My 5 Favourite Pieces of Videogame Music

From 8-bit chip tunes to sweeping cinematic scores, videogame music has provided some truly memorable music. Here are my personal favourites.

Green Hill Zone- Sonic the Hedgehog

An old one, but a classic nonetheless. Like all the best ABBA tunes, the melody to Green Hill Zone hits on a hook so catchy that it could be repeated into infinity and still never get tiring. The Chemical Plant Zone music from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is another favourite of mine, while City Escape from Sonic Adventure 2 is a guilty pleasure.

Dream Chaser- F Zero X

Sort of like how speed metal would sound on Ecstasy, which kind of sums up the F Zero experience in a weird way. I always remember the Silence course this song would play on where if you went beyond a certain speed, you would be thrown off the track into the stratosphere. To be honest, any track from this game or its sequel, F Zero GX, would qualify for this list. Can we have another F Zero game now, Nintendo? Pretty please?

Phendrana Drifts- Metroid Prime

It's a cliché to say that a piece of music gives you the chills, but the Phendrana Drifts theme from classic FPS Metroid Prime never fails to make me break out in goosebumps. Perhaps that's appropriate, considering the stage's icy/snowy setting. It's part of an intensely atmospheric soundtrack that accompanies one of the greatest games ever made.

Welcome to Rapture- Bioshock

"I am Andrew Ryan, and I am here to ask you a question..." So starts your introduction to one of gaming's most immersive environments, the underwater city of Rapture. The soundtrack to your descent into Ryan's broken paradise perfectly captures your first steps into the world, being full of tentative splendour yet tinged with an undercurrent of unease.

Suicide Mission- Mass Effect 2

Composed by Bioware regular Jack Wall, this is possibly one of my favourite pieces of music, videogame or otherwise. The entire game builds up to the suicide mission, and the music helps it feel all the more climactic. I first played Mass Effect 2 on rental when it came out, and I vividly remember staying up until 4am playing out the game's final hours on the morning I had to take the game back to Blockbusters.

I handed the rental copy back with bloodshot eyes and a huge grin on my face, with this song playing in my head, before instantly buying a full price copy. The cashier must have thought I was a bit strange.