So you haven't played that Japanese Dreamcast game where you run around tagging up Tokyo with your skate punk friends at the behest of a pirate radio DJ. That's cool. You can still benefit from its awesome electro-acid-soul soundtrack.There are some game soundtracks out there that truly stand up as albums and deserve some attention, and unlike wearing the shirt of a band you've never seen, there's no shame in digging into them without knowing their sources. Seriously, guys, it's fine—we said so. Without further ado:
1) Jet Set Radio/Jet Grind Radio (US) (Hideki Naganuma)
If you can find it, this one'll put your head on a swivel with bouncy Propellerheads-style spy-beats, and crisp, funky basslines. Spray paint and skateboard sold separately.
Click to Preview or Buy.2) Bastion OST (Darren Korb)
The core soundtrack is twangy, bluesy, and built on thick almost-trip-hop beats, and the few vocal tracks are nothing short of haunting. A very cool, tightly composed album.
Click to Preview or Buy.3) Katamari Damacy OST (Various Artists)
Super-excited fanfare for the world's happiest picnic? Sure. I can't overstate how much fun it is to run/bike to this album.
Click to Preview or Buy.4) The Orange Box OST (Kelly Bailey)
Spy music! Dark ambient stuff! Twitchy electro! This is, at times, very straight-up soundtracky, but great for, say, reading on the subway.
Click to Preview or Buy.5) Portal 2: Songs to Test By (Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory)
You like Daft Punk? You’ll like this album. You can grab all three volumes of this awesome electro-romp on the Portal 2 website, but frankly, this game is so good that you should just play it.
Click to Preview or score a Free Download.Honorable mentions:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution OST (Michael McCann)
Very, very well-composed soundtrack, but toes the cheese line a bit, and sounds very much like a video game. Still, I find myself listening to it kind of a lot.Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game OST (Anamanaguchi)
Easily makes the Top 5 for its composition and raw, chippiness, but the tracks are all 1:00ish loopable samples, making for a not-so-great album experience.Quake OST (Trent Reznor)
The Nine Inch Nails album that never was. Spooky and brutal, and totally worth a listen.Earthworm Jim: Anthology OST (Tommy Tallarico)
Straight up impossible to find at retail, but I highly recommend exploring this soundtrack on YouTube. The combination of 80s-montage-level guitar riffs, insane banjo breakdowns, and oh-by-the-way there's a full-on tarantella on the album—is pretty wild stuff.What did we miss? Let us know your favorite video game tunes in the comments below!@mrbaehr
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If you can find it, this one'll put your head on a swivel with bouncy Propellerheads-style spy-beats, and crisp, funky basslines. Spray paint and skateboard sold separately.
Click to Preview or Buy.2) Bastion OST (Darren Korb)
The core soundtrack is twangy, bluesy, and built on thick almost-trip-hop beats, and the few vocal tracks are nothing short of haunting. A very cool, tightly composed album.
Click to Preview or Buy.3) Katamari Damacy OST (Various Artists)
Super-excited fanfare for the world's happiest picnic? Sure. I can't overstate how much fun it is to run/bike to this album.
Click to Preview or Buy.4) The Orange Box OST (Kelly Bailey)
Spy music! Dark ambient stuff! Twitchy electro! This is, at times, very straight-up soundtracky, but great for, say, reading on the subway.
Click to Preview or Buy.5) Portal 2: Songs to Test By (Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory)
You like Daft Punk? You’ll like this album. You can grab all three volumes of this awesome electro-romp on the Portal 2 website, but frankly, this game is so good that you should just play it.
Click to Preview or score a Free Download.Honorable mentions:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution OST (Michael McCann)
Very, very well-composed soundtrack, but toes the cheese line a bit, and sounds very much like a video game. Still, I find myself listening to it kind of a lot.
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Easily makes the Top 5 for its composition and raw, chippiness, but the tracks are all 1:00ish loopable samples, making for a not-so-great album experience.Quake OST (Trent Reznor)
The Nine Inch Nails album that never was. Spooky and brutal, and totally worth a listen.Earthworm Jim: Anthology OST (Tommy Tallarico)
Straight up impossible to find at retail, but I highly recommend exploring this soundtrack on YouTube. The combination of 80s-montage-level guitar riffs, insane banjo breakdowns, and oh-by-the-way there's a full-on tarantella on the album—is pretty wild stuff.What did we miss? Let us know your favorite video game tunes in the comments below!@mrbaehr