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ResetEra Game Soundtracks of the Year 2018 - Voting Thread (READ THE OP)[Ends Jan. 26 23:59 EST]
- Thread starter Grexeno
- Start date
- Status
- Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- Below
- Pokémon: Let's Go!
Man, I almost missed this years thread, saw it when it first when up then...never again, UNTIL NOW.
Though admittedly I don't have much to say this year, it's probably the coolest i've been on a years soundtracks in recent memory, this is of course not to say that it don't have some jams, in fact this will mark the first time I've got games I don't own on my radar.
Speaking of which...
1. Octopath Traveller
My experience with Octopath extends as far as the timed demo would let me, in that time I experienced some of Cyrus, Tessa and Primrose's segments, and while I left the demo thinking "well the game was okay but not enough for me to drop £40 on", there was one aspect that had me almost plonking down the cash.
That was of course, the music.
So I can't really give an in depth look at this OST, I've certainly checked out the rest of the package thanks to youtube and it's very much up my alley.
I would say that compared to 16 bit era JRPGs it's perhaps not the sort of tunes that immediately kick into your head and take up residence, it's a bit more subdued, leaning perhaps more into the classical music side of things.
In any event, it's great stuff and manages to secure the top spot for me despite limited playtime.
2. Far Cry 5
If Octopath is a game I barely played but got on here, then here's a game I never played and probably never will.
So how on earth did it get this spot? well early this year on Era, someone created a thread praising the FC5 soundtrack, I saw it and I'm not gonna lie, I scoffed at the notion.
Of course my curiosity was piqued so I went into the thread to see their case, expecting my response to be a warning worthy drive by "lol no".
Instead I got something that's not so much up my alley, but something I thought was just so damn fitting for the game that I had to respect it.
So while my knowledge of the game is limited, I get that it's got this whole heartland of America cult angle going on, and boy does the soundtrack approach this in a clever way.
So they whipped up a bunch of lyrical country music themes, these of course run a variety of tones, like I'm not too versed in the genre but I want to say it's all well produced and tied into the game's themes.
Then they deliver the wonderful addition of taking these tracks and making choral versions of them for the culty churchfolk and, man I just think that really shows a level of commitment to the overall theme.
and if that wasn't enough, you've got the instrumental side of things done by Dan Romer, another movie music in my video games event which people are a lot more accepting of these days (Probably because they became more open to the idea when metacritic topping games got the treatment, look I'm just saying where were you all when I was trying to point out that Lords of Shadow had some good tunes huh?!)
Anyway, the various styles of the soundtrack are filtered into their own albums and on spotify so give it a listen.
3. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
It's classic vania style chiptunes with an air of Akumajou Densetsu extra kick, it's Michiru Yamane and others, look I was destined to go to bat for this one. One of those short and sweet soundtracks, it does have me wondering how many will turn up in the main Bloodstained title seeing that the ship theme I believe was in the Ritual of the Night demo.
4. Celeste
If something stings me about this OST, it's that I feel like I'm selling Lena Reine a bit short, I like the tracks from the main game, piano is neato, I like piano! yet something doesn't quite take a lot of these tracks to that next level for me, maybe I feel a game that's as intense as this probably warrants something with a bit more bombast, it's like I get why it's rather chill in the grand scheme of things, but there's the nagging feeling I should like the tracks more.
The B sides take her existing themes and have them reinterpreted by a different artist for each chapter, and this is where I start finding the tracks more fitting to the platforming conquest, holy fuck, these takes on the tracks go HARD (even if hard is actually like real mellow, see Chapter 4 B side)
So I gotta respect Lena for the original melodies, but it's the selection of remixers that really make it for me.
5. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
There's still trickery afoot with my vote here and I'll get to that in a moment. But first here's a hodgepodge of quality composers like Koshiro, Yamane and Sakuraba hitting out what I feel is probably around 70% remixes to 30% new content?.
Since this is me, I'm basically here for Yamane whose themes are exactly as you'd expect from her, the whiff of not-vania runs through the sewers, and of course the haunted house which I think was her work at least.
So this game remixes pretty much all the tunes from Wonder Boy 3, a game I first played this year via the Dragon's Trap remake.
And the remixes here are strong BUT....
Dragon's Trap is my preference, and here's where I reveal my true purpose here is to hype up that glorious Dragon's Trap OST, it's so good I made a thread.
So if you played Monster Boy and thought "that village theme was pretty baller", well buddy do I have a bonus round for you!
6. Monster Hunter World
It's not quite a clean sweep for monster hunter's music, though for me it never quite is.
But cripes, when it nails it, it does so wonderfully, and the best themes from this entry make it one of my favourite entries for the series musically.
The new main theme for World gives me the similar vibe to Tri's main theme that balances that kind of rousing wonder with a transition to something more pumping, worthy of cutting up monsters to.
For this entry it's the Rotten Vale area that delivers the goods, the area's standard battle theme has the kind of creeping, underlying sinister tone that grabs your attention.
And at the depth of the bone pile, lies a new elder dragon with a KILLER theme, Vaal Hazaak you magnificent bastard.
Rounding out my musical picks would be Bazelguese, a monster who likes to abruptly fly in to ruin your hunts with a bombing run, thus his theme sounds like an orchestrated air raid siren to start off with, which is just brilliant.
Unfortunately the bulk of the OST is kinda transitional orchestrated fluff for lack of a better term, as well as background area music that really goes for being background music, the kind of stuff that works perfectly for what it is but it never quite hits to sort of variety in style other entries have had.
Speaking of other entries, I gotta name drop Valstrax from Generations Ultimate, not much new music there since it's a compilation title but jet dragon has a pretty rad theme that I only heard last night as he blasted me all over the pinnacle map.
I'm gonna stop at this odd number of six.
Originally this post had more content, like actual links to music and a host of my fave remixes of the year.
But then I inadvertently misclicked and lost half my post and I'm less than chuffed as a result, since it kept the actual list I'll just leave it at that.
So those one off oddities that wouldn't be part of the main list that I had linked (with individual write ups!) are now lost to time and space...
Also they were Lagoon Promenade from the DK DLC of Mario & Rabbids, G's theme from Street Fighter V and some neat Smash remixes if you were curious.
Though admittedly I don't have much to say this year, it's probably the coolest i've been on a years soundtracks in recent memory, this is of course not to say that it don't have some jams, in fact this will mark the first time I've got games I don't own on my radar.
Speaking of which...
1. Octopath Traveller
My experience with Octopath extends as far as the timed demo would let me, in that time I experienced some of Cyrus, Tessa and Primrose's segments, and while I left the demo thinking "well the game was okay but not enough for me to drop £40 on", there was one aspect that had me almost plonking down the cash.
That was of course, the music.
So I can't really give an in depth look at this OST, I've certainly checked out the rest of the package thanks to youtube and it's very much up my alley.
I would say that compared to 16 bit era JRPGs it's perhaps not the sort of tunes that immediately kick into your head and take up residence, it's a bit more subdued, leaning perhaps more into the classical music side of things.
In any event, it's great stuff and manages to secure the top spot for me despite limited playtime.
2. Far Cry 5
If Octopath is a game I barely played but got on here, then here's a game I never played and probably never will.
So how on earth did it get this spot? well early this year on Era, someone created a thread praising the FC5 soundtrack, I saw it and I'm not gonna lie, I scoffed at the notion.
Of course my curiosity was piqued so I went into the thread to see their case, expecting my response to be a warning worthy drive by "lol no".
Instead I got something that's not so much up my alley, but something I thought was just so damn fitting for the game that I had to respect it.
So while my knowledge of the game is limited, I get that it's got this whole heartland of America cult angle going on, and boy does the soundtrack approach this in a clever way.
So they whipped up a bunch of lyrical country music themes, these of course run a variety of tones, like I'm not too versed in the genre but I want to say it's all well produced and tied into the game's themes.
Then they deliver the wonderful addition of taking these tracks and making choral versions of them for the culty churchfolk and, man I just think that really shows a level of commitment to the overall theme.
and if that wasn't enough, you've got the instrumental side of things done by Dan Romer, another movie music in my video games event which people are a lot more accepting of these days (Probably because they became more open to the idea when metacritic topping games got the treatment, look I'm just saying where were you all when I was trying to point out that Lords of Shadow had some good tunes huh?!)
Anyway, the various styles of the soundtrack are filtered into their own albums and on spotify so give it a listen.
3. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
It's classic vania style chiptunes with an air of Akumajou Densetsu extra kick, it's Michiru Yamane and others, look I was destined to go to bat for this one. One of those short and sweet soundtracks, it does have me wondering how many will turn up in the main Bloodstained title seeing that the ship theme I believe was in the Ritual of the Night demo.
4. Celeste
If something stings me about this OST, it's that I feel like I'm selling Lena Reine a bit short, I like the tracks from the main game, piano is neato, I like piano! yet something doesn't quite take a lot of these tracks to that next level for me, maybe I feel a game that's as intense as this probably warrants something with a bit more bombast, it's like I get why it's rather chill in the grand scheme of things, but there's the nagging feeling I should like the tracks more.
The B sides take her existing themes and have them reinterpreted by a different artist for each chapter, and this is where I start finding the tracks more fitting to the platforming conquest, holy fuck, these takes on the tracks go HARD (even if hard is actually like real mellow, see Chapter 4 B side)
So I gotta respect Lena for the original melodies, but it's the selection of remixers that really make it for me.
5. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
There's still trickery afoot with my vote here and I'll get to that in a moment. But first here's a hodgepodge of quality composers like Koshiro, Yamane and Sakuraba hitting out what I feel is probably around 70% remixes to 30% new content?.
Since this is me, I'm basically here for Yamane whose themes are exactly as you'd expect from her, the whiff of not-vania runs through the sewers, and of course the haunted house which I think was her work at least.
So this game remixes pretty much all the tunes from Wonder Boy 3, a game I first played this year via the Dragon's Trap remake.
And the remixes here are strong BUT....
Dragon's Trap is my preference, and here's where I reveal my true purpose here is to hype up that glorious Dragon's Trap OST, it's so good I made a thread.
So if you played Monster Boy and thought "that village theme was pretty baller", well buddy do I have a bonus round for you!
6. Monster Hunter World
It's not quite a clean sweep for monster hunter's music, though for me it never quite is.
But cripes, when it nails it, it does so wonderfully, and the best themes from this entry make it one of my favourite entries for the series musically.
The new main theme for World gives me the similar vibe to Tri's main theme that balances that kind of rousing wonder with a transition to something more pumping, worthy of cutting up monsters to.
For this entry it's the Rotten Vale area that delivers the goods, the area's standard battle theme has the kind of creeping, underlying sinister tone that grabs your attention.
And at the depth of the bone pile, lies a new elder dragon with a KILLER theme, Vaal Hazaak you magnificent bastard.
Rounding out my musical picks would be Bazelguese, a monster who likes to abruptly fly in to ruin your hunts with a bombing run, thus his theme sounds like an orchestrated air raid siren to start off with, which is just brilliant.
Unfortunately the bulk of the OST is kinda transitional orchestrated fluff for lack of a better term, as well as background area music that really goes for being background music, the kind of stuff that works perfectly for what it is but it never quite hits to sort of variety in style other entries have had.
Speaking of other entries, I gotta name drop Valstrax from Generations Ultimate, not much new music there since it's a compilation title but jet dragon has a pretty rad theme that I only heard last night as he blasted me all over the pinnacle map.
I'm gonna stop at this odd number of six.
Originally this post had more content, like actual links to music and a host of my fave remixes of the year.
But then I inadvertently misclicked and lost half my post and I'm less than chuffed as a result, since it kept the actual list I'll just leave it at that.
So those one off oddities that wouldn't be part of the main list that I had linked (with individual write ups!) are now lost to time and space...
Also they were Lagoon Promenade from the DK DLC of Mario & Rabbids, G's theme from Street Fighter V and some neat Smash remixes if you were curious.
1. Surviving Mars - I love that futuristic sounding music and George Strezov just completely nails it. One incredible soundtrack that's perfect for long play sessions.
(Main Theme)
Cold Wave
FeCl3
2. Detroit: Become Human - This soundtrack is something else. The main characters are set apart by strong, immensely memorable themes, and every scene has music that just draws you in.
Connor Main Theme
3. Secret Of Mana - I was stunned by how good the remake soundtrack sounded. Secret Of Mana has an amazing soundtrack on SNES and I loved what they did to a lot of the tracks, lots of really great remixes.
The Little Sprite
Secret Of The Arid Sands
Did You See The Ocean
4. X-Morph Defense - I like my action music, and Pawel Stelmach strikes the perfect balance of epic music that still sounds serious and not too cheesy.
Deadly Old Machine
Damn You Incy Wincy (Boss Theme)
Chop This (Boss Theme)
5. Ni No Kuni II - The Ni No Kuni main theme is just incredible. And while the first Ni No Kuni had a slightly better soundtrack, NNK2 also has a lot of great tracks. Just listen to that Hydropolis theme, so good!
Ni No Kuni II Main Theme
Hydropolis Theme
The Factory Floor
6. Sushi Striker: The Way Of Sushido - Lots of great music in this quirky but not so little game that completely flew under everyone's radar.
Volcano
Vs Rio
Battle Won
7. Detective Pikachu - Great music that really gives an extra boost to the different scenes. Lots of catchy tracks for such a relatively short game.
Catch The Gengar!
Secret Path
Rhyme Wharf Warehouse
8. The Alliance Alive - If you know who Masashi Hamauzu is, you already know that this is amazing.
Rainy World
Battle With The Four Villains
9. Valkyria Chronicles 4 - I wish that this had more new music, but both the old and new music is great.
Squad E Fights On
The Eruption
10. Wario Ware Gold - Wario Ware Gold is an incredible treat for long time fans of Wario games, and that extends to the music too, but there's also a lot of great new stuff.
Introducing Wario Deluxe
Split Screen (Set speed to 1.25 for full effect)
Honorable mention - Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology
Radiant Historia PC basically has the same soundtrack as the DS original, but it's still a completely amazing soundtrack and anybody who likes RPG music or Yoko Shimomura's music owes it to themselves to check it out if they haven't already.
(Main Theme)
Cold Wave
FeCl3
2. Detroit: Become Human - This soundtrack is something else. The main characters are set apart by strong, immensely memorable themes, and every scene has music that just draws you in.
Connor Main Theme
3. Secret Of Mana - I was stunned by how good the remake soundtrack sounded. Secret Of Mana has an amazing soundtrack on SNES and I loved what they did to a lot of the tracks, lots of really great remixes.
The Little Sprite
Secret Of The Arid Sands
Did You See The Ocean
4. X-Morph Defense - I like my action music, and Pawel Stelmach strikes the perfect balance of epic music that still sounds serious and not too cheesy.
Deadly Old Machine
Damn You Incy Wincy (Boss Theme)
Chop This (Boss Theme)
5. Ni No Kuni II - The Ni No Kuni main theme is just incredible. And while the first Ni No Kuni had a slightly better soundtrack, NNK2 also has a lot of great tracks. Just listen to that Hydropolis theme, so good!
Ni No Kuni II Main Theme
Hydropolis Theme
The Factory Floor
6. Sushi Striker: The Way Of Sushido - Lots of great music in this quirky but not so little game that completely flew under everyone's radar.
Volcano
Vs Rio
Battle Won
7. Detective Pikachu - Great music that really gives an extra boost to the different scenes. Lots of catchy tracks for such a relatively short game.
Catch The Gengar!
Secret Path
Rhyme Wharf Warehouse
8. The Alliance Alive - If you know who Masashi Hamauzu is, you already know that this is amazing.
Rainy World
Battle With The Four Villains
9. Valkyria Chronicles 4 - I wish that this had more new music, but both the old and new music is great.
Squad E Fights On
The Eruption
10. Wario Ware Gold - Wario Ware Gold is an incredible treat for long time fans of Wario games, and that extends to the music too, but there's also a lot of great new stuff.
Introducing Wario Deluxe
Split Screen (Set speed to 1.25 for full effect)
Honorable mention - Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology
Radiant Historia PC basically has the same soundtrack as the DS original, but it's still a completely amazing soundtrack and anybody who likes RPG music or Yoko Shimomura's music owes it to themselves to check it out if they haven't already.
Last edited:
1. Celeste- I don't think I need to really explain why this soundtrack is at the top of my list, you already know why. A remarkable accomplishment that manages to both feel appropriately game-y and perfectly in tune with the narrative. I chose my two tracks because I feel like these are relatively underappreciated
Starjump
Golden Ridge (Golden Feather Remix)
2. Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion- Nasty Majesty is definitely the single most iconic song I experienced this year, just because it was so incredibly shocking in that trailer in the March direct. I've linked to the concert arrangement because I think the extra bits add a lot and help shave down its somewhat rough edges that made the 8-4 guys sound like goofballs trying to emulate it, I hope we get a studio version of the live arrangements at some point. It really blew me away and thankfully the rest of the soundtrack for the expansion kept up the quality and style. And Seasick is the best battle song in the series yet, though Kinetosis' is pretty good too, as are Sashi-Mori's songs...Choosing a favorite is tough
Nasty Majesty (Live)
#13 Shade
Seasick
3.Super Smash Bros. Ultimate- A strong main theme and lots of great remixes once again. On the whole I feel like I've enjoyed the new music in Ultimate than I did their counterparts in Smash 4, with the major exception of the Splatoon remixes which are poor, which is why I decided to put it ahead of Xenoblade. I'm
Lifelight (Piano Version)
Snake Man Stage (Mega Man 3)
Mappy Medley
4. Xenoblade 2: Torna the Golden Country- Another strong, but agonizingly short set of songs for the excellent expansion. I'm glad that it brings in great songs that are both exciting and upbeat, and slow and dreamy. It's the only game on this list whose music has lulled me to sleep, and on multiple occasions, too. Not enough vgm has the power to do that. If only there was more of it, ACE's arrangement of Gormott is so good (and no night version, boo!), it just makes you imagine how strong some of the base game's other music could be if given a chance to be reimagined.
Kingdom of Torna (Day)
The Power of Jin
Lasaria
A Moment of Eternity
5. Part Time UFO- It's really rare for me to ever play a mobile game with the sound on, but this charming little experiment really demands it. I've always been a sucker for a simple theme taken to it's logical extremes and it works wonderfully here.
Circus
Stage Clear
6. Hollow Knight- The music in Hollow Knight is very good, but I appreciated it far far more listening to it outside of the game than in, which felt like a wasted opportunity. I wish more of the music left an impression on me than it did, but it certainly served its purpose.
Mantis Lords
Kingdom's Edge
Starjump
Golden Ridge (Golden Feather Remix)
2. Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion- Nasty Majesty is definitely the single most iconic song I experienced this year, just because it was so incredibly shocking in that trailer in the March direct. I've linked to the concert arrangement because I think the extra bits add a lot and help shave down its somewhat rough edges that made the 8-4 guys sound like goofballs trying to emulate it, I hope we get a studio version of the live arrangements at some point. It really blew me away and thankfully the rest of the soundtrack for the expansion kept up the quality and style. And Seasick is the best battle song in the series yet, though Kinetosis' is pretty good too, as are Sashi-Mori's songs...Choosing a favorite is tough
Nasty Majesty (Live)
#13 Shade
Seasick
3.Super Smash Bros. Ultimate- A strong main theme and lots of great remixes once again. On the whole I feel like I've enjoyed the new music in Ultimate than I did their counterparts in Smash 4, with the major exception of the Splatoon remixes which are poor, which is why I decided to put it ahead of Xenoblade. I'm
Lifelight (Piano Version)
Snake Man Stage (Mega Man 3)
Mappy Medley
4. Xenoblade 2: Torna the Golden Country- Another strong, but agonizingly short set of songs for the excellent expansion. I'm glad that it brings in great songs that are both exciting and upbeat, and slow and dreamy. It's the only game on this list whose music has lulled me to sleep, and on multiple occasions, too. Not enough vgm has the power to do that. If only there was more of it, ACE's arrangement of Gormott is so good (and no night version, boo!), it just makes you imagine how strong some of the base game's other music could be if given a chance to be reimagined.
Kingdom of Torna (Day)
The Power of Jin
Lasaria
A Moment of Eternity
5. Part Time UFO- It's really rare for me to ever play a mobile game with the sound on, but this charming little experiment really demands it. I've always been a sucker for a simple theme taken to it's logical extremes and it works wonderfully here.
Circus
Stage Clear
6. Hollow Knight- The music in Hollow Knight is very good, but I appreciated it far far more listening to it outside of the game than in, which felt like a wasted opportunity. I wish more of the music left an impression on me than it did, but it certainly served its purpose.
Mantis Lords
Kingdom's Edge
- Octopath Traveler
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2 : Torna the Golden Country
- Super Smash Bros Ultimate
- Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee
- Mario + Rabbids : Kingdom Battle Donkey Kong Adventure
Not sure if I have the passion to vote this year, but I'm with you on Octopath as #1. What an absolute murderer's row of tracks, good god.
Didn't play too much new stuff from 2018, and the ones I did, not sure they stood out highly to me in music... except for the following:
1. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Rushin'
Lots of Lights
Theory of Beauty
2. Iconoclasts
Dance of Desires
Chile
Moonlight
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Crocodile Cacophony
Death Mountain
Snakey Chantey
1. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Rushin'
Lots of Lights
Theory of Beauty
2. Iconoclasts
Dance of Desires
Chile
Moonlight
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Crocodile Cacophony
Death Mountain
Snakey Chantey
Last edited:
1. Octopath Traveler
"Nostalgic sensation" is the keyword on this soundtrack. Whether you're a JRPG fan of old or a new one, you'll enjoy the diversity and tenacity of this soundtrack.
Battle II
Victor's Hollow
2. Celeste
This electro-acoustic trance score is hyper, sombre, emotional, and melancholy at the same time.
Scattered & Lost
In The Mirror
3. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~The Golden Age
Yasunori Mitsuda & co. try out a more soft-yet-fast-paced jazz/strings-based theme in this prequel.
Battle Theme
Auresco (Day)
4. Wandersong
A joyfest of a soundtrack featuring Renaissance-like twangs and fantasy music with a new-age spin.
Langtree
The Dream King
5. Super Smash Bros Ultimate
You can believe that these new Nintendo game remixes can still sound fresh & current thanks to the plethora of composers involved.
Wood Man Stage
Divine Bloodlines
6. Red Dead Redemption 2
Bluegrass, western, harmonica solos, spanish guitars: everything you wanted in a Western gaming epic that would make Sergio Leone proud. Also, D'Angelo.
Lemoyne
American Venom
7. Tetris Effect
This funky version of Tetris deserves a cheesy new-age endorphin-filled score like this.
The whole shebang.
8. God of War
McCreary's game OST opus represents age, wisdom, power, and masculinity in a thunderous measure. The four chord theme is a chilling precursor to the bombastic and loud triple-A nature of the score.
God of War
The Dragon
9. Into The Breach
A methodical low-key acoustic and electronic OST that embraces its retro-futuristic setting.
Cataclysm
Old War Machines
10. Dead Cells
2018 is the year dark fantasy game soundtracks get less repetitive & overbearing, and instead become more punchy and acoustic-savvy.
Prisoner's Awakening
Clock Tower
I also did a video on the best OSTs of 2018; take a look!
"Nostalgic sensation" is the keyword on this soundtrack. Whether you're a JRPG fan of old or a new one, you'll enjoy the diversity and tenacity of this soundtrack.
Battle II
Victor's Hollow
2. Celeste
This electro-acoustic trance score is hyper, sombre, emotional, and melancholy at the same time.
Scattered & Lost
In The Mirror
3. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~The Golden Age
Yasunori Mitsuda & co. try out a more soft-yet-fast-paced jazz/strings-based theme in this prequel.
Battle Theme
Auresco (Day)
4. Wandersong
A joyfest of a soundtrack featuring Renaissance-like twangs and fantasy music with a new-age spin.
Langtree
The Dream King
5. Super Smash Bros Ultimate
You can believe that these new Nintendo game remixes can still sound fresh & current thanks to the plethora of composers involved.
Wood Man Stage
Divine Bloodlines
6. Red Dead Redemption 2
Bluegrass, western, harmonica solos, spanish guitars: everything you wanted in a Western gaming epic that would make Sergio Leone proud. Also, D'Angelo.
Lemoyne
American Venom
7. Tetris Effect
This funky version of Tetris deserves a cheesy new-age endorphin-filled score like this.
The whole shebang.
8. God of War
McCreary's game OST opus represents age, wisdom, power, and masculinity in a thunderous measure. The four chord theme is a chilling precursor to the bombastic and loud triple-A nature of the score.
God of War
The Dragon
9. Into The Breach
A methodical low-key acoustic and electronic OST that embraces its retro-futuristic setting.
Cataclysm
Old War Machines
10. Dead Cells
2018 is the year dark fantasy game soundtracks get less repetitive & overbearing, and instead become more punchy and acoustic-savvy.
Prisoner's Awakening
Clock Tower
I also did a video on the best OSTs of 2018; take a look!
- Red Dead Redemption 2 [Woody Jackson / various artists]
What's there to say about this amazing score? It has a little bit of everything. Moody western pieces that transport you to the 1800's, and incredible vocal tracks by well known artists. I've been anxiously awaiting the official release of the RDR2 score and soundtrack for months ever since beating the game. There are songs in here that moved me tears with how beautiful they were and their placement in the game was nothing short of perfection.
Favorite tracks: May I? Stand Unshaken | The Braithwaite Manor Battle | The Disaster | See The Fire In Your Eyes | That's The Way It Is
- God of War [Bear McCreary]
Bear McCreary really flexed his musical prowess on this one. There are numerous awe inspiring tracks on this score, and they all feel right at home with the new era of God of War.
Favorite tracks: Deliverance | Memories of Mother | God of War | Ashes | Echoes of an Old Life
- Detroit: Become Human [Nima Fakhrara, Philip Sheppard and John Paesano]
I thought it was brilliant to have three different composers create their own scores for Kara, Connor, and Markus respectively. It gave them their own identities and each character's score had motifs that carried over into other scores to just make the whole game mesh together in such a wonderful way. I think that Detroit's score is extremely underrated and deserves more love than it got even if people didn't quite care for the game itself.
Favorite tracks: Kara's Theme | Now | Run With Me | Investigation | Connor's Theme
- Destiny 2: Forsaken [Michael Salvatori, Skye Lewin, Rotem Moav, and Pieter Schlosser]
Destiny always delivers on the music front and Forsaken is no exception. Dark, mysterious, and fantastical. Michael Salvatori continues to be one of my favorite composers in gaming.
Favorite tracks: Gambit | Queen's Oracle | Shell of What Was | Gunslinger
- Monster Hunter World [Akihiko Narita and Zhenlan Kang]
Only started playing this recently, but I'd been listening to the score for a while and it's pretty epic.
Favorite tracks: Bazelgeuse | Rotten Vale | Vaal Hazak
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1. Celeste
Lena Raine
Scattered and Lost
Celestial Resort - Good Karma Mix
Summit - No More Running Mix
Celeste is far and away my winner for Soundtrack of the year. Lena Raine just.. she nailed it. Every single level. All the feelings Madeline was going through. All the intensity and difficulty. And then she one-ups herself with the B-sides. It's all just sublime, and I have found myself listening to it quite often outside of playing the game. I adore this album!
2. God of War
Bear McCreary
God of War
Memories of Mother
Deliverance
Phew. What a damn game, and that soundtrack accentuates all the passion and emotion that the game delivers on so often. The swelling orchestral numbers, angelic choirs and voices all reaching a crescendo just gives me chills, time and time again. The quieter songs can evoke such pain, such feeling too... The music is so inexorably bound up with the story of Kratos and his son. It's just incredible.
3. Octopath Traveler
Yasunori Nishiki
Main Theme
H'aanit, the Hunter
The Riverlands
The game hearkened back to JRPG's of yesteryear mechanically and with the graphical presentation, but my god, they NAILED the soundtrack as well. So many gems in this game, it's almost unreal. Be they character anthems or traversal numbers, the music just never ceases to be honey for the ears. Eloquent, charming, and masterful are some terms I'd use to describe this gorgeous soundtrack.
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
Woody Jackson and Various Artists
See The Fire In Your Eyes
Unshaken
Come Live By My Side
While RDR2 gets most of its praise heaped on it for being a technical marvel and for having an outstanding open world, there are some truly powerful moments brought to realization via the choice of music in certain scenes. The three I listed are particularly strong entries... See the fire in your eyes still makes me teary eyed, and it's been a couple of months since I finished the game. There isn't a *great* deal of music in RDR2, but what's there is truly well-placed.
5. GRIS
Berlinist
Gris, Pt. 1
Komorebi
Karasu
GRIS's soundtrack is as beautiful as the art style the game hosts. Truly, the music is as bound up with the narrative and the environments you explore that I couldn't possibly play the game without it. Many games have songs accompanying areas, but GRIS takes it to the next level. Berlinist's compositions and arrangements are just spot-on, always conveying emotion and depth despite there never being any exposition accompanying it.
6. Tetris Effect
Various
Metamorphosis - Always Been But Never Dreamed
Stratosphere
Dolphin Surf - You and I
The audio-visual experience of Tetris Effect cannot be understated... The songs in this game are so very powerful and heartwarming. I found myself getting caught up in the music the way I was getting caught up in the gameplay.. Getting lost in a soundscape with the mesmerizing visuals of the game was an experience I won't soon forget.
7. Deltarune
Toby Fox
The Field of Hopes and Dreams
Quiet Autumn
Chaos King
I wish we had more of this wonderful game to experience, and as with Undertale, Toby has created some very memorable songs. the Field of Hopes and Dreams is far and away my favorite. It's just so damn catchy, and it sticks with you well after you quit playing. For as short as Chapter 1 is, there are a great deal of really awesome tracks to pore through. Really looking forward to what he does with Chapter 2.
8. FAR; Lone Sails
Joel Schoch
Colored Engine
Still Driving
Not Alone
FAR has quite a unique musical styling to it.. Like an undercurrent to the game, it never seeks to be at the forefront of the player's experience, just on the outside, guiding the player forward as they embark on their adventure. Schoch created an OST that is equal parts understated but also riveting. I enjoyed playing through the game just to see what new song I'd hear next.
9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Hideki Sakamoto, many others
Mega Man 2 Medley
Bloody Tears / Monster Dance (Castlevania II Simon's Quest)
Onett Theme / Winters Theme (Earthbound)
Not much can be said for Smash.. It's a culmination of music from across all of gaming history in one place. This particular iteration of the series plays host to the most amount of music in any Smash, ever. Very impressive stuff, and the songs are similarly impressive. There are so many choices to pull from, but these three stuck with me the most. Some for nostalgia sake, some for the remixed nature being novel and revitalizing them for a new audience.
10. Minit
Jukio Kallio
Minit's Awakening
Alarming Swamp
Sabasaba Desert
Minit is a game that thrives on replayability and repetition, so if the soundtrack was lacking, the game would become quite a slog... But thankfully the OST for Minit is outstanding, and the few songs it has are very catchy, fun songs that make the repetitive nature of the game feel fresh every single time. 'Minit's Awakening' in particular is a very good song that I found myself looking forward to after my previous run ended.
----------
Honorable Mention: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Koichi Sugiyama
Salty Stallion / Over-Ocean
I find most of DQ11's music serviceable at best, and downright awful at worst, but with the Orchestral Mod on the PC version, there was one song in particular that stood out above all the rest, and that was when you were on your ship in the ocean. The way the orchestra swells is just goosebump-inducing, every single time. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good source for the song so I'm just leaving this bit here as text instead.
Lena Raine
Scattered and Lost
Celestial Resort - Good Karma Mix
Summit - No More Running Mix
Celeste is far and away my winner for Soundtrack of the year. Lena Raine just.. she nailed it. Every single level. All the feelings Madeline was going through. All the intensity and difficulty. And then she one-ups herself with the B-sides. It's all just sublime, and I have found myself listening to it quite often outside of playing the game. I adore this album!
2. God of War
Bear McCreary
God of War
Memories of Mother
Deliverance
Phew. What a damn game, and that soundtrack accentuates all the passion and emotion that the game delivers on so often. The swelling orchestral numbers, angelic choirs and voices all reaching a crescendo just gives me chills, time and time again. The quieter songs can evoke such pain, such feeling too... The music is so inexorably bound up with the story of Kratos and his son. It's just incredible.
3. Octopath Traveler
Yasunori Nishiki
Main Theme
H'aanit, the Hunter
The Riverlands
The game hearkened back to JRPG's of yesteryear mechanically and with the graphical presentation, but my god, they NAILED the soundtrack as well. So many gems in this game, it's almost unreal. Be they character anthems or traversal numbers, the music just never ceases to be honey for the ears. Eloquent, charming, and masterful are some terms I'd use to describe this gorgeous soundtrack.
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
Woody Jackson and Various Artists
See The Fire In Your Eyes
Unshaken
Come Live By My Side
While RDR2 gets most of its praise heaped on it for being a technical marvel and for having an outstanding open world, there are some truly powerful moments brought to realization via the choice of music in certain scenes. The three I listed are particularly strong entries... See the fire in your eyes still makes me teary eyed, and it's been a couple of months since I finished the game. There isn't a *great* deal of music in RDR2, but what's there is truly well-placed.
5. GRIS
Berlinist
Gris, Pt. 1
Komorebi
Karasu
GRIS's soundtrack is as beautiful as the art style the game hosts. Truly, the music is as bound up with the narrative and the environments you explore that I couldn't possibly play the game without it. Many games have songs accompanying areas, but GRIS takes it to the next level. Berlinist's compositions and arrangements are just spot-on, always conveying emotion and depth despite there never being any exposition accompanying it.
6. Tetris Effect
Various
Metamorphosis - Always Been But Never Dreamed
Stratosphere
Dolphin Surf - You and I
The audio-visual experience of Tetris Effect cannot be understated... The songs in this game are so very powerful and heartwarming. I found myself getting caught up in the music the way I was getting caught up in the gameplay.. Getting lost in a soundscape with the mesmerizing visuals of the game was an experience I won't soon forget.
7. Deltarune
Toby Fox
The Field of Hopes and Dreams
Quiet Autumn
Chaos King
I wish we had more of this wonderful game to experience, and as with Undertale, Toby has created some very memorable songs. the Field of Hopes and Dreams is far and away my favorite. It's just so damn catchy, and it sticks with you well after you quit playing. For as short as Chapter 1 is, there are a great deal of really awesome tracks to pore through. Really looking forward to what he does with Chapter 2.
8. FAR; Lone Sails
Joel Schoch
Colored Engine
Still Driving
Not Alone
FAR has quite a unique musical styling to it.. Like an undercurrent to the game, it never seeks to be at the forefront of the player's experience, just on the outside, guiding the player forward as they embark on their adventure. Schoch created an OST that is equal parts understated but also riveting. I enjoyed playing through the game just to see what new song I'd hear next.
9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Hideki Sakamoto, many others
Mega Man 2 Medley
Bloody Tears / Monster Dance (Castlevania II Simon's Quest)
Onett Theme / Winters Theme (Earthbound)
Not much can be said for Smash.. It's a culmination of music from across all of gaming history in one place. This particular iteration of the series plays host to the most amount of music in any Smash, ever. Very impressive stuff, and the songs are similarly impressive. There are so many choices to pull from, but these three stuck with me the most. Some for nostalgia sake, some for the remixed nature being novel and revitalizing them for a new audience.
10. Minit
Jukio Kallio
Minit's Awakening
Alarming Swamp
Sabasaba Desert
Minit is a game that thrives on replayability and repetition, so if the soundtrack was lacking, the game would become quite a slog... But thankfully the OST for Minit is outstanding, and the few songs it has are very catchy, fun songs that make the repetitive nature of the game feel fresh every single time. 'Minit's Awakening' in particular is a very good song that I found myself looking forward to after my previous run ended.
----------
Honorable Mention: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Koichi Sugiyama
Salty Stallion / Over-Ocean
I find most of DQ11's music serviceable at best, and downright awful at worst, but with the Orchestral Mod on the PC version, there was one song in particular that stood out above all the rest, and that was when you were on your ship in the ocean. The way the orchestra swells is just goosebump-inducing, every single time. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good source for the song so I'm just leaving this bit here as text instead.
1. Octopath Traveler
Yasunori Nishiki
Victors Hollow, Jewel of the Forest
Battle at Journey's End
The Sunlands
This went straight into my top 3 soundtracks of all time, and is most certainly the best one when it comes to battle themes. What amazed me the most is that as I played through the ~90 hour adventure, new songs kept popping up and they retained the same high quality throughout the whole game. Then I get to the credits and hear a beautiful medley with remixes of some of my favorite songs including The Sunlands. Whoa! Another thing that blew my mind was the intros to the boss battles, which I didn't even realize were not part of the actual songs until I looked up the boss themes on YouTube, and even then I was confused. This is the first time I hear anything like that, done in such a flawless way. This Nishiki guy sure is a genius despite being pretty new to composing, and one that I will follow for sure in the future.
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Hideki Sakamoto, many others
As mentioned previously, it feels like cheating putting this soundtrack into the list since it's mostly a compilation of music from other games. The main theme is amazing by itself though (as per usual for the series), with or without vocals.
3. Mario Tennis Aces
Motoi Sakuraba
Main Menu
World Map
Boss Battle
I just love the way Sakuraba puts SPEED into his songs and this soundtrack is no different. Overall not the greatest soundtrack but it gets carried by the best songs, particularly the Main Menu one.
4. Mega Man 11
Marika Suzuki
Menu
Stage Select
Main Title
It didn't live up to the old Mega Man soundtracks at all for me, but it still had a few great bittechno songs, particularly the Menu song which got stuck in my head for forever. I liked Thundra stage as well but the stage songs in general were disappointing.
5. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Todd Masten
Whirling Dulcimer (Medieval Melody)
Mountain Temple (Polyester Jammy)
Main Theme
Either the original soundtrack is underrated or it's my childhood memories kicking in, but I've always liked the music for AoE. In DE they modernized it, which doesn't necessarily mean the songs are better than the originals, but it was nice hearing them again. Boooo for not including Cave though, one of my favorite songs.
6. Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Stewart Copeland
Zephyr
Magma Cone
Cloud Temples
Honestly a pretty mediocre soundtrack but there were a few songs (all of them from Spyro 2) that got stuck in my head. The cool thing was that you could swap to the original songs on the fly, and it was really noticeable how much more bass they've added, and the new guitar is amazing.
Yasunori Nishiki
Victors Hollow, Jewel of the Forest
Battle at Journey's End
The Sunlands
This went straight into my top 3 soundtracks of all time, and is most certainly the best one when it comes to battle themes. What amazed me the most is that as I played through the ~90 hour adventure, new songs kept popping up and they retained the same high quality throughout the whole game. Then I get to the credits and hear a beautiful medley with remixes of some of my favorite songs including The Sunlands. Whoa! Another thing that blew my mind was the intros to the boss battles, which I didn't even realize were not part of the actual songs until I looked up the boss themes on YouTube, and even then I was confused. This is the first time I hear anything like that, done in such a flawless way. This Nishiki guy sure is a genius despite being pretty new to composing, and one that I will follow for sure in the future.
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Hideki Sakamoto, many others
As mentioned previously, it feels like cheating putting this soundtrack into the list since it's mostly a compilation of music from other games. The main theme is amazing by itself though (as per usual for the series), with or without vocals.
3. Mario Tennis Aces
Motoi Sakuraba
Main Menu
World Map
Boss Battle
I just love the way Sakuraba puts SPEED into his songs and this soundtrack is no different. Overall not the greatest soundtrack but it gets carried by the best songs, particularly the Main Menu one.
4. Mega Man 11
Marika Suzuki
Menu
Stage Select
Main Title
It didn't live up to the old Mega Man soundtracks at all for me, but it still had a few great bittechno songs, particularly the Menu song which got stuck in my head for forever. I liked Thundra stage as well but the stage songs in general were disappointing.
5. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Todd Masten
Whirling Dulcimer (Medieval Melody)
Mountain Temple (Polyester Jammy)
Main Theme
Either the original soundtrack is underrated or it's my childhood memories kicking in, but I've always liked the music for AoE. In DE they modernized it, which doesn't necessarily mean the songs are better than the originals, but it was nice hearing them again. Boooo for not including Cave though, one of my favorite songs.
6. Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Stewart Copeland
Zephyr
Magma Cone
Cloud Temples
Honestly a pretty mediocre soundtrack but there were a few songs (all of them from Spyro 2) that got stuck in my head. The cool thing was that you could swap to the original songs on the fly, and it was really noticeable how much more bass they've added, and the new guitar is amazing.
I honestly don't feel as strongly for soundtracks this year as I did for 2017 with NieR, Xenoblade 2, Persona 5 and Gravity Rush 2.
- Octopath Traveler
- Composer: Yasunori Nishiki
- Tracks: "Determination" | "Those Who Govern Reason" |"Gate Of Finis" (my favorite track of the entire year!)
- the best soundtrack of the year by a wide margin, imo
- Octopath Traveler has the Darksiders II syndrome: the soundtrack is better than the game itself by a lot
- God of War
- Composer: Bear McCreary
- Tracks: "Lullaby of the Giants" | "Deliverance" | "God of War" (probably the most epic track of the generation)
- the whole thing gives Lord of the Rings vibes, and that is always a-ok
- Forgotton Anne (don't skip this game!!!!)
- Composer(s): Peter Due & the Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra
- Tracks: "The Return"| "Forgiveness" | "Train Ride"
- DON'T. SKIP. THIS. SOUNDTRACK.
- Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion
- Composers: Toru Minegishi & Ryo Nagamatsu
- Tracks: "Nasty Majesty" (badass) | "Fly Octo Fly ~ Ebb & Flow" (such an excellent boss fight track!)
- Not all tracks are as good as these two, but it's extremely original and catchy
- GRIS
- Celeste
- Composer: Lena Raine
- Tracks: "First Steps" | "Reach for the Summit"
- Tetris Effect
- Composer(s): various artists
- Tracks: "I'm Yours Forever" | "Dolphin Surf: You And I"
- Iconoclasts
- Composer: Joakim Sandberg
- Tracks: "Moonlight (VS Ivory Beast)"| "Dance of Desires"
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Composer(s): Woody Jackson & various artists
- Tracks: "May I? Stand Unshaken" | "Lemoyne" (wild west x100000)
- CrossCode
- Composer: Deniz Akbulut
- Tracks: "Promo Trailer" | "Gaia's Garden" | "Autumn's Fall"
- Has a Made in Abyss feel to it at times, with some classic JRPG stuff in there. I really dig it
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1. The Messenger - This has by far the best soundtrack of any game released this year. I loved playing every minute of this game because the soundtrack kept me engaged with the world. The fact that there's 8-bit and 16-bit versions of most songs is just an added bonus.
Bamboo Boogaloo
Impossible Ascent
Manfred, the Sky Serpent
Phantom of Yore
2. Deltarune Chapter 1 - Tobyfox did it again with his soundtrack. Just phenomenal.
Checker Dance
Field of Hopes and Dreams
THE WORLD REVOLVING
3. Octopath Traveler - Great music for a throwback to old-school JRPGs.
Decisive Battle I
They Who Govern Reason
4. Dead Cells - A great, unique soundtrack.
Prisoner's Awakening
Clock Tower
Bamboo Boogaloo
Impossible Ascent
Manfred, the Sky Serpent
Phantom of Yore
2. Deltarune Chapter 1 - Tobyfox did it again with his soundtrack. Just phenomenal.
Checker Dance
Field of Hopes and Dreams
THE WORLD REVOLVING
3. Octopath Traveler - Great music for a throwback to old-school JRPGs.
Decisive Battle I
They Who Govern Reason
4. Dead Cells - A great, unique soundtrack.
Prisoner's Awakening
Clock Tower
- Tetris Effect - I was hooked from the first trailer. And all the other music doesn't disappoint either. (I'm Yours Forever)
- Red Dead Redemption 2 - Both the ambient music when riding around the world and the music for the big moments are fantastic. (The Braithwaite Manor Battle)
- Marvel's Spider-Man - Swinging around with the main theme playing is a wonderful experience. The rest of the soundtrack is pretty solid as well. (Main Theme)
1. The Messenger. Easy choice, honestly. One of the best sound tracks in the past few years. Much like the game itself, the OST is a throwback to great NES/SNES style of music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRnzCSCJpmo&list=PLzReR3Jkd7YTRPbocSc-EoNsyra_d_P0T&index=6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTnwyi6rBZo&list=PLzReR3Jkd7YTRPbocSc-EoNsyra_d_P0T&index=9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWlT-nCXJNA&list=PLzReR3Jkd7YTRPbocSc-EoNsyra_d_P0T&index=12
2. Detroit: Become Human
3. Super Smash Bros Ultimate
4. Divinity Original Sin 2 Enhanced Edition
5. Iconoclasts
2-5 are arbitrarily ranked. All are pretty dang good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRnzCSCJpmo&list=PLzReR3Jkd7YTRPbocSc-EoNsyra_d_P0T&index=6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTnwyi6rBZo&list=PLzReR3Jkd7YTRPbocSc-EoNsyra_d_P0T&index=9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWlT-nCXJNA&list=PLzReR3Jkd7YTRPbocSc-EoNsyra_d_P0T&index=12
2. Detroit: Become Human
3. Super Smash Bros Ultimate
4. Divinity Original Sin 2 Enhanced Edition
5. Iconoclasts
2-5 are arbitrarily ranked. All are pretty dang good.
1. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Sakurai himself picks out the best of the best in the video game music world and tells them to go wild. And the results are beautiful.
Hideki Sakamoto, Many others
Dark Man Stage
Gangplank Galleon
Lifelight
We're the Robots
2. Xenoblade 2: Torna - The Golden Country - More Xenoblade, all that needs to be said.
Yasunori Matsuda, ACE, Manami Kiyota, Kenji Hiramatsu
Kingdom of Torna (Day)
Kingdom of Torna (Night)
Gormott
Battle!
3. Celeste
Lena Raine
Confronting Myself
Reach for the Summit
Forsaken City (Sever the Skyline Mix)
4. Octopath Traveler - To this day I have only played the first chapter, but that's all I need in order to nominate this.
Yasunori Nishiki
Decisive Battle I
Battle I
5. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Ippo Yamada
Frigid Hell
The Brilliant Void
Sunder the Night
6. Mega Man 11
Marika Susuki
Gear Fortress
Fuse Man
Hideki Sakamoto, Many others
Dark Man Stage
Gangplank Galleon
Lifelight
We're the Robots
2. Xenoblade 2: Torna - The Golden Country - More Xenoblade, all that needs to be said.
Yasunori Matsuda, ACE, Manami Kiyota, Kenji Hiramatsu
Kingdom of Torna (Day)
Kingdom of Torna (Night)
Gormott
Battle!
3. Celeste
Lena Raine
Confronting Myself
Reach for the Summit
Forsaken City (Sever the Skyline Mix)
4. Octopath Traveler - To this day I have only played the first chapter, but that's all I need in order to nominate this.
Yasunori Nishiki
Decisive Battle I
Battle I
5. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Ippo Yamada
Frigid Hell
The Brilliant Void
Sunder the Night
6. Mega Man 11
Marika Susuki
Gear Fortress
Fuse Man
That's the one! I wasn't aware there were songs in DQ11 reused from previous titles beyond the main theme. Interesting. I love that theme. <3
1. Octopath Traveler
Olberic's Theme
Decisive Battle I
Cyrus Theme
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Galeem/Dharkon
Lifelight
Cross Your Heart (Haunted Castle/Castlevania Remix)
3. Dragon Ball FighterZ
Goku Black
Nappa
Broly
4. Tetris Effect
Ritual Passion: Flames
The Deep: Yours Forever
Jellyfish Chorus: Joy
5. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna The Golden Country
Battle!!
Gormott
Auresco (Day)
6. Under Night In-Birth Exe Late[st]
Byakuya's Theme
Carmine's Theme
Waldstein's Theme
Merkava's Theme
Olberic's Theme
Decisive Battle I
Cyrus Theme
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Galeem/Dharkon
Lifelight
Cross Your Heart (Haunted Castle/Castlevania Remix)
3. Dragon Ball FighterZ
Goku Black
Nappa
Broly
4. Tetris Effect
Ritual Passion: Flames
The Deep: Yours Forever
Jellyfish Chorus: Joy
5. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna The Golden Country
Battle!!
Gormott
Auresco (Day)
6. Under Night In-Birth Exe Late[st]
Byakuya's Theme
Carmine's Theme
Waldstein's Theme
Merkava's Theme
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Not much to be said here, the soundtrack is unparalleled. The quality of the remixes wildly exceeded my expectations
- Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight - It's P5 music again
- Deltarune - I haven't even played this game yet, but the OST is still number 3 for me
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2 : Torna the Golden Country - That Battle theme
- Monster Hunter: World
- Gris - The music, combined with the visuals make this a stellar experience
- Into the Breach
1. God of War - Bear McCreary
Lullaby of the Giants
Ashes
Deliverance
The Dragon
2. Spider-man - John Paesano
Main-Theme
Lullaby of the Giants
Ashes
Deliverance
The Dragon
2. Spider-man - John Paesano
Main-Theme
1-Octopath Traveler
Its OST is everything you could want from a JRPG trying to emulate a 90s feeling in 2018. The songs are catchy adn while still being orchestrated. The main theme is also an all-time masterpiece.
2-Celeste
Just like with Octopath Traveler, the OST manages to fully complement what the game is trying to make is feel. It changes perfectly whenever Madeline starts a panic attack, and slows down when she regains her calm. Half of the game's story is told through Lena Raine's music
3-Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country
Not much to say, XC2's OST is as great as an OST can be, and this DLC's one is no different.
4-Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
5-Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
6-Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Let's Go Eevee
7-God of War
8-Detroit: Become Human
9-Tetris Effect
10-Delta Rune
Its OST is everything you could want from a JRPG trying to emulate a 90s feeling in 2018. The songs are catchy adn while still being orchestrated. The main theme is also an all-time masterpiece.
2-Celeste
Just like with Octopath Traveler, the OST manages to fully complement what the game is trying to make is feel. It changes perfectly whenever Madeline starts a panic attack, and slows down when she regains her calm. Half of the game's story is told through Lena Raine's music
3-Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country
Not much to say, XC2's OST is as great as an OST can be, and this DLC's one is no different.
4-Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
5-Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
6-Pokemon: Let's Go Pikachu/Let's Go Eevee
7-God of War
8-Detroit: Become Human
9-Tetris Effect
10-Delta Rune
If you haven't played these games, please don't look at the comments! They're full of spoilers :(
1. Octopath Traveler
Octopath is my SOTY not just because the music is phenomenal, but because it's used in such amazing ways. The blending of character themes w/ boss battle themes really sets the stage each chapter and just continuously impresses me.
Decisive Battle II
H'aanit the Hunter
The Sunlands
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country
Xenoblade's music really saved it from a lot of the grind I felt midway through
Battle!!
Loneliness
Drifting Soul
3. Return of the Obra Dinn
I had the puzzle solving music in my head for daysss after I finished Obra Dinn. It's super catchy and great.
Soldier of the Sea
The Calling
The End
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
I think there was plenty of music in Red Dead that I felt pretty eh about. But there were also some parts that just were fantastically done.
The Way It Is
Cruel Cruel World
Train Heist
5. Donut County
Lazy River
Slackers
Quack Anthem
1. Octopath Traveler
Octopath is my SOTY not just because the music is phenomenal, but because it's used in such amazing ways. The blending of character themes w/ boss battle themes really sets the stage each chapter and just continuously impresses me.
Decisive Battle II
H'aanit the Hunter
The Sunlands
2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country
Xenoblade's music really saved it from a lot of the grind I felt midway through
Battle!!
Loneliness
Drifting Soul
3. Return of the Obra Dinn
I had the puzzle solving music in my head for daysss after I finished Obra Dinn. It's super catchy and great.
Soldier of the Sea
The Calling
The End
4. Red Dead Redemption 2
I think there was plenty of music in Red Dead that I felt pretty eh about. But there were also some parts that just were fantastically done.
The Way It Is
Cruel Cruel World
Train Heist
5. Donut County
Lazy River
Slackers
Quack Anthem
1. AHCKTOHPAYFF TRAYVEHLAH
Decisive Battle 2 (Tressa)
My Quiet Forest Home
The Sunlands
This OST is immense, and nearly every song goes hard in its own way. It harkens back to the intensely earnest and memorable melodies of classic JRPGs while using attractive and contemporary instrumentation. A modern classic.
2. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
Green Fields
Volcano
The Falls
Monster Boy's OST boops. It boops hard. It boops in a deliciously old school way, and like Octopath, it delivers those nostalgic feels with modern instrumentation. Apparently a ton of it is remixed? This is my first Wonder Boy game, so ignorance is bliss I guess.
3. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Bloodstained Philosophy
Fist Law
The Way of Life
Look, I'm just here for the hype boss themes.
4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Snake Man Stage
Gangplank Galleon
Duck Hunt Medley
I mean, this is probably the best video game soundtrack every put ondisc cartridge. Unlike Monster Boy, I've heard most of these tracks before in some form so the impact of the remixes was diminished ever so slightly. Still, there are over 100 new tracks over the previous game and most of them don't disappoint. Yeah, the sound team goes pretty hard on electric guitars, but I live for that shit.
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
American Venom
May I? Stand Unshaken
Red Dead 2 focuses a lot on ambient music that isn't always my style, but it has a few moments where the music really blends with the gameplay to create some of the most memorable moments of the year.
6. Guacamelee! 2
Los Manglares
Chicken Illuminati
Guacamelee! 2 follows on from the first game with an OST that's pretty catchy and at times, strikingly weird. OK, let's be real - this is just here for Chicken Illuminati.
Decisive Battle 2 (Tressa)
My Quiet Forest Home
The Sunlands
This OST is immense, and nearly every song goes hard in its own way. It harkens back to the intensely earnest and memorable melodies of classic JRPGs while using attractive and contemporary instrumentation. A modern classic.
2. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
Green Fields
Volcano
The Falls
Monster Boy's OST boops. It boops hard. It boops in a deliciously old school way, and like Octopath, it delivers those nostalgic feels with modern instrumentation. Apparently a ton of it is remixed? This is my first Wonder Boy game, so ignorance is bliss I guess.
3. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Bloodstained Philosophy
Fist Law
The Way of Life
Look, I'm just here for the hype boss themes.
4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Snake Man Stage
Gangplank Galleon
Duck Hunt Medley
I mean, this is probably the best video game soundtrack every put on
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
American Venom
May I? Stand Unshaken
Red Dead 2 focuses a lot on ambient music that isn't always my style, but it has a few moments where the music really blends with the gameplay to create some of the most memorable moments of the year.
6. Guacamelee! 2
Los Manglares
Chicken Illuminati
Guacamelee! 2 follows on from the first game with an OST that's pretty catchy and at times, strikingly weird. OK, let's be real - this is just here for Chicken Illuminati.
1. Detroit: Become Human
Only OST I heard a shit ton the last year. Absolutely perfect. My personal favs are:
But every track is good
Only OST I heard a shit ton the last year. Absolutely perfect. My personal favs are:
But every track is good
1. Tetris Effect
Noboru Mutoh
It's no accident that the game I voted as my GOTY also has the best soundtrack. That's part of the whole point of the game, an essential feature of its immersive approach. The tracks are better as active pieces of semi-improvised music, but as a whole the OST is remarkable.
Standouts include Downtown Jazz, Orbit, and, of course, Metamorphosis.
2. Into the Breach
Ben Prunty
Every bit as good as the soundtrack for FTL. Prunty really knows how to get the vibes going for run after run.
3. Celeste
Lena Raine
Speaking of music to keep you going run after run!
4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Hideki Sakamoto, many others
The sheer breadth and polish of this one deserves mention. I was always in for this game and was fairly resistant to feelings of hype, but when the remake of Gangplank Galleon came out I couldn't help but break out into a goofy grin. Sakamoto and co. managed to do justice to so many classics.
5. Yoku's Island Express
Jesse Harlin
Such a chill vibe, matching the easygoing gameplay and warm art style.
6. Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
Kenneth C M Young, Takahiro Sasamura
Bouncy and fun, mirroring the platforming gameplay and overall animated spirit of the game. Very hummable and reminiscent of earlier platformers.
7. Monster Hunter: World
Akihiko Narita, Zhenlan Kang
Epic scores for epic scores.
8. Minit
Jukio Kallio
A feature of the mind-bending design of the game that somehow manages to tick along and keep expanding 60 seconds at a time.
9. Dead Cells
Yoann Laulan
Composers for Roguelikes and tough platformers sure have a tough task, but many are equal to it. Laulan might not hit the same heights as Prunty or Raine, but it's still a damn fine soundtrack that stands up to repeated, repeated listening.
10. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Yuri Fukuda, Saori Yoshida, Kenichi Tokoi, Tatsuyuki Maeda, Teruhiko Nakagawa
The Yakuza team puts in so much work. Their soundtrack deserves a spot on this list for the soaring electric guitars alone.
Honorable Mentions
Moss
Jason Graves
Fe
Joel Bille
Iconoclasts
Joakim Sandberg
Noboru Mutoh
It's no accident that the game I voted as my GOTY also has the best soundtrack. That's part of the whole point of the game, an essential feature of its immersive approach. The tracks are better as active pieces of semi-improvised music, but as a whole the OST is remarkable.
Standouts include Downtown Jazz, Orbit, and, of course, Metamorphosis.
2. Into the Breach
Ben Prunty
Every bit as good as the soundtrack for FTL. Prunty really knows how to get the vibes going for run after run.
3. Celeste
Lena Raine
Speaking of music to keep you going run after run!
4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Hideki Sakamoto, many others
The sheer breadth and polish of this one deserves mention. I was always in for this game and was fairly resistant to feelings of hype, but when the remake of Gangplank Galleon came out I couldn't help but break out into a goofy grin. Sakamoto and co. managed to do justice to so many classics.
5. Yoku's Island Express
Jesse Harlin
Such a chill vibe, matching the easygoing gameplay and warm art style.
6. Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
Kenneth C M Young, Takahiro Sasamura
Bouncy and fun, mirroring the platforming gameplay and overall animated spirit of the game. Very hummable and reminiscent of earlier platformers.
7. Monster Hunter: World
Akihiko Narita, Zhenlan Kang
Epic scores for epic scores.
8. Minit
Jukio Kallio
A feature of the mind-bending design of the game that somehow manages to tick along and keep expanding 60 seconds at a time.
9. Dead Cells
Yoann Laulan
Composers for Roguelikes and tough platformers sure have a tough task, but many are equal to it. Laulan might not hit the same heights as Prunty or Raine, but it's still a damn fine soundtrack that stands up to repeated, repeated listening.
10. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Yuri Fukuda, Saori Yoshida, Kenichi Tokoi, Tatsuyuki Maeda, Teruhiko Nakagawa
The Yakuza team puts in so much work. Their soundtrack deserves a spot on this list for the soaring electric guitars alone.
Honorable Mentions
Moss
Jason Graves
Fe
Joel Bille
Iconoclasts
Joakim Sandberg
1. Octopath Traveler
Cyrus, the Scholar
Olberic, the Warrior
A Settlement in the Red Bluffs
Therion, the Thief
Battle II
For a 4CD soundtrack, there's very little filler. From epic heroism to soft melancholy to creepy and intense, just consistently amazing work by Yasunori Nishiki <3
2. La-Mulana 2
Lumisa's Theme (Opening)
Miss Explorer (Surface Theme)
Giant's Monument (Shrine of the Frost Giants theme)
Consistently catchy, fun music for the adventure, just like the first one.
3. Vampyr
The Struggle
The Thirst
Twisted Tango
Questions
Insane Family
Incredible atmosphere. The moment when The Thirst plays (when you are about to feed on a citizen) is one of the most chilling, intense moment in video gaming, and it's largely thanks to the music that accompanies it.
4. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
Main Menu Theme
Great Maccao Theme
Zinogre Theme
Lots of great classics plus some new tracks I haven't heard before.
5. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
Ollie Last Dungeon
The Sewers
Pirate Ship
...See above :)
6. Monster Hunter World
Astera Day Theme
Rotten Vale Large Monster Battle
Proof of a Hero
Not as memorable as the older MH, but still good, and the Astera Day Theme is one of the greatest songs in the series. Good thing, since you hear it so often!
7. Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Legend of the Eagle Bearer (Main Theme)
Pirates, Thugs and Bandits
The Cult of Kosmos
I like the Greek folk touch to it and the Kosmos theme is suitably creepy.
Cyrus, the Scholar
Olberic, the Warrior
A Settlement in the Red Bluffs
Therion, the Thief
Battle II
For a 4CD soundtrack, there's very little filler. From epic heroism to soft melancholy to creepy and intense, just consistently amazing work by Yasunori Nishiki <3
2. La-Mulana 2
Lumisa's Theme (Opening)
Miss Explorer (Surface Theme)
Giant's Monument (Shrine of the Frost Giants theme)
Consistently catchy, fun music for the adventure, just like the first one.
3. Vampyr
The Struggle
The Thirst
Twisted Tango
Questions
Insane Family
Incredible atmosphere. The moment when The Thirst plays (when you are about to feed on a citizen) is one of the most chilling, intense moment in video gaming, and it's largely thanks to the music that accompanies it.
4. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
Main Menu Theme
Great Maccao Theme
Zinogre Theme
Lots of great classics plus some new tracks I haven't heard before.
5. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
Ollie Last Dungeon
The Sewers
Pirate Ship
...See above :)
6. Monster Hunter World
Astera Day Theme
Rotten Vale Large Monster Battle
Proof of a Hero
Not as memorable as the older MH, but still good, and the Astera Day Theme is one of the greatest songs in the series. Good thing, since you hear it so often!
7. Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Legend of the Eagle Bearer (Main Theme)
Pirates, Thugs and Bandits
The Cult of Kosmos
I like the Greek folk touch to it and the Kosmos theme is suitably creepy.
1. Octopath Traveler - soundtrack of the generation? Every battle and boss theme is just so motivational and epic. I wish Dragon Quest XI - being the superior JRPG - had this soundtrack.
2. Monster Hunter World - several memorable soundtracks that I love to listen to on repeat. Excellent ending credits theme.
3. Celeste - love the 8-bit themes in each level. Very addictive to listen to.
4. Red Dead Redemption 2 - unfortunately I can't remember any of the track names so can't search for them, but I remember them being darn tootin' good.
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - my opinion is that this game has an unfair advantage of using tracks from other games, hence why it is not higher. Still doesn't stop me from playing Dragoon Roost Island in every Zelda level.
2. Monster Hunter World - several memorable soundtracks that I love to listen to on repeat. Excellent ending credits theme.
3. Celeste - love the 8-bit themes in each level. Very addictive to listen to.
4. Red Dead Redemption 2 - unfortunately I can't remember any of the track names so can't search for them, but I remember them being darn tootin' good.
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - my opinion is that this game has an unfair advantage of using tracks from other games, hence why it is not higher. Still doesn't stop me from playing Dragoon Roost Island in every Zelda level.
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1. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The ultimate soundtrack for me, both in quantity and quality. And even not including all the music from previous games, most of the new remixes are amazing:
Kass' Theme
Staff Credits (Kirby)
Midna's Lament
VS. Ridley
2. Octopath Traveler
Epic battle themes mixed with very nice town and field ones. For me the soundtrack of Octopath Traveler is where the game truly shines. It's main theme is something else, makes me feel nostalgic even thought the game released last year.
Main Theme
Determination
Battle I
Decisive Battle II
3. Xenoblade Chronicles II: Thorna The Golden Country
The Xenoblade expansion really delivered with its music, the battle theme is clearly a highlight.
Auresco (Day)
Battle!!
The ultimate soundtrack for me, both in quantity and quality. And even not including all the music from previous games, most of the new remixes are amazing:
Kass' Theme
Staff Credits (Kirby)
Midna's Lament
VS. Ridley
2. Octopath Traveler
Epic battle themes mixed with very nice town and field ones. For me the soundtrack of Octopath Traveler is where the game truly shines. It's main theme is something else, makes me feel nostalgic even thought the game released last year.
Main Theme
Determination
Battle I
Decisive Battle II
3. Xenoblade Chronicles II: Thorna The Golden Country
The Xenoblade expansion really delivered with its music, the battle theme is clearly a highlight.
Auresco (Day)
Battle!!
1. Octahedron
2. God of War
3. Surviving Mars
4. Forza Horizon 4
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
6. Destiny 2 Forsaken
7. Spiderman
2. God of War
3. Surviving Mars
4. Forza Horizon 4
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
6. Destiny 2 Forsaken
7. Spiderman
1. Iconoclasts - A great game made by just one guy (which in and of itself is amazing) with great art, tight gameplay and a cool story. But it also has what is probably my favourite soundtrack of the year, composed by the developer himself. In fact, I think the music is so well written that it leads me to believe that he was a musician first, before getting into game development.
2. Shikondo: Soul Eater - A very cool Korean bullet-hell style shmup with intriguing visuals and art inspired by Asian mythology. Great bullet patterns and good gameplay aside, it has a fantastic soundtrack that really ties it all together. A rather unique sounding experience.
3. Soulcalibur VI - Great sounding producion and a composition that nails the theme of the game perfectly. The soundtrack certainly elevates the whole game, especially the story sections.
4. Destiny 2: Forsaken - So I can't stand the constant dialogue in Destiny but luckily there is a mute option. And instead of a blabbering ghost I get to experience this fantastic atmospheric soundtrack in all its glory. Cranked up music with no dialogue should be the default option in Destiny!
5. Detroit: Become Human - The soundtrack was definitely one of the best parts of this game.
2. Shikondo: Soul Eater - A very cool Korean bullet-hell style shmup with intriguing visuals and art inspired by Asian mythology. Great bullet patterns and good gameplay aside, it has a fantastic soundtrack that really ties it all together. A rather unique sounding experience.
3. Soulcalibur VI - Great sounding producion and a composition that nails the theme of the game perfectly. The soundtrack certainly elevates the whole game, especially the story sections.
4. Destiny 2: Forsaken - So I can't stand the constant dialogue in Destiny but luckily there is a mute option. And instead of a blabbering ghost I get to experience this fantastic atmospheric soundtrack in all its glory. Cranked up music with no dialogue should be the default option in Destiny!
5. Detroit: Become Human - The soundtrack was definitely one of the best parts of this game.
- God of War (2018) - Bear McCreary
- Celeste - Lena Raine (and Friends)
https://youtu.be/bXfHKEaDg4shttps://youtu.be/b_oEDGONSc4
https://youtu.be/AgDYV_IbPuo
- The 25th Ward: The Silver Case - Akira Yamaoka, etc.
https://youtu.be/8hc7a8V_buU https://youtu.be/tFfQCiwRR3Q https://youtu.be/CiNO8drJ-NY
- Monster Hunter World - Akihiko Narita, etc.
https://youtu.be/QTWWIEqY5eA https://youtu.be/aCR8hynbfg8 https://youtu.be/GyboDAdoQtc
- Red Dead Redemption II - Woody Jackson, etc.
https://youtu.be/NFywschbMUU https://youtu.be/_VAe1sYK2Fg https://youtu.be/Iu3gx5p1h5o
- Super Smash Brothers Ultimate - Hideki Sakamoto, etc.
https://youtu.be/sVowXxhWhYc https://youtu.be/aysAxCa4dfQ?list=PLwDEuPBgBi4ObCvTU_J7jupR4AvK1Z28S https://youtu.be/cgsnHlmY6MM?list=PLwDEuPBgBi4ObCvTU_J7jupR4AvK1Z28S
- GRIS - Berlinist
https://youtu.be/rfsPt-nmfzo https://youtu.be/GpRQgGVfIUo https://youtu.be/v1c5gV3EpRA
- Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion - Toru Minegishi, Shiho Fujii, etc
https://youtu.be/lPU1H3ASkr4 https://youtu.be/_-wNjBFU2UY https://youtu.be/ovQLAAUR2K8
- Astro Bot: Rescue Mission - Kenneth M C Young
https://youtu.be/J3Da7uL45rw?list=PL4jUFKwCCT34wnO_0NHIM0ErPyCvHayA6
https://youtu.be/ryywmSbHiKk https://youtu.be/vy0_aWukj0w
- Spyro: Reignited Trilogy - Stephan Vankov, Stewart Copeland
https://youtu.be/f3QZzrDfE30?list=PLmouZ1y5N_aFYbYLiPfnlDBj3R6GiXYyc https://youtu.be/pCVAIZ7JrTM?list=PLmouZ1y5N_aFYbYLiPfnlDBj3R6GiXYyc https://youtu.be/pUFtFCZbeYA?list=PLmouZ1y5N_aFYbYLiPfnlDBj3R6GiXYyc
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1. The Messenger
2. Celeste
3. Return of the Obra Dinn
4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
6. Astro Bot Rescue Mission
7. Monster Hunter: World
2. Celeste
3. Return of the Obra Dinn
4. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
6. Astro Bot Rescue Mission
7. Monster Hunter: World
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I'll try and add links to some of my favorites later...
1. Detroit Become Human - Fits perfectly with the game and on-screen action, blends different genres and influences masterfully. I'm also a fan of how it was done technically, very impressive work.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2 - I didn't like the game but truly enjoyed the soundtrack. Amazing work overall once again, I love the main focus on recording real instruments too.
3. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom - Awesome game that made me feel like I was 10 years old again, the soundtrack definitely helped too!
4. Timespinner - A Metroidvania with some of the most Symphony of the Night-ish tracks!
5. Celeste - Still need to play this game though!
6. Steel Rats - Atmospheric, dark & cold synths. I will try and link the main title track, it's perfect. Think Moog and old Russian synths. It would rank higher if it wasn't for that shitty Dan Bull rap video.
7. Iconoclasts
8. Spiderman
9. Astro Bot : Rescue Mission
10. The Messenger
1. Detroit Become Human - Fits perfectly with the game and on-screen action, blends different genres and influences masterfully. I'm also a fan of how it was done technically, very impressive work.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2 - I didn't like the game but truly enjoyed the soundtrack. Amazing work overall once again, I love the main focus on recording real instruments too.
3. Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom - Awesome game that made me feel like I was 10 years old again, the soundtrack definitely helped too!
4. Timespinner - A Metroidvania with some of the most Symphony of the Night-ish tracks!
5. Celeste - Still need to play this game though!
6. Steel Rats - Atmospheric, dark & cold synths. I will try and link the main title track, it's perfect. Think Moog and old Russian synths. It would rank higher if it wasn't for that shitty Dan Bull rap video.
7. Iconoclasts
8. Spiderman
9. Astro Bot : Rescue Mission
10. The Messenger
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1) The Red Strings Club
fingerspit
The Red Strings Club
Marketing Director
Occult Synth
2) Yakuza 0
Hidenori Shoji
Judgement
t u s k
3) Vampyr
Olivier Deriviere
The Struggle
The Thirst
Bridge to London
4) Into The Breach
Ben Prunty
Old War Machines
The Blast Garden
Into the Breach
5) Monster Hunter World
Akihiko Narita, Zhenlan Kang
6) Surviving Mars
George Strezov
(Main Theme)
Cold Wave
FeCl3
7) Frostpunk
Piotr Musiał
8) FAR Lone Sails
Joel Schoch
Drive It!
Not Alone
Lone Sails
9) Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Marcin Przybyłowicz & Mikolai Stroinski & Piotr Adamczyk
Thronebreaker
Ysgith
Duke of Dogs
Honorable mentions:
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
David Garcia, Andy LaPlegua
Hela
Shadow
Surtr
fingerspit
The Red Strings Club
Marketing Director
Occult Synth
2) Yakuza 0
Hidenori Shoji
Judgement
t u s k
3) Vampyr
Olivier Deriviere
The Struggle
The Thirst
Bridge to London
4) Into The Breach
Ben Prunty
Old War Machines
The Blast Garden
Into the Breach
5) Monster Hunter World
Akihiko Narita, Zhenlan Kang
6) Surviving Mars
George Strezov
(Main Theme)
Cold Wave
FeCl3
7) Frostpunk
Piotr Musiał
8) FAR Lone Sails
Joel Schoch
Drive It!
Not Alone
Lone Sails
9) Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales
Marcin Przybyłowicz & Mikolai Stroinski & Piotr Adamczyk
Thronebreaker
Ysgith
Duke of Dogs
Honorable mentions:
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
David Garcia, Andy LaPlegua
Hela
Shadow
Surtr
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1. God of War
God of War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9hh91-2iaA
Deliverance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4khgJ2BsPds
The Dragon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca-Fmc8ytAE
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
May I ? Stand Unshaken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ERy0xMd88g
Train Heist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hoB8lHNMZo
See the Fire In Your Eyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHer-rGfTco
God of War
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9hh91-2iaA
Deliverance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4khgJ2BsPds
The Dragon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca-Fmc8ytAE
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
May I ? Stand Unshaken
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ERy0xMd88g
Train Heist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hoB8lHNMZo
See the Fire In Your Eyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHer-rGfTco
1. Astro Bot Rescue Mission
by Kenneth Young (Co-Composer of LBP, LBP & Tearaway)
Come on Then (Alien Boss) [aka Best Boss Battle Music since One Winged Angel]
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
by Woody Jackson (Co-Composer of RDR1) with D'angelo & additional performers.
May I? Stand Unshaken [My Favorite Song of the Year]
3. God of War
by Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica & The Walking Dead [TV] )
Deliverance [My Favorite Track of the Year]
4. Celeste
by Lena Raine
Resurrections [Very Portal-esque]
5. Persona 3 Dancing Moonlight
by Ryota Kozuka (SMT IV) & additional performers/composers.
6. Detroit Become Human
by Philip Sheppard, Nima Fakhrara (RE Revelations 2) and John Paesano (Marvel's Spider-Man & ME Andromeda)
Kara
Now
7. Marvel's Spider-Man
by John Paesano (Daredevil [TV] & ME Andromeda)
8. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
by Hideki Sakamoto and additional composers (Yakuza 2-3 & 428 Shibuya Scramble)
9. Mega Man 11
by Marika Suzuki (Monster Hunter 4)
10. Moss
by Jason Graves (The Order 1886, Until Dawn, Dead Space Trilogy)
There were two stand-out soundtracks for me last year:
1. Octopath Traveler – Easily one of the best soundtracks I've heard in years, and at this point, one of my favorite game soundtracks period. Nishiki mentioned he wanted to focus on melody when creating the music, and it shows – Octopath is chock-full of memorable, strong themes, whether for a character, a location, etc. Despite having very professional-sounding live instrumentation, it's got a wonderful old-school feeling to it, in large part thanks to that emphasis on melody (and utilizing small, varied groups of instruments versus say, an entire standard orchestra for everything). It's overflowing with character and a joy to listen to (again and again and again).
And to think I still haven't even opened my (pre-ordered) copy of the game itself. Looking forward to being able to place all of these songs in context at some point, which I'm sure will only serve to heighten my appreciation for this soundtrack.
Favorite tracks: Main Theme, Cyrus the Scholar, Primrose the Scholar, The Frostlands, The Sunlands, Decisive Battle II (really too many to choose from!)
2. Celeste – From the very first notes of "Prologue" this one has a magical feel to it, and once you hear that descending piano arpeggio in "First Steps", you can tell the music is going to be an exciting and vital part of the experience. I can still recall specific "Whoa!" moments upon my first listen/play-through (those drums in "Scattered and Lost", anyone?). Pretty special that a humble little (fantastic) platformer would carry with it music of such a caliber. Lena did a great job of blending the synth sounds with the more organic piano, and crafted a truly stellar, memorable soundtrack. I'd be hard-pressed to think of other platformers (or games, even) where the music was *so* important to my overall experience.
Favorite tracks: First Steps, Resurrections, Scattered and Lost
-----
3. Deltarune Chapter 1 – Undertale is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, so I had high hopes for new music from Toby Fox. Thus far, I'd say he's living up to them. The Chapter 1 soundtrack showed Toby is still adept at creating short, memorable pieces imbued with lots of character, and restating themes in a way that serves to help the player/listener connect more with the world rather than make the listener grow tired of the music. I should note I haven't listened to this a *ton*, as I only played a couple hours or so of the game and planned on waiting to listen more to the back half of the soundtrack until I revisited it. Looking forward to the full game + soundtrack.
Favorite Tracks: Rude Buster, Field of Hopes and Dreams, Scarlet Forest, Chaos King, The Legend
-----
4. Cross Code – Solid, charming RPG soundtrack with the heart of a SNES/PS1 RPG. On that note - the composer actually bought and used sound modules that were frequently heard in Japanese PS1 titles, which is cool (I definitely recognized some Chrono Cross samples in there). As with Octopath and Timespinner, I haven't played this but am looking forward to doing so and being able to attach places, characters, etc. to these tunes.
Highlights: Awakened, M.S. Solar, Newcomer's Bridge, Rookie Harbor, Autumn's Rise
-----
5. Timespinner – I don't know this super well yet, but it's pretty strong from what I've listened to thus far. SotN-era Castlevania comes to mind at times (I believe the CV games were a big inspiration for the team and the composer, Jeff Ball). Would like to check the game out at some point.
Highlights: Barren Corridors, Echoes of the Forgotten, Pioneer's Horizon, Surpassing Authority
-----
Honorable Mention: Hollow Knight – I know it's not eligible for 2018, but this year was the first time I played it thanks to the Switch port. As most people already know by now, HK has a wonderfully moody, mournful, atmospheric soundtrack. That's not to say it's devoid of melody or memorable phrases, though - there are a fair number of songs here that are now etched into my mind due to all the (very enjoyable) time spent traversing the underground and battling the creatures within.
Favorite Tracks: Dirtmouth, Greenpath, City of Tears, Reflection
1. Octopath Traveler – Easily one of the best soundtracks I've heard in years, and at this point, one of my favorite game soundtracks period. Nishiki mentioned he wanted to focus on melody when creating the music, and it shows – Octopath is chock-full of memorable, strong themes, whether for a character, a location, etc. Despite having very professional-sounding live instrumentation, it's got a wonderful old-school feeling to it, in large part thanks to that emphasis on melody (and utilizing small, varied groups of instruments versus say, an entire standard orchestra for everything). It's overflowing with character and a joy to listen to (again and again and again).
And to think I still haven't even opened my (pre-ordered) copy of the game itself. Looking forward to being able to place all of these songs in context at some point, which I'm sure will only serve to heighten my appreciation for this soundtrack.
Favorite tracks: Main Theme, Cyrus the Scholar, Primrose the Scholar, The Frostlands, The Sunlands, Decisive Battle II (really too many to choose from!)
2. Celeste – From the very first notes of "Prologue" this one has a magical feel to it, and once you hear that descending piano arpeggio in "First Steps", you can tell the music is going to be an exciting and vital part of the experience. I can still recall specific "Whoa!" moments upon my first listen/play-through (those drums in "Scattered and Lost", anyone?). Pretty special that a humble little (fantastic) platformer would carry with it music of such a caliber. Lena did a great job of blending the synth sounds with the more organic piano, and crafted a truly stellar, memorable soundtrack. I'd be hard-pressed to think of other platformers (or games, even) where the music was *so* important to my overall experience.
Favorite tracks: First Steps, Resurrections, Scattered and Lost
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3. Deltarune Chapter 1 – Undertale is one of my favorite soundtracks of all time, so I had high hopes for new music from Toby Fox. Thus far, I'd say he's living up to them. The Chapter 1 soundtrack showed Toby is still adept at creating short, memorable pieces imbued with lots of character, and restating themes in a way that serves to help the player/listener connect more with the world rather than make the listener grow tired of the music. I should note I haven't listened to this a *ton*, as I only played a couple hours or so of the game and planned on waiting to listen more to the back half of the soundtrack until I revisited it. Looking forward to the full game + soundtrack.
Favorite Tracks: Rude Buster, Field of Hopes and Dreams, Scarlet Forest, Chaos King, The Legend
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4. Cross Code – Solid, charming RPG soundtrack with the heart of a SNES/PS1 RPG. On that note - the composer actually bought and used sound modules that were frequently heard in Japanese PS1 titles, which is cool (I definitely recognized some Chrono Cross samples in there). As with Octopath and Timespinner, I haven't played this but am looking forward to doing so and being able to attach places, characters, etc. to these tunes.
Highlights: Awakened, M.S. Solar, Newcomer's Bridge, Rookie Harbor, Autumn's Rise
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5. Timespinner – I don't know this super well yet, but it's pretty strong from what I've listened to thus far. SotN-era Castlevania comes to mind at times (I believe the CV games were a big inspiration for the team and the composer, Jeff Ball). Would like to check the game out at some point.
Highlights: Barren Corridors, Echoes of the Forgotten, Pioneer's Horizon, Surpassing Authority
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Honorable Mention: Hollow Knight – I know it's not eligible for 2018, but this year was the first time I played it thanks to the Switch port. As most people already know by now, HK has a wonderfully moody, mournful, atmospheric soundtrack. That's not to say it's devoid of melody or memorable phrases, though - there are a fair number of songs here that are now etched into my mind due to all the (very enjoyable) time spent traversing the underground and battling the creatures within.
Favorite Tracks: Dirtmouth, Greenpath, City of Tears, Reflection
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