Hey! I wrote this thread for another forum a while ago, but I thought it might be interesting to share it here as well, as this forum is largely about video game music, after all. :)
Hi, it's me again!
I've had this idea for a while now, but never made it, and thought somebody would've beat me to it by now. But apparently not.
I'm interested, though: what's your favourite soundtrack per platform? Obviously, you'll probably only be able to list those for platforms you know quite a few soundtracks on.
Keep in mind there are many soundtracks I don't know very well, but if I see any soundtracks on somebody's list I haven't fully listened to yet, I hope to check them out!
This would be my own list at the moment:
Nintendo Entertainment System: Super Mario Bros., Koji Kondo. With only the most basic of tools at his disposal, Kondo succeeded in creating a soundtrack that wouldn't get repetitive and would stay fun even after 30 years!!
Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Donkey Kong Country 2, David Wise. This soundtrack is totally genius. Such a masterpiece, with many different themes, and for all, the atmosphere was set flawlessly. Stunning stuff.
Gameboy: Super Mario Land, Hirokazu Tanaka. So simple at its core, yet so incredibly well executed. These tunes are timeless.
Atari ST: Lotus III: The Ultimate Challenge, Patrick Phelan. I love the ST's soundchip, and Phelan made the most out of it for this soundtrack, I think. All themes are awesome.
Playstation: Rayman, Rémi Gazel. A very impressive soundtrack. That's what it is.
Gameboy Color: Wario Land 3, Kozue Ishikawa. With very basic building stones, Kozue Ishikawa put very much thought into every one of her tunes. And as I learn more about music, I keep getting astonished by what went into these pieces.
Nintendo 64: Super Mario 64, Koji Kondo. Koji Kondo did it again. With some remixes, and many entirely new ideas, he composed another wonderful experience.
PC: SimCity 3000, Jerry Martin et al. This soundtrack features both new-age and jazz music, and both styles were captured perfectly, to my ears. Every single theme is unique, and it'd be hardly possible to choose a favourite, as every single one is a masterpiece and a great work of art.
Gameboy Advance: Mario Kart Super Circuit, Kenichi Nishimaki et al. Unfortunately these themes had to be compressed quite a bit to get onto the GBA, but when ripped they still sound great. The samples are very nice, the melodies, base lines, drums et cetera are super cool, and the whole thing simply fits very well together.
GameCube: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Kenta Nagata et al. A very well-crafted soundtrack, with a lovely atmosphere.
Wii: Super Mario Galaxy, Mahito Yokota, Koji Kondo. This soundtrack is grand. It's definitely worthy of the grand game. Very beautiful.
Wii U: Yoshi's Woolly World, Tomoya Tomita, Misaki Asada. The soundtrack to Yoshi's Island, composed by Koji Kondo, is one of my favourite soundtracks of all time. This soundtrack beat it. It has quite a high number of themes, and they're all amazing. Some cute, some happy, some scary, some awesome; all very, very well-made. Great job.
It was nice writing that, but I'm also interested in reading other lists! Don't worry, they don't need to be as detailed as this one. :P
Is it OK if we talk about our favourite OSTs but not by platform?
I'm really tired right now, so I might change some of these later, but this is what I can remember off the top of my head. I'll probably finish adding stuff in within the next couple of days. A lot of these also end up being my favorite games by platform as well, though there are some exceptions.
NES
The Guardian Legend (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyfSdJ0a1w4)
This game is a very interesting game, even if it's not perfect, it does a lot of interesting things I think could make for a very amazing game if they were refined (not that it's a bad game at all in its current state, let me make clear). Although I'd normally just go for a more "conventional" pick, I've found myself warming up to the soundtrack, especially as I myself have composed several tracks in the style of and/or greatly influenced by this game's soundtrack (and ones I'm still very proud of!).
Close Picks: The Legend of Zelda / Metroid
SNES
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRxgYC5zrV4)
I first came across this game when I was very young through the GBA re-release. From the beginning, this is not only a very charming, but also a very engrossing soundtrack, and simply amazing.
Close Picks: Super Metroid / Super Mario World
N64
Majora's Mask (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhRImdUT06Y)
While I'm not really as much of a fan of Majora's Mask overall, one thing it probably does better than Ocarina of Time (coughoneoftheonlythingscough) is the soundtrack. It generally has a much more menacing and atmospheric feel overall, and the Boss Battle theme is still probably one of my favorite video game songs of all time.
Close Picks: Perfect Dark / Ocarina of Time
Gameboy
Metroid II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIhOVLYFp3Q)
One of the most underappreciated Metroid games (and the one most in need of a remake), but it definitely doesn't lack in its soundtrack. Although a little bit seemingly overly cheery at times, the darker, more atmospheric parts of this soundtrack are what makes it appeal to me so much. Plus, the main tunnels theme itself it amazing.
Gameboy Color
Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-UUtff_ZTQ)
Best Pokemon games. 'Nuff said.
GBA
Wario Land 4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOcP6hmPjM4)
Though this is one of the GBA games that doesn't seem to get as much attention compared to others, Wario Land 4 is really an amazing game (and it uses the same engine as Metroid Fusion; pretty cool, huh?). Its soundtrack is also super great, super fun, and super weird as well. Definitely the best Wario Land game; can't wait until WarioWare stops being a thing (I mean, it's not BAD, just not a good use of Wario's potential).
DS:
3DS:
PS1
Final Fantasy VII (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlfGch8mGhg)
Let's be honest, a Final Fantasy game being on here shouldn't be surprising at all. I have played this game since my childhood, and its soundtrack is one of the most amazing out there, even being a standout among Final Fantasy soundtracks. Everything works so well and just makes the game all that more amazing.
PS2:
PS3
LittleBigPlanet 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATqcvIAzOnI&list=PL0DEF1F9089CD1308)
Both of the first two LBP games are full of great songs; what I like so much about this OST is that it's a mix or original songs and songs lifted from other places, which really helps to further the whole "mishmash" feel of the game. It's hard to pick a favorite of the two, but overall, I'd say the second one, overall, has a more consistent soundtrack, with standouts like A Fifth of Beethoven, Sleepyhead, Ghosts, The Factory Of A Better Tomorrow Theme, and so many others (like Ballet Shoes a.k.a. You Look So Pretty, which was in the adventure trailer but NOT IN THE ACTUAL GAMEEEEE).
PS4
Axiom Verge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0kSc8hHzAM)
I have soooo many good things to say about Axiom Verge. It's a great game, and you can tell how much effort was put into the soundtrack to really nail the atmosphere. From the beginning, it draws you in to this mysterious, unique world. I could write a whole ARTICLE on Axiom Verge; it's so great because it's so much like Metroid but also SO MUCH NOT LIKE METROID! FSFSFWFQFFWS.
Sega Genesis
Mega Turrican (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70DLsXjGE4I)
Mega Turrican. MEGA TURRICAN. I cannot express how much I truly love this soundtrack. I mean it. It's probably grown to be my favorite video game soundtrack of all time. Everything about it is so amazing and perfect and I just love it. The cheap, "poppy" sound gurgled out by the pushed-to-the-absolute-limits sound card of the Genesis (bless you yamaha ym2612, you did your duty) just gives the music such a FEEEEEEEEL to it that can't be replicated or topped even by objectively superior sound quality (see: Super Turrican for the SNES). The Opening Theme is so amazing and it's awesome and it hypes you up so much for the game and fufweuifeuifeiheuf. Stage 1-1 theme is so absolutely impeccable and it is definitely by far the best "first stage" theme OF ALL TIME (I will FIGHT you if you say otherwise), and the rest of the soundtrack is just SO SOLID THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING THINGS IN IT; I AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA... CAN'T EVEN AAAAAAAAAAAA...
Close Picks: Sonic 2 / Gunstar Heroes
PC: Heroes of Might and Magic III / Undertale / Doom
Quote from: Dekkadeci on May 18, 2017, 05:10:51 AMIs it OK if we talk about our favourite OSTs but not by platform?
Sure, if a topic like that doesn't already exist. :) I got this idea because I found it very hard to compare soundtracks from different platforms myself.
Quote from: BlackDragonSlayer on May 18, 2017, 05:22:08 AMI'm really tired right now, so I might change some of these later, but this is what I can remember off the top of my head. I'll probably finish adding stuff in within the next couple of days. A lot of these also end up being my favorite games by platform as well, though there are some exceptions.
[snip]
Very interesting, thanks! There are actually some soundtracks in there I don't know myself, I'll check some of those out some time if I remember! :) Especially Mega Turrican captures my interest.
Also, Wario Land 4's got a really good soundtrack indeed. I went with Mario Kart Super Circuit in the end, but that wasn't an easy pick. In fact, most Wario Land games have got great music. I already mentioned Wario Land 3 for GBC, but for Gameboy, picking between Super Mario Land and Wario Land II was also quite difficult: I went with Super Mario Land as I knew I would mention Kozue Ishikawa for Wario Land 3 already.
Here's my incomplete list:
Game Boy: Kirby's Block Ball
Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Mega Man X
Game Boy Advance: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Quote from: LeviR.star on May 18, 2017, 11:33:24 AMHere's my incomplete list:
Game Boy: Kirby's Block Ball
Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Mega Man X
Game Boy Advance: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Good picks! I should get to know Kirby's Block Ball's OST better, and I don't think I've heard Mega Man X yet! :)
Superstar Saga's also got a great soundtrack! The GBA really does have some great soundtracks. It's a shame many of the samples had to be compressed heavily!
Fortunately, we've got HQ samples for the Wario Land 4 music, as they are in the files for WarioWare for Gamecube. :)
Idk how I'm supposed to pick for DS but here are some others:
NES: Super Mario Bros. 3. It's short but its legacy is still felt in the Super Mario games today.
Favorite track: Probably the ending, but the older I get the more I really admire the airship theme that's become such a staple.
SNES: EarthBound. It's massive, endlessly quirky, and with really charming soundfonts and compositional styles.
Favorite track: There are so many. But I really like the quirkier tracks like the photographer's theme.
N64: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. More interesting in pretty much every way than Ocarina to me, if a bit more obtuse and frustrating, the soundtrack, like the game, is incredibly dark and unsettling for E-rated fare. Lots of tritones and uncomfortable dissonances.
Favorite track: Majora's Theme. And any track that uses Majora's theme, especially the title. The theme is simply one of the best pieces of video game music ever written.
That's all for now as I'm heading to work. Will update later :)
Pokemon DPPt
thats basically it
Quote from: braixen1264 on May 19, 2017, 07:22:57 AMPokemon DPPt
thats basically it
Was finding a cooler way to say this the whole time xD
NES: Metroid
SNES: Chrono Trigger
N64: Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
GCN: Metroid Prime
Wii: Xenoblade Chronicles
Wii U: Mario 3D World? Idk, nothing comes to mind
GB/GBC: Link's Awakening
GBA: Mother 3
DS: Radiant Historia
3DS: Bravely Default
PS1: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
PS2: Idk rn. Maybe Shadow of the Colossus? Maybe Drakengard?
PS3: NieR
PS4: NieR: Automata
PC: To many to decide.
XB/XB360/XBone/PSP/PSV: Not familiar enough with these consoles to choose any.
How's that for a complete list? I was to lazy to write descriptors for them but I can if someone wants.
edit: Wow, I forgot that sega consoles exist because I know even less about them than the XB line.
NES: Super Mario Bros
SNES: Super Metroid
N64: Ocarina
Gamecube: Wind Waker
Gameboy: Link's Awakening
GBC: Gold and Silver
Wii: Super Paper Mario (Floro Caverns/Sammer's Kingdom) Regardless of opinion on the game, I always though Brawl had some really good tracks too.
DS: Diamond and Pearl (Jubilife City is so good) or PMD:EOS
GBA: Superstar Saga (Hoohoo Village ftw)
PC: Lisa or Undertale, although Fez and Hotline Miami have some good stuff too.
Pretty generic choices, but they're all so good :>
NDS: PMD: EoS
Xbox/360/One: Halo, Skyrim, Star Wars Battlefront II (the old one)
Wii: Super Mario Galaxy (the first one)
Ah gee this is hard. Here's some, excluding Smash games
NES: Kirby's Adventure (or Super Mario Bros. 3)
SNES: can't decide yet
N64: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (or Super Mario 64)
GameCube: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker?
Wii: Super Mario Galaxy (or Kirby's Epic Yarn)
Switch: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (surprise!)
Game Boy: Pokémon Red and Blue
Game Boy Color: Pokémon Gold and Silver
Game Boy Advance: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
DS: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
3DS: can't decide yet
I don't really play games on these systems but anyways
PlayStation: Chrono Cross
PC: Undertale
Quote from: Maelstrom on May 19, 2017, 08:18:22 AMWii U: Mario 3D World? Idk, nothing comes to mind
Wii U: Mario Kart 8 (but that was pretty good too)
NES: Super Mario Bros. 3 (like everyone else)
SNES: Super Mario World
N64: Uhhhhh... Mario Kart 64
GB: Dr. Mario
GBA: Wario Land 4
GCN: A draw between Wario World & Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
DS: Pokémon DPPt
Wii: Draw between Kirby's Epic Yarn & Wario Land: Shake It! (Tomoya Tomita FTW!!!)
3DS: Draw between Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon & Mario Golf: World Tour
WiiU: Mario Kart 8
Switch: Super Mario Odyssey Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
As stated above, my favourite VGM composer is hands down Tomoya Tomita
Quote from: E. Gadd Industries on May 19, 2017, 04:39:49 PMAs stated above, my favourite VGM composer is hands down Tomoya Tomita
you are a man of good taste
Quote from: Latios212 on May 19, 2017, 04:41:37 PM(https://www.ninsheetmusic.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi3.kym-cdn.com%2Fphotos%2Fimages%2Fnewsfeed%2F001%2F236%2F841%2F075.jpg&hash=dacf348fd58fbf35ff0532aebc06861039a76aa1)
FTFY
Can I just take a moment to gush about some Mega Man soundtracks? Thanks.
My favorite GBA soundtrack is Mega Man Zero 4. Go listen to this, please. Incredible composition for the GBA's limited sound capabilities, emotion, awesome guitar; it ticks all my boxes. (the game's amazing too but that's not important right now)
I am not a Playstation fan by any means but Mega Man X4-X6 were PSX titles so they're the scope of my PSX soundtrack knowledge. X6, despite being a pretty messy and not good game, has a really great soundtrack with diverse instrumentation, mood, and tone, so go check that out if you're inclined.
@Yug ._. But I don't like yogurt
NES: Super Mario Bros. 3, though The Legend of Zelda is a close second.
SNES: Donkey Kong Country, though the entire trilogy is fantastic.
N64: Banjo-Tooie, though anything written by Grant Kirkhope is a strong contender.
GCN: Pikmin
Wii: Super Mario Galaxy
Wii U: The Wonderful 101, though Super Mario 3D World is another close second.
GB: Despite having never played it, Pokémon RBY.
GBA: Wario Land 4
NDS: Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
3DS: Having played little of the library, I don't have a favorite, though I guess Super Mario 3D Land gets it default due to playtime.
Genesis: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Dreamcast: Sonic Adventure 2
XBOX 360: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
PS: Crash Bandicoot 2
PC: The Neverhood
Quote from: MaestroUGC on May 19, 2017, 06:19:27 PMNES: Super Mario Bros. 3
Golly, this game sure has a popular soundtrack. I like it, too, of course.
Quote from: Dudeman on May 19, 2017, 05:46:38 PMCan I just take a moment to gush about some Mega Man soundtracks? Thanks.
You didn't even so much as mention Mega Man 6. You failed.
Everyone knows about Classic. I wanted to shed some light on some later titles.
But yeah, 6 is bae. Even if Napalm Man is in 5.
Quote from: Dudeman on May 19, 2017, 07:12:31 PMEven if Napalm Man is in 5.
That song is fairly good, but Staff Roll and Gravity Man Stage are better.
Honestly 5 and 3 are very close to 6.
This is going to be pretty biased because I don't listen to full OSTs that often (though I rank OSTs where I have non-fond memories of at least 1/3 of the soundtrack as middle-of-the-road unmemorable):
- N64: Mario Kart 64 (This game has dang memorable music. About the only tracks' themes I've never hummed are Bowser's Castle, Banshee Boardwalk, and DK's Jungle Parkway. I've even hummed the award ceremony theme before! Diddy Kong Racing isn't far behind, though, and I like F-Zero X's OST a lot.)
- GCN: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (It's possible that this OST is even better than Mario Kart 64's. More consonant tunes, still as lively as ever, and not-completely standard chord progressions and senses of key!)
- PC: The Incredible Machine (OK, I may be cheating by naming a series instead of a single game, but the sheer number of different genres covered by the first few games' OSTs is incredible. Want anything from ragtime, Latin, classical, progressive rock, techno, and New Age to bluegrass? You've got it. The quality of each piece stays surprisingly even throughout, IMO, and it's intriguing to hear the differences in takes between the MIDI-generated versions and the CD versions of each song.)
- PS3: Hard Corps: Uprising (After learning of this game's soundtrack from a semi-random VGM website, I listened to the entire OST and was hooked. This has great, elaborate rock/metal music, complete with solos, and it's hard to go wrong with any of the songs if you're into that kind of stuff, IMO.)
Quote from: Dudeman on May 19, 2017, 05:46:38 PMMy favorite GBA soundtrack is Mega Man Zero 4. Go listen to this, please. Incredible composition for the GBA's limited sound capabilities, emotion, awesome guitar; it ticks all my boxes.
Or even better, just skip the limited sound capabilities altogether by listening to the remastered soundtracks.
Quote from: Echo on May 19, 2017, 07:50:35 PMOr even better, just skip the limited sound capabilities altogether by listening to the remastered soundtracks.
I THOUGHT NOBODY WOULD KNOW OH MY GOD
THANK YOU ECHO
A few more:
Game Boy: Pokémon Red and Blue is the real choice, but just to mention another that's not been mentioned unless I'm mistaken, Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. Your love for this soundtrack depends on your opinion of Totaka's main theme that he arranges about seven hundred times for the game. I love it.
Favorite track: I guess "Lavender Town" (Pokémon Red and Blue); "Athletic" (Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins).
Game Boy Color: Pokémon Gold and Silver. There's no better entirely 8-bit soundtrack out there.
Favorite track: I can't just pick a favorite Gold and Silver track, but two that I love are "Battle! (Gym Leader--Johto Version)" because of its killer intro; and "Battle! (Gym Leader--Kanto Version)" because of how effectively it remixes the Red/Blue track despite also being 8-bit.
Game Boy Advance: yeah, gotta go with Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, though the Ace Attorney trilogy comes really close.
Favorite track: Again, I can't even narrow it down, but two that I really love are "Sootopolis City" and "Ending Theme." I can't even pinpoint why exactly, but Ruby was my first big game I fell in love with, so that's something.
Nintendo DS: I'm not claiming it's the best, but my favorite is absolutely Professor Layton and the Curious Village. It's dear to my heart for reasons beyond logic. A couple obscure ones that people might not otherwise be compelled to check out are Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and its sequel, Last Window: The Secret of Cape West. Lots of cool vintage jazz sound in these games.
Favorite track: "Professor Layton's Theme" (Professor Layton and the Curious Village); literally the whole soundtrack but in particular "Easy Feeling," "Slow Steps," "The Last Sleep," and "So Noted" (Hotel Dusk: Room 215).
Nintendo 3DS: It's a tricky one to narrow down because virtually every game Nintendo releases for 3DS has a stellar soundtrack. One that I don't believe any has mentioned is Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. I gush about this score a lot, because it's the most perfect soundtrack ever made in terms of complementing the game it appears in. It's a basically flawless work of art and taps into why I used to get excited about video game music before I was jaded by contemporary studies.
Favorite track: A really killer track is "The Law of Pajamaja." Really all of the area themes are incredible but that one just unfailingly makes me smile. Shimomura has the best knack for melody of any game composer out there, and her skills are on full display in this game.
Well, I've got things to listen to for a while!! :P
Thanks, guys, I didn't expect to get this many replies! :)
NES: Mother/EarthBound
GB: Zelda - Link's Awakening
SNES: Too many great soundtracks to choose only one.
N64: Zelda - Ocarina of Time or Kirby 64
GBA: Fire Emblem
GameCube: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (Highly recommended if you haven't heard it before.)
Dreamcast: Skies of Arcadia (Great orchestration)
PS1: Chrono Cross (Unbelievable MIDI quality)
3DS: Fire Emblem Awakening (Incredible MIDI quality)
Quote from: BlueStone on May 20, 2017, 03:26:02 PMKirby 64
Ah! An excellent choice. Kirby 64's soundtrack is like Dream Land 3's, but better.
Chrono Cross and FE: Awakening weren't midis.
Just a small top 5:
5: Phoenotopia (A flash game that is amazing!)
4: Minecraft (specifically the xbox DLCs, those songs are outstanding)
3: Sonic (I can't decide between 1, 2, and 3)
2: Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon
1: Kid Icarus Uprising
NES: Kirby's Adventure
SNES: Chrono Trigger (though Mario RPG is really close)
N64: Paper Mario
GC: Animal Crossing
Wii: Kirby's Epic Yarn
Wii U: Mario Kart 8
I didn't list any handhelds bc while I certainly like many handheld OSTs, none of them really have stuck out that much to me. It's probably because I spend more of my time playing console games lol. As far as PC goes, there's really too much to narrow it down to one, though if I did, I'd probably go with the entire Touhou series OST lol.
I made a draft but it's almost entirely pokemon, which isn't really a contribution haha
Quote from: Maelstrom on May 20, 2017, 07:48:41 PMChrono Cross and FE: Awakening weren't midis.
They were, they just used great sounding samples. Some of the tracks weren't MIDI but the majority of them were.
EDIT: Clarification, although it may not use the MIDI format I meant it used MIDI-like sequenced music.
The guitar in Scars of Time and Radical Dreamers was from a live recording, as well as the vocals for the ending theme. I was pretty sure FE Awakening had some live stuff, but I can't find a record of that anywhere.
Alright, I thought I'd do this. ^^ I've mainly played handhelds though, so I don't really know that much about the PS and NES platforms. :p
GBC: Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
"Surf", "Violet City", "Azealea Town", and all the awesome battle themes...need I say more? There was no competition here xD
GBA: Zelda: The Minish Cap
Eeyup, I don't think it is RSE. RSE will hold a place in my heart very dear to me, but when it comes to the quality of compositions and the sounds, this game just beats it in every way possible except melodic intricacy. "Cloud Tops" is absolutely frikkin majestic, and you didn't think a track like that could fit into a device barely able to fit in your palm. Then again, it was released towards the end of the GBA era, soo...
DS: Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum
This OST is just insane haha. The game was pretty awesome, but this soundtrack got young me interested in VGM and all the technical bits behind it. So this is a definite one. I think BW was a very close second though ^^
3DS: Fire Emblem Fates? xD
How has no one mentioned this game yet? xD I haven't played the game, but oh my god this soundtrack is legendary. I've seen the way the music just seamlessly transitions during battle, i've listened reaaaally closely to those dense orchestral tracks, and every time I listen harder, it gets more rewarding. Plus, "Lost in Thoughts All Alone" is in it. PSMD is a pretty close second.
SNES: Chrono Trigger
I kinda liked the Earthbound OST, I really loved the FFVI OST, I kinda enjoyed most of the rest (FE4 ahaha welp)...but when it comes to the sheer depth of ideas and creativity, nothing beats Chrono Trigger. Sure the sounds weren't fantastic - FFVI was much cleaner, but dang. There's just so much melodic development in Chrono Trigger. And it's awesome :)
Nintendo Wii: SMG1
Yeah, okay. SMG2 was kickass as well, but it didn't have melodies as awe-inspiring as "Gusty Garden Galaxy" and "Good Egg Galaxy". This game's soundtrack broke the market for the next generation of games, setting the benchmark so high that even right now, I don't think I've found an OST as expansive and amazing as this one.
PS1/PS2: Kingdom Hearts? :p
Wait, does no one else adore the KH soundtrack here? xD It's diverse, memorable, and perhaps just slightly overdone when it comes to recurring melodic ideas. But those harmonies are beautiful, those soundscapes are beautiful, and I think no other game uses a piano better less Eternal Sonata. Chrono Cross is pretty awesome too though, i will admit ^^
PS3: Gears of War 3? xD
I'm not sure how many people play shooters and love them here...but this game really nailed its music hard. Not just the "Mad World" reduction when the saddest part of the story hits - the main theme is orchestrated into a brilliant fanfare of horns, the choirs sound like they're coming for your soul...it's amazing. I don't think the soundtrack works that well in isolation from the game, but it's still really well done :)
Perhaps you're surprised Fire Emblem Fates soundtrack hasn't been mentioned because you haven't played the game, lol. I can't speak for others but I'm a bit biased against it myself because having played the game I found the game itself a bit boring and characters shallow compared to others in the series. I hear great things about Echoes though and am looking forward to hearing how they arranged FE Gaiden's OST for that one. Although, would that then count it as a 3DS or an NES game OST on these lists? lol
...but this topic is about the soundtracks, not the games lol. There's no denying great music; Fates is definitely one of the contenders for my favorite 3DS soundtrack. (Yes, I've played it.)
I did not forget about this topic! In fact, I'm going through all the posts, and listening the soundtracks I haven't heard yet.
I started with BlackDragonSlayer's post which took weeks but was very enjoyable!
Quote from: BlackDragonSlayer on May 18, 2017, 05:22:08 AMI'm really tired right now, so I might change some of these later, but this is what I can remember off the top of my head. I'll probably finish adding stuff in within the next couple of days. A lot of these also end up being my favorite games by platform as well, though there are some exceptions.
The Guardian Legend (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyfSdJ0a1w4)
This game is a very interesting game, even if it's not perfect, it does a lot of interesting things I think could make for a very amazing game if they were refined (not that it's a bad game at all in its current state, let me make clear). Although I'd normally just go for a more "conventional" pick, I've found myself warming up to the soundtrack, especially as I myself have composed several tracks in the style of and/or greatly influenced by this game's soundtrack (and ones I'm still very proud of!).
It's been a while since I listened to this one, so I don't fully remember it, but I do think I enjoyed it!
QuoteMajora's Mask (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhRImdUT06Y)
While I'm not really as much of a fan of Majora's Mask overall, one thing it probably does better than Ocarina of Time (coughoneoftheonlythingscough) is the soundtrack. It generally has a much more menacing and atmospheric feel overall, and the Boss Battle theme is still probably one of my favorite video game songs of all time.
I've listened to Majora's Mask before, and it's a great soundtrack for sure! It reuses quite some themes from Ocarina of Time, but that's no wonder, considering the short development time.
QuoteMetroid II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIhOVLYFp3Q)
One of the most underappreciated Metroid games (and the one most in need of a remake), but it definitely doesn't lack in its soundtrack. Although a little bit seemingly overly cheery at times, the darker, more atmospheric parts of this soundtrack are what makes it appeal to me so much. Plus, the main tunnels theme itself it amazing.
I didn't really get this soundtrack. I think it probably works better if you're actually playing the game, instead of listening to the themes without context. Most pieces sounded mostly like arbitrary noises.
QuotePokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-UUtff_ZTQ)
Best Pokemon games. 'Nuff said.
Now this was very enjoyable! I've listened to the soundtrack of Pokémon Red & Blue a few times (and have got Pokémon Blue myself), but many of these themes I hadn't heard yet! It's a lovely soundtrack, though! I also like the reimaginations of the original town themes in the Kanto region.
QuoteWario Land 4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOcP6hmPjM4)
Though this is one of the GBA games that doesn't seem to get as much attention compared to others, Wario Land 4 is really an amazing game (and it uses the same engine as Metroid Fusion; pretty cool, huh?). Its soundtrack is also super great, super fun, and super weird as well. Definitely the best Wario Land game; can't wait until WarioWare stops being a thing (I mean, it's not BAD, just not a good use of Wario's potential).
I've listened to Wario Land 4 some times before, but mostly heard it while playing the game. Wario Land 4 is pretty much flawless in all regards, and the music definitely is too. It's just full of masterpieces.
If only someone would pick up Wario Land... (Retro Studios? WayForward?)
QuoteFinal Fantasy VII (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlfGch8mGhg)
Let's be honest, a Final Fantasy game being on here shouldn't be surprising at all. I have played this game since my childhood, and its soundtrack is one of the most amazing out there, even being a standout among Final Fantasy soundtracks. Everything works so well and just makes the game all that more amazing.
I had heard a lot about this soundtrack before and came across some covers, but I had never taken the time to listen to the (quite long) soundtrack in its entirety. I'm glad I did now, though! It is truly amazing! I was very impressed, and enjoyed all of it.
Meanwhile, I also caught about half of the FFVII run at SGDQ 2017, so I know a bit more about the game now as well!
QuoteLittleBigPlanet 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATqcvIAzOnI&list=PL0DEF1F9089CD1308)
Both of the first two LBP games are full of great songs; what I like so much about this OST is that it's a mix or original songs and songs lifted from other places, which really helps to further the whole "mishmash" feel of the game. It's hard to pick a favorite of the two, but overall, I'd say the second one, overall, has a more consistent soundtrack, with standouts like A Fifth of Beethoven, Sleepyhead, Ghosts, The Factory Of A Better Tomorrow Theme, and so many others (like Ballet Shoes a.k.a. You Look So Pretty, which was in the adventure trailer but NOT IN THE ACTUAL GAMEEEEE).
I didn't particularly enjoy this soundtrack. It's too much of a potpourri for me. Most songs don't fit together at all, and many don't seem to be originals either. It might work in the game (I've never played it), but there were very few times while listening to this soundtrack that I thought "Hm, this is good!".
QuoteAxiom Verge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0kSc8hHzAM)
I have soooo many good things to say about Axiom Verge. It's a great game, and you can tell how much effort was put into the soundtrack to really nail the atmosphere. From the beginning, it draws you in to this mysterious, unique world. I could write a whole ARTICLE on Axiom Verge; it's so great because it's so much like Metroid but also SO MUCH NOT LIKE METROID! FSFSFWFQFFWS.
Very interesting and cool! I hadn't heard anything in this style before, but I really enjoyed the soundtrack.
QuoteMega Turrican (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70DLsXjGE4I)
Mega Turrican. MEGA TURRICAN. I cannot express how much I truly love this soundtrack. I mean it. It's probably grown to be my favorite video game soundtrack of all time. Everything about it is so amazing and perfect and I just love it. The cheap, "poppy" sound gurgled out by the pushed-to-the-absolute-limits sound card of the Genesis (bless you yamaha ym2612, you did your duty) just gives the music such a FEEEEEEEEL to it that can't be replicated or topped even by objectively superior sound quality (see: Super Turrican for the SNES). The Opening Theme is so amazing and it's awesome and it hypes you up so much for the game and fufweuifeuifeiheuf. Stage 1-1 theme is so absolutely impeccable and it is definitely by far the best "first stage" theme OF ALL TIME (I will FIGHT you if you say otherwise), and the rest of the soundtrack is just SO SOLID THERE ARE SO MANY AMAZING THINGS IN IT; I AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA... CAN'T EVEN AAAAAAAAAAAA...
That was awesome. A really solid soundtrack, and incredibly fun to listen to. I really enjoyed that! :)
Onto the next post! Which is quite a bit shorter, containing only three soundtracks, of which I'm already well acquainted with one.
Quote from: daj on May 23, 2017, 07:38:30 PMPS3: Gears of War 3?
My favourite xbox exclusive PS3 game XD
Gears 1 had the best soundtrack of the series imo. My list is pretty much the same as yours so there's not much point in posting it.
Quote from: LeviR.star on May 18, 2017, 11:33:24 AMHere's my incomplete list:
Game Boy: Kirby's Block Ball
I unfortunately wasn't able to find the soundtrack uploaded to YouTube entirely without quirks. But most songs sounded fine, and I can say it's a very nice soundtrack! I know someone who uses themes from the game in their custom Lemmings levels.
QuoteSuper Nintendo Entertainment System: Mega Man X
That was very cool! Some good stuff, although I guess not particularly memorable at first listen, as I'm writing this only some weeks later, and don't remember a lot of it. :P
QuoteGame Boy Advance: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
That soundtrack is awesome, for sure. But I skipped it now, as I know it well already (I have even often played the game).
Oh, and will your list get any less 'incomplete' in the future? ;)
Quote from: SlowPokemon on May 19, 2017, 07:04:14 AMIdk how I'm supposed to pick for DS but here are some others:
NES: Super Mario Bros. 3. It's short but its legacy is still felt in the Super Mario games today.
Favorite track: Probably the ending, but the older I get the more I really admire the airship theme that's become such a staple.
A great soundtrack, for sure. I skipped it now, as I've heard it very often, including while playing the game itself.
QuoteSNES: EarthBound. It's massive, endlessly quirky, and with really charming soundfonts and compositional styles.
Favorite track: There are so many. But I really like the quirkier tracks like the photographer's theme.
I've heard a lot about this game and really love Michelle Heafy's covers of Pollyanna and Bein' Friends (check them out if you haven't seen them!). I also watched most of the SGDQ run. I hadn't ever heard the soundtrack in its entirety, though, so I did now. And I get why it's so beloved! It's quite diverse, fun, and really well structured. That was a great experience!
QuoteN64: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. More interesting in pretty much every way than Ocarina to me, if a bit more obtuse and frustrating, the soundtrack, like the game, is incredibly dark and unsettling for E-rated fare. Lots of tritones and uncomfortable dissonances.
Favorite track: Majora's Theme. And any track that uses Majora's theme, especially the title. The theme is simply one of the best pieces of video game music ever written.
That's all for now as I'm heading to work. Will update later :)
I've listened to this quite some times already, and I do really like it! It reuses some themes from Ocarina of Time, but that's understandable, given the short development time. The soundtrack as a whole is beautiful, though!
Oh, and I wonder if you'll update it still? ;)
Next up: Pokémon Diamond & Pearl! I'm really looking forward to that, to be honest, as I've heard a lot of love for this soundtrack also... and I will probably recognise quite some themes, for example from insaneintherainmusic's covers! :)
Quote from: 607 on August 05, 2017, 04:45:48 AMQuoteSuper Nintendo Entertainment System: Mega Man X
That was very cool! Some good stuff, although I guess not particularly memorable at first listen, as I'm writing this only some weeks later, and don't remember a lot of it. :P
As long as you think Armoured Armadillo Stage is a good song you should be fine.
My opinions have changed a bit since the last time I posted, so I figured I'd rewrite my list:
NES: Still Kirby's Adventure
GB: Super Mario Land 2 I think
SNES: It's really hard for me to choose a single best OST here because there's so many good ones lol, but I'm still going to have to go with Chrono Trigger. Seiken Densetsu 3 and FFVI are really, really close though.
N64: Tbh I'm really not sure for this one, and I don't know why I said Paper Mario before lol (not that the PM OST is bad, it certainly isn't). I think I'm going to have to go with Majora's Mask.
PS1: Xenogears (with Chrono Cross as a really close second)
GBC: lol idk i havent really played any gbc games
GBA: Mother 3 probably
GC: In terms of memories and overall pleasantness, Animal Crossing for me at least. As far as quality of compositions goes, there's a lot more though: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Wind Waker, Killer 7, Tales of Symphonia, & F-Zero GX are some good examples. If I had to pick just one OST though, I'd have to go with Twilight Princess. While I was never too fond of the game itself, the music is really something else.
DS: I don't really know for sure, but I'm leaning towards The World Ends With You
Wii: still Kirby's Epic Yarn, though Galaxy 1 & 2 are incredibly close
3DS: Probably Bravely Default
Wii U: Still Mario Kart 8 (with DKC: Tropical Freeze as a pretty close second)
PC: I have no clue
As you can probably tell, I am not really as familiar with handheld games/OSTs, so there's probably way better soundtracks for those systems that I haven't listened to. Actually, I'm sure that's case lol
My favorite OSTs from each Nintendo console:
NES: Super Mario Bros. 3
Game Boy: Pokémon Red & Blue; Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
SNES: EarthBound
Nintendo 64: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Game Boy Color: Pokémon Gold & Silver
Game Boy Advance: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All (it would be the third game but all of the trial themes in AA2 are my favorites); Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire
Gamecube: Luigi's Mansion
Nintendo DS: Hotel Dusk: Room 215; Pokémon Black & White; Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Wii: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword; Super Mario Galaxy 2
Nintendo 3DS: Animal Crossing: New Leaf; Mario & Luigi: Dream Team; Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice; Pokémon Sun & Moon; Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy
Wii U: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker; Mario Kart 8; Super Mario 3D World
Nintendo Switch: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
A couple notes: these are all in alphabetical order, not in any kind of order as for how much I like them. Also, I really wanted to list New Super Mario Bros. U for Wii U because the main theme is my favorite Mario track in years, but the OST is so short that I couldn't put it alongside those other giants. Also... pretty much all the Ace Attorney and Professor Layton games would be on this list if I didn't limit myself to one per franchise. I snuck the crossover on there at least.
Quote from: Static on August 07, 2017, 02:09:12 PMThe World Ends With You
You have just triggered my long-buried nostalgia and now I really want to go back and replay that game
Maelstrom's list is very long, so I'll post a bit early. :)
Quote from: braixen1264 on May 19, 2017, 07:22:57 AMPokemon DPPt
thats basically it
It was great!! A very enjoyable experience. :)
Quote from: Maelstrom on May 19, 2017, 08:18:22 AMNES: Metroid
That was amazing!!! A very impressive soundtrack. It's got a great atmosphere, too!! I love it!
QuoteSNES: Chrono Trigger
Lovely! Quite some variety, but really nice as a whole. There were quite some tracks I had heard before. :) Very nice!
QuoteN64: Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
This is the third time for this soundtrack to show up, but this time I actually listened to it. The previous two times I thought I knew the soundtrack already, but when listening to it, there were some tracks I didn't recognise! A very nice work.
QuoteGCN: Metroid Prime
Wow, that was... interesting. Some very impressive and different pieces. Some pieces were very unsettling, but fortunately there were some more relaxing themes too. Overall, an interesting experience! :)
QuoteWii: Xenoblade Chronicles
That's amazing! I feel like there's quite some variety throughout the soundtrack, and yet everything fits. The quality of the individual pieces is outstanding! I think the only piece I had heard before was Gaur Plains; the rest was new to me! And there were some very good themes in there!
I'll skip Super Mario 3D World, as you weren't certain enough about that, and continue with Link's Awakening. ;)
Wow, this is a lot to do in one post!
Quote from: Maelstrom on May 19, 2017, 08:18:22 AMGB/GBC: Link's Awakening
I didn't enjoy this. Most themes are either very short or very strange. It's been a while, but as far as I can see or recall I wasn't impressed by anything in this soundtrack. I do really like Kozue Ishikawa's work in Wario Land 1, II and 3.
QuoteGBA: Mother 3
This was the most I have ever been impressed by any soundtrack. And I've heard quite a few! I know the GBA, and I've heard a lot of soundtrack for it, some of better quality than others. This is just crazy. The quality of all tracks is outstanding and I unfortunately cannot find an English expression to express the creativity expressed in this soundtrack. My first moment of total astonishment was at the drum solo. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find it back; I'd like to hear it again. Then, later, classical music. I was able to find that back. Such an amazing medley. Later on, a CONCERT. ON GBA. After 5 hours, the soundtrack still kept surprising me again and again. I need to listen to it again sometime, I think. The only timestamp I wrote down is 6:02:20 (https://youtu.be/t4MdM_T9C34?t=6h2m20s). The song that follows there... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A truly amazing experience!
QuoteDS: Radiant Historia
My expectations got raised quite high when I saw this was composed by Yoko Shimomura. And while, compared to the previous soundtrack, I wasn't remarkably impressed at this, I did enjoy it! Quite beautiful.
Quote3DS: Bravely Default
This was a very interesting soundtrack! Beyond that Prayer I noted down as being especially so. The entire soundtrack was beautiful, and quite refreshing! It really made me feel good. It's also very nice how intense and relaxing tunes are mixed throughout the soundtrack, and both are executed well.
QuotePS1: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
A grand soundtrack! I liked it, it was an interesting experience. I liked how orchestral it sounds, and I also really like the use of vocals and environmental sounds. This wasn't a very relaxing soundtrack, but it probably fits the game, judging it by its cover. ;) I particularly liked Lost Painting.
QuotePS3: NieR
This was very interesting. I read up on the soundtrack on Wikipedia, and read about the made-up languages, based on different languages in use now.
QuotePS4: NieR: Automata
A great work! Very impressive. The video I listened of the soundtrack wasn't too great, in my opinion... but the soundtrack itself is amazing! The idea used in NieR was expanded upon in a great way. :) I enjoyed all 3 sections of the soundtrack: the instrumental tracks, the tracks with vocals, and the 8-bit tracks.
Next is swimswamit, but they picked a lot of soundtracks other people had listed before, so we'll see how long that'll take. :)
Just so you know, I arranged that Mother 3 song you linked to via timestamp.
http://forum.ninsheetmusic.org/index.php?topic=6215.msg391532#msg391532
The best way to listen to the Mother 3 soundtrack is to play the game yourself. That way you'll understand the context even better.
Oh, and the Link's Awakening one is pure personal preference. That was the first video game I ever finished, so it has a special place in my heart, even if it's not that great out of the context of the game itself.
Quote from: swimswamit on May 19, 2017, 01:08:02 PMNES: Super Mario Bros
An amazing soundtrack. It's so simple and clear, and yet in Bowser's Castle's theme you sometimes don't know what's going on. :P I don't know what to say on this. I've heard this soundtrack so many times I definitely can't give you a first impression. But oh, is it good.
QuoteSNES: Super Metroid
Pretty good! It certainly is atmospheric, like Metroid. Not anything too special, though, I thought. Especially not when compared to the original Metroid soundtrack, which was spectacular.
QuoteN64: Ocarina
This soundtrack is very good. It's also got quite a special feeling to me, even though I've never played the game. The Hyrule Field theme is amazing. It's so long, too, and features a lot of different themes! I also really like the Potion Shop theme. And some other themes are remarkably eerie!
I hadn't heard the staff roll theme before. :)
QuoteGamecube: Wind Waker
Another great soundtrack. What really got to me is how many tracks convey the location they're used in. When you hear the Departure theme, it actually sounds like you're on a ship. I automatically start moving my head from left to right and back. :P You can also clearly hear that it's not a cruise ship you're on! My reaction to the Great Sea theme: "Oooooh!!! I don't think I need to explain why this is so great. ;) But I can try. :P It really expresses the vastness of the ocean, and the sense of adventure. :) And of course the beginning arpeggios picture the waves of the sea!" And then the Dragon Roost Island theme really feels mountainous! Perhaps because of the instrumentation?
I was also particularly impressed by Molgera's theme. That's so cool! And 'Farewell Hyrule King' was very interesting as well.
QuoteWii: Super Paper Mario (Floro Caverns/Sammer's Kingdom) Regardless of opinion on the game, I always though Brawl had some really good tracks too.
I hadn't ever heard this soundtrack before, and it was much better than I expected! The music sounds a lot like The Thousand Year Door, but it's certainly still very unique. I was surprised to see that both games did have different composers!
QuoteGBA: Superstar Saga (Hoohoo Village ftw)
I've actually been playing Superstar Saga again. It's my second favourite GBA game, and also in my top 3 GBA soundtracks (not counting remakes/ports; my favourite GBA game
is a remake/port, namely Yoshi's Island).
Cackletta's Theme is clearly my favourite. I'm hoping to play it on organ some day, but I've only played organ twice in my life, so I'll need some more experience first, I reckon. ;) Other favourites are Beanbean Castle, Prince Peasley's theme, Gwarhar Lagoon, and Teehee Valley (panflute is always nice ;)). I also feel like E. Gadd's theme perfectly 'captures the spirit' of professor E. Gadd. Bowser's Castle's theme is unique when compared to other interpretations throughout the Mario series, and I really like that. Especially because it does still get the atmosphere right. Oh, and I should mention the credits sequence. It's probably the most comforting credits theme I know. And that's really welcome, after such a journey. :) It's not extremely emotional or intense or upbeat like credits themes for other games, and that's nice, as that's not what you need at this point. :) What you need is a theme to lay back to, and
relax.
I'm including my favorite track in each game so if you want to hear what I think is the best from each game, you can check those out.
NES: The Legend Of Zelda. The main theme in the game is amazing, especially for composing VG music at the time. (Runner Up: Super Mario Bros. The Overworld theme is catchy to this day)
SNES: Super Mario World. I love the Bowser's castle theme especially. (Runner Up: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the past. Dark World rocks.)
GBA: Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island. I couldn't fit the original on the SNES list. Haven't played that many GBA games. This one has such a catchy joyful soundtrack, especially Athletic.
N64: Super Mario 64. Bob-Omb Battlefield is my favorite from this game. Awesome soundtrack all around. (Runner Up: Ocarina of Time. (Gerudo Valley is my favorite from this game, not the only great one though.))
Gamecube: Double Dash 'Circuit theme' is a classic (Runner Up: LoZ: Wind Waker. Love Dragon Roost Island)
Wii: Super Mario Galaxy/Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Tied) Amazing soundtrack for amazing games. These 2 are tied for my all time favorite soundtracks. My favorites are Egg Planet, Gusty Garden, and Sky Station.
Wii U: Mario Kart 8. Such an amazing jazzed up track, full of retro remixes and new compositions. My favorites are the F-Zero themes, Electrodrome, and the Hyrule circuit tracks. (AMAZING!!)
(Very Close Runner Up is a tie between DKC: Tropical Freeze and Yoshi's Woolly World. Both are my favorite games and soundtracks in their respective series. Snowmads theme, and the main Woolly World theme are my favorites here.)
Switch: LoZ: Breath of the wild, I loved this soundtrack. It has the main theme as my favorite. Every single one of the many tracks felt like well polished and magnificent compositions. (Runner Up: Super Mario Odyssey. the Fossil Falls theme is amazing, as is the rest of the game.)
I haven't played to many on other platforms besides PC, so I'll have an 'other/multiple platforms' category.
Other: Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove. I only found this game last year, and the soundtrack is amazing. I love all of them, but 1,000 Leagues Under, Strike The Earth, and Main Theme are my favorites. I HIGHLY recommend listening to this if you haven't yet. (Runner Up: Minecraft. Such a peaceful soundtrack. Especially the ones in Alpha Album. Wet Hands is my favorite from this game.)
There you go. ;)
Thanks for the new reply. :)
I listened to a lot of video game music in the past 9 days, as I've been working on my final assignment for my current study.
Quote from: SpartanChief17 on May 19, 2017, 01:31:46 PMNDS: PMD: EoS
Someone said that this soundtrack wouldn't mean anything if I hadn't played the game. He wasn't entirely correct: I still enjoyed it. However, I do think it's a lot better if you know the context. The composition was very good, but I felt like I was missing something in order to be able to fully enjoy the music. But even stand-alone, it's a good soundtrack!
QuoteXbox/360/One: Halo, Skyrim, Star Wars Battlefront II (the old one)
Halo: This was unexpectedly chill. From a shooter, I had expected more intense music. This was more ambient, though, and it was great!
Skyrim: It started off
very exciting, and there are some other really cool songs too. I love the songs with vocals. Are they actually lyrics, in another language? Most other tracks were more relaxed. There was a good amount of variety in the type of music, and the overall quality of this soundtrack was very good! Which I had expected, to be honest, from a game like this.
QuoteWii: Super Mario Galaxy (the first one)
I featured this myself in my own list. I did however listen through it again now. It's still amazing. ;)
Quote from: Latios212 on May 19, 2017, 01:52:01 PMAh gee this is hard. Here's some, excluding Smash games
Your post took me a while! That's also because I rediscovered a site my father used to listen to, and now usually listen to that instead of to video game soundtracks.
(I skipped the soundtracks you were uncertain about and the soundtracks I had listened to and reacted to before)
QuoteNES: Kirby's Adventure
Very fun! There's nothing more I have to say about it, I think. :P
QuoteSwitch: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (surprise!)
It seems like the video I listened to isn't on YouTube anymore, so I'll have to go off memory: an interesting soundtrack. A lot of empty pieces, that sounded nice but didn't have a sense of direction. There were also some more traditional themes, most of which were rather nice. Oddly though, nothing really stood out, except for the trailer theme.
QuoteGame Boy: Pokémon Red and Blue
So happy!!! ;D The melodies are very memorable, and the basslines and other voices very nice as well. And the sound as a whole is just so sweet. :)
QuoteGame Boy Advance: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
A very cheery soundtrack! I like it.
QuotePlayStation: Chrono Cross
This one's really good! The sound quality is amazing, and because there's singing at the end, I assume it is a real recording, and not of tracker format? Some tracks reminded me of Harvest Moon / Story of Seasons. I'll be listening to this more, as it's also on the site I referred to at the beginning of this post. :)
QuotePC: Undertale
Interesting! There are quite some different styles in here, and yet also much of the same melodies. I feel like this soundtrack will make a lot more sense in the context of the game.
QuoteWii U: Mario Kart 8
I like it. :) It didn't impress me, as I have come to expect much from the Mario Kart franchise, but it certainly doesn't disappoint! There are some very nice new themes, and the rearrangements of old songs are well-done as well.
Quote from: E. Gadd Industries on May 19, 2017, 04:39:49 PMSNES: Super Mario World
Very good! I knew this soundtrack well already, though. The ending theme is great. :)
QuoteN64: Uhhhhh... Mario Kart 64
Another amazing soundtrack that I already knew. And this one's got an even better ending theme!
QuoteGB: Dr. Mario
Very fun and quirky!! I enjoyed that.
QuoteGCN: A draw between Wario World
There wasn't a video with this entire soundtrack, so it's hard to find my comments. It's got some fun tracks for sure! But I think that as a whole I didn't enjoy it much.
Quote& Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour
Nice. :) Not super interesting right away, but I imagine these become better the more you listen to them.
QuoteDraw between Kirby's Epic Yarn
That was so much fun!! Lava Landing is
amazing. I even printed the sheet music from here (and corrected it by ear ;)) and have been playing it now and then, it really is so much fun!! I also particularly enjoyed Melody Town. I like how humble it is.
Quote& Wario Land: Shake It! (Tomoya Tomita FTW!!!)
I also really like Tomoya Tomita, but despite there being some fun in it for me, this soundtrack didn't resonate with me well. It sounds good, but I didn't enjoy it most of the time.
Quote3DS: Draw between Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon
That was great! It sounds adventurous and fresh, like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon should. It's also got some really intense and/or epic themes, which are
very good, but so grand that I wonder how they fit in the game. :P I also enjoyed the remakes from the original game, as I am playing that. ;)
Quote& Mario Golf: World Tour
I couldn't find a reliable rip of this one, so I wasn't actually able to listen to it. :/
Quote from: Dudeman on May 19, 2017, 05:46:38 PMMega Man Zero 4
This was pretty cool! Not completely my style, though, although I'm not quite sure why not. I
think it has to do with the high amount of repetition, but that isn't bad per se, as actually I love minimalistic music, which thrives on repetition. I did notice that most of the tracks seemed quite whiny to me. Some I did like, though.
QuoteX6
This was quite enjoyable! Very relaxing sounds and melodies, which was unexpected for a Mega Man game. :P There were also some intense themes, which were also nice, although they didn't occur to be particularly remarkable.
Quote from: MaestroUGC on May 19, 2017, 06:19:27 PMNES: Super Mario Bros. 3
For some reason I have been unable to find a good video of this soundtrack. ???
QuoteSNES: Donkey Kong Country
This is very good, although knowing Donkey Kong Country 2 it could be better. ;) Favourites that stand out for me are Cave Dweller Concert, Aquatic Ambiance, Fear Factory and Ice Cave Chant. The last is remarkable because it is my only favourite from the trilogy that was written by Eveline Fisscher.
I'm currently listening to Banjo-Tooie. :)
Quote from: MaestroUGC on May 19, 2017, 06:19:27 PMN64: Banjo-Tooie, though anything written by Grant Kirkhope is a strong contender.
What a fun soundtrack! I like the many variations on themes, done with different instruments and feels.
QuoteGCN: Pikmin
Not a bad soundtrack, but it didn't impress me either.
QuoteWii U: The Wonderful 101, though Super Mario 3D World is another close second.
Very unique! It is very intense, but it's also very good, so I enjoyed it. :) I also liked the contrast of some of the more relaxed themes and the strange Black themes. Lastly, the ending track was very impressive! Where many games have an energetic ending theme, this one has a solemn and quiet one, to contrast with the bombastic nature of most of the soundtrack. I also like that the main themes throughout the soundtrack returned in it, in this very different-feeling form. :) This is one I might check out again later!
QuoteNDS: Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Nice! It didn't seem as memorable as Superstar Saga to me, but it's very possible that I'll get to appreciate the tracks more if I've heard them more, especially in context. :) I love the Deep Castle theme.
Quote3DS: Having played little of the library, I don't have a favorite, though I guess Super Mario 3D Land gets it default due to playtime.
I'll skip that one because you weren't sure about it. Onto the next paragraph in your long post! I haven't listened to any of those 5 soundtracks yet, I think. :) (I have heard a lot of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, though, I think)
Quote from: MaestroUGC on May 19, 2017, 06:19:27 PMGenesis: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
I'd heard most of the tracks before, but not the credits. Nice medley! All themes are great, with lots of catchy phrases, and very good basslines. I should probably listen to this one more often! What a classic.
QuoteDreamcast: Sonic Adventure 2
I hadn't heard anything from this before, and it was quite an experience... It is quite varied, with as a common feature that most tracks are not fit for studying. :P I really hated Throw It All Away, and I didn't enjoy the hip hop tracks either. Maybe mostly because I don't like that style of music. :P However, I in fact didn't like any of the lyrics in the soundtrack. I enjoyed the instrumental versions a lot better! Nice sounds, quite groovy, and good drums and bass. Event: The Base was a pleasant surprise. Very chill!
It's interesting how different this is from the Sonic soundtrack above.
QuoteXBOX 360: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
I'm not sure if I even knew of the game before listening, but this is a great soundtrack! Typical Grant Kirkhope. It also reminds me of Chicken Run (which is good!). Exploring The Terrarium is really cool!
QuotePS: Crash Bandicoot 2
I didn't enjoy this one a lot. For some reason it sounds very unnatural to me. Of course most of these soundtracks are programmed and not performed, but it somehow is a lot more jarring to me in this one. I liked some of the rhythms, but found the melodies uncaptivating.
QuotePC: Neverhood
Well, that's quite unique. :o I love it, though! Really creative uses of vocals, especially. Some tracks were a bit too crazy for my liking, but there were lots that I could really appreciate.
Thanks for your recommendations, MaestroUGC! Took me two years to get through them. ::)
NES: Kirby's Adventure
SNES: Chrono Trigger
GB: Pokémon Red
GBA: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Red / Blue Rescue Team
N64: This is a toughie, but I'd say LoZ: Majora's Mask or Paper Mario
GameCube: LoZ: Wind Waker
DS / DSi: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky
Wii: Xenoblade Chronicles
3DS: Kid Icarus Uprising or Fire Emblem Awakening
Wii U: Mario Kart 8
Switch: So far Paper Mario Origami King and XC2
PS4: Persona 5
Quote from: Dekkadeci on May 19, 2017, 07:25:24 PM- N64: Mario Kart 64 (This game has dang memorable music. About the only tracks' themes I've never hummed are Bowser's Castle, Banshee Boardwalk, and DK's Jungle Parkway. I've even hummed the award ceremony theme before! Diddy Kong Racing isn't far behind, though, and I like F-Zero X's OST a lot.)
This is one I've listened to before, and it's one of my favourites too! I don't think I checked out the other two you mentioned.
Quote- GCN: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (It's possible that this OST is even better than Mario Kart 64's. More consonant tunes, still as lively as ever, and not-completely standard chord progressions and senses of key!)
I am a big fan of the music of the Mario Kart series in general, but Double Dash!! is one of the entries I appreciate less. It's certainly a good soundtrack, it just doesn't speak to me as much.
Quote- PC: The Incredible Machine (OK, I may be cheating by naming a series instead of a single game, but the sheer number of different genres covered by the first few games' OSTs is incredible. Want anything from ragtime, Latin, classical, progressive rock, techno, and New Age to bluegrass? You've got it. The quality of each piece stays surprisingly even throughout, IMO, and it's intriguing to hear the differences in takes between the MIDI-generated versions and the CD versions of each song.)
I evaded your cheat by only listening to the soundtrack from the first game. ;) I like it! Nice variety indeed, and they're all good, indeed.
Quote- PS3: Hard Corps: Uprising (After learning of this game's soundtrack from a semi-random VGM website, I listened to the entire OST and was hooked. This has great, elaborate rock/metal music, complete with solos, and it's hard to go wrong with any of the songs if you're into that kind of stuff, IMO.)
I'm not too much into metal, but wow, this was very impressive! I loved the variety between the different tracks. If I'm looking for some 'rough' music in the future, I hope I'll remember this soundtrack!