The thought about In-game Music

When somebody asked me what is my favorite in-game music, I just give them a lightning-flash answer. "It's the God of War theme where Kratos fights Ares, or when Kratos beat the hell up of mighty Zeus." Yes, what an answer but when asked of what the title is, I was left hanging on a far away cliff. Music matters, well, all the time. And whenever we hear something familiar -- even just a beat of a drum -- our ears tend to trigger memories stored in our brain. (I dunno if it's true but after I read a book last year telling me that the olfactory gland is the best memory trigger for man, I started to believe it.) For instance, one hearing the song "My heart will go on" by Celine Dion will trigger the individual's memories about the Titanic. Another is when you hear Beethoven's symphonies, one can remember someone playing it back in his childhood. Then thus the parade of pictures in one's mind theater. And it goes and goes, until you have an LSS again for the nth time.

Music is a very crucial element in all forms of entertainment because it can cause our mood to change like The Beatles songs in which they're hard to forget. The tempo and beat of a particular music serves as a trademark and we'll keep returning to the whatever form of entertainment it is and commemorate the good and the bad times. In terms of gaming, I have a couple of background music that cannot be erased because it became a part and parcel of me. Maybe it's just a simple ting ting ting , it can stuck. What more of a grand orchestra playing the famous Star Wars theme in a game of the same name? Definitely a winner.

In today's article, I gathered all my favorite in-game music for all the games I played since I was a little kid. I'm not that old already butperhaps I am now a kid of yesterday like everybody else in the same age group.

Take note, whether you're a gamer or not, music covers both. So relax and enjoy.

(All are in no particular order...)

Jin

1) Marvel vs. Capcom (1998)

Strider Hiryu

Marvel versus Capcom was the first fighting game I played in my whole life. And I only had the chance to play it when it's Sunday -- Church day. In the very heart of Manila where I grew up, the church we usually manage to attend every week is very close to a mall -- in which today it is closed -- where it has arcade machines that when you buy a token, you'll get the chance to play it. With the help of few coins to buy a token, thus started the journey of myself in the world of fighting games. Back then, in the hero select menu, I then heard the BGM I got LSSed with. Afterwards, I first picked Strider Hiryu and Jin as my two heroes. I played the game and got beaten up by the computer in the first stage. However, it never ended there. The music called me back, of course. What I did was to buy again another token (hoping I'll last until the third stage), listened to the song, choose a pair of heroes and fight your way to Onslaught (the game's boss). But, you know, it's the song I really loved at first and not the game. The game ranked second. What a boy, I was.

Here is the theme I loved in all Marvel vs. Capcom series :

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2) Red Alert 2 (2000) 

~ (play the song if you want to listen to it...)

                    

"For Mother Russia!"

If the previous game was my first fighting game ever, Red Alert 2 by Electronic Arts would be my first war strategy game. And come to think of it, it's been ten years since I laid my hands on a mouse and a keyboard and start my Russian army bombard enemy AIs. After my high school classes in the University of the East when I was in second year, me and my friends gather to a nearby mall in Recto, Manila to play arcade games where I spend only fifteen pesos to have three tokens to play MvC 1 or MvC2. After honing my fighting skills (yeah, I often used the term back in the days), I go home, drop my bags, eat some snacks, then go to a nearby computer shop to play this epic game. With a number of selectable nations from the Allied forces such as the America and France to Soviet forces such as the famous Mother Russia and the remorseless Libyan army, I managed to derive much and much of entertainment from the game. In-game music sets my mood like a real general in a battlefield that whenever I select a unit like the almighty Kirov airship of Russia, it will say, "Kirov reporting!" or maybe "Airship ready!" How glad I am because I'm a kid from that period. 

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3) Resident Evil 2 (1998)

~ (play the song if you want to listen to it...)

Fear is a negative emotion -- an emotional perception where one may be in a hard situation or near danger zone. Fear is Resident Evil. Back in the late 90's where horror games are in fact -- in truest form "horror" -- players managed to travel the viral infected streets of Raccoon City in Resident Evil 1,2, and 3, or traverse the demonic realm of Silent Hill (I never lasted an hour playing the game. It really scared the shit out of me). In my own experience, if Nemesis is the unforgettable enemy in all RE universe, the save game BGM in Resident Evil 2 would be the same; only thing is that it's a soundtrack. Its sad and creepy theme made my spines chill. Even now, I still feel the same. But when one plays it in-game and you hear this BGM, it means you can save your progress via the typewriter (The problem arises if you haven't a spare ink ribbon to use the thing.), plan your next route, manage your inventory and even reload all your weapons. In any case, one is safe if he/she hears the song; however, not for long. 

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4) God of War (2005)

~ (play the song if you want to listen to it...)

Kratos holding his family with Ares

"Jesus Christ, it's like a song of a religious cult!" That is the first impression I heard from a girl I knew after I shared the song to her. My reaction? Oh dear. She's a loyal subject to the Catholic Church and I usually convince myself that she has her own opinion with the song. And I'll just leave her with that. Moving on... Almost all of the GoW soundtracks are great because they are plotted in the right scenes and in the right moments throughout the game. For instance, a BGM when travelling to Athens, or to the Desert of Lost Souls, or even as you open the mythical Pandora's Box -- all are of worth remembering. But this song (which I picked) is the god of them all. This is played when there's a huge boss fight that can put players in awe with their mouths mouthing a "WOW!" position. But what I do love of this is when it is played as Kratos fights himself (dummies like him) in a closed space created by the god of war Ares to save his family. That particular scene is pretty amazing. As time passes by, structures around Kratos breaks into pieces, the earth he stands diminishes every minute or two. It's like an epic tale of a man who wanted to prevent the world to end. And the song? It really fits. Literally.

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5) Need for Speed: Underground 2 (2004)

~ (play the song if you want to listen to it...)

Riders on the storm!

I'm a big fan of cars let alone racing games. Since I was a kid, I usually fantasize of having cars and using them to race. BMWs, Mercedes Benz, the Audis, and the Chevrolets -- I want them all. The problem is they are really luxurious. Thanks goodness there are lots of games involving car driving and racing in the industry. We have Gran Turismo series, Burnout franchise, and yes, the Need for Speed empire. It's the freaking opening song that keeps me nuts up to this point! A groovy song that simply matched a racing game. It's perfect! Pick your car, select a race track, and play this song. Sure is, you will win. Hahaha! The memory plays its part to me nowadays just to remember not the game in particular but the song by Snoop Dog. FTW!

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6) Final Fantasy IX (2000)

~ (play the song if you want to listen to it...)

Looking back, moving forward

Final Fantasy is Final Fantasy. No doubt about that. Looking back in my days in highschool, I got the chance to play this awesome game. Exciting story, witty characters, interesting plot -- all of these are the ingredients of Final Fantasy 9. Nobuo Uematsu's compositions make all Square's Final Fantasy games rock. In FF IX, lots of BGMs are showcased. As for me who once traveled their planet called Gaia, I fell in love with the game's entirety. The choice I made to handpick this theme is hard because another theme (the theme which plays in-game when you're out in the world) entitled "Crossing those hills" bears the unmistakable mark of excellence. However "Frontier Village Dali" is still for me. Just listening to it relaxes me, sets my psyche at ease. Then I'll remember the times when I have my old friends back in the old days. Although sad in some aspect, it has, you know, a bit of happiness inside of it. And that is why I love the track. *teary-eyed*

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7) Crash Bandicoot 3 : Warped (1998)

(play the song if you want to listen to it...)

Look at Coco with his tiger. Cute!

I have to admit that I became addicted to this game. Platformer games are somehow comical in nature. I find it suitable for kids (also kids at heart). Yes, very suitable. But hey, I was a kid once and the game made me happy every time I have my controller with me. Even the death(?) scenes of both Crash and Coco are funny that keeps me smiling (even now I remember some of those infamous scenes). Anyway, when I had low life counts, I just keep on playing Coco Bandicoot on the Great Wall of China stage. Not only, its best for accumulating life counts and apples (yummy!), the BGM there is remarkable! Just listen to it. It's a positive thing to listen to. Trust me.

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8) Ragnarok Online (2002) 

~ (play the song if you want to listen to it...)

He's like my first character!

Ahh... The first MMORPG that I ever played (and possibly the last...). This game is extremely addictive that can cause your bank accounts turn into a pothole of eggs. In this light, this game is so fun you won't recognize the current time of day. Irrespective of the preceding points, BGMs of Ragnarok Online is very artistic and well composed. Tired of killing monsters to gain levels for your character? Take a rest to a nearby town or city where you can chat with fellow gamers and have some friends. Shop a little to maximize your abilities, or even fight other players through the Player vs. Player system (PvP). Every map or region in the game has its own BGM that serves as an identifier to a player. A chilly background like the one played while in your Glast Heim can trigger one's instinct that it may or may not contain enemies that are incredibly powerful than the character he/she has with its current level. Or it may be peaceful BGM like the one I chose. Prontera theme is probably the most popular of all in the Ragnarok universe. It can make your day wonderful just by opening your ears to it no matter how many times. Oh, it brings back memories...

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9) Super Mario Bros. (1985) 

~ (play the song if you want to listen to it...)

A scene one will never ignore

Haha! I highly recommend you to click the play button for this one. Not that it's so funny (I'm laughing as I type this one), the song is the definition of IMMORTAL itself. The problem is that I didn't beat the game because whenever we have a Family Computer (FamiCom), it is either short-circuited or overheated. Nevertheless, the song is just...just incredible. Up to know, lots of people recognize its music. Even other die-hard fans have this as they're own ringtone or message tone. I can't blame them. I blame Nintendo for doing this masterpiece! And that is why Super Mario Bros. captured the heart of gamers and non-gamers alike. Its not the game, its the song itself!

(I was shocked when I saw that the game itself was released in 1985. I'm not even been born yet. Got the chance to play this game around '96 or '97, though...)

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To be honest, I have only nine of these music I really liked or loved when I first drafted the article. Come to think of it, there's still one I didn't yet consider. But anyhow, the theme would be this one:

This song is essentially included in all the Star Wars games. And I'm obsessed with it! God, just listen to it and close your eyes. Suddenly you'll hear lightsabers clashing, droids firing their laser guns, Wookies speaks, spaceships burst into hyperspace, and even Yoda speaks in reverse.

In just simple words yet profound, YOU CAN FEEL THE FORCE! 


Thank you for reading -- and listening -- dear readers.

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(I did enjoy writing the article. I hope you enjoyed it as the same.)