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Before anything else, what constitutes video game music? Well, for the purpose of this thread, video game music is any music that was created for the purpose of being used in a video game, visual novel, or kinetic novel. In other words
Rules Only discuss music that fits into the above definition. Because video game music has context behind many of the songs, if discussion points contain spoilers about plot, use a spoiler tag. If you aren't sure if it counts as a spoiler, use a spoiler tag, just in case. This isn't PYF. Link to interesting music, but remember to talk about it as well. No need to get angry about music. Video games music encompasses a wide range of music, and just because you don't like it doesn't mean someone else doesn't. No one cares that you don't like a particular composer's work. Obey all other NMD rules Useful resources OC Remix - A site of VGM remixes that are more than just covers VGMDB - A site that lists a ton of VGM soundtracks, both official and fanmade. Popular Cover Artists Smooth Mcgroove - Does acapella covers of songs from a wide array of video game soundtracks. FamilyJules7X - Does a wide array of electric guitar covers for video game music, mostly metal, but branches out and uses instruments such as acoustic guitar, keyboard, and others. MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 00:30 on May 13, 2014 |
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May 12, 2014 23:36
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Goons' favorite VGM will go here. Here's how it works: Until September, you can submit 3 of your favorite video game soundtracks, and 3 of your favorite individual tracks, and at the end of the month, we will have a poll where you can vote whether or not each one is worthy of a spot. After seeing how many submissions we have, I'll set the maximum number of each that can go into the reserved post. Try to elaborate on why you like a particular soundtrack.
MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 03:58 on Jul 30, 2015 |
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May 12, 2014 23:36
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Let's start by talking about a legendary video game soundtrack, and then an underrated one. Chrono Trigger's OST has been called by many the best video game soundtrack ever, and it really isn't much of a stretch. Chrono Trigger not only has amazing battle themes, but pulls off slow, beautiful songs better than any other game I know. Chrono Trigger's OST isn't just one of the best because it has awesome songs (which it does), or because there aren't any "weak" songs (there aren't), but because the music encompasses such a wide variety of tempos, rhythm, and feelings produced. It has the epic Magus Confronted, the beautiful Corridors of Time, the atmospheric Creeping Through the Sewers, and so on. Nearly every song in the game is varied, interesting, and catchy. If for whatever reason, you have never played Chrono Trigger or listened to the soundtrack, this should be on your to do list. Shin Megami Tensei IV's OST is one of the most underrated video game soundtracks, in my opinion. Most of the songs are either of a metal/techno sort (or both), but the music does have variety, both inside and outside of that scope. Some of the most prevalent "types" of music you'll hear in the game are:
MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 00:39 on May 13, 2014 |
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May 12, 2014 23:56
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gandlethorpe posted:Thanks for making this thread. I'd like to start things off what something I've been wondering about. Like I said in the OP, video game music needs to be music made for the purpose of being used in a video game/visual novel. It may or may not be instrumental, and it may or may not be a remix of a song that was made for that purpose. Music simply licensed and used in a game doesn't count, at least for the purpose of this thread. I exclude licensed songs since those are best left to their specific threads. I don't think video game music is defined by being instrumental, but is defined by simply being in a video game. Lelianna's Song I consider video game music, despite it not being instrumental. So I don't think video game music as any particular "sound," by definition, but certain genre's/decades have trends to the music. For example, 90's Square RPGs have a particular feeling to them. But this can't be generalized to video game music in general. MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 00:34 on May 13, 2014 |
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May 12, 2014 23:57
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Speaking of good Commodore 64 music, anyone who hasn't given the Monty on the Run theme a listen to should remedy that! It is made by Rob Hubbard, the same composer as Commando. It pushes the Commodore 64 sound card to it's limit, has a catchy and complex theme, and takes almost 6 minutes before looping.
MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 01:49 on May 21, 2014 |
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May 21, 2014 01:43
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El Estrago Bonito posted:Chrono Trigger's OST is poo poo compared to Chrono Cross and Radical Dreamers. CT has, like, a good song or two (Frogs Theme?) but CC has objectively good music that could stand alone as it's own thing regardless of being attached to a popular video game. Radical Dreamers, Time's Scar, Dream of the Shore Near Another World, and Dreamwatch of Time are all really amazing songs and it's a huge shame there isn't a good arranged version of the entire soundtrack. TheQat posted:I loving hate most game music and I liked Chrono Cross's soundtrack. Thanks for reminding me of that, haven't thought of that game in years. I find that people who don't like video game music tend to love Chrono Cross's OST and people who love video game music tend to dislike it. I fall under the latter. Personally, to me, the only decent songs in the entire 65 song soundtrack are Drowning Valley, Home Guldove, Home Marbule, Zelbess and the victory themes, which are taken from Chrono Trigger. The rest of the songs don't hold up very well outside the game. MaxArtea posted:
These are generalizations that can be made, but aren't accurate at depicting all video game music. Some modern video game music is melodic (such as SMTIV or Etrian Odyssey 4), while others are not (such as most of Skyrim's OST). Some video game music has vocals (such as Lelianna's Song), while most do not. MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 12:05 on May 30, 2014 |
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May 30, 2014 12:01
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generalizing video game music
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Slippery42 posted:I've been listening to a lot of Bravely Default's music lately. It blows me away that what's probably my favorite soundtrack from the past decade was released on a handheld! The soundtrack is basically a love letter to music made for 90's JRPGs, so you can expect to hear a lot of hard/prog rock, Celtic influence, and very distinctive lead parts. It isn't really surprising that Bravely Default's OST is so great. It was made by Sound Horizon (AKA Linked Horizon), the same group that made the Attack on Titan opening themes, which have to be some of the best in all of anime. I seriously can't wait for whatever soundtrack they do next!
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Jun 6, 2014 02:29
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Super Meat Boy's OST (composed by Danny Baranowsky) is fantastic, which it needs to be in a game where one may spend hours at a time trying to beat their best time on a single level. While it is great on its own, the best tracks probably have to be the ones that aren't actually in the game. The special edition soundtrack includes (among other things) extended versions of three tracks that appeared in the game. Namely, Battle of Lil Slugger Extended Cut, Betus Blues Retro Extended Cut, and Can o' Salt Extended Cut. Even without the extended tracks, the soundtrack is amazing. It Ends, Dr. Fetus' Castle, and Forest Funk being just a few examples.
MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 04:31 on Jul 8, 2014 |
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Jul 8, 2014 04:15
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In terms of flash game OSTs, the soundtrack for the MARDEK series is probably one of the best. The tracks for the first 2 games are on YouTube, while the 3rd game's OST is only on Bandcamp . I'd highly recommend listening to Guardian Battle from MARDEK chapter 3, Boss Battle from the first game (it's really in all of the games, but is listed only in the first's OST), and The Inventor from the piano collections. But really, the entire soundtrack is pretty great. The games themselves are also well made (despite the design, art, music, writing, and programming being done by only 1 person) and I would recommend them to anyone that is an RPG fan. Make sure to start with chapter 1 though.SgtScruffy posted:I'm surprised there isn't more love for Earthbound already. I think it's partly because people are more inclined to share obscure music. I mean, no one has mentioned a Legend of Zelda soundtrack yet, as far as I'm aware. MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 14:18 on Aug 15, 2014 |
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Aug 15, 2014 14:12
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The games in the Zero Escape series have fantastic soundtracks. The games usually have tracks that are either techno influenced or beautiful orchestral ones. Its a strange combination, but it works. Some of the highlights are Blue Bird Lamentation, Septenary Game, and Morphogenetic Sorrow. Don't read the comments on any of these videos unless you've played the games because they will contain spoilers. Just a few minutes ago, a fantastic cover of Blue Bird Lamentation was uploaded by YouTuber ManuelJBD. Yes, the MegaZeroX7 mentioned in the description is me. And yes, this is the reason I decided to post about the Zero Escape series today. MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Aug 24, 2014 |
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Aug 24, 2014 23:18
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Kubla Khan posted:Do VNs count? Yes, they do! I said so in the OP.
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Nov 20, 2014 07:04
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Remember 11 has a pretty cool soundtrack. My favorite part of the OST is Nucleus. I love how it keeps building up until the great synth part at 1:26. On a different note, I'll set up the how we will structure the voting for the "goon's favorite tracks/soundtracks" thing in the next couple of weeks.
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Jan 2, 2015 00:04
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I just found this amazing remix of the SMT 2 battle track. Its one of the few remixes that I consider better than the original in every way. Seriously though, listen to just about any MegaTen soundtrack, and it will be fantastic. The styles may be completely different, but the quality will be there. Like epic orchestrated battle music? Strange Journey has you covered. Like well made pop music? Just listen to just about anything from Persona 4. Metal battle tracks? There is a lot of those. Like this and this and this. I could go on, but seriously, if you haven't listened to these soundtracks, it really needs to be remedied! SMTIV is a great starting place and is my favorite soundtrack of all time.
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Jul 19, 2015 15:05
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Gamma Nerd posted:Did you forget about this OP I remember, but a combination of being busy with college during this last year and being lazy over summer break is preventing it. I had originally meant to get it set up over my winter break but I never got around to it. It might get done at some point. I'll try to get something set up this month. MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Jul 20, 2015 |
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Jul 20, 2015 02:16
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OK, lets get that Goons' favorite VGM thing set up. Here's how it works: Until September, you can submit 3 of your favorite video game soundtracks, and 3 of your favorite individual tracks, and at the end of the month, we will have a poll where you can vote whether or not each one is worthy of a spot. After seeing how many submissions we have, I'll set the maximum number of each that can go into the reserved post. I'll start it off with my own. Try to elaborate on why you like a particular soundtrack. Soundtracks Shin Megami Tensei IV I have already covered this in my first post, but this soundtrack is amazing. There is such a wide variety of genres, and all of the game's tracks are amazing. I highly recommend listening to it in its entirety, it is just that good. It is officially my favorite soundtrack of all time. Super Meat Boy This is also such a varied soundtrack. You have the awesome metal Battle of Lil' Slugger, you've got the "girly" sounding McLarty Party People, there is the I-don't-know-how-to-describe-it Can o' Salt, and so much more. Another soundtrack worth listening to the entirety of. Remember 11 Other than the opening cinematic track which doesn't really fit with the game, this soundtrack is nearly perfect. This is a soundtrack that I didn't really appreciate while playing through the game, but love now. Highlights include Nucleus, and Persona, but everything is great. Like the others, this is definitely worth listening to in its entirety. Individual Tracks Battlefield 2 - MEC Loading Theme This is just really cool. Someone mentioned this earlier in the thread, which introduced me to this fantastic piece of music. It is influenced by middle eastern music and modern electronic music, and includes the main Battlefield melody. Take a listen to this if you haven't already. Persona 4 - Heaven Probably my favorite Persona track of all time. Great catchy melody, and I love the string part the track opens with. Monte on the Run I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but wow is this track cool. It has a 70's rock feel at times, and doesn't loop for a whole 6 minutes! This song blows all other Commodore 64 music that I've heard out of the water! MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 04:02 on Jul 30, 2015 |
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Jul 30, 2015 03:31
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Synthetic Hermit posted:For me, good video game music must sound like it was composed specifically for a video game, rather than repurposed. I don't think that busy music is a problem in most games. People listen often listen to busy music when they do mentally taxing work (homework, writing for their job, etc.) and still function fine. The Katamari games use busy music, for example, and Damacy in particular is one of my favorite soundtracks. Even repurposed music, if significantly remixed, can be VGM. For example, Catherine has many (excellent) remixes of classical music. The only place I draw the line is straight licenced music, like Mass Effect 1's ending song. Synthetic Hermit posted:The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Yeah, I think Oblivion is my favorite TES soundtrack. Skyrim and Morrowind's main themes are great, but Oblivion's atmospheric music generates the feeling of wonder and amazement in me. The feelings would be more appropriate if Cyrodil didn't feel so ... generic. The soundtrack made the game feel so magical. Gamma Nerd posted:Touhou 8: Imperishable Night Yeah, I'm surprised Touhou hasn't seen more love. I mean, even outside the super popular tracks, the games' music is still incredible. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Touhou originate because the creator wanted to get people to listen to his music? Yuuka's Theme has to be one of my favorites. MegaZeroX fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Aug 2, 2015 |
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Aug 2, 2015 03:40
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The Goon's favorite VGM thing is closed now. I'll figure out the structure of the next phase and get it set up within the next few days.
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Sep 1, 2015 20:06
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skooma512 posted:I just can't get over how excellent Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage's soundtrack is. Maybe it's the nostalgia, but in general I think the music from Spyro 2 and 3 are just great. Yeah, Stewart Copeland is an excellent composer. Who knew that the drummer/founder of The Police would turn out to be such an awesome video game composer?
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Sep 17, 2016 20:44
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