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The Video Game Music Appreciation Thread

InfiniteBakuphoon

InfiniteBakuphoon

Impressionist Bakuphoon
Hello, everyone! As a lover of video game music, I'd like to take the opportunity to create a place where video game music and related topics can be discussed among members of this forum. Any of the below can be discussed here:
  • Favorite video game music (individual tracks and whole soundtracks) from any era, as well as the composers, arrangers, and performers that created them,
  • Official and/or fan-made remixes/arrangements of the above,
  • Original "chiptune" music that isn't necessarily from a video game, but was either inspired by video game sounds or created on actual video game hardware (like, say, the NES, the Game Boy, or the Mega Drive/Genesis, among others). Examples would include this, this, or this.
While posting, please keep the following rules and guidelines in mind:
  • You can post as many times as you like (within forum limits, of course; i.e. no double-posting).
  • Try to limit the amount of individual tracks, games, series, or composers/performers mentioned to no more than 10 of each per post, or somewhere reasonably close to that.
  • Any links or embedded content should preferably be from either YouTube or Soundcloud (links to actual music downloads are obviously a non-starter).
  • Given the transient nature of YouTube links, I'd recommend that you include the name — or a description such as "first stage theme" — of any tracks posted so that if the link ever goes down, people will still be able to look up the track elsewhere (this isn't required, however).
With all of that said, I'll go ahead and start below!
* * * * * * *​
There's so much video game music that I can start with here, but I think I'll start with a rather underrated series: Etrian Odyssey. For the uninitiated, it's a niche dungeon crawler JRPG series known for its old-school gameplay mechanics, brutal difficulty, and a minimalist, do-it-yourself approach to storytelling. The series' gameplay is arguably a love-it-or-hate-it kind of thing, but its music is a completely different story.

The first three games on the Nintendo DS were composed on FM sound hardware that's similar to (but more advanced than) that of 16-bit consoles like the Mega Drive/Genesis, giving it a very "old-school" feel. Some of my favorite tracks from these first three games include:
When the series moved to the Nintendo 3DS with Etrian Odyssey IV, it switched over to fully orchestrated songs performed live by talented session musicians, allowing for some absolutely beautiful-sounding tracks that blow the DS tracks out of the water in the arrangement department. Just a few of these tracks include:
They eventually remade the first two games on the 3DS as well, which meant that their soundtracks got the fully orchestrated treatment as well! Here's some examples of the difference:
This series' music is so good that even its spin-off games have outstanding tracks:
  • Forbidden Forest (an orchestral arrangement of "Forbidden Forest" above from Etrian Mystery Dungeon)
Perhaps one of the most amazing things about listening to Etrian Odyssey's music for first time was learning that — for the most part — it was all composed and arranged by Yuzo Koshiro. Yes, that Yuzo Koshiro, the same one who created the completely-different sounding (but equally awesome) music for the Streets of Rage series. He's easily one of the most talented and versatile composers in the industry, something that Etrian Odyssey's music — among other games — leaves absolutely no question about whatsoever.

(Posters below me, don't feel like you have to write something long and involved like I just did above. Gush over your favorite video game music however you like!)
 
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TheCharredDragon

TheCharredDragon

Tis the Hour to Reload
Yet another thread for me to gush about my favorite things. But I don't to go on too long and I'd pretty much break the rules if I do, so I'll just limit it to two games from Persona for now. Starting with...

Persona 4 (and Golden): Like with a lot of music in Persona, it's good. A lot of it are more modern genres like pop, rock, hip-hop, and a few tracks with rapping. And each track is appropriate for where they play and in my opinion, all of the music that plays for the town and cutscenes are great. Not only that, the battle themes are awesome.

So that I don't go on forever, here are just some of my favorites:

From 4:
Like a dream come true (upbeat hang out music)
Backside of the TV (dungeon hub world music)
Reach Out to the Truth (regular battle theme in P4; succesfully ambushing the enemy battle theme in P4G)

From Golden:
Time to Make History (regular battle theme)
SNOWFLAKES (winter season town music)

But I think my favorite part about Persona 4 (and in general of Persona really) is that there's a melody that get played throughout the entire game through different tracks and usually you don't realize unless you've listened to it a lot or are familiar with music making techniques. To prove my point, listen to these four tracks in a row:

A Corner of Memory (main menu theme)
I'll Face Myself (music usually after boss battle; exactly what it says on the tin: plays when a character faces their darkest side and then accepts it)
Never More (Credits theme of P4)

It might not be obvious with A Corner of Memory but the chorus of Never More is the same melody as that track, and thus I'll Face Myself.

Another thing is the lyrics. Once you know them, particularly with Reach Out to the Truth. It's so nice to sing to. And as if that wasn't enough... Atlus basically did a remix album called Never More -Reincarnation: Persona 4- (playlist of album with 12 tracks), where it has the full versions of Pursuing My True Self and Reach Out to the Truth, as well as remixing several of the songs to feel like it's a legit jazz/pop album. You know, like something you'd get from a music store or listen to on the radio. For me, this album makes me like the songs even more. Especially Like a dream come true. It's such a jazzy upbest tune now, like it's something you'd hear from older films. And the full version of Pursuing My True Self. I actually didn't like it until I heard the full song in here (and the lyric line: "We're all trapped in a maze of relationships").

Persona 3 (and FES and Portable): This game has some of my favorite background music ever. I instantly fell in love with a lot of it. It too has melodies played in different tracks, this time a lot more subtle, and its a mix of rock, pop, less jazz but still some and some elements that remind me of dubstep (which is in P4 too but more obvious here since the main boss theme has it). It has one of the catchiest (and maybe weirdest for some) battles themes I've heard and it also has a remix album. So because I'd be retreading similar reasons for this, so I'm just gonna do lists.

Favorites (from all versions of the game):
Brand New Days -The Beginning- (main menu theme of P3 FES and P3 Portable)
Iwatodai Station (dorm music)
Mass Destruction (regular battle music)
Master of Shadow (Full Moon/main/story boss battle theme)

One recurring melody:
Paulownia Mall (plays in the shops of said place in-game)
When the Moon's Reaching Stars ("town" music)

Another recurring melody:
Joy (Social Link hang out/happy music; mainly for male route in P3P)
Memories of You (end credits theme of Persona 3)

And its remix album, Burn My Dread -Reincarnation: Persona 3- (playlist of album with 12 tracks). Favorites from that are When the Moon's Reaching Stars and Deep Breath, Deep Breath.

Yes, and this is me holding back. And I've still got more (like P5 for example). But really, I love Persona music. I listen to it as much as the usual music made by artists.

I just hope I'm not breaking this thread's ruled too much (or looping around it too much by linking to playlists).
 
Auraninja

Auraninja

Eh, ragazzo!
I'll post a few I like for now.

Lament to the Master- Order of Ecclesia This song happens during a spoilers boss battle. The boss fight itself is very impactful.

Rawk Hawk Battle- Paper Mario: TTYD Mario RPGs usually have good music, so it's hard to pick one. Rawk Hawk is great because he isn't even like a major boss but his song has this rock feel to it that makes it feel suspenseful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNJm2PVlnl0
Puppet Ganon (Snake form)- Zelda: Wind Waker (HD) Wind Waker has probably the best music in any Zelda game, but I decided to pick this one because it has several parts to listen to.

Route 119- Pokemon ORAS Hoenn has some good themes, but I like this theme sense you ascend to weather station and Fortree City in the rain and tall grass. It sounds like an amazing trek through the elements.

A lot of my favorite video game themes happen to be during boss fights.
 
Judge Mandolore Shepard

Judge Mandolore Shepard

Spectre Agent
When it comes to video game music, one of my favorite composers is Nobuo Uematsu. If you played any of the first nine Final Fantasy games, Nobuo Uematsu did the sound track for them. Who else could have come up with amazing tracks like Clash on the Big Bridge, Dancing Mad, and One Winged Angel?

Another of my favorite video game music composers is Jeremy Soule. It is a known fact that he composed the music for Skyrim, but did you know that he also composed the music for the video game versions of the first three Harry Potter books?

Then another of my favorite video game music composers is Martin O'Donnell. His works include the music from the Halo series. Great tracks include Rock Anthem for Saving the World, the Halo theme, and Drum Run.
 
Midnite♪

Midnite♪

Distant Stargazer
I could honestly go on and on about the OST of Final Fantasy XIV and its expansions. Masayoshi Soken did an awesome job, and I've love to see him work on more OSTs! (Be warned, Square Enix only allows FFXIV's music on YouTube if it's accompanied by gameplay. I've marked each song in spoiler tags. The third one in particular is quite spoilery in particular; you've been warned.)

A Fine Death (A Realm Reborn, mini-boss battle) - This was one of the first stand-out songs for me. It takes the iconic Final Fantasy Prelude theme, and turns it into an intense orchestral piece suited for the battles it takes place for.
Dragonsong (Heavensward, main/trailer theme) - A beautiful, yet somber song that sets the scene of the expansion. The vocals are gorgeous, and the accompanying instrumentation adds to the solemness of the piece.
The Worm's Tail (Stormbood, Final Boss) - The orchestration, vocals, and everything about this one just scream "Epic Final Showdown" to me. Combined with the sheer setting of where the fight takes place makes it feel even more grandose. I know this one is much more spoiler-heavy than the original two, but it's one of my favorites and in general a fan-favorite in the whole FFXIV OST.
 
InfiniteBakuphoon

InfiniteBakuphoon

Impressionist Bakuphoon
(Please be warned that the below ended up becoming much more of an essay than I intended it to be, haha. I've tried to make as everything as easy to read as possible nonetheless, especially the links to the music itself.)

For the past several months or so, I've found myself practically addicted to the music of the Atelier series, specifically that of the earliest games in the series. For the uninitiated, Atelier is a niche and rather unconventional JRPG series that — for the most part — eschews sweeping save-the-world themes for character-driven, slice-of-life charm, with stories revolving around a (typically female) protagonist using the power of alchemy to solve their problems, as well as those of others. It's generally a very bright, cheerful, and carefree series, which is reflected in its music. Many composers have contributed to Atelier's music over the years, but when it comes to the series' early games, there are five names to know: Toshiharu Yamanishi, Daisuke Achiwa, Akira Tsuchiya, Miyoko Kobayashi, and Ken Nakagawa.

For the purposes of this post, I'll focus specifically on Daisuke Achiwa, Akira Tsuchiya, and Miyoko Kobayashi's music, as they're the three composers that I'm most familiar with.

I'll start with Daisuke Achiwa, who has contributed to the series since the very beginning, starting with Atelier Marie in collaboration with Toshiharu Yamanishi. For this reason, he's been referred to at least once as the "grandfather" of Atelier music. He seems to be mostly known for his battle themes — especially those from Atelier Iris — but I happen to know him best as the one who wrote the very first song of the series: "A Once-Beloved Picture Book" (which has been reprised, referenced, and re-made many, many times since its conception). It's a surprisingly bittersweet-sounding introduction to such a bright and upbeat game, and it was made even hauntingly beautiful on the game's arrange album, taking full advantage of the live string instruments on offer. You can take a listen to both versions below:
Next, there's Akira Tsuchiya, arguably the most talented and accomplished out of the four (and my personal favorite out of all of them). He, like Achiwa, has contributed to the series since the beginning, playing a very small guest role on Marie's OST before becoming the main composer of the next game — Atelier Elie — and writing its music almost singlehandedly. On the surface, Elie's OST represents a more refined approach to what Marie's OST brought to the table, but the extra jolt of creativity and imagination that Akira Tsuchiya brings turns it — at its best — into something much more unique and memorable than its predecessor, or arguably even more so than most other JPRG music of the time (or at the very least giving it a run for its money). Elie's OST is like the musical equivalent of throwing everything at the wall and having (almost) everything stick, with risk after risk paying off in highly entertaining fashion. It stands tall (in its own way) even against the more sophisticated Atelier OSTs that would follow, especially the arrangements from the fan-favorite arrange album Atelier Elie: Unknown Origin. The two tracks below (hopefully) represent some of the best that the original and Unknown Origin OSTs respectively have to offer:
Akira Tsuchiya's style — and talents — evolved greatly as the series went on. After taking somewhat of a backseat with Atelier Lilie, he became the main composer again for Atelier Judie and demonstrated an earthier, more organic style for the game, distinguished by a greater reliance on rhythm, extremely strong and heavy bass sections, and an affinity for flute, string, and accordion instruments, all made to sound as close to reality as the PS2's sound hardware could handle. I literally can't count on two hands what I could post here from this OST (which is probably my favorite or very close to it), but I feel that these two tracks below probably best represent the kind of atmosphere that Tsuchiya helped bring to this OST:
With the next game, Atelier Viorate, Tsuchiya experiments with female chants — often in heavily layered fashion for maximum effect — and develops an increasing flair for the epic. The game's opening theme (the first in the mainline series with vocals), as well as one of its creepier dungeon themes, drives this home:
And with Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, everything that Tsuchiya accomplished up to that point is taken to its logical (and musical) extreme with a grandiose opening theme, its scale and ambition mirroring that of the game itself. It's very arguably his magnum opus for the series, which you can judge for yourself below:
Regrettably, this would be the last Atelier game that Akira Tsuchiya would directly contribute to, leaving the series' music in Daisuke Achiwa and Ken Nakagawa's (very capable) hands. But what a way to go out, at least!

The last person I'd like to mention is Miyoko Kobayashi, who had a short but pretty great run with the series as the main composer of Atelier Lilie and a major contributor to Atelier Judie's OST. I feel like she's kind of an underrated figure compared to the likes of Tsuchiya, Achiwa, and Nakagawa, because it doesn't appear that as many people gush over her work, despite it being very good. She's been compared to Tsuchiya at least once, but she definitely has her own distinctive style. It does lean toward light and natural-sounding instrumentation à la Tsuchiya, but I've also found that it has a bit of a "synthier" edge — including fairly liberal use of reverb — that makes it sound more "video game"-ey than it otherwise would be (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). These two tracks below — one from Lilie and one from Judie — should help give you a sense of what her musical style is like:
To close, I'll do some mild cheating to add two final tracks to the listening pile: battle music. "Royal Blue" — an Atelier Judie track by one-time contributor Masayuki Kobayashi — demonstrates what Atelier battle music can sound like when the circumstances aren't entirely serious, while "Wolf King" — an Atelier Lilie track by Miyoko Kobayashi — demonstrates what's possible when the opposite is true. While more hardcore fans of Atelier's music would probably argue that other tracks — especially from Atelier Iris — would serve as stronger examples of Atelier battle music, I'm not very familiar with said tracks, so I can't really judge how good they are for myself. So for now, here are the aforementioned tracks:
  • Royal Blue (battle theme from Atelier Judie)
  • Wolf King (boss battle theme from Atelier Lilie)
Perhaps one of the most incredible things about this series' music is that at least through Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana, all of it — with a few exceptions like opening and ending themes — is completely synthesized music, generated in real-time by the PS1 and PS2's sound chips. Like the best video game music of its era, it demonstrates the power of those chips — and the skills of the composers wielding them — in spades.
 
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