21 Years of Videogame Soundtracks

As of a couple months ago, I turned 21! In my 21 years of life I've done a couple of things. One of those things include playing a couple of videogames, and for my semi-annual blogpost, I thought it'd be fun to talk about some of these games and their soundtracks. The following is my favorite videogame soundtrack from each year I've been alive.

2003- SILENT HILL 3

To be honest, I haven't played Silent Hill 3. I started 1 and really wanted to like it but it was so jank I unfortunately gave up. So, I started playing 2 instead, then my computer died halfway through. Rest in peace. Perhaps it got too spooked and suffered a digital heart attack. Anyways, I haven't had the chance to play Silent Hill 3 yet. It kind of just wins based on how sick the soundtrack cover art is. It has good songs too I imagine. I haven't listened.

FAVORITE SONG- You're Not Here

2004- KATAMARI DAMACY

Now we're talking. Sheesh. An all-time classic. A trail-blazer. I haven't played this one either. BUT- but but but- I HAVE actually listened to the soundtrack, so I swear this deserves its spot. I also swear I actually play some of these video games at some point. It's just a joyous, joyous soundtrack. I recommend it to anyone having a bad day and wants to cheer up. I don't recommend the same if you are already happy though. You may become dangerously happy.

FAVORITE SONG- Lonely Rolling Star

2005- LEGO STAR WARS

I only remember one song from this game. And you do, too. Just for having the legendary Cantina theme, Lego Star Wars deserves its spot on this list. That's all I really need to say on the matter.

FAVORITE SONG- Mos Eisley Cantina

2006- WII SPORTS

The Wii Sports soundtrack is so heat my grandmother would agree with this ranking. It's iconic even across generations. Plus, there's this one "Hotline Bling" remix that puts Drake's vocals on a song from the soundtrack, and it's pretty good. So, it's the obvious pick for OST of the year. It had some good competition, Persona 3 and Mother 3, but when was the last time you heard a Drake remix of one of those games soundtracks? Exactly.

FAVORITE SONG- Title Theme

2007- TEAM FORTRESS 2 The TF2 soundtrack is probably a little too iconic for its own good. Do you remember those band kids in high school that would wear the soviet babushka hats and do Russian jigs (even though they were very not Russian)? That's probably because of TF2. So, maybe TF2 gets docked some points because of that. But, the bongos on this thing bring it right back up. And the horns?! Oh my goodness.

FAVORITE SONG- Team Fortress 2

2008- PERSONA 4

Sometimes, when I'm with my friends, I put on "Like A Dream Come True" or "Your Affection" and say, "Ah... It's almost like I'm hanging out with my real friends," and they throw rocks at me. Somehow, I was able to play 70 hours of this game and continue to listen to the soundtrack after I stopped for the day. I just never get tired of it. I got goosebumps from listening to "Never More" before I even knew what Persona was. Not quite a perfect game, but definitely a perfect soundtrack. Please listen to it.

FAVORITE SONG- Never More

2009- MINECRAFT

I mean, duh. We all know and love the Minecraft soundtrack. It's beautiful, nostalgic and melancholic. It's feature film material, and it's a miracle that Notch was able to connect with such an amazing artist for his (at the time) small indie game. Even if everyone eventually muted the soundtrack so they could talk to their friends while playing, nobody ever forgot the Minecraft soundtrack.

FAVORITE SONG- Mice on Venus

2010- FALLOUT NEW VEGAS

I felt a little conflicted about including New Vegas since nearly all of it is solely licensed pre-existing 1950s music, especially when other amazing soundtracks came out that year. Mario Galaxy 2, Danganronpa, Ghost Trick! But I had to give it to Fallout: New Vegas because not only is it my favorite game of all time, it's probably the only reason I like country music at all, and I imagine it's the same for thousands across the globe. #notallcountrymusic

FAVORITE SONG- Stars of the Midnight Ranger

2011- BASTION

Oh man how I've cried to the Bastion soundtrack. Don't get me wrong, there are some bangers on this soundtrack. God, there are some bangers. The sitar on "Terminal March," the muddy drums on "Slinger's Song," etc. are beautiful. But the obvious standouts are the three somber vocal performances by Ashley Barett and Darren Korb, which, in my opinion, are some of the most effective uses of music in gaming. Also, we need more acoustic guitars in-game soundtracks. C'mon. Pleaseee?

FAVORITE SONGS- Build That Wall / Mother, I'm Here / Setting Sail

2012- ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF

Coziest soundtrack ever. If you work in a cafe, please put this on when you're working. It really makes you feel like an animal... crossing...

FAVORITE SONG- 5 P.M.

2013- THE LAST OF US

GUYS: WE GOT IT!!! MORE ACOUSTIC GUITAR!!! Man, I'm so happy they included the original soundtrack for the new HBO show. It's eerie, peaceful, and so moving! I wish I could write better so I could effectively describe how great this soundtrack is. Here's the best I can do: It's like, really, really good.

FAVORITE SONG- The Last of Us

2014- MARIO KART 8

I don't have much to say about this one. It's just a great time. That's all you really need out of a Mario Kart soundtrack.

FAVORITE SONG- Dolphin Shoals

2015- UNDERTALE

I've been listening to the Undertale soundtrack since it came out 9 years ago, and I've never stopped. I have no words to describe it that could do it justice. Please listen to it. Then after, listen to BotanicSage's "Swiggity Swole, I'm Coming For That Soul" remix. It probably won't be as funny if you didn't first watch it when you were 12, but... hopefully you still enjoy it

FAVORITE SONGS- Can You Really Call This A Hotel, I Didn't Receive A Mint On My Pillow Or Anything / Small Shock / Home (Music Box) / UNDERTALE

2016- PERSONA 5

Even if I didn't like the Persona 5 soundtrack, it would still be the best soundtrack of the year. I mean, it invented jazz! There's a special place in my heart for "Layer Cake" after my friends covered it in an open mic. I was the only one in the friend group who didn't play music, so our hangouts just turned into band practice while I watched and couldn't participate... I didn't say it was a good place in my heart.

FAVORITE SONG- Beneath The Mask

2017- NIGHT IN THE WOODS

I have very, very mixed feelings about Night In The Woods. On one hand, it was extremely boring for 80% of its runtime and I consistently wished I could've refunded it. On the other hand, it made me cry like 3 or 4 times during the last act. I don't know how I feel about it. Good soundtrack though.

FAVORITE SONG- Trailer

2018- DELTARUNE CHAPTER 1

I love Toby Fox (creator of Undertale and Deltarune). Have you listened to the Undertale soundtrack yet? Listen to it, then listen to this afterwards.

FAVORITE SONG- Rude Buster

2019- ACE ATTORNEY TRILOGY

... Ignore that these games came out in 2001, 2002, and 2004 respectively please. I don't care if including its 2019 remaster with 0 new additional songs is cheating; there was no way I was going to make a "best music in gaming" list and not include Ace Attorney. I've played like 5?6? of these games, and not once has the music disappointed. Please listen to "The Fragrance of Dark Coffee" for me. Put it on for your grandpa. He'd appreciate it.

FAVORITE SONG- Fragrance of Dark Coffee

2020- OMORI

This game and its soundtrack have done irreparable damage to my mental health. Peak-depressed Aaron would listen to this soundtrack every day. Every day. I am not exaggerating. You know the evil black space songs that are just out-of-tune flutes screaming and nails-on-chalkboard-esque sounds? I used to listen to that in my free time. 0/10 has ruined my life. Please listen to DUET.

FAVORITE SONG- DUET

2021- DELTARUNE CHAPTER 2...

I think this is a little embarrassing at this point, my third Toby Fox entry (fourth if you count his contribution to Omori). Like, this isn't even a new game. It's just DLC to the last one. But, it's really good. Every couple of years, I finally begin to forget about Toby. Then, he pulls me back in like clockwork. What an evil man.

FAVORITE SONG- A CYBER'S WORLD?

2022- ...... OGRE...?

Quickly after I started researching for this blog post, I realized something. I've never played a single game released in 2022. In fact, over the past couple of years I've hardly played any new games at all. So... I didn't really know what game to pick. So you're getting OGRE. Apparently, it was a game released in 2022. And it was the classic game of future tank warfare. Riveting. Quite the tearjerker on some of these tracks, I'm sure.

FAVORITE SONG- ???

2023- ......UNDERTALE YELLOW?

... The only new game I played in 2023 wasn't even a legitimate release. It was an Undertale fangame. I will go hide in shame now. I don't even remember what the soundtrack was like, it just wins out of being the only option available.

FAVORITE SONG- ?????

2024- PERSONA 3 RELOAD

For my final addition, I was torn between choosing Persona 3 Reload and Silent Hill 2 (2024), both remasters of amazing games with equally amazing soundtracks. However, after hearing such beautiful lyrics in P3R, I knew what had to be done. To close: some lyrics to "Burning Men's Soul" from Persona 3. "I'm in the house like carpet." "His momma named him Mo, but I call him Mo' Lover. And he's more than cover. He's a quilt." "Like Chef Boyardee, my rhyme is truly cookin'"

FAVORITE SONG- In the House Like Carpet