Audio has been an integral part of gaming for almost as long as the medium has existed. It began with basic sound effects to ease the burden that rudimentary visuals placed on the gamer’s imagination. Music was eased into video games; at first, playing only on title screens or as cues in-games. As machines became more capable – both of playing music while executing game logic and of playing tolerable tunes – music began to support the gameplay itself. Music even became the gameplay for a period as we were buried in plastic guitars and drum kits in the mid-2000s.
One particular development in video game audio is the use of licensed music. Echoing cinema and TV, borrowing a vibe from a popular musicians is usually a shortcut to setting a scene. However, there are occasions when the right track at the right time does so much more.
Separate Hardware – Journey (1983)
Gamers are often surprised that Journey had their music play over their licensed game in coin-ops in the 1983. The band’s biggest hits were lovingly converted into chiptune form to immerse the player in Journey’s eh, journey through the game’s assortment of mini-games.
More than that, a portion of recorded music was cleverly incorporated into the game’s admittedly minimal plot. In one level, player would attempt to keep overzealous fans from invading the stage while Journey’s sprites mimed to Separate Ways. This snippet was played back from a tape recorder built into the arcade machine.
For a first attempt at a licensed game in general, Midway nailed it. Journey was a pioneer in digitised images, dedicated audio hardware and cross-media promotion in addition to claiming its place in the history of licensed music in video games.
Soundtrack for the Tarmac – Road Rash (1994)
1994’s Road Rash for 3DO revolutionised the way music is used in video games. Whilst that original version lacked licensed music during races, the grungy soundtrack combined with its 90s punk menu visuals were a match made in heaven. The tracklist holds up to this day. It’s the perfect collection of aggressive, disaffected noise that drives you to the next race.
During development, the team were aiming to exploit the possibilities of the massive capacity of CD-ROM. To them, this meant plenty of full-motion video and crisp CD audio.
Series co-creator Randy Breen had wanted Soundgarden to head up the licensed soundtrack to the title which A&M Records only agreed to once they had heard of the band’s admiration for the series. The other acts were under A&M’s umbrella and the company would use the game’s possible popularity to boost their profiles.
WOOOO-HOOOO! – FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 (1997)
There was a time when Song 2 by Blur wasn’t a sporting anthem adopted by teams of all ball-sizes and shapes. There was even a time when sports games were devoid of the party playlists we’ve now grown accustomed to. FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 was a watershed moment in video game soundtracks but also in the history of the series.
It was the first time that EA’s budget and attention to off-field affairs reared its head. Faced with Konami’s ISS, EA knew they needed to go big with FIFA 98. The opening FMV featured a massive then-recent hit. That intro’s crisp video on PlayStation added to its impact and the game’s feeling of polish. The menus featured tracks from cult breakbeaters The Crystal Method.
FIFA: RtWC 98 was cool and possessed a popular appeal that owed a lot to its application of licensed music. The game was more inviting to mature or non-gamer soccer fans than its contemporaries. As time went by, EA would pour even more cash into FIFA soundtracks, filling them with big name acts, lending a casual, party vibe to their wooden, scripted nonsense.
Sports games today are expected to have dozens of caffeinated pop, indie and hip-hop tracks to quickly get sick of. However, FIFA 98‘s handful of songs went a long way back in the day.
Culture Capture – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (1999)
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was probably the first video game to use licensed music to sell an air of authenticity. In 1999, skateboarding was still considered a counter-culture and as such, THPS‘ soundtrack was an important part in helping gamers ignore the normie capitalism of the video games industry as they trespassed their way around the game’s skate worlds.
Like those of Road Rash, the tracks of THPS are aggressive and tapped into a particular moment. Unlike Road Rash, THPS‘s choice is more eclectic. Within the 10 or so tracks there is ska, hip-hop, punk with acts covering two decades of music outside of the mainstream.
While the soundtrack introduced millions of teenagers to the diverse acts featured on the game, one group got a bigger bump. Superman by Goldfinger is considered the unofficial theme tune despite Dead Kennedy’s Police Truck playing during the intro. So much so that it gave the documentary film telling the official story of the series its name.
Movie Goals – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
While it isn’t the first occasion on which licensed music was used for cinematic effect in a video game nor was it the first to offer a huge selection of tracks to game to, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was definitely the first to get it absolutely right.
There is only so much that architecture, unlicensed vehicles and 2002 polygonal fashion can do to evoke a specific time period. Vice City‘s provision of a curated aural time capsule did much in printing your ticket back to the 80s. Almost two decades after Vice City‘s launch, its soundtrack remains a definitive collection of that decade’s popular artistry.
However, its the use of a particular track at a particular moment that cements the game’s place on this list. Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean playing on the radio as a tropical storm rages amidst the neon drags a player into Tommy Vercetti’s shoes on a stormy mid-80s night where our story begins in earnest. More than GTA:VC‘s references, details and nods – this musical choice and its context is a high-water mark in video game storytelling.
The story of Vice City‘s soundtrack has a somewhat sad next chapter. Later copies of the game fell victim to the perils of licensed music in media. Many of its greatest songs were either unavailable or too expensive to re-license. Billie Jean no longer sets the scene in GTA: Vice City while six other tracks are absent from the airwaves.
Copies purchased on Steam are missing the lapsed licensed songs. Downloading official updates for the game already on your drive will even remove them from the playlist. Wow, that’s harsh.
Cultural Wasteland – Fallout 3
Where Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater had its bespoke tracklist born to recreate a real-world time or culture, Fallout 3‘s soundtrack had to create a whole new one to support the game’s lore, aesthetic and atmosphere. The series’ world’s cessation of cultural development in the 1950s just before the perils of nuclear mastery became apparent is supported by the game’s choice of aural backdrop.
But there was more to it than that. More than a dark, unsettling contrast between the bright and innocent music with the horrific results of nuclear catastrophe and increasingly cruel afterworld.
The game’s theme tune is part-tongue-in-cheek nod to atomic inferno, part-intro to the naivete of the post-WWII era. Many other songs had darker suggestions that popped out once you really listened in or wandered into the wrong village. Bethesda even foreshadowed some of the themes of the game – cannibalism, the illusion of civilisation, serial murder.
That was our list of five notable and influential soundtracks. Are there any you feel we missed? What is you favourite licensed soundtrack or video game moment featuring a licensed song? Let us know in the comments below.
