Soundtrack Central The best classic game music and more

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Angela Dec 22, 2009 (edited Jan 11, 2012)

And the end-of-year top listings keep on coming.  Not to be confused with the top video game soundtracks of 2009 (of which Adam had proposed he'll eventually be heading up), this one is inspired by SonicPanda's "Top Earworms" topic in this thread

So your favorite, standout, and/or most listened to video game music tracks of 2009.  They can be from official original or arranged soundtracks, fan-made contributions, or from games that never even got an album release.  The only requisite is that they HAVE to have been released this year.

I'm using a top ten model personally, but your mileage can vary.  And though it's not absolutely necessary, try and supply music links if possible.  Share the love, yeah?

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TOP 10 VIDEO GAME SONGS OF 2009:

10) New Super Mario Bros. Wii / Castle - To me, this sounds like the bastard child of Super Mario World's Castle theme and A Link To The Past's Hyrule Castle -- which can result in nothing less than pure awesomeness.  Like NSMB DS's Castle, there's also a keen militaristic tone, which drives the adventurously determined and moody setting.  These castle levels are an absolute joy to romp through in the game; the music just makes it that much better.

9) Silent Hill Shattered Memories / Acceptance - As I've written before, Acceptance is a track that managed to move me more than any of the other featured songs on the Shattered Memories soundtrack.  The lyrics are telling, its melody familiar on a very subconscious level.  It reminds me of a lost emotion of a long forgotten experience that I may have deliberately locked away years ago.  That, to me, is what makes the song so hauntingly compelling; it hews close to my own reality, which is a genuinely chilling prospect.

8) The Adventures of Duane & BrandO / Pac Man - As the D&B faithful continue to wait for the full length LP album to arrive, their music videos continue to be a great source of entertainment.  This one in particular really benefits from the visuals: watching the cat and mouse chasing between the Waka King and the variety-voiced ghosts to such ridiculously clever lyrics is absurdly enjoyable.  I can't help but yell out, "Oh shit, it's a ghost!  Nooooo!" each and every time. smile

7) Street Fighter IV / Theme of Abel - Of all the new stage and character themes in SFIV, Abel's for me is the most striking.  The pounding five note drumbeat, pulsing techno-electronica backdrop, and the wailing lead guitars paint a world warrior who isn't here to mess around.  The twinkling synths that chime in midway then reveals a man who's grappling with a tortured soul, ever driven to discover his true identity.  Yes, El Fuerte certainly wins out on the fun, but he can't touch Abel in terms of sheer edge and badassery.

6) Gyakuten Kenji / Mikumo Ichijo ~ The Great Truth Burglar - As Ace Attorney fans patiently wait for the upcoming Investigations, I've continued to while away the remaining days listening to Iwadare's and Yamada's most excellent score.  Though she'll eventually be known as Kay Faraday to most, her musical persona will remain the same across all regions: brash, bombast, Japanese, and simply a barrel load of fun.  Much like a certain samurai of the steel variety.

5) Shatter / Amethyst Caverns - Everyone will undoubtedly have their favorites on Module's across-the-board excellent Shatter soundtrack.  For me, Amethyst Caverns takes top accolades.  The cleverly-integrated synthetic voice sample is an element that really adds that tangible flair to the piece.  In addition, it's an incredibly immersive song, with a sweet moderate tempo and well-utilized gapper effects.

4) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves / The Monastery - Greg Edmonson's heavily influenced East Asian sound for Uncharted 2's score is fully represented in The Monastery.  It is both menacingly mystical, and indescribably beautiful.  The musical combination of ethnic percussion, woodwinds and the erhu is nothing short of breathtaking.

3) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves / Take That! - This is another Edmonson favorite of mine; the orchestration's mood-building staccatos, powerful crescendos, and driving tribal percussion befit the thrilling escape through the rain-soaked streets of Nepal. 

2) Ys SEVEN / To Reveal The Way To Go - To be honest, I'm not completely vested in the whole Ys SEVEN soundtrack just yet, save for a handful of excellent standouts like Mother Earth Altago and Extensive Forest Green.  But "To Reveal The Way To Go" is the absolute best.  Someone get me a lifesaver, because I am drowning in this wonderful ocean of Falcom-induced nostalgia.  The moment I press play, I'm instantly transported back to those golden days of VGM yesteryear, and it is glorious.

1) Punch-Out!! (Wii) / Major Circuit Match Suite - The original NES themes rank as legendary in the Catalog of Angie Classics, and the guys over at Next Level Games totally knock this arrangement out of the ballpark.  Not only is the Major Circuit the best of the several featured variations in the game, but it may very well be the best arrangement of the Fight/Opponent Downed/Get Up! themes I've ever heard; no small feat, given the many incredible fan renditions we've seen over the years.  The rousing, determined-to-win feel of the original is on full display, and the rockin' riffs are pitch-perfect.  The slight, accentuated changes to the original Fight melody really gives the theme a stylized shot in the arm, and the rolling synth that accompanies the Opponent Downed/Get Up! portion, I swear, is one of the greatest things I've ever heard.

Raziel Dec 22, 2009

This one's EXTREMELY difficult. Give me time.

tongue

Cedille Dec 22, 2009

Interesting thread.

01. Danger Zone (Persona 3 Portable)
02. 2008 AD, Tokyo (Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu )
03. Bosyoku Souzen A (Muramasa: The Demon Blade Disc 2 15)
04. MIDNIGHT MYSTIQUE (Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny)
05. G ~Blast ver.~ (Tekken 6)
06. Time (Persona 3 Portable)
07. Kinden Gyokuro A  (Muramasa: The Demon Blade Disc 1 13)
08. Arisa (Tekken 6)


...:(

I'll add some Tokimemo 4 tracks if translated.

Ramza Dec 22, 2009

Angela wrote:

5) Shatter / Amethyst Caverns - Everyone will undoubtedly have their favorites on Module's across-the-board excellent Shatter soundtrack.  For me, Amethyst Caverns takes top accolades.  The cleverly-integrated synthetic voice sample is an element that really adds that tangible flair to the piece.  In addition, it's an incredibly immersive song, with a sweet moderate tempo and well-utilized gapper effects.

this will probably fit somewhere in my list. I have to think about this some more.

SonicPanda Jan 8, 2010 (edited Jan 8, 2010)

Hokay, think I've finally sorted this out. I was initially planning on just letting my earworm list stand, but then, not all of that was from 2009, so hell, I expanded it. Shamelessly stealing Angela's model here.

10. Punch-Out!! / Super Macho Man's Intro - I almost gave this spot to Lust Sin from Blazblue, and I probably still should, but come on. This is the greatest less-than-ten-second-long surf-rock piece ever. There can be no debate, for probably more reasons than one.

9. Hyadain / Rap de Chocobo!!! - I'm counting this since it was translated and posted in '09 and havew no earthly knowledge whether it was created earlier. Try and stop me!
Anyway, I was first introduced to this guy's work through a series of Megaman 2 remixes that painted all the Robot Masters as being hornier than a cattle ranch, which irritated me even more than that 'Okkusenman' nonsense. But other stuff in his catalog is generally cleaner and catchier, like this. I'm willing to bet most of us have at some point in our lives sung something similar to the 1:12 phrase here.
P.S. this is also my sister's favorite thing from 2009. I wouldn't be surprised if half those viewcounts were hers.

8. Blazblue / The Road to Hope - Something that has become very reliable about Ishiwatari's soundtracks is a completely wonderful credits theme.

7. ChipTuned Rockman / Slashman Stage (Dot Matrix Dinosaur Mix) - There were lots of reasons to doubt this album. The artist list had unknowns like 'Saskrotch' and 'Dong' listed aside more familiar stalwarts like Yamada and Matsumae. The early samples were downright abrasive. And in the final product, some of the pieces remain abrasive still. But with an open mind, a careful listen, and some time to consider the ideas behind the tracks, the album grows on you fairly quickly.
Here is one of the better examples, taking one of the melodies from MM7's underrated score and making it bolder with the kind of distorted-wave rhythms/percussions that Jonathan Dunn (of the NES Jurassic Park, a nice coincidence) and Rob Hubbard might have used. The result is a piece that enhances the feel of the original without losing what made it unique with overzealous experimentation or tangents.

6. Planetary Pieces ~ Sonic World Adventure / Cool Edge ~ Day - With an intro combining the classic Klax bassline with some guitar punches, you might expect some hard rock starting up. But when the melody proper kicks in, this piece distinguishes itself by going...well, not soft, but gentle. As the rocking elements continue to surge forward, the lead plays something very wistful alongside it, and the effect is beautiful.

5. ChipTuned Rockman / Fire Man Stage (FC DPCM-additional Mix) - Many tracks on this album have the odd side effect of sounding like they were filtered through another company's musical style. For example, the remix of Mercury's theme sounds like it might have been done by Sonic Team in the Game Gear era. The allure of this Fireman remix is simple - do you want to hear MM music as it would sound if done by the Konami Kukeiha Club circa 1990? Hell yes you do.

4. Project Diva / Ievan Polkka - And now we're catching up to the ones I posted in the other thread. Weird evolution aside, this thing is still insidiously catchy.

3. PangYa Portable / Ventus - As nice as the more serious and elegant modern game scores are, nothing puts a smile on my face faster than some fresh straight-up whimsy in the style of early-90s cartridge gaming. PangYa has the flat-out happiest soundtrack I've heard in the last couple of years, and this piece is my favorite.

2. Planetary Pieces ~ Sonic World Adventure / Savannah Citadel ~ Day - More than anything else, Sonic music should move, let you tap your feet while he hauls his ass. To that end, the percussive intro to this piece alone is more than enough. But the guitar/flute combo on the melody, punctuated by occasional vocalizations, makes it damned near perfect.

1. Blazblue / Catus Carnival - Yeah, I've gushed about this one before. Happiness by the power of ten.

EDIT - it's just come to my attention that PangYa's soundtrack was released with the game in late '08. I'll leave the entries as posted, but for technicality's sake, assume Lust Sin comes in at 10, and everything below Ventus moves up by one.

Angela Jan 9, 2010

Cedille wrote:

01. Danger Zone (Persona 3 Portable)

SonicPanda wrote:

1. Blazblue / Catus Carnival - Yeah, I've gushed about this one before. Happiness by the power of ten.

Great choices.  Catus Carnival is certainly a personal fave of mine from BlazBlue.  And though I've never heard the Persona 3 Portable score before, I did a Youtube search for Danger Zone, and it too is a pretty dope piece.

I'm really starting to wish I had listened to the Bayonetta soundtrack in '09.  "Let's Dance, Boys!" would've easily ranked within my top 10.

Raziel Jan 9, 2010 (edited Jan 9, 2010)

This one's too hard after all, but I'd say my favourite song of the year would be "Time" from Persona 3 Portable. It resonates me a lot. But maybe that's because I've had an emotionally exhausting year. tongue

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