Amazing Game Music

[Yva]

Hokay. Huge fan of Chrono Cross music m'own self.

Without taking the jewel, time's scar, The Girl Who Stole the Stars.

I'm an ENORMOUS FF music fan, at least 7 - 10.5 anyway.

FFX's Hymn of the faith anyone? SO GOOD. Of course there's To Zanarkand, Suteki Da Ne, Someday the Dream Will End, The Ending Theme and Tidus & Yuna's Theme.

FFX-2? Memory of Lightwaves, 1000 words

FF8: The Oath, Liberi Fatali, and Julia

For something a little more recent? The Dragon Age theme.

[Tiforis]

I also greatly enjoy the soundtracks from the Shin Megami Tensei games, especially Nocturne and the recent Persona games.

The Digital Devil Saga soundtracks were a hundred times better and more of the same.

[Shaurria]

Hokay. Huge fan of Chrono Cross music m'own self.

Without taking the jewel, time's scar, The Girl Who Stole the Stars.

I'm an ENORMOUS FF music fan, at least 7 - 10.5 anyway.

FFX's Hymn of the faith anyone? SO GOOD. Of course there's To Zanarkand, Suteki Da Ne, Someday the Dream Will End, The Ending Theme and Tidus & Yuna's Theme.

FFX-2? Memory of Lightwaves, 1000 words

FF8: The Oath, Liberi Fatali, and Julia

For something a little more recent? The Dragon Age theme.

YES! To all of it. <3's!

[Elestera]

The Digital Devil Saga soundtracks were a hundred times better and more of the same.

So I'm starting to see in the LP of them, but I wasn't able to get ahold of copies when they came out. -_-

[Chrystenise]

I'm very sad at you people.

How could Dancing Mad not be posted yet?!

No, seriously!

[Windstar]

Hokay. Huge fan of Chrono Cross music m'own self.

Without taking the jewel, time's scar, The Girl Who Stole the Stars.

I'm an ENORMOUS FF music fan, at least 7 - 10.5 anyway.

FFX's Hymn of the faith anyone? SO GOOD. Of course there's To Zanarkand, Suteki Da Ne, Someday the Dream Will End, The Ending Theme and Tidus & Yuna's Theme.

FFX-2? Memory of Lightwaves, 1000 words

FF8: The Oath, Liberi Fatali, and Julia

For something a little more recent? The Dragon Age theme.

YES! To all of it. <3's!

Totally agree. Scars of time from Chrono Cross is one of my all-time favorites too <3
And also, Suikoden, anyone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YmQoREy ... WiTGWxDf_8

[Lansiron]

Of course there's To Zanarkand

I won't kid, this music sold FFX for me. I put up with Tidus' nonsense for the time it took for him to develop as a character 'cause I knew the payoff would be great. And it was. And it still was one of the best plot twists the series has seen.

On that note, have some Mt. Gagazet music, from X, as well as from X-2. Yva already linked Someday the Dream Will End, but for those of us who've played, we remember that scene vividly.

Regarding music from Final Fantasy VIII, please listen to this orchestration of Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec. In the middle of the night with the lights turned out. >:D

Also, this cover of Man with the Machine Gun, Laguna's theme. The way it's done makes it sound like the theme music to a 70s action/adventure TV series, which is absolutely perfect considering that character.

How could Dancing Mad not be posted yet?!

I have no excuse. Kefka is the best video game bad guy ever. Don't forget his character theme, and a delicious orchestral cover.

The only one who holds a candle is Albedo from Xenosaga. Who had a couple of great musical bits to his name, too, such as his theme from Episode I, his theme from Episode II, and his Episode II crazed final battle theme.

But, if we're going to talk Final Fantasy, this thread shall not pass without me gushing about the music of Final Fantasy IX. The series has awesome music scattered throughout, but as a soundtrack on the whole, IX was the best...everything about that game just fell into place right, and the soundtrack helped deliver.

The primary 'story' leitmotif, played during the opening credits, which was reprised in the Oeilvert ruins, in Ipsen's Castle, and while exploring the alien world of Terra.

Vivi's theme, or the Alexandria city theme, whichever you prefer. Reprised in the Black Mage Village, later in the game.

Freya's Theme.

Festival of the Hunt.

General Beatrix (who was sort of the "spiritual descendant" of General Leo from IV) deserves a special mention, as her theme has three versions. Rose of May is the first, melancholy one, Sword of Doubt, which plays when you fight her (and you cannot win), and finally Protecting my Devotion, her final theme that plays when she joins you as a guest party member--an honorable knight who's done committing evil acts merely for loyalty's sake, and now fights for justice with a clear conscience.

A few more from IX:

Assault of the Silver Dragons.

Theme of Memoria.

Mount Gulug. Notable in that this is a re-tooling of the theme of the same-named mountain from way, way back in Final Fantasy I.

So, I also need to mention Final Fantasy XI. The game itself is overlooked often, for being not only an MMO but a particularly grind-happy/player-unfriendly one. However, there was a story there that was easily up to the usual series standards, and some really damn good music to go with.

Have a listen to this. The first part is Memoro de la Stono, which plays during the introductory scene (if you're wondering, the language ain't Latin--it's Esperanto. Seriously.), and the leitmotif is reprised in various parts throughout the rest of the game. The second part is Distant Worlds, the obligatory vocal theme, and as beautiful as they come.

A New Horizon. It only plays in one region, but is sort of the closest thing FFXI has to an "overworld" theme.

The Forest of Ronfaure. (and a vocal cover. The language is also Esperanto.)

Gustaberg. For those nice relaxing days wandering around in forbidding, rocky badlands.

The Port of Selbina. So Celtic your hair may turn red listening.

The Sanctuary of Zi'tah. Just...nice.

The Chains of Promathia expansion battle themes--two of them there, Onslaught and Depths of the Soul, which play depending on whether or not you're in a party.

Bustle of the Capital, from the Treasures of Aht Urghan expansion. My theory is that this music marks the exact moment when they realized if players were to spend hours trying to put together a simple group, they might as well listen to awesome catchy music while doing it.

The Celestial Capital, Al'taieu. True to Final Fantasy form, certain higher-end story-related quests would take you to surreally beautiful otherworlds, which quite naturally are the home of outrageously nasty monsters, including the infamous "Absolute Virtue" being that I'm pretty sure still nobody has managed to defeat (without using an exploit, anyway).

Awakening, the final boss music of the "vanilla" game, and Ragnarok, the final boss music of one of the expansions (where you fight Alexander, of FF-summons fame).

[Yva]

Funny thing? Didn't like the FF9 soundtrack beyond Garnet's theme and Freya's theme. XD

[Denne]

Hi. I just came back from Japan, and I bought so much music. Mmm, Dissidia Final Fantasy OST...

On my last full day there, I was thoroughly browsing a Galakuta store. At a point when I thought I was done shopping and was just peeking into areas without a lot of relevance to my shopping (US CD's, clothes, etc.) I went into the PC games area. Turning around, I was faced with an entire shelf dedicated to Touhou. It was beautiful. I never knew there was a Touhou Soccer game.

[Lansiron]

I'm pretty certain that a steadily-validating rule of the Internet (probably Rule no. ⑨?) states that "If it exists, there is a Touhou-themed version of it".

Denne, if you haven't seen Touhou Soccer in action, Youtube it now. All characters have some kind of absurd action-montage for their shots that must be seen to be believed (a certain one of Kaguya's would have to be my personal favorite).

Since we're still on the subject of Touhou in regards to music; it's established that a lot of it is good, but the most impressive pieces tend to be reserved for 'final boss' characters.

"Septette for the Dead Princess" for Embodiment of Scarlet Devil's Remilia and "Bloom Nobly, Ink-Black Cherry Blossoms - Border of Life" for Perfect Cherry Blossom's Yuyuko have already been posted, but here's the rest from all the Windows-series games:

Imperishable Night's Kaguya Houraisan: Lunatic Princess - The Flight of the Bamboo Cutter

Phantasmagoria of Flower View's Shikieiki Yamaxanadu: Fate of Sixty Years.

Mountain of Faith's Kanako Yasaka: The Venerable Ancient Battlefield. Probably my personal favorite right after "Bloom Nobly" for the way it shifts in tempo and instrument throughout yet keeps the same level of energy.

Subterranean Animism's Utsuho Reiuji: Solar Sect of Mystic Wisdom - Nuclear Fusion. This series doesn't have a lot of really "tense"-sounding music, as difficult as the games are. This is one of several notable exceptions, and it's fitting for a boss that hurls suns at you during the fight--smaller than the real one, of course, but they still take up half the screen.

Undefined Fantastic Object's Byakuren Hijiri: Emotional Skyscraper - Cosmic Mind. Aah, don't you just love it when you have to fight a legitimate good guy in a video game. Nobody bad has theme music like this.

Honorable Mention: Perfect Cherry Blossom's Yukari Yakumo: Necrofantasia. She isn't the final boss, but rather a "bonus" boss. She is pretty much unpossible to beat--the designer's own advice for surviving her breed of bullet hell is "Pray."

And to get it off my chest (I adore it so), I'll now hock more miscellaneous Touhou game music and remixes (I know, Ceil and possibly Denne will be the ones perhaps most interested, but this is love that must be spread):

Retribution for the Eternal Night. This is a gloriously fired-up take on the primary leitmotif of the entire series (which otherwise is heard on the title/menu screens).

Maiden's Capriccio is generally regarded as the main theme music of Reimu the Shrine Maiden (though she's had several), who's the primary heroine/player-character. This can't pass without me linking it.

Love-Colored Master Spark. Marisa the Witch is the other main playable character, and this is her song.

Mystic Oriental Dream - Ancient Temple. Mystical, ominous.

Broken Moon. Energetic.

Dancing Water Spray. I am reminded of a drunken brawl.

Higan Retour - Riverside View, and a very traditional-sounding take by a circle called Alternative.

Gensokyo Millenium: The History of the Moon. The first time I listened to Touhou music and knew where it was from, it was this.

Captain Murasa, and her stage music, Interdimensional Voyage of a Ghostly Passenger Ship. Mixing both, a vocal cover by Liz Triangle: The Anchor's Compass. Very theatrical ballad (I love that lady's voice) about the character's backstory; in Japanese, but the gist of it is a sailor's ghost finds a reason to exist (beyond terrorizing passing ships) thanks to the help of an altruistic priest.

Beware the Umbrella Left Behind. Vocal cover by Buta-Otome: My Awaited Has Not Come. Watch the video, too--it's stylish as hell (also, subtitled)

Buta-Otome also did this cover of "U.N. Owen was Her?": And Then There Were None. True to form, the video itself is also awesome (if mildly creepy).

Deaf to All but the Song is a cool name for a musical piece. And incidentally, cool music. It goes well next to the theme of the stage it plays for the boss of: Song of the Night Sparrow.

The Dollmaker of Bucharest - Sync.Art's performs a beautiful vocal cover: Sympathy Dolls. Sadly, never been able to find a proper translation for this one.

Some of you may have seen IOSYS' Marisa Stole the Precious Thing fan-video/memetic goldmine. Well, Marisa returns to her Precious Thing-Stealing ways to an orchestral score. For posterity, of course, here's poor flustered doll-wizard Alice Margatroid's original theme music: Doll Judgement.

Corpse Voyage - Be of Good Cheer!. It's an awfully cheery theme for someone who's job it is to pitch condemned souls into a fiery hell. However, what comes next is an example of how wild Touhou fan works can get. This is IOSYS' take on it: Heartful Neko-romancer. Sound suspiciously like Michael Jackson's Thriller? Oh hell yes it does.

Anyway.

There's a staggering amount of it out there, most of it thanks to the absurdly productive fanbase--you can find Touhou music covered in every conceivable genre.

I'm going to physically restrain myself from posting after just a last few more, which I feel totally obliged to link since Ceil dropped this gem:

(and bonus Snoop Dog)

Guess what? Someone got hip-hop in your Touhou, too. 'cause I mean...you know it was gonna. >_>

Flowering Night over Baghdad, brought to you by Outkast and Sakuya Izayoi.
Septette for the Overnight Celebrity, featuring Twista and Remilia Scarlet.
Withered Encore, Chen the Nekomata meets Jay-Z.
All Lifestyles 1969, Princess Kaguya and the Beastie Boys.
And easily my favorite: U.N. Owen was Eminem?.

G'night everybody!