Your best music tracks from RPGs

[Lucas]

Did a quick search and there was a similar topic but it's dated 2004 and encompasses all gaming genres (and listing entire soudtracks), while this one is a bit more specific.

Hope this topic gets some answers (hey, it's boring summer after all!! :P); if not, well, no problem :)
-----------

Ok, three rules:

1) Only single-player CRPGs/Action RPGs (ok, with multiplayer co-op :P) ;

2) If you can find it, post a link to the tune (if not already listed);

3) Only one tune per game (not per series) so choose the one that you remember most fondly, or that you consider the most iconic one.

- Of course, if you wish, briefly describe what memory surfaces of the related game when you remember/listen to that tune.
- Yes, you can include a couple "honorable mentions" if you feel more music tracks from a particular game should be remembered :)


List your favourite, umm, 15 (Fifteen) tunes from CRPGs (yes, feel free to include MIDIs as well!). Maybe some choices will be pretty common, others might not. Have fun! :)
----

My picks (no particular order):

1) Oblivion - Wings of Kynareth
2) Legend of Faerghail - Intro (Amiga Version)
3) Icewind Dale II - Skeleton of a Town (Targos)
4) Icewind Dale I - Kuldahar
5) Planescape: Torment - Annah's Theme
6) Ultima V: Lazarus (Ultima V remake) - The Resistance
7) Ultima IX: Ascension - Stones (Chamber)
8) Ultima Underworld II - Ice Cavern
9) Ultima VII: The Black Gate - Fellowship Theme
10) Diablo - Tristram Village
11) Baldur's Gate II - City Gates
12) Gothic 3 - Vista Point
13) Gothic 2 - Nature 1 Theme
14) Morrowind - Main Theme
15) Mass Effect 1 - Spectre Induction

Ok, very late where I live, so I'll post some observations on my picks later (hope I got all the links right :P)  :)

[Rasix]

Ok, three rules:

1) Only single-player CRPGs/Action RPGs (ok, with multiplayer co-op :P) ;

Is this the anti Final Fantasy / Persona rule?    Very odd.

[Amarr HM]

I always liked this one.

[Malakili]

I really liked the music in Neverwinter Nights 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=A1fz7TZbLak&feature=related for example.  Not especially memorable to most perhaps, but I played a ton of this game and I just have the best memories associated with a lot of the music.

[dusematic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDMWp1oLoA0

[Rendakor]

CRPGs only? Computer games have music?

FF7 - Those Chosen By The Planet  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C77Eaq3CDQ
Chrono Trigger - Magus's Theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CW6kLFyyi8
Borderlands - Cage The Elephant - Ain't No Rest For The Wicked http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sghv7aS6gPc
FF6 - Kefka's Theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hqmeDtVEoE

That's all I've got off the top of my head.

[trias_e]

Fallout -   The Hub
Vampire Bloodlines - Hollywood
Deus Ex - Hong Kong
Bioshock - Cohen's Masterpiece
The Witcher - Vizima Outskirts
Mass Effect - Galaxy Map

Wow, the main theme of Morrowind is so damn nostalgic for me.

[Sjofn]

I didn't even play Mass Effect but the goddamn map music is drilled into my brain forever, because EVERY time I went out to where the 360 is while Ingmar was playing it, it seemed to be playing.

[Ingmar]

Icewind Dale > *

[Mosesandstick]

Dragon Age - I am the one (Dark Fantasy version) I can't even remember if it was actually in the game. And it's more of a song than a tune, sorry 

[schild]

Nobuo Uematsu.

His entire work.

Icewind Dale > *

ROFL.

Edit: Lucas, I have to assume you're either an old dude or like bad music. The only PC RPG that has a place on a list of RPG music is the theme to Deus Ex and that's only nostalgia speaking. 90% of PC RPG music doesn't even qualify as music. I'm not even going to give Planescape a bye here and I would do almost anything to praise that game. Bioware music is nearly almost always dreadful generic trash.

[Mrbloodworth]

I have to say, this track was rather awesome when I played this game the first time, along with all the stuff woven threw out.

[JWIV]

Fuck those rules.  You're ignoring one of the greatest soundtracks ever.

Mechwarrior 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C42xCauM9jU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ysrowWrzI

[schild]

Fuck those rules.  You're ignoring one of the greatest soundtracks ever.

Mechwarrior 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C42xCauM9jU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ysrowWrzI

To be fair, the only reasonable rule was the topic.

Which you managed to ignore upon entering.

[JWIV]

Fuck those rules.  You're ignoring one of the greatest soundtracks ever.

Mechwarrior 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C42xCauM9jU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ysrowWrzI

To be fair, the only reasonable rule was the topic.

Which you managed to ignore upon entering.

Well yes, I did manage to only read half the topic title  - I didn't realize it until after I posted.

[ahoythematey]

If a person is going to talk about best RPG music, then said person is going to talk about Chrono Cross, or a great many selections from Nobuo Uematsu.  Shit, let's throw some Motoi Sakuraba while we're at it for the more learned of fans, and maybe some Yoko Shimomura if only for a couple of really amazing tracks from Super Mario RPG.  If we talk about good CRPG music, then it pretty much begins and ends with Jeremy Soule and Matt Uelman, and even that's a real stretch when you consider they mostly do one good theme per game and then a bunch of atmospheric background music.

(The tracks I linked to each composer is not what I consider their best, but instead just picked some randoms I like.)

EDIT: I will grant that Matt Uelman does really amazing atmospheric music, but that just makes it more upsetting when I try to listen to his music just to listen to it.

[proudft]

Total Annihilation is an RPG, rite?  

FINE.

Most of my favorite RPGs didn't have music, sadly.  Ultima IV on the Atari (I've heard the music from other systems, but not wandering aimlessly for months with it looping endlessly takes some of the charm away from it), Ultima V on the PC was blips and bleeps only, and Wizard's Crown/Eternal Dagger were basically soundless.

So I'm left with:

1. Ultima III: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSJe4jqorVs
The music for the final castle.  The first RPG I played, and the ominous music for the grand finale is imbedded in my brain for all time.  The link is some random guy on the piano, since the Atari 800 music doesn't seem to be on youtube.

My other two choices are reruns from Lucas's list:
2. Second vote for Morrowind theme.  I never actually played the game, but I like the theme and have had it in the D&D rotation for years.    
3. Second vote for Fellowship theme from Ultima VII.  Those creepy bastards.

[Sky]

Stones is a nice tune. I need to get back to my guitar transcription of it.

[Paelos]

The Morrowind tune is the theme to my first real gaming rig purchase, because it refused to run on what I had before.

[Engels]

Command and Conquer 1 was an RPG /nod. Well, ok, not technically, but in a way it was due to the immersion factor of your character throughout the story's arc. The gameplay itself was RTS.

Nod Ending song starts at 4:30

Full song here

Lyrics & credits

If you are upset that I posted a song from an RTS instead of an RPG, please either relax your standards and try to see that I think its relevant to the discussion, or, alternately, go cuddle your inner drama queen.

[Rasix]

Cheater.

Any Persona fan will remember the following (fondly or not): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSuP-HFDU8I (I think this track was used for the Velvet room for both 3 and 4).

The sound tracks for Persona 3 and 4 were just fantastic. The jpop/rap just fit so well with the setting.  The CD that came with 3 was actually my car listening for a while.  My wife thought I was weird.

[Ingmar]

Nobuo Uematsu.

His entire work.

Icewind Dale > *

ROFL.

Edit: Lucas, I have to assume you're either an old dude or like bad music. The only PC RPG that has a place on a list of RPG music is the theme to Deus Ex and that's only nostalgia speaking. 90% of PC RPG music doesn't even qualify as music. I'm not even going to give Planescape a bye here and I would do almost anything to praise that game. Bioware music is nearly almost always dreadful generic trash.

Well, I didn't mention the BGs and such because they were nothing special. The Jeremy Soule stuff (he also did the TA music) for IWD is legitimately good though. Maybe a touch Elfman-derivative but still good.

Planescape is kind of strange stuff, it fits the game well enough but I don't know that I would say it is good, exactly, and some of it is just bad (Morte's theme I am looking at you.)

I suppose it would be cheating to include this but the actual best RPG soundtrack is probably Eternal Sonata. 

[Rasix]

I suppose it would be cheating to include this but the actual best RPG soundtrack is probably Eternal Sonata. 

Frederick fucking Chopin.

[Sjofn]

I suppose it would be cheating to include this but the actual best RPG soundtrack is probably Eternal Sonata.  

It's OK, one of my favorite game music moments is in Quest for Glory 4, and it's just a version of Anitra's Dance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5EUemcvZAg


EDIT: Really I liked a lot of the music in that one, even though some of it shouldn't count, like this. This is one that makes me have flashbacks to the game for some reason.


EDIT TWO: Derp, it was four, not three! Three had some OK music too though. 

[Tale]

Fuck those rules.  You're ignoring one of the greatest soundtracks ever.

Mechwarrior 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C42xCauM9jU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ysrowWrzI

That soundtrack was playable in an audio CD player using the game CD. I played it in my car.

[Hawkbit]

Good to see a FFIX link above.

This piece always grabs me, I even ripped it onto my iPod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHLBrtpZ5gY&feature=related

[proudft]

Fuck those rules.  You're ignoring one of the greatest soundtracks ever.

Mechwarrior 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C42xCauM9jU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ysrowWrzI

That soundtrack was playable in an audio CD player using the game CD. I played it in my car.

When someone cut you off did you intone CHAIN FIRE, ENGAGED?

[Yegolev]

The CD that came with 3 was actually my car listening for a while.  My wife thought I was weird.

I did this with #4's OST as well.  I even put some of them on my phone.  Bathhouse theme as ringtone is neat.

[ajax34i]

To me, the Jade Empire theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHYARoLPpDw sounds like an updated Morrowind theme.

[Zetor]

Obscure RPG time!


I used to really like the music from Thunderscape (the soundtrack was pretty varied from rock to techno, see this for example; the tracks were regular audio cd tracks so they could be played by normal CD players as well). In retrospect it's cheesy as hell and built around one riff that isn't even that good, but hey.  

David Arkenstone's soundtrack for Lands of Lore 2 wasn't all bad at the time, even though the game itself was kinda blah compared to the original.

Star Trail (Realms of Arkania 2) had pretty relaxing music, I had it in my mod/midi playlist for quite some time. character generation

Does Freedom Force count as a rpg? (skip to 2:00 for awesomeness right away)

[Also, if Mechwarrior 2 counts, Star Control 2 counts too dammit! Not bad for a 4-channel MOD...]

edit: fixed some links

[Rasix]

Does Freedom Force count as a rpg? (skip to 2:00 for awesomeness right away)

Yes.

[Trippy]

The Granado Espada OST (yes I'm ignoring the rules)

There's a ton of songs in the game (OST has 126 tracks) in a variety of styles from classical to techno.

A sampling:

Main Theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2eoN8tJVIY
Barracks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaHcPzwdyVg
Aria de Coimbra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H2MuY8iYIA
Odyssey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCPTj44Bidk
Beyond Hope: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3AyFpN7XO0
Nexus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_L-fDedv_k

[Korachia]

With so many interesting pieces of music allready mentioned, I can add only a few worthy of note.

I always though Arcanum's main theme was rather charming and enchanting. Perhaps one of the best pieces of game music I have heard. There are properly other parts of Arcanum's music which should be mentioned. So sad this game never did grow to its potential.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftvpi-6Z6qw

The Tristan theme from Diablo is also quite pleasent, with its mystifying guitarplaying and very changing composition. It really did set the stage for going down to the catacombs. It sure does make me nostalgic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2evIg-aYw8

[Sir T]

Hmm, your cutting out a lot of great music by limiting it to RPGs.

Anyway stretching the notion of RPG a but... heres the Saiior song from Black and white! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR9NnGcB094

More seriously here the introduction, which I've always loved. The music is fabulous http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8sfa_KKpFY

Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption; Intro music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFOQIaiPEzo

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines; The Asylum (Chiasm - Isolated) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y33hGaEgW7U

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.;  Firelake - Dirge for Planet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDCNlqMgnvo

Soul Reaver 2 - Main Theme (Ariel's Lament) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIwwWj3RFL0

Spellforce: Breath of Winter; Cenwen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nve9kviw51k

Planescape: Torment Main Theme  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfEjKBPZNYU

[Nightblade]

Final Fantasy Tactics - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_OsdjIdSpw&feature=related (Battle Theme #7)

Phoenix Wright - T&T - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLQqznqeLQQ (Hearing throwback play at the final moment of the game was  )

Breath of Fire 4 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCSAqplG8Jg

Team Fortress 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g8DVCe2nDQ (Sometimes, I like to sit at server select just to listen to the song to completion)