Personally, I have been introduced to many varied styles of music thanks to video game music. Some of it is from actual artists, whilst some original in game compositions have struck a chord with me.
Real World
Rollcage/Rollcage Stage II: This game has a rocking soundtrack! both games lend heavily from the Moving Shadow record label with heavy breaks, and kicking DnB. At the time of their releases, both games were at the bleading edge of the DnB/Breaks scene.
Wipout Series: For me one of the best ever game soundtracks was that of the 2097 incarnation, which featured an eclectic set of Dance/DnB tunes, with the excellent Papau New Guinea by Future Sound of London. Wip3out had another classic dance derived set with many original compositions by the respected DJ Sasha.
Original Formula 1 (PS1): For one of the first games on PS1, this had a pure adrenalin filled rock soundtrack with a couple of blinding Joe Satriani tracks.
Original Compositions
FFVII: For me this game had some of the most graceful, poignant and uplifting music ever to be put into a game. If you like this style of music, check out the OC remix website (link below). 👍 Be sure to check out
Jenova for Classical Piano, a haunting remix of the Jenova battle music - very highly recommended! 👍
Outrun: Being a kid of the 80's, I grew up playing the daddy of all racing games - Outrun! The game itself is still (in my mind) one of the finest arcade racers ever made, but the music within it was absolutely sublime! Even by today's standards, the tunes can still be classed as 'gaming anthems'.
Ridge Racer Series: At the time of their release, all of the Ridge Racer games (upto R4 and maybe further) had contemporary but original in game tunes. Back in '95 with Ridge Racer Revolution, it was hardcore, but as the years and games passed by, they shifted into DnB, and onto possibly one of the greatest ever in game soundtracks with R4. Full of original compositions, the R4 soundtrack stands apart as a funky, soulful, and uplifting experience. Who could forget the classic 'One more win, its Ridge Racer!' opening theme? A little cheesy I know, but its a nice opener for what I believe is a superb soundtrack! 👍
I've only scratched the surface here, and I'm only talking about some of my own personal preferences, but if your interested in finding some excellent video game music, follow these links:
Overclocked Remix
An excellent community of video game music arrangers. You will find many professional compositions of familiar video game music, especially from the Final Fantasy series. 👍
Galbadia Hotel
As far as I am aware, this is the only website that acts as a repository for all video game music. If there is a video game tune you like, chances are, its here. 👍
Videogame Pianist
A superb pianist that lends his hand to some excellent renditions of the Sonic and Mario Level themes! Who would of thought that Green Hill Zone could of sounded so beautiful! Be sure to check out the media page for direct downloads!👍
List of video game musicians
If you would like to delve deeper into the musicians that create the video game music you hear, check out this Wikipedia page for pointers. 👍