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The Video Game Music Thread

Unkillable Cat

Unkillable Cat

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Jools said:
Morrowind: I hate the game, but the main theme, that I really like.

Diablo: Tristram's theme.
Click to expand...

A quick glance at my game music folder reveals:

# The theme from the original Baldur's Gate.

# The theme from Dungeon Siege.

# The endlessly-looped piece of music that's raped to death in the PC version of Bloodwych.

# The entire soundtracks to Fallout 1+2, PS:T, Chrono Trigger and Quest for Glory 4.

# Selected themes from Anachronox, including the "main" Anachronox theme, the Bricks, Sender Station and Hephaestus.

# Selected tracks from the Ultima 9 soundtrack, including both themes for New Magincia and Trinsic, the U9 version of Stones and the Etheral Void track.

I also have the U7 soundtrack lying around somewhere, but I've yet to sift through that for the good tracks.

And venturing into MMO territory, there are some awesome tracks lurking in the EvE Online soundtrack.
 
coldcrow

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You got it wrong, Cat.

Even the best tracks of Ultima 9 are total shit compared to the worst of Ultima 8's tracks, which has imho one of the -if not- the best soundtracks ever conceived for a rpg.
beating the dead horse:
- Fantasy General
- Dreamweb
- a few tracks of SS2
- a few tracks of FO1
- both Vampire games got very fitting music
 

Varn

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As lame as MMO's are, both Ultima Online and World of Warcraft had awesome music. In fairness, both MMO's music was somewhat recycled from the single player games the MMO's were based off.
 
Mastermind

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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Not RPGs per se but the HOMM series was packed to the brim with fantastic songs (if you're in a rush I bolded out what I think are the better ones), particularly in towns:

H5 Haven (fantastic piece, tied to H4 chaos and H3 fortress IMO):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY_AbBCzHT4
H5 Academy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpa4ZkEh ... re=related
H5 Necropolis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuK7P9-bvXg

H4 Asylum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jSCbUKBqsI

H3 Fortress (the way H3 matches the music with the towns is nothing short of brilliant)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsYjN4wFw4o
H3 Stronghold
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmCwz9zf ... re=related
H3 Inferno
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6LO1ZSz ... re=related
H3 Necropolis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXGBh_3J ... re=related

H2 Knight Town (another brilliant piece I forgot about until I wrote this post)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MrlH51VB5w

I never played Gothic 3 but the theme is awesome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG3ks2XBS_A

Daggerfall (though fuck if I can remember hearing this in-game)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9SGBrgF ... 8C&index=1

Dungeon Siege theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsK4FZCG ... re=related

The much maligned Dungeon Lords had a nice theme too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8hXzgLAM9k

Not RPGs but decent game music anyway.
Rise of Legends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4QfXb1fPHQ

And something a little different. :smug:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2RMWWBXYbs
 

turrican

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Das Schwarze Auge (Realms of Arkania) had always pretty nice tunes, for example the city of Lowangen in the first game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTX0T0vh_V4

Or this one from Shadows over Riva:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOdJ2ARHhWw

Dragonflight for the Amiga 500 had also good stuff, made by Jochen Hippel (he also composed the Rings of Medusa music):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhuaU-WNQb4

This background track from MM6 always freaked me out while exploring the dungeons:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlisWsdbKXk

Elvira 1 and 2 had also great music, I like the Jaws Of Cerberus sound a bit more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilO7GQL ... ge#t=1761s
 

sgc_meltdown

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You're a musicfag and you make game music threads? That's like being a literaturefag and making game story threads :salute:

The Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2, Most Wanted and Carbon soundtracks make their games a cerebral
feast for the ears and brain.
 
Excommunicator

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sgc_meltdown said:
You're a musicfag and you make game music threads? That's like being a literaturefag and making game story threads :salute:

The Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2, Most Wanted and Carbon soundtracks make their games a cerebral
feast for the ears and brain.
Click to expand...

Bullshit. That is ridiculous. There are some excellent game musics at the same level and above music in other forms of entertainment.

You have shown your ignorance here so maybe you should leave.


I like all of Mastermind's picks for Heroes even if it is not RPG, although I would switch around many of the tracks for specific favourites. All Heroes music is top quality though, with Heroes 4 probably at the top of that list.


Gothic 3 as mentioned is also high quality, significantly better than Oblivion music, and The Witcher's strongest point is most certainly its music.
 

sgc_meltdown

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Messages
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Excommunicator said:
Bullshit. That is ridiculous. There are some excellent game musics at the same level and above music in other forms of entertainment.

You have shown your ignorance here so maybe you should leave.
Click to expand...

woah there traveller stop seething there and don't make me read your post with a lisp

Actually have the Fallout 1+2 remastered set here which makes a HUGE difference unless you have no ears

Plus Guilty Gear OSTS and Heroes IV and Shenmue OSTs and Chrono Trigger Osts and some others

I also remember Icewind dale 1 music being particularly lush and not written by someone really bored of being asked to make epic fantasy music for the twentieth time, kind of like the man who did the music for Total Annihilation, wonder what happened to him, it's like he used up all his ideas breaking in

Say what you like about the first Kotor but the music tracks are fucking tip quality star warsy shit

Tyrian and One Must Fall background music. I can not say anything bad about the latter and the former has almost no duds in it. This is the kind of shit you want to turn up and drown out the pew pew and robot punching sounds.

First C&C and first Red Alert osts are very groovy RTS classics, Rise of Nations is more subtle but has longer staying power

And Simcity 4000's terrain creation theme is amazing

Arcanum's violins are spare and bleak and brown in a nice way

Braid Soundtrack is the best indie game soundtrack, Iji and Knytt's bursts of melodic interludes tying at a close second

There look we can be friends again

PS looks like I rambled through all the genres. This is because I am sleepy
 
Excommunicator

Excommunicator

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Better.

sgc_meltdown said:
I also remember Icewind dale 1 music being particularly lush and not written by someone really bored of being asked to make epic fantasy music for the twentieth time, kind of like the man who did the music for Total Annihilation, wonder what happened to him, it's like he used up all his ideas breaking in
Click to expand...

He seems to be pretty hit and miss doesn't he?

I think that is a symptom of taking on so many projects - a succumbing to commercialisation of sorts -, but I would also put it down to the way many developers probably think of soundtracks as "something we need to have" rather than a powerful tool to accompany and enhance the rest of the game. It can be a good way to separate the real artists from the poseurs

Say what you like about the first Kotor but the music tracks are fucking tip quality star warsy shit

Tyrian and One Must Fall background music. I can not say anything bad about the latter and the former has almost no duds in it. This is the kind of shit you want to turn up and drown out the pew pew and robot punching sounds.
Click to expand...

Will have a proper look at these on your recommendation.

Arcanum's violins are spare and bleak and brown in a nice way
Click to expand...

I like the qualities of the music but it is painfully repetitive. I suppose in that respect it actually fits with a lot of what Arcanum is.
 
J_C

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Excommunicator said:
sgc_meltdown said:
You're a musicfag and you make game music threads? That's like being a literaturefag and making game story threads :salute:

The Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2, Most Wanted and Carbon soundtracks make their games a cerebral
feast for the ears and brain.
Click to expand...

Bullshit. That is ridiculous. There are some excellent game musics at the same level and above music in other forms of entertainment.
Click to expand...
This.

In terms of animation, directing and story, games usually fall short if they are compared to films. But music is an area, where videogames produce as good or even better material as other artforms.
 

Arcanoix

Scholar
Joined
Dec 12, 2008
Messages
574
Jaesun said:
WHAT A FUCKING REFRESHINGLY NEW TOPIC WE HAVE NEVER FUCKING DISCUSSED BEFOREE ;lkasjhf;ajs;dflkasjf;alknan;sfcjka
Click to expand...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cgOti7gLus

JAEEE SUNNNN....

Not really RPG's, but whatever..

Despair Embodied (DMC2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfbQq465dG8

QG5 - Rite of Justice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IySoehf ... ideo_title

CastleVania - Dance of Illusions - DBII Mix

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9wmbfr- ... re=related

Heavy Rain Main Theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_pzIWp5kCA

Battle of Gladstone / VS Belial, Lands of Lore 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yriJinRAAA
 

turrican

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Dec 15, 2010
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Commodore HQ
made said:
Let's have some tracks that don't come up in every single revision of this thread:

Death or Glory
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz9mECKAhKo
Click to expand...

This. I remember playing Death or Glory and always wondering if the portrait artwork wasn't ripped off from Marvel comics. Was there some mission disk for this? I can find some comments for Death or Glory: Der dunkle Kaiser on the web, however I do not remember this being released back then.

Also, if strategy/RPGs are allowed, I will add my favourite Hippel tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI7mlrVjkGQ
 

Coyote

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Jan 15, 2009
Messages
1,149
Page 2 and no mention of Divine Divinity? I realize we're trying to avoid repeating the same stuff that's in all the other music threads, but come on, people.

DD has some great atmospheric music for a game. (Each word is a link to a different song. Stole this from a post on another forum, because I pretty much agree with the selections entirely.)

Edit: Oops, had a repeat.
 
Unkillable Cat

Unkillable Cat

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coldcrow said:
You got it wrong, Cat.

Even the best tracks of Ultima 9 are total shit compared to the worst of Ultima 8's tracks, which has imho one of the -if not- the best soundtracks ever conceived for a rpg.
Click to expand...

I don't even remember any part of the soundtrack from Ultima 8. Either my memory flushed it down the toilet or it just isn't any good. But I'll be fair and have a listen.
 
Vaarna_Aarne

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Fuck, first post already covered Deionarra's theme. PS:T had absolutely fantastic music, there isn't a single track that's less than great.

I mean, the Curst battle theme alone made fighting filler combat worth it just to hear it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znZgUEtTPjc



Mask of the Betrayer also had an awesome soundtrack, with my personal favourites being Imil Vale:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mqmBSGpJXc

Mulsantir Gate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvq2My4pfIc

And Dream Battle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cINoBFdZ3M


Keeping with the recent jRPG Codex fad, Valkyria Chronicles also had a good soundtrack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP9rJdxmuQU



Outside of RPGs, and not mentioned yet, here's some that stand out for me:

Adelheid's theme from KoF 2003 and KoF XI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP5ZScYXl4M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5auHZkvw_7E

One Must Fall 2097 main theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdVnKYcYi3g

Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner, Zakat theme
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57lu_I8cyYk

Unreal Tournament end theme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwEf8wcDv54

Say what you want about Metal Gear Solid series and its goofball writing, but the first game is a genuine classic and the series does have good music:

Enclosure, MGS1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmc2aDeqtcU&feature=related

I haven't actually played Portable Ops, but the credits song Calling To The Night is fantastic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXkgn3QUA2w

I haven't played Portable Ops 2 either, but Heavens Divide is also great:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lTOnPc9h-c





And of course, last but not least, the theme that goes with everything (best version):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYS92oihnnk
 
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