I was listening to a recent episode of the Nerd of God.cast where they shared some of their favorite video game soundtracks. They were listing games that I had never even heard of, which goes to show my video game nerd cred is severely lacking. Even though I didn’t know a lot of the video games they mentioned, or hadn’t played the ones I did recognize, I compiled a list of my favorite video game soundtracks.
Oblivion
Other than the technical advancements, I like everything about Oblivion more than Skyrim. The story is better, the setting is better and the soundtrack is far superior. I spent hundreds of hours playing Oblivion and I would often just listen to the opening theme play on the start menu. I actually bought the soundtrack yesterday and, as I listened to it, I was taken back to so many of my adventures closing Oblivion gates and scouring ancient tombs. Even without the graphical advancements of its successor, Oblivion is still one of my favorite games ever.
Mass Effect
Mass Effect is another of my favorite games and it too has a great soundtrack. While I’ve yet to finish Mass Effect 2 or even start Mass Effect 3, I’ve played through the original a few times. A lot of people had issues with the controls in Mass Effect, but I was more than satisfied with the controls. Perhaps my affinity for the controls had to do with what I was hearing while I played. Mass Effect has a great soundtrack that really adds to the futuristic setting of the game. There were even portions of the Stranger Things soundtrack that reminded me of Mass Effect, which made me want to board the Normandy again. Obviously I haven’t because while I say that I love video games, but actions don’t necessarily show it.
Halo
One game that I did play for hours and hours rounds out my list of favorite video game soundtracks. Halo is one of the best games ever with a soundtrack that is distinctly its own. The chants over the opening screen are instantly recognizable as is the guitar riff that kicks in any time Master Chief hops into a warthog. There were so many great cinematic moments throughout the Halo franchise that have been forever etched into my memory in no small part because of the music. I’ve yet to play Halo 5 (shocking), but wouldn’t mind grabbing an assault rifle and controlling our favorite Spartan once again.
Great video games need to have great soundtracks. Even something simple like Super Mario Bros. is iconic in part because of its music. While I don’t get to play nearly as many video games as I used to, thankfully I can still listen to some of my favorite soundtracks and remember why I fell in love with those games in the first place.
What are some of your favorite video game soundtracks?
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