VGM Greats – Amazing Pieces of Video Game Music You Need to Hear


Video Game Music is great, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It might get you a few raised eyebrows, but there’s true musical acumen in countless soundtracks for video games both recent and vintage.

Whether you enjoy the chiptune, 8bit stylings from days gone by or a 10-hour loop of the Minecraft Theme, these are some of my personal favourites and recommendations that everyone should add to their musical library.

 

Aquatic Ambience – Donkey Kong Country

 

While it’s become legendary thanks to the work and notoriety of the talented musical minds at Rareware back in the 1990’s, Donkey Kong Country is full of magically nostalgic tunes that still hold up even to this day.

 

Aquatic Ambience is the pick of the bunch for its serene and melancholic tones, but there’s also Fear Factory, Jungle Swing, Simian Swing, even the Menu Theme slaps.

 

Jolly Roger Bay/Dire Dire Docks – Super Mario 64

 

Like many of his games, Super Mario 64 features many classic tracks that have stood the test of time thanks to the amazing work of the gifted people in charge of the musical compositions.

 

My personal favourite is the theme for the two water themed levels of Dire Dire Docks and Jolly Roger Bay, the tranquil and aquatic tune serenading your ears and being a standout anthem in the lineage of Super Mario games and of great Nintendo 64 tracks.

 

Main Theme MJOLNIR Mix – Halo 2

 

Marty O’Donnell did an amazing job on the Halo series, but Steve Vai brought new life to the already iconic theme by taking the symphony of the main theme and adding an electric guitar.

 

With this, the Menu Theme of Halo Reach and the Warthog Run from Halo 3, there’s fewer VGM tracks that stand up to the calibre of the Halo series’ OSTs.

 

The Grip – GTA V

 

Rockstar’s games and Grand Theft Auto in particular always boasts a terrific soundtrack, that includes the curated music for the in-game radio stations and the original soundtrack created for the game.

 

Tangerine Dream, Woody Jackson, and some other prolific artists all joined forces for the behemoth project of GTA V, and The Grip is one of many fantastic tracks featured on the original score.

 

Be sure to check out North Yankton Memories, No Happy Endings, and The Agency Heist too.

 

You Blow My Mind (Dudley’s Theme) – Street Fighter III 3rd Strike

 

Street Fighter has many a brilliant song in abundance. The themes of Guile, Ryu, Ken, Zangief and Chun-Li have all stood the test of time and are thought of fondly to this day.

 

With Street Fighter III 3rd Strike breaking away from the mainstream roster and adding several brand new people, with those fighters came new themes, the most notable of which was from British boxing gentleman, Dudley.

 

You Blow My Mind layers its individual components and builds into a full blown masterpiece (much like many of the other tracks), and works as both an accompaniment to fisticuff throwing and as a standalone track.

 

The OST of 3rd Strike is very much worth the VGM connoisseur’s time as it makes a deliberate effort to differentiate itself from the “main series” in all aspects, with the music being a key feature to its identity, leaning into hip-hop, rap, and drum and bass genres.

 

Wily Stage 1 – Mega Man 10

 

Like many of these titles, the Mega Man series is no stranger to having iconic tunes that spring to mind when someone mentions Video Game Music.

 

Wily’s Castle is arguably the most famous, and certain songs from the Mega Man X series are certainly of note, but the returning of former composers like Minae Fuji and Maname Matsumae helped give the revival game a real nostalgic flavour.

 

Wily Stage 1 is a testament to all these ingredients mixing in exactly the right way, resulting in a modern classic.

 

Night of Big Blue – F-Zero GX

 

Even since the original on the Super Nintendo, F-Zero has always had an amazing soundtrack, and the somewhat forgotten series entry on the Nintendo Gamecube had a storied and packed original soundtrack, mainly thanks to the number of playable characters available.

 

Big Blue has been a fan favourite for many years, but Night of Big Blue adds a dark and futuristic twist that is brimming with the high octane soul that F-Zero is known for.

 

Kamurocho & Yokohama Battle Theme – Yakuza: Like a Dragon

 

Very few games harness the natural gaming association that the music genre of dubstep has, but the weird and wonderful world of the Yakuza games grabs the genre by the head and slings it into its games without a care, and boy does it work.

 

These two boss themes are the epitome of how well these tracks work in getting the player into the feel of the fight and getting them pumped to fight like a dragon.

 

Another Winter – Scott Pilgrim vs the World: TVG

 

The novels of Scott Pilgrim by Edgar Wright have developed and crafted out their distinctive art style, and the music for the video game soundtrack written, composed and performed by chiptune band Anamanaguchi fits so well with the overall vibe of the series.

 

Every song has its own charm, but Another Winter is the anthem of the game for sure. Rock Club and Bollywood are also great tracks as well.

 

Egg Reverie Zone (True Final Boss) – Sonic Mania

 

Sonic Mania is arguably the best Sonic game in a long while, and the soundtrack is a huge part of that.

 

A labour of love and a homage to the true Sonic games on the Genesis/Mega Drive, Christian Whitehead and his team managed to achieve the delicate balance of updated, modern gameplay with just the right amount of retro charm.

 

The track that accompanies the fight of the True Final Boss is the crowning auditory achievement, being a fast-paced rollercoaster ride that is as good as the Blue Blur is fast.

 

Thunderstruck (Windmill Hut) – LoZ Ocarina of Time (OverclockeD ReMix)

 

Like so many Nintendo classics, The Legend of Zelda as a series has countless brilliant musical arrangements over the course of its numerous games. However, it’s the Overclocked ReMix of the Windmill Hut theme that I recommend dipping into.

 

Overclocked ReMix is an organisation that preserves and archives video game music but often features new music technology, samples, or different instruments and musical styles.

 

While this Zelda tune is a brilliant showcase of what fans are able to do, Overclocked has a vast library of songs from different games where everyone is bound to find something to their taste.

 

Children of the Elder God – Alan Wake

 

Alan Wake is a cult classic game from Requiem that has slight meta and quirky elements to it, which is no surprise considering its David Lynch inspired influences.

 

Real life band Poets of the Fall recorded the metal anthem Children of the Elder God that plays to a brilliant set piece where Wake has to defend himself on stage against waves of Taken, and it marries up perfectly.

 

TimeSplitters 2 – Return to Planet X

 

Free Radical Design did an amazing job with both TimeSplitters’ gameplay and soundtrack, which is no surprise as the developer had several Rareware alumni like David Doak and Graeme Norgate as part of their team.

 

Many tracks on the TimeSplitters 2 soundtrack are classics, but Return to Planet X is the king of the audio.