Oh, geez, this is such a tough one to answer. There are just so many good VGM soundtracks out there that I would gladly listen to. Even listing a number of ones I like a cut above the rest is super difficult, but I could try!
Mario Kart 8 - Complain as you might of its roster, tracks, and item roulette (which is one of the dumbest in the series; why is second allowed to get triple red shells?!), but you can't diss this game's score of music. I know for certain that this wouldn't be my absolute favorite, but most of its OST is that kind of instrumental music that you'd listen to in the car (both F-Zero remixes are probably the best of them to listen to, preferably on the highway). It gets plenty of bonus points for being true instrumental recording, or at least for some of the score.
Any Kirby game - Am I biased? Absolutely I am. However, I think I speak for most people when I say that there's one thing the HAL Laboratory has never dropped the ball on so far with their cute, pink mascot, and that is the series OST. I don't think there's ever been a person I've talked to who doesn't respect its musical score, even if it's another person coming to tell me how much of a four year old girl I supposedly am for playing such a children's game. Look at all of the notable pieces of Kirby's OST; it covers a lot of genres overall, and I think everyone will find at least one song they enjoy a lot. As someone who enjoys almost every genre of music, almost the same, this is a soundtrack I adore beyond comprehension. Whether it's Dreamland's timeless firsts, or the 20th unique rendition of those tracks, I'll always enjoy the sounds of the adorable puffball of HAL.
Metroid Prime/Super Metroid - While technically a tie, I've included both of these defining Metroid games more so due to the similarities they seem to share overall in their soundtracks, but regardless, they are both equally amazing to me. If there's one thing Metroid has always gotten right with in its score, it would be setting the atmosphere. They know how to control your emotions throughout the game with their OST, and hold nothing back in these two games. Look at Super Metroid's start, when landing on Zebes once again. Before the Space Pirates show up, what does that initial music tell you? You're alone, on a planet that was once thriving and teeming with life, a planet that you were raised on. Now it's barren and empty, with not even an enemy to find (that is, until you get the morph ball and missile). Look at Lower Norfair, a track that both Super Metroid and Metroid Prime share. It also fits the mood it's supposed to meet. As far as ambient music goes, Metroid has your number on that. Maybe it's not drive-in-the-car music, but it's still very enjoyable.
Sonic Adventure/Sonic Adventure 2 - I'll keep this one short. Open Your Heart, It Doesn't Matter, Escape From the City. Live and Learn. Need I say any more? The people at Sonic Team clearly knew what they were doing with the soundtrack of these two games, shown by the number of memorable tracks (including the four most noted that I mentioned). Although the raps were dumb during the Knuckles stages, this is one of the few times I can ignore the obvious attempt to modernize the soundtrack through that.
Keep in mind that there are many, many more I'd like to include on here. But these are the ones that I was able to think of on the fly. Oh, geez, this is such a tough one to answer. There are just so many good VGM soundtracks out there that I would gladly listen to. Even listing a number of ones I like a cut above the rest is super difficult, but I could try!
Mario Kart 8 - Complain as you might of its roster, tracks, and item roulette (which is one of the dumbest in the series; why is second allowed to get triple red shells?!), but you can't diss this game's score of music. I know for certain that this wouldn't be my absolute favorite, but most of its OST is that kind of instrumental music that you'd listen to in the car (both F-Zero remixes are probably the best of them to listen to, preferably on the highway). It gets plenty of bonus points for being true instrumental recording, or at least for some of the score.
Any Kirby game - Am I biased? Absolutely I am. However, I think I speak for most people when I say that there's one thing the HAL Laboratory has never dropped the ball on so far with their cute, pink mascot, and that is the series OST. I don't think there's ever been a person I've talked to who doesn't respect its musical score, even if it's another person coming to tell me how much of a four year old girl I supposedly am for playing such a children's game. Look at all of the notable pieces of Kirby's OST; it covers a lot of genres overall, and I think everyone will find at least one song they enjoy a lot. As someone who enjoys almost every genre of music, almost the same, this is a soundtrack I adore beyond comprehension. Whether it's Dreamland's timeless firsts, or the 20th unique rendition of those tracks, I'll always enjoy the sounds of the adorable puffball of HAL.
Metroid Prime/Super Metroid - While technically a tie, I've included both of these defining Metroid games more so due to the similarities they seem to share overall in their soundtracks, but regardless, they are both equally amazing to me. If there's one thing Metroid has always gotten right with in its score, it would be setting the atmosphere. They know how to control your emotions throughout the game with their OST, and hold nothing back in these two games. Look at Super Metroid's start, when landing on Zebes once again. Before the Space Pirates show up, what does that initial music tell you? You're alone, on a planet that was once thriving and teeming with life, a planet that you were raised on. Now it's barren and empty, with not even an enemy to find (that is, until you get the morph ball and missile). Look at Lower Norfair, a track that both Super Metroid and Metroid Prime share. It also fits the mood it's supposed to meet. As far as ambient music goes, Metroid has your number on that. Maybe it's not drive-in-the-car music, but it's still very enjoyable.
Sonic Adventure/Sonic Adventure 2 - I'll keep this one short. Open Your Heart, It Doesn't Matter, Escape From the City. Live and Learn. Need I say any more? The people at Sonic Team clearly knew what they were doing with the soundtrack of these two games, shown by the number of memorable tracks (including the four most noted that I mentioned). Although the raps were dumb during the Knuckles stages, this is one of the few times I can ignore the obvious attempt to modernize the soundtrack through that.
Keep in mind that there are many, many more I'd like to include on here. But these are the ones that I was able to think of on the fly. |