Top 15 RPG Overworld Themes of the 90's

Today I'm looking at some of the greatest overworld themes from 90's RPGs. That might seem like an oddly-specific kind of list; the fact is, some of the greatest video game music out there can be found on the world maps of 16- and 32-bit RPGs. Any music that plays on a world map or overworld qualifies. I'm limiting it to one entry per game, which makes for some tough decisions when it comes to the several games on the list with multiple great overworld tunes. I can't promise there won't be a ton of Final Fantasy featured here. It's a subjective list; your mileage may vary. If I left a particularly great overworld theme out, comment below and let me know.

The Top 11 Opening Menu Themes

Time for a very unorthodox list. These are what I consider the best opening menu themes in games - not necessarily title screen music, but some of these also play on the title screens of their respective games. Fighting game character selects don't count, nor do Mega Man type stage selects. All that counts are opening menu themes, and there are a surprising amount of good ones out there (mostly in RPGs). These are my 11 personal favorite menu themes, and your mileage may vary. Let's have at it.

A Smorgasbord of Videos

As some of you guys know I've been working on a fair amount of Youtube videos lately for a new channel, which is the reason for the lack of new posts. I'm taking a moment now to invite any and all readers here to check out my new channel. More Mega Man is on the way this week (probably), and in the meantime I've got a smorgasbord of videos now posted on Youtube. Here are the best of the lot.

Top 10 Creepiest Battle Themes

Today I'm taking a quick look at some of the creepier battle themes in video gaming. Your mileage may vary, and it's worth noting that I haven't played too much in the survival/horror realm. I'm sure a lot of very creepy tunes are missing in action here, but this is my personal list based on the things I have played.

The Goodness of Game Music

A friend of mine did this write-up. It turns a lot of my own thoughts into eloquent words.

http://jsmyth.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/how-video-games-pass-on-traditional-culture/

I also feel like game music in general can be highly underrated by the non-gaming populace. There are definitely games out there that have brilliant soundtracks. On the other hand, some other news that came in over the past couple of days indicates that perhaps game music is starting to gain more recognition:

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/03/civ-iv-theme-nominated-for-grammy-first-game-music-ever-nominat/

My viewpoint is that in their own way, some of the best game music composers can touch us with their music as much as any mainstream musicians can.