Weekend Discussion

Join me as we embark upon a fresh chatty thread. People have asked me, what is a chatty thread made of?

Need help with your girl problems? Talk about the latest episode of ____? But most the frequent topic of course is gaming. So we know that music has had a a huge effect on games, from chiptunes to the modern licensed soundtrack. What are some of your favorite soundtracks and why?

From The Chatty
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    February 24, 2008 12:48 PM

    So that music has had a a huge effect on games, from chiptunes to the modern licensed soundtrack. What are some of your favorite soundtracks and why?

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      February 24, 2008 12:51 PM

      Stalker, the music was fucking amazing. Contributed in a huge way to the desolate, abandoned feel of the game.

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        February 24, 2008 4:53 PM

        DESCENT II motherfuckers

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        February 25, 2008 12:13 PM

        Stalker sounded great. Deus Ex and Bioshock (which I just finished last weekend,) also rank highly for me.

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      February 24, 2008 12:51 PM

      Quake 2 soundtrack was pretty awesome. Plus being able to throw in your cd player was great too.

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      February 24, 2008 12:52 PM

      Startopia had an awesome soundtrack. I found myself playing and enjoying the game longer than I would if it didn't have such great music.

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      February 24, 2008 12:52 PM

      Akira Yamaoka's Silent Hill Soundtracks are fantastic ambient music that do wonders to help flesh out the game world and bring the player further into the universe without being overly bombastic.

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      February 24, 2008 12:52 PM

      Final Fantasy VII still has some of the greatest game music I've ever heard. It jives so well with what's happening in-game while also standing on its own fairly well too.

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      February 24, 2008 12:52 PM

      [deleted]

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        February 24, 2008 1:59 PM

        ^^^ no one else agreeing with this? wtf

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        February 24, 2008 3:59 PM

        Fucking signed. Great soundtrack, I used to leave it in the computer and listen to it while playing Quake.

        BTW, I ripped them to my music library.

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        February 24, 2008 5:45 PM

        yes, sir

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      February 24, 2008 12:53 PM

      First thing to come to mind is Super Mario Galaxy.

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      February 24, 2008 12:53 PM

      I honestly think the answer should be Star Control II EOT.

      Star Control 2's music was basically was a collection of indie homebrew tracks which amazingly fit well with each race. Each track is so memorable, especially the Spathi theme or the Airloulaleelay

      Although Red Alert or Mechwarrior 2 is up there.

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      February 24, 2008 12:53 PM

      It gets a lot of hate, but the Half-life2 soundtrack was amazing, IMO.

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      February 24, 2008 12:53 PM

      Morrowind was pretty good, and I like the medieval tunes in Stronghold series

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      February 24, 2008 12:53 PM

      My latest love is the BF2: Modern Combat Soundtrack by Rupert Gregson-Williams, before that it was Mass Effect, then the Halo series. Special track that stands out was Welcome to Rapture by Garry Schyman - I didn't get into the rest of the soundtrack but that one is a new favourite.

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      February 24, 2008 12:54 PM

      [deleted]

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      February 24, 2008 12:54 PM

      Blood

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      February 24, 2008 12:54 PM

      Adventure Island on SNES. the soundtrack was perfect for the setting

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      February 24, 2008 12:55 PM

      Portal, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts

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      February 24, 2008 12:55 PM

      homeworld series.

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      February 24, 2008 12:56 PM

      Deus Ex and the Hitman series.

      The Deus Ex music was just a perfect complement to the game.
      Jesper Kyd is an awesome composer, and I love the style.

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      February 24, 2008 12:56 PM

      [deleted]

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      February 24, 2008 12:58 PM

      I think Chrono Trigger is probably my favorite. I'm not saying it's the best, but it was 16-bit synth that really fit the game, it had a decent wide range and some of the melancholy songs among others fit the mood of the characters so well.

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      February 24, 2008 12:58 PM

      The music on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was brilliant. Every loop contributed to the atmosphere and feel of the level so well. The boss music still gets me excited to this day. It's amazing what they were able to pull off with those midi sequencers and limited memory.

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      February 24, 2008 12:58 PM

      Perfect Dark on N64

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      February 24, 2008 12:59 PM

      Castlevania, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Deus Ex, Sound (some ambient) in Thief & System Shock

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      February 24, 2008 1:00 PM

      Grim Fandango and Mario Galaxy from the modern era. Ultima IV from the classics

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      February 24, 2008 1:01 PM

      Final Fantasy 6 - The music is just so well done. it fits the mood very well, and did extraordinary things with the SNES sound capabilities. It was very well composed. I used to spend hours listening to orchistrated versions, or even the regular versions of that game.

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      February 24, 2008 1:01 PM

      unreal tournament. that soundtrack got me interested in listening to electronic/techno/whatever music for the first time

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      February 24, 2008 1:01 PM

      Starcraft, Diablo I/II

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      February 24, 2008 1:02 PM

      Even though the game has a fair share of problems, Chrono Cross has probably the best soundtrack of any game out there. Everything from the mellow Another World theme, to He Sang of Feeling, to the haunting ending theme, to Time of the Dreamwatch, etc. So many awesome tracks.

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      February 24, 2008 1:03 PM

      this entire thread will become void in two weeks when the greatest compilation of game music is released with Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

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      February 24, 2008 1:03 PM

      Anything by Nobu Uematsu. That guy is just brilliant.

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      February 24, 2008 1:03 PM

      Nothing....nothing beats Star Control 2

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      February 24, 2008 1:03 PM

      SMB and Zelda, I thought those were obvious. I also like Tyson's Punchout, Double Dragon, Contra, Megaman, and Castlevania.

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        February 24, 2008 1:40 PM

        I think the minibosses did songs of all the games you mentioned, save Zelda I think.

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      February 24, 2008 1:03 PM

      Mass Effect was pretty spot on

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        February 24, 2008 1:14 PM

        I was going to say Mass Effect as well. The music is a perfect fit for the world they created.

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      February 24, 2008 1:03 PM

      [deleted]

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      February 24, 2008 1:05 PM

      Command and Conquer, Original and Red Alert 2.

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        February 24, 2008 3:12 PM

        This post needs more love.

        The original C&C soundtrack was pretty badass. J-J-J-Just do it up!

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      February 24, 2008 1:06 PM

      Morrowind did it for me. Such a great score.

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      February 24, 2008 1:07 PM

      Phantasmagoria!

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      February 24, 2008 1:08 PM

      OUTLAWS - old Lucasarts game, the soundtrack was included on the game CDs, I still listen to it. Great ambiance and catchy tunes, plus I just love the western theme

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        February 24, 2008 1:17 PM

        Yup! Awesome stuff. Still listen it to it today as well.

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        February 24, 2008 1:50 PM

        Clint Bajakian is an excellent composer and a helluva guy to get drunk with. He's the music director over at Sony now.

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      February 24, 2008 1:12 PM

      zelda: OOT, silent hill 1-4, chrono trigger, diablo 1-2, warcraft 2 (no idea why)

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      February 24, 2008 1:15 PM

      Grim Fandango, Star Control 2, Mega Man 2, Super Metroid

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      February 24, 2008 1:16 PM

      Beyond Good & Evil, Metal Gear Solid series, Half-Life series, Monkey Island, Outlaws (and pretty much ANY LucasArts game. The music has always been outstanding)

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      February 24, 2008 1:17 PM

      Fallout - "Maybe" an "A Kiss to build a dream on" are awesome songs in themselves, topped with great intros to the best RPGs imo make them all the more amazing and then the irony the songs provided was genius.

      Diablo - I can still hear the strum and echo of the guitar in my head. It gives me chills just thinking about it. It made me feel this incredible sense of sorrow and dread.

      Total Annihilation - I loved the score and how when the action started the music would get more exciting

      Red Alert - Hell March nuff said.

      Doom - Midi versions of some of the greatest metal and rock songs ever whats not to like!

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      February 24, 2008 1:17 PM

      Mega Man 2

      If you guys like remixes or re-imaginings of of game music, you should check out http://www.ocremix.org/ . They have a bunch of redone tracks for most games you can think of.

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        February 24, 2008 1:21 PM

        I need to re-download some of my favorite mixes from that site. I used to troll the forums there quite a bit before they got rid of the admittedly depraved Unmod and all the cool people left.

        Still, the music's good. Mixes by Zircon, McVaffe, djpretzel, Ailsean, Mazedude and a ton of others are fantastic.

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        February 24, 2008 6:14 PM

        This site has some awesome music. The megaman2 remakes are excellent.

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      February 24, 2008 1:18 PM

      The Orange Box (specifically the Episode 2 tracks)
      System Shock 2
      Command & Conquer (all of them)
      Katamari Damacy

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        February 24, 2008 1:41 PM

        I would say C&C1 and both Red Alerts, but the rest were just ok. Frank Klepacki made them good. Tiberium Sun was just meh.

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      February 24, 2008 1:20 PM

      quake 1: very ambient
      i've always been a fan of the Virtua Fighter soundtrack

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      February 24, 2008 1:30 PM

      Last Ninja 2 on the C64 http://youtube.com/watch?v=VrZZgS0xy9c The SID chip in the C64 was like nothing else.

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      February 24, 2008 1:35 PM

      Xenogears is my favorite. It was a great soundtrack on it's own, but in the context of the game, it was perfect. It really elevated the game.

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      February 24, 2008 1:37 PM

      I always thought both of the Fallout games had great music, really doing a great job enhancing the post-apocalyptic wasteland feel.

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      February 24, 2008 1:39 PM

      A good source for game music information:

      http://www.music4games.net/Index.aspx

      And if you are interested in game audio:

      http://www.audiogang.org/index.html

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        February 24, 2008 1:48 PM

        Also, if anyone cares here are the winners for the 6th annual GANG Awards:



        6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards Winners

        The Game Audio Network Guild held the 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards Show on Thursday, February 21st 2008 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA during the Game Developers Conference. Congratulations to the following winners. For a complete listing of all nominees, please click HERE.

        AUDIO OF THE YEAR

        BioShock

        BEST ARRANGEMENT OF A NON-ORIGINAL SCORE

        The Simpsons Game

        BEST AUDIO - OTHER

        Jewel Quest II

        BEST CINEMATIC/CUT-SCENE AUDIO

        BioShock

        BEST DIALOGUE

        BioShock

        BEST HANDHELD AUDIO

        Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow

        BEST INTERACTIVE SCORE

        BioShock

        BEST USE OF LICENSED MUSIC

        BioShock

        BEST GAME AUDIO ARTICLE, PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST

        "The World of Game Composing" - Film Music Magazine

        BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL

        "Welcome to Rapture" - BioShock

        BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM

        God of War II

        BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL SONG - CHORAL

        "Main Titles" - God of War II

        BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL SONG - POP

        "Still Alive" - Portal

        MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF AUDIO

        Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2

        MUSIC OF THE YEAR

        BioShock

        ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (TIE)

        Tomas Neumann, Austin Wintory

        SOUND DESIGN OF THE YEAR

        BioShock

        BEST USE OF MULTI-CHANNEL SURROUND IN A GAME

        Halo 3

        G.A.N.G. RECOGNITION AWARD

        Russell Brower

        G.A.N.G. RECOGNITION AWARD

        Rednote Audio - Dead Head Fred

        LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

        Brian Schmidt

        DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

        Sean Beeson

        Jerry Lyons

        Becky Young

        Chance Thomas

        STUDENT/APPRENTICE CONTEST WINNERS

        Mike "Skitch" Schichiano (Music Winner)

        Mikkel Eskessen (Sound Design Winner)

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      February 24, 2008 1:41 PM

      [deleted]

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      February 24, 2008 1:44 PM

      Chrono Cross -- well cause its just simply amazing!

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        February 24, 2008 1:44 PM

        i love the intro to that game. it's so awesome.

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          February 25, 2008 12:32 AM

          seriously though I would watch that intro over and over when I first got the game, just for the intro music....literally the only game sound track I own.....well and the Suikoden Tactics soundtrack...because it came with the game.

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      February 24, 2008 1:50 PM

      All of the Shadow of the Colossus's music was amazing because of how it could change the mood especially when the flying colossi would crash.

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      February 24, 2008 1:51 PM

      The original Monkey Island theme. Awesome island music.

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      February 24, 2008 1:52 PM

      [deleted]

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      February 24, 2008 1:54 PM

      Genma Onimusha on the Xbox (and I asume the regular Onimusha on PS2 had the same soundtrack) was quite nice. I am aware that I might very well be alone in the world of this opinion...but everything else has already been mentioned.

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      February 24, 2008 1:56 PM

      Shenmue - it's just awesome!

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        February 24, 2008 5:45 PM

        Definitely the Shenmue franchise, didn't they spend like a hundred mil making the first game?

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      February 24, 2008 2:02 PM

      Diablo 1&2, for sure. Unique, spooky, and never got stale. Today it's the greatest music to put on if I need a strong dose of nostalgia.

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      February 24, 2008 2:04 PM

      Shadow of the Colossus, and Silent Hill. Though the earlier metroid games had some great stuff too *grins*

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      February 24, 2008 2:06 PM

      I love pretty much all the Doom, Baldur's Gate, Castlevania, Diablo, & Resident Evil soundtracks, for nostalgia and sheer awesomeness.

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      February 24, 2008 2:10 PM

      Well I love a bunch. Doom, Quake, all the mario games, Diddy Kong Racing, Unreal Tournament, Max Payne, Half life, the Guitar hero series, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games sometimes have really good soundtracks, all the zelda games, the megaman games the Grand theft Auto games always have good music, Mafia had a cool soundtrack, and I think my person favorite is System Shock 2. That music and sound direction as a whole really got my blood flowing

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      February 24, 2008 2:13 PM

      [deleted]

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        February 24, 2008 2:13 PM

        [deleted]

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        February 24, 2008 3:11 PM

        my good doctor, you know that 'in reply' is only done in order to keep massive fucking holy shit text posts from being all over the chatty because nerds hate unnecessary scrolling and also any post that doesn't say something like DONGS DONGS DONGS DONGS I just can't bother reading because it's too much effort and probably political

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      February 24, 2008 2:15 PM

      [deleted]

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      February 24, 2008 2:25 PM

      Monkey Island. It's unique and fits the tone of the game perfectly.

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      February 24, 2008 2:32 PM

      - Half-Life 2
      - Halo 1/2/3
      - Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
      - Call of Duty 1/2/4
      - Crysis
      - Bioshock

      All of these soundtracks make for decent to great listening outside of the game and in game they really help immerse you more and make the game feel more cinematic and grand.

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      February 24, 2008 2:45 PM

      Adding Metroid Prime. (except Magmoor, so annoying).

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        February 24, 2008 2:59 PM

        Agreed and agreed. Most of the music was beautiful, especially Phendrana Drifts. I always found the Magmoor Caverns music a bit on the cheesy side, like it was from a Bowser level in Mario.

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        February 24, 2008 3:20 PM

        What? Magmoor Caverns had my favourite music.

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        February 24, 2008 9:56 PM

        Having the music set to the beat of a proper bomb jump at the one place in the game you have to do it was genius.

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      February 24, 2008 3:05 PM

      DrWaffles's post + Stinger886's post = the correct answer

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      February 24, 2008 3:05 PM

      Super Metroid and Quake II

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      February 24, 2008 3:13 PM

      Daaaayyyyytooooonaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

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      February 24, 2008 3:19 PM

      Deus Ex, Super Metroid, and Chrono Cross. Deus Ex has such badass music, Super Metroid's score fits the classic game perfectly, and Chrono Cross is Mitsuda's best.

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        February 24, 2008 3:19 PM

        I can't forget System Shock 2 and Diablo either.

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        February 24, 2008 3:30 PM

        Deus Ex's music *would* have been badass if they didn't use that UE1 MIDI crap.

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      February 24, 2008 3:19 PM

      Sonic CD had some very good stuff on it.

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      February 24, 2008 3:26 PM

      Some picks and choice tracks to prove their awesomeness (the flash music player is on the download tab of the linked page):

      Chrono Trigger - The Trial http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01219/
      Castlevania - Bloody Tears http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR00118/
      Final Fantasy VI - Kefka's Theme http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR01308/ and Terra's Theme http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR00255/
      Final Fantasy X - To Zanarkand http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR00374/
      Sonic the Hedgehog series - Ice Cap Zone http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR00240/



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      February 24, 2008 3:40 PM

      [deleted]

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      February 24, 2008 3:43 PM

      muthafuggin' Rez -- I get goosebumps when I hear that mix of Adam Freeland's "Fear" or as JOUJOUKA's "Rock is Sponge" kicks into high gear at the end of the stage.

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      February 24, 2008 3:55 PM

      Grim Fandango, Hitman series and the ambients of Thief: The Dark Project are great, similarly with the bursts of music in HL1/2. DX wasn't bad in spots and Monkey Island was also pretty great, third one especially. Max Payne 2's main themes were very good, and some of the crazy D&B stuff from SS2 worked pretty well.

      Grim and Hitman I can listen to solo, similarly with Max Payne 2 tracks, but the rest are better in the context of the game.

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      February 24, 2008 4:00 PM

      Halo soundtrack always got me pumped. Doom series has always been pretty good. Civ 2, Alpha Centauri come to mind as well. Return Fire from the 3DO, there is nothing out there as fun as blasting shit to Flight of the Valkyries or Hall of the Mountain King.

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      February 24, 2008 4:01 PM

      The old-school C&C games. Red Alert + Hell March FTFW.

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      February 24, 2008 4:04 PM

      I'm really digging on Amon Tobin's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory soundtrack right now.

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        February 24, 2008 5:10 PM

        He did a very good job with that soundtrack. It really sets the mood.

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      February 24, 2008 4:08 PM

      The Dig. The sound track is so epic. I still listen to it and I hardly even remember the game.

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      February 24, 2008 4:10 PM

      System Shock 1. The music added so much to the atmosphere.

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      February 24, 2008 4:11 PM

      Little Big Adventure: Twinsen's Odessey and Adventure

      Both had a soundtrack that was cute, yet so epic, just like the games.

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      February 24, 2008 4:24 PM

      I can't believe no one said Interstate 76.

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      February 24, 2008 4:24 PM

      Full Throttle

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      February 24, 2008 5:16 PM

      Gabriel Knight!

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      February 24, 2008 5:18 PM

      DOOM 1

      it had metallica, slayer, megadeth, iron maiden....

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      February 24, 2008 5:23 PM

      Diablo, The Neverhood, TF2, Mechwarrior 2.

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      February 24, 2008 5:23 PM

      Final Fantasy IX: It's the only game soundtrack I went out and bought. I don't know why, but it just clicked. I love it so much and still listen to it to this day.

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      February 24, 2008 5:33 PM

      Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

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      February 24, 2008 5:39 PM

      HELL MARCH = single best score for a videogame EVAR

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      February 24, 2008 5:41 PM

      The Witcher!!!!
      Diablo 2!!!

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      February 24, 2008 5:42 PM

      Beyond Good and Evil.

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      February 24, 2008 5:46 PM

      Rock Band

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      February 24, 2008 6:15 PM

      Don't want to mention whats already listed so....I'm currently playing the Gabriel Knight series over again and I definitely would list it as some damn good work. Robert Holmes knows his stuff.

    • Ziz legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      February 24, 2008 7:33 PM

      i really hardly ever play with the music on. It just seems kinda strange your playing walking around etc and heres this music playing... umm wheres the music coming from!? Now in games like GTA where theirs radio stations sure. I think the first game i actually left the music on in was Quake. And that was cause it wasn't really music as much as background sound. It really fit the game. Or games where they'll have fighting music and you can tell when something is gonna happen with that music kicks in.

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      February 24, 2008 7:34 PM

      So many to think of. A sampler:

      Mechwarrior 2
      Star Control II
      Full Throttle
      Mass Effect
      Myst

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        February 24, 2008 7:35 PM

        Hitman: Blood Money also has a fantastic soundtrack, now that I think of it.

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      February 24, 2008 7:41 PM

      I think the Lost Odyssey soundtrack is tight. The music when u first arrive in Gohtza is amazing.

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      February 24, 2008 8:34 PM

      The Soundtrack for Brawl is fucking insane. You have shit like a classic NES medley of Kid Icarus, to Sonic Boom, to music from Metal Gear Solid 4.

      Hell they even redid the Tetris music.

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      February 24, 2008 9:14 PM

      [deleted]

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        February 24, 2008 10:15 PM

        Oh man I forgot all about the Monkey Island games.. Those were simply outstanding.

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      February 24, 2008 10:21 PM

      Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - Amon Tobin original soundtrack ftw.

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        February 24, 2008 10:55 PM

        good one. undoubtedly one of my favorites

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      February 24, 2008 10:40 PM

      strider and castlevania 2. When I first heard them I couldn't wait to play the games again so I could hear the music. Plus both games rocked

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        February 24, 2008 10:49 PM

        Strider music was so damn epic. Loved it.

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      February 24, 2008 10:46 PM

      How about Ultima 7 - All of it was spot on for atmosphere, but in particular the 'stones' tune, while youre wandering around Yew forest.

      More recently, I dug the gradual music progression of Civ4. Really got me going that music.

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      February 24, 2008 10:52 PM

      Homeworld and FF7

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      February 24, 2008 11:33 PM

      Homeworld - It was incredibly well executed and the ambiance awesome. Also the song at the end bone by Yes in the Credits was a great way to end the game.

      Halo Series - It's just awesome, does a lot of different things and was more epic with each iteration.

      Legend of Zelda - I love it, especially live, I think I'll be going to VGL 2-3 times a year to experience it.

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      February 24, 2008 11:34 PM

      Shadow of the Colossus soundtrack is great.

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      February 25, 2008 12:29 AM

      Its all about the Chrono Cross soundtrack

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      February 25, 2008 12:33 AM

      [deleted]

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      February 25, 2008 1:06 AM

      Final Fantasy VII 0 so many epic moments.
      Jee-Hun Hwang's Mechwarrior 2 soundtrack - perfect music for the game.

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      February 25, 2008 2:09 AM

      Well GTA 3 was all sorts of awesome, Then ofc Hell March.

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      February 25, 2008 2:55 AM

      SW: kotor

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      February 25, 2008 3:04 AM

      I'm a heathen... I turn off music in games, and listen to my own.

      Yes, I know the built in music is often atmospheric, but I often can't be bothered listening to most of it.

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      February 25, 2008 3:06 AM

      I turn music off in games immediately.

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