These are the soundtracks that make you stop, listen, and wish that even the most troublesome of video game situations you're in lasts just a bit longer. Feel free to share your personal favorite soundtracks and add any recommendations for this list. I know there's a seemingly innumerable amount of great soundtracks I'm missing, but let's just say for right now, these are the ones that have gotten the most mileage for me recently.
This one has more of a J-pop vibe than most games, but I would give it a try anyway, even if you're not into that sort of thing. Most of them at least catchy enough for you to hear past the "engrish" lyrics, and the more rock-centric battle themes will give you the chills. *cough* "The Almighty" *cough*.
This game is special for a lot of reasons and the music selection is one of them. Whether you're dropping into Mimiga Village or exploring the dangerous but breathtaking Outer Wall, the music in Cave Story gives the game a really emotional and heartfelt tone. And what makes it even more awesome is the fact that only one person put so much effort into making all aspects of the game, even the music, memorable.
I wonder if S&P SS will be recognized for having the best menu theme of all time. Well, even if it isn't, it earns merit for maintaining a consistently frantic and awesome song selection from start to finish. It has some of the most unique and complicated tracks I've ever heard, and it's all fantastic.
The range of styles of music in here make the soundtrack hard to nail down in any specific genre, and that's probably why I like it so much. There are so many outstanding tracks that you're bound to find a favorite. Oh, and it has a remix of the Kara no Kyoukai theme as stage music. Jya, jya, jyaaan~!
I had to overcome so much nostalgia to put this on the list instead of Earthbound, but then I realized that the overall quality is just a little better. There's so many battle themes and the strange, funny, and heartrending tone of the game overall is reflected in Mother 3's eclectic track selection. I still get a little teary-eyed every time I hear "Theme of Love".
In my opinion, it's the best of the Final Fantasy series and that's more than any more of my poorly-written comments can ever say about it.
Another of the snes rpg classics. There are so many, but among the few I listed, I had to include Chrono Trigger. Just about any of these tracks will be immediately recognizable for people who have played the game.
I think the general consensus is that MM2, MM3, and MM9 are the top contenders for the best soundtrack from the original Mega Man series. I decided to only put this one, though, because of Bubble Man's Theme. <3 Bubble Man's Theme.
As short as the game is, it's pretty hard to forget both the excellent controls and level design and the amazing soundtrack. Each song is only a variation of the overall theme of the game, but each one is composed so well and that theme is so memorable, that you'll be glad you're listening to it throughout the entire game.
Keeping up the trend of indie and doujin games with awesome soundtracks, Iji is a fantastic example of game music done really well. It's hard to describe just how perfectly the music sets the dark and dismal mood of the game while still being great for repeated listening.
