As an avid gamer, my music collection is comprised of a fair number of gaming tracks. Some of these are just songs that were included in games; songs which I grew to love through the association with said game. A couple of good examples would be Goldfinger – Superman and Bad Religion – You, from Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, respectively. Back in the day, I’d happily spend hours playing those games, but those two were my favourite tracks. Then you have games like Elite Beat Agents on the Nintendo DS, which was nothing but a collection of mostly corny or popular songs ranging as far back as the 70’s. That game made me simultaneously adore and hate Jumpin’ Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones and anyone who’s played it will understand why.

But today I’m going to talk about music that was made specifically for games. Because there is still nothing to write about at the moment, what better to pass the time than a highly-subjective and no doubt controversial Top 10 List? Yes, for today’s instalment of journalistic prose, I’ve spent literally minutes thinking up all of my favourite songs from my gaming past. Then, once I’d thought of them all, I realised there was a lot more than 10 and certain platforms (and games) were mentioned more often than others. So, in an effort to be less controversial, I did a bit of cherry picking and tried to be a bit more inclusive.

At number 10, we have the original “A Theme” from Tetris on the Game Boy. This song has taken up permanent residence in the back of my head. At any given moment, it will pop up and start playing. I don’t even like Tetris all that much. Never has a song been so simultaneously catchy and quintessentially Russian. Honestly, if Russia adopted this as its national anthem, people would like them a lot more. I mean, they could also stop with the hate crimes and the annexing of countries, but baby steps.

Slotting in at number 9 is “Gerudo Valley” from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the N64. A lot of music from this game was pleasant enough. Some of it was catchy, other pieces were funny or exciting. Gerudo Valley, however, was the only one that really stuck out for me as being awesome. Of course, there’s also the Song of Storms, as performed by that crazy motherfucker in the windmill, but let’s leave him to his ministrations.

The number 8 slot goes to one that I didn’t even come across properly until much later in life – “Matoya’s Cave” from Final Fantasy on the NES. I would have briefly experienced it during a playthrough of Final Fantasy Origins on my PlayStation, but it was only during my time with Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy that I began to truly appreciate it. Simple, as all gaming tunes were back then, it still manages to evoke a range of emotions. This song epitomises the term “bitter-sweet” for me and remains one of the best tracks in any Final Fantasy game.

Alright, so number 7 is technically two songs, but this is my list and I say that this is an exception. “The Escape” and “Rug Ride” from Aladdin on the MegaDrive are played one after another; two consecutive levels which are, without a doubt, the most awesome in the game. I still get goosebumps just hearing a few chords from either of these tunes. People playing the PC port had inferior quality versions of these songs – one sounds far too sped up and the other sounds like someone is having a seizure while playing the kazoo. I feel sorry for them.

Number 6 is one of those tracks you never really wanted to hear, because it meant that someone had fucking seen you and this is meant to be a sneaking mission, Snake! Yes, it’s the “Encounter” theme from Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation. I’ll never forget just how badass it felt when that camera spots you as you enter the base of a tower, alerting every fucking guard in existence. The only way out of it is to run blindly up what feels like a million flights of stairs, firing your FAMAS assault rifle as you sprint, all while this music is playing. In a game which has, up until now, been mostly about hiding and stealth, it was both unexpected and immeasurably epic.

At number 5 is a tune that is brilliant in and of itself. I mean, the battle that this music was made for isn’t any more or less memorable than other major fights in the game, but “Gothic Neclord” from Suikoden II on the PlayStation stands out simply because it’s fucking gothic techno-metal. I mean, what? Is that even a genre? Probably. Even if this song doesn’t fit precisely into it, how else would you describe it? The drums, the organs, the violins – amazing. All for a fight against a vampire.

Hm? What? I’m sorry, I was lost in that beautiful fucking masterpiece. At number 4 is “New Age” from The Incredible Machine III for PC. It’s a game about building Rube Goldberg style contraptions to solve puzzles. What in the hell is it doing with one of the most relaxing, atmospheric and – for want of a better word – nostalgic songs in existence? I didn’t even hear this song until I was in my mid-twenties and it makes me think of times gone by. How does that work? EXPLAIN THIS.

Alright, top 3 now. Sitting in bronze position on the podium is “Doomsday Zone” from Sonic 3 & Knuckles on the MegaDrive. It was a toss-up between this and Endless Mine for me. I would have included both, but they’re both from the same game (sort of) and I’d probably have to add a fuckton of other tracks at the same time (like Ice Cap, Sky Sanctuary, Flying Battery… gah). Anyway, this one got picked because it represents the culmination of the greatest Sonic story in existence. The MegaDrive era was peak-Sonic in terms of gameplay and “lore” and the Doomsday Zone was the pinnacle of your travels through all of the games.

Sonic is sick and tired of Robotnik’s shit, always getting away. No Robotnik. Not this time. After collecting enough Chaos Emeralds (or Super Emeralds, if you’re not bad), you turn into Super (or Hyper) Sonic and chase that fat bastard into outer space. Oh is that an asteroid field? SMASH. Can’t run Robotnik. Homing missiles? No thanks, YOU HAVE THEM. Trying to escape even after you’ve been blown up? NOPE. After headbutting your arch-nemesis for a while, you eventually blow him up and get the Master Emerald back.

While the ending may not be as emotional as Sonic 2, it’s definitely more action-packed. A fitting epilogue to the greatest 16-bit adventure ever.

Silver medal time. At number 2 is “Cornered” from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on the GBA / DS. Ace Attorney is a game about defending people accused of crimes (normally murder) in a court by presenting evidence, hearing testimony and finding inconsistencies. This is a song that plays when you have finally managed to back your opponent into a corner, funnily enough, though only in the metaphorical sense. You’ve either caught the witness in a lie, or disproven the prosecution’s case, or found the true murderer – basically, you’ve flipped the entire case on its head with the statement you’ve just made.

You’d be forgiven if you don’t think this sounds exciting. You are very, very wrong. I’m not able to adequately explain why, but you are. The Ace Attorney series (the first three games, anyway) are still available to buy on the DS. DS games will work on your shiny new 3DS. Hell, if you don’t have either of those, you can get them in iPad instead. If you don’t own any of these devices, then I am truly sorry that you will never get to feel the nigh-euphoria of your entire case balancing on a last crucial piece of testimony, finding the lie and screaming at your console “OBJECTION!”. This music plays, fingers are pointed, the prosecution is trounced and you have WON THE CASE.

I said that the Aladdin tunes gave me goosebumps just hearing them? I get goosebumps just THINKING about hearing this song. The games are brilliant, excelling through an amazing cast of characters and a surprisingly excellent plot – the best series on any Nintendo console, in my opinion. Yes that includes Zelda and Mario – Phoenix Wright beats them all. Go play them. Go now. Don’t even finish reading this article. I’m serious, go and get them on whatever device you can.

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Why are you still here?

If anyone reading this is surprised that the top spot on this list went to a piece of music from Final Fantasy VII, then you really mustn’t read many of my articles. Yes, at number 1 – gold medal position on our podium – goes to “Those Who Fight Further” / “Still More Fighting” from Final Fantasy VII on the PlayStation. To me, this song represents my introduction to JRPGs. It embodies everything I would come to love about the genre. But it also fucking rocks.

The entire song shouts at you “OK, this is serious fucking business”. From the get go, there’s this awesome guitar riff, which comes out of nowhere. It builds up to this ascending set of organ chords, an ominous arpeggio, topping off with a long, drawn out note of warning. This is repeated, as if to say “no seriously, get your shit together, here we go”. Then the real melody of the song gets going, with the organ notes scattered all over the place, creating this chaotic yet harmonious tune, punctuated by the guitar. The notes dip down again, but begin to rise almost immediately, towards another crescendo.

If the first half of the tune represents the strife of battle, the second half of the tune surely exemplifies the turning of the tide. Suddenly, the music takes on a triumphant element. Rising tones and progressive drums, with the guitars and violins now accentuating instead of underpinning. The battle is still raging, but you have the upper hand as the song moves through chords towards the end. But as the penultimate notes approach, the song turns sinister again, as if to remind you that the battle is far from over.

Then the whole thing plays again. It’s one of the greatest pieces of video game music in existence, without a shadow of a doubt.

And that’s it. I’m sure barely any of you will agree with this list of mine. Hell, I barely agree with it. There are a ton of other songs I’d like to see up here, but it would make for a very boring article. Well, more boring than it already is. At least this gives a bit of variety.

Now, go buy Phoenix Wright.

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