Soundtrack Central The best classic game music and more

the_miker May 16, 2010

Exactly what the subject says.  Just list at least one VGM track that, when you listen to it, gives you that tingly sensation known as chills.  I'm not just looking for tracks you think are amazing or ones that are instant classics, this is not a "best of VGM" thread.  I want to know what tracks physically send a chill through your body when you listen to them.  I happen to know of a bunch that do it for me but I specifically encountered three of them today.  They are:

Final Fantasy Tactics - Staff Credit
Shenmue Orchestra Version - The Morning Fog's Wave (literally almost brings me to tears)
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - "Metal Gear Solid" Main Theme (this one actually sent chills down my whole body!)

Shivers down the spine even show up in brain scans, according to research at McGill University. As chills grow in intensity, bloodflow increases between areas of the brain associated with euphoria-inducing vices like food, sex, and drugs. (source)

Bernhardt May 16, 2010 (edited May 16, 2010)

Music that gives me chills?

Anything aggressive, especially if the theme is supposed to be suggestive of such concepts of situations as "Rebellion" or "Revolution;" brain chemicals are probably being sent to whatever side of my brain is responsible for aggression whenever I listen to music like this.

For example,

"Attack" (Final Fantasy X, Disc 3, Track 14), when you're storming the headquarters of Yevon in Bevelle; the throbbing, pulsating bassline, the heroic trumpets, and the fluttering piano...ohh...

another example,

"Fuse" (Xenogears, Disc 1, Track 14), you have the sort of buzzing sound, that makes you feel like something's chasing you, and you're trying to fight it off, and the clash of the symbols, the pounding of the kettle dreams, are sort of like the sounds of you fighting against whatever's attacking you, landing a blow each time.

a third,

"Revolutionary Time" (Atelier Iris 2, Disc 2, Track 22), you have a sort of rushing water/water noise sound that composes the melody, backed predominantly with rhythmic snare drums, and a synthesized chorus, with other instruments taking the background; really gives you a feeling of fighting on the battlefield for your life, for a just cause.

Final Fantasy XIII is absolutely RIFE with these kind of themes (the soundtrack), not that I've played the game, but I can only imagine it's really political in its themes.

Ashley Winchester May 16, 2010

Bernhardt wrote:

"Fuse" (Xenogears, Disc 1, Track 14), you have the sort of buzzing sound, that makes you feel like something's chasing you, and you're trying to fight it off, and the clash of the symbols, the pounding of the kettle dreams, are sort of like the sounds of you fighting against whatever's attacking you, landing a blow each time.

I absolutely love "Fuse" but in my case I wouldn't say is sends chills down my spine, Id's "The One Who Is Torn Apart" is there to do that.

As for my own selection, my first thought was "Leon and Claire" from RE2. Still, it doesn't really seem to fit this category... there is some hopelessness in there at the beginning but as this little piece evolves it becomes a little to hopeful to qualify IMO.

"Sigma 1st" from Mega Man X6 kind of creeps me out though, in a good way.

the_miker May 17, 2010

Speaking of Xenogears, "LAHAN" from CREID gives me chills big time, another full body experience.  Once the "la la la" part kicks in, oh boy...... <3

James O May 17, 2010

Soul Blazer - God's Temple - this gave me the chills when i was young playing this on the SNES, and it isn't even a bad place in the game...

Final Fantasy IV - Golbeza Clad in the Dark - the scenes in Fabul Castle when he first appears and when the party's almost dead in the Dwarven Castle in the Underground and at his mercy were good times.... =p

Idolores May 17, 2010

Some of the deeper, more atmospheric stuff from Shadow Hearts. Astaroth (from Covenant) is a good example. That percussion . . . . lighting strikes me when it kicks in. From there, it's a ride into a darker heaven.

ZOE 2 had amazing music that I think people overlooked. Zakat is a high energy techno track that gets my hot blood hotter, for instance. Vivid Transparency is another one that I really love.

Super Metroid's Red Soil Wetlands, with it's incredibly menacing bassline does it for me all the time.

Yuvraj May 17, 2010

Oh, that would have to be Ys IV's "Temple of the Sun" (from Perfect Collection vol.3) . This might be the powerful track I've heard in vgm. And no it doesn't belong in my favorites list; I could count the number of times I've listened to this track on less than two hands. It's an experience that I savor. The whole album is godlike, but this track is the pinnacle.

Bernhardt May 17, 2010

Oh man, how could I ever forget "Bombing Mission" from Final Fantasy VII?! Chalk that one up on the list!

Daniel K May 17, 2010

Great topic! Right off the top of my head:

Lost Child: Infinia - Go Out Alone
Silent Hill 4: The Room - Wounded Warsong
Silent Hill: Homecoming - The Terminal Show
Baroque - Hold Baroque Inside
Persona 2: Innocent Sin - GOLD
Seiken Densetsu 2 - Star of Darkness
Castlevania 4 - The Waterfalls
Castlevania 4 - Dracula's Theme
American McGee's Alice - Taking Tea in Dreamland
American McGee's Alice - Fungiferous Flora
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers - EL-115
Eternal Darkness - The Chosen
Final Fantasy 3 - Eternal Wind
Final Fantasy 10 - Guadosalam
Gradius Gaiden - Crystal
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake - Frequency 140.85
Persona 4 - Heartbeat, Heartbreak
Rule of Rose - The Attic
Rule of Rose - Backbiting
Shadow Hearts - Ripper Ripper
Shin Contra - Relic of Moirai
Silent Hill 1 - Claw Finger
Silent Hill 1 - Fear of the Dark
Vandal Hearts - Village of Testha
Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen - Vorador's Mansion
Silent Hill: Origins - Deep Thought
Journey to Silius - Stage 1

Pedrith May 17, 2010 (edited May 17, 2010)

Path of the Departed, Awakened Soul, Schala's theme from CT, and although not a VGM song but one I feel that would fit well into Castlevania, Cancao Do Mar (from the Primal Fear Soundtrack).  Found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSIGWEcR5Dc

David

P.S.  Also Unknown world from Dragon Quest 1

Zane May 17, 2010

Five Words: Final Fantasy VII Main Theme.

James O May 17, 2010 (edited May 17, 2010)

few more:

Chrono Trigger's Lavos' theme, Black Omen, and Undersea Palace BGM.  Schala's theme doesn't so much give me chills, more like makes me melancholy...

vert1 May 18, 2010 (edited Jun 21, 2010)

Guilty Gear X-Awe of She
Ibara - Guardian Angel
Sailing to the World - Point of No Return
F-Zero X - Crazy Call At Cry
Persona 3 FES - Darkness
Winbee's Neo Cinema ~Evergreen side~ - Farewell

Most recent:

Senko No Ronde - North Star
Senko No Ronde - Grey Lips

Yuvraj May 18, 2010

Oh man, looking at all the replies I realize I still got the topic wrong....I'll try to answer something later.

xanadujin May 18, 2010

Would a song that just gave you goosebumps be considering "giving you chills?"  If so, then I just got it from "Blazing City Scape" from Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight Arrange Album, a track that I've seriously grown to love recently.

http://vgmdb.net/album/17532

I don't think this happens regularly for any given songs with me.  It just has to be the way it hits me at that particular moment.  I'll post more as I notice them occur.

- Justin Pfeiffer

the_miker May 18, 2010

Another one I just thought of.  FF8's Ending Theme.  The whole thing is pretty chill-inducing but mostly the "Final Fantasy" part.  That part in the ending is when the shaky cam video plays on the left while the credits are rolling off to the right.  By that time I'm already in tears from the previous FMV scenes.  There's just something about seeing a "candid video" of some of my favorite Final Fantasy characters while listening to the best arrangement of the main Final Fantasy theme ever.  In fact even right now while just playing the ending in my head, I'm getting chills.  FF8 was so good, ahhh!

Ashley Winchester May 18, 2010

I'm currently rebuilding my music library at the moment, so I'll add some more later, but for now I'll add "The Judgment of Truth" from Mega Man X Command Mission. It's kind of typical, not really special, but it attracts my attention for some reason.

Kakichi May 18, 2010

I'm pretty surprised that no one's mentioned this yet, but Aerith's theme in FFVII, reminds me of right when Sephiroth flies down to stab her.

XISMZERO May 18, 2010

Insector X (arrange album) "Farewell Insector". The moment the sax plays, almost always sends a chill down me.

Megadeth May 18, 2010

I'd also add

chrono trigger - peaceful days
zelda - serenade of water
zelda - kakariko village (alltp)
secret of evermore - cecil's town

the_miker May 20, 2010

Gran Turismo (the first one) - Freedom To Win

One of the best tracks to drive to ever.  EVER!  I start getting some massive chills at 3:30 into it, when the crazy sax finale starts.  Seriously, this track could cause me to have a car accident.

Angela May 22, 2010

the_miker wrote:

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - "Metal Gear Solid" Main Theme (this one actually sent chills down my whole body!)

I love the [original] Metal Gear Solid Main Theme as much as anyone else, but no version has come close to giving me a genuine chill than Gregson-Williams' MGS3 variation heard in the last half of MGS4's "Metal Gear Saga." 

Like MGS3's "Debriefing" take on the original Main Theme, Saga's arrangement of the newest theme is equally dignified and proud.  Saga, on the other hand, offers an even greater sense of finality; at 2:40, the fifty year tale of bipedal tanks, patriotic deception, fraternal rivalry, and bitter father/son relationships (sprawled across twenty-one years worth of games) winds down to one last send off -- a solemn salute to all the unsung heroes of our story.

Jodo Kast May 25, 2010

These may be some of the reasons why I don't have a girlfriend:

Battle - Initial Strike (Etrian Odyssey)
Labyrinth V - The Capital of Shinjuku (Etrian Odyssey)
Gunfire Beats (Gunslinger Girl)
Slaughter by the River of Souls (Turok 2)
Almost every song (Paladin's Quest)
Title Theme (Red Stone)
Cyber Cave -Sunset Clouds- (Thunder Force VI - Broken Thunder)
Club M ~Blue Sky Flute~ (King of Fighters '95)
Banquet of Nature (Samurai Spirits 3, 4)
Mirror of Heart (Samurai Spirits 3, 4)
A Peaceful Death (DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou Arrange)

Boco May 25, 2010 (edited May 25, 2010)

Jodo Kast wrote:

Battle - Initial Strike (Etrian Odyssey)
Labyrinth V - The Capital of Shinjuku (Etrian Odyssey)
Gunfire Beats (Gunslinger Girl)
Slaughter by the River of Souls (Turok 2)

Love all those songs. Great choices!

As for VGM that gives me chills, there are quite a few tracks. Some that come to mind are:

Area 88, "Cave ~ ROUND 6"
Fate / stay night [Réalta Nua], "Mighty Wind"
Final Fantasy VII, "Bombing Mission"
Final Fantasy VII, "Main Theme"
Final Fantasy VIII, "Liberi Fatali"
Final Fantasy VIII, "Ending"
Final Fasntasy IX, "Assault of the Silver Dragons"
Final Fantasy X, "Summoned Beast Battle"
Final Fantasy XI, "Airship"
Final Fantasy XI, "Castle Zvahl"
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, "Battle 3"
Final Fantasty Tactics, "Staff Credit"
Gunslinger Girl, "Blood Runner"
Gyakuten Saiban, "Pressing Pursuit ~ Cornered / Variation"
Pink Sweets, "Tigre Bianca"
Rockman 2, "Ending"
Rockman X, "Ending"
Star Fox, "Corneria"
Star Ocean: The Second Story, "Integral body and imperfect soul"
Star Ocean: The Second Story, "Star Ocean Forever"
Super Metroid, "Opening"
Xenosaga, "KOS-MOS"

And the ENITRE Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2) soundtrack. Yeah.

muddyboy May 25, 2010

One game manages to do it over and over, even though its quite old and had a very shacky MIDI sound... UFO: Enemy Unknown, known as X-COM: Ufo Defense in the US. Boy, that music was perfect, and I still remember it after all those years.

fusoya May 26, 2010 (edited May 26, 2010)

What a great topic!  This sounds like fun!

The Dreadful Fight - Final Fantasy IV
Starlight Zone - Sonic the Hedgehog
Stickerbush Symphony - Donkey Kong Country 2
Raging Sea - Crystalis
Attack Team - Final Fantasy Tactics
An Old Irish Song - Suikoden
Ending - The Legend of Zelda: ALTTP
The Moon - DuckTales
Sirius (The Dog Star) - Sol Feace
Space Armada - Star Fox
Dire, Dire Docks - Super Mario 64
Gusty Garden - Super Mario Galaxy
Flight - Xenogears
Corridors of Time - Chrono Trigger
The Cave - Castlevania 4
Roses and Wine - Final Fantasy VIII
Within the Giant - Final Fantasy IV

I may have a to make a playlist out of this. 

-Eric

Ashley Winchester May 27, 2010

I need to fo through my music and make a more comprehensive list, but I have to mention Breath of Fire II's "Nightmare":

While most people will find any comparison between Breath of Fire II and Final Fantasy VI a laughable concept, “Nightmare” is very reminiscent of Nobuo Uematsu’s “Last Dungeon” played in Kefka’s Tower. Sure, both play in their respective games final areas, but it’s their mood, or rather their message that this final leg of the journey will be arduous that brings them together. Arduous (with a side order of fear and dread) is perhaps the only way to describe “Nightmare” as its use throughout the entangled fields of Infinity helps give shape to the darkened void in which it exists. Unfortunately, as expected, the consequences of taking it out of context are about as friendly as the fiends that inhibit said void, so naturally, you won’t find yourself humming it. Still, it is a powerful track regardless.

Also, I love how creepy "Questionable Century"/"An Uncertain Millennium" is in the third game.

Raziel Jun 5, 2010

Big Battle from Digital Devil Saga. It's just so awesome.

Tim JC Jun 6, 2010

Thank you to fusoya for mentioning Stickerbrush Symphony from Donkey Kong Country 2. I've listened to most of the SNES rpg soundtracks out there, but not much outside of the rpg genre. I've never played the DK games either, so this was my first time hearing that music. Amazing sounds and harmonies which definitely gave me chills.

I just love it when I get to listen to a gem like this for the first time, because it doesn't happen that often anymore. I had to check out the rest of the music from DKC2, as well as from the other two games. Lots of good stuff there, with a handful of truly great songs that I'll be listening to on a regular basis now. I can't remember specific titles now, but two more of my favorites were "Aquatic" and "Jib Jig."

fusoya Jun 11, 2010

Tim JC wrote:

Thank you to fusoya for mentioning Stickerbrush Symphony from Donkey Kong Country 2. I've listened to most of the SNES rpg soundtracks out there, but not much outside of the rpg genre. I've never played the DK games either, so this was my first time hearing that music. Amazing sounds and harmonies which definitely gave me chills.

I'm glad I could introduce you to some great music!  Definitely some of my favorite from the SNES.

-Eric

the_miker Jun 11, 2010

Had a really "chill" experience last night with a song I haven't heard in a while.  SMALL TWO OF PIECES from Xenogears.  I seriously felt like I was high on something the whole time it was playing, and I still remembered all the lyrics.  Could very well be my favorite VGM vocal.  What a rush!

Zane Jun 11, 2010

the_miker wrote:

I seriously felt like I was high on something the whole time it was playing

That drug, which is my current narcotic of choice, is PS1-era Squaresoft VGM. Vintage shit, man.

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