# Best Fantasy Game or Film Soundtracks?



## Mark Stanley (Aug 2, 2012)

I bought Skyrim about two months ago and still can't get it's main theme out of my head. The entire score is absolutely beautiful, moving and just so kickass with it's choral chants. It really catches your imagination and lets you just lose yourself in the world of Tamriel. This has to be my favourite game soundtrack that I have heard. What's yours? For film, I have to say The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is my favourite without a doubt.


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Aug 2, 2012)

I'm a big fan of the World of Warcraft soundtracks, especially for Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm.

I listen to the Lord of the Rings, Inception, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Tron: Legacy soundtracks a lot. Oh, and Star Wars of course.


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## robertbevan (Aug 2, 2012)

wild arms.


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## Ankari (Aug 2, 2012)

Age of Conan had a great soundtrack.  You can buy them off of Amazon MP3.  You also can see the high reviews they receive.


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## Ireth (Aug 2, 2012)

I agree, Lord of the Rings has an amazing soundtrack. Also Pirates of the Caribbean, Tuck Everlasting, Braveheart, and the Harry Potter movies, especially the later ones.


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## Devor (Aug 2, 2012)

Our copy of Skyward Sword came with a great soundtrack that my wife likes to play for "Epic Music Pancake Sundays"


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## Steerpike (Aug 2, 2012)

I was going to say Age of Conan as well. And I remember liking the music in Vanguard at the time, though I can't remember how it went now.


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## Mark Stanley (Aug 2, 2012)

Yes I had heard Skyward Sword's soundtrack was supposed to be amazing! And of course who could forget Star Wars or Pirates of the Carribean! Haha  I'm interested to check a lot of these out!


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## Mindfire (Aug 3, 2012)

The Last Airbender: bad movie, great soundtrack.


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## Wynnara (Aug 3, 2012)

Princess Mononoke... I love the 'Battle Drums' song when Mononoke attacks the town.


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## Zero Angel (Aug 3, 2012)

The Chrono Cross OST is amazingggg. I also approve of Skyward Sword and Warcraft soundtracks (of which I have like five).


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## Androxine Vortex (Aug 3, 2012)

Skyrim and Oblivion both have amazing soundtracks. I own all 4 Final Fantasy X soundtrack discs as well. Nobu Uematsu is amazing! All the LOTR games have great music and while it isn't strictly fantasy but more RPG, I think that the Pokemon games have the best music. I don't care what anyone says, I still love things from my childhood. I loved Pokemon when I was a kid and I will love until I am 90 years old.


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## coffeecream (Aug 6, 2012)

Take a listen at Dragon Age I ST. The whole soundtrack was beautiful, but the one that really got me was the night camp theme.


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## Neurosis (Aug 6, 2012)

The Skyrim theme is just a less moving and more nordic version of the Morrowind theme (Morrowind - The Elder Scrolls 3 theme symphony orchestra - YouTube), which is perhaps my favorite game theme ever. Planescape: Torment also had an excellent sound track, as does The Witcher.


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## FireBird (Aug 10, 2012)

Final Fantasy X and Shadow of the Colossus soundtracks are my favorite.


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## soulless (Aug 10, 2012)

I quite enjoy the x files volume 1, 4 cd soundtrack set, can be rather relaxing and good for stirring the imagination into weird places.


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## mphintz2 (Aug 20, 2012)

The main theme to EverQuest still stirs up childhood memories every time I hear it, but the Baldur's Gate main theme takes the medal for favorite. And as I recall, both of those soundtracks were pretty good too.


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## Darkphoenix747 (Aug 23, 2012)

Wynnara said:


> Princess Mononoke... I love the 'Battle Drums' song when Mononoke attacks the town.


I loved that one too! My favorite game soundtrack would have to be the Witcher. The song "the Witcher Theme" is my favorite. I never would have thought pairing a violin with an electric guitar would result in something like that. I played violin for twelve years so I tend to lean towards music with that instrument. My favorite movie soundtrack is the Gladiator. I still play that one on repeat when I'm writing.


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## Endymion (Aug 23, 2012)

Catwomans theme and Zack Hemseys Inception theme! Also everything written by Hans Zimmer.


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## Endymion (Aug 23, 2012)

Shire theme, terminator 2 theme, superman theme, batman the first movie theme and of course Amadeus' theme.


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## Endymion (Aug 23, 2012)

Androxine Vortex said:


> I don't care what anyone says, I still love things from my childhood. I loved Pokemon when I was a kid and I will love until I am 90 years old.



That's the spirit! Pokemon season one (the only one I liked) had an awesome theme, especially the Finnish version. I still sing it in the shower from time to time!


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## Warlock (Aug 24, 2012)

Game soundtracks: World of Warcraft has some of the best soundtracks out there, as does Lord of the Rings: Online, Dragon Age I and of course, Skyrim. Star Wars: The Old Republic also has some very nice tracks.

Film soundtracks: Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy has some of the most epic soundtracks ever, as does Star Wars(prequels and original trilogy) and the Harry Potter series.


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## CupofJoe (Aug 24, 2012)

The Alien and Aliens OSTs still give me chills...


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## Sieryn (Aug 24, 2012)

Final Fantasy IV though X (Nobou Umatsu can do no wrong), World of Warcraft, SWtoR is okay, Legend of Dragoon Opening is a favorite, I like a few tracks off of Secret of Mana

And I'm gonna throw out some Anime - Cowboy Bebop soundtrack...Its kinda like a film right?


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## JonSnow (Aug 27, 2012)

Best game soundtrack of all time IMO... Xenogears HANDS DOWN... Chrono Cross was also really good. Most popular games have a couple good tracks. But these were 3-4 CD's packed with great tunes top to bottom. I think that era of games (Playstation 1, mid to late 90's) had the most underrated soundtracks.

For Movie/TV soundtracks... Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, and Game of Thrones


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## Aidan of the tavern (Sep 1, 2012)

Can't believe I missed this thread.  I have to say, for some reason I seem to love game soundtracks a lot more than film soundtracks these days, can't explain why, and I'm glad that we are hearing such beautiful music in games these days.  

The Assassin's Creed series:  I'm not going to lie, these pieces of music left tears in my eyes at points.

Elder Scrolls series:  Ok, I haven't actually played Skyrim yet, but Oblivion had a cool soundtrack.  Jeremy Soule is one of my favourite composers, he can be dramatic, but also incredibly subtle.  

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance:  If you're a veteran, you'll know what I'm talking about.  A tragically unfinished 2 game series with some truly beautiful and inspiring music.  The first game again courtesy of Jeremy Soule, the second by Craig Stuart Garfinkle.  

Beyond Good and Evil:  You need to be not only a veteran, but someone with great taste in games to remember this.  A fantastic sci-fi stealth game, which sadly slipped under the radar.  But good news!  It's been re-released as a download for current gen consoles, so folks, go and get it.  Oh and it has a really interesting soundtrack, including a piece where the "rhythm" is augmented by a recording of a bulgarian woman having a telephone conversation.  Intrigued?  Good.

Fallout series:  I love these soundtracks, not just because of the golden oldies on the radio (which I love), but the background music, composed by Inon Zur, is top class as well.


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## Chime85 (Sep 19, 2012)

Final Fantasy (in particular, VI). You cannot deny the splendor that is Nobuo Umatsu. My particular favorite in the whole Final Fantasy series is this beautiful piece.






Dancing mad, the music to the final battle. Please, sit back and enjoy 

x


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## Chime85 (Sep 19, 2012)

Oh, and Terras theme.....






No more vids, I promise 

x


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## Fargoer (Oct 2, 2012)

Some of the World of Warcraft zone music is simply amazing, this one for example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38TA-X0dXr4


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## SilentWatcher (Oct 5, 2012)

For games...hmm...either Assassins Creed II or Skyrim. I might lean more towards Skyrim...the soundtrack just really takes you into the world of Tamriel. I remember going into Blackreach and hearing "Beneath the Ice" play...one of the best moments for me. I can say a lot of negative things about Skyrim but the soundtrack isn't one.

For film, Lord of the Rings, no doubt about it. I can't think of any other fantasy film soundtrack that comes close.


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## hyluvian (Oct 13, 2012)

Anything with Jeremy Soule is automatic, hence the awesome that is Skyrim and the Guild Wars 2 soundtrack.

For films, there are so many, everyone has already hit the perenial favorites - Star Wars, LoTR, Pirates.  But you've forgotten one of the greatest film trilogies ever made -

Back to the Future

Who's humming the tune now?  All of you are! And if you're not you may want to check your pulse... (Or you have no memory of the 80's).

And of course there's the music from the post 2005 Doctor Who - Murray Gold is very good at illiciting a certain mood for each Doctor.

Oh! And for those that can't think of a better fantasy soundtrack than LotR (hard I know) have you forgotten the Arnold Conan movies?  Both had amazing themes for Conan.


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## VanClash (Oct 25, 2012)

Even though it's not a Skyrim-type fantasy (best way I can describe it), I really enjoyed the Black Mesa soundtrack and also the game in general.


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## Aidan of the tavern (Apr 3, 2013)

I really love the Arkham Soundtracks, they're so menacing, sinister and gothic, with that prominent percussion and dark tone hinted with a tinge of hope .


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## TheFlayer (Apr 9, 2013)

How can this beauty forget to be mentioned? The Opened Way anyone?

Shadow of the Colossus: The Opened Way


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## Rise of the Tiger (Jun 6, 2013)

I often listen to the Final Fantasy radio station on AOL Radio.


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## teacup (Jun 6, 2013)

Final fantasy 9 has a beautiful and brilliant soundtrack.
Example:
Final Fantasy IX - Beatrix's Theme (Red Rose


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## Zero Angel (Jun 6, 2013)

rise of the tiger said:


> i often listen to the final fantasy radio station on aol radio.



There's a radio station?!?!?!?!?!?! XD


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## MFreako (Jun 6, 2013)

Don't know if this was mentioned, but the Mass Effect series has one of the strongest soundtracks out there, in my opinion at least.


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## Aidan of the tavern (Dec 11, 2013)

How can I not include this?  I was awestruck when this song eased into the game, I just kind of sat there listening and thinking "wow!".


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## teacup (Dec 11, 2013)

I've posted this before, but I might as well post it here, too. FF9's whole soundtrack. (There's other full FF soundtracks down the side.)


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## JRFLynn (Dec 11, 2013)

Skyrim is wonderful, but some of the best epic music in my opinion is from a group called Two Steps from Hell. Weird name, but absolutely amazing orchestral music you can swashbuckle to


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## Ophiucha (Dec 11, 2013)

Speaking of swashbuckling, the soundtrack to _Assassin's Creed IV_ is phenomenal.

Others I like,

Journey
Eternal Sonata
Ni no Kuni (composed by the same guy who does most of the Ghibli films)


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## Sam Evren (Dec 12, 2013)

@Mark Stanley, if you enjoyed Skyrim's main theme, may I recommend you listen to Morrowind's main theme, Call of Magic, which is the basis for Skyrim's Dragonborn. Both are Jeremy Soule's work. Absolutely distinct composer, I think the first time I recall his work is from the first Total Annihilation game.

Morrowind's Call of Magic, to me, is the epitome of setting out on an adventure, a long, enduring, endearing adventure.

Call of Magic on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2qDap4hnmk

Edit: Ah, someone earlier had mentioned this, not sure how I missed it. *blush*


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## Stephyn Blackwood (Apr 20, 2014)

Mark Stanley said:


> I bought Skyrim about two months ago and still can't get it's main theme out of my head. The entire score is absolutely beautiful, moving and just so kickass with it's choral chants. It really catches your imagination and lets you just lose yourself in the world of Tamriel. This has to be my favourite game soundtrack that I have heard.


If you like Skyrim's soundtrack, you should listen to War of the Vikings soundtrack, very similar and equally beautiful.


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## Rinzei (Apr 21, 2014)

I'll second Chrono Cross - I've not played that game in probably 10 years, but I STILL find myself humming songs from it. I also like the Silent Hill soundtracks (games scare the bejeezus out of my though). One that most people haven't played/heard of - White Knight Chronicles. Love the music from that.

For films/TV, .hack//SIGN is really good, as well as Attack on Titan / Shigenki no Kyojin. Howl's Moving Castle is also on the list. Less anime-orientated, the new run of Doctor Who. Does Les Miserables count because it's technically a musical?


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## Gryphos (Apr 21, 2014)

My favourite single piece of music from a game has to be from Dark Souls. The music that accompanies the final boss fight, 'Gwyn, Lord of Cinder'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB6sOhQan9Y

Usually for final bosses the music is big and bombastic, probably incorporating some kind of epic choir. But when you fight Gwyn it's just a sad piano melody. Not to go too deep into the game's lore, but it's very appropriate as Gwyn himself, when you fight him, is a shade of his former self. Essentially you're putting him down, a sad truth that's reflected in the music. I just love it.


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## Legendary Sidekick (Apr 21, 2014)

Secret of Mana songs still get stuck in my head, especially #4 on this top ten list.






That must be the song they played when my brother, my friend and I killed wolves to level up. The term "grinding" wasn't invented in the early 90s as far as I know, but that's what we were doing.

I'm not sure what you call healing people in a hotel room until you're out of mana so you can level up water magic. I was guilty of that one.


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## kayd_mon (Apr 22, 2014)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is my favorite film soundtrack. I also love the Back to the Future theme, the main theme from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, and the Star Wars scores. Episodes IV, V, and II have the best, IMO. 

For video games, Chrono Trigger music still runs through my head. Love that music. Skyrim does have some great music, and Oblivion was good too.


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## Zero Angel (Apr 29, 2014)

Legendary Sidekick said:


> Secret of Mana songs still get stuck in my head, especially #4 on this top ten list.
> 
> That must be the song they played when my brother, my friend and I killed wolves to level up. The term "grinding" wasn't invented in the early 90s as far as I know, but that's what we were doing.
> 
> I'm not sure what you call healing people in a hotel room until you're out of mana so you can level up water magic. I was guilty of that one.



I think everyone was guilty of that once you figured out it was possible.


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## Svrtnsse (Apr 29, 2014)

I came across the Soundtrack for Trine 2 the other day.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxFrGzM-n4Y
The first one is also available:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkyhqPjVE0w

In addition, the sound track for Gianna Sisters: Twisted Dream is also very good with a nice old-skool vibe to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KeWID0vmY0&list=PLtjvOGvcaz2kYR3TsAUBBSehzIX-Xr4kj


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## Legendary Sidekick (Apr 29, 2014)

Zero Angel said:


> I think everyone was guilty of that once you figured out it was possible.


My brother, my friend next door and I played through the game during Christmas vacation. We played straight through for 4 days, but Hotel Healing[SUP]TM[/SUP] was my day 1 discovery. Once Moon Magic came into play, the faerie walnuts were MINE!... except when an owl reversed Mana Steal, then we had to give one up for the sprite.

We only abused Hotel Healing to the extend that we drained my character's mana. We would only stay in the hotel for multiple rest periods when my friend who played the sprite was eating dinner. He murdered wolves when my brother and I were eating.

We only progressed when all three of us could play. Great game! Maybe the only game I could love that much while playing _the healer_.


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## Gryphos (May 29, 2014)

You wanna talk about great game soundtracks? I just finished playing 'Bastion' and dayum, that's a good ost. The ambience some of the tracks give to the levels is amazing, whether it's fast and actiony or slow and mellow. Together with the game itself being amazing and those were two days well spent.

On a separate note: This is pretty much the sound of my childhood…


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## Bangladeath (May 30, 2014)

The Elder Scrolls series boasts an awesome soundtrack across the board. xD


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## Aidan of the tavern (May 30, 2014)

Gryphos said:


> You wanna talk about great game soundtracks? I just finished playing 'Bastion' and dayum, that's a good ost. The ambience some of the tracks give to the levels is amazing, whether it's fast and actiony or slow and mellow. Together with the game itself being amazing and those were two days well spent.
> 
> On a separate note: This is pretty much the sound of my childhood…



The Age of's always had great soundtracks, love the Ballad of Ace Lebaron .


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## cdgallantking (May 30, 2014)

How is it that no one has mentioned this one?


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## Bearman1 (Jun 16, 2014)

For me, the best gaming music will always be the music played dyring a final fantasy intro screen. I recently got ffvi on my phone and ive not even startrd it yet. Just listened to that amazing music.


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## Mythopoet (Jun 17, 2014)

I just bought the two "Distant Worlds" albums of Final Fantasy music. It's fantastic for writing to.


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## Gryphos (Jun 18, 2014)

Journey is a game with the singular aim of getting to a distant location, amidst the crumbling ruins of an ancient civilisation. It's a very short game that doesn't feature any dialogue or even language at all, so it relies totally on the music to carry the emotion, and that's what it does really well. The game is framed by the concept of the Hero's Journey and the music is perfectly able to illustrate the stages of the journey, creating tension where it's needed and a joyous gleeful feeling where it's appropriate.

My personal favourite track has to be 'I was born for this'. It's comprised of a variety of different languages from Japanese to Old English to French, all talking about preparing for a journey.


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## Gryphos (Jun 18, 2014)

The Banner Saga is a strategic RPG with a choice-based story taking place in a heavily viking inspired world. Thus the music has many Nordic elements.

A great track from it is 'We are all guests upon the land', which plays toward the end of the game at an emotional scene. It's an epic funeral song in every way.


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## Lunaairis (Jun 19, 2014)

Now I know none of you guys have probably heard about this game... But next to Zelda, and Elder scrolls  its my favorite sound track.  The game is called YearWalk and the music is by Daniel Olsen. You can listen to whole soundtrack here on his website:   Year Walk | Daniel OlsÃƒÂ©n


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## Gryphos (Aug 18, 2014)

I've had the ending credits song from Portal stuck in my head for the past week. And I can't exactly blame myself, it's pretty damn catchy.


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## teacup (Aug 18, 2014)

Aww yiss.


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## DaFlaminUnicorn (Aug 23, 2014)

The best game soundtracks I have ever heard are Skyrim, The Mass Effect Series, Skyward Sword, The Halo Series, Outlast (very good ambiance), The Silent Hill Series (also good ambiance), Dragon Age: Origins, The Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2.

The best movie soundtracks I have ever heard are: Star Wars, Rocky, The Breakfast Club, Dragonheart 1 and 2, Les Miserables, Saving Mr. Banks, The A-Team (2010), Avatar (James Cameron's), The Last Airbender (as somebody else said before me, bad movie, good soundtrack), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy, Pretty in Pink.


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## Gryphos (Nov 16, 2014)

Just finished playing Transistor. Definitely one of the best game soundtracks I've ever heard, coupled with a damn good game by the makers of Bastion, also an amazing game with an also fantastic soundtrack.


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## BronzeOracle (Dec 1, 2014)

My favourite game soundtracks are:
1) Nyx Quest - Helios and Icarus tracks
2) Odyssey into the West - menu theme
3) Halo 2 - just wow, this and Michael Wincott's voice for the Prophet of Truth
4) Skyrim of course

For fantasy/SF movies, I love Bladerunner, Gladiator, Interstellar, Red Riding Hood and Lord of the Rings - Evenstar is a great track.


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## AllegedObserver (Dec 24, 2014)

I love playing this game called Bastion. Someone mentioned Transistor in an earlier post, and that is a great game. But, in my opinion, the Bastion soundtrack is even better. Check it out.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A3044EBC796E3DC[/video]





sorry... i don't know how to get the youtube imahe to show up on the post.


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## Brightfyre (Jan 12, 2015)

Shadow of Mordor OST is great. Perfect to play in the background while I write, as it gives the exact mood I'm looking for.


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## LordFalco (Jan 14, 2015)

I doubt if anyone remembers way back to Nintendo's Castlevania 64. The score that played while traveling the haunted landscapes was both ominous and gorgeous, especially when it happened to be raining. You could hear rain patter on the leaves. Pretty impressive for an early system. The tinkling piano added a note of melancholy.


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## Lunaairis (Jan 15, 2015)

you know I actually really liked castlevania 64 and remember that theme well.


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## LordFalco (Jan 16, 2015)

I've never found a game to match the atmospherics of that one, unless it was Draconus for Dreamcast. Final Fantasy 12 also had some moody themes, such as in a place where it snowed under a marbled sky. Wonderfully symphonic.


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## Lunaairis (Jan 16, 2015)

My favorite sound tracks were from zelda games, specifically majora's mask. I also really liked Dreamfall's and tales of symphonia.


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## Dipti13 (Mar 10, 2015)

I love the sound track of Lord of the rings.Thats just fantastic.


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