Five Stand Out Boss Battle Themes (Spoiler warning)

No, One Winged Angel is not on the list.

Music in games can have a lasting effect on gamers. A strong soundtrack can help make or break a game when it comes to deciding whether or not it is good. Personally, I know there have a been few times when I've said, "Well the game is shit, but the music is REALLY good."

I am a huge game soundtrack fan. Even if I hate a game, I'll give props if it has a decent soundtrack. That being said, I decided to compile a list of five boss battle themes that stood out to me. As I say, I realize not everyone will agree with what's on the list, but hey these are my stand out tracks. Oh, and of course, SPOILERS.

5. Lady's Tears II (Shadow Hearts: From the New World)



The Song: http://youtu.be/8MRHV_Cf41E

I wasn't the biggest fan of SH: FTNW, but damn did it have a good soundtrack. This piece always been a personal favorite (it makes for great writing music). It holds just the right amount of desperation and determination that you would feel heading into such a battle.

4. Hepatica - Battle with T-ELOS (Xenosaga III)



The Song: http://youtu.be/uV_g76ThygI

Hate or love the series (I adore it), the Xenosaga series boasted solid soundtrack. It changed composers hands (from Yasunori Mitsuda to Yuki Kajiura), but never faltered in helping set a scene. The music here was played during a final battle with T-ELOS, KOSMOS's rival (in a sense). To have such a peaceful piece of music played during such a poignant scene really set the battle apart from any of the others.

3. Dante Battle (Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne)



The Song: http://youtu.be/BZTNjzXCtII

Nocturne kicked my ass more way than one, but I loved every second of it. The soundtrack only amplified the game's diehard nature. I basically love every piece from Nocturne, but Dante's battle music was amazing and quite fitting for his character.

2. She (.hack//G.U.)



The Song: http://youtu.be/Wnvx-zh29vg

One of my absolute favorites of all time. The intro to this song really captured the insanity of the character (Endrance/Elk) and his obsession with Mia/Macha. The bells that can be heard are not only reminiscent of Macha's first theme (from the first set of games), but that of wedding bells, which takes the creepiness to a whole new level.

1. Daniella's Theme (Haunting Ground)



The Song: http://youtu.be/zv15xpFctag

An odd choice for a number one spot. Haunting Ground came out for the PS2 and pretty much flew under everybody's radar. It played in the same vein as Clock Tower 3. You had to hide from enemies, rather than fight and your main character could go into a panic if the enemy got too near. The game wasn't very memorable, but this one track always stuck with me. It belonged to the games second 'boss,' Daniella. To say she was a crazy bitch would be an understatement (slightly NSFW or life). Her music would only play if she was getting close to you, and hearing it automatically sent any sane person running for their life.



There you have it, my list. To be honest, all of these are interchangeable with many other songs from many other games, but I think it says something about the current ones that I thought of them first. Haunting Ground was certainly a wild card (even for me), but even hearing the song now sends a chill up my spine. I also realize, it's sacrilege that I didn't list any Final Fantasy music, but alas!