I’ve always found music in games to be interesting. From the iconic Super Mario Bros. chiptune to Mass Effect’s complex score, gaming music – though generally underappreciated – has seen some spectacular original pieces.
But sometimes, a great licensed track can really sell the moment. Here are a few games that had me running to the iTunes store.
Borderlands: “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked”
Funny story about my first night with Borderlands, I was sitting in my dorm, putting the disc in my Xbox when a friend starts a chat with me on Gmail. Not wanting to be rude, I took some time to talk with them and left the game at the title screen. I ended up talking with my friend for about 20 minutes, all the while hearing this awesome song playing in the background about hookers and preachers and money not growing on trees. When I finished chatting, I immediately went back to the TV and sat through the title sequence another two times before heading back to the computer and downloading Cage The Elephant’s entire self-titled album.
And then I played the game. And then I fell in love with it.
Assassin’s Creed: “Lonely Soul”
This one might be cheating a little, due to it not being in the game proper, but this trailer featuring the song “Lonely Soul” by UNKLE completely sold me on both the game and the 99 cents for the track. Now whenever it comes up on my iPod, I have to fight the urge to put the hood of my jacket up and walk in slow motion.
Brutal Legend: “Deadly Sinners”
I’m not a metal head. Never have been; never will be. But while driving through a mystical chromed-out Stonehenge-esque land in a supped-up hot rod with flames screaming out of the exhaust, 3 Inches Of Blood’s “Deadly Sinners” is the only song that can complete the experience. Thank you Tim Schafer (now go make Psychonauts 2!)
DJ Hero: mash-ups in general
There was a time where I dabbled in mash-ups. Then I grew out of it. But after trying my hand at DJ Hero (at a friend’s place of course, no way I was going to spend that much on a peripheral I’d only use for one game!) I was sucked right back into the super inconsistent, yet always entertaining world of mash-ups. Those Daft Punk Megamixes blow my mind.
Those are mine. Anyone else have any examples from their gaming experiences?
