Favorit Video Game Music

To mention Mega Man 2 in a great game music thread, and NOT mention the Wily Stage music is a sin. It's in the Bible. In the back somewhere.

As for my additions

I'll get Halo out of the way now.....way too many times, i've found myself stopping in the options section just to listen to the title screen music a few minutes.....just beautiful....and more than a little funny considering how much killing you end up doing just minutes after listening to it.

Also....

Super Metroid--Brinstar theme.....it's the theme I automatically associate with this series.

Final Fantasy VII--Aeris' Theme. Especially the fully orchestrated version that's on CD. And depending on your emotional connection to the source material, the saddest thing you'll ever hear.

Streets of Rage 1 and 2--It's still some of the best music the Genesis ever produced.

Shadow Dancer--Kinda obscure one, but the Statue of Liberty elevator stage had a really cool theme. As did the final boss come to think of it.

Sonic CD--Both the American and Japanese soundtracks are the way a Sonic game should've sounded from there on. Well done jazz, pop, R&B, and industrial, even a little salsa on the first stage. Unfortunately, we were plagued with shitty techno pop and rock from there on (discounting Sonic 3 and Knuckles)

Terminator CD--Actually, no, wait....

Tommy Tallerico--I dunno if I'm the only one who still remembers this guy's game music (before he was the Nintendo/2D hating asshole on G4), but he did some really awesome things on Terminator CD, Earthworm Jim, Robocop vs Termiantor and a few others.....he's still doing some score work, but nothing as memorable as the stuff he did back for the 16 bit era.

Eternal Champions CD--I'm starting to realize the Sega CD had some great music in their best games in general.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night--Greatness all around, Celine Dion-wannabe singing the credits tune notwithstanding.

Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 (NES)--Also greatness all around.

Heavy Nova--Another really obscure title. Most of the music screams 1980s. The last boss, though, has this haunting piece of music that'd be right at home in Blade Runner.

Thats about all I got at the moment.

Mega Man 2 has more memorable themes than any other single game. I can sing 6 or 7 different motifs without even really thinking about it.

Final Fantasy theme song.

Katamari. I win.

Katamari Damacy does have one of the best soundtracks ever..


but I'm currently playing Shadow Hearts Covenant and the music in this game is rather awesome. It has this kinda Indian flair to it and it is very engaging.

KD is one of the best games you can get right now for 20 bucks, Nano. It's great.

I'm a big fan of the opening titles for Metal Gear Solid 2.

may I also add my love for Parasite Eve.

the music in this game is just so cool. The remix CD for this soundtrack it nice as well.

Jeremy Soule's score for Icewind Dale. Best game score EVER (and his stuff for Neverwinter Nights, Morrowind, and Baldur's Gate is almost as good).

Streets of Rage 2
Twisted Metal
Mike Tysons Punch Out
NES Ice Hockey

Absolutely.

Wood Man's theme is the catchiest.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Wood Man. Mega Man 2 is just transcendent -- I'm humming the "stage select" theme right now. How many games can you say THAT about?

Hitman 2, Rainbow Six. If they came out with soundtrack CDs for those, I'd buy 'em.

Hitman Motherfuckin' 2. I concur with you who have posted above me. I will always love Chrono Trigger's soundtrack and final fantasy 6's, especially the opera and the veldt. The opening theme to Donkey Kong Country. The underground music from the first Mario. Zelda's opening. Snake Eater theme song. Grim Fandango. Curse of Monkey Island (THAT'S the soundtrack they should've used for Pirates of the Carribean.) And the theme to Run Saber. A cool little sidescroller for the SNES that had lightsabers as the weapon and the theme that would randomly shout "Run Saber!" every minute or so. Oh God, it was sweet.

Street Fighter II. Who can forget Zangief's end Russian waltz as he dances with Gorbachev?

Jasper Kyd's music in the Hitman games and in Freedom Fighters.

Chrono Cross. Some great acoustic guitar in that soundtrack. Very relaxing.

i would say first "ghost in the shell" since its just as good overall a soundtrack as the one's for the series. next i would list "wild arms" since i still remember the beautiful opening to game. in case people don't know, a lot of these game soundtracks can be ordered online since they tend to release them as albums over in japan.

Myst
Alice - Some fun ambient music
Quake 1 and 2
Outcast - Amazing orchestrated score http://www.lenniemoore.com/sounds.html#Outcast

Since Mega Man 2 has already been submitted, I'll say Golgo 13.

Super Castlevania IV - all of it
Chrono Trigger - Magus's theme, Frog's theme, To Far Away Time (end theme)
Chrono Cross - Reminiscence (Long Version, because the short version is just too damn short)
Final Fantasy VI & VII - all of VI's music, and most of VII's music ("Anxious Heart" "Lifestream" "You Can Hear The Cry Of The Planet" "One-Winged Angel")
Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night - all of it, including the Saturn tracks
Baten Katios - all of it
Legacy Of Kain - all the music from all of the games in the series, except for Blood Omen 2. didn't care much for it
Suikoden - relaxing celtic music

Well, here's another vote for Mega Man 2. However, I often find myself humming the Shadow Man stage music from Mega Man 3. Good stuff.

Also:

Jackal for the NES - great, great stuff.
Kirby's Adventure for Game Boy (the flying stage music)
DuckTales (the boss music) - love the bass
Sonic 3 - God, some of the best damn music on the Genesis
Streets of Rage 2

Maybe it's because I have such fond memories of the game, but I think the score for Final Fantasy VII is just beautiful. Definitely Uematsu's best work.

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned Metal Gear Solid 3's score. Personally it's easily on par with Star Wars.





Domingo'

Since a lot on my last have been said already, here are a few of my other choices:

Earthworm Jim 1 and 2
Megaman X
Illusion of Gaia
Demon's Crest
Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Mario64
Killer Instinct

Since nobody said it, I will.
Punch Out! for the NES. That little montage where Lil' Mac is training in the pink jumpsuit. Love it.

So with all this talk of video game music, anyone know any good internet radio stations dedicated to video game music? Because I am probably driving my wife nuts playing the Ninja Gaiden theme as done by the Minibosses over and over.

The best I got, Casey, is this:

http://www.ocremix.org/index.php

No short supply of easy techno remixes aside, there's some truly awesome stuff here.

Some personal recommendations (for those who don't know of it already):
Batman--Music of Funk
Final Fantasy VII--Aeris Lives, Sector 7 Hath Wrought The Angel
Mega Man 2--Wily Mosh Pit, Wily's Wedding, Metal Man Stainless Steel,
Mega Man 3--Wily Metal, Cataclysmic Clash, Blue Reflection
Ninja Gaiden--Death of a Legend, Emulated
Ninja Gaiden 2--The Parasprinter NG2X
Sonic 3--Icecapped
Street Fighter 2--Vega's Ballad, Ryu Freestyle Dojo
Streets of Rage 2--Slow Moon Groove
Super Mario World--The Dark Reaches
Super Metroid--Zebesian Midnight, Brinstar Dreams In Red (THE best remix on the site)
Super Street Fighter--Cammy's London Drizzle

Halo 1 and 2. Rainbow Si.x: 3 (It had the music from the Rock). Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory


EDIT: Almost forgot... GTA: 3 through San Andreas.

Thanks for the help.

http://www.japanaradio.com/ plays anime music and some game music.

The minibosses site also has several mp3's for download for free as well as samples of other tunes they have covered.

Thanks for the minibosses site. And yes, that Ninja Gaiden medley rules asses of all shapes and sizes.

- Harry Gregson-Williams work on both MGS 2 and MGS 3. Elegant and taut.
- Jesper Kyd for Hitman 2: Silent Assassin and the more techno-y beats of Hitman: Contracts
- Akira Yamoaka for all the Silent Hill games. Great stuff.

Totally forgot about this one. Weird, since its probably my all time favorite, and stands up against the best film scores, IMO.

Everything that Jasper Kyd has done is indeed fantastic. Hitman 2 + 3 and Freedom Fighters are all I've heard.
Say what you want about XIII, but the music is great.
Super Metroid, Super Mario 3, and Mega Man 2 have already been said I think, but it's all great stuff.
Zelda: A Link to the Past is really memorable too.

Rainbow Six always had a pretty awesome soundtrack....same guy who did The Rock.

cmon now.