• Top 5 Video Game Soundtracks

  

  Written by Zeromage 25 Comments
  Last Updated:: November 30, 2007

  When a video game has great music, it usually points to the care in creation that’s needed to be make one of the better games of all time. As you’ll notice, the games on this list are also some of the greatest games ever made. You won’t be finding “Paperboy” or “Ghouls n’ Goblins” on this list. Only the best games have the best music. They go hand in hand. When you travel the world of a great RPG, great music is a necessity for identifying the different lands. When climbing up a dark, shadowy castle, appropriate music is needed to instill a feeling of unease in the gamer, and this all must be done in a unique way to give the game its claim for greatness, an ambition that’s not necessarily sought after in modern gaming. After close inspection in our listening sessions, we have chosen these 5 video games. The music in these games reminded us of playing them at younger ages, and sometimes overcame us with a sense of forlornness, in knowing that these games can’t hit us again like they hit us the first time we played them. Nonetheless, the music in our top 5 video game soundtracks are the best examples of great music in great games, music so great that they are often instinctively listened to even when not playing the game, maybe even in your car when you’re around the right crowd of nerds who could appreciate such a thing.

  5. Super Castlevania 4 (SNES)

  Like every game for the Castlevania series, this game is loaded with great music. Super Castlevania for the SNES is loaded not only with it’s own great music, but remixes of all the prior Castlevania themes which you encounter in the last three stages of the game, from the first stage of Castlevania 1 and 3 to the morning music of Castlevania 2. This is not to say that the best songs in the game are the remixes. Super Castlevania does not have one below-average song in the entire game. From the spooky salience of the beginning of first level, to the classical harpsichord musings of the first level inside the castle, this game never disappoints in interesting and contagious melodies. As the game progresses the major themes of the songs get stuck in your head. The real payoff for Super Castlevania though is the 4th level, inside the castle after the basement level. What’s normally called the “Gold level” or “Treasure Level”. As you are playing the level, you stop for a minute and let the musical motif soak inside you, and you realize that whoever created the music for the Castlevania series is a genius, compared to all the new video games now that are always filled with trite, cacophonous, modern rock songs. The entire Castlevania series is full of sweeping, majestic music. It’s in your interest to try to get a hold of these golden oldies.

  4. Mega Man X (SNES)

  Mega Man X came as a huge surprise to all Mega Man fans in that they did not expect a new series of Mega Man to be as good as the original. Mega Man X did not skimp out in the music area either; in fact, Mega Man X is the best music in the entire Mega Man series. Everywhere the levels are enhanced by the moody urbane musical stanzas of Mega Man X. When Zero is about to die, a sweeping aggrandized musical flourish washes over your ears, strengthening your resolve and making you ready to move on to take on the nefarious Sigma once and for all. The Mega Man series has always had a great skill at creating fitting music for the stage that they were making the music for. Iremember this specifically with Bubble Man stage in Mega Man 2, but I also remember it just as well when thinking about the song for Chill Penguin stage in Mega Man X. When you defeat all 8 stage bosses in Mega Man X, the dreaded Sigma props up right in the middle of your screen to choose for the final battle in the game. The music here is one of the best themes in the game, evoking an infectious, militaristic march, reminding one of the often overlooked pieces of Maurice Ravel, especially his “Bolero”. Mega Man X without a doubt had more of a “new age” music style that at first may have turned one off for not being more like the original music in the series, but when the game was played into the depths of the stage levels, one realized that much care was taken into creating the soundtrack for this game. The Mega Man series, like the Castlevania series, always has music you love to hear even when you’re not playing the games themselves.

  3. Chrono Trigger (SNES)

  The Squaresoft RPGs were famous for being perfect games. Great game play, great graphics, and Count of Montecristo-esque storylines all contributed towards making the Squaresoft RPGs the best games to ever come out for the platform systems. What is never overlooked about these games, and for the absolutely right reasons, is the music. Chrono Trigger is a perfect example of a game that delivers big time on its music scores. We are struck when walking the world map of 500 A.D. when listening to the subdued, subtle tinkerings of the 500 A.D. theme. Go on Youtube right now, and you can listen to numerous renditions of the song, from the peculiar oboe version, to the standard guitar attempts. Some good, some pretty bad, but nonetheless this song struck a chord in those who played the game. Elsewhere in the game there is often grandiose heroic music reflecting a new partner you have acquired on your journey (Frog) to the darker vivacious musings of boss battles, specifically the one where you meet Magus and have to battle him for sole supremacy over the 500 AD world. The ocean palace theme is yet another stand out song in Chrono Trigger, evoking a serious, “world-on-the-line”, hook combined with a more modern electronic stylings. Because Chrono Trigger traversed the ends of time, the game had to account for all the different musical styles that were developed throughout time, from the primitive caveman waltz of the prehistoric age, to the sophisticated suspension of the “end-of-time” theme. Chrono Trigger delivers at all stages of the game, proving once again and often tirelessly, that Squaresoft was the best video game maker of all time.

  2. Castlevania SOTN (PS)

  Castlevania “Symphony of the Night”, for Playstation, had music you could climb mountains to on your own, and listen to as if you were listening to your favorite band of all time. The “Dance of Gold” matched the greatness and grandeur of Beethoven’s symphonies. The “Dance of Pales” evoked emotions of Chopin’s waltzes and Beethoven’s piano sonatas. Classical music came to the fore in Castlevania SOTN done in the most stunning fashion by the genius that’s Michiru Yamane. The score of SOTN would be become so popular and sought-after that Yamane would often play the score with a full orchestra in concert halls across the globe including an annual festival in Germany for the greatest video game music of the day. The often conspicuous existential motifs defined a score that could be listened to at any time at any place beyond the actual video game. Hiking a mountain in the dead of winter to “Lost Painting” gave one a sense of self the size of the world, but also a self-effaced modesty the size of a piece of dust. SOTN projected serious, calm, and comedic motifs in one package, giving you a vast amount of choices to define yourself to when listening to this soundtrack. The Castlevania series is clearly the best series ever created on a musical level and arguably for an overall game playing level. After Super Castlevania, one did not think it was possible to create a better sound track than the former and all the previous installments in the series before it. SOTN superceded all expectations and would become a favorite album/soundtrack for a myriad of people across the globe.

  1. Secret of Mana (SNES)

  Secret of Mana is arguably the best game ever made, which we argue for in our top 100 list. One of the characteristics of this game that points to its pure quality is the music. Never has there been a soundtrack so consistent for any video game, and so memorable. It is easy to argue that the piece entitled “Into the Thick of It” is the most memorable musical theme ever put to a video game. What overcame you as you and two friends journeyed the massive world of Secret of Mana to this song, was nothing short of epic. This song perfectly embodies the feeling of knowing you have such a long way to go in your quest but with an overriding calm that you’re not racing to get anywhere, but to enjoy this entirely new, incandescent world. “Prophecy” was another memorable song as your flew over the massive world of Secret of Mana on your hermaphroditical dragon, sometimes never landing so you could listen to the same motif over and over again. “Whisper and Mantra” is the type of song that will stick with you for ages. This theme was always re-introduced as you defeated the main boss of an area and received a much-sought-out mana seed. Play this game through, then wait a year and download or buy the soundtrack, and you will understand exactly how affective and important this music will be to your life. It will remind you of how at one time in the making of video games, you were able to live out its golden age; A time when you actually didn’t realize how great the games you were playing were. It’s with the diminution of video game making into its non-inspired modernity that you will realize that you probably played the best video games of all time, and listened to some of the best scores of music from any time or age. Secret of Mana is the best example of the golden age of video games and its music.

25 Comments

1. #1 Blessrok says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 5:28 am

   you’re missing Actraiser
2. #2 YUDO? says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 8:23 pm

   Secret Of Mana is amazing
3. #3 TheGamesta says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 9:16 am

   Having only 5 is so unfair to so many great game OST’s. Although you listed some great soundtracks. Chrono Trigger being one of my all-time favs, you’ve missed out on quite a few amazing OST’s as well. To name some of them:

   Mega Man 2 – far surpasses Mega Man X’s soundtrack
   F-Zero 64
   Xenogears
   Shadow of the Colossus
   Contra
   Actraiser – Often heralded as having the best OST of any SNES game.
   Shenmue
4. #4 noname says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 7:04 pm

   Okami isnt on the list???
5. #5 ? says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 12:01 am

   What, no SSBB?
6. #6 taylor says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:35 am

   I’ve personally heard better OST’s than what you guys have listed. What about Final Fantasy VII? Metal Gear Solid(every one of them, including portable ops)? Hell, where’s any of the good mario platformers? What about sonic and his earliest games? All of the zelda game (especially Twilight Princess and Ocarina of time) where are any of these games? Do a better list next time.
7. #7 Daniel says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:17 am

   No Radiant Silvergun? You fail!
8. #8 Jarvis says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

   What, no Soul Calibur?
9. #9 T.T. says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 5:14 pm

   No Donkey Kong Country or Ocarina of Time? Shame.
10. #10 Mitsu says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:56 am

    DUDE!!!

    Why isn’t FFX on the list??? The soundtrack is amazing!!!
11. #11 shay says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:20 pm

    Nice list, pity you didn’t throw in any FF games.

    FF6 has the most enjoyable music of any game I’ve played.
12. #12 Edbad says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:12 pm

    ff6, Terranigma, yoshis island 2 great songs on castles and overall. Super MArio World too.
13. #13 Eddy spaggheti westwrn says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:21 am

    What, no love for Soul Reaver??
14. #14 epicfail says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:41 pm

    Secret of mana 2 chrono trigger 1 i dont know about the rest. although i respect megaman
15. #15 ollie says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:15 pm

    What? no mario overworld theme or legend of zelda theme. list fails
16. #16 David says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 2:42 am

    Take off both castlevanias and Mega Man and Add, Xenogears and Final Fantasy 3(6 in Japan) SERIOUSLY!! how can you compare Megaman and castlevanias soundtracks to those two, there two of the best video game soundtracks of all time.
17. #17 billy says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:12 am

    ur missing POKEMON!
18. #18 konaa says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 10:36 pm

    Personally I felt FF6 should have had a spot in there. Its my favorite sound track in any game.
    Though I guess square soft already had a few games in there.
19. #19 Dave says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    Definitely Xenogears and FF6.
    And Genso Suikoden II.
    I think people need to listen to more classic Nintendo soundtracks. The harmony and melody of so many of them coerce so well, if you don’t mind a lack of broad instrument ranges.
    For example, Castlevania II, Mega Man III, and Little Nemo the Dream Master.
20. #20 MattTheSpratt says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:16 am

    “Only the best games have the best music.”
    >8C
    That made me lose faith in this website instantly.
    So the gameplay feels like mistaking sandpaper with your regular loo roll, it doesn’t mean the music is auto-terrible.
    Take Silver Surfer, for instance.
    Frustrating game, I’ll admit, but certainly not terrible. And with Tim Follin at the helm of H.M.S. Soundtrack, how can you go wrong? Incredible music.
21. #21 BallistiX09 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 12:39 am

    OMG! Nooo where’s M.G.S… Mirror’s Edge… Portal…?
22. #22 WTF says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    what about the halo sound track everyone knows it and its fuckin epic
23. #23 CallofDutySniper says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    why isnt tony hawks underground on here>?