So lately I've been listening to various songs either performed live or ripped directly from a game and I'm enjoying quite a few of them. Some of the songs that I've been listening to include Bowser's Battle music from Super Mario Galaxy which, when I was playing the game, seemed even more epic. As well as a few songs from The Black Mages such as Dancing Mad from the battle with Kefka. I believe great music can really transform a player's experience into something much more visceral. What do you guys think? Do you have any favourites from games you've played?

Bowser's Battle Theme
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=lYsp_U8zs9s&feature=related

Dancing Mad
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=eKrdEm7jso4&feature=related

I've been listening to game remixes as my main source of music for a few years now (sprinkling in mainstream stuff for kicks). A good website is OCRemix.org
If you haven't been there, I suggest it. There's a lot of high-quality shit, regardless of what you're into. However, like mainstream music, there is also a high quantity of crap to sort through. Some guys though, they just make the Black Mages look like a school band.

Some of my favourite soundtracks, especially if we're talking about in-game musical experiences, has got to be Shadow of the Colossus, Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec (if that counts), Sonic Adventure 1, Grandia 1, Spyro the Dragon 1 (yep.), Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Crazy Taxi 1, and I'll toss in Sonic the Hedgehog 1,2,3/&Knuckles.
Why? Shadow of Colossus is a paragraph of why. That game, with bad music, would have been all the less fun. They really built up this feeling of supreme accomplishment, or intense danger, or sheer size through their tunes.
Gran Turismo 3, while hosting mainly 'mainstream' songs; I have to say of the series as a whole, 3 A-Spec was just top tier for their playlist. When you're forced to listen to 30 or so songs as you do relay races for countless hours, it really matters what songs are available. With GT3, there was never a song I'd skip, and it always felt especially grand when you're taking the final stretch of a lap, and 99 Red Balloons kicks in with the guitar. Golden.
Sonic Adventure 1, and all the other Sonics I mentioned for that matter, will forever be remembered for the fun, fast-paced tunes. Nothing like the continuous BRINBRINBRINBRINBRING of collecting gold hoops with a fun ditty in the background. On a similar note, this is why I like Crazy Taxi's soundtrack. So loud, fast, and energetic as you pulse through San Fran collecting quick money by racing against traffic... God I love that SEGA vibe!
Chrono Cross, Xenogears and Grandia, these three have the kind of soundtracks I could just listen to on their own. From Alternate Termina, to Broken Mirror... I just absolutely love these tracks.
Last but not least, Spyro the Dragon. While a lot of people don't like Spyro, myself now included after the purple bastard sold out, the original soundtrack just kind of rolled around in the background while I played. It neither stood out, nor fell behind, it was there in perfect harmony with the gameplay/level design. Oddly one of the few games I noticed this in.

Also, what's a Gam?

every video game song is ripped off from bad 80's music if you look back far enough/research on internet

Please elaborate with examples and rick roll videos.

Please elaborate with examples and rick roll videos.

There was a neat website I saw YEARS ago that listed almost every SNES game and the actual real world music they sampled.  Turns out Earthbound is the biggest offender of sampling old music but I'm sure it was intentional.  If anyone can find that website again I'd be much obliged.

On the note of Earthbound, Pokey's battle theme is pure sex.  Mother 3's Porkey's Pokies (I think that was what the song was called) is even better as it's straight up lo-fi 8-bit.

Pokey Means Business

Pokey Means Business

Porkey's Pokies

Porkey's Pokies

Listening to the Deus Ex theme song got me FUCKING PUMPED before even playing the game.  More games need opening songs like this.

Deus Ex

Who could forget Duke Nukem Fucking 3D?  I thought the Doom song got me pumped but Duke3D was like a shot of adrenaline straight to the testicles.

Duke3D

A lot of gaming soundtracks these days sound like shitty postrock with violins. I wish more people went back to ragnar beepboops instead of this John Williams/Danny Elfman horseshit.

Omikron: the Nomad Soul (Dreamcast) has a pretty nice soundtrack. A lot of David Bowie in there. Too bad the game's convoluted as hell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZAAW6Dxue4&feature=related

That Deus EX intro is kick ass, man.

Another favourite openings of mine, one that made so goddamn jeolous of people with internet... (back then, I lived on a farm and we didn't have fancy good connection speeds. We had to take up the phoneline, so no one could call! Yup and the wind blew against you as you walked to school up hills both ways! Yep.
Ah, anyway, the song is from Phantasy Star Online. The intro movie and title song, drove me nuts. I wanted to play online so bad, but had to suffice with offline mode (which later on Xbox was mysteriously unavailable unless I connected to Xbox Live, which made sense since I was going to play offline. 9_9)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k7dGyZIDh4
aw frack, now I want to play it...

Man, I never played NOLF, but I played NOLF2 and it was a pretty good game!

It had really great music too. I remember getting stuck on the russian level and not really caring cause the music was too fun

Please elaborate with examples and rick roll videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQZk_DcBrzY


Edit: I forgot how I found this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkCWMIsYQz4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9xY_cPenSs

that's right I found a soundtrack somewhere and it's an /exact/ ripoff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAtVCeTGWAE

the stage even involves a helicopter like someone mentioned

Man, I never played NOLF, but I played NOLF2 and it was a pretty good game!

It had really great music too. I remember getting stuck on the russian level and not really caring cause the music was too fun

play nolf.....

the first was more fun imo, and longer

I really wish they'd make another nolf too

speaking of double dragon

super double dragon had some pretty gr8 tunes

though the best ones were also in double dragon so heh

Yes I do, I like hitman 2's title song, it's all serious and dramatic but it's funny considering how silly the game is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIGFKrvBpZ8

Also the first level song on Mega Turrican.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20tshGWBYHA

Also can you guys keep the number of youtube tags in a topic down, because it kind of breaks youtube videos (they don't play past 2 seconds or play without sound)

None of the embedded videos on this page work for me.

They play for 2 seconds and have no sound.

Heh.

None of the embedded videos on this page work for me.

They play for 2 seconds and have no sound.

Heh.

yeah this happens to me too, only on pages with loads of youtube embeds. admins fix it

maybe it's an opera thing?? idk

It stops working when there are too many. Could people please go back and change their YouTube tags to URL tags?