Fantastic Video Game Music - That You Can Listen To "Outside" Of The Game
Video games have always been my favorite form of entertainment media. Besides all the fun, more and more games provide incredible storytelling and interesting characters...
But! Games no longer have to be only fun in a classical sense. Today, they can be compelling with heart-wrenching or warming stories, which has a high impact, because you as the player are taking part in the narrative.
Spellbinding music is another thing, which fills many games. For me, many musical scores are so good, that I listen to them “outside” of the game. Here I will list just a couple of my favorites that might make your day (even more) epic or fantastical! More will come, if you all dig it!
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
In 2002 Bethesda accomplished a first person RPG way ahead of its time, if you ask me. Elder Scrolls was already an established franchise, and you may be more familiar with the series through Skyrim. In my opinion, Morrowind did some things better. The world was enthralling and quite unsettling at times, in a way most games are not. The puzzles felt more advanced, and you had to chat with the surrounding characters to find hints, that could help you solve mysteries.
And… The music. It was the first time I had heard such an incredible orchestral score in a game. It fit perfectly with the enigmatic world and the large-scale harsh landscapes.
If you have played Skyrim or Oblivion, you will recognize, where their main themes came from. If you have not played Elder Scrolls or maybe no action/role-playing games at all, you might still be able to visualize a fantasy setting through the music.
The Legend of Zelda
I would be remiss not to mention The Legend of Zelda. A series that have captivated fans since the mid 80’s, is today one of the most beloved fantasy adventure games - and with good reason. The series have always been at the forefront of introducing new forms of world building and game design ideas, but for me, the best thing is the music. Besides being instantly recognizable, the score is filled with beautiful motives playing over each other sometimes in a whimsical manner. Other times it brings your thoughts to fearless battles.
Some of my favorite musical themes in the series is from the GameCube classic Wind Waker (which I did not get to play ‘till the Wii U HD release). I especially love the ocean theme. When you are sailing The Great Sea, you can almost feel the waves through the notes.
I urge anyone to listen to The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra, where many of the best themes are played in a live medley. You will hear a bit of the Wind Waker score among other melodies. If nothing else, the music will likely inspire you to think big!
Banner image source:
Gaga Symphony Orchestra live at Palazzo Zuckermann, Carlo Alberto Cazzuffi, Wikipedia (adapted).
Thanks for reading! If you like these game music recommendations, consider an upvote and resteem! What are some of your favorite game soundtracks?
My favourite game soundtrack would be BioShock's Welcome to Rapture. On a second thought, I think it's not "My favourite game music", but it's more like "My favourite music". I wish it was longer than that, only 1 minute 48 seconds is not enough to enjoy a great music.
I love video game music. It has been about 10 years now, but my (now extinct) band did this live collab of the FFVII battle theme and the main Zelda theme:
https://www.reverbnation.com/straitastudents/song/16273485-rpg-tribute
I can imagine how symphony orchestra soundtracks can do magic to the sound of each of the games and make them more thrilling... great post ...brilliant !
The Legend of Zelda is simply a masterpiece of a game. It's an all time favorite of mine. Great post keep up the good work!
I agree. Some of these game soundtracks are brilliant! I always loved how Blizzard would include soundtracks in the limited editions of the game. Here is one of my all-time favorites.
I have never really played WoW, but Blizzard great music for sure, not to mention their great cinematics!
As a musician and full time music student with a deep love for video games myself, I have always found myself humming video game soundtracks more often than any pop song or other nonsense being played on the radio. Some of my personal favorites are the soundtracks from Naughty Dog games, such as Uncharted and the Last of Us, and the works of Kazumi Totaka, the composer famous for the catchy themes such as those heard in Animal Crossing and Mario games!
I oftentimes hum songs from the games I mentioned as well as a bunch of others. And nothing gets you hyped as Street Fighter character themes in my opinion! :D
Those Naughty Dog games are incredible, but I have only played them through once, and can't recall the themes off-the-cuff.
Street Fighter's music is excellent, and Guile's theme is definitely a classic. A lot of times, I will honestly do my schoolwork while playing some soundtrack. I like that because it's all instrumental and lyrics distract me while working. xD
Uncharted is definitely a favorite because it's all done with a large orchestra, and, of course, in following the theme of the games, is very Indian Jones-esque and powerful.
I love the Zelda game soundtracks. I also have all the SWTOR soundtracks, as well as Mass Effect and, my favourite by far, the soundtrack I can't get enough of, Dragon Age, all the games. The music is so moving. I love the music, it's motivating, relaxing, I just love it. Hehe, I once did a mix of rave type songs for a party, a lot of Mass Effect stuff in there. Soundtracks for video games are even better than movie soundtracks IMO.
The Zelda music is pretty bad ass and totally nostalgic! Great post and good to see people who appreciate this sort of thing. Your presence on steemit is very upvoted, followed, commented, and resteemed!!!
Good post @rawbinhutt. I am a gamer too. I will be following you for more such posts and I would like you to follow me too here @lunaticenigma. I will be posting some good stuff too. Thanks
Good post!