Top 10 game themes

Yeah I don't you just absolutely love that feeling when a game stars up blasting you with an incredible theme. Its one of the best first impressions possible honestly, because before you even see the game its already grabbing you in and amazing you through audio choice alone. Then your mind is just tuned in and pumped, and the game can just... well kind of do whatever and still have some essence of that great music carry over. 1st impressions aside, it can also just stick with you. It can feel great each time you jump into a game, it can live on in the fanbase as a massively iconic piece, and it can even inspire you to come back when you've since put the game down for a few weeks or longer. The power of music isn't to be downplayed, and its kind of a shame that only every so often is there an amazing theme. Heck quite a bit of the fantastic soundtracks out there are from smaller or less discussed games, and its almost routine now to hear of an indie making a soundtrack more special and personal while waiting on a game like Skyrim to show up with a fantastic soundtrack. Still fantastic performances exist in quite a few places, and its time for me to narrow things down to my favorite 10.... or at least try to. Okay so some basic disclaimers and ground rules:

1. This is for themes. Maybe sometimes I'll do a soundtrack, or best not theme game music, but for now lets talk about game themes, be it explicitly titled or extremely iconic enough to be considered a theme. It also only counts for the game in question, no bending the rules into a character's theme. That being said though, apologies to Duke Nukem, because his amazing theme wont be in since its not actually in the game to the best of my knowledge. This also means some other incredible soundtracks will be left out, including one of my favorites Donkey Kong Country, because honestly the theme itself wasn't as good as the others.
2. I'm doing my best to put these into numbers, but that's really hard and I'm also pretty sure I'll end up leaving out some fantastic themes out there. So like with my (already regretted) characters list this is a situation where I'm sure I'll not truly cover everything
3. Sorry guys, but I'm not a big fan of really old game music. In addition to it being out of my time (late 90's), I just don't see a ton of value in it. I don't hate chiptune stuff or anything (love aqua kitty's soundtrack for example), but there's no theme out there that bests this stuff in my book. Its a popular thing though among gamers, so I guess its just best to warn you that this isn't another one of those classics lists.

10) Trials Fusion

This just has a really feel good vibe when paired with the art style and goal of the game, and is a great way to set it up. Its this strange industrial trance type song with simple but catchy lyrics, and just a strange pumped up sciency sports feel to it. It feels great, and I always pause for a moment to listen to it for a bit. Its not exactly the best thing ever, but its perfect for the game, and feels great to listen to, and is just one of the better themes I've come to remember in recent times. Heck it might be the newest game on the list really.

9) Turok Evolution

For some reason I was considering the nice but slow and interesting industrial theme of Unreal Tournament for this spot when for whatever reason that reminded me of this gem. Its not the kind of theme that stays on your mind, or comes up during this conversation, yet it probably deserves it. Its a really finely made theme that begins with a simple flute, and bursts in with a full on tribal toned orchestra accompanied by the ambiance of the wild and time-less world of the game. Its a great way to start out the game (alongside the animated menu background that you could actually watch for quite some time), and has this strange effect of getting you excited without being consciously aware its the theme that's doing it.

8) Spyro: The Dragon

I'm actually just not sure where to put this one, I feel just as safe putting this at like #3 as I do #9 or so. Spyro's got an incredible soundtrack, but its kind of a weird one and that's what the theme is showing. Its upbeat, has a nice rhythm, great drumming sound, but yet you don't know how to classify it or when it'd be a great time to listen to it. Its not necessarily perfect or odd for the game, it just works and sounds great. Either way though it belongs on the list, and hearing this theme or even so much as a piece of another song that sounds close to this theme puts a smile on my face and makes me not only feel all good about the great times with Spyro, but also just... well listen to it. Its so darn happy in itself. You can put it on as the music in your car on a nice sunny day and it just works and lifts your spirits up. Its a great theme song from an amazing soundtrack, and definitely belongs somewhere on this list, anywhere short of best or last.

7) Two Worlds

I love that this song is actually called "play the game" in title and shows up appropriately at your main menu. Two Worlds is... a very interesting game I guess we could say, but I think it stands a bit underrated and its theme song is one of various areas where that sort of shows. Thing is though I'm not quite sure if I'd put it higher or not, because it is a great theme but a bit slow for the sake of getting you so excited. I merely got to the good part because I was being harassed by the awful DRM, or on the better GOG version simply sorting through options. Its not a fantastic theme in all the ways, but as a song in itself it might just be one of the very best out of this whole list. As a fan of Symphonic metal I just love everything about this song, and it just feels right at home within a fantasy game. Nice operatic vocals, gentle immersive opening pace, awesome climatic rock feel in the later parts, and... well its just great. I actually in part bought the GOG version with the promise of the soundtrack, simply because I loved this song on its own merits, as an actual song. I was actually listening to it off my Vita today. The first time I heard this song I waited for it to loop, and combined with that sweeping map view I just sat there doing nothing on the menu but imagining what would await in a game that started with this amazing theme. As a song its fantastic. I'm just not quite sure its a shining example of how to do a perfect theme though, because of its slower opening, but I guess there's a certain other song guilty of that on this list as well. Lets not get ahead of myself though.

6) Doom 3

This is quite the opposite of TW's theme. Its not quite good enough to go on its own, but as a theme for a game it just absolutely nails the game. Every monster that wants to tear you apart, every crazy gun you pick up, every crazy PDA file you find to uncover the lore, every dark spooky corner with a jump scare, all of that is just felt within the presentation of the menu and this rockin' theme song. Its just perfect for Doom 3! It feels so good to hear it start up, and it just makes me want to go grab some off brand or weird energy drink out of the fridge and prepare to fight demons in some cheesy industrial mid-2000's corridor shooter, and I couldn't ask for a better theme for precisely that kind of game.

5) Skyrim

This is what I was sort of implying from Two Worlds' spotlight. Yet another RPG with an incredible theme in sound, and actually somewhat reminiscent of symphonic metal as well. Its just got that epic scale, and powerful choir vocals, if you managed to fuse the two songs together you'd have a knock-off Epica song. However it also falls into the same trap, and this time I actually did miss it. It wasn't just by accident, or a single rushed entry either, I actually went for over a week of playing without ever hearing the wonders of this theme song. The menu is dull and black with only fog, the music is really slow to even start (and I really mean start, you can actually play the game without even hearing a sound sometimes), and even when it does all you get for bit is the drumming... which just sounds like a generic and rushed choice that could totally be any other game's theme, so given the menu you kind of accept it as that and run off into the game. Meanwhile people were telling me about this legendary theme song I was somehow missing. I even recall asking a friend over at his house if he played skyrim, and he answered by humming it while inviting me to watch him play on the computer, and I was left kind of clueless since I didn't know what the heck he was trying to sing. However one amazing day I put the game on and walked away, only to come back and hear the middle of a masterpiece. I shouldn't have to explain why I feel its so great, it just is. Listen to it.

If anything I guess its not higher on the list because... well honestly it reminds me a bit like this song without the metal, vocals, and same great climax. I was really into listening to Epica at the time (well I still do, they're my favorite band) and this song specifically, and just found Skyrim by comparison to be a lesser version. I just don't listen to it that often, don't feel very compelled by it, and just don't wait on its slow star up. It sounds kind of weird to dismiss it because of that, but its close enough to the stuff I love only to find it not so unique as a game, and yet its not close enough to what I love to truly feel like an amazing stand-alone song (at least Play The Game has a gentle opening pace that sets it apart from straight up symphonic metal). It only made it this high on the list because I can tell a lot of work was put into it, and it truly is still a great theme song.

4) Halo

You should have known this would be on here somewhere. The funny thing is... its actually kind of lost a bit of its value. I guess its just from hearing it so much. However I still can point to every single thing it does right and just really take in and appreciate that feeling it gives off. Those ethereal choir vocals, that long energized opening guitar riff, and that rocking build up, it all just works. Its a piece of nearly all the themes previously mentioned on this list, unified in an amazing way (rocks like Doom, tribal beat like turok, epic choir like skyrim). Its all that more incredible considering I wasn't used to hearing this sort of energetic rock/metal song combined with choirs and orchestra when I originally heard it so many years ago. The best part might just be that the theme feels connected with many other songs in the soundtrack, so its not just a one trick pony but rather a big grand opening into a game that just keeps delivering on such a grand sound paced at just the right moments to make things feel truly special. Love it! Just not quite as much as I probably used to.

3) Awesomenauts

Who wants a video game theme that sounds like a fantastic action packed saturday morning cartoon? YEAAAAAH!!! Awesomenauts is basically what happens when you slap together the art styles of R&C, EarthWorm Jim, and then splash it all in an 80's-90's vibe of saturday morning cartoon style fun. The theme song and intro really show that. However I'll assume people are awesome enough to have played or seen the intro before, yet they might miss out on the great extended version, so I did you the favor of linking it to that. The singing is great, the sound effects feel right with the mood they're pulling off (or the video intro itself), and the pacing of the song just feels perfect. I just really love this song, whether on its own (you have to get used to the sfx, but its still great) or with the game, and it makes me wish we kind of had a real Awesomenauts cartoon to go with it. Its truly one of my favorite themes out of gaming, even if that's because its mocking a cartoon.

2) Dragon's Dogma (original copy)

Another RPG huh? So are you expecting another operatic, or choir driven thing, or will I name drop epica again (haha, I just did)? Nope, surprise! Totally unexpected J-rock song! I've gone ahead and included the trailer/music video form, but in-game its the exact theme just in the start menu. I was absolutely hyped through the roof on this game when it was coming out. However I didn't care about anything other than monsters, and how perfect the combat was going to be. When I got home all excited, and was met with this J-rock ambush, I was even more blown away. You guys did it! You kicked yet another stupid RPG cliche and threw out the boring orchestra crap for something that just plain rocked. You took the right pages out of action games, and gave us an amazing combat driven adventure fantasy game that kicks off with a high energy rock song that just sounds so damn good. I actually ended up listening to this song every single time I started up the game. The entire thing. Every time. It was just one of those things, one of those game rituals I had to commit to because of its quality, it was just that great. I'm not even really a fan of J-rock either, it just took me by surprise as a great song to hear. It was uplifting, instrumentally reminds me a bit more of power metal than rock, and just made me want to go run out in a field and fight monsters with some fantasy sword and magic. Many said it didn't fit the game, but... I dunno, I felt it loosely worked well and I just really enjoyed it. Like Play The Game I grabbed this song for normal listening, but unlike that song its perfectly paced and became a ritual pleasant experience for an already amazing game.

The only terrible thing I can really say about it is that Capcom lost that message and tossed out the theme in the Dark Arisen re-release, which is why I stress that this theme is for the original copy only. Maybe you could argue that its not the real theme, but I think its one of those theme-like songs that went above and beyond expectations and overshadowed the lame opera/harp song as the true iconic theme for Dragon's Dogma. Its one of those themes so good that it became known with the game, and was even mentioned in various reviews. Yeah I'm sure it counts as the game's theme more so than the dull harp thing.

1) Tomb Raiders themes (nearly all of them)

Honestly when Tomb Raider rebooted it went through quite a massive change while still trying to appeal to some of the same adventure fans. I think it managed to do pretty well in a lot of places (once I stopped listening to the idiots telling me it was an alternate uncharted). However if there's one thing they ruined, this and the rest of the musical direction might be the biggest offender. Its slow, soul-less, generic, and a run-of-the-mill movie orchestra toned thing. Its not some iconic theme that stands out, its not memorable, and it only fits the game in a by the scene dramatic sort of way. I don't even remember where it even shows up and I played the game 3 and a half times, They were ashamed to put it in the menu and I can't figure out what scene they tied it to. However this is apparently their "theme" with the tagline backing it. I'm not exactly trying to attack a good game, and the music is serviceable enough to pass. However the step back in the music department just makes this more important as a good theme, and highlights it more as a fantastic contrast. Its a perfect example of not only what an incredible theme can sound like, and how it can be used to shape and mold the ambitions of any game. While its hard to choose an absolute favorite theme, very few have ever felt as powerful to me as Tomb Raider's older themes... which is ironic considering I haven't taken any major part in them apart from Legendary, the reboot, and at least half of Underworld. Yet that's just part of the kick to it, even without knowing the roots of the games as a fan, their theme kind of tells me what its like and commands a strange degree of respect. Well that and it makes for a good first spot because unlike the last 2, its purely made for the game (awesomeanuts tried to mock a cartoon, and DD's was made by a real band) and more of a true theme.

Tomb Raider, especially the 1st, 3rd, and legend, all had an incredible thrill to their theme. It felt mysterious, it felt haunting, it was enchanting and otherwordly, and yet it channeled into that familiar part of your soul that says "I'm ready for an adventure!". The choir in each one is perfect, the ambiance was incredible and dripped with a certain hard to describe but easy to love atmosphere, and it just made you feel empowered to play and be a gamer exploring made up worlds of imagination and enjoyment with surprises, treasure, and monster around the corner. On top of that I guess its also an easier top choice because its one single series that has hit gold with its themes more than once, and it all keeps the same quality and adventure concepts while adding twists to them.

Taking my favorites as an example, the first just sounds really mysterious and gentle while also carrying the previously mentioned enchanting/haunting tones. It keeps things simple and to the point. TR3 has more of an ambiance to it, like there's a wind or energy to the air, but still most of the same basic sound. It picks up a little more, and teases a sense of action or danger, only to end on a far more beautiful sound (instead of just fading, there's more of a peaceful lull to it alongside a ghostly but gentle hum). Legend on the other hand is running on more of its own course completely, yet it strangely... still carries the same qualities. Its still very enchanting, but the big change (other than the familiar melody) is the tone. Its much lighter, less like a tomb feel and more like a globe trotting action adventure (which is what the game is). Its got a feeling of higher stakes and action, but still that distant feeling of mystery. Its got more of a sense in its timeline, like Lara knows what she's doing and is ready for it with more of an experienced outlook on things, but has still yet to see it all. All 3 are amazing themes that fit the tone and feeling of the game within them, but on the whole nearly all the themes are amazing. Its the only game on this list with not just a single great theme, but a franchise built off of a reoccuring and amazing theme whether its remixing the original or coming up with something else that is still very rewarding on your ears.