Who the hell would prefer the music in New Horizons over New Leaf or the original Gamecube Animal Crossing? That's mind boggling. The list is cute and fun but no wonder I stopped reading Pitchfork after like 2007 - the shit they say sometimes.
Pitchfork: 12 Best Video Game Soundtracks of the Past 20 Years
- Thread starter Icolin
- Start date
Lmao it's like subverting expectations: the list. What a strange mix. Without including compilations of real songs, my top 10:
- Ghost Trick
- Nier
- Nier Automata
- Katamari Damacy
- Final Fantasy 7 Remake
- Halo 2
- Hotline Miami
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Super Smash Bros Ultimate
- Metroid Prime
Yes, Chaos Theory soundtrack is absolutely incredible. I feel like it flew under the radar because you basically wont hear a lick of it if you're playing well in-game. It's my favorite work from Amon Tobin as well.No Amon Tobin's OST for Chaos Theory? SMH. It even made videogames cooler in '05:
Also 7.2 is a quite high for Pitchfork. I quess none of the listed haven't been reviewed?
Amon Tobin: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory OST
Ninja Tune star makes the jump to video game soundtracks with this score to Chaos Theory, Xbox's latest addition to Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series.pitchfork.com
Lack of Disasterpeace on there is also lame. Both FEZ and The Floor is Jelly are top 20 contenders easily.
Journey and Ori too. I mean its their opinion and all but it still feels quite unrelatable.
THPS2 and NBA Street Vol 2, while great, those 2 are cheating lol. Might as well fill this list with Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. But yeah, trying to cram 20 years of video game OST's into a top 12 list is a terrible idea. Wayyyy too many great soundtracks out there. Some great choices on this list though.
Happy to see Persona 5 and SotC in there, and Celeste and Undertale seem like safe picks, but otherwise a pretty meh list.
Also, games with licensed music should be disqualified.
This kind of feels like cheating because it's like 100 soundtracks in one ;)
Also, games with licensed music should be disqualified.
This kind of feels like cheating because it's like 100 soundtracks in one ;)
No Tropical Freeze means they didn't play Tropical Freeze.
Edit: Also, I see the thread title doesn't quite indicate what the selection criteria was in the actual article.
Edit: Also, I see the thread title doesn't quite indicate what the selection criteria was in the actual article.
YOOOO
THIS LIST IS LEGIT
Celeste, Monument Valley, THPS2, Undertale
The Sims
godlike
www.youtube.com
www.youtube.com
THIS LIST IS LEGIT
Celeste, Monument Valley, THPS2, Undertale
The Sims
godlike
The Sims Soundtrack: Building Mode 3
The third of twelve music pieces that come from the PC game "The Sims." The build mode music was written by Jerry Martin alongside Marc Russo and John R Burr...
www.youtube.com
The Sims Soundtrack: Building Mode 5
The fifth of twelve music pieces that come from the PC game "The Sims." The build mode music was written by Jerry Martin alongside Marc Russo and John R Burr...
www.youtube.com
I mean Deadly Premonition is a niche game, so it's understandable they haven't had the opportunity to experience it's generation defining soundtrack.
No final fantasy automatically makes this a shit tier list. Next.Pitchfork just put up a list of their 12 favourite video game soundtracks/OSTs of the past 20 years, pretty good choices in the article IMO.
Our Favorite Video Game Music of the Past 20 Years
Including the soothing lullabies of Animal Crossing, the punk and hip-hop blasts of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, the ambient soundscapes of Monument Valley, and more
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)
Composers: Kazumi Totaka, Yasuaki Iwata, Yumi Takahashi, Shinobu Nagata, Sayako Doi, Masato Ohashi
Celeste (2019)
Composer: Lena Raine
Eternal Sonata (2007)
Composers: Motoi Sakuraba, Frédéric Chopin
Monument Valley (2014)
Composers: Stafford Bawler, Obfusc, and Grigori
NBA Street Vol. 2 (2003)
Various Artists
Persona 5 (2016)
Composer: Shoji Meguro
Space Channel 5 (2000)
Composers: Naofumi Hataya, Kenichi Tokoi, Ken Woodman
Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
Composer: Kow Otani
The Sims (2000)
Composer: Jerry Martin
Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP (2011)
Composer: Jim Guthrie
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2000)
Various Artists
Undertale (2015)
Composer: Toby Fox
No Chrono Cross (2000 US- release for the uncouth Pitchfork staff) no Nier, no Skies of Arcadia, No JSRF? Pitchfork and their staff have always been shit. Just more confirmation.
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Can people read the link or the OP, or is that too hard? I swear, this fucking place sometimes. The way some of you are reacting, it's as if they're trying to frame this as a best of all time list or fact. This is what the article says... in case you missed it:
This is the staff's favorite video game music. Just because YOUR favorite soundtrack didn't make it, doesn't make it trash. It's a harmless article yet people in here are acting pretentious as hell... the very thing you're pointing the finger at Pitchfork for.
This is a weird post. Video games are pretty mainstream, and I would assume most of Pitchfork's writers are in the late 20s/30s age, a main demographic of video game players. They've made other articles on game music that are good.
https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/837-gamings-best-ambient-tracks/
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/koji-kondo-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time/
https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1254-nintendo-64s-hidden-musical-gems/
This is just another example of people jumping the gun to shit on something because they don't agree with it or because, in this case, it's something by a publication like Pitchfork.
So if I make a favorite video game music thread and post my picks, none of which include any of those, I'm just shit then? So because my opinion doesn't align with yours, it's automatically shit? Get out.
This is the staff's favorite video game music. Just because YOUR favorite soundtrack didn't make it, doesn't make it trash. It's a harmless article yet people in here are acting pretentious as hell... the very thing you're pointing the finger at Pitchfork for.
This is a weird post. Video games are pretty mainstream, and I would assume most of Pitchfork's writers are in the late 20s/30s age, a main demographic of video game players. They've made other articles on game music that are good.
https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/837-gamings-best-ambient-tracks/
https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/koji-kondo-the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time/
https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1254-nintendo-64s-hidden-musical-gems/
This is just another example of people jumping the gun to shit on something because they don't agree with it or because, in this case, it's something by a publication like Pitchfork.
So if I make a favorite video game music thread and post my picks, none of which include any of those, I'm just shit then? So because my opinion doesn't align with yours, it's automatically shit? Get out.
No, I never do that, nor will I shit on any person posting an opinion on resetera, as we are not writing for a online publication with clout, getting people to listen to liscened music for Tony Hawk instead of all of the amazing game music that has been originally composed. Feel free to start a thread with your top picks.
Some people connect more with licensed music in games than originally composed music. There's nothing wrong with people having nostalgia for shit like Tony Hawk, SSX, Gran Turismo or even GTA over something like Nier, or the other soundtracks you posted. Musical choices aren't a right or wrong situation, it's subjective. So if someone chooses to listen one of those soundtracks to something like Xenoblade, which I adore, more power to them. That doesn't make their choice trash... poster on Era or writer for a music publication.
It's 12 soundtracks, impossible to please everybody.
What I look for in these is at least one recommendation to check out. I'll see what the deal is with Superbrothers on the Switch.
What I look for in these is at least one recommendation to check out. I'll see what the deal is with Superbrothers on the Switch.
Not a single Touhou game? C'mon! Past 20 years ANY game in that timeframe could go on there.. I'd pick Imperisable Night TBH.
Decent list, with a few great choices there. Funnily enough, Eternal Sonata is the last JRPG I finished, since it's length is about how much I can tolerate that kind of gameplay.
On a related note, move over Nier fans, Eternal Sonata is quickly becoming the hipster JRPG game of choice now. Our time has arrived!
On a related note, move over Nier fans, Eternal Sonata is quickly becoming the hipster JRPG game of choice now. Our time has arrived!
Getting mad at the list doesn't seem reasonable given that it's just a "twelve of our favorite game soundtracks."
It's definitely surprising to see a list that doesn't have Nier Automata or Hotline Miami.
I'll throw in Bully and Watch_Dogs 2 as underrated amazing game soundtracks though. Shawn Lee and Hudson Mohawke know what's good when it comes to music.
It's definitely surprising to see a list that doesn't have Nier Automata or Hotline Miami.
I'll throw in Bully and Watch_Dogs 2 as underrated amazing game soundtracks though. Shawn Lee and Hudson Mohawke know what's good when it comes to music.
This is best video game soundtracks of the past 20 years...not the all-time greatest OST ever made...
To be fair to others, and before you try to burn people to the ground even further, the URL and title of the article in my browser tab does in actual fact claim to be the "12 best video game sound tracks of the last 20 years." I had a similar reaction to you at first, but it does outright state that on Pitchfork's website. I wonder if they originally intended to go with a "best soundtracks" article, realized their list was too wack, and tried to pull back to an "our favorites" list instead, without fully scrubbing the "best" claims entirely from the article.
NBA Street Vol 2 is definitely one of the best videogame Soundtracks ever. This list is fine by me because they're wise enough to acknowledge that.
