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

Image via Complex Original

Composer: Koji Kondo
System: Nintendo 64
Date: 1996

When Mario made his first jump to 3-D, we were all worried. Would Mario retain his essential playfulness and creativity in a polygon dominated world? The answer was an emphatic yes, and Mario 64 broke ground with its simple, yet rewarding gameplay. Granted, there were camera issues (one of the most irritating elements we still deal with today), but the game has become an enduring, benchmark classic. The main theme for the game, rather than remixing an older song, staked out new, whimsical territory.

Composer: Fluke
System: Playstation
Date: 1996

Death defying, anti-gravity racing? Sign us up! Wipeout XL was fast, fun, and forward moving, with a soundtrack to match. English electronic band Fluke composed this song, and it was released as a single off the soundtrack, which also included The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers.

Composer: Martin Iveson
System: Playstation
Date: 1996

For a hot minute, Lara Croft was the biggest game character in existence – bigger than Mario, bigger than Samus, bigger than Link. Her triangular boobs and square booty made her the crush of sexually frustrated teenagers nationwide, and her exploratory gameplay paved the road for deeper gaming experiences like Uncharted. Her "Main Theme" was good enough for a feature film – it was the sound of ancient ruins, just ready to be discovered.

Composer: Benten Maru
System: Playstation
Date: 1996

An early predecessor of the Soul Calibur franchise, Soul Blade does not have the complex parry systems or combos of today's fighting games, but that didn't make it any less fun. The Chinese-inspired "Moonlight Shadows" was unusually calm for a battle theme – most stages had music to get you hyped, but this piece lulled you into the calm Zen that would serve you best.

Composer: Neil D. Voss
System: Nintendo 64
Date: 1997

Tetris was difficult enough in 2-D, but when the developers decided to give us three dimensions, it put our brains into traction. Tetrisphere was not for the amateur puzzle solver, and it didn't gain the same popularity as its older brother. The soundtrack, however, had a wonderful, techno vibe. Nintendo Power actually named it Soundtrack of the Year, and who are we to argue?

Composer: Pinnacle Group
System: Playstation
Date: 1997

Twisted Metal is what happens when Gotham City meets a monster truck rally. This game was pure, dystopian cool, where a corrupt cop and a clown killer could co-exist, side by side. The endings were exercises in cruel irony, and Calypso granted the winners' wishes in the cruelest ways possible. This game's trash metal, main theme could not be more appropriate.

Composer: Michiru Yamane
System: Playstation
Date: 1997

2-D Castlevania is the best kind, as proven by this late, RPG-inspired entry into the franchise. The first level, where you tore shit up as a fully powered Alucard, was a great jolt of adrenaline. The Castlevania games, dating all the way back to the 8-Bit days, had epic soundtracks, and this one was no different. This particular piece of ominous music came from the final level, when you stormed Dracula's Castle.

Composer: Graeme Norgate & Grant Kirkhope
System: Nintendo 64
Date: 1997

People seem to forget that Goldeneye even had a campaign mode. Everyone was having too much fun in death matches, sniping each other in the head, to even care. If you did play campaign, however, you came across this song at the game's climax – a sexy, fast-paced number that would fit into any Bond film.

Composer: Nobuo Oematsu
System: Playstation
Date: 1997

There's something to be said for consistency, and the Final Fantasy series has always delivered. For Final Fantasy VII, Oematsu wrote "One-Winged Angel" as the final battle's theme. It was the first song in the franchise to have lyrics, and they were sung in Latin, which can make anything sound exciting. When a song begins with, "Burning inside / With violent anger," you know you're in for an epic ride.

Composer: KCE Sound Team
System: Playstation
Date: 1998

If you sucked at this game, you got used to this song in a hurry. The exclamation point would appear over the guard's head, the alarm would go off, and the chase would begin. Metal Gear Solid inverted conventional game expectations, encouraging you to sneak around rather throw down with every enemy you met. Never before had a ketchup bottle, a pack of cigarettes, and a cardboard box proven to be so useful.

Composer: Keiichi Okabe
System: Playstation
Date: 1998

Eddy Gordo was a welcome addition to a game with a steep learning curve. I f you wanted to impress your friends at the arcade, it was easy – go to the Tekken 3 machine, pick Eddy Gordo, and start mashing those kick buttons. He was so random, that even you wouldn't know what was coming next. Eddy's theme, a light tropical theme, added carefree joy to a downbeat story of family corruption.

Composer: Koji Kondo
System: Nintendo 64
Date: 1998

Ocarina of Time was the most anticipated game for the Nintendo 64. Miyamoto was never one to hurry production, and for years, we kept seeing screenshots and other teases of this beautiful, epic game. When it finally dropped, it delivered the goods, swapping a bird's eye perspective for a third person, immersive world. "Gerudo Valley" was a gorgeous theme with flamenco guitar. It was youthful, yet heroic, and a perfect backdrop for Link's latest Triforce quest.

Composer: Grant Kirkhope
System: Nintendo 64
Date: 1998

For Banjo Kazooie, composer Grant Kirkhope found a solid hook and stuck with it. Kirkhope remixed "Gruntilda's Lair" six different times, changing the instrumentation to match the setting – organ music for a haunted mansion, and baritone brass for a gloppy swamp. It just goes to show how memorable and flexible a great song can be.

Composer: Masami Ueda, Shusaku Uchiyama, & Syun Nishigaki
System: Nintendo 64, Playstation
Date: 1998

All things considered, Leon had a shitty first day as a Raccoon City cop. No one wants to learn the ropes by fighting zombies with limited ammunition. Even when you were in a safe room, the music kept you on edge, with its melodious, yet unsettling tone. Yes, you weren't getting assaulted at that very moment, but who knew what horrors lay behind the next door.

Composer: Yasunori Mitsuda
System: Playstation
Date: 1999

The spiritual sequel to Super Nintendo's Chrono Trigger, the gameplay of Chrono Cross was incredible, and its music was even better. "Time's Scar" is one of the fan favorites, and it has been covered, re-covered, and remixed countless times. The tempo change is what makes this song cook – Irish flute melodies give way to fast-paced violins and percussion. Chrono Cross</i< is often overshadowed by its critically acclaimed older brother, and that's a damn shame.

Composer: Akira Yamaoka
System: Playstation
Date: 1999

Survival horror – it's a genre that has fallen by the wayside (the last two Resident Evil games definitely don't qualify). Silent Hill emphasized fear and loneliness over all other emotions – you were armed with nothing but a flashlight for some of the time. The game's main theme, with its atmospheric, minor chords, served to emphasize the moodiness.

Composer: Robin Beanland
System: Nintendo 64
Date: 1999

The developers at Rare were the Naughty Dog of their era, hitting it out of the park one classic game after another. Jet Force Gemini was another link in their long chain of creative inspiration. Starring three surviving members of Jet Force, once the most powerful military team in the galaxy, this game had a soundtrack that was rich and varied. This particular track boasted a proud, military tone, with percussive brass that upped the tension to palm sweating levels.

Composer: Koji Kondo
System: Nintendo 64
Date: 2000

It's a commonly stated irony that the Zelda games are really about Link. Majora's Mask did away with the imperiled Princess entirely, staking out new territory by turning Link into a Deku Scrub. The Clock Town served as a central hub for gameplay, and depending on the day and time, the background music changed, with variations on the same refrain. Majora's Mask was one of the last great masterpieces of the 64-Bit Era, and the "Clock Town Theme" demonstrated composers' increasing ambition.

Composer: Grant Kirkhope
System: Nintendo 64
Date: 2000

Developed with an updated version of the Goldeneye engine, Perfect Dark was a first-person fantasy shooter with heart. Starring Joanna Dark, a stealth agent with superior skills, the game was released near the end of the Nintendo 64's run. Thus, although it didn't have the highest sale numbers, it was one of the best games on the console, taking advantage of and pushing the system's limits. "Chicago Stealth" was a moody piece with a slow backbeat, perfect for sneaking around alleys in the Windy City.

Composer: Robin Beanland
System: Nintendo 64
Date: 2001

Nintendo has always been between a rock and a hard place when it comes to its family friendly image. How, exactly, do you keep the kids happy while appealing to the teen demographic? They got it right with Conker's Bad Fur Day, a crude yet cutesy story about a squirrel and bodily functions. This song, sung by a literal pile of shit about being a pile of shit, is funny, catchy, and vulgar. Bad taste? Is there any other kind?