"A very subjective list."

Some really fantastic soundtracks came out this year. There’s no way I could write about all of them, so I’ve chosen my ten favorites to share. I’m only counting soundtracks of games that were released in North America in 2009 (sorry, Bayonetta). As music is very subjective, these are just my personal picks.

Is you favorite not in the list? Let us know in the comments!

#10 Tekken 6 (Xbox 360, PS3)

I’ve never been much of a Tekken guy, but the soundtrack to Tekken 6 kind of makes me wish I was. With some of the artists that brought us various Ridge Racer soundtracks (and Sega’s ’09 title, Let’s Tap), you can expect some high energy techno. “Fist Festival” is one of my new favorite Shinji Hosoe tracks. But the music doesn’t limit itself to one mood. Hitoshi Sakimoto (composer of my 2008 GOTY, Valkyria Chronicles) brings a few emotional, orchestral pieces to the table as well.

#9 Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)

While the campaign of Halo 3: ODST completely failed to impress me, the music was another story. Though they have a big following, the soundtracks of the Halo series have never managed to grab me. ODST is an exception, and a great one at that. I absolutely hated the “hub” city that a majority of the game took place in, yet I always looked forward to going back there because that’s where the game’s best music plays. Those tracks set a very bleak tone that made me wish more FPS games would put more emphasis on music like this.

#8 Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360, PS3)

Just like it did from a gameplay standpoint, Street Fighter IV brought home the best of both worlds (old and new) in its soundtrack. As a burst of delightful nostalgia, you’ll hear classic tunes from Street Fighter II and the Alpha series as you battle your rival in story mode. What I ended up enjoying even more, though, were the new stage themes. The soundtrack is full of hard hitting, danceable tracks.

#7 BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Xbox 360, PS3)

The Guilty Gear XX soundtrack is one of my favorite albums of all time. The music of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is written by the same rock genius, Daisuke Ishiwatari. Unfortunately, BlazBlue just isn’t as good (especially in the drums department). But when you’re not as good as something ridiculously awesome, you can still be regular awesome, and that’s just what this soundtrack is. There is enough heavy rock here to get you pumped to beat down “player 2″ or do whatever else it is you do that requires the extra adrenaline.

#6 Let’s Tap (Wii)

If you are feeling sad and are in need of cheering up, you need to listen to the soundtrack to Let’s Tap. Much of the music in the game is cheerful to a ridiculous degree. Take the theme, “Tap de Papapaya“, for example. Not only is it incredibly upbeat, it features clever use of text-to-speech singing, “Future tapping game!” It puts a smile on my face every time. A variety of artists worked on Let’s Tap including established electronica veterans like Shinji Hosoe (mentioned earlier) and Ayako Saso (one of my personal favorites) as well as artists I have never heard of like Shoes. Yeah, you heard right… Shoes.

#5 Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Wii)

While rail shooters often get a bad rap in the modern era for the lack of player control they provide, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles managed to combat this by throwing gobs of polish onto the game. Sparing no expense, the soundtrack received one of biggest helpings of this polish in the form of performances by the Tokyo Chamber Music Association with a chorus of thirty people. The music ranges from subdued, moody tunes that will creep you out as you wonder what’s around the next corner, to epic operatic pieces that add to the intensity of giant boss battles.

#4 Shatter (PSN)

The Shatter soundtrack has made its rotation in my car stereo and my work computer very often. The whole thing is put together by an artist named Module. It’s full of very laid back electronica, peppered with a bit of guitar here and there. While most songs clock in at around the six minute mark (with no looping), they never feel boring. Each song evolves over its duration in a slow and sweeping manner that puts my mind at ease while simultaneously giving me a strong beat to tap my foot to.

#3 DJ Hero (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)

Normally, licensed soundtracks wouldn’t count in a list like this. Otherwise, The Beatles: Rock Band would be a big contender. What makes DJ Hero an exception is that, while it does use licensed songs, each of the “mashups” are never before heard mixes that were made exclusively for the game. This is a soundtrack bursting with variety. Not only will you hear a lot of different genres, you’ll hear them mixed together by some of the world’s top DJs including DJ Shadow, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Daft Punk. I can’t count how many times I’ve listened to “Poison vs Intergalactic“.

#2 Flower (PSN)

This is a soundtrack that must be experienced in context to fully appreciate. Flower is more a living, breathing, interactive music experience than it is a game. The songs are very relaxing in the early sections, but as things become strange and frightening, the music takes a nervous turn mirroring my emotions as I played. Every flower that’s collected along your path adds its own musical seasoning to your ears. While it may sit in my number two spot overall due to the diminished appeal in out-of-game listening, the music of Flower in its intended context is a tough one to beat.

#1 Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii)

Besides being one of the strangest games I played this year, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers had a very surprising soundtrack. When I initially heard that Kumi Tanioka wasn’t handling it (save for a couple tracks), I was shocked. She’s been responsible for the music in every Crystal Chronicles game before this one (including this year’s Echoes of Time) and she’s done a wonderful job. Thankfully, my fears where put to rest when I listened.

The Crystal Bearers is a soundtrack I see myself still listening to ten years from now. It is fantastic and easily my soundtrack of the year. The styles are extremely varied from track to track. You’ll hear old timey jazz, rockabilly, tango (an updated version of a Kumi classic), surf rock, waltz, and even slide guitar. Believe it or not, I didn’t even cover all the genres present within the seventy track OST. And the songs are as polished as they are varied; taking advantage of around eighteen different performers. Even if you don’t care about the game it was made for, this is a soundtrack you can’t afford to miss.

And the Rest…

Truth be told, I had a much bigger list than ten to start and it wasn’t easy to trim down. Them’s the breaks, though. So what was YOUR favorite soundtrack of 2009?

Tags: 2009 year in review, BlazBlue, DJ Hero, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, Flower, Halo 3: ODST, Let's Tap, Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, Shatter, soundtrack of the year, soundtrack review, Street Fighter IV, Tekken 6

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 31st, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under Features, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.