Music. If there is one thing you should know about me it is that I associated many memories with certain selections of music. Where some people associate certain smells, sights and taste with certain memories, I am the same way with music. If I could walk around all day and have my own personal orchestra play a non-stop score to my life, I would. Music is that important to me. So it should be no surprise to anyone that as a huge video game fan, I would also have my personal favorites when it comes to musical selections in video games. Music in a video game is equally as important, I would dare say even more so, than in movies. They key you into certain events and changes in the game and can lull you into a game deeper than you thought you would ever go. Think for a second about video game music and I know most of you can fondly remember at least five or six classic selections. You don’t even have to hear the complete first verse of many of those songs; some of them you can key into with just a few notes. Final Fantasy’s Prelude, the Overworld Themes for The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog’s Green Hill Zone are just some of the classic songs that many gamers can quickly identify, and that in itself should demonstrate how important music is in a game.

For my personal choices, I have a list of my favorite musical selections from games going back as far as I remember being able to hold a controller. The following songs are some of the most memorable songs in all of gaming; at least in my humble opinion. Each of these songs has left a lasting impression in my memory, not just associating them with the games they are from, but sometimes with personal events in my life. They transcend just being part of a video game’s score or soundtrack and invade my personal life because that is how much of an impression they have made on me since I first remember hearing them in their respective games. Some are those very classic selections that I mentioned previously, and really, how could they not be as they are associated with video games as much as controllers and sprites are. Others are from series that I have become a huge fan of and have taken the songs from them to heart. Remember, this list is just that of my personal taste. I am sure if I were to ask you to list your favorite songs from video games there would be a great deal of deviation from those on my list. So I know there is bound to be some disagreement.

Halo Theme – Halo

Once that unmistakable chant from the main theme for the Halo series starts up, you know you are in for a good game. Whether you are playing the solo campaign mode from Halo or in an online multiplayer match, that music at the start sets up the entire feel of the experience you get from Halo.

Time’s Scar – Chrono Cross

While I may like Chrono Trigger as a better game in this series, the opening theme for Chrono Cross just is so beautiful that I can’t help but fall in love with it. With its Celtic-like sound and the way it draws you in with the first verse – Time’s Scar is just an amazing piece of music.

Still Alive – Portal

There is no better feeling than beating Portal and listening to GLADOS sing Still Alive for you. The song is so funny and well written that I have even gotten a few of my non-gaming friends and coworkers to listen to and download the song because of its uniqueness. 

Overworld Theme – The Legend of Zelda

Arguably one of the most recognizable pieces of video game music ever composed, the Overworld theme for the Legend of Zelda has stood the test of time and continues to be a favorite piece of music for many gamers, no matter if they played the first game or not. The music has just managed to strike a chord (no pun intended) with gamers of all ages.

The End Begins – God of War 2

Talk about setting the perfect mood for a game, The End Begins lets you the player know that you are in for one hell of a fun and challenging time as you kill, maim and pillage your way through God of War 2. I even blast the Guitar Hero version of the song, The End Begins (To Rock), in my car on my way to work every so often.

Aerith’s Theme – Final Fantasy VII

I know it is almost cliché to say this, but this selection makes me cry to this day every so often. Never had a scene in a game ever make me cry, but Aerith’s death at the hands of Sephiroth was just so beautifully done, and the music selection perfectly accompanied what was transpiring on the screen.

Enclosure – Metal Gear Solid

This is another song that I took to heart. After the sniper battle with Sniper Wolf in Metal Gear Solid, this touching song plays as Wolf tells Snake her history and why she became what she did. As the song reaches its peak, Snake, at the behest of Wolf, shoots her point blank to end her life and Snake and Otacon are left wondering just what their lives stand for.

Main Theme – Silent Hill

Talk about creepy. The main theme for the first Silent Hill video game was as different as the experience you got out of the game was. It kind of has this Southwestern rock feel to it, but it progresses in a way that makes it almost feel alive and unnerving at the same time. This one is definitely one of my favorites.

Overworld Theme – Super Mario Bros

This theme is another one that can be the argued to be the most recognizable music in gaming. The Overworld theme for Super Mario Bros. played constantly in my head for much of 1986 - actually, for much of 1987 as well. That it was the main theme for arguably the game that introduced video games to the home market didn’t hurt it either.

Prelude – Final Fantasy

It just wouldn’t be a Final Fantasy game without hearing that unmistakable Prelude at the start of each game. The Final Fantasy Prelude is so synonymous with the series that not hearing it in the game would be like having a Final Fantasy game without Chocobos or Moogles.

Simple and Clean – Kingdom Hearts

While many purest would argue that the original Japanese version of Simple and Clean, Hikari, is the better version, I see nothing wrong with liking this version. I like Simple and Clean so much that I even have fond memories listening to this song with my girlfriend in the car while on dates. Oh yeah, that girl, she would eventually become my wife.

Korobeiniki – Tetris

Korobeiniki, or Music Type A for you Tetris, just kind of jumped into a life all its own. So many people played Tetris on the original Game Boy that the song made its way into pop culture by appearing as a dance mix in the 1990s. Not bad for a traditional Russian folk song and my personal favorite from the game. 

Green Hill Zone – Sonic the Hedgehog

For most Sega fans, the theme for Green Hill Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog was the defining song for the Sega Genesis era. I remember even hearing this song in my dreams as a teenager having played way too much Sonic after school. Even to this day, I still have a strong affection for that song and all of its incarnations.

Fear of the Heavens – Secret of Mana

As soon as the Secret of Mana begins, you hear the song Fear of the Heavens and it just manages to draw you in to the game like very few intro songs manage to do. That slow, melodic start before the music jumps in tempo and gets you psyched up to start the game. Fear of the Heavens sticks with you as you play through one of the best RPGs ever made.

Main Theme – Super Smash Bros Brawl

There is just something fun about the whole Main Theme for Super Smash Bros Brawl. From its orchestral tones to the choir singing in the background, the main theme for the game is set perfectly to the intro movie for the game as well. One of the best games on the Wii certainly also had one of the best songs for that system as well. 

Baba Yetu – Civilization IV

If you cannot appreciate the masterful beauty of Baba Yetu in Civilization IV, you have no right calling yourself a video game music fan. Seriously, the sheer perfection that is Baba Yetu (which is actually The Lord’s Prayer in Swahili) is the only song from a video game to ever win a Grammy award. And if those stuck ups at the Grammy’s can appreciate the song, well…

Legends of Azaroth – World of Warcraft

How can you not feel inspired to play the game after listening to Legends of Azaroth when World of Warcraft starts up? The people at Blizzard certainly understand how powerful music in games can be as most of their games have some of the most incredible soundtracks and scores in all of gaming, and fans recognize this as well. 

The Next Door/Indestructible – Street Fighter IV

Have you ever inadvertently fallen in love with a song you hated but pretended to like just to annoy other people? No? Then I must be a special kind of son of a bitch because that is exactly what happened to me with this freaking boy-band/hip-hop mix track that served as the intro song for Street Fighter IV. How it happened, I don’t know, but here I am liking the damn thing.

Main Theme – Bubble Bobble

As great as the songs for Super Mario, Sonic and Zelda were, when I was a young kid, the Main Theme for the arcade game Bubble Bobble was my favorite video game song for the longest time. It was fun, whimsical and upbeat and had the most playful melody I had ever heard. Today, I use a sample of it as the ringtone on my phone for many of my gamer friends and contacts.

Theme – Angry Birds

The Theme for Angry Birds is to my children what the theme for Bubble Bobble was to me – and I love watching them dance to it every time they hear it. It is amazing how much they love the song and can recognize it after just a couple of notes. This marks the start of a new generation of video game music fans in my book. 

Tooth and Claw – Killer Instinct Gold

Tooth and Claw, the Gothic orchestral and chant composition that plays during Sabrewulf’s stage in Killer Instincts Gold, just called out to me the first time I played the game. In fact, it was one of the main reasons why I wanted the Special Edition of the game that came with the soundtrack for the game, Killer Cuts. I love blasting this one in my car at night while driving home.