Dec 6, 2007

With Super Mario Galaxy being critically acclaimed not only for its timeless platforming gameplay but also for its brilliant musical score, we got to thinking about other games that had great music. In fact, music so good it's worthy of listening to in its own right, outside of the context of a game.

Now, we must stress that musical opinion is different for every single person, so you may disagree entirely with the examples we've got here. But, with the variety we've got on offer, you may also find something new (like we did in the process of researching this feature) that you absolutely fall in love with. So, without further ado, let's get some tunes on.

Jet Set Radio (Dreamcast, 2000)
Forget the Xbox pseudo-sequel, it's the original that gets the mix of audio and visual style absolutely right. This tune 'Everybody Jump Around' from games music man Richard Jacques is just one of a multitude of awesome tracks in the game. With some funky guitar and genuinely phat beats, this really is cool, without sounding like it's trying to be. Check out the mp3 clip below:

JetSetRadio_EverybodyJumpAround.mp3 

NOTE: Firefox/Quicktime users may want to open each clip in a new window. If you're using Windows Media Player, it opens automatically so you can listen and read at the same time. Bonus. 

Above: Look, everyone, it's Professor K! But would you stop playing with that radio?