The Best Video Game Music from the Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation 1 Era

Some of the best video game songs came from this awkward era, when video games were going through growing pains, figuring out what they wanted to be.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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1992, Nintendo made a mistake that haunts them to this day.

They broke off their deal with Sony to make the Nintendo Play Station, a CD-Rom based console that would follow the Super Nintendo. Instead,they went their separate ways - while Nintendo made the Nintendo 64, a cartridge based console with a strange, 3-pronged controller, Sony released the Playstation, a CD-based console that would set the industry standard for the next 15 years.

The music from both systems showed increased complexity, with running motifs and a greater diversity of genres. Technological limitations were becoming less of a problem - instead of finding an electronic sound to mimic a violin, composers could use an actual violin to play their melodies.

Some of the best video game songs came from this awkward era, when video games were going through growing pains, figuring out what they wanted to be. We're counting down the best of the best in Part III of our music series - the era when low framerates plagued us for the first time.

Here are the top 20 songs from the 64-Bit / CD-Rom era.

20. Mario 64 "Bomb-Omb's Battlefield"

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19. Wipeout XL "Atom Bomb"

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18. Tomb Raider "Main Theme"

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17. Soul Blade "Moonlight Shadows"

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16. Tetrisphere "Extol"

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15. Twisted Metal "Main Theme"

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14. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night "Dracula Castle"

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13. Goldeneye 007 Antenna Cradle

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12. Final Fantasy VII "One Winged Angel"

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11. Metal Gear Solid "Encounter"

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10. Tekken 3 "Eddy Gordo Stage"

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9. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time "Gerudo Valley"

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8. Banjo Kazooie "Gruntilda's Lair"

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7. Resident Evil 2 "Safe Room"

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6. Chrono Cross "Time's Scar"

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5. Silent Hill "Main Theme"

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4. Jet Force Gemini "SS Anubis"

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3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask "Clock Town Theme"

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2. Perfect Dark "Chicago Stealth"

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1. Conker's Bad Fur Day "Sloprano"

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