Forums > Game Talk > Most touching original soundtracks
Daniel Saner (3503) on 1/6/2012 11:25 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
There are many games with great soundtracks, but I would like to hear which are the ones that you found so beautiful and emotionally touching (not in a hackneyed way) that they send shivers down your spine when you hear them even years after having played the game itself. That worked so well with the game world that it takes you right back into it, no matter where you hear it.
They should literally send shivers down your spine to qualify =) and a link to listen would be great. And only original compositions please, not licensed tracks! Here are a few that I can think of at the top of my head, and which made me want to start this thread:
Little Big Adventure 2, composed by Philippe Vachey
"Song of Gabriel"
For me, this is in its own league entirely. Hearing it immediately reminds me of one of the most beautiful game worlds and some of the most loveable characters ever created. Not to mention the amazing introduction sequence during which this is played, one of the best ever made, where Twinsen recounts how you helped save his planet, how the children you hear in the track can again play on the streets, and how he is about to start his own family. It really brings tears to my eyes! If there was just one game I would ever call really touching, this is the one.
Lost Eden, composed by Stéphane Picq
"Lost Eden Theme"
The game itself might have been one of those "please click to see the next cutscene" affairs, but boy did it have character and atmosphere. That's why I love it still, even if the gameplay is very forgettable. Stéphane Picq was a great composer and I still hope he'll make his return one day. He's currently living in Madagascar and there is some conflicting information about what exactly it is he's doing there. Just hope to hear some more of his tracks some day!
Sky Odyssey for the PS2, composed by Ōtani Kō
"On Your Way"
"Courage"
Interesting since the game didn't actually have any characters to care about, but I guess it's really the landscapes you explored that became characters in their own right. Hearing these really makes me want to revisit those fantastic worlds.
Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy, composed by Angelo Badalamenti
"Ending"
Angelo Badalamenti -- 'nuff said.
Heavy Rain, composed by Normand Corbeil
"Main Theme"
Quite frankly knew that the game was going to be great from the moment I heard this music in the trailer :o)
Mirror's Edge, composed by Rami Yacoub and Arnthor Birgirsson
"Still Alive (Instrumental)"
The vocal version I find quite obnoxiuos and bad. But the instrumental is I think one of the better game tracks of recent years. Sometimes I think this unofficial fan remix should have made it into the game as well:
Alcorus - Shine
Deus Ex, composed by several guys
"Deus Ex Main Title"
"The Synapse"
More driving, but still "touching" I think, because it has so much character. Really takes me back to that gloomy near-future world.
Patrick Bregger (303297) on 1/6/2012 11:55 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Daniel Saner wrote--]
Deus Ex, composed by several guys
"Deus Ex Main Title"
[/Q --end Daniel Saner wrote--]
This. I had tears in my eyes when I unexpectedly heard at the end of Human Revolution.
Kabushi (261374) on 1/6/2012 12:04 PM · Permalink · Report
Best soundtrack in recent years is Darren Knorb's for Bastion. Not least this piece which perfectly fits with the mood of the game.
vedder (71144) on 1/6/2012 12:06 PM · Permalink · Report
The Deus Ex main theme also ranks highly on my list.
Also some of the music in Riven, particularly Atrus' Theme I think.
One tune that will forever haunt me is the main theme of Battlefield 1942.
The main theme from Tomb Raider
Terok Nor (42723) on 1/6/2012 12:09 PM · Permalink · Report
A few come to mind immediately in the 'shivers' category.
Planescape: Torment, composed by Mark Morgan: Deionarra's Theme.
Ultima VI, composed by Todd Porter: Character Creation.
Dune, composed by Stéphane Picq: Chani's Eyes.
I'll also second (or third and fourth) Deus Ex' Main Theme.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/6/2012 2:02 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
The theme for the air show antics level from Frogger. It's always so evocative for me. It brings up a lot of intangible things from my childhood, I can't begin to adequately describe it.
Castle In the mist from ICO always draws me back into it. It as if they're sounds from another life lived long ago, not really mine, but still deeply held inside me.
The opening to Shadow of the Colossus is still the most impressive opening theme and opening I've ever witnessed. Delicate, sweeping, and powerful all at once. I well up a little each time I see it.
Also, I second Tomb Raider. That's the game that pretty much made me into the gamer I am now, and it's still one of my favorites.
Unicorn Lynx (181769) on 1/6/2012 3:40 PM · Permalink · Report
"Melodies of Life" from Final Fantasy IX by Nobuo Uematsu is a simple and rather generic pop song that nevertheless makes my heart melt. Somehow its combination with the game's narrative worked magic on me.
Most Final Fantasy music belongs to my all-time favorites. And even though I generally like Western games more than Japanese ones, in terms of music there can be no comparison. Japanese video game music is much more emotional.
CalaisianMindthief (8172) on 1/6/2012 6:22 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Divine Divinity by Kiril Pokrovsky
A Perilous Path
Run, Zandalor, Run!
Gray Matter by Robert Holmes
Never Going Back
Misleading Signs
Max Payne 2: Fall of Max Payne by Hatakka & Kajasto
Late Goodbye
Freedom Fighters by Jesper Kyd
The Battle for Freedom
Gothic II by Kai Rosenkranz
On the Way to the Monastery
The Harbor
Gothic 3 by I'm not sure
Vista Point
Nordmar
Anarchy Online by Sorlie, Linlokken and Arve Lagim
Seascape
Prince of Persia by Stuart Chatwood
Farewell Princess
Beyond Good & Evil by Christophe Heral
Home Sweet Home
Silent Hill 4: The Room by Akira Yamaoka
Room of Angel
Apropos of SH, does anyone know of the trailer included in the PC version of Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams. It rolled the first time you started the games as a type of intro. It made a deep impression on me - best combination of music and cinematics - but I can't seem to find it anywhere.
Adzuken (836) on 1/7/2012 12:01 AM · Permalink · Report
Chibi-Robo, composed by Hirofumi Taniguchi
"Abandoned Memories (The Theme of Giga-Robo)"
Chibi-Robo is a game that, at times, is sickeningly cute. However, it's a facade that belies a much darker plot. It's a story about a family falling apart with you in the middle of it. In one of the game's most emotional scenes, you find the decommissioned remains of a robot in the basement that the other toys regard with reverence. You plug yourself in, and as you begin to experience its memories leading up to its abandonment, this song creeps in.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, composed by Koji Kondo
"Last Day"
This song plays in what is easily Majora's Mask's most atmospheric moment; Clock Town is nearly deserted, the moon hangs enormous in the sky, and the clock tower's lonely bell tolls over and over again, heralding a celebration that isn't going to happen. The game's clock even switches to be more exact, so you can see exactly how much time you have left to travel back in time before the world is crushed by the heavenly body.
Super Metroid composed by Kenjo Yamamoto and Minako Hamano
"Destruction of the Space Colony"
Upon starting up Super Metroid, this is the first thing you hear along with the cries of the infant metroid. It creeps in, becoming more and more panicked, then it launches into a remix of the Metroid theme, hitting you right in the chest with a blast of bass. Best taken in with the actual intro. Metroid Prime has a rather stirring theme, as well. Almost makes me want to play it again.
Mother 3 composed by Shōgo Sakai
"Confusion"
While Earthbound (Mother 2) will likely always be my favourite game in the series, it's hard to deny that Mother 3 has a more emotional plot. This sad little piano tune is played during the very scene the proves this.
Mafia composed by Vladislav Šimůnek
"Theme Song"
This piece isn't really tied with any sort of emotional scene in the game that I recall. However, I remember sitting at the main menu, listening to its shortened version over and over again. Strange that it doesn't even really have a name.
chirinea (47507) on 1/7/2012 9:05 PM · Permalink · Report
OK, let me sound the greatest stupid around, but the last time I felt shivers down my spine with a game song was when listening the loading song from Duke Nukem Forever for the first time. It doesn't qualify completely with the requirements of the thread, because listening to it again outside the game (or even in the game, for the third of fourth time) didn't produce the same effect.
I'm sorry for feeling that way when playing DNF for the first time, you can kill me now.
Slug Camargo (583) on 1/8/2012 5:18 AM · Permalink · Report
As someone mentioned before, the credits to Max Payne 2 and Sands of Time come as a mace to the heart with Late Goodbye and Time Only Knows respectively. I also liked very much the credits song for the first Mass Effect, it had this quality that really set the mood for something big that would come next, namely Mass Effect 2, which in my case started right away :P
And while on the subject of credits, I can't believe no one mentioned the awesometastic Still Alive in Portal --OK, so it's not the kind of tear-inducing emotional rollercoaster or whatever, but sometimes you can get chills down your spine out of pure awesome, and this song closed an already mind-numbingly fantastic experience with at an unpredictable high note (also, here's a version that can kick your heart's ass if that's what you want :P ).
But back to the subject at hand, I'm yet to find a soundtrack that mirrors the intensity and power of the story the way the Silent Hill 2 music does. Every single tune has its place and every one blew my socks off when they fired off, but the undisputed winners are obviously Promise and Theme of Laura (Jesus Christ, 1:45 still manages to raise every hair in the back of my heart).
Daniel Saner (3503) on 1/8/2012 12:25 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Great stuff so far =)
Here's another one I forgot, came up in the "orchestral soundtracks" discussion:
Bermuda Syndrome, composed by Jörg Martin Schwiezer
"The Forgotten Realm"
"Ijagmar Underworld"
"Bermuda Theme"
Underrated German Flashback clone. And released in 1996, this definitely came before orchestral soundtracks were common for games. I always found the music extremely beautiful. Luckily I wasn't the only one who thought so, since the game came with a soundtrack CD! And it takes me right back into that majestic, hostile rainforest world (have had a weakness for games and films located in rainforests ever since).
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/8/2012 3:31 PM · Permalink · Report
Oleg already mentioned a song from FFIX, but I have to mention Eyes On Me from FFVIII. I actually cried a little when this played during the game. It really has that much emotional punch in the game.
Unicorn Lynx (181769) on 1/8/2012 5:07 PM · Permalink · Report
I loved what Uematsu did with "Eyes of Me" - the way he turns the same theme into romantic longing or pseudo-Strauss waltz is simply great. But I don't like how Wang Fei sings it. She is too cold and "japanized" for my taste.
Somebody bring me Sisko! (8) on 1/8/2012 2:50 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I'm really not into schmaltzy music so I guess I got the OP's intentions all wrong. Whatever. Here's a selection:
The whole VGM!
Frank Klepacki, Dwight K. Okahara According to my hardline, the MT-32 version (and only this version) is the best VGM this planet has to offer; it sounds phenomenal on good equipment. Don't think of the game when listening to it, though; I usually fantasize about how a Dune game/movie based on the visual acumen of a Moebius, Caza, Bilal or Zouravliov would look like. Download the entire score here. The quality is far from optimal, but you can always rip and convert it yourself.
"Blue Mary's Blues"
Harumi Ikoma and the Neo Geo Music Performance Band Suave and sexy. Bonus video from the Neo Geo CD release right here. Too bad that Madame Ikoma's live voice is a bit too much within chipmunk territory for my tastes. Would love to get my mitts on a good live rendition of this.
"One Night in Neo Kobe City"
Konami Kukeiha Club, performed by Masahiro Itami and Masaaki Iizuka Rather famous opener. Here's a clip of the Mega CD version, complete with MobyGames logo on the cover! Release the hounds, Daniel Hawks !
"Byelomorye Dam"
Graeme Norgate and Grant Kirkhope For me, the best piece of music from the best console FPS. He aims to please.
"Focus"
nervous_testpilot I only like the second half of the track. Oh, and think away the shitty ethereal vocals if something like that is not your forte. Listen here.
"Spice Opera"
Exxos (Philip Ulrich and Stéphane Picq) I think Picq is largerly a hack, but the signatory track of Exxos's Spice Opera is a thing of beauty. Click here for the superior album version and here for the PC version of the original VGM.
"Main Theme"
Terry Scott Taylor Makes me smile.
"Subtune 1-9" on MOS Technology Type 6581R2 SID
Chris Hülsbeck My favourite video game chip tune.
"Match Music 1"
Kazuo Sawa My second favourite video game chip tune.
EDIT: Can't believe I forgot one my guitar faves!
"Red Dawn" (Theme)
Petr Mores and ?
If anyone has some more info it would be appreciated.
Enjoy.
Pseudo_Intellectual (66423) on 1/8/2012 9:48 PM · Permalink · Report
it sounds phenomenal on good equipment.
It's disheartening to realise just how young Frank was when he wrote these killer tunes.
I usually fantasize about how a Dune game/movie based on the visual acumen of a Moebius, Caza, Bilal or Zouravliov would look like.
I gather you're aware of the cancelled Jodorowsky adaptation Moebius was involved with?
Somebody bring me Sisko! (8) on 1/10/2012 12:22 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]I gather you're aware of the cancelled Jodorowsky adaptation Moebius was involved with?[/Q --end Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--] Yeah. Seen the colored character concepts on the internet... and was quite surprised after checking out the bonus content of Severin's release of Santa sangre; there's a docu piece titled La Constellation Jodorowsky on it, showing Jedorowsky flipping through a two-finger thick book of Moebius's concept drawings and storyboards for Dune like it's cool. Print that sucker!
Here's a link to the Dune segment from La Constellation Jodorowsky for interested parties.
Cindy Roberts (32) on 1/23/2012 1:56 AM · Permalink · Report
I have quite the game soundtrack collection, including several Zeldas, Xenogears, lots of the Final Fantasy series, Vagrant Story, Assassin's Creed, some goofier things like the Katamari Damacy songs, and the odd Street Fighter SING!! songs, but some of the really beautiful stuff is from Braid.
I don't know if the Braid soundtrack is all original, I thought I read before that pre-existing songs were collected for it. But it's a soundtrack I really enjoy, with some great songs, such as this one, The Lullabye Set.
But - here's what I really want to talk about! Memoro de la Stono from Final Fantasy XIV! The first time I ever heard this was at the Distant Worlds concert in Houston last year, and it's quickly become one of my favorite songs from the series!
ooh - you know what I just thought of -- the main theme from RE Outbreak!. Another soundtrack I listen to quite often, it's chilling and pretty somber for a RE game.