Nier: Automata takes great songs and, like the plot and characters, twists their implementation, context, instrumentation, and purpose around in many different ways, and yet remains remarkably coherent.
But that’s been nominated a lot so
Super Mario Odyssey is a joyous celebration of a game - yet this game is remarkably restrained with the amount of throwback tracks in it. Instead, it builds new classics that hold up even when scouring maps for that one dang purple coin you can’t find.
Find yourself a game that can do both.
ARMS. Each character has a very unique and colorful theme and yet they all fit together thanks to a very flexible leitmotif that is found throughout every song. Below you can find the themes for Ribbon Girl an Kid Cobra, which while very different, are still very clearly cut from the same cloth.
Ribbon Girl’s Theme
Kid Cobra’s Theme
The new theme for the Party Crash mode that just came out a few days ago was also hot fire. Just listen to it!
Nomination: The Sexy Brutale
I’m not going to lie, I had to search this music to remind myself what it sounded like but as soon as I heard it I went “Oh yeaaaaaah” and started wiggling my bum. I’m one of those arseholes who usually listens to podcasts when playing a game, occasionally pausing to listen to dialugue. With this game, I listened to the music the whole way through,
Danganronpa was close, I nearly went for it before I searched the Sexy Brutale soundtrack again. Music plays such an important part of that game. If you’ve completed the first chapter, you know what I’m talking about.
Seconding The Sexy Brutale
Gravity Rush 2
If you’d told me before the start of the year I’d pick a game other than Persona 5 I’d never have believed you, but personally I’d consider the Gravity Rush 2 soundtrack to be probably my favourite of this generation. I can’t recall any other game having such a huge number of songs I loved to listen to. It’s the only game soundtrack I’ve ever purchased on CD and has been my go-to music all year if I’ve had a particularly bad day.
Each location has its own theme - and whether you are in the affluent Lei Havina, the squalid Lei Elgona, the bustling Lei Colmosna, the seedy Pleasure Quarter or even the mysterious Enchanted Zone - and the music is wonderfully distinct and really helps express the vibe of the location. The fast-paced music used in side missions too also exactly matches the tone of the missions.
All those links and I haven’t even got to what I consider the best parts - the character and battle music. Now I could easily add another 10 links here and still not cover everything, but instead of posting an endless list I’ll stick to just a few of my favourites:
I may have got music confused with audio experience in the other thread but I’d nominate Destiny 2 for best music as well as best audio experience, because those guns sound great.
I thought the game would lose something with the departure of Marty O’Donnell, but Michael Salvatori keeps the flame burning like a true lord of Iron. There is so much good music in Destiny 2, from the orchestral score to the weirder electronic elements.
My favourite is probably journey. Arguably the game never really makes you feel truly powerless in the face of the destruction at the start of the game, but as you ramble through the mountains to this lonely piece it does feel that you’ve lost something.
I really love the music of Nessus.
The new Tower music has become my happy place too.
Hollow Knight
Really surprised it hasn’t been nominated yet, actually. One of Hollow Knight’s many strengths is its atmosphere—the weariness tinged with little fragments of light and beauty that permeate its dying world—and its music is an essential part of that. Each area theme contributes just as much to that area’s character as the game’s art and visual design, from the hauntingly beautiful music in the City of Tears to the driving beat in Crystal Peak to the warm melody of the Queen’s Gardens. And the boss themes double down on that commitment to atmosphere, like the string orchestra that mirrors the fast, driving tension in the Mantis Lords fight and slow-burning combat in the Broken Vessel battle. Not only is the soundtrack great even in a vacuum, but it’s an integral part of the game’s storytelling.
I’ve had the Crystal Peak theme stuck in my head for the past two days. Definitely an amazing soundtrack!
I would nominate Nier: Automata but since that has been said numerous times over (well deserved!!)
So I’ll throw in a vote for Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, the way the various metal songs lend themselves to the epic boss fights is really great and gets you pumped to run shotgun first into some Nazi’s, it evokes some of the same pounding battle music that gave Doom’16 such spirit and ferocity.
I guess it kind of depends on how much you like heavy metal, but I think it really helps bring some life to those gun fights and action sequences.
I dunno if anybody else will go on this ride with me, but since Nier and Persona have their nominations I’m gonna change my contribution and throw in the happiest soundtrack of 2017, Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey
Nier Automata
This is the only soundtrack I’ve gone out of my way to find so that I can listen to outside of the game world. I have described it as “coming home.” Whenever I listen to it I am happy remembering the places and times I had in the game.
Second Mario Odyssey
The Steam Gardens music in the wooded kingdom is my favorite video game song of all time.
I definitely second Destiny 2.
My top nominations would normally go to Nier or Persona, which are two of my favorite soundtracks of all time, but those have enough people coming up to bat for them. The only other soundtrack I bought this year was Destiny 2, mostly after hearing Journey (which I totally agree has this incredible effect in the context of that mission).
One of my (spoilery) favorite thing about the soundtrack is the switch in social space theme. The first track is melancholy and haunting with a bit of positivity. But when the game ends and you get dropped in the new Tower, you hear this track and it does such a good job of conveying the hope you feel in that moment. I still love listening to it every time I’m there.
Nominating Yakuza 0. Please see tengblad’s post earlier in the thread.
This game has one of my favorite final boss themes in it (blurred link to avoid spoilers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_lgXlNVkBo
This game knows how to get you pumped up for combat.
Hey, Waypointeers! There’s only seven more days left on nominations! The mod team are gearing up for Phase 2 of The GILM Awards, so we can let y’all decide what the Waypoint Community felt were their favourite works of 2017. We know a few people are wrestling about their nominations, so this is just a reminder to get yours in before the deadline hits — we’re not taking late submissions!
On that note, there’s a few items that have only been nominated once so far. If you feel strongly about any of these making it to our final poll, they need a second nomination before Phase 1 closes.
I’ll second Yakuza 0
So much of the music in this game stuck with me. it has a good mix of dramatic , comedic and blood pumping tunes.
and for fun (spoilers for the best karaoke bit in the game):
Nomination: Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Maybe it’s all for naught at this point, but I found myself very affected by this game’s soundtrack basically from the title screen. That’s this one, on endless loop:
I only just started playing this game about a week ago, but a combination of the story (which seems fairly effective and sentimental up to this point) and personal life developments (finishing student teaching) have already pushed this game, with music in tow, towards the top of my year end list. A couple other good cuts:
NieR: Automata
I know it’s already nominated but the second the desert boss battle music started playing I knew what my choice for Favorite Game Music was.
Nomination: Hatsune Miku Future Tone
Partly because I haven’t played too much stuff that released this year, and partly because I have a thing for vocaloid music, I’ll nominate Hatsune Miku Future Tone as my favorite game music. 200+ tracks of sweet vocaloid goodness? Yes please!
