40 More Amazing Video Game Soundtracks

40 Amazing Video Game Soundtracks part 1: http://imgur.com/gallery/NZJCi

Killzone series

With a full choir and orchestra at his fingertips, Joris de Man displays his masterful command of complex musical scores through the Killzone franchise. This is the sort of compositional quality you would expect from triple-A movies of epic scale. Not simple repetitive songs, these are dynamic, multifaceted orchestrations that evolve as they play. Listen and be enthralled.

Killzone 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J0ohV3rlDg&list=PL56B189699691838A
Killzone 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtaksfG-hQQ
Killzone 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4vR5pNUp0E
Shadow Fall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QQCU3SOZ8A

The Last of Us

The Last of Us provides a truly unique soundtrack experience. Through its majority the focus is on only a few instruments at a time, consisting mostly of acoustic and electric guitar with violins, piano and percussion providing occasional support. Despite its relative simplicity, critically acclaimed composer Gustavo Santaolalla's compositions are none the less incredibly moving, making perfect use of every note, every pause. The product of his work is a score of hope, determination and dread, all weighed down under a blanket of sorrow.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwDkutphzmU
Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBQ8FBfhvsE
Left Behind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMN8Y46gZaw

Zelda series

What can I even say about the Zelda series that nearly every gamer doesn't already know? Zelda is practically a living gaming legend and its music is as iconic as the games themselves. While general musical QUALITY has lagged behind up until Skyward Sword, the fandom surrounding the series has invested an incredible sum of resources into reproducing the music of nearly the entire series to modern quality, making the songs of most every game a feast for the ears.

Ocarina of Time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAMzIihPjAg
OoT Reorchestrated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfafYqbXTlg
Majora's Mask: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhRImdUT06Y
MM Remixed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4jdLygR-dI
Wind Waker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnJiC8FeI2I
Twilight Princess: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox2D-EJoB0w
Skyward Sword: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLLUQ03RWro
25th Anniversary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qp-ypYp6rQ

Kid Icarus: Uprising

There is no getting around it: the soundtrack for Kid Icarus is from a video game. Its pacing, its themes, its lack of variation within single songs, by its very sound it belongs in a video game. Is this a bad thing? In this case, no. The music of this game is composed with the quality and detail of any album. It's a wild ride of upbeat and encouraging tunes, great for when you need to buckle down and hammer out a school project.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuNWe40c9Gk

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Few tributes to other works really attempt to improve upon them. Blood Dragon is a clear exception, a tribute to 1980s science fiction cinema modernized without losing its soul. From this beautiful pile of nostalgia comes a classic electronica soundtrack three decades old in style but with depth and complexity largely absent from the actual movies of those days.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnDutViIj-8

Payday series

Grab your glow sticks and skip your ADD pills, kids. While it possesses the variety obligatory for most video games, the core of the Payday series' sound has always flowed in the vein of electronic dance music scored to incite and energize, a perfect accompaniment for hitting a freeway, lifting weights, or robbing a bank. I do have a distinct preference for Payday 2 as the music possesses much more solidarity, but by day's end both games are fantastic.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWrUjwAuL0k
Payday 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v05i7HkOK8s
Payday 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pdBMJ0dHoM

NeoTokyo

Few people seem to know of this Half Life 2 conversion, and even fewer know it has a soundtrack as many servers turn it off. This is a grave injustice. Composer Ed Harrison has constructed a full two and a half hours of resplendent songs that draw heavy influence from the Ghost in the Shell soundtracks, featuring a blend of numerous instruments with haunting vocals and a powerful electronica core. The result is an experimental album that is as unusual as it is transcendent.

Sample 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2WBGVqVkpw
Sample 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5FzUD1A_FM
Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=408tWOubRDM

Frozen Synapse

If the original Deus Ex got the Black Mesa treatment, I could see it having exactly this sound. Techno musician nervous_testpilot has composed a vocal progressive trance soundtrack heavy on clean piano combined with powerful synths, with the occasional inclusion of dubstep influence. The music is powerful yet gentle, invigorating yet soothing, and in my opinion the best asset an already great game has.

Vanilla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAln2rGiOF4
FS Red: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-SmCNi5eVs

Velocity 2x

James Marson teamed up with Jorin de Man (see Killzone above) to produce the perfect musical accompaniment to the fast-paced science fiction game. Composed entirely of synths with deep roots in electronica and just a touch of retro influence, this rapid soundtrack rarely has a dull moment. Despite its invigorating sounds, I've found it oddly suitable for concentration-heavy activities such as studying.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44v8Q5-yd9I

Child of Light

The soundtrack of Child of Light is a perfect companion to the mildly whimsical high fantasy setting of the game. Its heavy use of piano combined conservatively with other instruments generates a nearly perfect fairy tale score. The music within is overflowing with tranquility, supplemented by a subtle tug-of-war between hope and woe that gives the final package a startlingly monumental amount of depth.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93h-8MKG48s

Flow

Simple to an extreme, the soundtrack to thatgamecompany's Flow is a pairing of only a few instruments and a vocalist. It is mostly an ambient piece, slow and patient, and layered thick with serenity. This music is guaranteed to give you goosebumps upon first listen, and very likely on subsequent ones as well.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeANXNZQMDc

Transistor

Following on the heels of Bastion, Transistor knocks another pair of ears out of the park. Composer Darren Korb tossed elements of pop, rock and electronica in the blender and sprinkled it with a few dashes of vocals. The result is something that transitions between funky and soothing, often expressing both at the same time. There is great talent on clear display here, and if his work on Bastion is any indication, it will only continue to improve.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zA1jRmAYfU

Braid

Instead of developing his own soundtrack, Jonathan Blow decided to purchase the licenses of several songs by Cheryl Ann Fulton, Shira Kammen, and Jami Sieber. The works selected make for a short set of new age, Celtic, and folk music that are the epitome of relaxation. You can enjoy it for what it is, or use it as a resource to further investigate the artists within.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqOVpiXfq0o

Minecraft

If you've been taking a break from Minecraft like I have you may not have known that its simplistic, time-telling soundtrack had been overhauled. Update 1.7.2 introduced a much larger expanse of music that's not quite as chippy, but still equally as crafty. Regardless of the soundtrack you feel is most appropriate for the game, both are brilliant, peaceful electronica affairs that are perfect for chilled ambiance.

Pre 1.7.2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIOiV4d1SVI
Post 1.7.2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeUP9uMoW4Q

Dust: An Elysian Tail

One thing becomes immediately apparent when listening to the Dust soundtrack: HyperDuck knows how to use their assets. The music of this game is incredibly varied in style and content, drawing from a huge menagerie of different instruments, and the two man team that put it together did a masterful job of combining the various sounds that each make into a wonderfully complex series of songs.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q6wjM4blJk&list=PLlvXGetzr0FBSC6xKTJY8H9UX8-YIgNVh

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

If there's one thing Nick Mason has taught us it's that musicians can make music out of almost anything. For example, take the four person team of Anamanaguchi, toss them an NES and some modding tools, and you get this soundtrack. These guys have done with the NES what no actual NES games have done: make amazing MODERN music with it for a MODERN game. Now granted, Chiptune is most certainly an acquired taste, but Anamanaguchi does an incredible job of making it an easy one to acquire.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN1ZYVLczWw&list=PL1B2609BD77EF9088

Fez

To match the revived retro feel of its host game, composer Rich Vreeland stretched the limits of the Chiptune musical genre. Combining the core of his expertise with 80s synth elements and numerous distortion effects results in a new, relaxing take on Chiptune, producing the sense of early video games while being firmly grounded in the present.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYL-5N08JtA

FTL: Faster Than Light

The FTL soundtrack is undeniably a matter of taste. Inspired by the music of early DOS games, its series of harmonious bips and boops are a perfect accompaniment to the throwback style of its accompanying gameplay. Even without, it makes for a fantastically soothing listen provided such music is your thing. If not, give it a listen. Perhaps it will grow on you.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygH9VcV7IBg

Dante's Inferno

I could write an entire thesis on the shortcomings and virtues of this game, and the astounding soundtrack composed by Garry Schyman falls squarely into the realm of the later. In one of the most brutal visions of Hell ever depicted his chorus-heavy score nails the mood right on the head. Filled with sorrow, torment, and doom, it's a perfect accent for the game's content. I highly suggest giving it a rent for both the music and amazing art direction. Just don't let mom see you playing it.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_-ZZa1gvuk
Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc6dfGRvk4w

Dark Souls series

Dark, foreboding, and desolate, the Dark Souls soundtracks are flawless accompaniments to their games. Composed by industry veteran Motoi Sakuraba, these albums are filled with epic full orchestral scores soaked in haunting choruses. The songs almost unanimously evoke a shadowy atmosphere that sways between desperation and melancholy, perfect for a dark fantasy setting.

Dark Souls 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffLbdhP0auc
Dark Souls 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg33KkBlVCc
Demon Souls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezcNxSfa3Tg

Tropico series

I honestly don't know a whole lot about salsa music, but if the Tropico soundtracks are any indication, it's a genre certainly worth listening to. The combination of congas, bongos, tres, and a variety of other instruments produce a strong Caribbean theme. These upbeat yet laid back tunes are perfect for playing on your outside patio or at the beach. Tropico 2 deviates from the series formula and adopts a more 'pirate' theme to match its shift in setting, but at its core it remains similar and enjoyable.

Tropico 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZcHcu6cdJ0&list=PL860287D12F57878C
Tropico 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL-2Q_mZQxQ&list=PL136BC516046F405A
Tropico 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgwsV_K_Io4&index=1&list=PLF635C48271ABA09B
Tropico 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhhNrS-uNTM&list=PLDDEF53057FB63424
Tropico 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXtX6UKuGRk&list=PLjUso2IXN6RkZxxgyZUxVAghgKcfJ26Tk

Grim Fandango

LucasArts and Tim Schafer tried something very different with their vision of the Land of the Dead, blending Central American themes of the afterlife with film noir, and accenting it with one of the jazziest video game soundtracks ever conceived. Quality bebop is predominant, making it fantastic background music for casual social occasions or simply studying.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-K8R1hDG9E

Brütal Legend

Tim Schafer struck again with Brutal Legend, a game where metal music is quite literally center stage. The base soundtrack produced in house is quite respectable, albeit short, drawing from and masterfully channeling several decades of metal. Stacked atop this is a whopping 107 song mix of music new and old, classic to obscure. Metalheads rejoice; though the game may have not lived up to critics' expectations, its music is well worth your investment.

Game soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WS57pNIq9A
Song mix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saQL94bFYT0&list=PLFD436207C6E748EC

Fallout 3 + New Vegas

Though its theme has stretched back all the way to the series' roots, it was when Bethesda got their hands on the Fallout franchise that the 1940s and 50s surged into widespread gaming consciousness. While the ambient soundtracks for the games are... eh, the heart of Fallout is lent to it by the music of the 30s, 40s and occasionally 50s that it so gloriously shares. Though all of these songs are actual licensed works, the impact these games had on players' musical awareness is too important to overlook.

Fallout 3 Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0D5IB3C14E
Fallout 3 Galaxy Radio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGmHaMRAXuI
Fallout NV Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yy7YLOTYEs
Fallout NV Radio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoDFiRg4wFs

Black Isle D&D legacy

Before Bethesda took off with Morrowind, State-produced RPGs were the domain of Black Isle and their legacy of games based upon the D&D system, and with them a series of incredible fantasy-themed orchestral soundtracks that were well ahead of their times. Though Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate are the most well known games of the bunch, my personal musical preference lies with the Icewind Dale series, released in the Infinity Engine's waning days.

Planescape: Torment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXF9I6OykBc
Baldur's Gate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrwGiZabshA
Baldur's Gate 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGay14RUnVM
Icewind Dale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSKGsmjbq2w
Icewind Dale 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I95sxbq3PTA

Guild Wars series

Nothing in the Guild Wars soundtracks will really blow your mind, and that's okay. Though it doesn't particularly innovate or leave its fantasy music comfort zone, veteran composer Jeremy Soule (who also worked on Elder Scrolls, by the way) makes perfect use of what's within, producing a fantastic series of ambient scores that make incredibly good music for studying or reading.

GW Prophecies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUe64FtLs3U
GW Factions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LtSMlkBAFE
GW Nightfall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sANPBRr1Jxs
GW EotN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18kT_8ihedU
Guild Wars 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCHVIUEjzO0

Kingdoms of Amalur

If one had to draw a comparison to any other franchise, Kingdoms of Amalur sounds unquestionably similar in style to Star Wars. With a massive emphasis on brass with support form strings, the soundtrack layers the epic on like frosting on a triple-layer cake. Slow tension setting scores share space with aggressive uplifting horn processions, giving the entire experience a sense of fortitude and assertiveness. It's a real shame we won't be hearing any more from this series.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtP8vT4oY0Y&list=PL27114B60511669DB

The Witcher series

There seem to be a lot of fantasy games on my lists, but it would be much easier to whittle them down if so many weren't so consistently fantastic. The Witcher series is no exception, fashioning perfectly the core orchestral sounds of the genre with additional Celtic-inspired influence. Expect to hear the strings and horns you know share ear-space with uilleann pipes and recorders, adding a welcome twist to a crowded genre.

The Witcher 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFIbVqHOOIU
The Witcher 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npsAcevrIzk

Total Annihilation legacy

War. Where many RTS games determine their music by lore, the legacy of games initiated by Total Annihilation present instead an unquestioningly perfect series of soundtracks to accompany wars of continental, global, even solar scale. Every drum beat marks the crush of a thousand tank treads, every violin note the roar of a hundred aircraft, every horn the impact of a dozen artillery shells. As armies of massive size clash the music plays on, a glorious anthem to conflict.

Total Annihilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxAdOQtAFEs
Supreme Commander: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNTqWyoMWOg
Supreme Commander 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdq7xCkMtuQ&list=PLFDE6F05D4ECABC7D
Planetary Annihilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Q3U1YDjLI

Homeworld series

Much like Total Annihilation, the Homeworld series shifts musical focus away from the factions in play to a different subject matter: the infinite void. The music of Homeworld is thick with minimalist ambiance assisted by haunting choruses, NASA mission sound samples, and contribution from numerous different instruments. The result of this blend is a series of pieces that convey vast mystery perfectly suited for a deep space setting.

Homeworld 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WbvIEL5Iyk
Cataclysm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUn7AP_r_4I
Homeworld 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juOB-IbCwJc

Ace Combat series

While most of the few modern flight simulators adhere to the concept of “simulation” instead of “game,” the Ace Combat series proves that you can still fly through the skies and blows things up to a cohesive plot and a wicked soundtrack. I honestly had a hard time figuring out what to write here as no single game sticks to a single musical trend. Each soundtrack is composed of stuff that can be classified as both appropriate and really freaking good, and little else binds them together, especially as the music matured in its later installments.

Shattered Skies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBTAZk3IarM
Unsung War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-nzzWVhN54&list=PLB5A294C912C49005
Belkan War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1848DY5GqU&list=PLA34334E24E820B75
Skies of Deception: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn90UMh8vg0&list=PL35D8C0844CE41E01
Fires of Liberation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY4XpLg1LR8&list=PL54DF3157D5EC298A
Joint Assault: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmj_zPntoqE&list=PL29A48B43CF5CFC90
Assault Horizon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbapsli9er8&list=PLEF3B4C0F86B1F9C4
Infinity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-7ZRMDq5_Y&list=PLD89bydqttV7RZELUF5u9ZeievZrhbc8W

Team Fortress 2

Centered around trumpets, saxophones, piano and bongos, the Team Fortress 2 soundtrack is a study in musical ADHD fuel. Though the core of the game is dominated by an ecstatic cavalcade of invigorating jazzy tunes, the musical talents behind it experiment broadly with numerous different sounds. Creepy Halloween, classic Parisian, Southwest guitar, and some electronica round out the the soundtrack, but none of it loses the central theme of joyous pandemonium.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6NQx4WRRg0
Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc82nO3XHLc

The World Ends with You

Composer Takeharu Ishimoto's goal with this soundtrack was to infuse it with the musical essence of Tokyo's Shibuya district, resulting in a glorious variety of what I can only really describe as modern popular Japanese tunes. Less video game music than an actual song album, the menagerie of electronica, rock, hip hop, pop, and various fusions thereof that fill it make for a fantastically fun listen.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LNCI5X2Hzk

No More Heroes series

I was originally ready to write the No More Heroes soundtracks off after sampling their early parts; I was originally very, very wrong. Once you get past the sorrowfully generic ambiance and 8-bit MIDI tunes that make up their outer shells, you'll uncover a delicious, gooey center of 90's era garage band music that blends punk rock with trace amounts of electronica. Feel free to skip around as necessary; there's quite a bit of rough among the diamonds.

NMH1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToMR6MzTBug&list=PL6B4E71C0877BD29F
NMH2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqdBzfu6V-U&list=PLA32507F89A56DA13

Jet Set Radio series

Jet Set Radio and its sequel are games built around their music, but unlike most of its peers at the time these games didn't regurgitate whatever was circling the top-40 radio stations to cultivate appeal. Channeling the stylings of 90s street music, they feature funky beats and energetic tunes that bridge a ton of genres ranging from hip-hop to funk. Toss these in your dorm room stereo to spark a dance break, or simply relive the nostalgia of a time when in-line skates were cool.

Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGA4PilHdr0
Future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYuESacPGAo

Castlevania series

Wow there are a lot of these games, and they're all musically fantastic. Castlevania cast off most of the “video game” in its music early with Symphony of the Night, right in the midst of the PS1's reign, and the series has done nothing but improve from there. Though a dark theme dominates, the variety of games host an equal variety of music and this short list here is just a sampling of what Castlevania has to offer.

Symphony of the Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ghd3tvsNAs
Lament of Innocence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Tz8DPO-4U
Curse of Darkness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DIJQlolVSE
Harmony of Despair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-hQtTyvYms&list=PLC6F7C052E009201A
Lords of Shadow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI6Tinpwtlk
Lords of Shadow 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRD8_fNAH-s

The Last Story

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and was composed by the same guy who scored a bunch of other ducks, it might as well be another duck. Series musical progenitor Nobuo Uematsu brings his iconic sound to this fantasy RPG one-off, grounding the listener with deep, rich, complex orchestral arrangements. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy's music, this is a mandatory addition to your collection.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7gFNER7Wx4
Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWxvHigEDUM&list=PL8F6079551AC8C198

Chrono series

In a period deluged in JRPGs, the Chrono series stood out as exemplary. Every facet of these games were crafted with detail and care, and the musical scores were no exception. They achieved feats in emotional evocation and world painting with detail beyond what most thought possible given the capabilities of the hardware at the time, and are still revered today. Hell, Chrono Cross's soundtrack was my first official foray into video game music. Chrono Trigger still suffers from the “video game music” crutch due to just those SNES limitations, but the love of the game's fan base has done a fantastic job of modernizing its tunes, earning it a well-deserved spot on this list.

Chrono Trigger OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEoN_Xe-B-s
Chrono Trigger Symphonic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JQxH77NWEQ
Chrono Cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gumt8xfnspk

Visit here: http://thechronosymphony.com/

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon

Criminally under-played, Fragile Dreams follows a boy as he explores Tokyo in the aftermath of humanity seemingly disappearing from the face of the Earth. The soundtrack that accompanies his travels acts as a perfect compliment, a slow, relatively simple piano-centric series of songs that underscore the game's themes of loss and loneliness, brimming with sorrow and bated hope. If only it weren't so short.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1udGU8f4mSo

Folklore

I only barely remember this game as it never really came into the limelight, but Folklore was truly a unique piece. Composed by an impressive array of musical talents, its soundtrack is an unusual blend of Irish folk sounds and traditional JRPG compositions, producing a score that's beautiful, haunting, and blissfully unique. While the official soundtrack consists of 52 songs, the largest playlist I could find is 25. Well, you can't argue too much with free.

Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8WMNTMLlN8&list=PLF650BD422CB81F65

In closing (for now)

Is there a soundtrack you love but didn't find on the list? First, check to see if it's in part 1 (http://imgur.com/gallery/NZJCi) and if not, say so in the comments. Though I try to steer these collections to games that translate well to outside listening, the list is in no way exhaustive and is always expanding. I'll do my best to listen to your suggestions and possibly include them in future lists.