Top 5 CRPG Soundtracks
jjstraka34
Member Posts: 9,850
Fairly simple premise, but hard to nail down since there are so many to choose from, but here are mine:
5.) The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind - Jeremy Soule could get this nod for any number of games (his work on both Guild Wars soundtracks is almost as good as his Elder Scrolls work), but I think Morrowind's soundtrack stands out as his most iconic output. But among RPG composers, he has no peer.
4.) Divinity: Original Sin - The saddest thing about D:OS2 is that it won't have the great Kirill Pokrovsky to produce it's soundtrack, as he sadly passed away within the last year. The fact that it is the only relatively new game on the list speaks to how great it is.
3.) Baldur's Gate - You can argue about whether BG2 is a better game as a whole, but I don't think there is any question that BG1 has the superior soundtrack. Wandering around the wilderness of the Sword Coast would have meant far less without Michael Hoenig's soundtrack.
2.) Diablo - There are really only 5 tracks in Diablo. The legendary Tristram theme of course, but also increasingly claustrophobic industrial nightmares as you went further into the dungeon. D2 is also stellar in the soundtrack department, but the original work Matt Uelmen did here is a masterpiece of economy and mood. Special praise for the "Catacombs" portion
1.) Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven - A more magical and mystical set of high fantasy music I have never heard, and likely won't. The soundtrack to M&M 6 is what adventuring in a fantasy world SHOULD sound like. Paul Romero and his team are well-known for their work on Heroes 3, and it is justly praised. But nothing holds a candle to walking around New Sorpigal the first time hearing the enchanting themes that, more than anything, set the mood for this game. Absolutely perfect.
5.) The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind - Jeremy Soule could get this nod for any number of games (his work on both Guild Wars soundtracks is almost as good as his Elder Scrolls work), but I think Morrowind's soundtrack stands out as his most iconic output. But among RPG composers, he has no peer.
4.) Divinity: Original Sin - The saddest thing about D:OS2 is that it won't have the great Kirill Pokrovsky to produce it's soundtrack, as he sadly passed away within the last year. The fact that it is the only relatively new game on the list speaks to how great it is.
3.) Baldur's Gate - You can argue about whether BG2 is a better game as a whole, but I don't think there is any question that BG1 has the superior soundtrack. Wandering around the wilderness of the Sword Coast would have meant far less without Michael Hoenig's soundtrack.
2.) Diablo - There are really only 5 tracks in Diablo. The legendary Tristram theme of course, but also increasingly claustrophobic industrial nightmares as you went further into the dungeon. D2 is also stellar in the soundtrack department, but the original work Matt Uelmen did here is a masterpiece of economy and mood. Special praise for the "Catacombs" portion
1.) Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven - A more magical and mystical set of high fantasy music I have never heard, and likely won't. The soundtrack to M&M 6 is what adventuring in a fantasy world SHOULD sound like. Paul Romero and his team are well-known for their work on Heroes 3, and it is justly praised. But nothing holds a candle to walking around New Sorpigal the first time hearing the enchanting themes that, more than anything, set the mood for this game. Absolutely perfect.
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Comments
2. IwD
3. BG1 & SoA (can't decide myself)
4. SoD (only heard the main menu one, but it's as good as ToB, and the rest of ToB's music is meh so dropping SoD here).
5. ToB
I have to admit I never played D2 with the music on. Seems like I should start doing so.
2. Planescape: Torment
3. Morrowind
4. Wasteland 2
5. Temple of Elemental Evil
All in all I prefer Mark Morgan over Jeremy Soule when it comes to music. But Jeremy's work on Morrowind nearly topped PS:T when it comes to enigmatic and outright alien sounds. And while the soundtrack of Icewind Dale, and especially Icewind Dale II for that matter, was fantastic as well... it just didn't cut the top five.
2. Morrowind
3. Skyrim
4. Oblivion
5. Icewind Dale
Jeremy Soule is one the best game composers around, and he did all the music for most of the Elder Scrolls games as well as both Icewind Dale and Icewind Dale 2. But the Undertale soundtrack is the best I've heard of any game, including Donkey Kong Country 2 and Ocarina of Time, and DKC2 and OoT are legends.
If this was about games in general and not CRPGs specifically, I'd put Koji Kondo and David Wise up there as well. A game's music is one of its most important attributes, and these composers made a massive impact on these games.
2. PS:T - Theme and variation for days
3. Arcanum - Fits perfectly and is good to listen to on its own - there are also several live performances on YT to seek out.
4. KOTOR 2 has some *really* solid non-SWs tracks
5. Baldurs Gate 1
That's Aarin Gend's original Neverwinter Nights track. Who you trying to fool?
... or was Aarin really a Jedi?! O_o