New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Music is perhaps the greatest art form humans have ever discovered. The joy we receive from music dates back to our earliest ancestors who would listen to the crackling of their campfires within their primitive caves. Music has the power to transform an average video game into a great one and also the ability to ensure even the most cardboard-like movie dialogue is forgotten about in favour of the sublime music soundtrack - Batman and Robin, we are looking at you.
In the old days of video games, music often made the difference between a game becoming long remembered and a game quickly forgotten. Video games such as The Legend of Zelda and GoldenEye, both released by Nintendo were of course fantastic games in their own right, but their unique soundtracks helped to cement them as two of the greatest video games to have ever existed. You also have the original Pokémon games; the music was very basic - it only featured PCM sample playback - but it gave each town the player visited a personality of its own. From the creepy Lavender Town theme to the grand and powerful Elite Four entrance theme, the original Pokémon Games would not have been the same without their epic soundtracks.
For your pleasure, we have compiled a short list of the video games that have had the most epic music soundtracks.
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords
Notwithstanding that both games within the Knights of The Old Republic saga were two of the greatest role-playing games (RPGs) to have ever been released, the soundtracks for both games was the cherry on top of the cake. Although the first instalment in the series featured a brilliant soundtrack, it is the second game; The Sith Lords which features on our list.
Star Wars related movies and video games can almost guarantee an amazing soundtrack - John Williams who scored many of the Star Wars films is a titan within film composer circles. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: The Sith Lords is a dark and eerie game and has a music track to match. Originally meant as the second game in a trilogy, The Sith Lords ended up being the last game within the series, much to the continued disappointment of gamers worldwide. If you have played the game you will know that for the first several hours, you are stuck on a dark and secluded mining facility floating through space. The only company you have is a creepy old woman, a prisoner and hundreds of killer droids. The human population of the facility are all dead and it is up to the player to find out why.
The soundtrack is equally as sinister as the games world locations. Much of the soundtrack blends perfectly into the background. For much of the game you feel secluded. Every character you meet, from the droid seller on Nar Shaddaa to your companions who join you on your missions throughout the game, have their own stories - mostly bleak ones of conflict and despair. Whilst it is true that The Sith Lords would still have been fantastic without the soundtrack, this should not detract from the fact that the musical score, which was composed by Mark Griskey, aided the game perfectly.
You can check out the full soundtrack here
GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye 007 is widely regarded as one of the most important games in the history of first-person shooters as it demonstrated that games consoles were a viable alternative to host first-person shooters alongside desktop computers. GoldenEye 007 was of course based on the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye and was released for the Nintendo 64 console in 1997.
The games music unsurprisingly featured the iconic James Bond theme music, but this is not what impressed the most. Many of the levels within the game begin in lifts and feature transitions from elevator music to full soundtracks. The full soundtracks assist the gameplay beautifully. They help to give the player a satisfying feeling whilst they are progressing through the level. The music was primarily composed by Graeme Norgate and Grant Kirkhope whilst the unique elevator music that can be heard in some levels was composed by Robin Beanland.
There are numerous different James Bond themed games we could have chosen to be on this list; however, GoldenEye 007 is by quite a long way the greatest Bond themed video game. Again, whilst the title would certainly still be a great game without its original music score, we feel that the music helps to enhance the gameplay without detracting from how awesome the game is.
Rainbow Riches
Something slightly different now; a game very well-known within the iGaming niche, Rainbow Riches is an extremely popular game, played by huge amounts of slot players.
The Rainbow Riches soundtrack is inspired by Irish culture as is the game itself. The main character that features in Rainbow Riches is a leprechaun. It is the players mission to steal the leprechaun's gold by spinning the reels and attempting to match up each of the symbols on the lines. The music score ensures that players playing the game remain cheerful and upbeat, as per the stereotypical Irish leprechaun.
There are literally thousands of different slot games out there, in fact, hundreds of new ones are developed and created every year. These range from a variety of different themes - there are multiple online slots that are based on movies as well as comic books and even music bands. Rainbow Riches was released in 2006 but has stood the test of time. The online slot game remains one of the most popular online casino games. As well as this, it has spawned numerous different sequels including Rainbow Riches Pick N Mix and Rainbow Riches Pots of Gold.
Although Rainbow Riche may not be a typical video game in that it does involve gambling, it nevertheless remains one of the most widely played games in the world. You can check out the soundtrack to Rainbow Riches here
Grand Theft Auto Series
When it comes to the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, it is difficult to pinpoint one game as being the absolute best. Many gamers bring up very find memories of GTA: Vice City but we would prefer to talk about the series as a whole here.
The charm of GTA is the real open world where players are able to roam around freely. I'm sure every single player who has ever played the game has pretended they are a normal law-abiding citizen - stopping at traffic lights, going to the shops and just cruising the highway whilst listening to the trademark GTA radio station. GTAs appeal is endless gameplay, fantastic narrative and first-rate licensed music. Apart from the constant mayhem and violence =, one thing we always look forward to in a GTA game is the radio stations.
The GTA radio stations have been a pivotal part of the franchise since 1997 when the first GTA was released. The radio station makes us feel like we are in a real-life city and is a relief from the mayhem that surrounds every other aspect of the game. Some of the bands and singers that have featured on the games numerous radio station include, Guns N Roses, Johnny Cash, Pet Shop Boys and Cypress Hill. There is music of every genre and you can even go to record stores in the game in order to create your own playlist. My personal favourite is to purchase a bunch of classical music tracks from composers such as Beethoven and Chopin and play them whilst going on a hit and run rampage through town - the juxtaposition of the serene music within the vehicle mixed with the chaos outside is something special.
Although we can't pick out certain musical scores that combine with the games perfectly in GTA like we can in other examples on this list, the beauty in GTA is that the player can pick a music track from hundreds of different soundtracks. The player is able to match up their perfect soundtrack with whatever may be occurring in the game.
