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1. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!
If you've never played a WarioWare game, I highly recommend it! I fell in love with the music, but stayed for the microgames! You're just playing microgames until you win or run out of lives! They're just great.
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2. Wario Land: Shake It!
Now, I actually played Wario Land: Shake It at GameStop when it came out. I never got it for myself though. I didn't play it until recently. It's honestly really great, especially for a game that obviously has a Wii mechanic… which are hit or, usually, miss. It's just a fun platformer with everyone's favorite garlic loving thief
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3. Persona
Persona… wow. These games are amazing. And they unarguably have some of the best soundtracks. I got sucked into Persona 5 as an intro to the series. And when I say sucked in, I mean SUCKED IN. Persona games are dangerously addictive, with music to match.
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4. Chrono Trigger
Wow, I think Chrono Trigger might be one of best games I've ever played. The fighting system is really fun in my opinion, the game is hard, but not too punishing, the story is great. I think it the music had it's influence on many future RPGs (like Undertale, for example), as well as just breaking the mold for RPGs. At least, that's my opinion. Absolutely awesome game.
Song:
Any of them… But Corridors of Time - Chrono Trigger
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5. Shantae
Shantae is probably the least known game series on this list. I first played Shantae and the Pirates Curse, because I had a lot of songs from that game on my playlist. It was super fun. It's a fun little platformer/metroidvania, with rocking music and loveable characters. I highly recommend it.
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6. EarthBound
My exposure to EarthBound before the music was literally just Ness being in smash. When I played Super Smash Bros for the N64, I had abslutely no idea who Ness was. I don't think I actually knew what EarthBound was like as a game until I started playing it. But it's a great game, and it holds up really well!
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7. Ace Attorney
Ace Attorney… I've only played the original trilogy, but these games are so fun and crazy, and their music is incredible. I think for a game like this, you almost have to have amazing music. I think it wouldn't work without it.
Song:
Godot ~ The Fragrance of Dark Coffee - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations
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8. Megaman Battle Network
The Megaman Battle Network games are really fun. There are LOTS of random encounters, so if the music wasn't good, this game would get old, really fast, I think. The gameplay is super fun and unique.
Song:
Great Battlers (N1 / Ranked Battle Theme)- Megaman Battle Network 3
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9. Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid, another series very renowned for its music. These stealth games are awesome, they have fun stories, and really silly quirks that you learn to love.
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10. Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade Chronicles games are so special. The combat feels very unique, the story is intriguing, I love the cast of characters, and there's so much to explore in these games.
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Honorable Mentions
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I wanted to add a few games that I love and that have amazing music, but I didn't play them because I listened to their soundtracks.
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Donkey Kong Country
I already mentioned I'm a Rare guy. The Donkey Kong Country games went HARD with their music. They're so fun, and they hold a special place in my heart.
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Paper Mario
Another series dear to my heart. I've played both of the first two A LOT, I've probably played The Thousand-Year Door 30 times or so. I love that game. Picking a song to recommend is honestly quite difficult.
Song:
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
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Hades
I'll just say that I've played this game for 350 hours… I love this charming roguelite. Great characters and great music.
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Hades II
Just like Hades, Hades II also has amazing music. Whether you play during the Early Access or are waiting for the full release, everyone can appreciate the music in this game.
Song:
Hades II - I Am Gonna Claw (Out Your Eyes then Drown You to Death)
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Banjo Kazooie
Banjo Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie are games that I spent so much time playing as a kid. They're such great games, and Grant Kirkhope does an amazing job with the music. These games have so much soul, I highly recommend them.
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The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Another one of my favorite games of all times, and the music is great. The music in this game had such a lasting impression for me.
Song:
Stone Tower Temple (Normal) - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
This game was a great change to the series, and it had such a great vibe, and amazing music (though, what Zelda game doesn't).
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Super Mario 64
Wow, this was one of my favorites growing up, and DEFINITELY one of those games I would just sit in a place and listen to the music. All the music slapped in this game. I mean, Peach's Castle theme alone is amazing. It'd be hard to find a track that doesn't hit in this game.
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10 Video Games I Originally Played Because I Like Their Soundtracks
Okay, to start, the title is a bit misleading. Most of the games on this list are well known games, so it wasn't like I'd never heard about them. But nonetheless, the reason I actually played them was because of listening to their music.
Some backstory about me is that I love video game music. I grew up playing lots of Rareware games, so I became VERY accustomed to good video game music (sorry, David Wise, but Stickerbrush Symphony had no right to hit so hard). As a kid I would just sit in a place in the game and vibe with the music, or play a smash bros stage just to hear the music (something I still do today). As an adult I started listening to video game music mixes while studying, then driving, then just in general. Now I listen to them a lot, I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I have 17 hours of video game music downloaded onto my phone… Almost. A true nerd, however, doesn't feel embarrassed about such things.
Anyways, all that to say, there are a lot of games that I listen to there music and don't play them, but sometimes it influences me to actually play the game. Here's 10 of them that I've played, and a song I love from each of them. This isn't a ranking, so it's in no particular order. Enjoy!
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