A bump (there's not enough votes, people!)

This year I didn't really play anything with a soundtrack that I would place in my top 3 (though I at least really liked Seashore War which was already mentioned a few times). I'm a bit sad I put in SMT IV as an honorable mention last year before I finished the game, so now I can't vote for it anymore (as LTTP), that soundtrack is excellent!
So with no actual vote this year, let's go straight to

LTTP. Suikoden 2


Thanks to the PSOne Classics release last year, I was finally able to play this game everyone was raving about without paying a fortune and then some. And not only is it actually a good game, the music's (mostly) great as well! I especially loved the town themes in the game, my favorite one being that one with the spoiler tag (I put it there just in case somewhat doesn't want to know which one's the "imprisoned town"). Since I don't want to bore anybody with why I like each of those themes, here's a list of a couple of good ones (in chronological and soundtrack order):

Sound of People and Birds in a Peaceful Mountain Village (Ryube theme)
Children Are Playing in the Fields (Toto Theme)
Let's Climb That Hill (Muse theme)
If You Listen Carefully (Coronet theme)
Heart-Softening Time (castle theme)
Imprisoned Town ( theme)
Withered Earth (Tinto theme)

And not a town theme, but still a nice song which I only stumbled upon while going through the soundtrack, since it was apparently accidentally cut from the US version:
Orizzonte

But not all town themes are great. This one manages to be awful and annoying at the same time, at least you don't have to hear it very often in the game;
We Are Number Wuff (Kobold Village theme)


That's it from me. This thread could use a few more votes, so get on it, people! Also I still saw a couple of "reserved" posts on the first page, I expect them to become proper votes before the deadline!

Someone PM me if the below is not formatted correctly. I'm not sure I'll find time for a detailed write-up before the polls close, but I had to support the one game soundtrack that outshines all:

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
An incredible work of ambient and upbeat natural sounding songs that match the visuals and tones of the game perfectly.
Seashore War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Boqy0Q-4c_M
Scorch 'N' Torch : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFP4wn0dejc

2. The Banner Saga
This is a really grim and depressing game, and Austin Wintory's soundtrack is a perfect match for the journey your caravan takes over the harsh winter of the world. It's beautiful and solemn, and really makes it feel like these are ancient hymns passed down through generations of people that make up this world.
Onward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg4A3DBLrSA
Cut with a Keen-Edged Sword: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX1_hs9idgk

3. Valiant Hearts
The game deals with some really rough stuff, and the piano tunes that are laid on top are very emotionally effective. Not much to say other than listening to them again is very evocative of the experiences the game puts you through.

Main Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef7X90oyBzU



Honourable Mentions

Divinity: Original Sin
Salvaged from older songs in the same series of games, they really pulled together a fun soundtrack for Original Sin. Some parts upbeat to match the jokey tone, and other parts ethereal to match the scale and wonder of some of the deeper story beats.

Original Sin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8KmAsD0yXc
Mysterious Guest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StLLp4Jgw2o
Power of Innocence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzcnCF8yoRI

Went through thread since I was curious about the tally so far since I've finally made up my mind on what I'm going to vote for.

Current stats:
130 people have cast full ballots.
I have to PM 16 people to get working on their stuff.

130 people is not representative of NeoGAF's current population of nearly 147400 users, so I wanna see more people in here. Tell yo' friends.

Neiteio said:

Someone PM me if the below is not formatted correctly. I'm not sure I'll find time for a detailed write-up before the polls close, but I had to support the one game soundtrack that outshines all:

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Click to expand...

You're fine. Counting everything by hand which means I'm reading everything so formatting is not an issue.

Pardon the goofy comments, I like music and I like writing (sometimes) but I am a bit clumsy at this sort of thing.

I haven't double checked song names, but I'll link to them so that they are at least audibly correct.

1. Divinity: Original Sin - This game surprised me in many ways, and part of that was due the to varied and interesting soundtrack. Lots of light guitar and fun passive themes, but also a battle track that sounds like it belongs in a later fight of a japanese rpg. The music is generally fun, whimsical, matching the tone of the game itself.

• Bittersweet Regrets - One of my favorite tracks in the game. I love the light percussion that persists throughout the song and I enjoy the more staccato string melody compared to some longer more flowery stuff in other parts of the game.
• Original Sin - I love the way this track starts. It feels like I am opening an old but familiar book of a tale told many times. I generally don't care for string instrumentation but I like it here.
• Guardians of Light - Again, I like the way this opens up. for some reason I think it fits with the pace the characters move in the game. Stepping outside and picking a destination, the melody moves a little faster while you're still near the familar, and slows down after a while, likely when you're experiencing a newer, untraveled place, or at least you've gotten yourself on the path towards it.
• Dance of Death - This is a goofy song, and I'm not sure I like the vocalization in it either, but I love how it builds. It's also got similar strings as the first song with a very defined staccato rhythm. I think this song is a good, more muted compliment to..
• Battle Force - It initially took me a while to find this song, because I guess it was a remastered version of an older title that wasn't specifically made for OS. As cheesy as it may be, I like the vocalization here, and it's a great set piece to taking down the various larger bosses and more difficult fights. It is a little silly when it comes up against a battle of something like four skeletons, though, where it seems overdone.
• Power of Innocence - I love piano, second only to bells, and this is probably the most prominent track of the game for that regard. But again, I don't care much for the vocalization later in the track.
  

2. Wolfenstein: The New Order - This game relies on "metal" sounding guitar a bit too much which wasn't surprising but there are still lots of great tracks that were far more memorable than in most first person shooters. I watched a playthrough of Advanced Warfare over the holiday and remember none of its music.

• Zellenblock B-2 - I don't love the twangy guitar in the middle of this, but I love everything else. It has energy, guitar, percussion, but is also pretty melodic (well, at least until the end.)
• Adrift and 14 Years - I actually mostly think of these as one song, as they pretty much just build into each other, and individually they are very short. This song actually sounds a bit similar to some of the Divinity tracks above, now that I listen to them side by side. I guess they have the similar melodies (but no singing here ). This was a great pick for the title card leading into the coma.
• Concrete for Miles I actually don't remember exactly where this plays, but it sounds like perfect we-have-a-plan-let's-get-shit-done theme.
• Ransacked - This song sounds like a bunch of nazis just invaded your home, you're pissed as hell with tears in your eyes (okay maybe not), and you're armed with two shotguns and you just want revenge for your fallen friends. So yeah, it fits. And who couldn't love that guitar and set.
  

I went through and refreshed myself on some of the other titles that released this year that I've seen in the thread (Castlevania, Banner Saga) but those didn't leave as much of an impression on me. So no third vote.


LTTP. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - Well, I didn't play this game until early 2014 because that's when it came out for PC, there's nothing that I can really say here that I'm sure wasn't said in the thread last year, so I, uh, won't. Pretty great stuff.

• The Only Thing I Know For Real - If there's any such thing as an underrated song from this game (there isn't), I think it would be this one. It's weird, because even though the lyrics sound like any old butt-rock, I just love how it builds from the initial percussion licks at the start, and the singing just pushes the edge of losing the melody (and becoming just directional growling) but without passing that point.
• Rules of Nature - What a perfectly energetic and over the top song to start the game with. I absolutely adore the repeated 4 note lick that punctuates (not literally) the whole song,and I think the voice modification for the vocalist works wonderfully.
• A Stranger I Remain [Instrumental] - I don't love the voiced version of this track, but I love this one. I starts out very melodic and then goes into just enough wub-wubbing to find something interesting to do, if that makes sense, without compromising the whole song.
• It Has to be Be This Way - This was actually the first song I heard from this game, when the pc version was a twinkle in Platinum's eye. On its own, its not very remarkable, but the interestingly absurd and kooky final part of the game it plays in, along with being my first interaction with the game in any form, always brings it to the front of my mind when thinking about Rising.

Honorable Mention: Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster - Wanted to just list some tracks that I thought were improved from this version. Also any reason to list the X-2 title music.

• Memories of Waves & Lights - Okay, that's out of the way.
• Real Emotion - ...just kidding
• To Zanarkand - Great track that sounds just as great in the remaster. I know very little about music recording, and I dunno if in either case of the game which version is a real instrument or not, but this version sounds cleaner to me (even if that means it's more highly manipulated, I just don't have the savvy to tell that sort of thing.
• Otherworld - "DID YOU KNOW RAMSTEIN DID A SONG FOR FFX" :|
• Luca - My favorite city track in the game, and I like how the remaster makes it feel more..I'm not sure, fanciful?
• Challenge-Seems to be an unpopular opinion going by the youtube comments on that video, but I like the new version of challenge.
  
  I really disliked the changes to Thunder Plains, Seymour Battle, Enemy Attack and Hurry.
  

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

2. Danganronpa Series

3. Super Smash Bros Wii U

1) Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star

For me, this game wins by a landslide. The music in this game is utterly gorgeous and captivating. I'd post links to the entire soundtrack if I could, but I'll just put a few of my favorites here.

Class::CIEL_N_PROTECTA

Class::EXPAJA

em-pyei-n vari-fen jang

Class::XIO_PROCEED

Minakata

Requiem

Ashihara

Exchanged Words

To the Songless Hill




2) Bravely Default

It's like the composer Revo took all the best parts of Final Fantasy and all the best parts of Lunar and meshed them into one of the best JRPG OSTs ever. Sublime music.

Conflict's Chime

That Person's Name is...

Fighting to the End

Below the Duchy's Banner




3) Shovel Knight

This is just a soundtrack that gobsmacked me! It not only sounds like the music of my youth, in many ways it feels improved and fresh! An amazing game with an amazing OST.

La Danse Macabre

The Defender

The Fateful Return

This thread has not enough posts! DK is going to win but I still want to see some gaffers' opinions!

I always forget there was a new Ar Tonelico (kind of) last year. I have to get that sometime.

Oh my gosh, Dark Schala is alive! Haven't seen you in ages.

I just saw this thread and only intended to view it. Lot's of DKC: TF love.

Don't know if I'll make a list or not. I really don't know what my picks are. I liked a lot of stuff, but I don't know how I'd rank them. lol. I'm just curious what the results will be.

I wonder if DKC will obliterate the competition harder than even Metal Gear Rising did last year.

1. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Patches: 2.2 Through the Maelstrom, 2.3 Defenders of Eorzea, 2.4 Dreams of Ice) - Masayoshi Soken



Design work for an MMO is probably one of the toughest jobs you could have in the industry. It's not a one and done deal like a lot of normal games, where you arrange something for the player to have to go through a single time. MMO content usually has players repeatedly play said content over and over and over until they've gotten what they want out of it, so it takes a lot of effort to design a piece of content that remains fun no matter how many times you repeat it. It's also really easy to miss the mark on, as we often see a lot of lofty MMOs these days that fall flat on their face after only months of having launched due to having set unrealistic expectations for themselves.

Music composition for MMOs is no different. Would you really be up to running Super Rad Dungeon #14 you had to listen to this every time you played it? The music that goes along with content goes a long way in keeping players attached to certain setpieces and battles, as everyone posting in this thread would know, and its no different for MMOs. As someone that's been continuously playing Final Fantasy XIV: ARR since it's release last year, I have to give credit where credit is due: Masayoshi Soken might just be the best composer Square Enix has among their staff. Since the game's launch, Soken has done track after track of fantastic compositions for everything from dungeons, boss battles to seasonal events, even having to use his own vocals to for the lyrics to one of the boss battles, all the while fitting to the cutthroat schedule of MMO development.

Ranging everything from to spooky scary themes to a redone Battle on the Big Bridge to the catchiest song you can spend 3 hours listening to, the FFXIV OST requires a lot of different types of music, all of which Soken eagerly goes up to bat for and knocks out of the park to create memorable themes fitting for any event and scenario. The decision to move Soken up from composing music for random sports games to headlining SE's major mainline Final Fantasy is great for every music fan. Masayoshi Soken is definitely a composer to look out for in years to come.

The Dark's Embrace
Thunder Rolls
Through the Maelstrom
Fat Chocobo
Syrcus Tower

2. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc - Masafumi Takada, Satoshi Iwase



With both Danganronpa and its sequel releasing here in the same year, it was hard to select both which game I liked more and whose music I dug the most. Similarly to my votes on the games themselves, the original Danganronpa slightly edges out its sequel due to giving me more of what I look for in the genre. Creepier, darker, and slightly more cohesive.

A good visual novel has music that works together with the writing to set the tone for whatever situation is currently happening. When a certain theme kicks in, you know something's about to go horribly wrong. When another song starts, it instantly puts you into an investigative mood. Danganronpa's soundtrack succeeds at this, but a lot of the tracks in it are also really good at setting the tone for the overall ambiance: this is a killing game from which there is no escape. A lot of the soundtrack is melancholic, reflective, desperate, insane, and sometimes even slightly uncomfortable. Should this really be the music playing while a character is being brutally murdered? Danganronpa seems to think so, and I'm not one to question a game this insane.

Beautiful Dead
BOX 15
Thousand Knocks
Discussion -BREAK-
Beautiful Days

3. Drakengard 3 - MONACA, Keiichi Okabe



This game is a rollercoaster in every sense of the word. I went in feeling really hopeful and excited, got taken a really dumb and crazy ride and came out confused, perplexed, and in reflection of if the price of admission to it was worth it. Knowing the directive traits of Taro Yoko, the man behind the previous two games and Nier, it was probably all on purpose (and I'll probably be first in line for whatever crazy thing he does next).

I can't really say the same for the sountrack though, which goes in hard from the beginning and doesn't let up until right at the end (where it unleashes a redux of the industry's cruelest rhythm game). Taro wanted a sense of contrast to be perceived through the music, of both gentleness and intensity, and it comes through very well in the majority of the game's tracks. While I wished they went with the same experimental direction the first game's soundtrack took, Drakengard 3 is nonetheless a solid piece of work, probably better than the game its from... unless that too was a design choice by Taro.

Thundervalor
Kuroi Uta - The Black Song
The Rising Fool / Phanuel
The Final Song ~ Black Song, White Scales
Exhausted 3

Honorable Mentions: "You're Winner!" Award

Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus - Mutsumi Ishimura, Akihi Motoyama, Tatsushi Hayashi



I didn't expect to like this game's music as much as we did, but here we are. Call me a sucker for the typical shamisen chords used in a lot of games rife with Japanese culture and the like, plus the occasional really rockin' track.

For Father and Mother
Super Duper Masochism
Shadow and Light

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth - Ridiculon



I was a bit apprehensive about this remake replacing the entirety of Danny B.'s fantastic work on the original version, but Ridiculon did a really good job in creating an unsettling score that fits the "fucked up"-ness of Isaac. It takes repeat hearings to catch all the little things happening in each song, so its an album that I've warmed up to since the game's release.

Genesis 22:10
Duress
Matricide

Demon Gaze - Naoaki Jimbo



This game's soundtrack is gonna be hit or miss for a lot of people. I didn't think it would fall on my good side, but I ended up finding the vocaloid synth tracks rather catchy, and I still listen to songs from it on occasion.

Natural Born Dolls
Eden of the Monarch
Deadman's Home

Worst Soundtrack: The Yoshi Clan Award

MIND≒0 - ZIZZ STUDIO



There is not one redeeming thing about this soundtrack (or the game for that matter). Zilch. Zero. Nada. Every single track in the game is as generic and carbon copied as the cast of the game, not to mention a myriad of game issues make some otherwise forgettable tracks incredibly annoying to listen to. While there isnt any individual track I could single out as truly awful, it's the combination of monotony from the soundtrack that makes it a real bore to listen to. For excelling in the field of being utterly boring, Mind Zero gets my vote as 2014's worst soundtrack.

Berserk Machine
Cityscape
Undertaker
Picture Book ~In the Dark Fantasy~
Theater ~Cesky Krumlov~

The Xtortionist said:

I wonder if DKC will obliterate the competition harder than even Metal Gear Rising did last year.

Click to expand...

I definitely feel a landslide victory incoming for Tropical Freeze.

1. Super Smash Bros for WiiU

Destroyed Skyworld

2. Bayonetta 2


3. Destiny


I don't have much time to go looking for more specific songs, but most of my favorites have already been listed anyway.

1. Shovel Knight - I wasn't going to vote but there's something about this soundtrack that convinced me to at least mention it. Virt really did a good work at providing many unique and catchy tunes, and the couple of tracks that Matsumae composed were wonderful too.

• High Above the Land - Just by hearing this track I can imagine myself in a flying machine thanks to the rhythms that remind of propellers in the middle of the track. A great sample of how to incorporate details of the level's theme in a composition.
• No Weapons Here - I love the start of the song as it welcomes to enjoy the rest of the theme. It's more grandiose than your typical town theme and I appreciate it.
• A Thousand Leagues Below
• La Danse Macabre

Grexeno said:

I definitely feel a landslide victory incoming for Tropical Freeze.

Click to expand...

No doubt, I just wonder how big the gap will be between 1st and 2nd.

Now thiiiiis is what I wanted to seeeee~. Thanks to everyone who's voted so far.

Some really neat writeups posted recently, too. I enjoyed reading through them and I can tell that a few of you had some fun writing them. It's super-great to see.

Spirit Icana said:

Oh my gosh, Dark Schala is alive! Haven't seen you in ages.

I just saw this thread and only intended to view it. Lot's of DKC: TF love.

Don't know if I'll make a list or not. I really don't know what my picks are. I liked a lot of stuff, but I don't know how I'd rank them. lol. I'm just curious what the results will be.

Click to expand...

Nice to see you too! Less time to post these days, I'm afraid! Got a lot of game time in last year, though (record 90+ games played/80+ beaten).

Would be cool if you listed something, but you have little time, that's okay too.

I'm swamped right now, so I'm not going to write anything special, I suck at writing about music anyway.
This year I barely had the time for anything that wasn't on a Nintendo console, at least 2014 releases and I didn't happen to pay a lot of attention to other OSTs. They're not original choices, but there's a reason for that: they're really, really good.

1 - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze



I mean, what can I say? This is one of those soundtracks that fit perfectly with the game and make it even better, whether you're talking about moody levels, a desperate race or a happy-go-lucky place, the music is always just right.
David Wise delivered the relaxing and slightly lonely style from the SNES trilogy music, but didn't over rely on it, there's nostalgia and tradition in the soundtrack as well as a lot of new, brilliant ideas.

Believe the hype.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Soundtrack - Emmentaler Stollen
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Soundtrack - Wing Ding
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Soundtrack - Canopy Chaos
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze Soundtrack - Mangrove Cove (Underwater)

2 - Mario Kart 8

Ah that sweet, sweet Jazz. I totally wasn't expecting this soundtrack to be so delicious, I can't race a kart without a Big Band playing anymore, it just sounds so good, so powerful and so... fun!

Main Theme/Title Screen
Toad Harbor
Dolphin Shoals
Bowser's Castle

Staff Credits

3 - Super Smash Bros for Wii U

Honestly, this doesn't get 1st place because it kind of cheats, it's composed mostly of remixes and the such and it uses a lot of tracks from the old games. But the tracklist is so, so good and in a game that celebrates Nintendo's legacy, why throw away perfectly great music? And the new remixes? God damn, it has some amazing ones!

The valedictory elegy - Super Smash Bros. (3DS & Wii U) Music Extended
Fortress Boss Remix (Super Mario World) - Super Smash Bros. (3DS & Wii U) Music Extended
Mega Man 2 Medley - Super Smash Bros. 3DS
Destroyed Skyworld - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Music Extended

Honorable Mentions
No time for write-up or llinks

Shovel Knight
Persona Q
Dark Souls 2
Transistor
Bayonetta 2
Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire
Kirby Triple Deluxe

1. Child of Light
2. Final Fantasy X HD Remaster
3. Destiny

LTTP. Super Amazing Wagon Adventure

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze because DAVID WISE MAN

2. Super Smash Bros. Wii U

3. Shovel Knight

Wish I could contribute, but I usually turn music off in all games.

1. Dragon Age: Inquisition
2. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
3. The Wolf Among Us

1) Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
I'm extremely biased because it has Xenoblade music. The new Smash Bros has such a memorable soundtrack, bringing together new and old songs alike. It feels like it has something for everyone to enjoy. I'm pretty much cheating by putting this game on the top, but I was really feeling the entire OST. The valedictory elegy
Xenoblade Chronicles Medley
Super Mario World Medley
Destroyed Skyworld
The Great Cave Offensive
Final Destination Ver. 2

2) Bayonetta 2
Man, I could go on and on with Bayonetta 2, but I'm hear to talk about the OST, and it is fantastic. Every track flows and fits with whatever cuhrayzee action is going on. I find myself humming Moon River every now and then now...
Moon River
Tomorrow is Mine
Legend of Aesir

3) Kirby Triple Deluxe
Super underrated game, and especially underrated soundtrack. The entire game is cheerful and charming...and then you have epic songs like Moonstruck Blossom and dammmnn. Really glad I gave the OST a strong listen to when I was finished with the game. Oddly can't get enough of it.
Moonstruck Blossom
Masked Dedede
Hypernova

Honorable mentions: Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Bravely Default, Mario Kart 8

Gosh dang it, it took me forever to figure out my top 3. There were a lot of deliberations, and I went back and listened to nearly every OST I could. I flipped around a lot, but I'm confident in my choices now. Without further ado:

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Original, right? I know a lot of people have picked this so far, but it really is such a great soundtrack. I personally never played much of the old DKC games as a kid, so I can't really cling to nostalgia as the reason I love this soundtrack so much. The real reasons? Diversity and Complexity. The soundtrack has such a wide variety of music styles, yet they all fit within the game perfectly. They also heavily tie into the levels you play them on and are a crucial part of the atmosphere. I think what also makes this soundtrack great is how original it is. David Wise working on Donkey Kong could have easily just pumped out a few remixes of his older work and called it a day, and it still would have been a lot of people's favorite soundtrack. Instead, he does an outstanding job of calling back to his older work while constantly letting it be its own thing. The times where he does bring back a remix are tasteful, and the tunes are often blended into another original song. As for complexity, I'm referring to how David Wise usually uses a variety of layers in each song, creating really stellar beats. The game also uses this to great effect in that it can drop or add different layers depending on the situation you're in in the game. That layered sound, coupled with the variety and originality of the compositions, are what really sets this soundtrack apart from the rest this year. It's really something else, and I have no qualms putting it in my top spot.

Required listening: Busted Bayou, Big Top Bop, Scorch N' Torch, Forest Folly

2. Shovel Knight

Retro platformers and chiptune soundtracks are starting to become very stale in the independent scene. We get it, you loved Mega Man, you loved Castlevania. So then, why is it that Shovel Knight shows up in my top 3 when the genre is clearly saturated? Because: much like Shovel Knight itself, it completely stands on its own while perfectly capturing the feeling of what it's trying pay homage to. In fact, I'd say it bests a lot of my old favorites. Jake Kaufman has to be called out here for providing his best work yet, really creating a soundtrack that acts as if it's already been in the industry for 20 years. It's adventurous, it's mysterious, but most importantly, it's confident. It can honestly be put right next to the Mega Mans and the Castlevanias. It's not just a homage, it's a competitor.

Required Listening: The Rival, An Underlying Problem, The Betrayer

3. Bravely Default

Real talk: I stopped playing Bravely Default about halfway through because honestly, the writing gets to be pretty trash and the game proves kind of repetitive. I ended up finishing it nearly a year later. What was it that drew me back? The soundtrack. Boasting insanely high production values and an upbeat tempo that would leave other RPG soundtracks gasping for breath, the BD soundtrack manages to still maintain that classic retro feel that most of the game strives for. It's different, to be sure, but it still has that proud, triumphant, and slightly maniacal sound Final Fantasy was known for back in day. Beating the game is almost worth it just for the final two boss themes alone, they're that good!

Required Listening: Wicked Flight, Serpent Eating the Ground, Love's Vagrant, Land of Glaze

----

Honorable Mentions - gotta call em out!

Wolfenstein: The New Order - Ransacked - Why does Wolfenstein have such a surprisingly nuanced soundtrack?! Also notable: Germanized versions of popular 60's songs. It's a cute touch.

Mario Kart 8 - Mother. Fucking. Sax. - How sad is it that one of the best versions of Mute City is in a Mario Kart game?

Super Smash Bros Wii U & 3DS - A lot of songs, can't really link 'em all. Megaman made out real good, though!

Luftrausers - Notable because of the way it tied song layers to machine parts. What a great idea!

ALMOST FORGOT: It's the Year of the Sax, so I have to include this incredible song from D4. I can't quite include D4, since I didn't really play it, but goddamn this song is good: Theme of D4.

Year of the Sax!!!

TWILT said:

and then you have epic songs like Moonstruck Blossom and dammmnn.

Click to expand...

You know, funny thing about Moonstruck Blossom... when I finished Kirby Triple Deluxe last year, I posted a bit about the music in the Kirby Music Appreciation thread. I was a bit apprehensive about that piece because the lead samples are split 50/50 on whether I like them or not, and if I felt that way, I felt like some folks might feel weird about the lead sample too.

I still feel that way about the lead "voice" sample, but I really truly enjoy that theme because you don't usually hear a lot of slower-paced final boss themes in Kirby lately.

I especially enjoy the arrangement of Moonstruck Blossom on the Club Nintendo OST that they released last year. As I had suspected when I heard it, the samples truly held the original game theme back since the general bones of the composition are perfectly fine and ripe for arrangement. I took a shine to this fan arrangement one last summer, for example.

I think it may go without saying that Kirby's somewhere on my entire list (ie: top 3, hms, personal awards) since I posted about it in the series' music thread so I'll save a bulk of my writeup for later.

1. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die
(Theme of D4 | Compulsive Desire | Arousal | Neuron)
D4's OST is bizzare and weirdly appropriate in the context of the game. Swery is a genius.

2. Transistor
(Paper Boats | The Spine | We All Become | In Circles | Old Friends)
Transistor is the 2014 OST I consistently listen to as an actual album. Darren Korb is probably a genius.

3. Bayonetta 2
(Tomorrow is Mine | Moon River (∞ Climax Mix))
Bayonetta 2 has those two songs I can't stop listening to.

Honourable Mentions

x. Luftrausers
(Heavy | Stalker)
Luftrausers sounds mean as hell. These tracks would be on my work out playlist if I worked out.

LTTP Vote

x. Persona 3
(During the Test... | Battle for Everyone Souls | Living With Determination)
Persona 3's OST is one of the best out there, just like Persona 4. I feel like an idiot for taking so long to play this.

Final Regrets: I wish I finished Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. I also wish they released the OST officially. From the bits I've played, it sounds like some real Donkey Kong Country music. The two Danganronpa games have fantastic OSTs as well. I don't know any of the tracks though. Same goes for Wolfenstein.

1. Shovel Knight ; This is easily my top pick for "Strike The Earth" alone, but the whole soundtrack is fantastically hummable.




2. Luftrausers ; The game itself didn't grab me nearly as much as I'd hoped it would, but when that part of the soundtrack kicks in a couple of minutes into a round: IT'S TIME TO RAUS.




3. The Talos Principle ; The relaxing, atmospheric tunes that play while puzzle-solving your way to eternal life are exactly what this game required in the music department - no more, no less.


Honorable:

x. Crypt of the Necrodancer ; Not actually out yet, but already an amazing OST. Will get a big fat vote from me next year, for sure.

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

First place was really easy for me to decide this year. A lot of game soundtracks I fall in love with are due to a few standout pieces of music, but with Tropical Freeze that happened with nearly every track to my own amazement. The music is so perfectly woven into each stage and challenge, yet never resides to being mere background noise. David Wise's music has lent so much life and personality to the DKC series, but even I couldn't expect that his return would usher in a soundtrack that rivaled the originals.

Notable Tracks:
Wing Ding
Amiss Abyss
Forest Folly

2. Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney

I've enjoyed the soundtracks of both Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney games beforehand, but this felt like something new altogether. Neither series' compositions feel out of place here and instead work to complement the situations and settings of this game perfectly. While crossover games tend to have great remixes in their soundtrack, this game in particular stands out above the rest because the soundtrack fits a new experience altogether instead of simply relying on the old.

Notable Tracks:
Main Theme
Cornered ~ Spell-Breaker
The Witches' Theme ~ Chase

3. Mario Kart 8

Music in Mario games has always been among my favorite in gaming since it always evokes the fun and whimsical nature of the games themselves. Mario Kart 8's soundtrack is no exception as each track has its own personality brought out through the music whether it be relaxed, magical, or aggressive. I would be lying if I didn't say that some of my favorite tracks had a strong influence on which courses I played on.

Notable Tracks:
Electrodrome
Mount Wario
Cloudtop Cruise

LTTP: Xenoblade Chronicles

This game's soundtrack blew me away. It was fast paced and over the top to complement the action on screen, while having a sense of adventure and scale to correspond with the game's massive world. Despite having taken 70 hours for me to beat it, I never bored of listening to the battle themes in this game for a second.

Notable Tracks:
You Will Know Our Names
Mechanical Rhythm
Engage the Enemy

Dark Schala said:

You know, funny thing about Moonstruck Blossom... when I finished Kirby Triple Deluxe last year, I posted a bit about the music in the Kirby Music Appreciation thread. I was a bit apprehensive about that piece because the lead samples are split 50/50 on whether I like them or not, and if I felt that way, I felt like some folks might feel weird about the lead sample too.

I still feel that way about the lead "voice" sample, but I really truly enjoy that theme because you don't usually hear a lot of slower-paced final boss themes in Kirby lately.

I especially enjoy the arrangement of Moonstruck Blossom on the Club Nintendo OST that they released last year. As I had suspected when I heard it, the samples truly held the original game theme back since the general bones of the composition are perfectly fine and ripe for arrangement. I took a shine to this fan arrangement one last summer, for example.

I think it may go without saying that Kirby's somewhere on my entire list (ie: top 3, hms, personal awards) since I posted about it in the series' music thread so I'll save a bulk of my writeup for later.

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I personally feel it was perfectly fine with the fauxcals (BOOM! MADE UP A WORD), as they're great cadence, and that matters much more than what's said when it's wordless, gibberish, or a language you can't understand.

That remix link does wierd things with my headphones, though. Feels like the tinny high notes bounce around in my skull before stopping, and not in a pleasent way. A very harsh mixing.

1.The Banner Saga
A lot of the music in this game reminds me of lord of the ring and has a sort of age to it, like I'm hearing something from a long forgotten age. I remember enjoying Cut with a Keen-Edged Sword a lot, as well as We Will Not Be Forgotten. Their are probably better examples but these are the names I could come up with on limited time. Anything with people singing in a non-English language is great.

2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
.Home Coming Hijinx, was super epic
.Grassland Groove, just makes me happy, probably has something to do with watching a lot of lion king growing up

Did a prelim count since I was curious (and wanted to lessen my load on Sunday) and we've got an interesting spread so far.

Hopefully now that GotY is over, we might get some more votes in.

SatelliteOfLove said:

A very harsh mixing.

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That's probably it. Bummer. The MP3 I ripped was okay. :/

1. Shovel Knight
That this game was such an incredible experience that appealed to (yet without overly pandering to) my inner nostalgic childhood was really a surprise to me, and far and away my go-to game as proof that Kickstarter is ultimately a service for good, if done right. But what I also wasn't expecting was to fall entirely in love with the soundtrack as much as I do. It really speaks to Jake Kaufman's talent that he can share music credits with the legendary Manami Matsumae and yet produce music which I think surpasses hers in this particular situation. From the epic and heroic to the jaunty and whimsical, this covers everything. Particularly my favourites include Clockwork Tower, The Flying Machine and Requiem of Shield Knight, but honorable mentions go to allsorts, including the Hall of Champions Boss, Watch Me Dance!, the Troupple King Waltz, Fighting with All of Our Might... The list is endless. I could gush on about how distinctively Capcom-ey it sounds. It's amazing, and so is the game.

2. Mario Kart 8
I'm loving the fact that Nintendo is now introducing more live orchestration pieces in the Mario series, and I love that it is going in a jazz direction too. This game is packed to the brim with astounding presentation value, and the soundtrack has been spared no expense, all starting with a fancy theme tune that eventually dives into the SNES original's. Out of the entire track, I think my favourite of the NEW tracks is a mix of Shy Guy Falls, Dolphin Soals, Bowser's Castle and Cloudtop Cruise, but I think I can't go without mentioning some of the awesome remixes (Moo Moo Meadows, Wario Gold Mine and, of course, N64 Rainbow Road).

3. Smash Bros. for 3DS/Wii U
Brawl started off a trend of an all-star listing of amazing video game composers lending their talents to the soundtrack, and this one is just an extension of that. Though there feels like a disappointingly large number of returning tracks, in truth there's more than enough new and amazing tunes to tune out to when you're not getting your head kicked in by Fox or Sheik. No contest, though, my favourite of the new tracks has to be Magicant/Eight Melodies from the 3DS version's Mother stage of the same name. Coming completely by surprise, this gorgeous stage set in a dreamy landscape of walking trees delights with an equally dreamy remix of the seminal Eight Melodies tune that makes Mother so beloved. We also get an awesome taster of Yoshi's Wooly World's music and some kicking Mega Man remixes thrown in too, particularly Quick Man/Heat Man.


Honourable Mentions: I really didn't play many games in 2014 due to money problems, so my honourable mentions are going to be really slim pickings. Dark Souls 2 had kind of a meh soundtrack, except for the really haunting tune that plays when you meet King Vendrick That was a good one.

LTTP: Payday 2

Got to play a lot of this for the first time this year, the music is really awesome and pumped - too bad I hardly have time to focus on it during most levels!

1. Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning Returns;



2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze;



3. Transistor;



Honorable Mentions:

Super Smash Bros. 4 Wii U; Didn't seem right to put this titan with 400+ remixes and new soundtracks in the running since it incorporates 20+ years of video game history in its soundtrack, giving it an unfair edge.




LTTP:


Fire Emblem: Awakening (2012);
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013);

1. Donkey Kong Country Tropic Freeze
Amiss Abyss is the stuff of legend.
Homecoming Hijinx just fit so well with what was going on.
Windmill Hills such a great sense of nostalgia, it felt like I was 10.

2. Bravely Default
You Are My Hope to start it off.
Love's Vagrant only adding to it made me so hype
That Person's Name is always made Asterik battles fun, despite the prevalence.

3. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
Battle! (Lorekeeper Zinnia) was such an exciting "start" to the "end".
Battle! (Deoxys) made for the most exciting "final Pokemon" battle.
Rival's Theme is probably the best yet.

x. Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth
Footsteps of Time made for the most exciting dungeon crawl ever.

Dark Schala said:

Did a prelim count since I was curious (and wanted to lessen my load on Sunday) and we've got an interesting spread so far.

Hopefully now that GotY is over, we might get some more votes in.


That's probably it. Bummer. The MP3 I ripped was okay. :/

Click to expand...

Yah, that was the only thing wrong. That just kept climbing into a resonant ringing for whatever reason.

1. Luftrausers: someone in the Giant Bomb thread described this soundtrack as sounding like "a computer farting". Well, to steal another GAF phrase, I would drag my balls through half a mile of glass just to take a whiff.

2. Crypt of the Necrodancer: Incredible soundtrack that directly affects the gameplay, and just when you think it can't get any better, the shopkeeper starts singing.

3. Wolfenstein: The New Order: Maybe the soundtrack itself was not the most memorable, but those alternate versions of famous songs were fucking awesome.

Huh, I figured DKC would obliterate. Interesting that there's a spread!

Falk said:

Huh, I figured DKC would obliterate. Interesting that there's a spread!

Click to expand...

Well, to be honest, first place is mostly a foregone conclusion. This is mostly like GotY 2013 where the most interesting part of the stat analysis is what's going to take the three places beneath that.

...therefore, if more people get their votes in, the race for those places will be more interesting than they are now.

In the main Top 3 vote alone, people have voted for 58 different soundtracks, and I think that's also more interesting since it's demonstrative of the fact that some folks explored what's out there this year. There are 63 different honourable mention soundtracks so far. Finally, which soundtrack leads the LTTP vote is a fairly close vote! Would be neat if someone else voted LTTP this year and we had a tie for that one. For the LTTP vote, those who've voted have played 24 different older games altogether. If anyone would like to take on an LTTP vote to their already-made ballot, they certainly can.

I'd also like to say that if you're voting for an LTTP game, I'm taking the first one you list and giving it points. So if you wanted points given to a soundtrack, list it first. I'm still writing in that you listed other soundtracks but I'm not assigning a numeric value for them for the calculation at the end of each row.

1. Soul Sacrifice Delta
From sorrowful opera music that just made you want to stay in the menus forever, to catchy tavern piano music, to boss tracks that will get your ass in gear, Soul sacrifice delta definitely has the best track of the year. Definitely a game that deserves to rank somewhere on this list, but I doubt it will as not many people have played it.

Favorite tracks:
A certain Magicians Life
Jet Black Justice
For whom the money tolls


2. Daganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Music worth arguing to any day of the week. Warning on the youtube links, don't look at recommended videos if you haven't played the game as there might be spoilers. To be honest I'm kinda disappointed that this isn't mentioned more in this thread

Favorite Tracks:
Final investigation music

Daganronpa Theme Music

Debate -Heat Up-


3. Divinity: Original Sin
Didn't like this game much beyond the battle system(I'm sorry), but it had some fun music.

Disclaimer: Cross-posting particular pieces from my GOTY post because some of it is relevant to this thread. Said information shall be in quotes.

Introduction:

As I mentioned in the GOTY thread, one aspect I took heavily into consideration this year was if the game provided me with an "Idle Moment". These rare moments occur when I find myself putting the controller down to reflect and think about what I have just seen/experienced on screen. It's typically some sort of cool event/scene that pushes me over the edge and it's almost 100% of the time accompanied by a killer tune. This is somewhat of a personal benchmark I created for myself over the past few years as a way to help me decide which games resonated with me the most during the year. Fortunately, I had David Young on the case to help me dive into the past and sort out my thoughts!

1. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die
(Bandcamp : David Young Disc; Bandcamp : Little Peggy Disc)
MANYO, TECHNOuchi, Rio Okano, Atsushi Yamaji

D4 was my everything of the year. If I had to be honest, I think a big reason as to why I enjoyed the game so much was due to its soundtrack. There's just so much variety, so much instrumentation and a lot of the music simply makes me feel nostalgic about my youth and the games I played/enjoyed when I was younger. So, instead of pretending to think I know what I'm talking about when it comes to the intricacies/technicalities of music, I'm going to direct my discussion more towards how particular songs made me feel and what a lot of this music reminded me of. Like with most games, there are a bunch of tracks in D4 that aren't particularly interesting to listen to outside of hearing them when you're actually playing the game (like the in-game shop music or that dissonant piece that plays during a particular scene). With that said, there were a handful of tunes on both albums that severely struck a cord with me, so I'll be focusing on them instead.



David Young's Perspective: The moment I realized I was playing something special was when I first heard the Theme of D4. The first time you hear this is when you're introduced to the cast of D4, or what's essentially the title-card display/introductory scene. It not only encapsulates the passion and love for this game and its characters, but it also somehow captures the essence of a late 90's/early 2000's TV cop-drama theme song, perfectly executed right down to the camera cuts and everything (also see the even better live version). Then there's Detective of the Past. What's interesting about this piece is that I didn't really think I was going to like it as much as I did when I first heard it. The way it starts kind of rubbed me the wrong way (something to do with that type of guitar sound, the wa-wa shit just isn't my thing), but once the base lines begin, the flute starts a playing, and the drums roll in, as Little Peggy would have said (as what was presumably her final moments on earth),"...it's like I've grown wings." Calling is another good one too. It's just a simple, but pretty piano piece that accompanies David's monologues at the start of each episode. There's some nice strings towards the end as well and it sort of puts the player into David's shoes as it generally has an inquisitive-like nature to it. Of course, there's also the ever-so-popular Drank Dead DOM Die, but the song kind of speaks for itself and enough drinks have been spilled over this track, so I'll leave it at that, ha!



Little Peggy's Perspective: I think between the two albums, I prefer the selection on Peggy's disk. I don't really know how to describe Arousal, but I fucking love it. I don't know if it's the lyrics, the angelic hymns mixed in during the song or what, it's just intoxicating for me. I feel that the actual content of the lyrics holds a lot of significance to the events that preceded D4, but its true meaning is something we'll probably never truly understand. Previously on D4 is my jam. This song more or less speaks for itself as it raises your energy levels and pumps you up for the coming episode all while highlighting the most important events prior to the next experience. Steps Ahead is actually one of my favorite tracks in the entire game. While it's just another nice piano melody, there's this air of innocence at play, which perfectly fits the scenario/scene where you first hear this. A Solitary Shadow is a song that makes me feel extremely nostalgic. There's something about where the piano goes (particularly from 50 seconds to 1:38) that reminds me of the days when I first played Xenogears (and even Saga, to some extent), which are some of my best gaming memories from my younger days. From there, the guitar slides back in and showcases, what I like to call, that distinctive Tenchu-like guitar sound that just puts me back in time. So fucking good.

My Little Peggy...where do you even begin? What's funny is that you only hear this song for a brief second or two, so the first time I heard it in full was when I downloaded/bought the album. What the fuck is this song considered, actually? Excuse my ignorance, but it sounds like something from the 60's, like something my grandmother would have listened to, ha! While it's certainly a style (or era) of music that I wouldn't normally listen to (or clearly have much knowledge of), I consider it a guilty pleasure within the context of the game. Speaking of guilty pleasures, there's also Only Love, which plays during the credits sequence of Episode 2. I don't know if I should think this is super cringe-town-deluxe, feel embarrassed or what, but I like it in the same way that I like Symphony of the Night's I am the Wind and Xenogear's Small Two Pieces, if that makes any sense. Hey, fuck you too!

Idle Moment I - Chilling in David's Apartment, Spinning Some Records, & Tweeting SWERY In Traffic.
Upon clearing the first episode, I decided to purchase a few in-game records. I just wanted to sit, chill and reflect on what I had just seen, as I wasn't emotionally ready to move onto the next episode. Up until that point, the game was just hitting all the right notes for me. It was exactly the kind of game that I was looking for all year. If there was ever a game that released at the "right time" for me, it was D4. So, I just sat there on my couch, spun A String on the record player, and fixed David's perspective on the window looking out to the Boston streets below. I just remember feeling so at ease with everything, watching not only the leaves fall from the tree that's outside David's window, but also outside my own house, as Autumn was fast approaching. A few weeks later, I sent SWERY a tweet while sitting in traffic, telling him something along the lines of "I could sit in David's apartment and look out his window while listening to the title screen music forever" and all he sent back to me was "Perfect". It was a cool moment, like, I got him and he got me. There's just nothing that comes close to the experience I had with D4 and it would be a shame if SWERY doesn't get to conclude this classic-in-the-making. Here's hoping for more "D" in 2015!

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2. Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze
David Wise



It would be almost impossible not to say something about David Wise and his return to Donkey Kong Country in Tropical Freeze. It's been mentioned in nearly every instance when discussing the game as a whole. For good reason too, as the soundtrack is remarkably good and memorable in nearly every instance. The thing is, so much has already been said about this game and its music that I don't feel the need to write some giant exposition about it. So, with that said, I'm going to just re-post what I said in the GOTY thread, as it's the only track I felt inspired enough to write about...

Idle Moment II - Scorched Earth: Ape's Exodus
One of the main reasons why I loved the original DK games as a kid was because of how serious/dramatic their soundtracks could be. Despite being platform games geared towards children, there was always this somewhat dark, almost unsettling undertow at play (also see Kirby). The original DK trilogy had this dirtier/grittier look/feel compared to its contemporaries and David Wise certainly knew how to channel those vibes/aesthetics into his music. Before Tropical Freeze launched, I can recall reading an interview where Wise claimed that he wanted to stray away from those darker tones/sounds that the older games were known for. Well, if this statement was true, he didn't do a very good job because there's some serious fucking tunes up in this shit!

I can clearly recall the night when I first heard Scorch 'N' Torch. It was about a month or so after the game released. I got home late after work, completely exhausted, but felt well enough to play a game. At the time, I was still in the middle of Tropical Freeze, so I figured I'd continue my playthrough. I was enjoying my time with the game and the music was great, but nothing jumped out at me/spoke to me more than my first encounter of stage 3-4. Scorch N' Torch is not only my favorite track in Tropical Freeze, but it could also quite possibly be my favorite Donkey Kong Country music of all time. Between the string/wind instruments at play and the Phil Collins-like drum fills, the song itself has instrumentation in spades. What made me put down my controller was when I heard the sound/sample of what sounded like monkeys in mass exodus of their burning homes. I just couldn't get the image out of my head of primates swinging from tree to tree, scampering through the thick savannah grass, looking for shelter from their blazing wilderness. I don't think I played anything else all year that invoked such wild/vivid imagery. The game could have ended in that level and I think I would have been content. I sat there thinking to myself that night, "I get it, Retro, Wise...that's all I needed to see...".

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3. Kero Blaster
Daisuke Amaya



I'm incredibly envious of someone who can not only program and design his/her own game, but also compose the music and provide the art assets at the same time. Daisuke Amaya ("Pixel") is definitely one talented dude. Though there are so few tracks for this game, the OST really stood out to me and got me thinking about how music in games used to make me feel when I was younger. It's My Blaster is just the perfect 1st stage track. It's just got that right kind of kick-off for the start of a game, the kind of vibe that makes you want to say, "Let's Go!" as soon as you take control of the little buddy. I almost felt like at times I was going to see some of those old school Go --->signs pop up too. Check'IN out could be my favorite tune in the game, actually. It's got this momentum to it that feels confident and realized, like the player found their groove and nothing's stopping them. ToTo Station is interesting as it just feels like something straight out of Earthbound. It's just got that funky, weird beat to it that reminds you of the Mother series. Kaisha Man, which is the final stage in the game, perfectly captures that "this is it"-feeling you get when you're playing an old game and you know you're on the last level. The final stage has you returning to the very same place you started too, only now it's infested with monsters and the headquarters are in ruins, so the music suits the setting extremely well.

Feeze Draft is one track that really stood out to me, however. It's got that late/end-game "you're getting there, but not quite there yet" sound to it. I've always thought snow levels were traditionally good mid-to-late stages as well, so the music perfectly suits the location. There was this moment in this stage that particularly stood out to me though, and it had nothing to do with the actual BGM. Towards the top of the peak, there's this brief segment where the music cuts out and the player can only hear the background sound, which was the sound of the wind. It was sort of a short-lived, mini Idle Moment for me. I stood there for a minute to reflect on the game and it got me thinking about how older games used to capture these kinds of quiet interludes. I love BGS and how composers/sound designers used to capture particular environmental ambiance, especially given the hardware limitations back in the day. It's these kind of subtle, peaceful moments that, for most people, probably falls on deaf ears, but I'm always on a look-out for this kind of shit and Pixel nailed it for me in that regard.

Honorable Mentions: One-Hit Wonders

Dark Souls II: ...and it's only wortwhile piece, the theme of Majula. This is honestly the only redeemable track from Dark Souls II's soundtrack, an OST mostly riddled with left-over, phoned-in Motoi compositions. Although there are two composers credited for this game (Motoi Sakuraba & Yuka Kitamura), I'm not sure who exactly contributed this piece (although I can distinctively hear Sakuraba's styling throughout). Regardless, I felt so strongly about this track as it provided me with my third Idle Moment of the year...

Idle Moment III - Walking out of Shadow Tower and Stepping Foot onto Evergrace
It took me less than an hour to put down my controller while playing Dark Souls II. That's not because I was disappointed with the game or anything like that. It was those first steps onto Majula that did it for me. Things Betwixt, the starting/tutorial area of Dark Souls II, encapsulates the setting/vibe of the hub area from one of their earlier titles, Shadow Tower Abyss. The branch-like nexus, the weird particles floating in the air, and the disorienting sense of location screams Shadow Tower. Upon leaving this strange place, the player sets foot onto cliffs overlooking an ocean with a setting sun on the horizon. For me, I instantly thought about the location Darius and Sharline stood paying respect to someone who had just passed during the ending of Evergrace, another one of From's earlier titles. It was as if they recreated these areas from their previous works as to say "Hey, we didn't forget where we came from". While I'm sure that may have not been the case, it was my personal take-away from the game and I'd like to think in a way that they did design some of these areas as a homage to what's come before them. Regardless, it was probably the greatest moment I've had with the entire series up until this point.

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Majula could quite possibly be my favorite hub-area in any game. There's just so much to take in and digest. Whether it's the death obelisk that stands firmly on the edge of the cliff, the ruined houses with its strange inhabitants, the gaping well at the center of the town or the sun on the horizon that never seems to set, the music just perfectly captures the hope and despair that permeates every inch of the town.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse:...and its Library track. "Wow"...is all I really need to say. This is another one of my favorite tracks from the entire year. I can almost not even describe what this song does for me and why I think so highly of it. Between Jake Kaufman's (Virt's) work on both Shovel Knight and Pirate's Curse, I have to say that I'm more inclined to prefer his contributions to the latest Shantate as opposed to Shovel Knight, solely based on this one piece (although the rest of the OST is great too). Before I even played/bought the game, I accidentally spoiled myself on this track by following a link. By the time I finally sat down with the game, I was so excited to finally hear where this music was going to be placed. I was just picturing a dungeon with cool puzzles and the history/lore of Shantae's world detailed on plaques or in books throughout the vast halls of some forbidden/lost library...and holy shit should I have kept my expectations in check as I was WAY OFF!

This unbelievably inspiring music only plays on a two-screen area near the start of the game. It's merely used for a location you visit a few times for story/progression purposes. I couldn't believe it. I was so disappointed when I saw where they had used this music, as I was expecting some hour-long trek through a mid-game dungeon while listening to this work-of-art. I still begrudgingly sat there in this "Library" to let the track repeat a few times as it's just something that speaks to me on so many levels. Shantae has always felt like a spiritual successor/modern day equivalent to Monster World/Wonder Boy (specifically, the 4th game on Genesis). Monster World IV is one of my favorite Genesis games and this music perfectly sums up my thoughts on not only MWIV, but for all of the great games that got released during a system's final days.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe: The King of Arpeggio. In all honestly, it was either between this game or Kero Blaster for my third pick, but I figured I'd give it to the underdog. Kirby soundtracks almost always hits the spot and it's one of the main reasons why I love these games so much. As noted in my Tropical Freeze write-up, Kirby has always had this very serious, sometimes dark silver lining to its music. Gold Ruins is probably my favorite non-final boss track (see Queen Sectonia and Moonstruck Blossom, respectively) in the game and it perfectly exemplifies what I stated above. Aside from the cool Egyptian-like theme, there's this part at 1:20 that just makes me want to go, "Whoa...holy shit." It's like the game ain't playing around and it fucking knows it. I always come for these moments whenever I played a new Kirby game and I never walk away disappointed.

Shovel Knight: To continue my discussion on some serious fucking tunes, I gotta give a shout out to Virt's An Underlying Problem. While the majority of his compositions for Shovel Knight were great, this was the one track that stood out to me most. This is another one of those tracks that has an unrelenting sense of confidence, like, it knows you're half-way through the game, so shit's gotten a bit more serious. Manami Matsumae's A Thousand Leagues Below is another good track, although it doesn't quite capture what I detailed above. It's more of a nostalgic piece, I'd say, given the history she's had with composing Mega Man music. In a way, I'd like to think that it scratches that particular itch/sound I'm sure most people have been looking for since we don't see too many Mega Man-like games these days and I can dig it for that.

Bayonetta 2: ...and its Noatun (Ruins of Chaos) track. I can guarantee I'm the only one mentioning this hidden gem. This piece just has an almost Resident Evil/DMC-like vibe to it, like the kind of music you'd hear from a Capcom game back during the PS2-era. I just love those atmospheric pieces that are placed between all of the action. As slightly disappointed that I was with Bayonetta 2, the soundtrack was more or less as good as the original (although I still won't forgive the game for not having a proper Tables Turn/Climatic Battle track or even anything remotely on par with The Heavies). I wish the game took place more in the The Water Capital of Noatun because it was a really interesting location and was more of what I was looking for from the game, especially regarding the direction of the music and where the game could have gone.

Drakengard 3: Hey, Taro Yoko, how about you go fuck yourself. In all seriousness, Drakengard 3 has an amazing soundtrack, but this one song sums it up quite well enough. It may have not reached the same heights as NIER did for me, but it's certainly one of the most memorable soundtracks of the year. One thing I'd like to note is how well they transitioned, musically, from each cinematic leading up to the respective boss battle, as showcased here. I just fucking love how the antagonist's songs slowly fade and become mixed/integrated into the actual boss track. It's all just so seamless and thought out, especially considering that it's all tied to the narrative/story. Really good stuff.

1. Shovel Knight
2. Mario Kart 8

LTTP vote FF7


Speaking of Shovel Knight, I tried my hand at adapting the melody of "Strike the Earth! (Plains of Passage)" on guitar last night, check it out http://youtu.be/J6aHKopsOo0

1. Killer Instinct: Season 2

With RIptor's theme being the only weak point of the game, the season so far has been pushing out quality themes. The mixture of old tunes from Beano and Nograte combined with Mick's own faithful flair to the series is incredibly dynamic and powerful. Downtown Demolition is absolutely amazing.

FEEL THE POWAH, BABY~

2. Super Time Force

Composer 6955 did really good on this game's soundtrack. There's always this pseudo-futuristic flavor that a lot of the stages had despite being in prehistoric / ultra-futuristic / dystopian environments. There are some moments that make me feel as if I'm playing a Mega Man title. Very high quality on their part.

3. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die.

I liken this game's sounds to Hotel Dusk's OST mixed with the usual Deadly Premonition stylings. Tunes like Detective of the Past is a very amazing compliment to the contemporary theme that some of the parts of D4 have. Very, very solid.

4. Super Smash Bros for Nintendo 3DS
5. Donkey Kong Country Returns: Tropical Freeze

*sigh* just realized I'm the only one in the whole thread that voted for Soul Sacrifice. Kinda sad.

My Picks

1. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII: Original Soundtrack

My OST of the Year. A soundtrack that finishes the story of one of my favorite entries in series, and almost a year later it's still emotional journey to listen to. Here are some of my favorites:

Lightning's Theme ~ Radiance

The Angel's Tears

Bandit Gang Monoculus

Claire Farron

2. Bayonetta 2

Bayonetta soundtracks always have great catchy themes that capture the witch and her style, it also boosts powerful bombastic music that fit those crazy moments and boss fights.

Tomorrow is Mine

Moon River ( Climax Mix )

Aesir

3. Bravely Default

A solid soundtrack for a fun game. Much like the game itself, it captures the charm old rpgs while still being unique.

Love's Vagrant

You're My Hope

The Day the Wind Blew

Honorable Mention

This Silence Is Mine

I have yet to play Drakengard 3, but it has one the best vocal main themes I've heard in a while.

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1. Transistor
2. Destiny
2. Bayonetta 2

I added more Fire Emblem: Awakening tracks to its highlights section in my post earlier today.

Also, people really need to vote more, Christ.

1. D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die

SWERY delivers once again with an amazing soundtrack filled with such a huge variety of songs from somber piano tunes to funky jazz to ridiculously goofy Celtic rock. This game wouldn't be nearly as amazing if it weren't for the soundtrack setting the mood for each scene.

Salvation

Drank Dead DOM Die

Arousal

2. The Talos Principle

A beautiful soundtrack filled with atmospheric, mysterious songs that really fit the game's themes about philosophy, mystery, and discovery. You get stuff from eerie, low-pitched Gregorian chants to medieval sounding acoustic guitars. I've said this before, but I'll say it again, I'm surprised that this type of contemplative music came from the devs behind Serious Sam of all people.

Dance of Eternity

Heavenly Clouds

Virgo Serena

3. Mario Kart 8

An amazing soundtrack filled with super catchy tunes that are impossible to not get stuck in your head. Gotta love those trumpets and saxophones.

Dolphin Shoals

N64 Rainbow Road

Bowser's Castle

Marjar said:

SWERY delivers once again

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Yeah he and Daisuke Ishiwatari both are God-Tier game producers who also compose for the games they make.

1. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
2. Mario Kart 8
3. Shovel Knight