The Greatest Game Soundtracks of My Time

 By Jake McMichael

NOTE: These are obviously my own opinions, and should not be taken as fact. There’s a 100% chance this list will not sit with some of you. Such is the nature of life. That said, I’d love to read what you would consider the greatest game soundtracks of your time, along with the songs that stuck with you most. At the end of the day, we all ended up here because of our love of games and game music.

NOTE NOTE: I’ve excluded music games from this list because, frankly, that’s cheating.

Let’s dive in.

The Fallout Franchise

Whoever put radio stations in these games deserves a world-building medal. Taking music from the 30’s to the 60’s and setting it against the backdrop of a retro-futuristic nuclear post-apocalypse, there exists a zany, sometimes dizzying contrast in obliterating enemies with shoulder-launched mini-nukes to the tune of Billie Holiday, The Ink Spots, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and countless other icons of the day. And yet, despite the disparity between what is heard and what is happening, the music never feels out of place; to the contrary, it’s hard to imagine the games without it. Fallout is invariably responsible for my love of the music of the atomic era — less a genre, and more a moment in time. It also succeeded in introducing a whole new generation of people to this music. I could write a whole essay about music’s place within the Fallout universe, but I’ll let its place on this list speak for itself for now. It’s tough to choose favorites here, as it’s nothing but classics. Best to play and decide for yourself.

Favorite Song: “Orange Colored Sky” by Nat King Cole

Honorable Mention: “Easy Living” by Billie Holiday

Skate 2

When I was a wee high schooler, I bought Skate 2 for less than $15 from a discount bin at GameStop. While I was drawn to the game by its promise of a more “realistic” skateboarding game than the then-king of skateboarding games, Tony Hawk, what kept me playing for years onward was being able to shred to one of the gnarliest playlists ever compiled for a video game. This was a time before music streaming and after Napster, so this game effectively served as an interactive mixtape for me. Running the genre gambit from hip hop to funk to punk to heavy metal and so on, it just keeps on giving with each song. In time, the skating became secondary, almost zen; the soundtrack was what kept each session fresh, despite the fact that, by then, I had heard the songs a million times before. I didn’t realize it then, but this game had a major impact on my taste in music. Even today, whenever I pick up a new extreme sports game, I find myself eventually muting its soundtrack to substitute it for that of Skate 2. It’s that damn good.

Favorite Song: “Showdown” by Electric Light Orchestra

Honorable Mention: “Uptown Top Ranking” by Althea and Donna

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

“Huh, huh, HUH. Huh, huh, HUH…”

If you immediately started singing along, then you understand why I’ve included Skyrim on this list. Skyrim blew our collective minds when it (first) dropped on 11/11/11, and keeps on truckin’ (dragonin'?) over a decade later. Part of the game’s enduring charm is its masterfully-constructed original soundtrack, composed by Jeremy Soule. You know you’ve created a lasting fantasy experience when your exploration and tavern music are as iconic as your main theme. The major highlights are the sweeping orchestra and the full chorus singing in Dovahzul, the game’s unique language spoken by dragons and Dragonborn alike.

Favorite Song: “One They Fear” by Jeremy Soule

Honorable Mention: “The Bannered Mare” by Jeremy Soule

Red Dead Redemption

The original soundtrack of this classic western RPG, courtesy of Bill Elm and Woody Jackson, is nothing short of incredible, channeling the spirit of spaghetti westerns with Ennio Morricone-inspired, whistlin’, electric guitar-fueled licks; however, the major standout here is the use of acoustic tracks and old western covers for the game’s pivotal story moments. Landing on the shores of Mexico for the first time as John Marston is a moment I still think about nearly a decade and a half later, thanks almost exclusively to its choice of song. And let’s not forget the game’s shocking conclusion, with its haunting a-cappella overture by William Elliott Whitmore. It’s an emotional trip that pulls the heartstrings and begs to be remembered.

Favorite Song: “Far Away” by José González

Honorable Mention: “The Outlaw’s Return” by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Sea shanties are the name of the game here. As the captain of a pirate ship set a-sail on the Caribbean, you spend a lot of time on the open water, hopping from island to island to pillage booty and assassinate people. Along these lengthy journeys, your motley crew of ship-hands will often burst into song, bellowing centuries-old chants. The singing is raw and powerful, the sound editing gives each track the feel of a distant chorus, and the occasional “hey!” from the crew always puts a smile on my face. Oh, yeah, almost forgot: there are over two hours of these lovingly-recreated shanties, two albums full, so the trips never stale — in fact, you may find yourself singing along after a time. It’s a beautiful, well-thought detail that helps to elevate Black Flag to one of the best pirate games around.

Favorite Song: “Lowlands Away” by Nils Brown, Sean Dagher, and Clayton Kennedy

Honorable Mention: “Leave Her Johnny” by Sean Dagher, Nils Brown, and Michiel Schrey

Pokémon Red/Blue

In the early 90s, Japanese composer Junichi Masuda was tasked by Nintendo with making a library of monster sounds and background music within the limitations of the Game Boy — primitive technology by today’s standards — for an upcoming “pocket monster” game. While we are spoiled with good audio on our Switches and smartphones, at the time, the Game Boy was limited to only four sound channels, meaning Masuda had to get creative to make the music punch. Despite these limitations, he was able to compose iconic tunes and legendary battle themes that are still beloved today. There has been almost 30 years of Pokémon since, with memorable music across all mediums, but it all takes its essence from these simple roots: one man in his room, turning white noise into snare drums.

Favorite Song: “Trainer Battle” by Junichi Masuda

Honorable Mention: “Route 1” by Junichi Masuda

Bloodborne

We are born of the blood, made men of the blood, undone by the blood. This gothic, Lovecraftian action-horror RPG was one of the main reasons Xbox owners were thinking “damn, I wish I had a PS4” back in 2015. To add to the utter flex that is this game, all of its masterful songs were played by an unnamed group simply known as the Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Sound Team (though, credit where credit is due, they were composed by Ryan Amon). The haunting atmospheric background music is only outmatched by the boss music, which may be the best FromSoftware has ever conceived. From's track record of rich worlds complimented by exceedingly epic music only continues here, and this, for a time, stood as a testament to what great games are made of. Even today, it holds up as a cornerstone of the PlayStation 4.

Favorite Song: “Omen” by Ryan Amon & SIE Sound Team

Honorable Mention: “Cleric Beast” by Ryan Amon & SIE Sound Team

Halo 2

I mean, come on. This is one of those rare times when a game’s music can be identified by a single note (E3, for you true nerds). But what makes Halo 2’s soundtrack so particularly special compared to the others in the franchise is that it spawned an actual Billboard contender. Breaking Benjamin’s “Blow Me Away,” written exclusively for the game, is the only song from the franchise — and one of the few in gaming history — to be certified platinum; and it still slaps harder than a plasma sword.

Favorite Song: “Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix” by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori

Honorable Mention: “Blow Me Away” by Breaking Benjamin

Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition

The soundtrack to this underrated indie masterpiece is the musical brainchild of composer Max LL, a Canadian film composer and multi-instrumentalist. Music is core to Spiritfarer. As the ferryman of the dead, it is your job to fulfill the last wishes of various spirit friends on their way to the Gates of Hades. It sounds bleak, but make no mistake: this is one of the most relaxing, adorable, and emotionally-complex games in recent memory. The most conflict you’ll find here is in cooking a meal that your spirits don’t like. The music succeeds in making every aspect of the game’s world feel special. After playing through and then listening to the soundtrack on its own, I found myself being able to identify every moment of the game with its song. “Oh, that’s the Song of Growth!” “Hey, that’s the bat lady’s theme!” “Oh, great, now I’m crying uncontrollably.” This is a game worth picking up for countless reasons — I would say it’s one of my favorite indies, period — but the music gives it that special touch that you only find in a game made with a unique kind of love, missing from most AAA titles.

Favorite song: “Song of Growth” by Max LL

Honorable mention: “Mind Palace” by Max LL

Shadow of the Colossus

Not only is Shadow of the Colossus the quintessential argument for games as an art form, its soundtrack is top-of-the-line, and stands on its own as a symphonic goldmine. Composed by Kow Otani, the music is so goddamn awesome that it has been covered by every major big band from here to Japan, including the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, to name a few. For a game largely composed of quiet moments, those times where the music plays are just that much more special, and believe me, Otani pulls absolutely no punches here. Each piece of music — some ethereal, some spooky, some filled to the brim with bravado — makes you feel like you’re at the center of an epic, and though the songs are typically brief, they accomplish more in under two minutes than most games do in their entire albums. If you were to ask me, this is the single greatest original game soundtrack ever composed, for what is undeniably one of the most beautiful games ever made.

Favorite song: “The Opened Way” by Kow Otani

Honorable mention: “A Violent Encounter” by Kow Otani

Gorillaz Final Drive

This is a deep cut, but those who know, know. Final Drive was a flash game developed in the early 2000s around the release of the Gorillaz’ debut album. The entire game is a recreation of the music video for “19-2000,” which plays on a loop for the entire fucking game. You are the Gorillaz, driving their camo-green “geep” across a barren, semi-open world covered by highways that would make TrackMania proud. It was a barebones time-killer, but it succeeded in burning “19-2000” into my grey matter. I never got tired of listening to it while playing, but for whatever reason, I never bothered to look the the song up. I wouldn’t make the connection until 20 years later, when the song passed across my Spotify feed, and a flood of memories came roaring back to me. Perhaps I’m insane for putting this here, or perhaps it’s just a reminder of simpler times. Get the cool shoeshine.

Favorite Song: “19-2000” by Gorillaz

Honorable Mention: “19-2000” by Gorillaz

The Most Honorable of Honorable Mentions

• “Main Theme” from Super Mario Bros.
• Du-du du du-du DUH. Ooh.
• “Still Alive” from Portal
• GLaDOS isn’t done yet. She still has something to say to the player character, and this song is her way of doing it. You better believe that a megalomaniacal AI is going to get the last word in, no matter what. Bonus points that the song ended up becoming such a smash success that it transcended the game.
• “One-Winged Angel” from Final Fantasy VII
• This haunting number put the fear of God in everyone who played FFVII. It’s a song that firmly establishes Sephiroth’s place as Final Fantasy’s most dastardly, bastardly villain.
• “Simple and Clean” from Kingdom Hearts
• Kingdom Hearts and Hikaru Utada go together like lovers and paupu fruit. The sequel themes, “Sanctuary” and “Face My Fears,” are equally worthy of a mention, but the first game’s theme stands as a testament to its name: the best things in life are often simple and clean.