By no means a definitive list, here are just 10 classic games that bring memories of playing video games until 2am on a school night flooding back.
'Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'
Stealing cars and driving around Vice City while listening to 'Bad Boys' by Bob Marley just felt so cool. The fourth entry in the 'GTA' series really piled on the tunes, with 'I Wanna Rock' by Twisted Sister, 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by The Buggles, and Roxette's 'Listen to Your Heart' to name just a few. It's often debatable which of the modern 'GTA' games had the best soundtrack, but 'Vice City' just pips the rest to the post.
'Fifa Street' series
Forget 'Fifa' - it’s 'Fifa Street' where the real good tunes were at. The often overlooked and under appreciated series began in 2005 to a lukewarm response. The game saw players take their football from the pitch to the streets where your football skills were put to the test instead. It was a gamble, and didn't really pay off that well for EA Sports in the end. It survived three entries, and well as a reboot of sorts in 2012, before being discontinued. The soundtrack was quality though, and gave the game a chilled out/urban vibe.
'Streets of Rage 2'
What. A. Banger. The opening level music of 'Streets of Rage 2' wouldn’t feel too out of place if you played it in a nightclub today. Forget 'Streets of Rage,' more like 'Dance Floor of Rage,' right? We're here all week, chowing down on turkey.
'Kingdom Hearts'
Speaking of songs that wouldn’t feel out of place in a nightclub - here’s the opening track to ‘Kingdom Hearts.’ Not only did the 2002 video game bring one of the most devilishly difficult final bosses you would ever fight; it also integrated Disney characters you grew up watching into a cooler environment. Add to that an incredible soundtrack, its no wonder 17 years later that the series’ third entry was so eagerly anticipated before it arrived earlier this year.
'Tomb Raider'
Navigating crypts, fighting tigers, and solving puzzles never sounded so glorious. We miss the 'Tomb Raider' of old which was more puzzle-based and devilishly hard to explore than the newer, more combat focused reincarnations. We blame Angelina Jolie.
'Tony Hawk's Underground' series
All us skating wannabes had the perfect video game to pass the time with in the early '00s. A spin-off from the original 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater' series saw players in 'Underground' have a bit more fun, essentially. Regarded by many as a much cooler version where you could customise your skaters, the soundtrack was also on-point for skating debauchery.
'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'
Not only did the title song of 'Ocarina of Time' make you not want to press the "start" button on your N64 controller, the game also included some of the best original music pieces ever heard on a video game system. Often topping many a list as one of the best video games ever made, the music from this 'Zelda' entry will be cherished for many more years to come - and rightly so.
'SSX' Series
What is it with sports games and providing quality music? The snowboarding series 'SSX' had five console entries from 2000 right up until their final entry in 2012, but the earliest entries provided the best soundtracks. 'SSX 3,' which was the best in the series, had a heap of great songs. While bombing it down the slopes, you have the opportunity to listen to Basement Jaxx, Fat Boy Slim, N.E.R.D., and Caesars with 'Jerk it Out'.
'Mortal Kombat II'
Alright, alright - so it’s not the original 1995 movie soundtrack… But who cares? The games came first, and provided '90s gamers with *ahem* killer soundtracks. Nothing felt better than Scorpion screaming "Get over here!" over a soundtrack that sounded so ominous and way over our age range.
'Super Mario Kart'
We could very easily have just had 10 Nintendo games in our list because they sure know how to create an infectious soundtrack. Brimming with nostalgia whenever you hear it (and also a flood of pent-up childhood rage), the 'Super Mario Kart' soundtrack is still a feast for the ears 27 years later.
