Music's Roll in Video Games

In the world of Video games music has always been a key feature to any good game. Many times we are so focused on the main idea of the game itself, wither it be storyline or gaming mechanics the music aspect gets left behind. That being said, if the music is bad, we all know it, so rather it fade into obscurity rather then annoy the player to the point that they want to quite the game. Here are a few good examples of music in a video game series.

Final Fantasy - This series is known for its wonderful game play, engaging storyline and of course its music. Every game that has been around, ever since the first game appeared on the NES gamers have fallen in love with the music behind this series. Final Fantasy 8 showcased beautiful symphonies in scenes like the Waltz of the Moon, and Final Fantasy 10 had us pumped up with its Hardcore Rock themes. The music behind these games always seems to fit the mood of the player. During an exchange of heated words the music builds to a climax, inside a church, soft hymns can be heard, and of course during battle it's all about the techno rock and upbeat. The series also spawned one of the most recognizable victory themes, the nine notes you hear at the end of each winning battle.

Mega Man - Ever since his conception on the NES the Blue Bomber has always kept us interested with his rock and roll themes. In fact the creator of the actual character of Mega Man said he always envisioned his little blue robot to do battle with rock and roll music in the background. That's the music he grew up on, and so it was his inspiration for the beloved character. Megaman in Japan is known as Rock Man, Rock meaning Rock n' Roll. Many of the themes to the games and boss battles are very recognizable, such as them theme from Megaman 3 and 6 and the boss battling music featured in the NES games.

Sonic the Hedgehog - The Speed demon himself would only be half as popular as he is today without his awesome music. Most notably are the themes from Sonic 2 for the Sega Genesis in the Emerald Hill Zone and of course Casino Night Zone. The music in this game is just so uplifting, and seems to correspond with the fact that Sonic is the speediest creature alive. Of course well all know the boss themes as well as Sonic takes on the diabolical genius Dr. Robotnick, or Eggman as he is now known. The newer games featuring Sonic have lost a bit of their former luster, as far as music goes, but that may change in the near future as it seems sonic may be headed back to his roots.

Amplitude, Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution series - These games are all about music, and we love em'. Each has their own unique way of bring the music into our homes, like Dance Dance Revolutions dance pad so we can boogie the night away, Guitar Hero's innovative Guitar controller for an authentic experience, and Amplitudes controller based game play with fast moving tracks and awesome visuals. Each game features a variety of music spanning form originals made specifically for those games, to hits and legends. These types of games are a great way to widen the variety of players in the gaming community and experience music in games in a whole new way.

The Legend of Zelda - Of course this series had to make my list somewhere right? During the 8 bit days of the Nintendo this game's music was amazing and awesome. There was not just a series of random notes thrown together, or a bunch of beeps and boops, this game had real music! To this day the legend of Zelda theme is one of the most recognizable gaming themes of all time and remains an intricate part of the gaming community. Zelda has maintained an air of quality with their music that stands to this day. From The games on the NES to Twilight Princess, Zelda's music never ceases to amaze. The theme in its entire form is preformed by many orchestras around the world, and a parody was preformed by the band System of a Down.

There are so many video games with awesome music, but these are just examples of some of the best and most innovative, as well as memorable. So next time you turn on a game be sure and pay close attention to the music involved. It really does make all the difference in many games, and can set or change the mood at will. As systems advance and become more powerful it is a sure fire thing that music will also get better. The gaming industry looks to a bright future for music's role in video games.