Give me a game's OST and I'll rank it
I'm a music nerd so here's a bandwagon I can jump on! Name a game I've played and I'll give my top 3 tracks and rank the OST as a whole relative to other games on the list... I'll also nerd out over the music a bit because why not.
17 Games
OST playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9ee_Ez6tFk&list=PL0F07A6AAE78073A5
This has a lot in common with Tekken 3 (which is right next to it in the rankings as of now) where it's all about cool beats and interesting sound samples but doesn't have a whole lot of memorable melodies. In a series like FF which is full of iconic tunes, this can sound a little jarring. It's good for what it does, but it's telling that most of my favorite tracks are the few with catchy melodies: the pop songs. They fit well with the J-pop girl group vibe the game has.
Top 3:
- Real Emotion
- 1000 Words
- Vegnagun Awakens
This has a lot in common with Tekken 3 (which is right next to it in the rankings as of now) where it's all about cool beats and interesting sound samples but doesn't have a whole lot of memorable melodies. In a series like FF which is full of iconic tunes, this can sound a little jarring. It's good for what it does, but it's telling that most of my favorite tracks are the few with catchy melodies: the pop songs. They fit well with the J-pop girl group vibe the game has.
Top 3:
- Real Emotion
- 1000 Words
- Vegnagun Awakens
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apPOUHiX02w
This is it right here. One of my two favorite FF soundtracks and one of my favorite OSTs ever written, this is Nobuo Uematsu at his absolute peak. It really showcases both his versatility in writing in different styles as well as his ability to write supremely evocative music. In a strange twist, I find the centrepiece track (Eyes on Me) to be one of the weaker offerings here; it's not even the best version of itself (I prefer Waltz to the Moon). I'm breaking my rule of three here because even narrowing it down to four was difficult enough.
Top 4:
- Man With The Machine Gun (I'm gonna be humming this the next few weeks and now you are too)
- Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec (the Sorceress' Parade music. This is probably the track that best showcases his versatility and evocativeness)
- Fisherman's Horizon (Probably my favorite 'chill' track in the entire franchise, maybe rivalled by the Calm Lands from FFX)
- Silence and Motion (the Esthar Theme. A fantastic play on various time signatures going on at the same time. It sounds whimsical, quirky, and intricate all the same time. Super underrated track)
This is it right here. One of my two favorite FF soundtracks and one of my favorite OSTs ever written, this is Nobuo Uematsu at his absolute peak. It really showcases both his versatility in writing in different styles as well as his ability to write supremely evocative music. In a strange twist, I find the centrepiece track (Eyes on Me) to be one of the weaker offerings here; it's not even the best version of itself (I prefer Waltz to the Moon). I'm breaking my rule of three here because even narrowing it down to four was difficult enough.
Top 4:
- Man With The Machine Gun (I'm gonna be humming this the next few weeks and now you are too)
- Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec (the Sorceress' Parade music. This is probably the track that best showcases his versatility and evocativeness)
- Fisherman's Horizon (Probably my favorite 'chill' track in the entire franchise, maybe rivalled by the Calm Lands from FFX)
- Silence and Motion (the Esthar Theme. A fantastic play on various time signatures going on at the same time. It sounds whimsical, quirky, and intricate all the same time. Super underrated track)
(Links to individual tracks below)
With its piano-driven sound and creepy mood, this is very similar to Resident Evil 2's soundtrack, less atmospheric but with a lot more vibes. I love it and think it's amongst Yoko Shimomura's best work!
I have to take a couple of points off for a really weird reason - the female singer's voice figures very prominently in a lot of the tracks and I don't really like the way they sampled her voice! In the versions of the tracks that use an actual singer (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkXCRSCxJ-I) they all sound fantastic! But in-game, those tracks tend to fall a bit flat.
Top 3 Tracks:
- Primal Eyes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXI5T4B1fkU) - What a fantastic way to establish both the setting and the musical tone from the start!
- Arise Within You (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsQLVyEPP2k) - One of the reasons I didn't really mind getting into random battles in this game.
- Under The Progress (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAhrVBmfn0M) - It's modern-day survival-horror Man With The Machine Gun!
With its piano-driven sound and creepy mood, this is very similar to Resident Evil 2's soundtrack, less atmospheric but with a lot more vibes. I love it and think it's amongst Yoko Shimomura's best work!
I have to take a couple of points off for a really weird reason - the female singer's voice figures very prominently in a lot of the tracks and I don't really like the way they sampled her voice! In the versions of the tracks that use an actual singer (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkXCRSCxJ-I) they all sound fantastic! But in-game, those tracks tend to fall a bit flat.
Top 3 Tracks:
- Primal Eyes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXI5T4B1fkU) - What a fantastic way to establish both the setting and the musical tone from the start!
- Arise Within You (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsQLVyEPP2k) - One of the reasons I didn't really mind getting into random battles in this game.
- Under The Progress (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAhrVBmfn0M) - It's modern-day survival-horror Man With The Machine Gun!
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl0LMKpf0Jk
This is a tricky one to rank because a lot of the tracks are super atmospheric but not very memorable, and at first I struggled to remember any of them besides the iconic save room theme! But there's plenty of good writing here, the composer makes especially great use of the strings to create tension and the piano to create an 'isolated' mood.
Top 3:
- Secure place: The iconic save room theme!
- The Front Hall: another one that stands out to me as creating a great atmosphere
- Credit Line: It's a great way to end the game - it takes the tense theme that a few moments ago was playing as you evacuated the lab and turns it into a slow, calm track. But it also has hints of dissonances underneath the surface; there's a lot more work to be done after all.
This is a tricky one to rank because a lot of the tracks are super atmospheric but not very memorable, and at first I struggled to remember any of them besides the iconic save room theme! But there's plenty of good writing here, the composer makes especially great use of the strings to create tension and the piano to create an 'isolated' mood.
Top 3:
- Secure place: The iconic save room theme!
- The Front Hall: another one that stands out to me as creating a great atmosphere
- Credit Line: It's a great way to end the game - it takes the tense theme that a few moments ago was playing as you evacuated the lab and turns it into a slow, calm track. But it also has hints of dissonances underneath the surface; there's a lot more work to be done after all.
Full PSX OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW1v_-SMp24
I love the vibes of this and I know it's very well-regarded, but I wouldn't put this in the top tier because of how samey a lot of the tracks sound.
Favorite tracks:
Opening
Lei's Theme
Eddy's Theme
I love the vibes of this and I know it's very well-regarded, but I wouldn't put this in the top tier because of how samey a lot of the tracks sound.
Favorite tracks:
Opening
Lei's Theme
Eddy's Theme
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzznGVEG9WE
I'm glad the soundtrack slaps just as much as the previous entries, even though the game itself is lackluster. I like the tracks here but those from Sonic 2 and 3 feel more memorable to me... or maybe it's because the stages they are tied to are more memorable? In any case, a very strong entry music-wise. I like that they continued the tradition of having the Act 2 themes be variations on the Act 1 themes.
Top 3 tracks:
- Green Grove Act 2
- Rusty Ruin Act 2
- Boss 2
I'm glad the soundtrack slaps just as much as the previous entries, even though the game itself is lackluster. I like the tracks here but those from Sonic 2 and 3 feel more memorable to me... or maybe it's because the stages they are tied to are more memorable? In any case, a very strong entry music-wise. I like that they continued the tradition of having the Act 2 themes be variations on the Act 1 themes.
Top 3 tracks:
- Green Grove Act 2
- Rusty Ruin Act 2
- Boss 2
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11u6TfCPGtM
This is a nice one, though I don't really go out of my way to listen to it. Mainly cute-ified remixes of the various character themes, higher pitched and with 'smoother' sounding instruments. Some themes pull this off a bit better than others.
Favorite themes:
- Hsien-Ko
- Felicia (for some reason, this one gives me Breath of Fire 3 vibes)
- Sakura
This is a nice one, though I don't really go out of my way to listen to it. Mainly cute-ified remixes of the various character themes, higher pitched and with 'smoother' sounding instruments. Some themes pull this off a bit better than others.
Favorite themes:
- Hsien-Ko
- Felicia (for some reason, this one gives me Breath of Fire 3 vibes)
- Sakura
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSG6kZ9F6Ec
It's not actually badly written - the tracks here are certainly better-crafted than those in, say, Phantasy Star 3. But, perhaps fittingly for a game where every character is made of balls, the tracks are really really samey. Is that grounds enough to rank this in last place? I'm not sure but I'm placing it here out of spite for FrozenRoy not warning me about this and causing me to listen to that porny title screen music in front of my wife.
Top 3 tracks:
- Title Theme (thanks I hate it)
- Fight 1
- Fight 7 (this one is legitimately quite a bop)
It's not actually badly written - the tracks here are certainly better-crafted than those in, say, Phantasy Star 3. But, perhaps fittingly for a game where every character is made of balls, the tracks are really really samey. Is that grounds enough to rank this in last place? I'm not sure but I'm placing it here out of spite for FrozenRoy not warning me about this and causing me to listen to that porny title screen music in front of my wife.
Top 3 tracks:
- Title Theme (thanks I hate it)
- Fight 1
- Fight 7 (this one is legitimately quite a bop)
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hBF1WZeT_M
I love how experimental and downright wacky this gets at times, but with extreme apologies to fans of the soundtrack, I just don't like it very much; I'm just too much of a traditionalist I guess. Everything is interesting, but very little that I would want to listen to outside of the game.
Favorite tracks:
- Burp (lol)
- Runaway Five - the Daily Show (this one's admittedly a real bop)
- Giygas is Wounded (here's an example of where the game's cacophonous style gets it absolutely right)
I love how experimental and downright wacky this gets at times, but with extreme apologies to fans of the soundtrack, I just don't like it very much; I'm just too much of a traditionalist I guess. Everything is interesting, but very little that I would want to listen to outside of the game.
Favorite tracks:
- Burp (lol)
- Runaway Five - the Daily Show (this one's admittedly a real bop)
- Giygas is Wounded (here's an example of where the game's cacophonous style gets it absolutely right)
(I can't find the full OST in one video so I'll link the individual tracks below)
Not my favorite OST in the series because it does have its fair share of yawners (Marble Garden and Act 1 Boss come to mind), but its highs are very very high indeed.
Top 3:
- Chrome Gadget. A little known one but it's got the forward momentum, cool syncopations and little bit of magic that all good Sonic tracks have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCx1n6BcRls
- Hydrocity Act 2. Vanilla choice but it's really really good, love that you can still hear the framework of Act 1's theme hidden in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNYL4w-qxcE
- Final boss. Super fitting, super exciting. Features one of my favorite chord progressions so that's a bonus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc-lK-psNy4
Honorable mentions: Endless Mine, Ice Cap Zone
Not my favorite OST in the series because it does have its fair share of yawners (Marble Garden and Act 1 Boss come to mind), but its highs are very very high indeed.
Top 3:
- Chrome Gadget. A little known one but it's got the forward momentum, cool syncopations and little bit of magic that all good Sonic tracks have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCx1n6BcRls
- Hydrocity Act 2. Vanilla choice but it's really really good, love that you can still hear the framework of Act 1's theme hidden in it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNYL4w-qxcE
- Final boss. Super fitting, super exciting. Features one of my favorite chord progressions so that's a bonus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc-lK-psNy4
Honorable mentions: Endless Mine, Ice Cap Zone
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBWl9p0fH28
This soundtrack is iconic and I love it! I can't believe I'm saying this though - it feels a little bit rough around the edges. The balance between the different instruments makes the tracks sound more harsh and grating than I think they should be, and while that could be a deliberate decision, there is something about the basslines that feels a little... off. I love it and I love the sense of energy it carries throughout but it's just outside the top tier for me.
Top 3 Tracks:
- Storm Eagle (all the stages are good but this has the most memorable opening riff)
- Sigma Stage 3 (creepy and unsettling and a nice change of tone from the other more intense tracks)
- Chill Penguin (another really memorable stage theme)
This soundtrack is iconic and I love it! I can't believe I'm saying this though - it feels a little bit rough around the edges. The balance between the different instruments makes the tracks sound more harsh and grating than I think they should be, and while that could be a deliberate decision, there is something about the basslines that feels a little... off. I love it and I love the sense of energy it carries throughout but it's just outside the top tier for me.
Top 3 Tracks:
- Storm Eagle (all the stages are good but this has the most memorable opening riff)
- Sigma Stage 3 (creepy and unsettling and a nice change of tone from the other more intense tracks)
- Chill Penguin (another really memorable stage theme)
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JVJP6te8n4
Classic example of bad game, good soundtrack. This manages to sound both epic and cute thanks to its manically dramatic writing, and I love how each of Plok's powered-up forms gets its own special track. This was initially ranked lower until I was trying to pick a top 3 and realized the entire soundtrack was all bangers - this whole thing was consistently excellent and they somehow managed to do it while only using 5 of the 8 available channels on the SNES chip!
Top 3 tracks:
- Boxing Glove (The 'Rocky' homage has to turn up here)
- Boss
- Flea Pit
But seriously, all the tracks are good. Go listen to them!
Classic example of bad game, good soundtrack. This manages to sound both epic and cute thanks to its manically dramatic writing, and I love how each of Plok's powered-up forms gets its own special track. This was initially ranked lower until I was trying to pick a top 3 and realized the entire soundtrack was all bangers - this whole thing was consistently excellent and they somehow managed to do it while only using 5 of the 8 available channels on the SNES chip!
Top 3 tracks:
- Boxing Glove (The 'Rocky' homage has to turn up here)
- Boss
- Flea Pit
But seriously, all the tracks are good. Go listen to them!
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSDp8nTZeB4
This is actually a pretty nice OST but its quality isn't quite as consistent as the better ones in this list. It's probably a symptom of being early in the SNES' life cycle and therefore perhaps not knowing the 'tricks' to make the best use of the hardware - I feel like the fast and exciting tracks are generally hit and the slow calm tracks have a few misses among them.
Top 3:
- Last Battle
- Battle 1
- The Earth
This is actually a pretty nice OST but its quality isn't quite as consistent as the better ones in this list. It's probably a symptom of being early in the SNES' life cycle and therefore perhaps not knowing the 'tricks' to make the best use of the hardware - I feel like the fast and exciting tracks are generally hit and the slow calm tracks have a few misses among them.
Top 3:
- Last Battle
- Battle 1
- The Earth
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLympJxj7bA
I really love the soundtracks from Breath of Fire 2 and 3, and this one was kind of overshadowed by those. But coming back to it made me realize it's a lot better than I remember! There is some truly daring writing here with it being a lot less 'safe' in its tonalities than other RPGs of the era, and it has some really really well-written tracks. It unfortunately succumbs to the same fate as other early SNES games of not being able to make the best use of the hardware.
Some of the instrumental samples don't quite work with what the music is trying to achieve and generally sound quite angular. This doesn't work well with slow pensive tracks like Fate or creepy atmospheric ones like Skyscraper which call for a more broad and smooth sound palette. As such, lots of the best tracks are the more upbeat/intense ones.
Top 3 tracks:
- Beginning of Battle
- Profit (both this and Beginning of Battle seem to foreshadow the smooth jazzy style that BoF pulled off so amazingly)
- Starting the Journey (One of the stronger overworld themes in any game I've played! Really captures the spirit of adventure)
I really love the soundtracks from Breath of Fire 2 and 3, and this one was kind of overshadowed by those. But coming back to it made me realize it's a lot better than I remember! There is some truly daring writing here with it being a lot less 'safe' in its tonalities than other RPGs of the era, and it has some really really well-written tracks. It unfortunately succumbs to the same fate as other early SNES games of not being able to make the best use of the hardware.
Some of the instrumental samples don't quite work with what the music is trying to achieve and generally sound quite angular. This doesn't work well with slow pensive tracks like Fate or creepy atmospheric ones like Skyscraper which call for a more broad and smooth sound palette. As such, lots of the best tracks are the more upbeat/intense ones.
Top 3 tracks:
- Beginning of Battle
- Profit (both this and Beginning of Battle seem to foreshadow the smooth jazzy style that BoF pulled off so amazingly)
- Starting the Journey (One of the stronger overworld themes in any game I've played! Really captures the spirit of adventure)
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rc2_6uWOhE
I looooove this soundtrack - it's one of the games that got me down the music rabbit hole, as I tried picking out all the tunes from this game on the piano as a kid. Vastly underrated/underappreciated, I wish Masahiko Yoshimura got more projects - this is reminiscent of Koichi Sugiyama's (Dragon Quest) style, I daresay even better.
There is not one single bad track in here, and the soundtrack is extremely tightly unified, with many of the tracks referencing each other. An example - the town music, town fight music, and ruined town music all use a similar theme. A fight in the enemy castle uses a minor-key variant of your headquarters theme. It's still one of the best uses of leitmotif in any video game soundtracks I know of. I wish I didn't have to only pick three tracks but here's my top 3:
- Seisen
- Armageddon (Dark Dragon battle)
- Harukanaru Toki no Tabibito (end credits theme)
I looooove this soundtrack - it's one of the games that got me down the music rabbit hole, as I tried picking out all the tunes from this game on the piano as a kid. Vastly underrated/underappreciated, I wish Masahiko Yoshimura got more projects - this is reminiscent of Koichi Sugiyama's (Dragon Quest) style, I daresay even better.
There is not one single bad track in here, and the soundtrack is extremely tightly unified, with many of the tracks referencing each other. An example - the town music, town fight music, and ruined town music all use a similar theme. A fight in the enemy castle uses a minor-key variant of your headquarters theme. It's still one of the best uses of leitmotif in any video game soundtracks I know of. I wish I didn't have to only pick three tracks but here's my top 3:
- Seisen
- Armageddon (Dark Dragon battle)
- Harukanaru Toki no Tabibito (end credits theme)
Full soundtrack - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_nhrqcCVdY
Brightly colored pills
They'll cure all your ills
Just as long as you have fever or the chills
I tried not to think too hard about where I put this - it's a one-hit-wonder soundtrack with one super iconic track, and everything else is decent-to-good.
Top 3 tracks:
- Fever
- Fever
- Fever
Brightly colored pills
They'll cure all your ills
Just as long as you have fever or the chills
I tried not to think too hard about where I put this - it's a one-hit-wonder soundtrack with one super iconic track, and everything else is decent-to-good.
Top 3 tracks:
- Fever
- Fever
- Fever
Full OST - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBT-lFaqvBo
This game's big flaw is that it moves so slowly; I have to admit that this is the first time I'm hearing some of the tracks not on fast forward!
'Ambitious but amateurish' is how I'd describe this OST, and not amateurish in the sense that the composers lacked musical training; I think they just didn't know the hardware that well. So you end up with stuff like the Wedding theme which is a perfectly fine melody but sounds like an infernal racket. The OST had some nice touches, like the battle music changing depending on how well you were doing, and the overworld music adding instruments as more people joined your party.
Top 3:
- World Map (party of 5)
- Laya's World. Pretty much the same as the opening theme, but without the 'noisiness' problem described above.
- Sean and Adan's ending theme
This game's big flaw is that it moves so slowly; I have to admit that this is the first time I'm hearing some of the tracks not on fast forward!
'Ambitious but amateurish' is how I'd describe this OST, and not amateurish in the sense that the composers lacked musical training; I think they just didn't know the hardware that well. So you end up with stuff like the Wedding theme which is a perfectly fine melody but sounds like an infernal racket. The OST had some nice touches, like the battle music changing depending on how well you were doing, and the overworld music adding instruments as more people joined your party.
Top 3:
- World Map (party of 5)
- Laya's World. Pretty much the same as the opening theme, but without the 'noisiness' problem described above.
- Sean and Adan's ending theme
FrozenRoy
2 years ago