The Greatest Video Game Music (Amazon Bonus Track Edition)

London Philharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Skeet | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: November 7, 2011
• Label: X5 Music Group
• Copyright: 2011 X5 Music Group
• Total Length: 1:15:38
• Genres:
  • Classical
• ASIN: B005WV6ZI8
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #969 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)
  • #50 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums > Classical

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is going into my running playlist November 7, 2011

By Nathan Hale

Format:MP3 Music

Listen to the samples, you will know immediately if this is for you. The real standouts are the classic 8-bit tunes, Zelda, Mario, and Tetris, but the rest are fun too. The bonus Dead Space track is very spooky (wait, there was music in Dead Space? I just remember screaming and metal clanking sounds.)

I'd love to see the London Philharmonic do an album of CLASSIC video game music someday, just focusing on great 8-bit tunes; Castlevania, Megaman, Metroid, Ghosts n' Goblins etc.

99 of 126 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Odd selection November 7, 2011

By Benjamin M Brown

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've listened through the entire album, and while it's actually not bad overall and worth the 2.99 I paid, I do have some problems with it. Entitling an album Greatest Video Game Music would seem to imply that it features the Greatest Video Game Music, and while that is certainly something that is hard to examine objectively, I just don't think this fits the bill. I think the album better sits somewhere between Most Recognizable Video Game Music, and Video Game Music From the Best Selling Games ever. This is a bit of a problem, as some of this music just doesn't translate well into something that can stand on it's own. There are probably 3 groupings I'd put the music into.

Music that shouldn't be there but works.
The angry birds theme normally wouldn't fall anywhere near my list of greatest video game music ever, but the version included in this album is very well done, and is played around with enough that, while I dislike the game, I really enjoyed the piece. The Tetris theme is the only other song I'd put into this category, although it likely has some more merit in it's own right, the version included is surprisingly fun to listen to.

Music that should be included.
While this is just my opinion, the pieces from Advent Rising, The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Mario, Uncharted, Mass Effect, Halo, Elder Scrolls, and metal Gear all work fine. They are either iconic enough, or simply translate well enough into orchestral pieces to work, although some work better then others.

Pieces that just don't fit.
These are the problem pieces, the pieces from Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, World of Warcraft, Battlefield, Bioshock, Fallout, and Dead Space. I actually enjoy some of the games these pieces originated in, but the pieces just don't stand up that well on their own. Many were simply too repetitive to be that entertaining, and even though I've played the games they were sourced from, listening to them they just sounded like generic video game background music and I'd be hard pressed to know where they came from.

While I understand that these pieces were included because their source material is so well known, it would have been much better if the album contained either some of the slightly more obscure, but far superior video game pieces, or had simply loaded up on more iconic pieces, like some sonic or castlevania medleys. As is the album is okay at best.

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars $3? Jump on this. November 7, 2011

By A. Lau

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Tetris arrangement is worth $3 all by itself. Don't even think about it; just buy it. Unless you really need those $3 for an order of french fries today.