What Happened to Memorable Game Music?

For years we've been bemoaning the death of classic video game melodies. So what happened? The answer, as it turns out, is not that simple.

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Thanks to Matt of MML's Commentaries for sending me through some extra footage of Super Mario Odyssey! Here's his excellent video on why that game is at odds with itself.

"Mario Odyssey's Problem (and How to Fix It)"
   • Mario Odyssey's Problem (and How to F...  

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Games shown in this video, timestamps are of their first appearance.

0:00 - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
0:01 - Sonic the Hedgehog
0:03 - Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
0:04 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
0:23 - Earthbound
0:26 - Streets of Rage 2
0:31 - Kirby Super Star (Kirby’s Fun Pak)
0:40 - Chrono Trigger
0:43 - Lost Sphear
0:45 - Destiny 2
0:51 - Gris
0:52 - Octopath Traveler
0:55 - Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope
0:56 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
0:58 - Cuphead
1:03 - It’s Joker from Persona 5, but the footage is from his SSBU reveal trailer.
1:17 - Batman: Arkham Knight
1:26 - The Adventures of Batman & Robin
1:35 - Red Dead Redemption II
2:15 - Marvel’s Avengers (upcoming)
2:25 - Death Stranding (upcoming)
2:30 - Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
2:38 - God of War (2018)
2:47 - The Legend of Zelda
2:53 - Super Mario Bros. 3
3:52 - Skate or Die 2
4:08 - DuckTales
4:29 - Kid Icarus
4:38 - Mega Man
4:56 - Final Fantasy IV
5:01 - Donkey Kong Country
5:37 - Final Fantasy VI
5:43 - Final Fantasy V
6:04 - Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!
6:24 - Super Metroid
7:29 - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
7:38 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
7:41 - Persona 5
7:45 - Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII
7:52 - Nier: Automata
8:01 - Moonlighter
8:12 - Bastion
9:21 - Ape Out
9:30 - Ori and the Blind Forest
9:34 - Final Fantasy XV
9:44 - Far Cry 5
10:25 - Transistor
10:32 - The Last of Us
10:42 - Super Mario Odyssey
12:12 - FTL: Faster Than Light
12:16 - Assassin’s Creed: Origins
12:21 - Banjo-Kazooie
12:31 - Journey
12:34 - Hyper Light Drifter
12:38 - Metroid Prime
12:54 - Final Fantasy X
13:10 - Celeste
13:19 - Super Mario 64
13:30 - Super Mario World
14:02 - Hollow Knight
14:09 - Undertale
14:25 - The Sexy Brutale
14:32 - Super Mario Bros.
14:38 - Tetris
14:42 - Secret of Mana
14:47 - No Man’s Sky
16:24 - Final Fantasy VII: Remake
16:30 - The Witness
16:35 - Bioshock Infinite
16:40 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
16:43 - Minecraft
16:47 - Shadow of the Colossus
17:39 - Splatoon 2
18:00 - Oxenfree

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Music used in this video, in order of appearance:
0:00 - Story Music Box - Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (Koji Kondo)
0:33 - Great Fairy Fountain - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Koji Kondo)
2:46 - Dungeon - The Legend of Zelda (Koji Kondo)
3:45 - Overworld - Super Mario Bros. 3 (Koji Kondo)
4:08 - African Mines - DuckTales (Hiroshige Tonomura)
4:28 - Level 1 - Kid Icarus (Hirokazu “Hip” Tanaka)
4:53 - Battle With a Weird Enemy - Earthbound (Keiichi Suzuki)
5:53 - Forest Interlude - Donkey Kong Country 2 (David Wise)
6:09 - Mining Melancholy - Donkey Kong Country 2 (David Wise)
6:24 - Brinstar ~ Underground Depths - Super Metroid (Kenji Yamamoto)
6:44 - Big Boss Confrontation (Ridley & Draygon) - Super Metroid (Minako Hamano)
7:07 - Maridia ~ Rocky Underground Water Area - Super Metroid (Minako Hamano)
7:38 - Final Hours - The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Koji Kondo)
8:12 - Build That Wall (Zia’s Theme) - Bastion (Darren Korb, Ashley Barrett)
8:38 - Brusher Patrol - Bastion (Darren Korb)
9:20 - Reflection - Celeste (Lena Raine)
10:48 - Steam Gardens (Wooded Kingdom) - Super Mario Odyseey (Koji Kondo)
12:12 - BGM 3 - Mario Paint (Hirokazu “Hip” Tanaka)
14:53 - Brinstar ~ Overgrown Jungle - Super Metroid (Kenji Yamamoto)
15:26 - Reflection - Hollow Knight (Christopher Larkin)
16:10 - Crossroads - Hollow Knight (Christopher Larkin)
16:30 - Subwoofer Lullaby - Minecraft: Volume Alpha (C418)
16:57 - The Midnight Wood - Hyper Light Drifter (Disasterpeace)
17:15 - Towhee Grove - Oxenfree (scntfc)

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Other references:

LET'S ARGUE: Video Game Music Is Getting Worse", by fantano
   • LET'S ARGUE: Video Game Music Is Gett...  

"The Marvel Symphonic Universe", by Every Frame a Painting
   • The Marvel Symphonic Universe  

"How Supergiant Games Create Music & Art - Developing Hell #03", by noclip
   • How Supergiant Games Create Music & A...  

"Build That Wall: Creating the Audio for Bastion", by GDC
   • Build That Wall: Creating the Audio f...  

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Game Score Fanfare is a show that celebrates music in video games, an aspect so overlooked as that's often the point: to work without you even realising it's there. I look at games through the lens of its score, discovering the unique perspective and roles that music can bring.