Video game music, why?

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

I love synthesizers and chiptunes so that's where the appeal comes from.

The Genesis with it's twangy, raw, crunchy sound sound gets a special nod as it's my favorite sound chip ever.

EDIT!: Just check some of this stuff out:

Dynamite Headdy: One of the best examples of the distinct crunchy sound of the Genesis YM2612 audio chip. But it always maintains a clear and consistent sound that doesn't suffer from lazy audio design like a lot of Genny games did.







Rocket Knight Adventures:







Ristar:







Castlevania Bloodlines:







And my runner up favorite the GBA for it's similarly crunchy, raw sound and the square wave bass tracks which I both love and hate when used properly/improperly:

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Might as well ask why people like video games, or why people like any genre of music.

The answer is as obvious as it can get: they just like it.

Took the words right out of my mouth!

[GSZX1337]

For game music in general, I'm not going to say "Hey, I loved this game, let me rip the soundtrack so I can listen to it!" after I beat the game. I only listen to games with soundtracks that stood out to me (ie. Radiant Silvergun and Valis). I never really got the mentality of downloading all the soundtracks to every game. For retro games, I really love the sequenced music. Maybe it's because I don't listen to alot of EDM, but I don't know of any bands/artists that play music like something out of Thunder Force or Turrican.

[Pingfa]

Likely my favourite videogame music-wise is Chrono Trigger:




The most catchy tune ever:

[Gamerforlife]

I don't usually download or collect video game soundtracks. However, many a great tune from some game I've played has stayed stuck in my head for days. There's definitely some good stuff out there that stands on its own outside the game's they came from. A great example from Tomb Raider Legend:



I think the Streets of Rage games are a good example of how awesome gaming music could be even back in the 16-bit days. I mean the stuff was so good it got played in actual clubs in Japan I believe, with a few remixes I think

I'm going to randomly throw this out there, but any fans of Crystal Castles? Their debut album really wowed music critics and a lot of their stuff sounds like something out of a video game.

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

I think the Streets of Rage games are a good example of how awesome gaming music could be even back in the 16-bit days. I mean the stuff was so good it got played in actual clubs in Japan I believe, with a few remixes I think

Only in Japan!?

I remember playing SOR 1 & 2 a few years ago when some of my family and older cousins were over and ten seconds later I hear them running upstairs and talking about all of that kinda stuff like crazy.

At the time I still lived in New Jersey too, so it surprised me that they apparently got some decent play here in the US on the club circuit and near/in big city clubs (IE New York, Jersey City, Philly).

[KillemallCFH]

A lot of video game music is just really good music (in my opinion). I'll admit that any NES music I'm fond of is based a lot on nostalgia, but once the 16-bit era came along and sound chips were capable of producing more than just bleeps and bloops, some great composers came along and made some great music. Obviously a lot of it is still based on nostalgia and my love for the games, but I have a friend who has never played a Final Fantasy game in his life and loves Nobuo Uematsu, because he (and many others) are just damn good composers.

[weaponepsilon]

I think it adds to the overall appeal of the game. When Mario comes soaring through space and lands with huge orchestral blast as an open world lay before you its a huge bonus to the presentation. As games have gone, they have added so much to the overall experience by putting in incidental music to their critical moments. Like in Sonic Adventure 2 when you're running through the city and suddenly a huge truck comes barreling down at you and you're amped from running through the city, the music clicks perfectly.

As the technology evolved, the stories became more interesting and complex, the graphics became sharper and more detailed, and the music broadened and was scored like a movie. Thats what made video gaming more.

Perhaps some of you dont remember back in the days when there was no music in games. And developers began to add music, some of it was retarded. Man I'm glad we live in this generation where games are at their best.

Although it is irritating when younger gamers put down a negative criticism of a game based on some superficial aspect that they alone perceive.

[Luke]

When Super Castlevania IV was released, I literally called Nintendo to see if the soundtrack would be released on CD. What? I was in middle school.

So, is there a place with a huge selection of video game music for download?

[GSZX1337]

When Super Castlevania IV was released, I literally called Nintendo to see if the soundtrack would be released on CD. What? I was in middle school.

So, is there a place with a huge selection of video game music for download?

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