10

Grand Theft Auto 3

Composer(s): Craig Conner; Stuart Ross
5 star tracks: 1

A mean introduction, but it still fits. With its ten radio stations, this cornucopia of contemporary bangers comes in at number 10 for me. As usual for GTA , there is something for every taste, even if I personally like the later offshoots more.

Nevertheless, Grand Theft Auto 3 offers something for me with fictional stations such as Flashback 95.6 and the songs “She's on Fire” (Amy Holland) or my favorite, “Shake It Up” by Elizabeth Daily. There may be more in it for others, but for me it's ' just' enough to get into the top list.

9

Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos

Composer(s): Christopher Mann
5 star tracks: 1

It appeared in my Top 50 Fighting tracks , of course it appears here now too: Edge of Chaos. With its “A2 Theme” it made a lasting impression on me back then, but the track is just the tip of the spear of a good to very good soundtrack for a no less solid space simulation. If you would like to find out more about the score, you are welcome to take a look at the accompanying review.

8

Battle Realms

Composer(s): Matt Holle
5 star tracks: 1

Although I said at the beginning that it's usually the games I know that make it into my top lists, the next two places go to games that I've never touched. First up is Battle Realms, a strategy game that I had seen in reviews and always wanted to play, but somehow never got the chance. Inquisitive as I am, I at least checked out the soundtrack and was pleasantly surprised:

Composer Matt Holle, who took over the project after the departure of Kevin Manthei, gave the Asian-inspired fantasy opera an appropriate Far East feel, which in places feels like a desaturated Shogun-spin-offs from the Total War-series. What sounds like a turn-off at first glance is actually a blessing: Where other albums blast our ears off, Battle Realms exercises restraint. The tracks are driving without getting lost in the waves, the interplay of percussion and strings works wonderfully.

7

Final Fantasy X

Composer(s): Nobuo Uematsu; Masashi Hamauzu; Junya Nakano
5 star tracks: 2

Something that many others find great, however, is the Final Fantasy-series. As I never tire of emphasizing, I have never played any part of this time-honored and not at all final franchise, but like most others, I think its music is absolutely great.

So why only 7th place? Well, with the exception of Final Fantasy XV , no album manages to wow me with more than two tracks. As I mentioned at the beginning, this will probably change when I listen to the albums again in peace and quiet, but the list reflects the current rating system and this shows that with Final Fantasy X , I'm only really impressed by the usual suspects:

“To Zanarkand” is one of those musical masterpieces that has been able to carve its way into the zeitgeist beyond the pop-cultural boundaries of the video game world. Composer Nobuo Uematsu manages to touch us with a simple sequence of notes on the piano and make us think wistfully of events that we non-gamers have never experienced. The track is as moving as it is kitschy, whether as a quiet melody on the piano or in its orchestral form in the “Ending Theme”. Thus, this piece single-handedly manages to lift the score to 7th place.

Number 6-4

6

Stronghold

Composer(s): Robert L. Euvino
5 star tracks: 2

Lifting is a good and rarely used catchword, because where did a lot of lifting have to be done? Of course, when building castles! And there is hardly any other game that implements this as beautifully as Stronghold. The first part of the series was released in 2001 and won the hearts of gamers with its great gameplay. The medieval fantasy was accompanied by an outstanding score, which I already praised in detail in my review.

Robert L. Euvino uses ( seemingly) authentic sounds to create a castle courtyard feeling that is second to none. As a result, melodies from pieces such as “Castle Jam” / “Two Mandolins”, “Matt's Jig” or “Under an Old Tree” have not only stuck in my head, but have also burned themselves directly into the collective memory of the gaming community. At the same time, “Stix & Stones Medley” shows how nasty and brutal the time of noble warriors and fair maidens could be. A successful start to a series that unfortunately came to an undignified end and a solid 6th place.

5

Empire Earth

Composer(s): Ed Lima; Scott Haraldsen; Steve Maitland
5 star tracks: 3

The same fate befell the Empire Earth-series, which once started out as a competitor to Age of Empires and then very quickly became part of the past itself. At the beginning of the century, the founder of the series offered me everything I could wish for: Real-time strategy from prehistoric times to the future setting, various historical campaigns and a soundtrack that was kind of awesome.

Somehow it fits quite well, because the score fluctuates between pitches that you would expect and those that don't seem to fit at first: The main theme “Empire Earth” is grandiose, bombastic and, thanks to the male choir, overwhelms us with imperial pathos. “Time” is driving, sometimes playing in the foreground, then rumbling in the background again. And “Shadows” is the swelling and subsiding of music, whose drummers briefly whip us up before abruptly retreating into the shadows again. I like this mix, but there is a lot of melancholy in these lines. Anyway, it's enough for the list!

4

Star Trek: Armada II

Composer(s): Danny Pelfrey
5 star tracks: 3

The predecessor didn't make it onto last year's list due to a lack of nostalgia bonus, but with Armada II , the series finally gets its well-deserved spotlight. With a quota of 3/10 top tracks, the ranking is hardly surprising, even if I can clearly see traces of pink taint on my glasses. I just love this music because I loved the game that went with it so much back then. I mean: Star Trek as a strategy game? Commanding fleets, colonizing planets and experiencing a campaign with the original voice actors? Why hello?

No, in retrospect Armada was never the milestone I made it out to be. In my opinion, however, you can safely listen to the music without any gaming experience, although it may help if you're a Trekkie. This allows you to appreciate the characteristics of the different factions much better, which have been worked out by composer Danny Pelfrey:

The “Federation” tracks sound like what we imagine the incorrigible universe improvers to sound like, while the tracks for the warlike Klingons are wilder and more devious. Pelfrey would later build on this experience in his work on Bridge Commander and Starfleet Command III , but perhaps I'm forestalling some future reviews or even top lists. So let's leave it with a big recommendation on my part and move on to the medal winners in places 3 to 1.

Number 3-1

3

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Composer(s): Jeremy Soule
5 star tracks: 3

Detailed review? Check. Nostalgia-tinged over-the-top praise? Check. Unnecessarily detailed positioning towards the controversial composer? Check. So what more can I write? Nothing really, except that this score is a big part of my childhood and that of many millennials and has played its way into our hearts.

It's much less about the quality of the composition, because if you take away the game, the music could fit any adventure game of the Banjo-Kazooie or Pajama Sam -brand. In fact, for me it symbolizes childhood days, the lightness of many games and carefree daydreaming. That's why the sounds still bring a smile to my face today, and that's definitely worth a 3rd place on this list.

2

Commandos 2: Men of Courage

Composer(s): Mateo Pascual
5 star tracks: 5

Wow, did that bring out the pensive dreamer Mattis for a moment. It's a good thing that Commandos 2: Men of Courage drags us straight back to reality and throws us into tough sneak missions on maps occupied by Nazis. The timeless puzzle gameplay fascinated me then as it does now, and even though the HD remake is considered to be bug-infested, my fingers keep itching to tackle the classic again.

Meanwhile, the soundtrack by Mateo Pascual contributes to the fascination for me. I gave it five stars five times, which is not surprising with tracks like “Road to War: Deployment” and its faster variation “Sinking Shinano” or “A Storm Is Coming”. They all play with the great main motif, which pushes the tension to the limit and turns every mission into a tactical dance. An absolutely deserved second place, but one that can't hold a candle to number one. So now it's time for Numero Uno:

1

The Settlers IV

Composer(s): Haiko Ruttmann
5 star tracks: 12

With a release in 2001, it was already clear that The Settlers IV would win the race for first place. It didn't even need the expansion The Trojans and the Elixir of Power, which only appeared a year later. No, with twelve times 5 stars, My Childhood in Music climbs the podium of this top list and can be celebrated as the best soundtrack of this year.

I have already explained all the whys, hows and wherefores in the accompanying review and strongly recommend reading it. However, for all those reading haters who have made it this far, here it is in a nutshell: The soundtrack is wonderful, split between the three playable factions of the Romans, Mayans and Vikings plus two tracks for the antagonistic 'dark race', all of which come with their own style and soundscape.

While the Nordic bearded men sound almost sweet in peace and stormy in battle, the Maya are dominated by panpipes and castanets. The Romans, on the other hand, proclaim their imperial claim to power without having to sacrifice cultural beauty. There is no good or evil here, no winner and no loser. All three factions harmonize with each other and the music does the same. If you've never listened to it before, you should definitely do so; it's a treat for both the ears and mind and my absolute favorite from 2001.