Japan's Top 700 Video Game Music of All Time

[Yggdrasil]

Fairly recently, various sources (2ch and Nico Nico Douga, I presume) polled gamers on the All Time Best Video Game Music - 700 songs in total! - and put the results up for everyone to hear. Intrepid Youtube user Gestriden has ripped them all and uploaded them into one big Youtube Playlist.

I've no idea what the full list is, since they bunched together all of the songs except for the Top 50. It's an eclectic list, to be certain, I've broken out the top 50 per below, although I'm not entirely clear on all of the games or track names.

50 - Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
49 - Cleopatra Fortune - Shinin Queen
48 - Ys 7 - Vacanat Interference
47 - Romancing SaGa 3 - Four Demons Noble Battle
46 - Mamatoto - Running to the Straight
45 - Sora no Kiseki - Light Feud
44 - Xenoblade - Gaul
43 - Wild Arms - To the End Of Wilderness
42 - Hello Goodbye - Shousha
41 - Nier - Song of Ancients
40 - Trauma Team - Bloody Rose
39 - Ys vs Sora no Kiseki - Get Over the Barrier - Roaring Version
38 - Battle Theme Part I - Last Armageddon
37 - Romancing Saga - Final Decisive Battle
36 - Ys Oath in Felghana - Valestein Castle
35 - Wild Arms (??) Blazer Battle
34 - Lost Odyssey - Departed Souls
33 - Ys VI - Mighty Obstacle
32 - Xenosaga - Final Battle
31 - Hello Goodbye - Encounter
30 - Tales of Legendia - Chasing Shirley
29 - Monster Hunter Tri - Bonus Song
28 - Ys Origin: Tension
27 - Tales of Vesperia - Cutting off the Amibition
26 - Shadow Hearts Covenant
25 - Dragon Slayer - Stopper
24 - Legend of Heroes - Silver Will
23 - Mana Khemia
22 - Baten Kaitos Origins - The Valedictory Elegy
21 - God Eater - Merciless Lord
20 - Tekken 6
19 - Darius Burst - The World of Spirit
18 - Ace Combat X2 - Fire Youngman
17 - Donkey Kong Country 2 - Stickerbrush Symphony
16 - Mamoru-kun wa Norowarate Shimatta! - Yokai Disco
15 - Ys Origin (Super Arrange??)
14 - Persona 3 - Battle for All People's Souls
13 - Space Invaders Extreme 2
12 - Sengoku Rance - Battle on Edge
11 - Ys II Chronicles - To Make an End to Battle
10 - Venus and Braves - Waltz for Aria
9 - Legend of Heroes - JDK Band album (??)
8 - Xenoblade - Mechanical Rhythm
7 - Ninja Warriors - Daddy Mulk (Mega CD)
6 - Halo 3 - Finish the Fight
5 - Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon
4 - Ace Combat Zero
3 - Ys Seven - Legend of Dragons
2 - Ys Seven - Final Boss
1 - Okami

As with any list polled from a wider variety of sources, this is sort of questionable. I mean, there's some good stuff on there - great stuff, even - but I'm at a loss to explain Japan's love affair with the semi-obnoxious theme song from Ninja Warriors. I do approce of the many Ys songs, at least. There's a good chunk that I'm either not familiar with (God Eater) or have simply never heard of (Hello, Goodbye?) The only ones I'd stick on my list is the Ys II Chronicles To Make An End to Battle, Persona 3 - Battle for All People's Souls, Ys VI - Mighty Obstacle, Ys 7 - Vacanat Interference, and maybe Wild Arms - To the End Of Wilderness.

It does almost make me want to run a similar poll for non-Japanese gamers, if I could figure out a way to manage such a gigantic project. I might not really hear ear-to-ear on the final results, but it's cool to see what the fan culture as a whole has to say. What say you all - would such a task be worth undertaking?

Source: Hardcore Gaming 101 blog

Pretty crazy project, and whatever you say about the selection of tracks put into this list the #1 can't be a better choice (it was that, or something from Shadow of the Colossus).

[Chronix112]

nice  that someone did this. I  can't however say I  agree with alot of the top 50 though. Not even 1 track from Chrono Cross =automatic fail

[Parn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2fhyVuES8g

This fucking noise is one of the top 50 videogame songs of all time?  Really?  I'll take Fighting of the Spirit from Tales of Symphonia/Phantasia over that shit any day.

[MeshGearFox]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRzXwf5akfE Okay this is alright but seriously pretty much everything from Darius Gaiden was better.

Oh wait nevermind, the vocal just came in. Fffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuace melter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6w-crdpMAk&feature=related This was maybe my favorite track from Gaiden.

Darius Gaiden is actually one of my favoritest shmups even if the rest of the series isn't particularly good.

[Wild Armor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2fhyVuES8g

This fucking noise is one of the top 50 videogame songs of all time?  Really?  I'll take Fighting of the Spirit from Tales of Symphonia/Phantasia over that shit any day.

Perhaps they were looking in connecting with their inner-Avant-Garde. I'm sure Sun Ra would be proud of them [/gag]

[Yggdrasil]

Not even 1 track from Chrono Cross =automatic fail

Chrono Cross is in the list with "God's Garden", is number 680...

And is the only track from the game for what I can see. I've saw all the list of the other videos and I can't seem to find more of Chrono Cross in there.

There's also a bunch of really good tracks awfully low on the list with some other weird tracks that aren't quite put in the right place in the Top. But well, what I can do about it anyway.

Oh, and "Fighting of the Spirit" is number 122.

[Chronix112]

Not even 1 track from Chrono Cross =automatic fail

Chrono Cross is in the list with "God's Garden", is number 680...

And is the only track from the game for what I can see. I've saw all the list of the other videos and I can't seem to find more of Chrono Cross in there.

There's also a bunch of really good tracks awfully low on the list with some other weird tracks that aren't quite put in the right place in the Top. But well, what I can do about it anyway.

Oh, and "Fighting of the Spirit" is number 122.

So something like "Time's'Scar" does not make the cut while the crap below makes the top 50?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2fhyVuES8g

This fucking noise is one of the top 50 videogame songs of all time?  Really?  I'll take Fighting of the Spirit from Tales of Symphonia/Phantasia over that shit any day.

epic /facepalm

[Ramza]

The pollers behind that list seemed to have a mega hard-on for Falcom. Which I won't fault them for, but ... yeah. Surprising lack of FF / Chrono love.

[Parn]

It's just mindblowing how a track like that can make the top 50.  I can name off hundreds of songs that are more deserving.  You know, something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THRb28rUQSk

...or this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V9wMRuJuYw

...or even something really old school like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOmin4vmMts

Despite the limitations of the SID chip, that is infinitely better than that garbage Motoi Sakuraba threw together for a battle theme.

[Yggdrasil]

Man, it breaks my heart that "Staff Roll" from Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is 247 in the list. :(

[Parn]

That reminds me.  Atlus really needs to re-release Nocturne with an HD upgrade.  Seriously.

[MeshGearFox]

That reminds me.  Atlus really needs to re-release Nocturne with an HD upgrade.  Seriously.

Yes.

God listening to SMT: N music. Memories. MEMORIES!

[Vanguard]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2fhyVuES8g

This fucking noise is one of the top 50 videogame songs of all time?  Really?  I'll take Fighting of the Spirit from Tales of Symphonia/Phantasia over that shit any day.

Perhaps they were looking in connecting with their inner-Avant-Garde. I'm sure Sun Ra would be proud of them [/gag]

Sun Ra is awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQmc6_w2bTE&feature=related

[Wild Armor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2fhyVuES8g

This fucking noise is one of the top 50 videogame songs of all time?  Really?  I'll take Fighting of the Spirit from Tales of Symphonia/Phantasia over that shit any day.

Perhaps they were looking in connecting with their inner-Avant-Garde. I'm sure Sun Ra would be proud of them [/gag]

Sun Ra is awesome:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQmc6_w2bTE&feature=related

Was gagging about their choice for the top choice, lol. I was always a fan of UFO. Also a fan of Free Jazz, Ornette Coleman's Civilization Day. RahXephon does a number in this manner in the track avant, ren dez vous, but that's a story for another time.

Back to the list, this list is definitely missing the credits music to God Hand. For shame.