Here it is everyone, my first post for Top Ten Thursdays, Videogame Soundtracks
Creating a list about the ten best videogame soundtracks can be really challenging to put together (trust me this wasn't a cakewalk).There's so much great music that exists in videogames, narrowing down to just ten can be difficult. This list will only include specifics games and not series in general unless stated other wise. I also stayed away from games that had any kind of licensed music in it. I feel the music that was created specifically for the game has much more of an emotional meaning behind. I'm sure there will be people who will have an objective opinion about some of the games on my list, but that's fine. I mean what is a top ten list without some object opinions.
Honorable Mentions:
Here are a couple games that didn't quite make the list but deserve to be mentioned.
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
Most of you probably have no idea which game I am referring to, but trust me Fragile Dreams has one of the best, if not the best soundtrack for any Wii game. Fragile is a game about Seto who is the only person left in the world as he searches for a silver-haired girl. The music conveys the themes of loneliness and emptiness perfectly, but there's also this sense of empty happiness that makes you want to smile.
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis)
The music in the original game was some of the best musical work back in videogames early days. Each stage had its own theme from the upbeat Green Hills Zone to the more mellow Marble Zone. All 7 worlds were given a life of their own through music.
The Pokemon Series (the main series)
The main Pokemon game series features some great music. From the memorable "capture" music to the music that plays when you ride your bicycle. Its a happy game of journeying out on your own to become a Pokemon master.
Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Videogame Soundtracks;
10. Nier
Nier is not a very happy game, every time you succeed something bad happens. The game never lets you feel happiness from succeeding. The music does a perfect job of conveying this feeling. From the rock sounds of the Boss Themes to the classical overworld music, Nier is a game that leaves you with an empty feeling of happiness, but also sorrow and depression.
9. Shadow of the Colossus
The music that plays during each of the epic boss battles is made stronger by the fact that most of the game is spent in silence. Your journey across a barren land in silence then once a colossi appears the orchestra will hit you like a ton of bricks. These two things together help create what is considered one of the greatest games of all time.
8. Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid has the best soundtrack of any stealth based game on the market (take that Sam Fisher!!). The theme song used in all the MGS is in my opinion the most heroic piece of music in video game history. Try to listen to it and not have a rush of heroism flow through your mind. With Rika Muranaka's "The Best Is Yet to Come" ending song, the game leaves you with many feelings and thoughts about the world around you.
7. Super Mario World
Mario games have always had great music and feature some of the most recognizable music in video game history. With Super Mario World, Koji Kondo took all the music we loved from the Mario games of the NES era, remixed them and made them better with Mario's first SNES adventure.
6. Halo
Music in Halo leaves you with a feeling of importance and weight. The world is in trouble and Master Chief is the only hope the humans have. Every time I hear the theme song, I can picture Master Chief fighting through waves and waves of enemies. Halo is a game where music really showcases the importance of the world's situation.
5. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda series has always had an amazing soundtrack, but it wasn't until Link's first 3D adventure did the music really start to shine. With over 80 tracks, Ocarina of Time featured music for every moment whether it was character themes or music to represent specific areas of the game. Koji Kondo really out did himself this time around. I dare anyone to listen to the Lost Woods theme and not feel happy or Zelda's theme and not feel comfort, go on I dare you.
4. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
From the classical sounds of exploring the castle to the metal infused boss battle music this game had it all. Castlevania SOTN was the second Castlevania game Michiru Yamane scored and still remains to be her finest work to this day.
3. Kingdom Hearts
Yoko Shimomura (of Super Mario RPG fame) had her work cut out for her when scoring this game, but no worries she did an amazing job. Shimomura took existing themes from Disney movies and remixed them making it her own creation.
2. Chrono Trigger
This masterpiece of game was scored by two amazing composers, Yasunori Mitsuda (Xenogears) and Nobuo Uematsu (practically every Final Fantasy). From amazing character theme tracks (Frog and Robo) to softer songs (Wind Scene), Chrono Trigger had all kinds of music and every single track is worth listening to over and over again.
1. Final Fantasy VII
Here we are at number 1 and most you (the ones who know me) probably saw this one coming a mile away. This game is Nobuo Uematsu's greatest work, every single track tells a different part of the game's story. This game gave birth to two of the most famous pieces of music in videogame history, Aerith's theme and One-Winged Angel. To this day and age almost every single person who has played Final Fantasy VII still remembers these two tracks. I've listened to this soundtrack over 40 times all the way through and each time I feel like I am reliving my very first playthrough of this masterpiece of a videogame.
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