My unabated fervor for video game music is a secret I don’t hide well–or even at all, come to think of it. I have an undying appreciation for each of its forms and styles, and I’ll gladly spend way too much time finding, listening to, and writing about even the most obscure of tracks.
This is an equal opportunity passion/obsession, mind you, which means I can’t just ignore the music not specifically created for the game in question. A movie will often make brief use of some “popular” licensed song to convey a desired emotion to the audience and conduce to their involvement; with the same process, a game can add a layer of believability to its premise, and give the player a little more realistic sensory feedback.
The methodology doesn’t match up one to one, since the ways a game can implement unique music are numerous, but hopefully you see the point. You’re probably familiar with at least a handful of these examples, even if they don’t immediately stand out in their respective games.
I’ve specifically opted not to include games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or Madden NFL and Guitar Hero/Rock Band, simply due to the fact that they’re kind of an easy, meaningless entry. Granted, I enjoy playing them, and their music can certainly add something memorable, but the way it’s implemented is a bit too secondary and haphazard to warrant a spot on my completely subjective list.
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BioShock
While not the first, BioShock is certainly one of the best games to tap early-to-mid-1900s music pool. Hearing faint strains of Cole Porter or The Andrews Sisters over the blood-curdling screams of maniacal undersea residents is quite a poignant dichotomy, and fleshes out the trapped-in-time aspect of Rapture in a creepy but invaluable way.
Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
Bing Crosby
Liza
Django Reinhardt
This Is a Changing World
Noël Coward
Brütal Legend
The music in Brütal Legend isn’t merely a thoughtful addition, it’s the inspiration for just about every aspect of the game’s style and design. In a product that’s essentially a love letter to everything “metal,” it’d be downright wrong to not pack the game with heaps of appropriate headbanging tunes, and Brütal Legend’s setlist does not disappoint. The music plays an intrinsic role in maintaining the necessary mood at all times (most notably during key battles), and serves as the basis and lifeblood for the game’s persona.
Ad Noctis
Rotting Christ
Angel Witch
Angel Witch
Back at the Funny Farm
Motörhead
Cry of the Banshee
Brocas Helm
The Dawn of Battle
Manowar
Destroy the Orcs
3 Inches of Blood
Lay It Down
Ratt
Leather Rebel
Judas Priest
March of the Crabs
Anvil
Narita
Riot
Never Say Die
Black Sabbath
Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery
Skeletonwitch
Technical Difficulties
Racer X
Thieves
Ministry
Chime
Though this downloadable puzzle game only has five songs, it remixed them to great effect within the confines of gameplay. And it’s for charity, so you can feel extra good about enjoying it.
Spilled Cranberries
Markus Schulz
Ooh Yeah
Moby
For Silence
Paul Hartnoll
Disco Ghosts
Fred Deakin
Brazil
Philip Glass
Crackdown 2
Despite being somewhat of a repetitive, lackluster sequel, Crackdown 2 attempted to inject something new into the mix by including a number of interesting musical remixes, including this superbly dark and appropriate track.
Masters of War
Bob Dylan
Elite Beat Agents
By far the most original game of the bunch, Elite Beat Agents is also, unfortunately, one of the most overlooked. The quirky, touch-based DS rhythm game’s ridiculous premises and fast-paced gameplay made it stand out, and its enthusiastic covers of songs made it permanently endearing.
You’re the Inspiration
Chicago
Let’s Dance
David Bowie
Highway Star
Deep Purple
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
The Rolling Stones
Fallout 3
Again, like BioShock, Fallout 3 captures the haunting future of yesterday in its licensed music. Through the marvel of Pip-Boy radio technology, you’ll never be without an easy, crooning tune or jingoistic government anthem as you try to traverse the vast, uncaring hellscape.
Anything Goes
Cole Porter
I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire
The Ink Spots
Rhythm For You
Eddy Christiani and Frans Poptie
Butcher Pete (Part 1)
Roy Brown
Marc Ecko’s Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Getting Up’s diverse soundtrack not only complemented the near-future/uban decay image and storyline, it was an instrumental–and well-used–part of the game’s style and cinematic flair.
Welcome To New Radius
RJD2
Chin High
Roots Manuva
Boxcutter Emporium Pt. 2
Sixtoo
Helicopter
Bloc Party
Version 78 Style
Glenn Brown and King Tubby
Save Their Souls
Bohannon
Grand Theft Auto (series)
The GTA series has featured in-game music since its first game, with the soundtracks growing larger and more comprehensive with each successive iteration. I chose songs from the GTA III and Vice City soundtracks specifically because they bring a distinct personality to each game, something that was curtailed with the expansiveness of San Andreas.
Grand Theft Auto III
(Note: The songs “Joyride” and “Electronic Go Go” are songs created specifically for the game and attributed to made-up bands. Just a fun inclusion.)
Joyride
Da Shootaz
Electronic Go Go
Scatwerk
Rush Rush
Debbie Harry
Scarface (Push It to the Limit)
Paul Engemann
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Vice City couldn’t be the lovingly satirical ‘80’s parody that it is without a soundtrack chock full of aural nostalgia. More so than just about any other entry in the series, Vice City’s musical choices are structured around its specific time period, ensuring every chaotic moment is awash in only the best retro tunes.
Africa
Toto
Rockit
Herbie Hancock
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
Michael Jackson
Crockett’s Theme
Jan Hammer
Four Little Diamonds
Electric Light Orchestra
The Message
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Yes
Crazy Taxi
Are you ready to make some ca-RAAAZY money? Are your musical interests limited to only The Offspring and/or Bad Religion? Then Crazy Taxi has you covered.
Them and Us
Bad Religion
Ten in 2010
Hear It
Inner Logic
All I Want
The Offspring
Way Down the Line
Change the World
LittleBigPlanet
The musical choices developer Media Molecule made couldn’t be more in tune with their game. You’d be hard-pressed to find a soundtrack that invokes a more palpable sense of whimsy and imagination than LittleBigPlanet‘s.
Get It Together
The Go! Team
The Orb of Dreamers
The Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra
Sleepy Head
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
I’ve expressed my affection for Mafia and its music before, but it bears repeating. It’s the first game I can remember playing that used real, era-appropriate music as part of a holistic experience.
Unlike GTA, or even Mafia II, the music was largely unobtrusive; since many of the tracks were instrumentals, the way they were played, continually, and in the background, had more in common with a subtle movie soundtrack than with a blaring in-game radio.
Belleville
Django Reinhardt
Cavalerie
Echoes of France
I’m Not Rough
Louis Armstrong
Out For No Good
The Mills Brothers
Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker
Of course a game centered around arguably the biggest pop star of our generation is going to feature his music.
Of course the Genesis renditions of his songs will be awesome.
Smooth Criminal
Beat It
Another Part of Me
Billie Jean
Bad
Alan Wake
Like the game’s story, much of the music in Alan Wake–including these licensed tracks–reflects a dark, mysterious, and slightly disturbed sensibility. Yes, even “Space Oddity.”
The Poet and the Muse
Old Gods of Asgard
Electrica Cadente
Dead Combo
Young Men Dead
The Black Angels
Space Oddity
David Bowie
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
Set in a faux-futuristic 1959, this lighthearted, brain-eating zombie adventure from 2005 features whimsically magnificent covers of songs from the 1950s and ‘60s by modern bands. If you’re in the mood for some ironic giggles, this is the soundtrack for you.
Strangers in the Night
Cake
There Goes My Baby
The Walkmen
Everyday
Rogue Wave
Mr. Sandman
Oranger
If I Only Had a Brain
The Flaming Lips
The Living Dead
Phantom Planet
Wipeout 3
No complex messages or ulterior musical symbolism here; it’s only you, your high-speed anti-gravity craft, and heaps of great electronic music for racin’.
Know Where To Run
Orbital
Auricom
Sasha
Influence
The Chemical Brothers
Avenue
Paul Van Dyk
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If you’re brave, I’ve also included a few less than stellar entries here at the end, purely to satisfy any morbid curiosity you may have. If you have a weak stomach for crappy music, you might want to stop here.
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
What better way to reinforce the already unnecessarily darker, broodier image for your character than with some Godsmack? That won’t date your game at all.
I Stand Alone
Godsmack
Straight Out of Line
Alvin and the Chipmunks
The games for the Alvin and the Chipmunks movies feature the furry trio doing covers of a variety of once-likable songs. I think you can see where this is going.
California
Phantom Planet
Kids in America
Kim Wilde
You Really Got Me
The Kinks
Just Like Heaven
The Cure
It’s Tricky
Run-D.M.C.
Heartbreak Hotel
Elvis Presley
Shiny Happy People
R.E.M.
Tubthumping (I Get Knocked Down)
Chumbawumba
Love Shack
The B-52’s
And if your chipmunk-rhythm-game appetite still hasn’t been satiated…
Shadow the Hedgehog
If you thought Shadow the Hedgehog was anywhere close to being a half-good concept or game, or if you’re keen on the musical direction the bulk of console Sonic games have taken in the past decade, maybe you’ll find something to like here. I won’t judge you.
Almost Dead
Powerman 5000
The Chosen One
A2
All Hail Shadow
Magna-Fi
Never Turn Back
Crush 40
