The Best Game Soundtracks Ever
Soundtracks can make or break a game. Music can reinforce the mood the gameplay and story are trying to portray, and the best soundtracks help to embed a game in our memories, underscoring unforgettable moments.
But game soundtracks don’t always get the recognition they deserve, especially when most gamers understandably focus on the graphics and game mechanics, so let’s shine a spotlight on some of the best soundtracks in gaming.
Mass Effect 2 (2010)
Mass Effect 2 Launch Trailer by Official EA UK
With the first Mass Effect, composer Jack Wall set the tone for BioWare's RPG space opera trilogy with an outstanding synth and 80s action movie-inspired soundtrack. In Mass Effect 2 he – along with his co-composers – took the music to a darker, more mature and cinematic place, juxtaposing traditional orchestral instruments with pulsing electronica to create an intensely emotional and dramatic score.
The influence of Vangelis' Blade Runner soundtrack is clear throughout, along with the music of German electro band Tangerine Dream and the soundtrack from the original Tron movie. There are nods to other classic science fiction films too, such as Jerry Goldsmith's Alien score.
The track "Suicide Mission" perfectly encapsulates the Mass Effect 2 soundtrack; a mysterious digital-analogue opening evolves into an organic orchestral and choral crescendo, all horns and drums and chanting. It's a stunningly rousing piece of music and sends shivers down the spine just thinking about it.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
The Sound of Skyrim by Bethesda Softworks
The soundtrack for Bethesda’s sprawling role-playing game is suitably epic. The opening track, Dragonborn, features a choir of deep-voiced male singers, bringing to life the Viking-inspired elements of the game’s design. Players stomp around the snow-covered planes of Skyrim listening to bombastic horns, while ethereal flutes and chanting emphasizes the game’s fantasy elements. The soundtrack, composed by Jeremy Soule, is reminiscent of the score to the Lord of the Rings films, but also has a distinct character of its own that matches the grand scope and scale of the game. Circumaural headsets such as the ROG Centurion and ROG Strix Wireless will submerge you in the distinctive world of Skyrim, surrounding you with the soundtrack’s mystical music.
The Last of Us (2013)
The Last of Us Music Video by PlayStation
Most of the music featured in this popular post-apocalyptic shooter was composed by Argentinian Gustavo Santaolalla. Using string instruments and guitars, Santaolalla creates a country music-style score, conjuring up images of the Old West frontier, which suits the game’s theme of nature reclaiming the land. The music is also incredibly melancholic, reinforcing the sense of grief felt by the main characters. For such an action-packed game, it’s a brave move to feature a soundtrack as sombre as this.
The soundtrack sounded amazing on the ROG Strix Wireless. The large, comfortable headphones clearly depict the deep bass in the music, really adding to the foreboding mood the tracks are looking to create. Why is there a PlayStation title on this list? The ROG Strix Wireless has PlayStation 4 support of course, believe it!
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt || Creating the sound by The Witcher
There are few games with the scope of The Witcher 3 – the sheer scale and complexity of the game and the world in which it's set demands a soundtrack to match.
The Witcher 2 composer Marcin Przybyłowicz worked with Polish compatriot and creator of the Dark Souls 2 soundtrack, Mikolai Stronski, to bring the world of The Witcher 3 to life through its music.
As is fitting for a game where its source material are books based on Slavic folklore, The Witcher 3 soundtrack is heavily influenced by folk music from Poland and the Balkans, as well as traditional Bulgarian music.
The result is a soundtrack that's unlike any other in gaming: the eastern European style lends the game a unique, often otherworldly, dark-fantasy atmosphere, which perfectly suits the themes and narratives of CD Projeckt RED's adult RPG. Classical strings and flutes are mixed with traditional folk instruments (sometimes deliberately out of tune), then layered with the human voice, which underscores this fantastical world with real authenticity.
There's no better way to immerse yourself in the world of The Witcher 3 than with a pair of ROG Centurion with true 7.1-channel surround sound, so turn that volume dial all the way up... on second thought, for the sake of your eardrums, please don't do that.
By Luke Graham
