Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald: My first Pokémon game was Emerald, so of course its music gives me a huge dose of nostalgia. The soundfont is superb, and the brass instruments like French horns and trumpets gives the Hoenn region a distinctive sound still adored by many fans to this day. Slateport City’s upbeat theme still fills me with joy, and the adventurous music of Route 104 gets me fired up for some exploration. Littleroot Town – the starting city – always brings a joyful tear to my eye too. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remastered these tracks, but lost a lot of the distinctive charm (and bass) that made the 16-bit versions so memorable.
Sonic Heroes: In a lot of ways, Sonic Heroes is quite a mixed bag. Its unique gameplay makes it a Marmite-like game in the fandom, but everyone agrees that its soundtrack is stellar. It captures the vibrancy of the Classic games in the way few post-Mega Drive Sonic games were able to, and has some of the greatest tracks in a game; Seaside Hill is just phenomenal for a first level, Frog Forest is tranquil and soothing, then the vocal tracks are as catchy as they’ve ever been, and there’s six of them (of varying genres). Sonic games always have fantastic music, even the mess that was '06 brought its a-game with the soundtrack.
The soundfont is superb, and the brass instruments like French horns and trumpets gives the Hoenn region a distinctive sound still adored by many fans to this day
Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage When you get Stewart Copeland, drummer for The Police, to work on your soundtracks, you know you’re in for something special. Not only are the themes memorable, but they were composed after Copeland himself played the levels to get a feel for what sounds would fit each area best. All three games boast brilliant music, but the second game shines brightest for me; the iconic chanting in Colossus is burned into my brain, the hub worlds have gorgeous, ethereal tracks accompanying them and the bagpipes of Fracture Hills are so frustratingly catchy. There’s a reason you have the option play the original PS1 tracks in the Reignited Trilogy, they’re that good.
Super Mario Galaxy: Even though orchestral soundtracks aren’t usually my favourite (which is controversial, I admit), Galaxy knocks it out of the park. Featuring some of the most awe-inspiring and lively Mario tracks (Gusty Garden Galaxy, Good Egg Galaxy), there’s also some truly beautiful and peaceful ones like the Storybook/Luma theme. The Comet Observatory is an amazing hub world theme too, Galaxy's soundtrack can have you raring to go or shedding a tear contemplatively, it's truly a work of art. 3D World's jazzy soundtrack is also stellar.
I could go on about game soundtracks all day, so many of them are honestly brilliant, and I wish they got a bit more attention outside of the gaming community, so many compositions are overlooked simply because they come from games. Other entries in those franchises, as well as many other franchises (Mega Man, Ratchet and Clank, Ace Attorney, Zelda) are capable of transporting us to amazing new worlds not only through immersive gameplay, but the soundtracks that accompany them every step of the way.