So I’ve been thinking about this one, there are alot of “styles” to video game music that are being more defined and reinforced every month by good games… The question is this, which videogame music “style” have you come to love most?
As an example I’ll state mine:
Megaman X-X3: The techno-is Speed Metal sounding music ROCKED. Final Fantasy Tactics: I loved the boading war style to the music. Really sounded like a tactical game should. Wild Arms & Gunsmoke: I fucking LOVE western music. I don’t know why… (Also, add the score from Wild Wild West to this genera, cause that movie’s score was great!) Metal Gear Solid: I don’t know what “style” this would be called, but it was present in alot of military based movies as well, such as “The Rock”. I love this one, it really gets me excited.
My two favorite stiles are the orchestral FF songs (Uematsu is a God) and the tropical songs for Chrono Cross.
Here are a list of my favorite songs by category, including but not limited to:
Opening:
[ul]
[li]Scars Of Time (Chrono Cross)
[/li][li]Liberi Fatali (FF VIII)
[/li][/ul]
Ending:
[ul]
[li]Small Of Two Pieces (Xenogears)
[/li][li]Eyes On Me (FF VIII)
[/li][li]Melodies Of Life (FF IX)
[/li][/ul]
Character and enemy songs:
[ul]
[li]To Far Away Times (Frog/Glenn - Chrono Trigger)
[/li][li]Dancing With Death (Magus - Chrono Trigger)
[/li][li]The Girl Who Stole The Stars (Kidd - Chrono Cross)
[/li][li]Dragon God (Dragon God - Chrono Cross)
[/li][li]The One Who Is Torn Appart (Id - Xenogears)
[/li][li]One Winged Angel (Sephiroth - FF VII)
[/li][li]The Dark Messenger (Kuja - FF IX)
[/li][li]The Real Deal (Zero - Rockman X3)
[/li][/ul]
Overworld themes and stuff I don’t know where to fit:
[ul]
[li]You Are Not Alone (FF IX)
[/li][li]Star Of Tears (Xenogears)
[/li][li]Celtic Moon (FF IV)
[/li][li]Wind’s Nocturne (Lunar: SSSC)
[/li][/ul]
I don’t really say that video game music has a style, really. There’s just music. Some of it is really not common outside of VG Music, some of it is. FFT is just rather standard militaristic and orchestral arrangement. MGS stuff is like movie cinematics and ambience. Who cares? VG Music is VG Music. I don’t really try and categorize too much.
In an attempt to address your question though, I just like exciting songs. Good battle themes are really the awesomest thing to me. My favorite composers for those adrenaline pumping songs would be Noriyuki Iwadare (Lunar, Grandia, Langrisser series), Kenji Ito (The SNES SaGa games and SaGa Frontier, Final Fantasy Legend 2, Final Fantasy Adventure), and Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre series, Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, Vagrant Story, and soon, Final Fantasy 12).
I like a lot of Megaman music, cause it’s so metal! Especially in the X games. And Gravity Man’s theme rules! It’s so “mathematical” sounding, as my friend puts it.
I also like a lot of the Final Fantasy music, especially the last boss battles and battles in general. And Super Metroid had some awesome music too. It was very mysterious sounding.
Note how some people don’t say they like a certain type of music, but they like “videogame music.” But there are various types of video game music. GUH.
Decide what you like already, sheesh.
Trying to feed a type of music in said videogame music type usually ends up in “This is total bullshit.” I know.
Now, as for the type of the videogame music… >_>; If a person likes “Metal like in the X games,” I’ve yet to see metal lovers who’d say anything good about them. Of course, a few friends of mine who like trance did commend a few songs in MMX4-5…
(Personally, I don’t like music with lyrics that much, so VG music goes pretty nicely as they’re mostly wordless. As for some special nutcases, I have a friend who won’t shut the hell up about “Otherworld”, even though it’s just a mediocre song compared to similar music. )
Psychadelic Techno : Internal Section
Electro-Jazz : Border Down
Orchestra : Medal of Honor : Frontline
Rock : All Star Pro Wrestling
Trash Metal : Contra - Shattered Soldier
Hard Rock : Cyber Org
General Electronica : Rave Racer
Jazz-Fusion : Racing Lagoon
Ambient : Silent Hill
Progressive Rock : Valkyrie Profile
Natural : Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Quirky : Cho Aniki
General Techno : Einhander
i hafta agree totally on the MMX music i have like all the soundtracks…but i also like the orchestral stuff from chrono trigger, and i like the stuff from a lot of PSX fighters and i also like ff7 music all around
I like all types but I like the ones that are different, like the music from Chrono Cross and Grandia 2. Chrono Trigger has the best music and music variety though.
well I know three right off the bat, my friends Alex and Benson (along with myself being the third) liked music from Iron Maiden, Rhapsody, and Hammerfall before we got into megaman x games… and it was the first time I heard Storm Eagles stage that I fell in love with the music. Besides, Im gonna wager that alot of metal lover probably have one of two opinions…
They like it and admit to it.
Probably like the melody, but JEEZ its video game music, I cant say I like it cause thats lame!
Uhhh…the one in FFX
Simple and Clean
Real Emotion (I can’t remember if it was called that, or it was called 1,000 Words)
The Monkey Dance in Ape Escape 2
Ending:
Simple and Clean (Full Version)
…I don’t have any others…
In tah Middle:
All Chocobo songs
Ape Escape Stuff
Sorimimi Cake (Like I care if that’s from anime…and in the begginning!)
The video game music I love most is probably going to be music that can be changed into orchestral stuff. Nobuo Uematsu has alot (Liberi Fatali, One-Winged Angel, Fithos Lusec, Kefka, just to name a few). Although many have used real orchestra to make game soundtracks, none are quite as complexed (nor do they appeal so much to the Western musical pallete) as Uematsu. Yoko Kanno is another favortie of mine, but I can’t remember whether she did any games or not. Her anime rep is quite impressive, to say the least.
depends on what im playing, you know? when im fighting in a game i like the metal that megaman X’s have. its pretty cool, and most of the songs on chrono cross. there’s this song that sounds badass, it’s in .hack//infection ( the skeith one ,i think)and some songs on there too. i also love the " simple and clean" from KH!
There’s just music. Some of it is really not common outside of VG Music, some of it is. FFT is just rather standard militaristic and orchestral arrangement. MGS stuff is like movie cinematics and ambience. Who cares?