Best Game Soundtracks

[Morgoth]

Jeremy Soule didn't compose NWN2's new tracks. Still, IWD, NWN and Hotu are his best works so far.

[Pavlos]

NWN2's new musics are good.

 

I never liked any of original NWN's music.

 

Well, apart from HotU tracks and maybe main theme. Everything else was meh

 

I'd have to agree... but only to a degree (wee! I can rhyme!)

 

Some of the music in the original NWN was good (I thought the generic castle theme was nice). The bad tracks? They didn't bother me so much, they just didn't add anything to the atmosphere of the areas, which is exactly what music is supposed to do in any medium (well... aside from music because there it's the main feature - I hope).

 

As for my favourites? In no particular order:

 

Planescape: Torment (though, it does sometimes annoy me that the Nameless One's theme is the basis of all other pieces in this game)

Rome Total War

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II (the restored Jedi Enclave theme is one of my favourites)

Neverwinter Nights 2 (they didn't add too much but I like the Githyanki theme, not to mention Crossroad Keep's theme)

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (woo!)

 

I can't remember much else - it's been so long since I played games like Baldur's Gate I(I).

[Xard]

Oh, I forgot to answer

 

Planescape Torment

Jade Empire

 

There's lots of good music in games, but no other game creates so much emotions with their music.

[Musopticon?]

Jade Empire is definetly a good effort.

[Xard]

By the way, do you guys know what's name of the music in the beginning cinematic of Metal Gear Solid? Beautiful singing. Some modder used it in his NWN1 mod in "heaven" area, heh

 

edit: Found it

 

This brings many, many memories... To be honest, none other game brings up as many memories as MGS...

 

edit2: Meh, that ain't pure music, that's whole opening which has other music in it too =/

Edited June 2, 2007 by Xard

[Xard]

Now I really found it, it's called "The Best is Yet To Come" and you can hear it from

 

Edited June 2, 2007 by Xard

[CoM_Solaufein]

IWD especially, BG1, BG2, FO1, FO2, Bloodlines and Diablo.

[Pop]

I've got mp3s of the BG/BG2, Diablo/Diablo 2, Fallout 2, Half-Life 2 and Starcraft soundtracks. If anybody wants something specific I can put it up on the Obs fileserver.

 

So yeah:

Blizzard games

IWD

BG

BG2

Fallouts

Half-Lifes

Deus Ex

Hunter Hunted (old sidescroller with a neat industrial OST)

V:TMB

STALKER

Edited June 2, 2007 by Pop

[mkreku]

Both Gothic's has great soundtracks (but I don't know whether I think this because I love the games or if they're really that good).

 

As many of you have mentioned already, Deus Ex has a really memorable soundtrack.

 

GTA: Vice City and GTA: San Andreas has awesome soundtracks too, but I don't know if they count since they're just radio stations playing famous songs.

 

The best soundtrack I think I've ever heard in a game must be from the game Bully (Canis Canem Edit). It's a custom written soundtrack, composed and played (all instruments!) by one guy. But he does an awesome job and hits all the key moments with such precision I've never heard in a game before.

 

Oh, and an honorary mention has to go to Boiling Point and STALKER too. Both had some really original and atmospheric tunes.

[samm]

Jeremy Soule didn't compose NWN2's new tracks. Still, IWD, NWN and Hotu are his best works so far.

nwn definitely not if you can get your hands on some of the total annihilation-battlemusic-tracks, give them a try.

[roshan]

"I was wondering, has Jeremy Soule produced anything decent since Icewind Dale?"

 

You don't think the NWN/NWN2 music is at *least* decent?

 

My standards for "decent" are quite different in the game and out of it.

 

But yes, NWNs score was at least decent, since I dont remember ever wanting to turn it off. But it must have also been quite forgettable, since I cant remember a single track from the game or its expansions. Thats why I am asking about it. I plan to download the tracks or reinstall the games and rip them if Obsidianites give the soundtrack good reviews.

[Jorian Drake]

Gabriel Knight

Command n Conquer

Septerra Core

Bloodlines

Imperium Galactica + Haegemonia

Baldur's Gate

Shadow of Memories

Beyond Good and Evil

 

 

new addons on my list are Spellforce and Keepsake i just recently finished

 

 

EDIT: some old sounds from SC

 

http://www.yagolnikov.com/toc/Files/scmusic.mp3

 

 

awww...how i miss that gameworld

 

 

i hope they soon revive it now that even Fallout gets resurrected

Edited June 2, 2007 by Jorian Drake

[Musopticon?]

Oh, this song by Ben Houge is also awesome.

[tripleRRR]

I like:

Red Alert

IWS

BG

Bloodlines

[Cantousent]

I think the music for one of the areas I've been testing is really awesome. Otherwise, it all sounds like the usual RPG fare. I'm not usually excited about this sort of stuff. Hell, I remember buying the CE of Diablo 2, putting in the soundtrack, and thinking, "Good Lord, chains rattling and moaning? This sounds like dinner at my in-laws."

 

Now, there was an area of Might and Magic 6 that remains my favorite music for any area in a video game. I can't remember the name of the town there. Freehaven? I think?

 

PS:T had some great music in terms of setting the atmosphere. The bar was great. The clips that played whenever the PC interacted with Deionarra.

[GreasyDogMeat]

Icewind Dale series had the best music of the IE games IMHO, with Planescape Torment coming in a very close second. Planescape had the best ending music, perfectly fit the bittersweet ending areas.

 

Even though I never played the actual game, besides the demo, Jeremy Soule's Total Annihilation soundtrack is awesome. I like most of Soule's tracks, though I think it is ironic that I consider his Oblivion soundtrack his worst yet it recieved so many awards.

 

MDK 2 had some rockin' tracks.

 

Mechwarrior 2 had atleast one awesome track.

 

The Unreal series usually has some good action music.

 

SiN Emergance had a great openning theme song and, IMHO an even better credits track.

 

Undying had an amazing and creepy main menu track.

 

The Thief series has some of the moodiest music I've heard. While I don't know if I would enjoy just listening to it on my desktop, it has really improved the mood of Oblivion by adding Thief songs as dungeon tracks.

 

Jesper Kyd's tracks for the Hitman series, usually the main menu titles. The games usually have one or two very memorable tracks like Slaughter Club from Contracts or the Streets of Hong Kong theme.

 

The Michael Giacchino Medal of Honor tracks are usually extremly well done. They are almost too good for the games as they have somewhat tragic undertones, yet the games usually are all about action.

 

The music for the Battletoads arcade game was memorable.

 

The old Sega Streets of Rage series had some great music for the time.

 

The Crusader (No Regrets, No Remorse) games had some great music.

 

The Donkey Kong series had some great tracks, especially if you can find some fan made remixes. I'm especially fond of the music that played during the underwater sections.

 

Some of the old Need for Speed music made for the game was great.

 

The original Descent had some fricken' awesome music. Especially the debriefing music between missions.

[Pop]

The original Descent had some fricken' awesome music. Especially the debriefing music between missions.

That was Ogre from Skinny Puppy and Pete Steele from Type O Negative, if I'm not mistaken. Their Descent soundtrack is to Trent Reznor's Quake soundtrack what System Shock was to Doom.

[Diamond]

Unreal 1.

[Guard Dog]

"I was wondering, has Jeremy Soule produced anything decent since Icewind Dale?"

 

You don't think the NWN/NWN2 music is at *least* decent?

I loved the Cania theme music Soule did for HotU. It captured that desolate feeling perfectly. I'm suprised so many mod makers never made use of it.

[Diamond]

Unreal 1.

 

 

Oh and if anyone didn't notice Alexander Brandon is now Audio Director at Obsidian Entertainment (thanks, funcroc!).

[Morgoth]

Unreal 1.

 

 

Oh and if anyone didn't notice Alexander Brandon is now Audio Director at Obsidian Entertainment (thanks, funcroc!).

Woah, that's a suprise. He did the Unreal, UT and Deus Ex score which is certainly one of the most memorable. Seems like Obsidian has developed a habit to snatch away the best people in the industry and embed them straight into Fergs bosom...err company.

[mkreku]

He did the Deus Ex soundtrack? Colour me impressed!

[metadigital]

Will that match the sunburn?

[Meshugger]

Unreal 1.

 

 

Oh and if anyone didn't notice Alexander Brandon is now Audio Director at Obsidian Entertainment (thanks, funcroc!).

 

Only this clip illustrate the sheer happiness and joy that i felt after that announcement

[Setzer]

Final Fantasy VIII

Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy XII

Final Fantasy Tactics

Chrono Cross