What are your favorite theme songs from video games or movies?

Question

abc3643 · Accepted Answer

This is a good question.

I never cared for the theme to Star Trek, but I loved the music during the episode. Now that I am 60, I've come to realize how important and groundbreaking the music in the 1960s Star Trek really was - the music and the musical clues helped give the show excitement, lightheartedness at times, and let us know of beautiful angelic moments. That music is what is lacking in all other Star Treks which is why, even if they are good, they feel pedestrian.

To me, I am very old school with my video games - I went to arcades and played on cabinet arcade machines during The Golden Age of Video Games. Complex music was never a part of the games because music takes memory and memory is expensive and eats up a lot of CPU time. (Now you know why MIDI got invented.) However, certain video games did have simple music or music clues to go with them. For instance, Asteroid had a simple two-note musical cycle akin to a clock but also reminiscent of Jaws. So, that simple two-note cycle, kept you on the edge which you needed to be at times. That cycle got faster the later you were in a round thus elevating the tension.

Asteroids:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/i-Gs01omJyI

There was a Star Wars vector line graphic game in which you were Luke flying an X-Wing fighter at the end of Star Wars and ultimately had to destroy the Death Star. It played MIDI versions of Star Wars music.

Star Wars:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/PzGWEYCRA0w

Another video game with great simple background MIDI music was Ataxx. Ataxx was a simple board game like Othello/Reversi, but your adversaries in each round were these hideous characters that were actually scary looking. And the subtle background music that went with it made it seem even scarier - and yet this was just a simple board game.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/UgHR6-94j5g

For movies, the original theme to "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" is good and was the inspiration for most later Star Trek themes.

Really, the themes by John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith are almost all wonderful.

But props need to be given to some of the lesser-known composers like James Newton Howard, James Horner, Hans Zimmer, Cliff Martinez, and Thomas Newman.

Both Thomas Newman and Cliff Martinez have signature styles; you hear their music without knowing beforehand that they composed it and once you hear it, you know it's them. One clue is the director of the film though. Many directors have a favorite composer they use for their movies. John Williams and Steven Spielberg, of course, But, here's an example:

Director Frank Darabont directed the "The Shawshank Redemption'' and "The Green Mile" (both Steven King works) with soundtracks by composer Thomas Newton.

SPOILER ALERT - THESE ARE ALL ENDINGS OF POPULAR MOVIES.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/CkxXGxa2JkU https://www.youtube.com/embed/_YbVsEhNuT0

While this is not a Frank Darabont film, "The Adjustment Bureau" is another good example of Thomas Newman's work.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/RqmsnG8nE3c

You can sense his light, but emotionally tugging touch in the ends of all three of these films.

SnowedIn · Accepted Answer

These are just a few... Downton Abbey... Dallas Star Trek  (this happens to be the  Next Generation  introduction, but any of them really) Airwolf

CrimsonAngel09 · Accepted Answer

American Horror Story theme. Far Cry 5 theme.  Far Cry New Dawn theme.  Far Cry 3 theme. Far Cry Blood Dragon theme. The Last of Us theme.  GTA IV theme. Dragon Age Inquisition theme.

CuriousMufuxka · Answer

Holy fuck too many to list here! I have 5 from different consoles though.. Snes! Genesis! N64! PS1! And finally  NES! Not my all time faves, but certainly memorable.

MysticDevice · Answer

Video Games:

Halo 2
https://youtu. be/KCSDeT6dPSU

Skyrim
https://youtu. be/6fILxnBH1Tg

Mass Effect 2
https://youtu. be/xblM1zPBWDg

Metal: Hellsinger
https://youtu. be/vaErlmbQh2A

Movies:

Lord of the Rings
https://youtu. be/ehAgMszCHU4

Metal Lords
https://youtu. be/QTgD05gbL28

Pirates of the Caribbean
https://youtu. be/27mB8verLK8

That is all. For now...

OddBeMe · Answer

Fallout New Vegas had a great soundtrack..

Iron_Man · Answer

The eye of the Tiger from Rocky

What are your favorite theme songs from video games or movies?

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What is your most favorite video game soundtracks?

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What is your most favorite video game soundtracks?

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