Favorite soundtracks for games? (actual songs by artists)

Fiberawptic

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So what are your guys' favorite soundtracks for games, as in actual music by actual artists that can be heard in-game. So this will mainly apply to sports games, racing games like need for speed. that kind of thing. The score for Halo doesn't count because thats composed music, im thinking of best compilation of songs from actual artists. half life also doesn't count...

Heres mine

1. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City : While the really poppy 80's music on the radio isn't something you would find on my ipod, it really sets the tone and mood for the really 80's Miami theme in a perfect way. Any time i hear that music playing outside of the game, i right away think of vice city. Plus some of those songs were pretty catchy.

2. Shaun Palmers Pro Snowboarder: A game with awesome manuvers and breath-taking rides on snowy mountains should definitly have some awesome tunes to listen to while doing it. This game really succeeded at that, and i personally really love most of the songs. its just a terrific compilation of industrial/nu metal and pretty muc 90% of the songs are simply awesome.

3. Need for Speed: Most Wanted: Yes, the soundtrack for this game is predominately hip-hop, but there are actually some incredible metal/rock songs from bands who weren't even that famous or well-known, while of course some of the other bands are well-known (ie Disturbed). But even some of the hip-hop music isn't too bad, especially the rap-core music which really gives you groove while driving in a nice-ass car. In this game, your style of music wont matter, whether you like rap or rock, you'll still be driving that Lambo at 140 mph with great music to go with it.

whats yours?
 
No songs in Half-Life 2.

Bioshock's songs fit the atmosphere very well. And they're good too.
 
I'm going to agree with you on Most Wanted. Also, Rayman 3. The soundtrack included lots of Groove Armada's older stuff, which was completely awesome.
 
I love Fat Man Larry's song in Vice City.
 
Road Rash 3D has Mean Machine.
 
Any skateboarding game in general will have a kickass soundtrack.
 
Generally all the GTA games. Mainly Vice City though. I have all the radios on my iTunes and sometimes wap them on and jam. Often on long journeys.

Like the music on some of the EA Sports titles too just because it's often hugely inappropriate. Like Keane being on Madden 07. WTF.
 
I think some people are a little confused. I was mainly asking about actual songs with lyrics made by actual artists, and which game had the best compilation of songs.. No, portal, and half life dont count. They are scored by a single person that works for the development team.
 
Castle Crashers. I don't care what the rules of this thread are. Castle Crashers soundtrack is epic.
 
Castle Crashers. I don't care what the rules of this thread are. Castle Crashers soundtrack is epic.

i love the shop music! i think the songs called spanish waltz?

and yeah, im suprised nobody's said rock band or guitar hero yet.
 
How could we forget Guitar Hero?

Shit, you're right. Guitar Hero 2 has the best soundtrack of them all, although the new one (World Tour) has some Tool songs (also Creedence, Allman Brothers, and some other good ones).

Also, seconding the GTA series. Not just because of the HUGE selection of tracks, but also because their radio shows are so goddamn hilarious.

Trent Reznor's Quake soundtrack is also excellent in a lo-fi NIN kind of way.

If we're talking about soundtracks that AREN'T made of popular music, which some people seem to be doing despite the OP... Starcraft, Starcraft, Starcraft.
 
Doom3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHAqT0XOog8

The Halo 3 press conference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIgqk2QmXFk

Left 4 Dead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdKwwWJ2VkU

God of War music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrGUlRJ4f-U&feature=related

Those are just some. I absolutely love the Half Life series though such as these from Episode 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOGhNuOGr9Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swM2fWu9cnA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yapk7PTNDw

I mean that last one sends shivers down my spine as I still remember the gunship video from E3 way back when.

If I ever to go to Valve I will really thank Kelly Bailey and give him a box of donuts or something. A HL game isn't a HL game without that man.
 
Seems a bit narrow to only allow compiled commercial music. How many games have only those? Just seems like an endless spiral down sport and GTA-like games. It's quite limiting.

Of everything here, I'd basically have to go with the Quake soundtrack. You'd think a soundtrack from NIN (at least during that era) would be smashing you in the face constantly, but no. It's those wonderfully dark, ambient drones that do it for me.
 
I really liked the Rock Band soundtrack.
 
Prince of Persia: Warrior Within.

05-godsmack-161007.jpg
 
Watching people continue to ignore the OP's actual request is hilarious.
 
Most Wanted for sure has one of the best. Fallout 3 was really good too, as was any Guitar Heor or Rock Band game.
 
Vice City, Vice City, VICE CITY!!!

A distant second would be The Darkness for the 360 and PS3.

I like Duskfall's "shoot it in", for some reason even though I had to look up the lyrics over the internets. I really can't understand most metal bands although the solo was awesome.

Also, True Crime:NYC for Blue Osyter Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" alone. Don't really care about the rest of the soundtrack, or the game for that matter.

Blue Osyter Cult really should have been in GTA IV's soundtrack instead tbh.
 
Sinatra Fail. It's Bobby Darin :p

But yeah, Bioshock's soundtrack was nigh on perfect. I'd go to bed with the Andrews Sisters' version of Bei Mir Bist Du Schon but bits of it would probably fall off. Even the newly orchestrated music was decent enough, if nothing to celebrate about. The presence of similar music in Fallout 3 was actually a significant selling point to me as a result (though I could hardly resist once I heard Anything Goes was on there as well). That said, F3's OST just goes to show how you shouldn't just pick a bunch of good period tunes and pat yourself on the back. They messed a couple of things up in my opinion:

1) Three Dog is no Laszlo. True, no one character in the game is X to any decently voice acted Y in some other title, but it's not just his charisma-less delivery. If you're going to write dialogue that is endlessly repeated, you need to make it something approaching decent. "What the hell is going on down there? Revolution? Vacation? Somebody Fart?!". Good game Bethesda. A non-ironic fart gag in an 18 rated title. Mark my words: Primary Schoolers are going to hear Fallout 3's dialogue and get their mums to buy the game. It's the game-humour equivilant of Joe Camel.

2) You can't shake the feeling that they've searched some tagged database of old tunes for the phrases "social decay" and "fire". Every single track has some overt reference to either of the two. By contrast, whilst Bioshock's various themes (Undersea location, Social Decay or Change, Children) come through, they're usually tucked away in some obscure verse, and the tracks fit the setting before they fit the game's themes (what has Papa Love Mambo got to do with anything apart from awesome?). So when they go and pull something in your face obvious like Under the Sea, it isn't so jarring (and the Reinhardt Jazz Guitar version from the beginning was just beautiful too).

Others:
Singstar (I like to think that I'm better at Material Girl than all of you but would be overjoyed to be proved wrong).
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Beautiful beeps and electronic wahs. Probably the best stuff written for such primitive chips).
 
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