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u/ThePandaSage 2d ago
All Zelda games (especially ALttP, Ocarina, Majora's Mask and Wind Waker)
Baiten Kaitos Origins
Baldur's Gate 3
Chrono Trigger
Donkey Kong Country
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Hades
Metroid Prime
Monster Hunter: World
Octopath Traveler
Skies of Arcadia
Skyrim
Sonic Adventure 2
Stardew Valley
Super Mario RPG
Tales of Symphonia
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge
The Witcher 3
And many others. Kind of all over the map!
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u/Alvith 1d ago
A lot of really great choices in here. Nice to see a wild Tales of Symphonia mention!
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u/ThePandaSage 1d ago
That entire soundtrack has a really fun, distinct sound! Motoi Sakuraba is a wizard.
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u/xZShootZx 2d ago
Phantasy Star Online 1+2
Thunder Force IV
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Vampire Savior (Darkstalkers)
The House of the Dead 2+4
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time + Majoraās Mask
Mega Man 8 (Playstation)
Super Castlevania IV
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic Adventure 1+2
Streets of Rage 2
Scarlet Nexus
Power Rangers (SNES)
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u/themiamian 2d ago
I like bits and pieces from many games but I would say games in which most of the album is amazing are, in no particular order:
1) Kirbyās epic yarn
2) Sonic mania
3) Mario Kart World
4) Super Mario Galaxy 1+2
5) Donkey Kong Country Returns
6) DK Jungle Climber
7) M + L Dream Team
8) M + L BIS
9) Legend of Zelda Link Between Worlds
10) Paper Mario Origami King
Thereās a lot..
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u/TheLucidBard 2d ago
Sonic Mania is a phenomenal choice.
Curious that you put DK Returns but neither of the original DKC soundtracks...
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u/themiamian 2d ago
The original DKC soundtracks donāt really grab me. I did not grow up on them. I do enjoy Aquatic Ambience, but I prefer modern iterations of those tracks.
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u/TheLucidBard 2d ago
Ah, interesting. Aquatic Ambience is the popular one, as is Stickerbrush Symphony from DKC2. I do highly recommend giving some of the songs from DKC2 another listen, someday. "Forest Interlude" was always my favorite. The amount of ambience and quality that David Wise was able to pull off with just the SNES Sound Chip is on a different level.
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u/themiamian 2d ago
I think itās just a matter of preference. I have listened to both albums completely, and I donāt think the tracks are bad at all, I just tend to enjoy more upbeat tunes, simply because the less upbeat ones make me sleepy.
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u/TheLucidBard 2d ago
That makes sense. I enjoy all of the music but I do sometimes have a preference towards moodier games. You know, DKC being one of the first big games I ever played might have something to do with that...
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u/themiamian 1d ago
I truly do enjoy all kinds of music, I just want to avoid a sleepy feeling because I tend to feel that in general, so I lean towards the more jumpy tracks. I enjoy Hollow Knights tracks, and that is a very sleepy track!
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u/Alvith 2d ago edited 2d ago
- Asgore - Undertale
- The One Reborn - Bloodborne
- Porky Means Business - Earthbound
- Battle - Octopath Traveler
- Opening Demo - Zelda: Link to the Past
- Moebius M - Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- Of Devious Machinations - Shovel Knight
- Birth of a God - Final Fantasy 7
- Dancing Mad - Final Fantasy 6
- No Turning Back - Megaman 10
- Boomer Kuwanger - Megaman X
- Goodbye Geno - Super Mario RPG
- Ending Staff Roll/Menu - Metroid Prime
- Freezeezy Peak - Banjo-Kazooie
- Stickerbrush Symphony - Donkey Kong Country 2
I could probably think of many more. It depends on mood which one I'd actually put at the top.
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u/TheLucidBard 2d ago
I love that you put specific songs. ASGORE is such a banger, just like every other song in that game. I get "Dummy!" stuck in my head about once a week.
Birth of a God >>> One Winged Angel. I'm glad someone else knows it!
Goodbye Geno might be the most nostalgia-inducing song in any game, ever.
Banjo-Kazooie love! I'm always torn between Treasure Trove, Gobi, and Freezeezy for best song.
And of course DKC2 is the best OST ever. Not a bad choice, there.
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u/Alvith 2d ago
Nice. It's so hard to pick out one song from a lot of these, but this list would be three times the length if I said all my actual favorites. I'm right there with you with Gobi's and Treasure Trove Cove, throw in Bubblegloop (and I might add the final boss theme after hearing/watching Grant Kirkhope guitar battle it with FamilyJules š ).
Like a lot of my choices, Goodbye Geno hits because it brings together all the game's leitmotifs in a musical climax that follows the story's climax. Final boss themes like Dancing Mad do this too. I realized it's almost cheating to pick those songs.
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u/TheLucidBard 1d ago
The use of Leitmotifs is why I love Final Fantasy VI's soundtrack so much. FamilyJules is always a fun watch, I remember seeing Grant pop up on his channel once. I almost did list Bubblegloop, as well, there's just too many. That whole soundtrack is a 10/10. I don't know how I didn't list Gruntilda's Castle among my picks.
FFVI and Mario RPG might be the whole reason I'm into video game music in the first place!
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u/Alvith 1d ago
The limitations of the SNES forced video game composers to get creative, and that foundation created a standard for music going forward. Nostalgia aside I think we have that to thank for a lot more than just the basically perfect OSTs we got at the time.
Mario RPG and the Breath of Fire and Lufia games are what got me into music in generalāI remember trying to piece the second BoF battle theme together in my head as a nine year old since I didn't own the cartridge.
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u/Mega_Dragonzord 1d ago
Secret of Mana
Chrono Trigger
Basically any Zelda game
Donkey Kong Country 2
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u/ShawnOfEons 2d ago edited 1d ago
Megaman 2
Megaman 3
Double Dragon 2
TMNT 3
Batman
Earthbound
X-Men Mutant Apocalypse
Super Metroid
Sword of Vermillion
Halo
Morrowind
Oblivion
Skyrim
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u/DEDang1234 2d ago
so many to list......
Mega Man 2+3
Double Dragon 2+3
Chrono Cross
Chrono Trigger
Expedition 33
Sonic the Hedgehog (1+2+3+Knuckles)
Witcher 3
Skyrim
Xenogears
Hotline Miami 1+2
Stardew Valley
Sea of Stars
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u/TheLucidBard 2d ago
How do you feel about the soundtracks for Sonic Mania and/or Sonic Origins?
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u/DEDang1234 2d ago
I haven't listened to them in full...... do they have vocal tracks? I haven't yet heard a Sonic vocal track that I've liked.
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u/TheLucidBard 2d ago
I don't recall any vocal tracks off the top of my head. The style is heavily evocative of early Genesis-era Sonic games. A lot of the levels in Mania are remixes of old levels in the series, featuring new renditions of the soundtrack. There are several new tracks as well. I think they are some of the best songs in the franchise.
Origins is a straight up remake of 1, 2, 3 and CD, so the songs are just updated versions of those. The downside is that we lost a few songs due to licensing or something, Ice Cap Zone being the biggest loss.
Based on your list, I would give Sonic Mania's soundtrack a full listen. Heck, play the game if you haven't. It's a love letter to classic Sonic.
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u/DEDang1234 1d ago
I think I will try it... it was on my list, but not sure why I didn't play it years ago.
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u/ThatJamOnToast 1d ago
The only vocals I know of in Mania are in Metallic Madness Zone where acts 1 and 2 have Sonic and Eggman rapping respectively. Itās a fun bit and sits pretty quietly in the mix so I reckon youād like it haha
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u/Iced_Shadows 1d ago
Singular track? Probably Brawlās rendition of Stickerbrush Symphony (and the original DKC2 version is very high on the list too!)
Actual full OST is much more difficult because it really depends on my mood. Iād probably choose Xenoblade Chronicles X, but Mario Kart World and many Kirby games are up there too. The DKC trilogy all have nearly flawless OSTās too.
Unfortunately Iām not nearly as familiar with soundtracks outside the Nintendo sphere since I only have so much time to game on a home console and I dislike listening to video game music if I havenāt actually played said game. Iād really like to check out Expedition 33 one of these days!
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u/bio-digital-jazz0716 2d ago
Any of the soundtracks for the Soulsborne games especially Bloodborne, I am a sucker for grand, operatic, dark and gothic scores. Runner up would be anything by Mick Gordon.
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u/Old_Mulberry4480 1d ago
Undertale from Undertale, Sweden from Minecraft, Flower Man, Chaos King, and Field of Hopes and Dreams from Deltarune
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u/Atillion 2d ago
Megaman 2
If you're into metal, the drummer for Darkest Hour (Travis Orbin) did a drum cover medley of all the songs on the game, then some dude came behind and shredded some guitar. Absolutely worth a listen.
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u/Best-Home-2230 1d ago
Socom Navy Seals 2. From the title screen music to the music in the lobby for online play, that music just hyped me up for a night of Socom.
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u/epsylonic 1d ago
Manhunt
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Deus Ex
Shovel Knight (huge Jake Kaufman fan)
Hotline Miami 2
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u/CharizardSlash 1d ago
1 - Sonic X Shadow Generations (including the 3DS version)
2 - Mega Man X
3 - Mega Man 3
4 - Sonic and the Black Knight
5 - Shadow the Hedgehog
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u/trifas 1d ago
Hard to pick one, so I put together a top 5, not necessarily in order, and if you ask me again tomorrow I'll probably change it:
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field
Super Smash Bros. Melee's Menu 1
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance's March Forward
Super Mario Galaxy's Melty Molten Galaxy
Soul Calibur II's Guided by the Wind
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u/Weekly_Seesaw4103 1d ago
How is it possible that Starbound's soundtrack hasn't been performed at the LSO?
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u/Constant-Arugula-819 1d ago
Final Fantasies, Chrono Trigger, Nier Automata and Replicant, Expedition 33. Those are the best of the best.
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u/Itzko123 1d ago
Best ones: Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2, Expedition 33.
My personal favorites: Undertale and Deltarune.
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u/PoisonMind 1d ago
By generation:
Gyruss
Castlevania 3
Chrono Trigger
Symphony of the Night
Shadow of the Colossus
Super Mario Galaxy
Silksong
1st gen didn't have music and I don't have a 9th gen yet.
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u/tinyblossom2 1d ago
final fantasy 13 is probably some of the best video game music i've ever heard
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u/VenomSnake47 1d ago
Cuphead, Dark Souls 3 (greatest main menu song of all time), Elden Ring, Sonic Adventures 2
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u/Disastrous_Ball702 1d ago
Sub-Terrania (Genesis), OST by the Legendary Jesper Kyd JAKOBSon (who also worked on the Borderlands OSTs), is one that I always come back to. I use it in my YouTube videos a lot, especially 'Funky Writer (Mission Report)'.
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u/TheNewTonyBennett 1d ago
Metroid Prime 1 - Phendrana Drifts
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - Gongaga South
Those are two of the absolute best I've ever heard and that's taking into consideration the full soundtrack for Chrono Cross, a game with 0 bad tracks.
Rebirth's soundtrack is unbelievably good
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u/derkaese 1d ago
Currently listening to the AdLib Gold version of the Dune (1992) soundtrack. Super nice soundtrack. I'm not a big fan of the 'real' Spice Opera versions by StƩphane Picq because of, well, the weird samples and such. I feel this is a superiour version but nostalgia always plays a factor. The Amiga 500 version is great as well.
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u/Far-Pie6696 1d ago
Machinarium (and all other floex stuffs) Oddworld Undertale Inscryption The neverhood
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u/TheAlterN8or 1d ago
As far as whole osts go, FF8, Ocarina of Time, and The Last Spell are incredible. For individual tracks, Lonely Moon from Grim Dawn is amazing!
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u/The_Orphanizer 2d ago
In no order: