Malf on 26/11/2018 at 16:23
The N64 had some classics, with F-Zero X and Diddy Kong Racing being particular standouts:
Diddy Kong Racing - Crescent Island
[video=youtube;P1StmqQRfkA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1StmqQRfkA[/video]
And I can't find individual links to F-Zero X tracks, but they're all great anyway, so here's the full OST:
[video=youtube;EPn4kCTnJ-0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPn4kCTnJ-0[/video]
Warning: as the top comment says, do not listen to this whilst driving an actual motor vehicle.
Sulphur on 15/12/2018 at 12:08
Below, the new game from the folks who delivered the incredibly ambiguous* Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery many mobile hardware revisions ago, released recently. It's an interesting beast in that its chief idea is that it does not explain any of its chief ideas; you need to poke around its Zelda-Souls lineage and explore the mechanics all on your own. There's nothing particularly new to these things, but its combination of the familiar with a dark, moody art style that trades in hard angles and swirling mist, a slow and deliberate pace, and a soundtrack that surges and recedes like a tide in and out of your awareness - all of this builds into something stark yet inviting.
But hang on, I'm not reviewing the game. People will probably recall that Superbrothers' best part was its music (composed by Jim Guthrie, who's made some (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrpJA2EYZpY) lovely (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSTmZz1rqmE) songs outside of composing for games). Below's music reminds me of Hyper Light Drifter and John Carpenter's 80s synth-led progressions, though altogether darker and (again) deliberate in how it portions out negative space across its melodies and harmonies.
Basically, that's a lot of words to say that the music's pretty good. I'd link a track or two, but it's a game that's literally less than a day old. So, here's the complete soundtrack instead.
[video=youtube;ZFii6VkBiDc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFii6VkBiDc[/video]
The track at 3:59 is what plays when you're sitting at a campfire and attempting to perhaps combine some blood moss with some sludge you found in your inventory. It is quite lovely.
*so ambiguous that I do not remember anything at all about it beyond a chunky pixel-fed aesthetic. I think I saved the world? Or did the world save me? Something was saved, at any rate; though not my memory of it.
Thirith on 15/12/2018 at 14:28
I liked Superbrothers: S&S, though a large part of that was the absolutely fantastic soundtrack by the very same Jim Guthrie. I've bought the Below soundtrack but haven't yet listened to it; however, the Hyper Light Drifter and John Carpenter comparison makes me very eager to do so before long.
Renault on 15/12/2018 at 16:55
I've been playing Below too, it was weird how in some circles it's been highly anticipated, but then it released yesterday without almost zero fanfare. Anyway, the music is great, super moody, atmospheric and soothing at the same time. Even the small stuff is good like the hum/drone that plays once you get hungry/thirsty, it definitely gets your attention and gets you to prioritize what you're doing. Ah the power of good sound. I suck at the game so far, still trying to figure it all out, but at least the surroundings are a treat in the meantime.
Harvester on 18/12/2018 at 09:47
Wow, that Below soundtrack is excellent! Listened to it in its entirety and will probably fire it up again soon.
Sulphur on 9/1/2019 at 17:22
In researching the various video game music releases made last year, I stumbled upon something released years and years ago: a track that was on a Squaresoft café themed bonus CD that features a band playing FF6's 'Aria di Mezzo Caraterre' with acoustic instruments. Yes, I know we've heard the original song a trillion times, all billion versions of it, and this is the millionth mention of FF6, but well. Never mind all that. Just listen to this.
[video=youtube;CYJBCnFd9vQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYJBCnFd9vQ[/video]
henke on 30/10/2019 at 09:18
I'm making (
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YXMQMVsVXDX85BSfkhOiI?si=KEAozEHdS_iqUkJpsW6Bnw) a playlist of my faves of 2019, let me know if I've missed anything.
[video=youtube;trrIrlYdLuQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trrIrlYdLuQ[/video]
[video=youtube;6Cbjrwa2fQY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cbjrwa2fQY[/video]
and themesong of the year, hands down...
[video=youtube;e7rTZhvsP-g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7rTZhvsP-g[/video]
What these games have in common besides their cool soundtracks is that they're... uh, not very good. At least KZ and Pikuniku never really grabbed me. Art Sqool is in the latest Humble Bundle but I haven't heard great things.
Thirith on 30/10/2019 at 09:34
While I can't look for videos right now, I greatly enjoyed the music both in Outer Wilds and Disco Elysium. Both have relatively untypical musical styles that reinforce the themes and tone of the two games, even if the number of different tunes is relatively small in both cases.
Sulphur on 8/2/2020 at 07:09
Technically a rearrange, but it is excellent enough to be here.
[video=youtube;22vbhTi1ieI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22vbhTi1ieI[/video]