8 Best Video Game Soundtracks

I’m sure we can all agree that the first three Super Mario games changed the face of platform games. Even though the NES restricted what they could do, the music was still integral. How well do you remember how the music changes when you enter a castle, raising your anxiety?

The same music style has carried over to the more recent games and still takes me back to being 5 years old, playing Super Mario 3 for the first time. Even though the Mario Music Maker was a bit of a flop, it was brilliant because of its flexibility to make your own video game soundtracks for the plumber’s adventures or just for fun.

Look, it’s not my fault that I write about this series a lot. Given how epic it is, can you blame me!? Like with Mario, Legend of Zelda had a set of tunes you remember today. When it came up to the likes of Ocarina of Time, having an instrument to play and the slick, dynamic shift of the music just added to its brilliance.

Of all the Zelda series, Ocarina of Time has the most iconic and memorable video game soundtracks. Example, “Saria’s Song” never leaves your brain…and you’re welcome, as it’s most likely in your head too now.

Don’t think I could write this article and not include everyone’s favorite skateboarder. For me, Tony Hawk 2 introduced me, and many others, to music they wouldn’t normally have listened to. I know I’m not alone when I mention the song “Dead Cell” by Papa Roach. It was responsible for introducing players to a great band.

I still remember going for the 250,000-point score and getting hyped up when “Dead Cell” started blasting out. Still, when I hear it today, it always takes me back to this game.

I’m not a massive fan of shooter games, mainly because I’m usually propping up the scoreboard at the bottom. But, for me, no other FPS game has better intro music than Battlefield 4. It’s on par with New Zealand’s Haka. It gets you full-on hyped up, just to get shot after you spawn over and over again.

But that death and spawn part is probably just me. Still, gets me fired up for battle!

The way the music goes with the gameplay in Halo is epic. The banshee fights, meeting the flood, full-scale battles with the covenant…the music makes all of these so much better. The one Halo moment that does it for me is the first time you get the Warthog. Battling through the underground, then driving up the ramp, seeing daylight and hearing the music kick in.

Goosebumps then, goosebumps now, thinking about it.

Open-world games usually have the best music. Not necessarily for the atmosphere they create but more for the songs to accompany you along your travels. Through Fallout, you’ll have access to numerous radio stations with music from times gone by. Dion’s “The Wanderer” has gotten me in trouble more than once.

Skipping along, bobbing my head, singing along, and not noticing that Super Mutant was right in front of me. 

Sure, the first few games didn’t really add music to a great effect. Until, of course, Vice City came out. Set in the ’80s, the song that kept me in the car the most was “I Ran” by Flock of Seagulls. This made cruising around epic and is the main reason I stopped just short of the mission marker until the song ended.

Also, it goes without saying that the talk radio stations are just hilarious.

Back when peripherals were a thing, they exploded when the Guitar Hero game was out. A plastic guitar, 5 buttons, and a strum bar turned you into Slash. Then came other games like Rock Band, complete with drum kits and microphones to give parents a headache. But you got that rock star feel.

The introduction of Rocksmith upped the game by teaching you to play your favourite songs on a real guitar. Hopefully this will continue, as personally, I think it’s a class idea.