My Favourite Video Game Songs - Part 1

A few days ago, I decided to share a picture on Twitter, which prompted people to drop a like on the tweet, and in exchange, I'd share my favourite video game songs for each like. 

I've done a few music lists in the past that focused on game series such as The Legend of Zelda, but I've never done a list of songs I love from gaming in general.

So, keep reading, and check them out...in no particular order!

My Top 10 Game Tunes

After getting a new iPod last week, I asked my followers on Twitter for some recommendations for game music to stick on it. I've got my fair share, but there is no harm in adding to the collection!


Well one follower, Mr. Bradley Fish of Fishy's View took this on board, recommended me some great tracks, then created a top 10 list of his own on his blog. Inspired by his top ten list, here are my top ten favourite game tracks of all time. 


Pretty much all of these tracks hold some kind of memory, especially from my childhood. 


Now bare in mind I love my Zelda music, so I have decided to do a similar list dedicated to Zelda tracks in a few days (keep checking back!). So, I hope you all enjoy my list! What would make up your top ten?


10. Never Ending Journey from Dragon Warrior Monsters


I have many good memories of playing this game when I was younger. This track in particular has stuck with me the most, as I'm instantly taken back to the wandering around in the various locations, picking up beefjerky, "an herb" (gotta love bad English in games) and encountering new monsters.


9. Hog Wild from Crash Bandicoot


One of my favourite levels in Crash Bandicoot, the Hog Wild theme brings back some great memories of taking it in turns to complete levels with my brother when we were first bought our PS1. Fun stuff!


8. Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine


Delfino Plaza is a cheerful, summery piece that reminds me of the hours I spent on this great Mario title for the Gamecube. 


7. Fly Me To The Moon from Bayonetta


Whilst this may be a cover track, I had to include this. It's a fun take on a classic track, and reminds me of the crazy gameplay that Bayonetta had. 


6. [Ending] Tribute from Halo 3


Halo 3 ends with this rousing, quite emotional ending theme. Great stuff.


5. Gerudo Valley from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time


This one had to get a mention! No doubt a favourite for a large majority of Zelda fans, Gerudo Valley has a great guitar heavy sound. 


4. Neverending Journey from Lost Odyssey


A truly under-rated game, not only is Lost Odyssey a joy to complete, but it has a fantastic accompanying soundtrack too. Neverending Journey plays during the map/location select screen, and whilst we only hear a snippet of it (unless you stay on the map screen for quite some time), it's a great piece that switches from a relaxing acoustic piece into a full-blown guitar riff by the 1.38 mark. Give it a listen.


3. Lullaby from Braid


The music in quirky time meddler Braid is in it's entirety beautiful, but this one seems to resonate emotion from me than the rest. A hauntingly beautiful piano piece.


2. Main Theme from Tomb Raider


Many tracks in my top ten make it there in the first place due to some kind of nostalgic gaming memory. This is definitely true when it comes to my reason behind choosing the Main Theme from Tomb Raider. As a child I had many fond memories watching my Dad (an avid gamer himself) play through countless games such as the Resident Evil series, and in this instance, the Tomb Raider series.


The main theme reminds me of the first time he loaded up that game back in our brand new PS1, and from that moment on, I was hooked. It's a beautiful piece with some great memories for me of my Dad having what we coined "Tomby Rage" (come on...that game has many frustrating puzzle moments!), freaking out at the mythological beasts and all of us working together to decipher where to go next.


1. Dragon Roost Island from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.


Aww...of course when I think of my favourite game tunes, a Zelda one had to take the top spot. Although Link's Awakening was the game that started my love for Zelda, I adore the Wind Waker soundtrack. So, here's Dragon Roost Island. 


Want to see me do more features? Feel free to email me any suggestions!

An Interview with Jonathan Blow (Braid)

Many of you may know Jonathan Blow as the brains behind Braid, a beautiful Xbox 360  arcade, Playstation Network and PC release that saw gamers experiment with time in a variety of puzzle-platformer levels. Jonathan is now currently working on his next game, The Witness, and I thought it was a good time to pitch some questions to him about it all.

Q: Hey Jonathan! Now we know you've created Braid, and you're currently working on this years The Witness, but how did your gaming development career start out for you?

A: Way back in the 6th grade when I was lucky enough to be at a school with a computer class, I started making game-like things in a hobby kind of way.  Eventually, when I was 24 years old, I started my first company with a friend from college.  I've been working in games one way or another since that time: 16 years!

Q. Braid is an outstanding game. Not only for the gameplay itself, but for the beautiful music and visuals. Where did the idea come about originally, and what made you decide to make a puzzle style game like this? Also, did you expect such a positive reaction upon it's release?

A: There were many threads for the idea (wanting to do a game with unlimited rewind, wanting to do a game in the tradition of books like Calvino's "Invisible Cities" and Alan Lightman's "Einstein's Dreams", wanting to do a game that was not trying to be 'mere' entertainment.)  These all came together at the right time to form the seed for what you see now.

I personally thought the game was good but I didn't know what to expect.  In retrospect I am surprised that critical reception was as unanimous as it was.  I thought some percentage of critics would hate the game.  I was also surprised by how many people out there in the gaming world were interested!

Q. Braid experiments a lot with the notion of playing with time, which I think really enhances the gameplay. Was there any significance of toying with time in relation to the story? 

A: Yes, there is a connection there.  But the story is told in a way that provides a lot of space for interpretation; I don't want to mess with that by filling the space with too many of my own comments.

Q. You're currently developing The Witness. Can you tell us a little bit more about this, and when should we expect to see a release?

A: It'll be released "when it's done"!  It's a first-person puzzle game, with a mood and setting inspired by games like Myst, but with gameplay that is very different from those games.  It's coming along very well -- there is some very good stuff in it, and every day now I am excited by what I get to do when working on it.

Q. After you've finished work on The Witness, is there anything else that you're wishing to get cracking on? 

A: I have about 100 ideas for other games; I'm not sure which we will do!  I'll probably start thinking about that seriously only after The Witness is done.