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Top 5 Most Memorable Video Game Songs

Alien7

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Alien7 Rookie

Alien7

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I found this article on MSNBC, and I found it very interesting. Enjoy!

Do you ever find yourself humming a tune from a video game days after you last played it? We do. Some of these melodies are so catchy, they?re memorable years later. And the songs can become icons for the games themselves. ?Halo? isn?t ?Halo? without its sweeping score. And could you imaging playing ?Super Mario Bros.? without that catchy ditty playing in the background?

These are our Top 5 most memorable video game songs. Check them out then tell us which songs made your list.

Nintendo

'Super Mario Bros.'

Of course, this has to be tops on everyone?s list ? there?s just something extra special about the ?Super Mario Bros.? theme song. As soon as we hear those first few notes two things happen: We immediately think of Mario. And we smile.

This music is about as iconic as you can get. If you?re a gamer you know it, and chances are pretty good that even non-gamers could hum the tune.

The theme song has spawned some pretty funny tributes, too. Do a quick Web search and you?ll find everything from a blindfolded guy playing it on the piano to a beatboxing flute remix. Name another video game song with a following like that!

Microsoft / Bungie Studios

'Halo'

Some gamers think contemporary game soundtracks are too generic ? a far cry from the old days of ?Mario Party? and ?Xenogears.? Though the songs may be well written and played by talented artists, they?re just not very original.

Not so with ?Halo.? All three of the games in the series featured equally well-done scores that seemed tailor-made for the game?s sweeping levels and non-stop action. From the second the Gregorian chanting starts, you know what?s in store. And when those drums start pounding ? so does our adrenaline.

Midway

'Ms. Pac-Man'

Will another game ever get to be as ingrained in our brains as ?Ms. Pac-Man?? It?s been more than 20 years since it first showed up in arcades, but we could still summon up that theme song at the drop of a hat.

We bet that you can hear that opening song right now, too. You?re probably even adding in that ?whacka-whacka-whacka? dot-eating sound at the end of it. How about the music that plays during the ?Act I-They Meet!? cut-scene, where Mr. and Ms. Pac-Man chase each other around the screen? All these years later, that music?s still a winner.

Nintendo

'The Legend of Zelda'

Nintendo?s ?Legend of Zelda? franchise has gone through many changes over the years, including much-improved graphics and a switch from 2-D to 3-D. But no matter which game in the series you?re playing, as soon as you see the character Link on screen you know that it?s a ?Zelda? game. He?s that distinctive.

The same can be said about the music. Some gamers admit to feeling slightly giddy when they hear those first few notes of the theme song from ?Zelda.? You don?t have to be looking at the screen to figure it out, or even be in the same room when it plays. It?s that memorable.

Square

'Final Fantasy 7'

Though ?Final Fantasy 7? was released back in 1997, it?s still very popular today. Fans are enthralled with the game?s characters and storyline, which unfolds cinematically with a little help from its beautiful soundtrack.

Composer Nobuo Uematsu wrote his songs to build tension and punctuate the script, but they?re more than just background music. In fact, the music from this game was so popular that it was released as a four-disc album.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21227887/

Now what are your Top 5 most memorable video game songs?

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WiggumBeard Newbie

WiggumBeard

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Being prone to nostalgia at times, I get that melancholy feeling from certain game songs. My five favorites?

Sega Saturn - Sonic R

This may sound like a weird choice. The game itself was only decent and not outstanding. The music, however, strikes a melancholy chord with me. This especially goes with the song "Livin' in the City." I can remember first hearing it when seeing a display of it in a Best Buy back in 1997. I think it was a Best Buy, anyway. I eventually got the game. I was, of course, 9 years old at the time. I still say it's one of the best soundtracks in a 3D Sonic game, even if that's not saying much.

Sega Saturn - NiGHTS: Into Dreams

What can I say? I still to this day find the music in this game to be beautiful, if a bit dated. Beautiful music for a beautiful game. Fitting, isn't it?

Capcom - Many Systems - Street Fighter series

Now, I'll be honest. I may be a bit biased here, being a fan of 2D fighters. But I absolute love the music in some of the Street Fighter games. Personal favorites are Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers, Street Fighter III: 3rd Striker, Street Fighter Alpha 3 and Street Fighter Alpha 2.

Sega Genesis - Streets of Rage 2

Aw yeah. One of my favorite "club" soundtracks in a videogame. What can I say? Yuzo Koshiro's compositions can really help one get into this game more. It fits perfectly.

Nintendo Gamecube - Metroid Prime

Yes. Metroid Prime. The first one. I haven't played the other two, but from what I remember of the first, the music was wonderful. Its haunting ambience truly added a beauty to the environments, especially the snow area(sorry, forgot the actual name of it).

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jehusephat Newbie

jehusephat

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I'll do my top 5 most memorable covers of video game songs.

1. Orchestral Game Concert II - E.V.O. - "Sorrow"

2. Metroid Metal - Metroid - "Brinstar"

3. CarboHydroM - Ikaruga - "Antimatter"

4. NESkimos - Bionic Commando - "Movement ii, part a"

5. Eric's Little Shack - Megaman 3 - "Intro"

Also, The Protomen don't do covers, but they wrote a rock opera about Megaman. It's all kinds of awesome.

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Thor Contributor

Thor

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Man there are so many of them but the ones that really stick out other than the ones that were already mentioned would be.

Clay Fighter Theme SNES

Buck Bumble Theme N64

Tempo Theme 32X

Big Blue Stage from F-Zero SNES

I know this was somewhat mentioned but...

Streets of Rage Title and several of the songs in game. Yuzo Koshiro is an amazing composer

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kharnov Newbie

kharnov

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That's hard to pick only 5 songs...

1) Super Mario Bros (NES) underground stage song

Sure Mario's theme song is amazing even my grandfather knew it but I prefer the underground one.

2) The Legend Of Zelda (NES) opening song

Oh my! the moment the song starts and the title blinks in, you know you are in for an epic adventure.

3) Final Fantasy VI (SNES) intro movie song

You see them riding robots in a snow covered field, the mood and the music are just incredible.

4) Rygar (NES) second stage/screen

I know it's an odd pick but I just love that game for odd reasons too I guess lol

5) Kid Icarus (NES) intro song

Nothing to add really, great game great music

I know later generations of games have gorgeous music but the 8-bit era has a special place in my heart.

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zdarfan Rookie

zdarfan

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It would take me much longer to compile the five best tracks of all time, but I think the best soundtrack of all time would be Mega Man 2. EVERY SINGLE TRACK from that game is fun and memorable, and to this day a random one will jump into my head and have me humming away. There are few catchier midis than the ones featured in that doozy of a cart.

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waterclocker Newbie

waterclocker

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My top 5

1. Earthbound - Awesome!!! Awesome!!! I purchased all the Mother sound track and I listen to them all the time

2. Megaman 2 - I get many of the tunes stuck in my head. Great stuff!

3. Super Mario World - The castle theme is a fav, the others are great too.

4. Castlevania 3 - Sounds awesome on the famicom

5. DKC 2 - Probably stuck in my head, because I played it soo much when it came out.

I also love Super Metroid and Darius on the Pc Engine cd.

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