Exactly a year ago I asked this same question and discovered and listened to a lot of people's picks and really enjoyed it.
Now I want to ask the same question again, for the people that have joined SG this last year, or just for anyone who discovered a new game soundtrack that they really enjoyed.
And even if you have answered a year ago, and you don't have a new favorite, you are welcome to put the same song again, consistency is great :D
If you can't pick just one, feel free to pick more!

Last time my picks were Hydrogen from Hotline Miami and I Shall Rise from Rise of the Tomb Raider. And while these two are still my favorite, this year I played the remake of the first Mafia, and absolutely fell in love with the 1920s-1940s Jazz music from the in-game radio. I've been using them to go to sleep, or just to chill a lot these past few months. Lost Heaven Radio and WBDS Radio.
And once again, bonus points if it's an original score!

Last year's thread

1 year ago*

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1 year ago
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That DMC5 song is awesome. Would be very "playlist-able" if there is a shorter version.

1 year ago
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well, maybe this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzoMK9-q8zo
also Devil Trigger is kinda catchy

1 year ago
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That version is better indeed.

1 year ago
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Bloodborne - Cleric Beast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICSk8-pJkX8
Yakuza 0 - 24 Hour Cinderella: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOXzhXKMQIU
Yakuza 7: Like A Dragon - Machine Gun Kiss (Adachi version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUmPC1SfvYA&t=107s

1 year ago
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Wanted to say about the first Yakuza song that it would be a fantastic Karaoke song, but then I checked the other Yakuza song and I was proven right :D

1 year ago
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I.... might have learned the words to machine gun kiss so i can sing along. Haven't done the same with 24-hour Cinderella cos it's faster and I am not good at the language, lol. But even when half-gibberish, v fun to sing!

Here's the same character/voice actor as 24-Hr Cinderella doing another karaoke masterpiece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEl2K4BOYo8

1 year ago
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Pyre's end credit song.

Problem is I cant share it directly as its a custom song depending on the choices you made through the game.

And exactly because of that its such a personal experience!

1 year ago
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Oh and for a more jazzy vibe the entire Va-11 hall-A ost is amazing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeIii1hIvRI

Its a soundtrack i deeply love. Got the vinyls and cds for it!

1 year ago
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Maybe I'll listen to it all at some point, just skipping through however, between all the high-beat, energic tracks, I did find the chill, jazzy gem from 2:14:48, and I absolutely love it.
Edit: Forgot to mention the artwork, it's so pretty!

1 year ago*
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City of Tears from Hollow Knight is probably my favourite.

1 year ago
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Hollow Knight has a pretty solid sound track overall!

1 year ago
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Big fan of Halo I see. They always did great with their soundtracks, pitty the game franchise is being slowly killed by incapable management of the game.
Also, props for the Ori song, both games have astounding soundtracks.

1 year ago
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Yep!
One think what Halo always is good: OST nailed every time
Thanks to Ori: BF OST I played Ori (I first heard OST later played game) and I fall in love in Ori series. And extra I started following Gareth Coker OSTs: inMomentum, Ark: Survival Evolved, immortal fenyx rising, Halo: infinite have so good OSTs

1 year ago
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Even more Final Fantasy songs, starting to see a pattern in these replies :D
Paranormasight's song is really nice, gives those tavern vibes and feels.
And that Ender Lilies song is astonishing, actually me goosebumps towards the end.
Really great picks!

1 year ago
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Exapunks - EXAPUNKS This short one manages to get me pumped up for a game where you type out programs and watch them work! The rest of the soundtrack is good too if you want music to help you concentrate on a task.

1 year ago
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I like it, gotta appreciate any attempts at newer electronic songs. I feel like the genre peaked in 2013 and it's so rare nowadays to find good ones.

1 year ago
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This game has super chill soundtrack

https://store.steampowered.com/app/65300/Dustforce_DX/

1 year ago
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Final Fantasy IX - Melodies of Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye7BGnlTZmQ

1 year ago
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This one feels a lot like a Disney song, but one of those that shatter your soul while you watch a character die.

1 year ago
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I like too much all soundtrack from GT Legends, especially this one, "Groovemaster": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r2vzQQLZyU

Is an 18 year old game, but is a spectacular game, in my opinion

This soundtrack was made by a guy named Stephen Baysted. He also made the PROJECT CARS 2 soundtrack: https://open.spotify.com/album/62cnM0lwtAta5O9rUODurv

1 year ago*
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I've never been much into racing games, except for the early Need for Speed games, however, the music from them is the thing that's most memorable to me.

1 year ago
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I love racing games and I agree that early Need for Speed games are amazing and have great soundtrack

1 year ago
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Just Cause 3 - Firestarter (Intro Song)
Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines - Theme song
The Witcher 3 - Full soundtrack
World of Warcraft - Full soundtrack
Wavves - Nine Is God I add this one even if it's GTA 5 with famous songs because this one has been created for the game.
Psychonauts 1 - Full soundtrack
Psychonauts 2 - Cosmic I

Game of my childhood, not famous but amazing songs! Mr Nutz - Full soundtrack

And probably more that I don't have in mind right now.

1 year ago
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VtM always nailed it with the songs imo.
The Witcher 3 did and awesome job with everything in the game, and the soundtrack is just as good and compliments the game so well.
The Psychonauts soundtracks are really fun, I'd describe them old Looney Toons cartoons but in music form.

1 year ago
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1 year ago
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Psychonauts 1 - Whispering Rock 🎸

1 year ago
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AREfY2vNmZo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzmUde_EK5Y
I love Mirrors Edge, the first Game was one of my Main Introductions into Gaming, and even though i hate EA, im grateful that they gave the Franchise atleast another Chance, which was very unexpected.

1 year ago
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I wanted to give Mirrors Edge a try for quite some time but didn't get the chance to. The songs from the game are were in many people's top picks last year.

1 year ago
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You should definetly check them out when you can, i do admit, the Story isnt groundbreaking, but in Combination with the Parkour and feeling of being free in this supressed World is magical to me.

1 year ago
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Mass Effect is such a masterpiece overall. It is the last game I've ever acquired using the high seas many years ago, and I loved it so much that I still feel kinda bad for it. At some point, I'll buy the remastered games and replay them. I would feel worse about it if it weren't EA the ones to publish it.

1 year ago
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I agree. I have spent more than 500 hours playing the trilogy and still I never saw how the game plays as Renegade character, because I love the characters so much, that I am just unable to behave badly to them. :-D But the whole trilogy was created with so much heart and attention to detail that it became one of the most memorable games I have ever played. I already bought the Legendary Edition and I am looking forward to replay it one more time.

And for the Talos Principle - I love puzzle games and still this game was even better than I expected. Anyone with at least some love for puzzles should play it, because it will give you so much more.

1 year ago
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Haha, same here, I'd go and talk to everyone on the crew after every quest just to make sure I keep my relationships with them possitive.

1 year ago
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I've never played the game, but always keep this song in my car's playlist 😎

Desert Child: Once A Dead Man

Also ❀️ for this

Civilization IV :Baba Yetu

1 year ago*
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That saxophone (at least I think it's a sax, might be a trumpet and I just can't differentiate it) is so good!
And there's not much more to say about Baba Yetu, it's an instant classic.

1 year ago
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Damn you took me down a really big memory lane, and I may have wrongly interpreted your question 😁

As I really can't decide what's the best (X), I'll drop a list but limit it to games that were released before the year 2000 so I don't take too long.... 3 hours later: (X)eh I could but this was more fun

Lost Eden - Lost Eden Soundtrack
Chrono Trigger - The Trial (among a LOT of excellent tracks, this was at the top)
Chrono Cross - Radical Dreamers
Transport Tycoon Deluxe - Stoke It (as it's a MIDI soundtrack there are different representations of this song, this is the closest as I remember it)
Neverhood - Skat Radio (this was a VERY hard decision to make as the whole soundtrack is something beautiful)
Grim Fandango - Companeros (Casino Calavera also, Casino Interior in the original, just wanted to put a different song)
Interstate '76 - Interstate '76 Theme
Jazz Jackrabbit - Theme
Super Mario Bros - Overworld Theme
Warcraft II - Human 2
Red Alert - Hell March most music by Frank Klepacki is awesome
Command & Conquer - Just Do It Up
Raptor: Call Of The Shadows - One
Tyrian - Gyges
Realms of Arkania 2: Star Trail - Generation
Unreal Tournament 99 - Razorback
Theme Hospital - Night Shift
System Shock 2 - Medsci 1
The Secret of Monkey Island - Introductions
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge - Largo LaGrande
Monkey Island 3: The Curse of Monkey Island - A Pirate I Was Meant To Be
Doom - At Doom's Gate (E1M1) (do yourself a favor - listen, and watch, DootDoot Band's versions of e1m1 and e2m1)
Duke Nukem 3D - Grabbag
Grand Theft Auto Da Shootaz - Joyride (most of the soundtrack is great)
Wolfenstein 3D Get Them Before They Get You
Diablo Town

Some music from games that I don't know if i really like them or they're burned in my brain because of how much I played through them 🀣
Tetris (Tengen) - Troika
Contra - Jungle Theme
Bucky O'Hare - Green Planet
Binary Land - Stage Theme
Wacky Wheels - Dream

Non-original score:
Carmageddon 2 - Iron Maiden - Man On The Edge 🀘
FIFA Road To World Cup '98 - The Crystal Method - Busy Child (skipping Blur - Song 2 as it's the title song)
FIFA '99 - Dylan Rhymes - Naked And Ashamed (intentionally not putting Fatboy Slim here as I expect his song to be well known)

side note: I wonder in what proportion the emotions felt while playing the games are linked to fondly remembering certain songs and how much does the repetition influence it

1 year ago*
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Omg, I don't think I could come up with this many game songs on my own even if you gave me a day. Kudos for this.
The Chrono Cross song transports me right back in time reminding me of the obscure anime shows and Korean movies that were on the TV from time to time.
Stoke It feels like it's taken straight out of a scene from the Pink Panther :D
The Grim Fandango soundtrack is great, I've listened to more tracks from it and it's just right. Maybe because it also uses a lot of Brass instruments and I have a weak spot for them
The Jazz Jackrabbit music is unforgettable if you've ever played it as a kid, even more, I'd say from Jazz Jackrabbit 2. They awake some very cherished memories of mine.
For Warcraft, I gotta say I'm a bigger fan of the Frozen Throne ost, but that's also the one I've played the most. Either way, some great ones in there.
Epic's classic games have had some fantastic soundtracks. They really managed to increase your immersion in the games even when you could count the pixels from the screen on one hand. But then again, at that time, it was the technological peak, so there's not much you could've compared it to. On a very unrelated note, just because I reminded myself of this, when Far Cry 3 released, I recall thinking just how realistic and beautiful the game looked and thinking how much more can there be done with the graphics in games. Now looking back on that I realize just how foolish that thought was.
Omg, I completely forgot about Monkey Island, but I do remember, very vaguely, that first song.
That Doom song is unforgettable, however.
GTA 1 and GTA 2 I remember finding out they even exist quite late, funnily enough, quite randomly while at a friend's house, discovering both of them on his computer, even he was shocked they were on there, and that they existed in the first place. Good to know Rockstar has done a good job with their music since the beginning.
And for the Fifa songs, I consider that they always did a good job at picking the right songs to play in the menu. Same foes for PES. I lost interest in both of these games long ago, but when I did play them, starting with the 2006 versions and up until 2012 or 2013, I always enjoyed the menu music.

I believe that the songs themselves play a much bigger role in bringing back the memories and emotions from playing the game than vice versa. Often times certain songs will resurface old, happy memories that were long gone and forgot they even ever existed.
Apologies for eating up 3 hours of your time today, but I hope you actually enjoyed this time and got to relieve for a moment feels from very long ago ^^

1 year ago
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Generally I feel many older games have a kind of... better tune, at least comparing to a certain period in videogame history when all you had was bland atmospherical music or commercial songs. That's no longer an issue now as people in the industry have learned the importance of music to the game enhancement and general ability to better commit the game, and certain events, to memory. However we'll find that out next year (if I don't miss your thread then) when I plan to cover the period of 2000-2009, where a lot of my music taste was expanded.

The whole Transport Tycoon soundtrack is like that, somewhat simple jazz-funk (ragtime? don't quite know the genres), the best choice IMO for that style of game. You can even find songs played with different MIDI engines, although the original is the original for me

You have those experiences with Far Cry 3, but when the original Far Cry one came out... that was a mind-blowing event considering the graphical fidelity.
FIFA had mostly great picks for soundtracks (EA generally as they were able to afford it) but for PES, I haven't played anything past 2008 so I wouldn't know. Football (Soccer) games really went down in quality after 2012, the inclusion of monetization really tanked the potential of the genre. Now I just play either arcade style soccer or return to my good old PES6 that I played for an exorbitant amount of time πŸ˜†

I see you haven't commented on Neverhood, if you like wacky point'n'clicks this is a must play IMHO. The whole game is made with claymation and the weird humor really complements the style. Most of its soundtrack is wacky with voices played as acoustical instruments and has a really fun and upbeat style. This is one of the rare soundtracks that I listen to more for the music than the recollection of past memories

And yeah I agree with you on that, music is a greater vessel for emotional remembrance of the game than anything else.

As for the time, don't mind that. Anything you enjoy doing was time well spent, and I really enjoyed reminiscing 😊

1 year ago
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About Neverhood I was gonna say that it's one of the stranger ones in all of the songs in the thread, which is not a bad thing, I like the jazziness of it, went back to it now and looked through some more of the game's songs to see if they all follow the same style, with wacky random voices and really nice jazz instrumentals. I see why you like it so much, it's fun and energizing.

1 year ago
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Grand Theft Auto Da Shootaz - Joyride (most of the soundtrack is great)

I miss original songs in gta. didn't care for the ost of the first game but gta2 had a ton of excellent stuff, then nothing since love fist in vice city, I don't think.

1 year ago
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Yeah, a lot has changed since the DMA and early Rockstar days. I like the inclusion of real songs, radio personalities and custom radio but original songs were fun.
As most large companies do, maybe it was cheaper and faster to just buy rights to existing songs.

On the other hand if Doom, Skyrim and a ton of other games can get a great original soundtrack, what's a few extra million in cost for something that can leave a large mark on the reception of a game (GTA5 was rumoured to have around 150 million marketing budget)

1 year ago
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I think a score is different, probably because most of the time I barely notice it and rarely enjoy it outside a game/movie, but of course it still has to be composed and there are memorable pieces for sure. and I have a feeling most people prefer licensed tracks, familiar stuff. I don't mind them either, plus can always find new 'real' songs/bands while playing. it's also less effort from the music people and money is easier to throw around, yet even 2k/rockstar won't pay for a lifelong license and just removes songs years later.

1 year ago
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I have a few, but always liked ths one:
Wolfenstein: The New Order - I Believe - Melissa Hollick

1 year ago
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This one feels like one of those outro credits songs from a game that you enjoyed a lot and leaves you empty feeling while you stare at the credits rolling. Hope I am right :D At least that's how I felt after Rise of the Tomb Raider, and is the reason why "I shall rise" I one of my favorite game songs.

1 year ago
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One of my favorites:
Deus Ex HR - Icarus - Main Theme

1 year ago
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Icarus is great, you're not the first one to pick it :D

1 year ago
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Here are a few of my favorites.

Killer7: Rave On, Dissociative Identity
Mewgenics: Eatin Rats!
Shenmue: Tomato mart theme
Bubble Bobble: Main theme
Deadly Premonition: Life is Beautiful, Miss Stiletto Heels (Piano Solo)
Doom: E1M3, E1M4 - Kitchen Ace (And Taking Names), E2M6 - Sinister
Diablo Everything lol
Mega Man 3 Everything, once again. This is the first MM game I played, so it has a ton of nostalgia. The rest of the NES Mega Man games also have superb OSTs.
Faxanadu

I'll edit more in, as I go through my soundtracks.

1 year ago*
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A lot of retro games soundtracks, I like it, the Doom songs especially.
And that song from Mewgenics is nice. Never heard of the game, but this song is really wacky fun.

1 year ago
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Mewgenics is a new game from Edmund McMillen, so it's going to be wild for sure. It's basically cat D&D.

1 year ago
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1 year ago
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machinae supremacy made an awesome cover of gerudo valley a few years ago.

1 year ago
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1 year ago
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This FF song is probably my favorite one so far out of all the Final Fantasy songs that people picked.
The Kingdom Hearts song surprised me a little, it's not the kind of song you'd usually expect to hear in games.
I only just finished Bioshock Infinite a couple of months ago and the DLCs just 2 days ago, I've already listened to that song a few times as well, great pick!
The GotG song is a banger. I heard the game is pretty good, nice to see the music is also great.
The Borderlands 3 songs were quite a trip, going from the chill, country song straight to that dubstep/electronic/metal one was unexpected :D

1 year ago
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1 year ago
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Right now: Hypercube from the Ancient Aliens soundtrack https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGdvDMGiopg&t=2157s&ab_channel=Zdenda1990

1 year ago
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To the moon was mentioned before in this thread by 00david00. The sequel Finding Paradies has a good one too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F0-q1jeReY

1 year ago
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I like it, I'm not sure what I'd associate it to, but it's fit for a specific mood you find yourself in every once in a while.

1 year ago
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Children of the Elder God - Alan Wake
Build That Wall - Bastion
The Lava Tunnels Ninja Gaiden III
Crypt of the Necrodancer - Yeah, just all of it.
Diablo's Tristram theme and others. Posted already.
Theme from Solstice

1 year ago
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Even more Bastion music, I like that the music from a niche, indie game is so appreciated.

1 year ago
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1 year ago
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CP77 - David themeπŸ˜… Now when I hear "WHO'S READY FOR TOMORROW" by Rat Boy & IBDY allways see David from CP: Edgerunners

1 year ago
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same! such a good show and a great fun song

1 year ago
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Elder Scrolls always had a good soundtrack, and the TLOU theme is in my top picks as well :D

1 year ago
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1 year ago
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