Music and gaming go hand in hand – who can think about The Legend of Zelda without The Lost Woods, and Mario would lose less of its character if it ditched Luigi instead of its soundtrack. With that in mind we’re chucking together what we hope is the definitive gaming OST soundtrack week by week so we can all relive some memories together. We want your suggestions too – send them in to n1lgames@fullsync.co.uk with a few lines about why it has a place in soundtrack history or hit us up on our Twitter to say your piece.
We’re also assembling your favourite tunes to game by in a separate playlist and we’d love to know what you headshot/gather herbs/jump on blocks/stab things to! You know what to do. But for now, here’s a few staff contributions to your Soundtrack Sunday.
1: Assassin’s Creed II – Ezio’s Family – Jesper Kyd
Assassin’s Creed II was a game-changer in many ways – it’s probably still the high point in a series in a permanent state of turmoil and change. What really brought the game to life in my opinion was the phenomenal Jesper Kyd score, which made killing your way through sun-soaked Renaissance Italy an absolute joy. Who could forget that first swell as Ezio and his brother climbed that tower, camera panning across moonlit Florence, before it all went horribly wrong? –Nil
2: Darksiders II – Plains of Death – Jesper Kyd (…again)
It seems a few of us are on the same page with the genius of Mr. Kyd, and who could blame us? It’s a huge body of work that covers some of the biggest games of our time, and his considerable talents do so much for the experience. Where the Assassin’s Creed II soundtrack makes you long for a time you never lived in, his Darksiders II score underlines a world of dark magic and broken fairytales perfectly. -Chris
3: Silent Hill: Downpour – Silent Hill – Jonathan Davis
Okay, so Silent Hill: Downpour isn’t going down in history as one of the franchise greats, but it had a cracking soundtrack championed by Jonathan Davis of Korn fame – you know, that band 80% of the music world forgot ten years ago. It’s a drastic change of pace from the gentle works above but a great example of how diverse gaming soundtracks can be. -Josh
Also entering Soundtrack Sunday this week is To Zanarkand by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy X and, of course, the Title Theme from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to tug on those heartstrings and get some relaxed nostalgia going.
You can find the playlist here. What’s missing? Let us know for next week and make sure to let us know why you think it needs to go on our ultimate Soundtrack Sunday playlist! New entries will be added as they come in with highlights posted each Sunday!