Line #69 Main/GameMusic


1	Game Music, obviously, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin is the soundtrack of any video game.]] Such music could be anything, from a grand marching theme to the quick musical cue when an item is obtained or a party member joins.
2
3	In terms of "theme music", a game's "main theme" is more elaborate than other pieces within the game. Theme music plays over the game's title screen, and is often [[RecurringRiff remixed and recomposed at various points during the game to suit a particular mood]].
4
5	"Incidental music" can be anything from a brief musical "sting" to a fully-scored piece intended to establish the "mood" of a given scene. VideoGame/PacMan's "death" sound is one example, as is ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series' "[[ItemGet item tune]]", which is played whenever Link obtains a new item.
6
7	In early video game history, game music was very basic, rarely straying from a simple two- or three-note tune composed of electronic 'beeps and whistles' of various pitch and duration. With the rise of the soundcard, however, music has become more elaborate and memorable; Hollywood veterans such as Jeremy Soule and Harry Gregson-Williams are providing scores for many of today's top-selling games. Much like music fans, fans of games given to paying attention to soundtracks can tell when their favorite composers have written something (compare the soundtracks of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' and ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'').
8
9	The Commodore 64 had an advanced (for the time) sound chip called SID, capable of playing three voices at once. Music programmers for the machine were capable of getting extra-ordinary results out of it. Music for the SID is being created ''today'', and hardware to allow the chip to be accessed through current generation sound equipment is available. SID music programmers, whose output ended up in many popular games, were and still are held in extremely high regard.
10
11	''Please do not gush about video game music here. That's what AwesomeMusic.VideoGames is for.''
12	----
13	!!Examples:
14
15	* The ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series is popular enough in Japan that they get entire orchestras to play arrangements of the music.
16	* The ''Franchise/TombRaider'' soundtracks have provoked remixes by Dean Kopri, Marcus Trogen and Michael Plichta.
17	* The ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' series has one of the most popular PC game soundtracks, having even sold soundtracks for every game at the time.
18	** Two of its most famous tracks are "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RJQPlPE2yQ&feature=related Act on Instinct]]", the first track usually heard in the original game, and "Hellmarch" ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U3a9ZVjF8M Original]]) ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSl7shRzsk Hellmarch 2]]), which is effectively the theme to the ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlertSeries Red Alert]]'' series as a whole.
19	** You can hear these, [[ButWaitTheresMore and other]] [[SugarWiki/GushingAboutShowsYouLike awestruck testimonials]], at [[AwesomeMusic/CommandAndConquer this page]].
20	* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' is well known for both its classic 16-bit songs from the various Zones (levels) and the later vocal tracks from the 3D games and the various AnimatedSeries.
21	** From ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-78CMKME4o Green Hill Zone]] (same one the [[GreenHillZone trope]] comes from), [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mqmN6mw4R8 Star Light Zone]].
22	** From ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LYB7iLZNWE Chemical Plant Zone]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl6kjAkVw_s Casino Night Zone]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVEyGntyOZQ Mystic Cave Zone]].
23	** From ''VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles'': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K1rV9kFs6I Hydrocity Zone Act 1]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPYzgCI6Q1I&feature=related Hydrocity Zone Act 2]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYxlqTpZ-24 Ice Cap Zone Act 1]].
24	*** Also of note is the entire ''VideoGame/SonicCD'' soundtrack, which had two distinct but equally amazing soundtracks depending on which region the game was released in.
25	* ''VideoGame/JazzJackrabbit'' (especially ''Jazz Jackrabbit 2''), which, as the name suggests, if full of music influenced by Jazz, Soul, and Funk music.
26	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has a [[OneWingedAngel very well known]] FinalBoss ThemeTune which has been heard way too many times to count. Includes OminousLatinChanting to boot.
27	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZi0RRVD5S4 Battle on the Big Bridge]] (''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'') by the Black Mages, a band formed by Nobuo Uematsu, who composed most of ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'''s music.
28	** ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' in general has released as many if not more remix albums than actual soundtracks, including piano albums, hard rock albums, vocal albums, orchestral albums, and trance albums. There have been live concerts, as well, including ''20020202: Music From Final Fantasy'' and the ''Dear Friends'' concert series (named after a track from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV''.
29	** And there's of course the original epic final boss fight theme, the magnificent "Dancing Mad", of resident nutjob Kefka. It's 16 minutes of pure awesomeness.
30	** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'''s theme, "Theme of Love", was even incorporated into the Japanese music education curriculum.
31	* Yasunori Mitsuda's music has often been almost a selling point for the various video games he has worked on, which include the ''Chrono'' series, the ''Xenosaga''/''Xenogears'' games and others.
32	** ''Xenogears'' would probably not had been the same if not for its greatly mood enhancing music.
33	* Even non-gamers will recognize the tunes of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' or ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'', which helped early on to solidify Game Music as a legitimate genre, but it still has a long way to go before you'd hear the soundtrack to a video game on the radio.
34	** Unless you live in Japan, where it's on similar footing as [[AnimeThemeSong anime soundtracks]].
35	** Or the UK, where the music from ''Tetris'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'' were remixed and released as singles. Remixed by Creator/AndrewLloydWebber.
36	* More recently, the ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' and ''VideoGame/RockBand'' games have progressed the idea of music in a game, with over a million copies of both games sold in the United States.
37	* And the more recent examples of the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series of course pioneered the use of popular music in video games courtesy of radios in vehicles which even included DJ banter and commercials. Players could even add their own [=MP3s=] and have them played, to extend the shelf life somewhat. In the case of ''Vice City'' especially, the choice of soundtrack helped set the mood for the setting (i.e., 1986).
38	* The soundtracks for the various ''Franchise/MegaMan'' games, particularly ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'', are famous for what they did with the NES's soundcard at the time.
39	* Music/OverClockedRemix is devoted entirely to fan-made remixes of game music.
40	* Several bands, such as [[http://minibosses.com The Minibosses]] and [[http://www.megadriver.com.br Megadriver]], have formed specifically to play rock versions of video game music.
41	** The band [[http://www.pressplayontape.com PressPlayOnTape]] specialises in covering Commodore 64 tunes, although a few Amiga tunes have crept into their repetoire.
42	** Music/MachinaeSupremacy has come full-circle with regard to the aforementioned SID chip, having used it as an instrument in their lineup alongside guitars and drums, and then going on to produce soundtracks for new games such as the PC side-scrolling shooter ''VideoGame/JetsNGuns'' and ''VideoGame/GianaSistersTwistedDreams''.
43	* And then there's [[http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=home Video Games Live]], a traveling concert that features fully-orchestrated versions of game music.
44	* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' series has an arranged soundtrack for damn near every game it has, with real instrumentation replacing the Platform/NeoGeo sound. There's also usually an ImageSong on each soundtrack as well.
45	* The ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' series may have been the first ones to use heavy rock pieces in the soundtrack, but surely the {{Trope Codifier}}s of this for the FightingGame genre... Apart from the insane gameplay and character cast, this one became, perhaps, ''the'' '''most''' ''prominent'' feature of the series.
46	* ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' has absurdly good music, dating all the way back to [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaI the original NES game]]. The high point is undoubtedly ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaSymphonyOfTheNight'''s OST, composed by Michiru Yamane.
47	** Though North America missed out on it, ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' in its Japanese incarnation has ridiculously good music. Konami added a special audio microprocessor chip to the cartridge, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castlevania_III#Version_differences which added a lot more dimension to the music]] - alas, the North American NES couldn't handle it, and thus this side of the pond got, in return for that loss...a much more difficult version of Final Dracula...which is compensation ''how''?
48	* The ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games (especially ''Brawl'') are packed with music from other Nintendo games.
49	** Brawl especially is also filled with all kinds of remixes and even obscure tunes.
50	* Back when copyright prevention in games was especially brutal, the warez scene exploded in popularity as a way to remove oppressive lockout systems. Many of the people that “cracked” these games to remove such code would insert their name into the title screen or loader for posterity, and as these credits became more and more elaborate in one-upsmanship, they became an artform in and of themselves. Called “cracktros,” they eventually split entirely from warez to become the demo, spectacular feats of audiovisual wizardry packed into astoundingly tiny amounts of code to create effects far beyond the commercial game industry's capabilities in sophistication, and rapidly developed a peculiar genre of music all their own.
51	** Some of the scenery crews involved in this ultimately ended up working in the games industry. An early example of this was ''VideoGame/StarControlII'''s soundtrack. The developers announced a contest online for people to send in sound tracker modules based on descriptions of the game's thematic content, the result was one of the best soundtracks in the history of gaming.
52	* The ''VideoGame/{{Crusader}}'' games had decent quality music; the second added a large number of tracks and improved quality, as well as remixing the main theme from the previous game from techno to a harder rock sound. Both games had the ability to cycle through music by pressing a key in-game.
53	* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' was admired, despite not quite using CD-quality audio, for its soundtrack, interactivity (having one theme for combat and one for other activities, and nimbly toggling between the two), and persistent use of the main theme. (For example, the Knight Templar level uses a variation of the main theme, except the main tune is rendered on an organ--appropriate, for a level effectively taking place in a huge cathedral.)
54	** This was a feature of the [[MediaNotes/GameEngine Unreal Engine]] that didn't get much use in ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'' games, but a few mods took advantage of them. But the themes of ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' had some epic blockbuster qualities, and a few of the tracks turned out to be very catchy.
55	** ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' does this as well, the main overworld theme [[VariableMix switching]] from normal to jingle-bells-ey (outside the winter level) to piratey (outside the beach level). There was a variation for each level entrance area, and they seamlessly faded in and out to each other depending on the player movement.
56	* The ''Infinity Engine'' games all had a soundtrack that was very well-liked by its players, though it was probably ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' that was the most admired for setting the mood.
57	* The first three ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' games on the Playstation had an amazing soundtrack. The songs were composed by Stewart Copeland, who was in Music/ThePolice. The game's music is what makes these games held in high regard.
58	* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' from ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Solid]]'' onwards has had the theme music composed by Harry Gregson-Williams.
59	* The ''VideoGame/WildARMs'' series is well-known for its excellent music, mostly composed by Michiko Naruke. Three arrangement albums have been released, including a piano mix, rock mix, and vocal mix.
60	* ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' was praised for its all-vocal soundtrack mix, consisting of J-Pop, rap, and R&B. All the more wondrous considering it's all crunched into a Platform/NintendoDS cartridge!
61	* Creator/InsomniacGames has historically had very good BGM, in ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' by Stewart Copeland and in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'' by David Bergeaud. As of late, though, the music has been completely forgettable (though still composed by David Bergeaud).
62	* The music for the ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'' is held in high regard for its catchy and rhythmic music.
63	* Hidenori Shoji, one of the music developers for Amusement Vision is well known for his work for ''{{Yakuza}}'' ''VideoGame/FZeroGX]]'' and the ''VideoGame/SuperMonkeyBall'' games.
64	* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', being a long-running series, is almost as well-known for its music as its gameplay. Of particular note is ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]''; in keeping with its overall "25th anniversary" theme, the game initially came packaged with a bonus CD containing orchestral arrangements and medleys of several of the franchise's most popular songs.
65	* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' and ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' both get large amounts of acclaim for their soundtracks, especially the heavily electronic ''Tekken 4'' and the hip-hop influenced ''Street Fighter III 3rd Strike''.
66	* ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} IV'' bizarrely averts this trope by having mostly a ClassicalMusic soundtrack for the Medieval, Renaissance, Industrial, and Modern eras, featuring everything from Gregorian chant and polyphony to Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven. The Modern era soundtrack is composed entirely of the strange, hypnotic Minimalist music of contemporary American composer John Adams (like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYy5pmpIM-U this]]). On the other hand, other parts of the game do have original music, and the main-menu music--"[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tmut6FBx4xk Baba Yetu]]," a setting of the Lord's Prayer by Christopher Tin--is generally considered to be [[AwesomeMusic/VideoGames awesome]].
67	* Creator/{{Falcom}} is well known for the various soundtracks for their games, along with codifying several of the earliest examples of the ActionRPG. In particular, the ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' series was one of the earliest games to issue soundtracks of both original and rearranged material, bloops and all.
68	** ''VideoGame/YsIAncientYsVanishedOmen'', and ''VideoGame/YsIIAncientYsVanishedTheFinalChapter'' featured a soundtrack by acclaimed composer Creator/YuzoKoshiro on the ''Platform/PC88''. Examples:
69	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc3MrFPVj-U Feena]]", the introduction music to I.
70	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOS_oBEIcyU First Step Towards Wars]]", the overworld theme.
71	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBVujTOFhRo Holders of Power]]", the boss theme.
72	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYJjGmdJYMQ Palace of Destruction]]", likely the most famous dungeon music in the series.
73	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1eyt-5ubHw Final Battle]]"
74	** ''Ys'' was also one of the earliest series to adopt CD-quality music and voice acting in its games, thanks to the ''Platform/TurboGrafx16'''s CD attachment. The port of the first two games was also significant in reaching American audiences, exposing gamers in 1991 to the potential of disc-based games.
75	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yELuvkU32Lg First Step Towards Wars]]"
76	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTW91hJyjoQ Holders of Power]]"
77	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCugddr9Tug Palace of Destruction]]"
78	*** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH06spHpY-M Final Battle]]"
79	* ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' has a soundtrack provided by British IndieRock band Music/SeaPower.

Context Main / GameMusic