Hello, everyone. I'm back from the void to do another one of these! It is yet another top ten list, but what better way to end the year than with the best music in games this year. The last time I did one of these I think my username was RecSpec, and in the time between then I hosted a radio show called 777 Radio that dealt with game music and trying to...well I don't know what I was trying to do, educate people I guess. I learned a lot that made me appreciate video game music in a different way. That doesn't really affect this list though, it is still the top 10 songs I liked from games this year, whether they sounded dope in a boss fight, trailer, or just sounded cool on its own. This year was a pretty banner year for game music. I think my list started at about 35 songs, cut down to 18 games. Then finally to ten.

Previous Winners of this prestigious award, in case you've missed previous entries.

2015- "Megalovania" by Toby Fox, from Undertale.

2014- "Kill Command" by Masafumi Takada, from Danganronpa 2

2013- "A Stranger I Remain (Maniac Agenda Mix)" by Jamie Christopherson from Metal Gear Rising

2012- "Tatakai" by Takeharu Ishimoto from The World Ends With You: Solo Remix

2011- "Exile Vilify" by The National from Portal 2

Before we begin, an honorable mention goes out to the Squid Sisters from Splatoon who released their first album this year. It's pretty good! It even has solo efforts from both Callie and Marie. Here's hoping for more Splatoon music in 2017. くコ:彡くコ:彡くコ:彡

Over the years, I've found it easier to just put all of the songs in a playlist and embed that instead of putting a ton of Youtube embeds that will destroy browsers and end up dead by the time next year rolls around. So click play on the playlist and read away! It starts from 10 counting down to my favorite video game song of the year. Make sure to post your favorites in the comments as well. Now on with the list! Here are my top ten video game songs of the year!

10. "Final Remix" by Tsunku♂, from Rhythm Heaven Megamix

Rhythm Heaven games always have a fantastic final remix that mixes up a lot of songs from the minigames throughout the game, but the final remix from the latest entry that came out this year has a very awesome twist to it. The first part is your usual remix of songs from the game, but the second half of the song goes into a medley of all of the main themes from the entire Rhythm Heaven series. Rhythm Tengoku, Rhythm Heaven, Rhythm Heaven Fever, and of course this game. Not only that, but in the game, the minigames that make up those parts of the song are from their respective game. So for example you play a bunch of minigames from Rhythm Heaven Fever to the main theme from Rhythm Heaven Fever. It's really cool. And as always, the song is a whole lot better with the sound effects.

9. "Enter the Battletoad" by Celldweller and Atlas Plug, from Killer Instinct Season 3

When Mick Gordon left Killer Instinct to do other Doomier things. People wondered if Killer Instinct's soundtrack was going to take a huge hit in the third season. Those worries were unfounded, as the duo of Celldweller (Dead Rising 2 and 3) and Atlus Plug (many Ubisoft games) managed to step in quite nicely. The soundtrack has a different feel to the previous two seasons, but overall it's still pretty good. My favorite track from the soundtrack was the remix of the original Battletoads theme for Rash, the playable toad. Their original compositions and remixes have been great.

8. "Vs. Classic Yo-kai" by Saigou Kenichirou, from Yo-kai Watch 2

The original Yo-kai Watch soundtrack was pretty good, but it all had the same sort of folksy feel to it, there wasn't really anything that stood out. So when I heard this boss theme from Yo-kai Watch 2 I was blown away, it's a really great boss theme that didn't get used much throughout the game, which is a shame. It really goes for a dramatic boss battle feel while still maintaining the traditional charm of the rest of the Yo-kai Watch soundtrack.

7. "Potdino- Head-Banging" by Toshihiko Horiyama from Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice

"This is Dahmalan Death Metal!" One of the best witnesses in the Ace Attorney series is Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin, who sings his testimony. While there is limited voice acting in Spirit of Justice, there is no speaking with this testimony, which makes the moment where this guy is singing his testimony while shredding even better. It sounds insane out of context, but it is one of the best moments in the game. You can see it in action here, minor spoilers for the first case of that game. Props to the sound design team for pulling that feat off, it's really clever.

6. "Reincarnation" by Kiria (Nanjou Yoshino) from Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

I regrettably didn't play too much of this game, I just really can't get into JRPGs these days because of my busy schedule. However, I did play long enough to get to the first big concert scene of the game and I was blown away. Based on the premise of this game, an idol concert was bound to happen eventually, but the cutscene and performance was really cool, and stuck with me throughout the year. It's ridiculous and over the top, but I loved it. There are other performances like this throughout the game by different "artists" and they are all pretty good. A fantastic soundtrack from a game I wish I played more of.

5. "Guzma's Theme" by Minako Adachi feat KYOtaro from Pokémon Sun and Moon

Speaking of games I wish I played more of. I didn't touch Sun and Moon at all. I committed to Yo-kai Watch 2 and I don't have time for both. However, I couldn't help but check out the soundtrack after how much I loved X/Y's. The obvious standouts are the Team Skull tracks. The other music is great for the series. But the hip-hop influence makes these really stand out. The main one that stands out is the theme of the big boss Guzma, a really cool track. It makes me really want to play this game.

4. "Skies of Honor [Alternative]" by Hideyuki Fukusawa, from Street Fighter V

Say what you will about the state of Street Fighter V, it has one of the best soundtracks of the year. I know what you're thinking: How many times can you listen to Ryu and Ken's themes? Well, a lot, and the remixed character themes are among the best they've ever been. But, the original music is what really pushes the soundtrack. The new themes are great and everyone knows about RAAAASHIIIIIDOOOOO, but my favorite music from Street Fighter V has been the stage themes. The second round music from the airplane stage Skies of Honor is so great. The beat picks up and lyrics kick in and it just adds intensity to fights. This is also Rashid's home stage, so Rashid is killing it with the music. A strong runner up is the crazy Halloween stage music. Street Fighter V's soundtrack is so good.

3. "Operation Black Flag" by Sarah Schachner, from Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

When I do my Game of the Year list tomorrow I'll have a lot more to say about Infinite Warfare, but the soundtrack helped it become one of my favorite games of the year. Operation Black Flag is the biggest "Let's do this" theme in the game, and parts of it are used as a multiplayer theme too. I'm a big sucker for the grand sweeping music used in these games, so it's no surprise that this landed on my list. This is Sarah Schachner's first time with the Call of Duty franchise, and I hope she stays around.

2. "Let It Die" by Survive Said the Prophet, from Let It Die

Let It Die, the game, has 100+ licensed tracks from many different Japanese groups and artists, all of the tracks are called "Let It Die." It's pretty crazy, and it's the strongest soundtrack of the year, even before you factor in Akira Yamaoka's score. The song I picked for this list stand out because it's the backing track for the cutscene where you first see the Jackals, the most terrifying enemies in that game (Think insanely overpowered Black Phantoms from Souls games but they come after you based on a time limit like the ghost in Spelunky). It is a stylish as hell cutscene, and that's why it stuck with me so much. That entire soundtrack is a gem though, from instrumental work, to metal, to punk, to some pop. It has everything. Let It Die is such a great game.

1. "Somnus" by Yoko Shimomura, from Final Fantasy XV

This is probably unfair, because this song has been in and out of my head for about ten years. It is the main theme from Final Fantasy XV, and the same theme that was used for the first trailer ten years ago. It's Shimomura at her finest, and the version with vocals is still my favorite version. I haven't played enough Final Fantasy XV to hear a lot of the soundtrack, but this song is fantastic. Of course it's my favorite video game track of the year, since the game it was attached to finally came out. Ten years, it's crazy. As I said, it's probably unfair, but this is my favorite video game song of the year.

Thanks for reading, and yeah, I left off a lot of good songs this year. I even made a list of the songs I left off. If I've left off your favorite, I'm sorry, it was a really great year for video game music though.

What was your favorite song this year? Let me know in the comments below, it's always fun seeing what sticks with people. Thanks for reading!