Videogame music has come a long way, hasn't it? In the last several years, game music went from being noise in the background to being fully-funded, high-profile music good enough to stand on its own, sometimes rivaling even Hollywood movie score.
Even with this new quality and focus, a game's music should still fit within the context and compliment what is on the screen. That's usually the case these days, but every once in awhile a real turd sneaks out and into our games. We've gathered a collection of the top ten songs that are so obnoxious that they just need to be replaced for one reason or another, whether it be that they're annoying, ill-fitted, or just plain bad.
Hit the jump to hear some ridiculous music.
10. Final FantasyX - "Otherworld"
If you're anything like me, you played the other nine Final Fantasy games with little to no surprise in the music department. After that many years of hearing the same composer, Nobuo Uematsu, you kind of knew what to expect. Then, Final Fantasy X
came along, and this song popped up. Really, what happened here? Maybe Uematsu was tired of being quiet and just wanted to rock the fuck out. That's fine, but have you seen this guy?
Um... yeah. That's him.
9. Super Mario Sunshine - "Acapella"
This song, which is essentially an acapella arrangement of the Super Mario Bros. theme, isn't necessarily bad. It's just obnoxious. First off, it's not real singers. This tune is played with shitty keyboard patches instead. And why do these fake singers sound so happy when you're balancing on narrow passageways, holding on for dear life, praying to God that your thumb someone manages to have the precision and steadiness of a robot. Oh, the temperature increased .006 degrees and someone the fucking Gamecube controller sensed it, so now you're falling... again. I never want to hear this song again.
8. Sega Rally -"Game Over"
Short, but definitely not sweet, this song plays at the end of a failed race in one of Sega's classic racers, Sega Rally. What sucks about this song is that the singer has an almost mocking tone when he's telling you that your game is over, and that you lost by 00:00:23. And what's with the "yeeeeeaaaaah!"? Shouldn't it be "game over, noooooo!"? Really, it's the last thing you want to hear when you've lost.
And then there's this guy....
7. Persona 3 - "Iwao to Dai Bun Ryou"
I really hate to put a Persona 3 song on this list, as I'm a big fan of the series and its composer, Shoji Meguro. But, I've got to call him out on this song. Meguro, what the hell is this song? I can't say what would be appropriate music for walking around in a dorm lounge, but your slow tempo mumbly-mouthed rap does not fit. And what are these lyrics:
So dance, wanna put you in a trance let's party moving in your body (what?)...
6. Donkey Kong 64 - "DK Rap"
Donkey Kong as a platformer? Great? Donkey Kong as a recording artist? Not so much. You can't tell me you didn't blush for Nintendo when you heard this song for the first time. Did you ever watch the television show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air? I always think of Carlton performing this when I hear it. They rhythm is so bad and the rhymes are even worse:
He has no style, he has no grace This Kong...has a funny face He can handstand when he wants to And stretch his arms out just for you!
Seriously?
5. Cruis'n USA - "Main Menu"
Speaking of bad Nintendo music, remember this tune from racer Cruis'n USA? I remember first thinking that I hope no one from anywhere else in the world thinks that this song accurately represents music from the USA. What I'd really like to know now is how this song was recorded with a straight face. Yeeeeaaah!
4. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - "Character Select"
Just like it sounds, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is a fighting title that pits various Capcom characters against those of the Marvel universe. So, in what way is "I'm going to take you for a ride" appropriate or fitting? If you think about it, it could be like a kind of taunt. But it's too... sexy? And kind of weird. And why does it loop infinitely? Capcom, were you just fucking with us with this song?
3. Blue Dragon - "Eternity"
Uematsu makes it two times on our list! He may have ditched Square Enix and Final Fantasy, but he didn't ditch his wierd streak. Those that played Blue Dragon, be honest: you looked around the room to see if anyone was watching you play when this song came on. I know you did. It's that embarassing. Uematsu does tear it up in this song, though. It's just that the tune did not fit this fairly basic, no-frills RPG at all. Uematsu, dude, you are crazy.
2. Daytona USA - "Let's go Away!"
Who could forget the insane attract mode song for Sega's arcade racer Daytona USA? "Let's Go Away," composed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, has to be the the most unintentionally creepy song ever made for a videogame. No one could resist singing along with the robotic vibrato of the singer, and you have to laugh at loud at the game's "C" section, where the singer sort of freestyles. How are you supposed to concentrate on driving with music like this? And the ending - Jesus, the ending - has to be the most epic and awkward song ending ever.
Daytonaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
1. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords - "Main Theme"
DOO do DOO do DOOOOOOOOOOO. DOO do DOO do DOOOOOOOOOOO! That's right: the most obnoxious song ever in a game is from Puzzle Quest: CotW. It's that main theme that somehow manages to be about 20db louder than anything else ever to come out of the game's respective console. You can hear this shit from a mile away. The song serves as some sort of aural beacon, proclaming to the world that yes, you are playing Puzzle Quest again. Oh, someone is in Iowa is playing it now. I can hear it.
The song tries to be musically epic, but fails miserably. You can't help but mock it. DOO do DOO doo DOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Hahaha I must have a high tolerance for stupid music because I would rock out everytime Eternity came on, and sadly still know almost all the words to the DK Rap.
The Persona 3 song is amazing...how could you put it on here?
About super sonic racing...I've an unhealthy obsession with that song and my roommate hated me for it. A separate list could be made with solely sonic songs sadly.
As much as I love Puzzle Quest, it's definitely a "podcast game" for me. That is, I can only play it when I have something else to listen to, like a podcast. I can't stand that music.
Gotta say MvsC2 had really cruddy and out-of place music in general. The perfect complement to that game would have been hard-driving techno beats. but what did they decide on? Smooth jazz.
I agree on the P3 one, then again that game had a huge amount of shitty songs, like the one when you where walking around "I never felt like DA DA DA DA DA"
But hey, shitty music, shitty game, I would expect them to go hand in hand.
And the Sega Rally one is great, GAME OVER YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
AND THE SKY
IT MAKES ME FEEL SO HIGH
THE BAD TIMES PAST ME BY
BECAUSE TODAY ITS GONNA BE A BRIGHTER DAY
CAN YOU FEEL THE SUNSHINE
DOES IT BRIGHTEN UP YOUR DAY?
Between the Blue Dragon boss music and Marumaro's voice I played that game muted. Pretty much ruined any of the nice music for me as I never heard any of it.
I know that of my friends I am the only one that absolutely loved the Blue Dragon song. I actually would rock to this on a Friday night. Oh, wait, I am.
This is the best list ever. Seriously though, I heard that Blue Dragon song in the demo, and I didn't buy it for that very reason. It is just...the worst shit ever. Otherworld also sucked dick. MvC 2 is played with the music off.
But c'mon. I fucking loved that Cruisin' USA song. Yeah it's preposterous, but god man. YEAAAH! Makes you wanna fuckin' jump in a Cadillac and drive all up in this bitch.
Sega Rally game over taunt is the awesome-awesomeness, I don't understand how you could think it poor quality or inappropriate. The whole game has an up beat attitude cajoling you to succeed. When you fail you fail, it lets you know this but doesn't all that to get it down.
Am I projecting way to much personality to one of my favourite games?
Hmmm
Disagreed on the Blue Dragon song! If you just take the tune and ignore the lyrics, you'll realize that this IS typical Uematsu fight music. Actually pretty reminiscent of the (also awesome) boss music in FF7. The dude likes his cheesy rock, and for boss battles, it works :)
I love the DK Rap. I just remember it being the first time to hear the word "hell" come out of anything from Nintendo. Then they censored themselves in every other version of the song to ever be released.
For the FFX tune, I think Uematsu was tired of doing the quasi orchestral stuff and really did just wante to rock out. When did the Black Mages form? It wouldn't surprise me if it was around the same time.
As for Blue Dragon, I pretended I was watching a cheesy anime and it felt more fitting >_>
I don't know who D3 hired to do the Puzzle Quest music, but it's really poorly synthesized. I shouldn't be able to recognize which sample library the guy is using. It also didn't help that there are only like four tunes in that game. The Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo tune isn't as bad if only because you hear it a looooooot less than the other tunes in the game :P
I mostly agree, but there's one fatal flaw I just can't buy into. How the hell is "Live and Learn" from Sonic Adventure 2 not on this list? I just can't accept a 'bad music list' that doesn't have that song near the top.
Ah, "Eternity". I remember the first time I heard it was when I tried the demo. The moment I heard it, I was like this game is awesome! I gave it a pass for being so distinctly Japanese. Gotta love Barkley SUAJG for using it too.
I don't know. For Puzzle Quest, I'm gonna have to give the honors to the battle victory theme on the Xbox 360 arcade version. It starts about 15 seconds AFTER you've won the match and it lasts until approximately 3/4 though the next fight you have. And you can't stop it in any way whatsoever.
And I still like Otherworld. Fuck off.
And send me my voice recorder.
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5:36 PM on 09.12.2008, Dale North
Um... yeah. That's him.
Daytonaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
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