'd like to start with one of my favorite games, Shadow of Colossus. Great game... even though the controls can be kinda of ass sometimes. But what sets this apart from just being some average game with a unique concept would be the music. This amazing soundtrack makes the battle turn into something... cinematic like. It's pretty damn epic when you get down to it.

Another game that I like, but can't find myself going back to play on a consistent basis like SoC would be Final Fantasy X. An all around good game. What stands above all else when I think about though, would be how great and balanced the soundtrack is. Might be my favorite soundtrack now that I think about it. I knew it was going to be a great game once the blitzball opening began and Otherworld started up.

Never expected to hear anything like that from this series, but it fits perfectly with that movie. Then there's stuff like Seymour's Battle Theme, Challenge, Decisive Battle, and Summoned Beast Battle.

Oh man, then there's the great character themes for Auron and Tidus. Also stuff like This is Your Story, Wandering Flame, People of the North Pole, Assault, The Advancers and many others I can't think of right now. Oh yeah, can't forget the ending theme.

So, what soundtracks have added to a game for you guys? Which ones do you have fond memories of as you played through maybe a mediocre game?

Molotov The Bear · January 4, 2009

Hell yeah on Otherworld. That song alone made me love FFX.

Some of my favorites...

Kingdom Hearts I and II opening themes:

Persona 4: The entire soundtrack is just awesome. But so far my favorites are:

The Persona 4 opening.

The Battle theme is becoming one of my favorite themes ever.

Devil May Cry (original) Battle theme.

Big Ol' Smitty · January 5, 2009

Conspiracy_Victim · January 5, 2009

Yeah I definitely did a double-take the first time I got to the Blitzball FMV at the beginning of X and heard "Otherworld" fire up. Loved it.

Dammit, now I'm going to have to start up my PS2 and check it out again.

DrVenkman PhD · January 5, 2009

On the subject of game soundtracks, I have to recommend this youtube series:

http://www.youtube.com/user/garudoh

Obi Chris Kenobi · January 5, 2009

Zelda Ocarina of Time is probably one of the my favorites.

EricMM · January 6, 2009

Re: FF6, loved the game, music from that scene, even that scene itself. Yes, yes, yes. But. That still sounds like cows being slaughtered, that signing. Much better when Celes tries to become a hero...

Re: Kingdom Hears 2...great. That song is going to make me play that game again. Again.

The Niggardly King · January 6, 2009

I'm glad Persona 4 came with a soundtrack CD. I bump that shit in the car, gotta let 'em know.

The Niggardly King · January 6, 2009

Ever wanted to hear the Super Mario Brothers played by an orchestra?

Eminence Orchestra fulfills that wish

Conspiracy_Victim · January 6, 2009

I'm glad Persona 4 came with a soundtrack CD. I bump that shit in the car, gotta let 'em know.

I've gotta admit I haven't listened to it yet. Sounds like that'll have to change next time I'm driving around.

haws bah gawd · January 7, 2009

Put me in for the Final Fantasy X bandwagon. Not only do the graphics still hold up, over 6 years later, but it also has some of the finest music ever composed for a game.

Opening Blitzball Scene, OTHERWORLD. Crank it up and bang your head to this motherfucker!

Pretty much any version of "Hymn of the Fayth"

Someday the Dream will End. A nice, mellow song that felt perfect in the game. The journey to the Zanarkand Ruins, and Tidus running after Sin following "Judgement".

I'll also throw in the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack just for being the background music to one of the first RPG's I ever played all the way through.

Conspiracy_Victim · January 7, 2009

I actually played the last half hour or so last night while I was just watching random FMVs and I had almost forgotten how damn melancholy the ending is.

But then I remember what a shitpile X-2 made in an effort to make a happy ending out of the whole thing and I got even sadder.

ETA: Auron is still one bad mother-Shut your mouth! And Tidus is still a whiny bitch who's overshadowed by one of the supporting characters, a trait that continues in X-2 (Yuna/Payne) and XII (Vaan and Balthier, although to a lesser degree because they were trying too hard that time).

haws bah gawd · January 7, 2009

I'll agree with Conspiracy Victim. Final Fantasy X had a perfect ending, and they crapped it all away with the pile that was X-2. The ending is perfectly depressing, yet appropriate. The first time I played through FFX, I royally fucked-up my sphere grid. I had Yuna breaking the Damage Limit, and Auron hitting like a wuss, but being pretty quick in battle.

Psycho Penguin · January 7, 2009

Final Fantasy X had an incredible soundtrack. I'll also have to give a shoutout to an underappreciated SNES gem, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.

Persona 4 has a J-Pop battle theme? Wow.

Conspiracy_Victim · January 8, 2009

I'll agree with Conspiracy Victim. Final Fantasy X had a perfect ending, and they crapped it all away with the pile that was X-2. The ending is perfectly depressing, yet appropriate. The first time I played through FFX, I royally fucked-up my sphere grid. I had Yuna breaking the Damage Limit, and Auron hitting like a wuss, but being pretty quick in battle.

Sounds like an interesting party there. I got everyone their ultimate weapons and Auron basically wipes out Sin/Yu Yevon on his own. He'd hit for 35k then he'd get a critical or whatever and hit for 65k.

I couldn't believe when it first came out and people were grinding enough to put everyone through the entire sphere grid. I put in about 85 hours on my longest play through and thought that was a crazy amount of time. Even then I was only about halfway through the grid with my main group (Tidus, Auron, Wakka).

Just to make it germane to the thread, I always liked... Jecht's Theme I think it was. Kind of a twangy acoustic guitar piece.

EricMM · January 8, 2009

I mean, imagine people who could beat the super-bosses from the rerelease for FFX in Japan. Crazy.

Now speaking of good music, no love for Suikoden? Dragon Fortress!!!

Kahran Ramsus · January 8, 2009

Chrono Trigger has my favourite score of any game. Years later and I could still listen to that all day.

Now speaking of good music, no love for Suikoden? Dragon Fortress!!!

I actually prefer the soundtrack to the second game, especially Luca's battle theme and Gothic Neclord.

The Niggardly King · January 9, 2009

Man, my favorite series of games and I completely forgot about their great soundtrack. Suikoden I and II still remain the best in the series.

One of the bigger disappointments for me as a game would be Legend of Dragoon. After the awesome openings it was all down hill from there. It has a great soundtrack, though.

AndrewTS · January 9, 2009

I bought the soundtrack for Shadow of the Colossus (after "making" my own, I still wanted an official one). The best part is how it changes with the actual events in the game. Getting a good stab in and having the music suddenly change often gives me chills.

The Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core soundtrack is also really good. While the FFVII soundtrack has its detractors, the worst part about it was how sounded relatively assy compared to what it should have been. CC remixes everything and it sounds marvelous. There's a medley that includes the overworld themes that are just great stuff.

haws bah gawd · January 9, 2009

I know the band, Cold, probably isn't considered hip around these parts, but they did a fucking badass song for Psi-Ops

Star Ocean 3 · March 22, 2009

http://dragon.sega.jp/download/sound.html

Yuzo Koshiro has been on a roll. Etrian Odyssey 1 and 2 were great, but 7th Dragon, along with being a more traditional game, has the epic soundtrack to go along with it. There are even unlockable chiptune versions of the music you can play with. Some tracks sound very influenced by FF7, like the world map theme, which is the first one at the site, there.