Computer Game Soundtracks.

[RV8]

Following on from the film soundtrack thread I thought it'd be interesting to hear some of your favorite computer game soundtracks, to start the ball rolling I've linked to a few of mine.

Dead Space. (very cinematic, like the Alien film score)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irnSaMbsb4w

Dead Space 2, Jason graves superb composing again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqgPVa6AAto

Medal of Honor Underground (Ochestrial piece written by Michael Giacchino)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq65hOhzvJ4

COD 2 (end credits track) Hans Zimmer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFGuXcRJ_NI

Rollcage stage II (Technical Itch)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REkPg5Odze0

Xenon II (specifically the ST version)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbK8EfcHWZo

Descent 2 (Type O-Negative)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQvivND6Ck

R-Type Final (Yuki Iwai)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWsEx-CdAnY

Quake 2 (Sonic Mayhem)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvRYVSQS2_s

Chip music:

Sanxion C-64 (Legendary Rob Hubbard)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VDm1nE5ViI

Robocop gameboy (older folks will remember this from the old "on and on" Ariston adverts) by Malc Jennings (I think)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhZBDNQ3gas

[Pooky67]

Loved watching replays of my races on the original Gran Turismo with Feeder - Just a Day and Buck Rogers playing. Good times.

[james_gt3rs]

Unreal Tournament:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oE8heI-Ozc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4IDH9DEmao&fea...

[Speed_Demon]

IMO the soundtrack has to be composed for the game or else it's cheating. FF7 has to have the best soundtrack of any game, any movie... ever. IMO the soundtrack has ot be composed for the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_MW65XxS7s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9kGaw216HM < Goosebumps every time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CK2hx377iU I cried at this point in the game. But I was only 12. Haha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY1Vetd7OCs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnGnJWKyBak&fea...

All composed by the same guy.

Bonus: Incredible guitar cover on basically the entire FF7 soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsunerK4OPk

Edited by Speed_Demon on Friday 4th March 17:05

[davepoth]

Frontier: Elite 2. Nuff said.

[RV8]

Speed_Demon said:

IMO the soundtrack has to be composed for the game or else it's cheating. FF7 has to have the best soundtrack of any game, any movie... ever. IMO the soundtrack has ot be composed for the game.

Bonus: Incredible guitar cover on basically the entire FF7 soundtrack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsunerK4OPk

Edited by Speed_Demon on Friday 4th March 17:05

That guitarist is superb.

I often prefer the soundtrack to a game being composed as a bespoke track, almost of of the tracks I linked were made for purpose although ripping around in Gran Turismo with Feeder playing was a blast - the GT games usually have a good selection of tunes in the soundtrack.

You ought to check out the whole COD2 Hans Zimmer score, it has the usual epic quality he adds to visual media. The FF soundtrack really should have been played by an orchestra rather than with digital instruments it has lots of fantastical elements which a brass and woodwind section could have really worked with. The score for Soul Reaver used an electronic orchestra (composed by Kurt Harland) but still sounded solid you might also like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KNQH2rJgms

[Funk]

Interstate '76: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_'76

http://www.interstate76.com/download/i76audio.htm

[TheEnd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFYzjU-C3mA

Wizball, Martin Galway, and a C64 pretending to be an electric guitar.

[coogy]

Red Alert - Hell March

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb-gI_pFog0

[RV8]

TheEnd said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFYzjU-C3mA

Wizball, Martin Galway, and a C64 pretending to be an electric guitar.

I have about 500mb or more of old computer game music most is .sid .mod and a few other original formats which have to be played through sidplay or Ximplemod. SOme of the .ym stuff wont play though.

Being as you mention Wizball I suppose you remember the Ocean 'Loader' track which played on the C-64 while you loaded the game - there were a variety of these loader tracks. As a kid I'd boot the games up just to play the track. Jonathan Dunn was one of my favorite composers at the time, here's a loader track he produced:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2qT7vGqg7c

Funk said:

Interstate '76: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_'76

http://www.interstate76.com/download/i76audio.htm

Good call. Not just a cool soundtrack but a cool game too.

coogy said:

Red Alert - Hell March

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb-gI_pFog0

Yep I have the mp3 of this. Really good game soundtrack.

[Spiritual_Beggar]

coogy said:

Red Alert - Hell March

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb-gI_pFog0

C&C games had the best soundtracks by far!!!

[Neil H]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TKV_90aYgI

Shadow of the Beast, awesome. I have it on CD, recorded from the Amiga directly.

[Jezz172]

Cannon Fodder on the Amiga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiYuq6Ac3a0

[aizvara]

Jezz172 said:

Cannon Fodder on the Amiga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiYuq6Ac3a0

Ah, nostalgia. That was from a time when Games Developers were real Games Developers. Or perhaps they all just grew up.

[3sixty]

james_gt3rs said:

Unreal Tournament:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oE8heI-Ozc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4IDH9DEmao&fea...

Excellent choices Sir

[BeansOnToast]

Kikstart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP4yJDGHZBc

[JDMDrifter]

I have the full 8cd GTA San Andreas box set full of great songs

[sackboy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OdtAEiHU9s

MOH Frontline Arnham Knights.

No finer piece of music has written for a game as this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECjDfQd8QVc&fea...

Metal Gear Solid 2 Main Theme. Harry Gregson-Williams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcrDWAuyqtc

Mass Effect Ending music.

M4 Part 2 (Faunts)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF_IBrHsuzA

Portal "Still Alive"

Complete genius

[davepoth]

The original "Driver".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws96hfsEN1o

Many an hour spent going sideways through cardboard boxes...

[Devilstreak]

Harry gregson Williams and mgs2 onwards.