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Pitchfork: 12 Best Video Game Soundtracks of the Past 20 Years

RumbleHumble

RumbleHumble

Member
Oct 27, 2017
7,128
Love the Persona 5 soundtrack and happy to see it here, but Nier: Automata's soundtrack is frankly the best thing about it. And I don't even like Nier: Automata that much.

The lack of Furi or Hotline Miami entries is also...concerning.
 
samred

samred

Amico fun conversationalist
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Nov 4, 2017
2,586
Seattle, WA
Pitchfork will do 20-album lists for a single genre in a single year, yet they try to sum up 20 full freaking years of game music with only 20 selections? Come the hell on.

Anything less than 50 picks for a single decade might as well be headlined "Here, get angry at this."

personally, the lack of Disasterpeace's Fez OST burns my buns
 
zeitgeist

zeitgeist

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Oct 27, 2017
1,060
Putting in Eternal Sonata which was essentially Chopin focused (right?) is such a Pitchfork move.
 
Duxxy3

Duxxy3

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Oct 27, 2017
21,728
USA
Interesting. I'd probably have a hard time making a top 20 list. There's just so many good soundtracks out there.
 
Dyle

Dyle

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Oct 25, 2017
29,938
New Horizons is a kind of a weird choice for Animal Crossing given it has so little new music and while good, the original game is generally seen as having the best overall soundtrack even if it is a little bit smaller.
 
entremet

entremet

You wouldn't toast a NES cartridge
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Oct 26, 2017
60,096
Great list.

Not every list has to be in lockstep with your favs. Come on lol.
 
KDC720

KDC720

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Oct 25, 2017
3,328
No Silent Hill 2 or 3? Hotline Miami? Nier? Halo 3: ODST? Tropical Freeze? Max Payne? Sayonara Wild Hearts?

Comes down to taste for me I suppose. There isn't really anything wrong with that list but mine would look pretty different.
 

Deleted member 5596

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Oct 25, 2017
7,747
Only 12 OST of 20 years of gaming music means that you are leaving in the table so many great music. Not a bad list, but is lacking of course.

Is weird they picked Eternal Sonata and went to mainly praise the Chopin compositions lol
 
PeskyToaster

PeskyToaster

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,314
Definitely not my list. Tony Hawk is a cop out choice. That's like picking Rock Band lol.

I'd put The Last of Us in there. It's not bombastic but it's so well done and so integral to the game itself.
 
Hugare

Hugare

Banned
Aug 31, 2018
1,853
Check it out said:
The title of this thread misrepresents what the article contains.

Each contributor picked a unique soundtrack.

Tony Hawk and NBA Street is a pretty lazy choice and I find it reductive to even include a soundtrack featuring a compilation. Feel like they don't have enough gamers to garner anything more than 10 selections.

That's like saying the best album of your favorite band is the greatest hits.
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Dont know If I agree with you there, man

Because I would certainly put Hotline Miami soundtrack on the list

Having a compilation of songs from different artists that fits the tone, makes you excited and elevates your game is no easy task

HM wouldnt have been as memorable with a different soundtrack. Same for THPS 2
 

Deleted member 5596

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
7,747
samred said:
Pitchfork will do 20-album lists for a single genre in a single year, yet they try to sum up 20 full freaking years of game music with only 20 selections? Come the hell on.

Anything less than 50 picks for a single decade might as well be headlined "Here, get angry at this."

personally, the lack of Disasterpeace's Fez OST burns my buns
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Exactly lol

Is a shame they barely cover videgame music at all.
 
DevilMayGuy

DevilMayGuy

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Oct 25, 2017
13,577
Texas
Fucking terrible list. No donkey Kong country, neither nier, no hotline Miami, just fucking awful all around. Animal crossing? Really? Nah man this aint it
 
Hybrid Rainbow

Hybrid Rainbow

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Jun 23, 2019
6,446
Pitchfork proving they're trash as usual. No Persona 4 Golden? No NieR? No Kingdom Hearts? No Metal Gear Solid 3? No Hotline Miami? But you put in Undertale? 😂
 
collige

collige

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Oct 31, 2017
12,772
Not splitting OSTs and licensed soundtracks into their own lists. For OSTs, I'd say that's a great list except that Metroid Prime got robbed. For licensed games, I'd definitely have to make sure that Hotline Miami, N++, and OlliOlli get mentioned.
 
Ferrs

Ferrs

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Oct 26, 2017
18,829
Atleast Space Channel is having some recognition.

I mean, we can agree this is a banger

 
FireCloud

FireCloud

Member
Dec 26, 2017
1,251
P3 > P4 > P5 based on OST

No:
  • Nier
  • Journey
  • Thomas Was Alone
List may be good but is by no means definitive.
 
purseowner

purseowner

From the mirror universe
Member
Oct 25, 2017
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UK
Undertale, Persona 5, and Celeste are all great inclusions, but I would have included also:

- The House in Fata Morgana
- Utawarerumono Trilogy
- Nier Replicant
- Nier Automata
- VA-11 HALL-A
- Tetris Effect
 
Check it out

Check it out

Member
Oct 25, 2017
451
Hugare said:
Dont know If I agree with you there, man

Because I would certainly put Hotline Miami soundtrack on the list

Having a compilation of songs from different artists that fits the tone, makes you excited and elevates your game is no easy task

HM wouldnt have been as memorable with a different soundtrack. Same for THPS 2
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That's fair. I love Tony Hawk's soundtracks and honestly it's one of the more memorable ones but I feel if you're going to make it about games, give some shine to composers and musicians who are creating for the field and separate the soundtracks that are essentially A&R.

Wes Anderson's films have the best selection of music in film for me, but I could never say that the compilation portion of his films should considered in the same category as Mark Mothersbaugh's compositions for the same films. Both are great additions to the movie but would be nominated in separate categories.
 
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