10. Legend of Mana - Song of Mana
When RPGs entered the compact disc ages of the original Playstation, composers realized that for at least one song in their soundtrack, they could use a live orchestra. Yoko Shimomura jumped on this bandwagon, and we were treated to a formulaic, yet still noteworthy opening track for Legend of Mana. Using the traditional Squaresoft theme formula of "soft part-heroic part-tense part-soft part", she basically encapsulated mediocrity. I am totally ok with that, because as mediocre as the song may be, it still hits every note that it intends to.
[spoiler=Song of Mana][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZn0C-uraj0[/yt][/spoiler]
9. Turok II: Seeds of Evil - Port of Adia
Is a chord progression still a progression if there are only two chords in it? Whatever the answer, this song is just that: two chords. The catch comes when you hear the building strings, the moving piano, and the 2 snare-drum duel at the end. I bought this shitty game just for this song back in the N64 days, and I used to just let it play in the background while I was doing other stuff. I don't care that it's simple. I still love it.
[spoiler=Port of Adia][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjJDiPuM3ps[/yt][/spoiler]
8. Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura - Caladon
Ben Houge, when presenting his ideas for the Arcanum soundtrack, was met with some flak. The game's producers didn't think that a string quartet would provide enough variation to a game's soundtrack. Houge composed the piece "In Memoriam" to prove them wrong, and was allowed to follow his muse. This is my favorite theme from the game because again, it shows how simplicity is sometimes the key to a great song. The repeating quarter note-double eighth note-quarter note pattern is the cornerstone of this song, and is present throughout the soundtrack, providing a bit of commonality to the otherwise varied material.
[spoiler=Caladon][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxo28lYtHBc[/yt][/spoiler]
7. Super Castlevania - Dance of the Holyman
Ok, so I cheated a bit with this one. It may be chiptune in nature, but the method of creating those sounds is the stuff of nerd legend. A sampled bass and percussion section are digitized, and the rest of the stock sounds are molded around this foundation. The driving bassline around a syncopated drum pattern was something of a departure for the Castlevania series, as well as gaming in general. And its catchy as hell. It does have the traditional "Castlevania organ" though. Oh, and notice that the organ is the same one from Mario Paint. I bet you'll never un-hear it now.
[spoiler=Dance of The Holyman][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWMN91gMD_4[/yt][/spoiler]
6. Actraiser - Birth of the People/Offering
I cheated twice this time. Again, the songs are originally chiptunes, but oh well. The SNES chipset was pretty good, right? At least it wasn't the Genesis. *shudder* So yeah, the seminal Actraiser theme wins out, and in this arranged version, the Offering theme is also included. Offering is probably one of the saddest songs ever to come out of an SNES.
[spoiler=Birth of the People/Offering][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddNPREozKF8[/yt][/spoiler]
5. Icewind Dale II - Skeleton of A Town
The beauty of this song perfectly reflects the cold-hamlet feel of Targos, one of the Ten-Towns of Icewind Dale. Inon Zur is a staple of gaming soundtracks, and has gone on to compose for Fallout 3 and many others. Notice how he wanted the low end to come through so much, that it almost sounds like a blowout in your ears. He manages to hit that threshold pretty good though, creating one of the most soothing songs I've ever heard in a game.
[spoiler=Skeleton of A Town][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEqDtbC3bL8[/yt][/spoiler]
4. Halo 2 - Unforgotten
Are you surprised? Well, just because a game may be overhyped, and not as good as people may think it is, doesn't mean that it doesn't have some great qualities. I remember my friend getting this game at a midnight release, and going over his house to play it. Seeing the blackness of space, and hearing this song coming through, I thought I was in for something special. I was wrong, but the song is still amazing. It has that save-the-world-lose-the-girl quality that so many great themes have. Not ironic, giving the story of Halo.
[spoiler=Unforgotten][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otZ9nfgs3Qk[/yt][/spoiler]
3. Chrono Cross - Scars of Time
This is my idea of the perfect theme for a sequel. Take a key part from the first game's melody, and mess with it enough to make it new, but still retain the same emotional qualities that the first one exhuded. Scars of Time does this without missing a beat, by taking the bridge to Chrono Trsigger' theme, and molding it into the bridge of Chrono Cross' theme. Although the gameplay of Chrono Cross ended up being pretty lackluster, the storyline was excellent, and the soundtrack is regarded as one of the best ever. This is a great kicker for that. By the way, notice a similar formula in composition as I stated in the Legend of Mana theme. Square really likes their traditions, don't they?
[spoiler=Scars of Time][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4wonq0nej8[/yt][/spoiler]
2. Metal Gear Solid 2 - Theme
Before he began composing for cartoons, Gregson Williams had one note. Yeah, I said it. The themes for every action movie he made were pretty nearly interchangeable. Metal Gear Solid 2 was the first video game, however, that used his brand of techno-orchestra. Heavily reliant on percussion and rhythm, the music is basically an embodiment of the tropes that MGS rides on. Its really perfect, if you think about it: MGS is basically The Rock - The Game, so why not just come out and admit it by getting the same composer? You can not listen to this song without getting pumped up. Bonus: In MGS3, the theme comes back as a sad tribute to The Boss, in a stirring omen of the things to come for "Naked Snake". This has much more impact as we, the players, already know what's in store for him. Here's an embarrassing secret about myself. I used to blast this song while driving home from my ex-girlfriend's, which was about 2 hours away from me. I always drove fast.
[spoiler=MGS Theme][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiPon8lr48U[/yt][/spoiler]
1. Wild Arms - Into The Wilderness
My favorite game theme of all time, I can never hear this song without getting a bit nostalgic. It just has that quality to it. Hauntingly beautiful, but with that certain hint of redemption. Everytime I would load this game up to play, I would watch the introduction. The entire game's soundtrack is amazing, something that unfortunately wouldn't carry on into future installments. Wild Arms: Alter Code F utilized a remixing of the soundtrack from the original game, and while it is impressive, it lacks the charm that the original held.
[spoiler=Into The Wilderness][yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbiEH5DMx78[/yt][/spoiler]
Chiptune themes are next.
Heh, the 'Dance of the Holyman' is actually generally called Theme of Simon. Whether that's the official name, I do not know, but the entirety of the Internet seems to call it that. This is also a good list, despite that I foresaw a lot of it coming already. My favorite track from SCIV, largely one that's looked over in place of Theme of Simon is Rotating Room, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntOol8Ubx00) which really takes the advance soundchip in the cartridge into play. I also pretty much love you for putting on the MGS2 theme and noting that it did indeed become the most dramatic track in MGS3. <3
How dare you sully Yoko Shimomura's name!
Also, that track you posted isn't the version from the game, it's the version from her orchestral CD released years later.
The version you posted has extra sections, and the arranging and instrumentation has changed.
And it's also one of my lesser favorite tracks from that game, incidentally. Not the worst, but definitely not in the top 8.
edit: also, you may already know about this, but there are 2 (or maybe more) cd's of castlevania songs recorded professionally by capcom people, complete with crazy guitar solos lol.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm0izZwnSGo&feature=related[/yt]
I have them both, if you want them.
edit 2: I also wanted to point out how many of the tracks you listed have the same chord progression. The vi - IV or IV - vi one I mentioned in the random thread in the sewers. Granted, they have some elaboration, but it's there at the core.
Right, but it doesn't matter, really. I don't stop and say, "I like this song because of this chord progression." I like music that elicits an emotional response, regardless of what that emotion is. For me, the melody is nearly everything when it comes to game music. As for Shimomura, I don't think she's bad at all, and I didn't say that she was. I just said that she, like pretty much every other composer at that time, jumped on that particular bandwagon. Although, truthfully for the Mana series, I am partial to Kikuta. They both have their ups and downs, though.
I think I have those Castlevania cds already. I have so much CV music. Are you referring to the ones under the Akumajo title? I also have a Super Castlevania 4 arranged album that is pretty great, too.
say what you will about halo but Marty O'Donnell is a fucking beastly composer. i know you guys shit all over halo for being not UT or something (fuck if I know I mean yes they can be overhyped but they are damn good games for the most part) but seriously check out some of his tracks for Reach and ODST, i personally think it's some of his best work. (not to mention his fucking amazing tracks in Myst)
As I read this song I was thinking to myself about my own picks, and Wild Arms came to mind immediately. I'm glad I'm not the only one that loves that intro theme so much. I mention it to people and I get blank stares.
Brb, loading it into my emulator.
You mentioned the Metal Gear Solid theme, but none of the ending songs? :<
Unless the ending songs don't count....
The MGS2 theme is fucking incredible. When I was playing the game I had it stuck in my head non stop, and even for days after. And now it is again. Fuck yes.
Quote from: Acolyte on March 16, 2011, 02:22:30 AM
You mentioned the Metal Gear Solid theme, but none of the ending songs? :<
Unless the ending songs don't count....
The MGS theme from 2 is the ending theme from 3.
The Best is Yet to Come and Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday are my favorite songs of the series. Calling to the Night was also good, though I heard Portable Ops sucked.
I friggin' loved Yell Dead Cell.
Are they vocal? I generally don't like vocal tracks in game soundtracks.
Most of the MGS ending themes are vocal, such as Way To Fall in Snake Eater and so on. The MGS2 theme shows up in Snake Eater in the track "Life's End" and "Debriefing," neither of which are the last track, nor the credits/ending track.
Also i'm surprised Tristram wasn't on this list, though I can't know if you've heard it or not:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2evIg-aYw8[/yt]
The Evergrace soundtrack :V
Although I think only Tezuka would get it.
Of course I know Tristram, and I don't really like it anymore. I played so much Diablo that its now annoying to me.
The metal gear solid 2 theme deserves its spot there. Harry G-Williams is one of my all time favorite composers. I think this was the first game i actually discovered him. Either that or an old film.
Thumbs way up on Yoko Shimomura and Yasunori Mitsuda, they're pretty much the only VG composers I listen to on a regular basis. I still wish they had gotten the recognition they deserved, but granted, it's pretty damn hard to outshine Nobuo Uematsu.
I would argue that Mitsuda is one of the bigs right up there with Nobuo.
I'd have to disagree; the only other stuff he's really known for is Xenogears/Xenosaga, and that's more "underground" than most RPG series I can think of. I forgot Shimomura did Kingdom Hearts though, so I'll let up on that one.
I agree that Mitsuda is pretty well known. I also completely forgot about another of my favorite soundtracks, which is the Star Ocean: The Second Story ost, by Motoi Sakuraba. In particular, the album of arrangements is one of my favorite game albums, with odd time-sigs galore.