This is the Video Game Music Thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL2sCZvgmdA

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/16/arts/review-andrew-norman-play-a-symphony-that-levels-up-cincinnati.html
https://open.spotify.com/album/1D8hUu8Zp9hevipwopwlxq

“Play” turns the orchestra into a society and at its heart is a story about power. It has two plotlines, and their interaction forms the structure of the piece. One is about leadership. At the frenetic start of “Level 1,” the percussionists are in charge. Like generals, they give certain orders that they expect to be followed by the rest of the orchestra in a particular way.

Some of these are obvious: A triangle “freezes” the action, forcing the players to sit still; a kick drum and a slapstick, cracking like a torture device, cut the action to a different scene. Other commands, like a woodblock sequence that switches the woodwind on and off, take time to become clear. Still more are largely inaudible, such as a swipe on the piano’s strings that powers the orchestral machine on and off.

The other plotline is about discovery, and on its face, it’s a more conventional one about a musical theme. The orchestra is on a quest to complete a wedge, starting from a single note and fanning outward, stepwise, from there. Different characters try to piece parts of it together. In “Level 1,” it’s the trumpet, but its wedge contracts instead of opening. In “Level 2,” the oboe plays one half of it, the downward progression, without its corresponding upward reach. Only in “Level 3” does the orchestra get there.

How Mr. Norman treats both of these plots is clever and technically impressive. What makes it so affecting is how they interact. For to complete the wedge, the orchestra has to organize, to throw off the percussion’s rule. This begins in the middle of “Level 2,” when the oboe makes progress on that downward slide, slowly, but happily, joined by the strings and other winds. The woodblock tries to assert control, “really angry,” the score says, at the disruption of the regime we hear in “Level 1.” The strings become furtive, breathing in and out, hushed and whispery, a sound full of promise. Again the percussionists try to exert command, jolting the orchestra with their slapsticks, forcing the players through different sound worlds, becoming shockingly violent. But it’s too late. At the end of “Level 2,” their power collapses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBUzLEPPhTQ

<3 <3 <3

The No Man's Sky soundtrack is to date still the best thing to come out that project, an superb bit of tech-friendly post-rock that stands with anything by Fuck Buttons et al. While the OST album is fairly conventional, the construction in game is far more varied. Dave Wolinsky: No Man’s Sky Lets Players Scramble the Core Genome of 65daysofstatic’s New Album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZMJPNekzds

yeah, this is lovely; thanks for reminding me to finally try it

listening to Jun Chikuma's soundtrack for Bomberman Hero, and it's really fun -- smooth drum & bass with some spacey, sci-fi leads that give it retro-futuristic feel. Probably fans of Pizzicato 5 would like it, but what I'm loving about these game soundtracks is that since they don't have to work as club bangers necessarily, they can focus on melodic themes, and be over without the need to open up for lengthy breakdowns. Basically, bite size 90s electronica that sounds like cartoon aliens made it

yes that soundtrack is so relaxing!

love the weirdo garbled pop songs in splatoon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggaAg_SXHCk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFG6770beMc

'Sorcerian', an awesome action RPG from the early 90s (PC), had excellent music. So did SEGA's beat-'em-up 'Streets of Rage II'. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out, years later, that the same guy was behind both (Yuzo Koshiro).

Another 90s RPG with excellent music: 'Darklands'. Great matching of mediëval melodies with original themes.

yeah Yuzo is a god. i recently bought the Revenge of Shinobi soundtrack on vinyl and it is so sick.

that yamaha ym2612 in the genesis made some beautiful sounds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Tid2htBlE

The lyrics are a problem but god DAMN this is a catchy tune.

I think this stuff by Carsten Bohn's Bandstand was originally written for German radio plays but was also used as loading music for some Atari 8-bit games.

The code would be on one channel and the music in the other would play through to the output while the game loaded. This means they were mono tracks so the stereo mix here has been reconstructed from two different game tapes and you can hear the code towards the end of the clip.

https://youtu.be/mpcBmyWa4DE

thinkin about this tonight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlkO3OJhjYE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj6q2rMcz3s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWiyrOvJbXc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvBla5NUlvk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3egbaw-VK4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbBCBM2tluc

https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/09/19/legendary-composer-nobuo-uematsu-ceases-work-due-to-health-issues

I saw that, it sucks, I hope he gets to relax.

Splatoon 2’s music is infectious

I have not played the game but the Sonic Mania OST is really great, really feels like it was beamed in from Sega's late 90s heyday. Probably even better than the original tracks really. Thank you RYM

I liked the New Jack Swing track on that.

I recently replayed Icewind Dale and found the soundtrack to be as integral to the experience as ever.

speaking of great Sega music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWnzfA9AqrA

I have probably watched this video like 30 times. how can you not love it

speaking of great Sega music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42pszbJgRGE

silent hill soundtracks 1-3 absolutely the best music ive heard in games, aside from castlevania

Agreed on the Silent Hill soundtracks. Wish _Silent Hills_ hadn't been cancelled.

Loved the beach tune from the latest Yakuza.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVWd-8sjLx0

thanks for that daytona vid; it's pretty magical

(COME ON!)

listened to some sega tunes from the early 2000s today, particularly a few on the gamecube that apparently all shared a composer, hidenori shoji. the super monkey ball soundtracks certainly had their share of clunky, forgettable filler, but when they hit, they hit. love the bright, airy house tracks that appear here-n-there, and some of the more aggressive, mechanical-sounding stuff is pretty good too. the second game in the series had the better soundtrack imo, certainly with more highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5bUpJ5mGoI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2rP5GFwcaw

f-zero gx's soundtrack, despite having a decent amount of synthesized hard-rock shite, was probably the most noteworthy out of all these. one of the really amazing, immersive features about it was how many tracks would seamlessly leap to a new level of intensity as soon as you reached the final lap of the race. i adore this one in particular: the final-lap transition comes in around the last 50 seconds of the clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De7XH0sVcbg

(yeah i know f-zero is a nintendo property but that particular entry in the series was developed by a division of sega)

sorry, you invoked f-zero gx & music so now i have to post this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M8XeFEHRCI

f-zeeeero, f-zeeeero

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I just finished replaying Final Fantasy III on the SNES and want to give a shout out to Kefka's theme, possibly the greatest expository piece of video game music ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O11KHKlGxmM

the practice of running out a character's theme song every time they make an entrance is classic and not enough rpgs have stuck with it

i thought this was a really good analysis of "dancing mad" and its relation to kefka's theme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRHyH824KIM

that soundtrack slaps

A lot of Final Fantasy soundtracks are now up on streaming services

thanks for that; though you may have to apologize to my partner when she gets tired of me blaring FF7 all day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrPYGSm2YsM

before i make this putt, let me first listen to "birdie try"

*2:02 passes*

he sinks it!

I was thinking about Kefka's theme just the other day and I love how it starts off a little cheeky, a little scampery and mischievous before taking a darker turn. You're right Crut.

Think I posted this on another thread, but this is a playlist of SNES and Ghibli-ish soundtrack music I use as concentration music quite a lot https://open.spotify.com/user/1153731601/playlist/1LArAWIwZLQmH7tnhS0ZnO?si=UKft3l8PTZiBacpn6UZA5A

age of mythology had a v legendary soundtrack. tenchu another classic

Almost every song from Mystical Ninja/Goemon [N64 again] is a dead set classic.
― Autumn Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Tuesday, April 20, 2004 5:45 PM (fifteen years ago)

this game is insane in all the best possible ways! and the music is incredible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4kjYyI5b_o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXGvrleGSeI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-t9y0Hcp5U

i came across summer carnival '92 a couple weeks ago and was pretty blown away. it's late in the famicom lifecycle but this shit is still being done on a famicom. i mean, i've heard the VRC6 Akumajou Densetsu and even the VRC7 used on Lagrange Point (such a good sound chip it sounds as good as the Sega Master System's built-in sound chip!), but this song is on a completely different level. the whole game is basically a crazy technical masterpiece. hats off to you, noboyuki shioda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJZ0QCKqhRA