The Top 8 PlayStation 1 Soundtracks

Welcome all to another edition of The 8 Ball! Yes, I finally managed to finish this column topic of discussing PlayStation 1 game soundtracks. While CD technology existed before the PS1 it was still pretty nascent. Going from the SNES/Genesis and jumping to a PS1, audio-wise, was a huge quality boost and allowed for musicians and developers to really stretch what they could do. Also, just because I have friend obsessed with it, the Medal of Honor (and Underground) soundtracks are probably good, but I haven’t listened to those or played the games. So here is my list of some of the games with the best soundtracks of that era. Enjoy:

#8: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

The actual game soundtrack of Soul Reaver is good enough. It’s moody and atmospheric for the world that Nosgoth is. What makes Soul Reaver shine though is the intro movie song. The song in question is “Ozar Midrashim”, from the band Information Society. There is a small relationship between Information Society and Crystal Dynamics considering Society’s lead singer, Kurt Harland, did the soundtrack for several Crystal Dynamics games, back in the day. Ozar really sets the mood for Soul Reaver though and is still memorable to this day.

#7: Gran Turismo

Gran Turismo, is one of the earliest instances I can think of popular music being used in a video game. Meaning, music from recognizable bands, and with the game itself not being a strict music game, like the Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch Sega CD game. Gran Turismo did have a somewhat orchestral soundtrack during menus and such, but during races it was pop music times. The soundtrack featured songs from Garbage, Ash and an intro movie song that was one by Manic Street Preachers, remixed by Chemical Brothers. This was fairly unheard of, back in 1998.

#6: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2

It was a bit of a choice picking between THPS 1 and 2. THPS 1 obviously has “Superman” by Goldfinger but I just like THPS 2’s soundtrack more. It’s buoyed by both Millencolin’s “No Cigar”, which has also became a bit of a series theme like Superman and also by Bad Religion’s “You”. It also had Powerman 5000’s “When Worlds Collide” song, which was a bit famous, back in the day. It may not be the most memorable soundtrack ever but the it did strike a chord with me back then.

#5: Mega Man X4

Capcom is usually good for soundtracks and the Mega Man franchise can usually be counted on for simple but catchy tunes. X4 is where it reached it’s pinnacle for me though, with tracks for Split Mushroom, Storm Owl and Jet Stingray being some really great bits of music. The best, to me, is Cyber Peacock’s stage, I’ve had that rattling around my head for over 20 years now, and I would probably respond to it, even if I was in a coma.

#4: Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid 1 had an amazing soundtrack when it came out on the PS1. It should, given that five people helped compose music for it. The great thing about the soundtrack is that it could veer pretty effortlessly from having a stealthy song, to full-on action, to even being maudlin at times, like when Sniper Wolf dies. The best, pardon the pun, song to me is “The Best Is Yet To Come”, which is the ending theme. It might be a bit corny by today’s standards, and the FMV stuff of Alaskan wildlife is a bit odd, but it is still a superb song and is one of the best songs in the entire franchise.

#3: Final Fantasy 7

While I like Final Fantasy 7’s music, I come at it slightly differently. Frankly, I find “One Winged Angel” to be kind of boring, aside from the chanting, which I know is practically what ever FF7 is obsessed with. The best songs in FF7’s soundtrack, at least to me, were the Cosmo Canyon theme, Crazy Motorcycle, and the generic boss theme. The best song however, in this game, or in any Final Fantasy game, is Cid’s Theme. The Rebirth version is good but just doesn’t hit the same as the original, probably because it sounds just a tad too militaristic. The original theme still rules though.

#2: Resident Evil 2

I actually had this soundtrack when I was a kid, which was weird. For some reason, my local Gamestop at the time, was selling this soundtrack, specifically the Japanese version with it being titled “Biohazard 2”. God knows why they had it, but I picked it up and enjoyed it. While there many bombcastic songs in the soundtrack, I really love the “T”B song as it ramps up in the early part and then dramatically shifts when it hits its crescendo. The Raccoon City and Front Hall tracks are also good, with both really setting the tone for the whole game.

#1: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

It’s incredibly hard to actually pick out a single memorable track from this game, mainly because they are all so good. While the game does remix a few Rondo of Blood songs, SOTN is in a different class of just having superb songs one after another. If I really had to pick a favorite out I might go with “Wood Carving Partita” (library theme), just because it sums up the austere/regal nature of Dracula’s castle. Although, “Wandering Ghosts” is also a pretty great song, especially if you were going to play it during a Halloween dance. Really, Symphony of the Night has one of the best soundtracks ever in a game, which only makes sense since “Symphony” is in the name.

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For comments, list your favorite PlayStation 1 soundtracks and why.

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Top 8 Locked Seventh Generation Games