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You Won't Agree With This: GameTrailers' Top Ten Video Game Themes Ever

Posted by Nadia Oxford

Editors love Top Ten lists. There is so very little in this vast world that can be summed up with a Top Ten list, which is why readers go orangutan when writers try. And "readers going orangutan" is a proven traffic-booster.

The thing is, nobody can resist the pull of these lists. We want to see our personal favourites up on the marquee; we want validation in an anonymous world. Lord knows that when GameTrailers/Screw Attack uploaded its list of the Top Ten Video Game Themes Ever, I loaded the hell out of the video just so I could sit back and yell at it.

Not to say Screw Attack made bad choices. Most of them are pretty obvious. It's just impossible to please everyone, least of all me.

For instance, I'm not so sure about choosing the Prelude for the whole Final Fantasy series (Screw Attack limited suggestions to one per franchise). The Prelude theme is very nice and it certainly represents the series as a whole, but there are other songs that are far more striking. The Opera from Final Fantasy VI, for starters. Or the Redwings' anthem from Final Fantasy IV. I can at least give Screw Attack credit for not choosing One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII. I saw that performed as a jangling mess at Video Games Live, confirming a suspicion I've long held: the song is not particularly well-written.

Our blue friend Mega Man is represented, of course, through Mega Man 2's first Wily stage. Good choice, though I personally would have recommended Storm Eagle's rockin' rock from Mega Man X. Hey, you know what the most underrated Mega Man stage music is? Dust Man. Also, Shade Man. Also, Dr Wily's first stage in Mega Man 7.

I'm a little disappointed to see that a song from Donkey Kong Country was chosen over the ten million superiour songs from Donkey Kong Country 2. DKC 2 offered some great remixes of DKC's music--even K. Rool's nautical battle theme.

Ah, but if we all agreed on everything, what a dull place the world would be. A dull, peaceful place. I am, of course, very happy to see Secret of Mana's "Angel's Fear" on the list. Any song that still compels me to sit all the way through it fifteen years later has aged well in my book.

Related Links:

OST: DuckTales
Whatcha Listening To: The Earthbound Soundtrack
Chiptune Friday: Crystal Castles


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Comments

Dan Staines said:

"I can at least give Screw Attack credit for not choosing One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII. I saw that performed as a jangling mess at Video Games Live, confirming a suspicion I've long held: the song is not particularly well-written."

It's not so much that it isn't well-written - I think it's more that it wasn't written for a live orchestra. Like most of Uematsu's stuff, it needs the help of a mixing board to sound its best. Same goes for Liberi Fatali, Dancing Mad, and all the other "big" FF themes.

The prelude's not a bad choice per se, but yeah, I'd have gone with something else. Maybe the victory fanfare?  

October 17, 2008 9:45 PM

Roto13 said:

Their reasoning behind the Moon theme from Duck Tails is kind of silly since it could apply to pretty much every game with an intro, but whatever. It's still an awesome song.

Hurr hurr, they made a mistake with number 1. They showed a scene from Ocarina of Time, but the Zelda theme wasn't in Ocarina of Time. ;P

Too bad the whole list is negated by the lack of Terra's theme from Final Fantasy VI. Oh well!

October 17, 2008 9:54 PM

DAN! said:

I'm very glad to see Duck Tales on the list, and anything from Megaman 2 is acceptable.

but no Maniac Mansion?

come on now.

October 20, 2008 1:41 AM

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John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

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Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

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