Greatest video game songs of all time
I've been wanting to make such a list a long time ago but due to university exams, part-time jobs and the like, I've been held off quite a bit... but alas! It is done! I present to you all a list of the greatest video game songs of all time!
Criteria
Of course, we can't just throw in any song that was part of a video game... I designed a few rules that will better explain what this list is all about.
1- The song must have been composed or arranged for a video game
originally. A good example of a famous song that would fall into this rule is Power of the Horde by L70ETC. The band composed the song before being requested by Blizzard Entertainment for a fitting song to the game. That is, the song was not composed originally for the game, it was a merely a song composed by the band.
2- There are no limits as to the number of songs per video game or franchise.
Evaluation
Making a list is never easy... yes, it is easy grouping them and saying they are all great but the order? Well, that's another story. I tried avoiding bias throughout the making of this list but as you all know, that is almost completely impossible because opinions and preferences will always play a part in the judgement of a person, that is inevitable. With that said, I do think this list is being fair to all the songs although I realize almost all of you will not be in agreement with me in many aspects regarding this list.
The actual evaluation method is based in a few rules I created for this list.
1- Feel of the song related to the video game plays a huge part in my evaluation. A song can be as good as it can be but if it doesn't fit the genre of the video game, the scenario at which it is played, I assure you, it will not be in this list.
2- Composition also plays a big part in my evaluation. This doesn't mean that classical pieces will get the nod over 8-bit songs but that the whole song is in tune and not just a simple riff or chorus.
3- Finally, technicality plays a role in my evaluation. Again, this doesn't mean that highly complex tracks will get the pass over simple ones from the past but if the song is well composed and does possess a good deal of complexity and technicality, it will get extra points in my book.
Final word
Apart from being a list, I made this to group great video game songs in one easy page for everyone to see when they want to. If you would just forget the order for one second and appreciate how great these songs are, you will know that they all deserve to be mentioned.
Also, there are countless video games out there... and in them a lot of songs. I might have missed a lot of great tracks and if you know one that deserves to be in here or at least mentioned, feel free to cite them and I'll look into it. I might expand the list further in the future as well.
All links are to YouTube videos with the full track from the songs that appear on this list.
Notes
Dancing Mad has 2 parts because the track is almost 18 minutes long.
Corneria is from the Star Fox video game for the SNES. The SSBB version is not too shabby either.
Baba Yetu and One-Winged Angel are the only tracks in this list that have a significant amount of lyrical parts in them.
Ocarina of Time has the orchestral version and the video game version in them because I couldn't find a video with only the video game version only.
Without further ado... the list. Enjoy everyone!
