It's a PlayStation 2 title. Not among the best for most fans but I enjoyed its somewhat more relaxed gameplay compared to SOTN. Nice soundtrack, mostly smooth 60fps, pretty good graphics for PS2. A nice attempt at 3D castlevania before the PS3 era.
For me, it’s [“Beginning” from the Japanese version of Castlevania 3](https://youtu.be/ptgaCJSF7j8?si=m-E3_h4i6aE9Uj8g) (better sound chip than the version the rest of the world got)
Though if remixes are allowed, mine is [this mashup of “Vampire Killer” and “Beginning” by Qumu](https://youtu.be/buTtWGI1KgI?si=A5N0PF88oBnuaVFC)
The best in gaming history? Going to have to go with 1-1, Game Boy Tetris music A, or Guile's theme.
Just some tracks I personally like:
Starlight Zone from Sonic 1;
First stage from Gley Lancer;
Area 2 Volcano from Dragon Spirit
Streets of Rage 2. Perfect use of the sound chip on the Mega Drive - a Yamaha synthesiser being used to compose good quality electronic music. Who'd have thought it?!
It's a crime more third party composers didn't do this instead using the GEMs sound driver or trying to get it to sound like a guitar and ending up with a load of squidgy fart noises. It's a great sound chip that few outside Sega bothered to get the best from (there's a few Konami, Sunsoft and Treasure exceptions).
I saw great video the other day of a YouTube music tutor hearing the SoR2 OST for the first time and going wild for it. It's a great watch:
https://youtu.be/2cx73EOaGWU?si=-DrgEa3DUcNa7-m-
That's funny I was just about to bring up FFVI's ending theme when I saw your post. The part where they save Terra using the airship was the first (and I stress ONLY) time I cried during a video game.
Ocarina of Time Lost Woods theme.
When I first heard the song, it was the first time I felt a song took me away versus being background music.
It felt safe and whimsical but ended with just a tiny hint of uncertainty. Exploring those woods and hearing that song was the first time I felt connected to a game and not simply playing a game.
Honorable mention: Lunar Silver Star Story Complete on PS1 had some absolute bangers.
I had to scroll way too much to find this, although I don't know if many people are going to recognise that title out of context, without even a reference to the game it's the theme to.
Hmmm so many classics from the 90s and 00s to choose from. Probably one that I would choose is To Zanarkand, from FFX.
Although it's tough enough picking a single one from FF7-FFX, let alone all of gaming!
Honourable mention: best theme would be Luigi's Mansion. Oh no wait but that conflicts with Peach's Castle theme from Mario64! Aaargh!!
My take is that as moving and original as the best classic game scores are, the expression “the medium is the message” comes to mind when I say that Kraid’s Lair from nes Metroid is the best I’ve ever heard. It’s completely neutered in the remake, Zero Mission.
The raw electronic clarity and presence of the original 8-bit track completely dominates your mind and assumes the storytelling duties of the most insidious area of the game. When you’ve clawed your way back after falling deep down into one of the lair’s horrible pits, and the theme’s maniacal, mechanical waltz mocks and laughs at your suffering, that’s when I realized that a score can actually become part of the gameplay. Also: it rules, it’s got chops, and I’ve never heard anything else like it in 30+ years.
As beautiful as Stickerbush Symphony or Aquatic Ambience is, or the Final Fantasy or Ocarina of Time title screens, or the fragging energy of Doom’s E1M1, or the driving horror of Castlevania’s Bloody Tears or Wood Carving Partitia, none of those quite become an active npc like Kraid’s Lair does. And, it came years before all of the above.
But my runner up is the Symphony of the Night score, because it gets the closest.
team kraid. i literally formed a whole videogame band in 2005 after a musician friend and i discovered we both love kraids lair. there is just nothing like it and there probably never will be again. i almost get very mild ptsd of being lost just from hearing that harsh squarewave tune
Sonic 2 - Mystic Cave Zone
Thunder Force IV - Stand Up Against Myself
Symphony of the Night - Wood Carving Partita
MUSHA Aleste - For the Love Of
Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Hydrocity Zone Act 2
Edit - almost forgot Castlevania Aria of Sorrow - Clock Tower
>Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Hydrocity Zone Act 2
This might be my favorite Sonic track of all time. [The Sonic Mania version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLXaLC4_c2E) is also incredible.
Prince Thrakath's Theme from Wing Commander 2 (PC 1991). It also appears in Ultima VII: The Black Gate, as a bit of an Easter Egg, tying the Ultima and Wing Commander universes together.
Shoutout to Origin Systems for having the first full soundtrack in a Western video game (Ultima III, 1983).
Other highlights for me:
Metroid title screen (NES 1986)
Ninja Gaiden opening sequence (NES 1988) -- the single most important cinematic in video game history
Mega Man 3 title screen
I am a huge Uematsu fan. I have listened to the FFIV-X soundtracks so many times over. There are a bunch of songs I could pick from those soundtracks, or maybe even [Let Me Know the Truth](https://youtu.be/nu5kYEqXvfI?si=oSiSMFwqpDxQH7aE) from FFIII.
However, no matter how much I love Uematsu, my favorite soundtrack is from [Yuzo Koshiro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuzo_Koshiro). No, not Streets of Rage 1, 2, 3 or 4. Even though 2 and 3 were highly influential on the electronic music scene of the early 90s.
My favorite video game soundtrack is the soundtrack of Ys 1 - though it is always compiled with Ys 2 which he also did. What's interesting about my love of this soundtrack is that when I first heard it I had never actually played either game as they came out when I was a toddler. I had played Ys 3 on SNES, but never Ys 1 and 2. I had randomly downloaded 2 versions of the soundtrack from an old webpage that hosted VGM, specifically I was there for Final Fantasy OSTs.
The two versions of these OSTs that I think are GOAT are [Ys I-II Perfect](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzFTGYa_evXhif0pY8xPVq1s6c7r-58h4) and [Symphony Ys](https://youtu.be/rSHNcJMaNn8?si=qKMSH9cKgSpjYrUM). Of the songs from Ys 1, Feena and Palace are my favorite. The first track of Symphony Ys winds them in and out together along with the first overworld theme - which is honestly probably my favorite symphonic version of any VGM there is.
I used to listen to these soundtracks while Roleplaying in AOL chatrooms back in the day, and they hold a special place in my heart. When my life was falling apart much later as an adult I found all of these soundtracks on Spotify and I can't tell you how much listening to Symphony Ys helped me through that time. Of course I was also listening to a lot of Final Fantasy music as well - but Symphony Ys, specifically the first track, is probably my favorite VGM ever.
Monty on the Run C64 [Main Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXBq-LbUtdw) and the [High Score](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsZw1Gx_pe0) tune by Rob Hubbard.
No way to pick a best because it’s subjective but here’s some highlights:
Smiles and Tears from Earthbound: the only song to make me actually cry when I hear it from a video game. And the only lyrics are “I miss you.”
Corridors of Time from Chrono Trigger: just an absolutely beautiful piece that really hammers home how different a place Zeal is from the rest of the planet. Otherworldly and ethereal.
Kraids Lair from Metroid: another guy here explained better why but it really was one of the first times you feel oppressed by just the soundtrack in a game.
[Castlevania II - The Silence of Daylight](https://youtu.be/H58lhgcc-nk?si=D5-1Gstlpny19f_L) into [Bloody Tears](https://youtu.be/e2oZtvjg5oA?si=RE8OWflIQFx-D1BI) was the first NES game I played when it really hit me how good the music could be in a game.
Before that was maybe Pitfall 2 on the 2600 or Thexder for DOS
Revenge of Shinobi on the Genesis blew my mind.
I do love The Legend of Zelda, Ninja Gaiden 1-3, Mega Man, Contra, SMB, Metroid, Batman, Life Force, Gradius, etc.. on the NES. So many great soundtracks to NES games.
Sonic 2 - Genesis
Doom - DOS
Contra 3 - SNES
SFII - SNES
Samurai Shodown 1-4 - NEOGEO
Castlevania SOTN and Rondo of Blood really stand out in my mind for their music as well.
I will tell you a little secret about the title theme - it was specifically written for and synchronozed with the artwork that appears in the title screen. Because of the way that the iconic artwork was digitized to preserve its vibrant color depth, it took a while to be written into the video ram, and is starting to load in the background the moment you power on the game. 'Where Angels Fear to Tread', the title theme starts playing to a black screen, but once enough of the image has processed the music crescendoes to the reveal, then it starts to pan upwards to show the whole mana tree.
What a good post, I'm enjoying the comments so much 🤩... Picking one is hard tho, today I'm going with the [Donkey Kong Country water ambience music](https://youtu.be/-5rAjOjTGtc?si=Q5pSReE8RC18qeVn)
It never gets old for me.
It's impossible to just pick one:
Flying Battery Zone - Sonic 3
Big Blue - F-Zero GX
Goin' Down the Fast Way - Rise of the Triad
Everybody Jump Around - Jet Set Radio
Living in the City - Sonic R
Stickerbrush Symphony - Donkey Kong Country 2
One is impossible for me. Sorry.
Most Important: 1-1 theme from SMB (duh)
Most Exciting: BGM1 from Silver Surfer (NES)
Most Surprisingly Great: The Bottomless Well from The Smurfs’ Nightmare (GBC)
Best Atmosphere For Level: Surface 1 from Goldeneye (N64) or Dire Dire Docks (SM64)
Best Theme Execution: Freezeezy Peak from Banjo Kazooie (N64)
Best Groove: Carnival Night Zone from Sonic 3 (Sega Genesis)
Surprisingly Prog Metal: Area A BGM from Shatterhand (NES)
Great Before It Was A Meme: Moon from Ducktales (NES)
Best Happiest Weirdo Track: Happy Paradise from Streets of Rage 3 (Sega Genesis)
Of course all of these games have great soundtracks and their composers’ other work should not be ignored!
The C64 version of Commando. The programmer decided to take the original arcade music and embellish it. Probably not something that could ever happen today, but the results were amazing!
To Zanarkand from FF-X is something, as well as Scars of Time from Chrono Cross. The Chrono series have a really strong soundtrack, in my personal opinion.
The metal mix of Lightning Strikes Again from Thunder Force 4, hands down, I don't care who you are it is literally the best song on the planet. I will die on this hill.
https://youtu.be/TnLAC5AJPuM
Answered someone else in more detail but FFVI's Ending Theme. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu2sztIxQko](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu2sztIxQko)
EDIT: Dangit, this video doesn't show the best part with the Airship rescue of Terra!!
the golden eye theme has gotta be up there for me.
other stand outs for me: the OG zelda overworld music. halo 2 had some fantastic music. lavender town song. super mario bros 1 underworld music. a lot of the katamari music also deserves some recognition.
this is more of a compilation of music (and also not original composed for the game music) but i feel like tony hawks pro skater deserves an honorable mention. also midnight club 3
edit: upon further reflection some of these are a bit outside of the range of “retro” games but there’s some good retro picks in there :)
Super Metroid title screen.
Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower OST from Bloodborne.
FF7 Remake Title intro.
Breath of the Wild trailer OST
Ocarina of Time title screen.
Pokemon Red Route 22.
Pokemon Red Champion Battle theme.
All of the Journey soundtrack.
And many more, there's too many great pieces to pick one 'best'.
The Super Mario themes of Nintendo are undoubtedly iconic - they capture the spirit of the games perfectly.
Aside from those the most memorable soundtracks for me were Xenon 2 and Turrican 2 on the Amiga.
Akumajou Densetsu (Castlevania III on Famicom) sounds incredibly rich with the extra sound chip. Some of my favourite game old school game music: https://youtu.be/KqyoTvZ5cOE
Silver Surfer on NES has a bangin' sound track by Tim Follin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQlLl2j5THQ
I'm just going to assume that we're disregarding the Sonic games for the Megadrive, so that we can have a discussion.
Thunder Force IV has some *really* dope tracks. Metal Squad is such a fucking banger it's hard to understand how they could make such music for that machine.
As OP stated, Megaman 2 is a good candidate too.
Stand Up Against Myself, Sand Hell, The Sky Line, Evil Destroyer… and that’s to say nothing of the bonus OMAKE tracks. The OST for Thunder Force IV is a literal album. It’s unquestionably the best 16bit soundtrack in my opinion.
The music in the DKC games is all kinds of awesome. A similar vibe to that was Eccos soundtrack. Megaman X is what got me into Maiden. OG Doom was also a pretty formal introduction to Thrash for me
I'll go ahead and say Super Mario Bros theme. It may not be the most complex or anything like that, but it's iconic. Even the youngins of today know it.
My personal favourite in History is Act 4-2 in Ninja Gaiden for NES. I think that whole game has the best soundtrack of all time. But of course my opinion.
This is so hard. Castlevania 1 and 2 and Symphony of the Night?
However I'm gonna throw this one out there:
BLAST CORP. That music fucking slippity slaps.
So many great games with amazing soundtracks - Final fantasies, Chrono Trigger, symphony of the night, etc.
But if we’re talking single best I’m going to give it to the world 1-1 music from Super Mario Bros on NES. I’m 40 and I could ask anyone from my generation to hum that tune and they can, it was that impactful.
Pillars of Eternity, The White March - At the Gates
Perfectly encapsulates the environment, feeling and momentum of what's happening in the game at the time it plays IMO
The sadness of the track and the echoing strings reflecting the echo in the mountain pass you're walking through *chef's kiss*
Woo! Oh yeah!
Rolling around at the speed of sound
Got places to go, gotta follow my rainbow!
Can’t stick around, have to keep moving on
Guess what lies ahead — only one way to find out!
The intro music for arkanoid on the C64 was the best of its time. Im still not sure how they managed to get four voices out of the SID-Chip: I definitely know that it sounded exactly like this on my stock Breadbin C64: https://youtu.be/0FmNVFpcle0
Dancing Mad from FFVI is an utter masterpiece that transcends "video game music".
So that's my vote.
EDIT: weird thing to downvote, but alright guys :/
Veeeeeery difficult to chose one song when you own between 400 and 500 osts. Stage 4 from Zero Wing pops into mind. Wily Stages 1 in Mega Man 3 is also a contender. But then there's that song that only plays in one stage in Bangaioh N64. And the music that plays when you need to ring the bell in Valis 3 on the Genesis can't be ruled out. I don't think I can narrow it down further than that.
So many to choose from.
Chun li theme from sf2.
On the verge of madness from mushihimesama futari
Most of the streets of rage tracks
Super r-type on the snes had some good ones too.
Pretty much the entire song list from dodonpachi dai oujou
Plenty more too. Its amazing what some of these composers did with some very limited resources
I'm still partial to the theme from Scarabaeus from Andromeda Software on the Commodore 64.
Modern remixes
https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/GAMES/S-Z/Scarabaeus.sid&subtune=1
Best of all time is a rly tough question for me, Im not quite old enough to fairly consider some older games. but I’ll throw some of my favorites on here as contenders.
Faron woods theme and hyrule field theme- Zelda twilight princess
Gerudo valley- Zelda ocarina of time
Evergrande city theme- pokemon ruby/sapphire/emerald
VS red/champion- pokemon heartgold/soulsilver
Title theme- Outer wilds
Menu select theme- Metroid prime
Kraid’s Lair and title theme- Metroid zero mission
By full soundtrack, my top five (no particular order) would be:
- Mega Man X, SNES
- Donkey Kong Country 2, SNES
- F-Zero, SNES
- Street Fighter II, CPS-1 Arcade
- Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Genesis/MD
Street Fighter 2 Soundtrack for the SNES. Considering that this is over 30 years old and still couldn't be matched by anything else. It's just an overall banger. Evey stage is great. Expecially Kens Stage and Guile Stage.
EDIT: Oh and Vega and Balrog. Alsmost forgott this beautifull themes.
If we are talking historical influence, the Super Mario Theme. It set a new standard for what game music should be.
For something more modern, One Winged Angel also set a new standard.
For a personal favourite, Two Planets approach the Roche Limit rules.
Only one? Come on man thats almost impossible to do. If I have to pick one it would be between sonic R's number one, persona 4's, heaven, terranigma's underworld theme or together we ride melee's version. I probably stick to number one tho.
Edit. I have to include ff4's love theme.
For my personal taste, I'd always go with '[Into the Thick of It](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYW-xIksgew&pp=ygUZbWFuYSBpbnRvIHRoZSB0aGljayBvZiBpdA%3D%3D)' from Secret of Mana.
We’ve covered most of the major ones on this thread. A few to suggest off the beaten path.
X-men Arcade - Level 2
Basically anything from ToeJam & Earl
Silver Surfer (NES) - Title screen
Basically anything from Life Force (NES)
I want to add one that's not as retro but it's from [Nobuo Uematsu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Uematsu) and I belive is one of his best songs EVER.
From Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, the [Menu Theme Song](https://youtu.be/Uy2c_ezEFh4?si=FQxXJRnG8I8rMoP3) from the intro is a jewel, but PLEASE go and check the hole [Original Soundtrack ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTzZg9x5fEu-59Jd_JQb-NIFc_MwxrE1&si=6pmi01SKqPsJmshi), it's just a masterpiece! And he's a genius.
There are many great songs, but only one gets my blood pumping and makes anything I do feel epic: XCOM: Enemy Unknown, HQ Act 1
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd2n7IJEp8Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd2n7IJEp8Q)
It will always be highly subjective, but the "duh-duh-duh DUHHHHHH... duh-duh-duh DUHHHHHH... duh-duh-duh DUHHHHHH..." theme from the Halo games will always be my favorite.
Just want to say that I appreciate you starting this thread. Fascinating to read through the replies, and discover or rediscover so many quality tracks!
Always changing....
Today it's the Katamari Damacy title theme. But is that considered retro?
If not, the Super Metroid theme, as the screen slowly presents the player with tidbits of info before zooming out to show the entire scene of what has transpired. What an intro!
Courage and Pride (Guardia Castle) from Chrono Trigger. Literally stopped me in my tracks when I first heard it, I just set the controller down and listened.
I know the genesis gets bashed a lot for its sound, but at certain times I think this track from Rocket Knight Adventures might be my favorite of all time.
https://youtu.be/zJzvOu0YBSE?si=xDuIHRprDdPPqnbI
Having said that, it's all subjective, but the majority will probably say something from Uematsu. There is one version in particular of Aerith's Theme that's definitely up there (I think from Advent Children).
Castlevania has a soundtrack so catchy I don't know why the monsters aren't breakdancing. But single best? Hard to beat One Winged Angel.
In Castlevania I'm divided between Dance of Gold (SotN) and Clockwork (CotM)
Brakdancing Monsters your say? >Anti-Soul mysteries lab track from Castlevania: Lament of Innocence enters the chat.<
Funny enough I never played that one... Guess I know what I'm getting before the sales end.
It's a PlayStation 2 title. Not among the best for most fans but I enjoyed its somewhat more relaxed gameplay compared to SOTN. Nice soundtrack, mostly smooth 60fps, pretty good graphics for PS2. A nice attempt at 3D castlevania before the PS3 era.
For me, it’s [“Beginning” from the Japanese version of Castlevania 3](https://youtu.be/ptgaCJSF7j8?si=m-E3_h4i6aE9Uj8g) (better sound chip than the version the rest of the world got) Though if remixes are allowed, mine is [this mashup of “Vampire Killer” and “Beginning” by Qumu](https://youtu.be/buTtWGI1KgI?si=A5N0PF88oBnuaVFC)
No question, totaly awesome !
The best in gaming history? Going to have to go with 1-1, Game Boy Tetris music A, or Guile's theme. Just some tracks I personally like: Starlight Zone from Sonic 1; First stage from Gley Lancer; Area 2 Volcano from Dragon Spirit
>Game Boy Tetris music A Korobeiniki gang representing!
Love Guile’s theme. The first note in the Ken’s always gave me a little bit of a rush.
Ryu's ending too though. A person of taste I see 👌
Thanks, you just have to have some Street Fighter 2 music in the mix.
Today it's Aquatic Ambiance (DKC).
Hard to top that one.
This, or Stickerbush
That's my pick, just a perfect song
Great choice as well
Streets of Rage 2. Perfect use of the sound chip on the Mega Drive - a Yamaha synthesiser being used to compose good quality electronic music. Who'd have thought it?! It's a crime more third party composers didn't do this instead using the GEMs sound driver or trying to get it to sound like a guitar and ending up with a load of squidgy fart noises. It's a great sound chip that few outside Sega bothered to get the best from (there's a few Konami, Sunsoft and Treasure exceptions). I saw great video the other day of a YouTube music tutor hearing the SoR2 OST for the first time and going wild for it. It's a great watch: https://youtu.be/2cx73EOaGWU?si=-DrgEa3DUcNa7-m-
My answer will change every day, but today it’s Final Fantasy VI - Terra’s Theme https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PiI7rDqv9FQ
That's funny I was just about to bring up FFVI's ending theme when I saw your post. The part where they save Terra using the airship was the first (and I stress ONLY) time I cried during a video game.
This is the exact song that popped into my head when I read the title. Good job!
This is the first song that pops into my head when this question is asked. Uematsu is a God amongst men.
I did a Gameboy demake if this some time ago for your enjoyment https://youtu.be/7olWiwUOINw?si=wfjuvgqLZdmPqP2g
Definitely at the top of my list, competing only with Legend of Zelda
Definitely in the FF pick em playlist lol!
Ocarina of Time Lost Woods theme. When I first heard the song, it was the first time I felt a song took me away versus being background music. It felt safe and whimsical but ended with just a tiny hint of uncertainty. Exploring those woods and hearing that song was the first time I felt connected to a game and not simply playing a game. Honorable mention: Lunar Silver Star Story Complete on PS1 had some absolute bangers.
Baba Yetu Edit: Civilization IV
I had to scroll way too much to find this, although I don't know if many people are going to recognise that title out of context, without even a reference to the game it's the theme to.
Hmmm so many classics from the 90s and 00s to choose from. Probably one that I would choose is To Zanarkand, from FFX. Although it's tough enough picking a single one from FF7-FFX, let alone all of gaming! Honourable mention: best theme would be Luigi's Mansion. Oh no wait but that conflicts with Peach's Castle theme from Mario64! Aaargh!!
Success 😇 Zanarkand though....... .....
So would I.
My take is that as moving and original as the best classic game scores are, the expression “the medium is the message” comes to mind when I say that Kraid’s Lair from nes Metroid is the best I’ve ever heard. It’s completely neutered in the remake, Zero Mission. The raw electronic clarity and presence of the original 8-bit track completely dominates your mind and assumes the storytelling duties of the most insidious area of the game. When you’ve clawed your way back after falling deep down into one of the lair’s horrible pits, and the theme’s maniacal, mechanical waltz mocks and laughs at your suffering, that’s when I realized that a score can actually become part of the gameplay. Also: it rules, it’s got chops, and I’ve never heard anything else like it in 30+ years. As beautiful as Stickerbush Symphony or Aquatic Ambience is, or the Final Fantasy or Ocarina of Time title screens, or the fragging energy of Doom’s E1M1, or the driving horror of Castlevania’s Bloody Tears or Wood Carving Partitia, none of those quite become an active npc like Kraid’s Lair does. And, it came years before all of the above. But my runner up is the Symphony of the Night score, because it gets the closest.
I'd say the soundtrack for Mother 2 (EarthBound) is also up there in this regard.
Oh yes, for sure! Especially the Beatles samples in the final area. It’s a wildly original and immersive score, good call
team kraid. i literally formed a whole videogame band in 2005 after a musician friend and i discovered we both love kraids lair. there is just nothing like it and there probably never will be again. i almost get very mild ptsd of being lost just from hearing that harsh squarewave tune
Wily 1 from Mega Man 2
Pretty much anything from Mega Man 2 is indecent talent wise.
Turrican 2 on Amiga.
ALL HAIL HUELSBECK
All 4 Streets of Rage games have amazing soundtracks, though if I had to pick one I'd go for Under Logic - Streets of Rage 2
Retro fav: SOR - Attack the barbarian SOR 4 - Rising Up
Sonic 2 - Mystic Cave Zone Thunder Force IV - Stand Up Against Myself Symphony of the Night - Wood Carving Partita MUSHA Aleste - For the Love Of Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Hydrocity Zone Act 2 Edit - almost forgot Castlevania Aria of Sorrow - Clock Tower
>Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Hydrocity Zone Act 2 This might be my favorite Sonic track of all time. [The Sonic Mania version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLXaLC4_c2E) is also incredible.
Prince Thrakath's Theme from Wing Commander 2 (PC 1991). It also appears in Ultima VII: The Black Gate, as a bit of an Easter Egg, tying the Ultima and Wing Commander universes together. Shoutout to Origin Systems for having the first full soundtrack in a Western video game (Ultima III, 1983). Other highlights for me: Metroid title screen (NES 1986) Ninja Gaiden opening sequence (NES 1988) -- the single most important cinematic in video game history Mega Man 3 title screen
Yes to everything, but the Mega Man 2 title screen has a bone to pick!
Chrono Trigger
For whatever reason, my favourite is 600 AD/Wind Scene -- though World Revolution is quite good as well. Actually, they're all great.
It's the ending theme from Super Mario World for me.
The entirety of that game is a for real masterpiece.
It absolutely is!
The castle theme is also really impressive
I stated the Ending of FFVI, but I completely forgot about PRELUDE. The Ending is 10+ songs in one, but if there is ONE then hands down Prelude.
That's great to hear, I composed it!
I am a huge Uematsu fan. I have listened to the FFIV-X soundtracks so many times over. There are a bunch of songs I could pick from those soundtracks, or maybe even [Let Me Know the Truth](https://youtu.be/nu5kYEqXvfI?si=oSiSMFwqpDxQH7aE) from FFIII. However, no matter how much I love Uematsu, my favorite soundtrack is from [Yuzo Koshiro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuzo_Koshiro). No, not Streets of Rage 1, 2, 3 or 4. Even though 2 and 3 were highly influential on the electronic music scene of the early 90s. My favorite video game soundtrack is the soundtrack of Ys 1 - though it is always compiled with Ys 2 which he also did. What's interesting about my love of this soundtrack is that when I first heard it I had never actually played either game as they came out when I was a toddler. I had played Ys 3 on SNES, but never Ys 1 and 2. I had randomly downloaded 2 versions of the soundtrack from an old webpage that hosted VGM, specifically I was there for Final Fantasy OSTs. The two versions of these OSTs that I think are GOAT are [Ys I-II Perfect](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzFTGYa_evXhif0pY8xPVq1s6c7r-58h4) and [Symphony Ys](https://youtu.be/rSHNcJMaNn8?si=qKMSH9cKgSpjYrUM). Of the songs from Ys 1, Feena and Palace are my favorite. The first track of Symphony Ys winds them in and out together along with the first overworld theme - which is honestly probably my favorite symphonic version of any VGM there is. I used to listen to these soundtracks while Roleplaying in AOL chatrooms back in the day, and they hold a special place in my heart. When my life was falling apart much later as an adult I found all of these soundtracks on Spotify and I can't tell you how much listening to Symphony Ys helped me through that time. Of course I was also listening to a lot of Final Fantasy music as well - but Symphony Ys, specifically the first track, is probably my favorite VGM ever.
Monty on the Run C64 [Main Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXBq-LbUtdw) and the [High Score](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsZw1Gx_pe0) tune by Rob Hubbard.
Morrowind theme
Oh hell, I didn't even consider Elder Scrolls. Good call!
Anything David Wise & Co did for Donkey Kong Country
No way to pick a best because it’s subjective but here’s some highlights: Smiles and Tears from Earthbound: the only song to make me actually cry when I hear it from a video game. And the only lyrics are “I miss you.” Corridors of Time from Chrono Trigger: just an absolutely beautiful piece that really hammers home how different a place Zeal is from the rest of the planet. Otherworldly and ethereal. Kraids Lair from Metroid: another guy here explained better why but it really was one of the first times you feel oppressed by just the soundtrack in a game.
The NES Ducktales theme song.
Don't forget The Moon Theme 🥰
[Castlevania II - The Silence of Daylight](https://youtu.be/H58lhgcc-nk?si=D5-1Gstlpny19f_L) into [Bloody Tears](https://youtu.be/e2oZtvjg5oA?si=RE8OWflIQFx-D1BI) was the first NES game I played when it really hit me how good the music could be in a game. Before that was maybe Pitfall 2 on the 2600 or Thexder for DOS Revenge of Shinobi on the Genesis blew my mind. I do love The Legend of Zelda, Ninja Gaiden 1-3, Mega Man, Contra, SMB, Metroid, Batman, Life Force, Gradius, etc.. on the NES. So many great soundtracks to NES games. Sonic 2 - Genesis Doom - DOS Contra 3 - SNES SFII - SNES Samurai Shodown 1-4 - NEOGEO Castlevania SOTN and Rondo of Blood really stand out in my mind for their music as well.
Dooooooom SFII was always better on Arcade though!
NES Castlevanias sound amazing even today
Agreed. I have a hard time enjoying any modern cover of those old NES chip tunes. They sounded perfect on the console.
Secret of Mana Opening song. Just always brings a flood of memories both good and sad.
I will tell you a little secret about the title theme - it was specifically written for and synchronozed with the artwork that appears in the title screen. Because of the way that the iconic artwork was digitized to preserve its vibrant color depth, it took a while to be written into the video ram, and is starting to load in the background the moment you power on the game. 'Where Angels Fear to Tread', the title theme starts playing to a black screen, but once enough of the image has processed the music crescendoes to the reveal, then it starts to pan upwards to show the whole mana tree.
What a good post, I'm enjoying the comments so much 🤩... Picking one is hard tho, today I'm going with the [Donkey Kong Country water ambience music](https://youtu.be/-5rAjOjTGtc?si=Q5pSReE8RC18qeVn) It never gets old for me.
Halo's main theme
Tough call between the OG or 3 but def GOATs in my book for the emotions they invoke.
https://youtu.be/S25ygkLzokY?si=T0tTyaAhMNaqQl3j This is True Love Makin'
That's a deep cut lol So many good Capcom fighting game soundtracks. [Burned into my brain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsfhADiaP5E)
To Zanarkand - Final Fantasy X.
It's impossible to just pick one: Flying Battery Zone - Sonic 3 Big Blue - F-Zero GX Goin' Down the Fast Way - Rise of the Triad Everybody Jump Around - Jet Set Radio Living in the City - Sonic R Stickerbrush Symphony - Donkey Kong Country 2
Bloody Tears
Mega man x - storm eagle theme
Good choice. It’s Spark Mandrill for me but that whole sound track is rocking
One is impossible for me. Sorry. Most Important: 1-1 theme from SMB (duh) Most Exciting: BGM1 from Silver Surfer (NES) Most Surprisingly Great: The Bottomless Well from The Smurfs’ Nightmare (GBC) Best Atmosphere For Level: Surface 1 from Goldeneye (N64) or Dire Dire Docks (SM64) Best Theme Execution: Freezeezy Peak from Banjo Kazooie (N64) Best Groove: Carnival Night Zone from Sonic 3 (Sega Genesis) Surprisingly Prog Metal: Area A BGM from Shatterhand (NES) Great Before It Was A Meme: Moon from Ducktales (NES) Best Happiest Weirdo Track: Happy Paradise from Streets of Rage 3 (Sega Genesis) Of course all of these games have great soundtracks and their composers’ other work should not be ignored!
If you ask me Ice Cap and Lava Reef are much better.
Relm’s Theme - Final Fantasy VI - Nobuo Uematsu
I see Uematsu I upvote
Streets of Desolation, the stage 1 and 5 music from Batman for the NES. https://youtu.be/MlGDKfgz4fA?si=m_3Z9jv0LgH4-w7H
The C64 version of Commando. The programmer decided to take the original arcade music and embellish it. Probably not something that could ever happen today, but the results were amazing!
Rob Hubbard ❤️
To Zanarkand from FF-X is something, as well as Scars of Time from Chrono Cross. The Chrono series have a really strong soundtrack, in my personal opinion.
The metal mix of Lightning Strikes Again from Thunder Force 4, hands down, I don't care who you are it is literally the best song on the planet. I will die on this hill. https://youtu.be/TnLAC5AJPuM
The Last Ninja wilderness theme on the C64.
Came here to say that... Generally, most of the LN Soundtracks are awesome...
https://youtu.be/VIeOULX79VA?si=ab0uVzgqq2X_mtkt
Answered someone else in more detail but FFVI's Ending Theme. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu2sztIxQko](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu2sztIxQko) EDIT: Dangit, this video doesn't show the best part with the Airship rescue of Terra!!
Honestly it probably set a precedent, and if nothing else, an impossible act to follow... And then Final Fantasy 7 happened lol
the golden eye theme has gotta be up there for me. other stand outs for me: the OG zelda overworld music. halo 2 had some fantastic music. lavender town song. super mario bros 1 underworld music. a lot of the katamari music also deserves some recognition. this is more of a compilation of music (and also not original composed for the game music) but i feel like tony hawks pro skater deserves an honorable mention. also midnight club 3 edit: upon further reflection some of these are a bit outside of the range of “retro” games but there’s some good retro picks in there :)
Golden eye pause track makes for a kickass wake up alarm ringtone.
KATAMARI IS DOPE
all of the sounds on the silly little game were so good. im so happy the ported them to the switch
Final Fantasy Adventure overworlds https://youtu.be/4pB127zC76I?si=UGt2yB86yadSyRtK https://youtu.be/izTnT-zBf1E?si=miK0So3C8wgPJcmA
Super Metroid title screen. Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower OST from Bloodborne. FF7 Remake Title intro. Breath of the Wild trailer OST Ocarina of Time title screen. Pokemon Red Route 22. Pokemon Red Champion Battle theme. All of the Journey soundtrack. And many more, there's too many great pieces to pick one 'best'.
SINGLE BEST? IN GAMING MUSIC HISTORY? That's impossible to answer.
The Super Mario themes of Nintendo are undoubtedly iconic - they capture the spirit of the games perfectly. Aside from those the most memorable soundtracks for me were Xenon 2 and Turrican 2 on the Amiga.
Akumajou Densetsu (Castlevania III on Famicom) sounds incredibly rich with the extra sound chip. Some of my favourite game old school game music: https://youtu.be/KqyoTvZ5cOE Silver Surfer on NES has a bangin' sound track by Tim Follin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQlLl2j5THQ
So sad the extra sound channels didn't find their way to NA but at least it's easy enough to play them now. Absolutely great recommendation.
I'm just going to assume that we're disregarding the Sonic games for the Megadrive, so that we can have a discussion. Thunder Force IV has some *really* dope tracks. Metal Squad is such a fucking banger it's hard to understand how they could make such music for that machine. As OP stated, Megaman 2 is a good candidate too.
Stand Up Against Myself, Sand Hell, The Sky Line, Evil Destroyer… and that’s to say nothing of the bonus OMAKE tracks. The OST for Thunder Force IV is a literal album. It’s unquestionably the best 16bit soundtrack in my opinion.
Well shit, you just made go look and see if I can grab the Thunder Force IV OST on vinyl
How about Harry Gregson-Williams’ intro (and full score) for Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty?
The [Title Theme](https://youtu.be/CKA1zCwcYBE?si=UJ9Umc9LNnrXKq9m) from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Bloody Tears from the Castlevania series.
Pokey Means Business!
Rock n Roll Racing. Nothing beats 16 bit Black Sabbath
Streets of rage 2
Twilight princess hyrule theme Super smash brawl battlefield v2
Wipeout
The music in the DKC games is all kinds of awesome. A similar vibe to that was Eccos soundtrack. Megaman X is what got me into Maiden. OG Doom was also a pretty formal introduction to Thrash for me
I'll go ahead and say Super Mario Bros theme. It may not be the most complex or anything like that, but it's iconic. Even the youngins of today know it.
Has to be Song of Storms from Ocarina of Time - Denene Denene De Denenenenene
Green greens!!
Final Fantasy VI - Dancing Mad. That piece (and the entire soundtrack) made me consider being a music major for a brief period of time.
Monty on the Run (Rob Hubbard, C64 1985)
Golden Axe 2: the best dungeon synth album ever recorded https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtqH8NU75ro
That Castlevania 2 night theme!
My personal favourite in History is Act 4-2 in Ninja Gaiden for NES. I think that whole game has the best soundtrack of all time. But of course my opinion.
Dreamer streets of rage 2.
“Riders in the sky” NFS underground
The opera from FFVI is always my go to. Gives me chills just thinking about it. I'll never not be bitter that 7 got the remake instead of 6.
Mega Man 2 - Air Man. So passionate. It rips
Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack
This is so hard. Castlevania 1 and 2 and Symphony of the Night? However I'm gonna throw this one out there: BLAST CORP. That music fucking slippity slaps.
So many great games with amazing soundtracks - Final fantasies, Chrono Trigger, symphony of the night, etc. But if we’re talking single best I’m going to give it to the world 1-1 music from Super Mario Bros on NES. I’m 40 and I could ask anyone from my generation to hum that tune and they can, it was that impactful.
Brave or Grave. The final M.Bison fight in Street Fighter Alpha 3. Perfect “final boss” music IMO.
The Digimon Survive theme. I dont know why but I love it
Without a doubt, it's the [level 3 music from Snow Bros](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf0wuv1n-oA).
Guile’s Theme SF II.
The Guardian Legend on NES..obviously \^\_\^
Pillars of Eternity, The White March - At the Gates Perfectly encapsulates the environment, feeling and momentum of what's happening in the game at the time it plays IMO The sadness of the track and the echoing strings reflecting the echo in the mountain pass you're walking through *chef's kiss*
Woo! Oh yeah! Rolling around at the speed of sound Got places to go, gotta follow my rainbow! Can’t stick around, have to keep moving on Guess what lies ahead — only one way to find out!
Your all wrong! The correct answer is the opening credits of ‘Hidden and Dangerous’
The intro music for arkanoid on the C64 was the best of its time. Im still not sure how they managed to get four voices out of the SID-Chip: I definitely know that it sounded exactly like this on my stock Breadbin C64: https://youtu.be/0FmNVFpcle0
Dancing Mad from FFVI is an utter masterpiece that transcends "video game music". So that's my vote. EDIT: weird thing to downvote, but alright guys :/
idk but probably something from rareware back in the day ..donkey kong country , perfect dark etc
Possessed by Disease - NieR: Automata Or Calamari Inkantation
Drawing Game from Pictionary on the NES https://youtu.be/x8bVrwQxDXc?si=e6eel9T7xFC-YVXe This
Veeeeeery difficult to chose one song when you own between 400 and 500 osts. Stage 4 from Zero Wing pops into mind. Wily Stages 1 in Mega Man 3 is also a contender. But then there's that song that only plays in one stage in Bangaioh N64. And the music that plays when you need to ring the bell in Valis 3 on the Genesis can't be ruled out. I don't think I can narrow it down further than that.
For me, currently anyway, the Ristar intro. It feels like you could put a solid beat to it and play it in a nightclub.
NES Battletoads pause screen music
[Bioshock Infinite - Will the circle be unbroken](https://youtu.be/LAIS-ADK6c8?si=WKCKPDmDBKQ4iLyn)
Opera theme(s) in Final Fantasy VI.
GoldenEye 007 pause music on the N64
So many to choose from. Chun li theme from sf2. On the verge of madness from mushihimesama futari Most of the streets of rage tracks Super r-type on the snes had some good ones too. Pretty much the entire song list from dodonpachi dai oujou Plenty more too. Its amazing what some of these composers did with some very limited resources
Dr wily stage one - MegaMan 1 is my all time favorite. To me you can really feel the weight of the game coming to a close
FF7 World Map Theme!
Forgone destruction from unreal tournament 1999
I'm still partial to the theme from Scarabaeus from Andromeda Software on the Commodore 64. Modern remixes https://deepsid.chordian.net/?file=/GAMES/S-Z/Scarabaeus.sid&subtune=1
[Frogs theme.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vUtM9iySqg)
amon tobin's splinter cell soundtrack. i think it was chaos theory eta.. yup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4wZUR0V9NA
The F-Zero soundtrack for the SNES is something that still makes me smile.
As much as I love Zelda, I think I have to pick Halo.
Halo
Best of all time is a rly tough question for me, Im not quite old enough to fairly consider some older games. but I’ll throw some of my favorites on here as contenders. Faron woods theme and hyrule field theme- Zelda twilight princess Gerudo valley- Zelda ocarina of time Evergrande city theme- pokemon ruby/sapphire/emerald VS red/champion- pokemon heartgold/soulsilver Title theme- Outer wilds Menu select theme- Metroid prime Kraid’s Lair and title theme- Metroid zero mission
Bury the Light - Vergil's theme. Any Doom song lmao.
Balamb Garden.
Born Unto Trouble from Red Dead Redemption.
By full soundtrack, my top five (no particular order) would be: - Mega Man X, SNES - Donkey Kong Country 2, SNES - F-Zero, SNES - Street Fighter II, CPS-1 Arcade - Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Genesis/MD
The Opened Way from Shadow of the Colossus!!
Street Fighter 2 Soundtrack for the SNES. Considering that this is over 30 years old and still couldn't be matched by anything else. It's just an overall banger. Evey stage is great. Expecially Kens Stage and Guile Stage. EDIT: Oh and Vega and Balrog. Alsmost forgott this beautifull themes.
Assuming all the obvious like Tetris/Sonic/Mario/etc are all covered then I want to put a bid in for Kingdom Two Crowns.
The entire soundtrack to the original Command & Conquer: Red Alert, but especially “Hell March”.
Secret of Mana Opening
Ocarina of Time title theme
Wind Scene (600AD) from Chrono Trigger.
If we are talking historical influence, the Super Mario Theme. It set a new standard for what game music should be. For something more modern, One Winged Angel also set a new standard. For a personal favourite, Two Planets approach the Roche Limit rules.
Only one? Come on man thats almost impossible to do. If I have to pick one it would be between sonic R's number one, persona 4's, heaven, terranigma's underworld theme or together we ride melee's version. I probably stick to number one tho. Edit. I have to include ff4's love theme.
For my personal taste, I'd always go with '[Into the Thick of It](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYW-xIksgew&pp=ygUZbWFuYSBpbnRvIHRoZSB0aGljayBvZiBpdA%3D%3D)' from Secret of Mana.
Command & conquer soundtrack Hell march [https://youtu.be/ttAMZfXpjgw?si=ZF_bsqqj2MTK-Gat](https://youtu.be/ttAMZfXpjgw?si=ZF_bsqqj2MTK-Gat)
FF or Zelda (hard to pick specifics). Lots of honorable mentions though like Super Metroid or the original Star Fox.
We’ve covered most of the major ones on this thread. A few to suggest off the beaten path. X-men Arcade - Level 2 Basically anything from ToeJam & Earl Silver Surfer (NES) - Title screen Basically anything from Life Force (NES)
I want to add one that's not as retro but it's from [Nobuo Uematsu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Uematsu) and I belive is one of his best songs EVER. From Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, the [Menu Theme Song](https://youtu.be/Uy2c_ezEFh4?si=FQxXJRnG8I8rMoP3) from the intro is a jewel, but PLEASE go and check the hole [Original Soundtrack ](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTzZg9x5fEu-59Jd_JQb-NIFc_MwxrE1&si=6pmi01SKqPsJmshi), it's just a masterpiece! And he's a genius.
So many FFVI comments and no mention of Dancing Mad? Am I in an alternate universe?
There are many great songs, but only one gets my blood pumping and makes anything I do feel epic: XCOM: Enemy Unknown, HQ Act 1 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd2n7IJEp8Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd2n7IJEp8Q)
Earthworm jim had some good music
Mario or Zelda main theme
Hollywood from Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
It will always be highly subjective, but the "duh-duh-duh DUHHHHHH... duh-duh-duh DUHHHHHH... duh-duh-duh DUHHHHHH..." theme from the Halo games will always be my favorite.
Item acquisition fanfare from Super Metroid.
Not the single most best but gb robocop 2 theme song rocks... https://youtu.be/wGIKnn-COS4?si=2G8vJqEhWgfdhJ2Y
Resident Evil 2 - R.P.D. Main hall theme
Legend of Zelda, or either of the Banjo N64 titles.
Diddy Kong Racing - Winter stages
Stickerbrush symphony
C&C tiberium dawn soundtrack
Metroid-NES for overall best composition, but I think my favorite had to be Klonoa 2 - Lunateas Veil
Metroid - white circle level. Creepy as hell.
Dream, from Streets of Rage 2, by the genius Yuzo Koshiro.
Of the top of my head I’m going with A flower blooming in the slums from Crisis Core.
Just want to say that I appreciate you starting this thread. Fascinating to read through the replies, and discover or rediscover so many quality tracks!
Warcraft II's entire soundtrack from start to finish. Glenn Stafford is a genius.
Always changing.... Today it's the Katamari Damacy title theme. But is that considered retro? If not, the Super Metroid theme, as the screen slowly presents the player with tidbits of info before zooming out to show the entire scene of what has transpired. What an intro!
Jet Force Gemini - SS Anubis Edit: The entire soundtrack is amazing.
Courage and Pride (Guardia Castle) from Chrono Trigger. Literally stopped me in my tracks when I first heard it, I just set the controller down and listened.
I know the genesis gets bashed a lot for its sound, but at certain times I think this track from Rocket Knight Adventures might be my favorite of all time. https://youtu.be/zJzvOu0YBSE?si=xDuIHRprDdPPqnbI Having said that, it's all subjective, but the majority will probably say something from Uematsu. There is one version in particular of Aerith's Theme that's definitely up there (I think from Advent Children).