One of my favourite parts of a game is its soundtrack. Not necessarily a deal-breaker when it’s bad, but a definite plus when it’s good. There are definitely examples of classic tunes in Gaming; anyone could hum Super Mario, any gamer will recognise Legend of Zelda and there’s a good chance that it you heard Metal Gear Solid’s theme, you’d smile knowingly.

There’s a good reason you’ll know these. They’re huge. Which makes you think, how much fantastic music are we missing out on? As someone whose main contact with music as a whole is via games, I’ll try to talk a bit about it.

First off, music needs to be symbolic. It needs to fulfill the mood on the screen, and I don’t think I’ve seen a game do this much better, in recent times, than Phoenix Wright. Whenever I hear those melodic bloops and beeps, my mind immediately takes the appropriate measures. Whether it’s the energetic “Cornered” or the theme of the Steel Samurai, I can’t help but feel energized! Since recent times though, I’ve realized that it doesn’t matter whether it’s this way:

Or this way:

It raises Goosebumps every time.

There are some Games where every song is a gem. Take TWEWY for example. However you slice it, that game is like lovin’ for the ears. Provided that type of music is your thing, here’s hoping it is. I’ve decided not to post any youtube links as I don’t want to post the entire soundtrack. That would be regrettable.
Then there are songs only really there for promotional reasons. Take the Mirrors edge theme for example. Truly spectacular. I listen to it, at least once a week, when I put a mix CD in my CD player or a playlist on my iPod, mostly after I’m finished with the week’s podcasts. I listen to it, and feel like I’m flying without wings. Britons will cringe at the blatant Westlife reference.

Here’s Lisa Miskovsky’s “Still alive”


Ever noticed how songs called “Still Alive” are cool? Portal, easily the most enjoyable game since... I don’t really know when Has a fantastic soundtrack too. Ignoring the highly amusing ending credits theme the game has such a feel about it.... It’s hard to really put into words. Needless to say, listening to it sans-portals makes a very creepy experience out of almost any household chore. On the topic of household chores, there's also the mind bogglingly memorable tunes that seems to haunt you for days after turning off your console. Tetris comes to mind... and surprisingly a few megaman levels, am I alone in the latter?

Regardless of where music stands in these categories, I love it all. I wish all games came with a separate disc with the OST on it or that they at least were easier to get a hold of. Blooping bits to fully orchestrated Present day goodness, I'm simply addicted to it all.

Please excuse the three video embeds in this blog, It won't happen often.
Final note: Hats off to John Williams and the other orchestras who have made fantastic Midi-To-Concert-Hall masterpieces. I love you.