Gaming

Far too many to list, but Final Fantasy IX's soundtrack is a tremendous work of art, and a perfect final bow for Nobuo Uematsu from the series. It's always stuck with me among nearly ever other soundtrack.

Notable Mentions (in no order):

• Sonic 2 and 3&K
• Hotline Miami 1 & 2
• Street Fighter 2
• Nier Automata
• Castlevania (Whole Damn Series)
• Donkey Kong Country & 2
• Doom I & II
• Undertale
• Freedom Planet
• Golden Sun 1 & 2
• Hollow Knight
• Skyrim
• Kirby Series
• Mario Series
• MegaMan 2 & 3 (Shout-out to The Megas)
• Super Meat Boy

And so many others, but I'll be here all day if I keep going.

• Nanashi no Game
• Soma Bringer (only one song linked, there was no playlist available)
• Final Fantasy XIV
• The Last Guardian

FFXIV and Nanashi are notable as they're by the same composer (latter game was done under a pseudonym) and even happen to share at least one song, in some form.

Soma Bringer has the most beautiful music of this list.

Last Guardian has the most inspiring music.

Jake Kaufman always does amazing work, here's some of my favorites of his from the Shantae series: https://youtu.be/ovk4ygEzMCI https://youtu.be/3OhJnSL4XWA https://youtu.be/MZ7bCDjif9M https://youtu.be/6wJmVxvJTEs

Cave Story has some great retro tracks. Some people prefer the originals but I played it with the arranged versions: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr5fTLogAd5tW_oPORRtgznxL-kUt9z7h

Little known PC game called Chenso Club has a pumping soundtrack by Knasibas: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nHBZFT82t4__lHXCD8bi3WhA98hQaSGuo&feature=share

Minecraft and Terraria, oh yeah also Hollow Knight

-Persona 4 & 5

-Paradise Killer

-Celeste

-Hotline Miami

-Signalis

-Oxenfree

-Coffee Talk

are all in my normal album rotation

Oblivion, I've listening to it while doing homework and it always help me concentrate

Need for Speed Underground. Both of them.

I really love Divinity 2's soundtrack.

Halo Reach!

Crypt of the Necrodancer is a classic. Also, Metal Geat Rising and, more recently, Sonic Frontiers.

I think the Elder Scrolls games all have great music, but Morrowind's OST has always stood out as amazing. Hearing that opening soundtrack immediately sends me back to playing it for the first time!

https://youtu.be/xULTMMgwLuo

Surprised no one's mentioned Undertale yet

SSX 3 solid tunes and loved how the music changed as you went doown the slopes.

Also, Mass Effect and GTA San Andreas

OST's are my JAM!

Ori is a classic. - It's equal parts haunting and jubilant.

Death Stranding - Don't be so serious. Every song is a masterpiece.

Overwatch - It's just good fun

Witcher 3 - hey lele lelele lele lele ley!

Cyberpunk - Dark, broody, and invigorating

Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2 - Absolute fantasy. If you want a VGM OST to plan your d&d session to, this is a great option

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Maybe it's partly because Arthur Morgan's story is so incredible but this soundtrack gives me the shivers. "May I stand unshaken... Amid, amidst a crash of the world?" omggg give it to me D'Angelo

There's tons more I'm missing here. But these ones stand out to me.

Edit: Formatting

I would say Halo 3: the music that play in the teaser triggered a HUGE hype instantly and because bungie delivered, the game has a special place in my heart, including the OST.

This year Baldur's Gate 3 OST is also about to be a banger (hope larian win the best score at the GA, even if it will be complicated with FFXVI OST)

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles' soundtrack holds a special place in my heart. Lots of really interesting instruments you don't hear in many other fantasy games.

I'm going to be weird and say Undertale/Deltarune; Toby Fox is really good at music imo. The fact that he brought that talent with him into Pokemon Scarlet/Violet is admirable to me.

I also really enjoy the Katamari games and Silent Hill. The Pokemon games themselves also have some bangers, ngl.

I’ve always been a big fan of pretty much all of the Persona series’ soundtracks.

Mass Destruction from Persona 3 is just *chefs kiss*

Persona 4 and Xenoblade 2 are my top 2

The halo theme original and mjolner mix, a walk in the woods from halo 1 . ff7 tifas theme and aeriths / aeris theme and the mass effect 3 ending theme to name a few

Super Mario Galaxy is the one that stuck with me. Also, I love Stardew Valley's and Ori's off the top of my head.

Cowboy Bebop, hands down. Oh, and Samurai Champloo.

Soundtracks filled front-to-back with bangers that have stuck with me over the years:

Sonic Mayhem's Quake 2 -- and, of course, Trent Reznor's Quake. 植松 伸夫 -- Final Fantasy 7. Grant Kirkhope/Graeme Norgate's GoldenEye 64. Max Lichtenstein's Pax Imperia 2. Richard Joseph's Chaos Engine. Just about anything Mick Gordon touches. ...aaaaand just about every Mario, Metroid, Sonic, DOOM (Heretic included), Command and Conquer, Advance Wars...

Probably showing my age with this, but Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

All three Splatoon games have really solid OSTs. I am also a huge fan of Hollow Knight. Deep Rock Galactic is amazing as well.

I love so many OSTs. They really make a game/movie/show

The Maxis Sim City game has a great OST from Chris Tilton. Quite partial to Riven and Hotline Miami too.

Honourable mention for Bastion too. And sometime I like the This War of Mine acoustic guitar stuff.

The original quake soundtrack is great if "sound textures by Nine Inch Nails" interests you. Adding on to that, try the soundtracks for fan-made quake campaigns like Arcane Dimensions and Dwell.

Nier Automata/Replicant and Metal Gear Rising are my favourite soundtracks if not music in general. The Nier soundtrack is so emotional, especially when you know the story behind the songs, while the Metal Gear Rising Soundtrack is basically just pure adrenaline.

Outer Wilds is great. Have so many songs on my list of favourites!

Totally agree on hollow knight. Specially 'City of Tears'. Can listen to that all day.

Heh, just a few on the go: Witcher 3 Cyberpunk 2077 Divinity: Original Sin 2 ("Sing for me" 🥰) Battlefield 1 and V Hi-Fi Rush

Deus Ex Human Revolution & Mankind Divided

Gonna have to say this in no specific order because it's too hard to pick true favorites:

-Assassin's Creed 2

-Xenoblade Chronicles

-Pizza Tower

-Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword (or... any Zelda game but damn Skyward Sword and Twilight Princess are so damn memorable)

-Metal Slug 5

-Yakuza 0

And a lot more that I'm spacing right now.

The first Fable game has such an amazing soundtrack. Every one of those tunes is etched into my brain. They capture the feeling of the areas they play in so well.

Undertale