Epic songs from video game soundtracks

Sometimes the newsroom gets noisy and I need some music to drown out the ambient noise to try and make sure I get done what I need to get done.

Creating a playlist of suitable songs to stimulate the ol' writing muscles (i.e. Epic Mixtape) is more time consuming then I remember from when I was 9.

So I though I'd do what all the kids are doing nowadays: crowdsource!

(Also: This may, or may not be "research" for an upcoming MyGaming article.)

What are some of your favourite, most epic songs from video games? Whether you think you can work to it or not is secondary.

I'll get us started. I used to listed to this song from the Homeworld soundtrack on repeat while studying for exams in high school.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXRJBK8oJSA

It's called Agnus Dei, and is the all-vocal choir arrangement of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkObnNQCMtM

Here it is in the Choir of Trinity College's album Allegri - Miserere on Google Play, for those who stream from there.

Here are some songs with the games they are from:

Christopher Tin - Baba Yetu from Civilization 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJiHDmyhE1A


Rage Against The Machine - Guerilla Radio from Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1GUfgKS58Y

Some more:

Halo - Halo Theme from the Halo series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6JK3fhYE1w

Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz - Get Low from Need For Speed Underground 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYH7_GzP4Tg

Even more:

Gareth Coker feat. Aeralie Brighton - Ori and the Blind Forest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76qRF5-qvZM

M.O.O.N. - 'Hydrogen' from Hotline Miami
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNE2oCZH_4k

Hitman Blood Money - Ave Maria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4swAeQGBvAs

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - The Trail

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3L0_ez0Dg4

In fact the entire Witcher 3 OST is just amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLSdl-CdOBo

Seriously, I can do this all day, but I don't want to be a spammer:

Foregone Destruction - Facing Worlds from Unreal Tournament
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_0G6WPuss4


Jeremy Soule - Song of the Dragonborn from TES: Skyrim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsnRQJxanVM

I got 2 I prefer.

The Binding of Isaac

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX6h8_Y_ot4


and Destiny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvwDiV2K_0g

but My go-to is usually the Mad Max: Fury Road OST (yes yes I know it's not a game)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEG4U2_XOHQ

Quite simply one of the best gaming OST of all time.

Bloodborne - Full ost
https://youtu.be/Bki0PjoV14M

I really love OST's. And thankfully for something like Steam I am able to purchase and collect them. Been listening a lot to the Killing Floor 2 soundtrack, and actually the Dark Souls 3 soundtrack. As you know I love Dark Souls and I get a lot of inspiration from the music and communities around DS as well... once fantastic group I came across which has powerful lyrics and awesome tjoons is Windmills.

But at work I just listen to some deep house, future house to focus.

The Mass Effect 2 trailer introduced me to Two Steps From Hell, a company specialising in trailer music. Heart of Courage is used in Mass Effect 2 (and probably other movies as well).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx9sPQpjgjU

Then Max Payne 3 introduced me to Health...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEH_LSL4rVw

Health was also recently heard in the Hitman trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i4ldqM3mjg

God Tier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPMnEmkoPFs

Battlefield Vietnam Soundtrack... when I pull all nighters and the code starts getting blurry, this is the soundtrack I put on repeat. It keeps the brain going.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJVIolN4Sjg&list=PL6D8F20AECFE83665

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Qkzj5bStU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqtYWIXsAs&list=PL770h6MBVlwHmzMs7e4DYmY4 rAJyDOLL4

I recently finished Tales from the Borderlands and there is some fantastic use of licensed music as the theme songs for each episode. Just listening to these songs makes me want to play through the game again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcsfftwLUf0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZEfMwOOsa0

Some more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5tDAjE2OKc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ofhjI6ODc

And...

This one was seriously moving based on the moment it depicts in the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p6PcFFUm5I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKL4X0PZz7M