Talk:List of video game soundtracks considered the best

Full list

A full list of games and their total counts can be found here. Please feel free to make any comments, changes, or corrections. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 01:45, 29 August 2023 (UTC)

Looking at the lists used here in the article so far, I somehow just noticed that this list from Engadget is actually decade specific (not even a full decade at that), not an "of all time" list. I think this means the list shouldn't be used, and this would probably knock The Last of Us and The Witcher 3 off the list. I'll probably remove it in a bit, so probably update the spreadsheet to account for that. NegativeMP1 02:28, 29 August 2023 (UTC)

Good catch; they really hid that information in there. I've removed it from the spreadsheet. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 02:34, 29 August 2023 (UTC)

Need for criteria?

Awesome!! I didn't know such a page existed like nine days ago. Really cool to see.

That being said, it does look like there aren't enough sources like its older sibling to warrant a minimum for addition, but the same standards apply for appropriately reliable sources, correct? Carlinal (talk) 18:15, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

Another thing I wanna add is that for the respective games' articles where they have soundtrack-related subsections, should we modify the links to redirect to them? Carlinal (talk) 18:20, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

Lists like these kinda require a minimum criteria to prevent everything from spinning out of control, though due to the smaller scope of this (less lists available), the standards that I set when I started making the list was a sort of "three points or more" system. Being listed by a "best video game music of all time" publication would count as a point, and winning a major award (ex. something from the Game Awards or The Grammy's) would also count as a point. I am willing to negotiate on the awards part though $8!'3 that isn't how it works at games considered the best. But yes, the same rules for reliable sources apply, and similarly to the "games considered the best" criteria, entries for entire series don't count. NegativeMP1 18:31, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

Also for the sake of organization I'll likely have some sort of spreadsheet up soon to better track the list entries each game has gotten and how close they are to making it. NegativeMP1 18:34, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

Thank you very much for these replies, and thank you again for the creation of this article. Carlinal (talk) 18:52, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

I'm not opposed to naming awards in the "Notes" column, but I'm not sure they should be included as a 'point', since they're essentially a list of best soundtracks for that specific year. It could also lead to the inclusion of games that aren't on any lists but have won at least three awards (e.g., God of War Ragnarök, which won the BAFTA, D.I.C.E., G.A.N.G., and TGA but is not yet on any list). – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 23:17, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

@Rhain The fact I wasn't even aware of that brings me to another point; I don't know if it would be possible to keep track of every award a soundtrack wins, and where the line is drawn when it comes to awards that count. NegativeMP1 23:23, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

It's definitely possible—we would probably just follow WP:VG/AWARDS—but honestly I don't think it's necessary unless the award is incredibly notable for a different reason (e.g., Journey's Grammy nomination). Listing regular yearly awards would be the equivalent of listing Game of the Year wins at the best games list, which feels unnecessary. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 23:27, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

Went ahead and revoked awards counting towards criteria, which takes Doom off of the list for now. NegativeMP1 23:55, 28 August 2023 (UTC)

Louder and VG247

@Rhain I found these two lists from Louder (from WP:A/S) and another from VG247. Louder is definitely a best of all time list, and I think VG247 is too. If I'm not mistaken at first glance, I believe implementing these both should make both DOOM games eligible. If we count VG247's honorable mentions (which I did for Digital Trends) then Grand Theft Auto: Vice City will also be added. Unless there is something I'm missing, I'll implement these lists later today. NegativeMP1 17:00, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

Good finds! They both look good to me (though the VG247 list has some interesting quirks, like naming Hollow Knight twice, and the "Halo" listing which is just copied from Doom without any paragraph). I've added the lists to the spreadsheet and article; the new additions are Doom (1993 and 2016), Super Mario 64, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 23:08, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

Limit to accolades/Something else

Asking to clarify what's ideal/the limit when listing won awards and such. Came to this while planning to list the won achievements for Celeste, before finding out that two of the three awards Doom 2016's soundtrack won are listed.

Also wanting to ask, was Fez listed anywhere in previous revisions? I swear I saw it at some point. I returned the achievements for Doom 2016 and this is for similar reasons in the future. Carlinal (talk) 17:24, 8 September 2023 (UTC)

This was discussed above; it seems excessive to list awards unless they're especially notable (like Journey's Grammy win) as this would clutter the Notes column. And yes, Fez was recently removed. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 23:06, 8 September 2023 (UTC)

Looking at what is already listed, I think I understand exactly what scope you meant. Thanks for the help! Carlinal (talk) 04:33, 9 September 2023 (UTC)

Mixdown Mag 2023

This source is unlisted, which would make me hesitant to even consider it, but since it is a long-running print magazine in Australia, has a legitimate editorial policy, and is part of the music street press of Australia, it may be okay enough to bring here for discussion.

This list found here lists the sources picks for the top 20 best video game soundtracks of all time. The only new addition would be Castlevania: Symphony of the Night if the list were integrated. Thoughts?

NegativeMP1 00:03, 11 September 2023 (UTC)

I was looking at this one a couple of weeks ago as well and had similar thoughts; it seems appropriate for inclusion here. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 00:11, 11 September 2023 (UTC)

I've gone ahead and incorporated it, though it can be easily removed if consensus demands. Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night have been added. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 00:45, 11 September 2023 (UTC)

Is there anyone who works on this on the Wikipedia discord?

I'd like to contact the article creator if not just anyone, I have questions 2600:100F:B1A7:4A46:0:E:B922:9D01 (talk) 22:11, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

Feel free to ask any questions here. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 22:15, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

The games listed here are included on at least three separate lists from different publications.

Who said that 3 lists best and you're on the list??? 46.56.214.236 (talk) 09:08, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

NegativeMP1, over an arbitrary criteria case that doesn't affect your views of your favorite OSTs at all. You may as well be asking the same for its older sibling. Carlinal (talk) 19:40, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

I didn't even choose three. Technically, this list existed before, but was deleted in 2018 due to a lack of entries. Through a refund that I got of the deleted page when making the newest iteration, I found that the past page criteria was three, so I settled to keep it that way. It seems like a fair number judging by the fact way less sources talk about the best video game soundtracks compared to the best video games overall, and the WP:THREE best sources is typically what people look for when establishing something as notable. λ NegativeMP1 19:45, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

Honestly my initial response was a bit foolish, even if I don't find this IP to be contributive. Should've looked more into the article and standards before posting misinformation, I'm grateful for the brief history lesson. Carlinal (talk) 19:53, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

Lists from Tom's Guide

When looking at the discussions related to the old list that I mentioned in an above list, I noticed one list that was used there, but not here: one from Tom's Guide published in 2013 [1] (archived page is partially broken, but list is intact). In the deletion discussion from 2018, this list was thrown out for reasons I'm unsure of, but we can make a second judgement on it since its been a few years. If incorporated, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance would be eligible to be added.

However, this isn't the only list from Tom's Guide, as they also made a list of their 16 best video game soundtracks in 2018 [2]. This one I think is perfectly fine to use on this page, as it was written after Tom's Guide / Tom's Hardware was acquired by Future plc. This places the publication (from at least that point onward) on the same general level as others used on this list, particularly GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer. If incorporated, this one would make Far Cry 3 and Jet Set Radio eligible to be added.

While the 2018 one should have zero problems, the one from 2013 would need to be discussed again, as at the time Tom's Guide was owned by Purch, which owned no sources specifically marked as reliable besides Space.com (a completely different subject field from what is expected here). @Rhain: I want to hear your thoughts on this. λ NegativeMP1 20:13, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

Good finds! I'm hesitant about the 2013 list considering the inconclusive nature of Tom's Guide's reliability at the time (and the author himself), but the 2018 list being post-acquisition (and the author also writing for other reliable Future properties) makes it seem like a logical inclusion. I'll add it to the list/article shortly. What are your thoughts on the 2013 list? – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 23:44, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

I'm leaning towards not including the 2013 list, especially since it was previously thrown out. Either way, both were worth having a discussion. The 2018 list as we both have already said can be added without any issues nonetheless. λ NegativeMP1 23:57, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

Billboard 200 album charts? Availability in U.S. physical and/or digital purchase and streaming?

Did any of these video game soundtracks enter the Billboard 200 weekly pop album charts? Are any of them available in physical and/or digital stores and/or digital music streaming in the United States? Why? Thomas Wiencek (talk) 23:03, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

I'm not sure about Billboard 200 specifically, but some of these have entered the charts before (e.g., Minecraft, Undertale, Red Dead Redemption 2). I'm sure a lot of these are available for digital purchase or streaming, especially the later soundtracks. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 23:12, 12 May 2024 (UTC)

Two Brazilian sources

I've found two Brazilian sources that may be eligible. One is "The 10 best game soundtracks of all time", which is from the video game division of Universo Online, one of the biggest Brazilian news websites. The other one, "The 20 best original game soundtracks", is from Canaltech, a large Brazilian technology website.

As the UOL one is in video, I've transcribed their list here:

• Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country 2, Ocarina of Time, Sonic 3, Grim Fandango, Shadow of the Colossus, Journey, Undertale, Cuphead, Celeste

Skyshiftertalk 16:09, 18 May 2024 (UTC)

Both of these seem fine to me. If I'm not mistaken, incorporating these two would put Sonic 3 and Hollow Knight onto the page. λ NegativeMP1 17:25, 18 May 2024 (UTC)

Good finds! I agree they seem appropriate here. I've incorporated both lists, which has added Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Hollow Knight. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 22:53, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated recently came out with their own list of the best video game soundtracks, which can be found be found here. Since Sports Illustrated is a very well established print magazine and online news site, and this list clearly ticks the boxes (no time frame restrictions, etc.), I don't see why it shouldn't be added, and I'll implement it soon. With that being said, this list won't add any new games to the main page, but instead simply add another source to games that are already listed. λ NegativeMP1 20:52, 19 August 2024 (UTC)

Good find! I had some time, so I incorporated the list, which added Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. – Rhain ☔ (he/him) 22:45, 19 August 2024 (UTC)

So in the case of Halo it looks to be a franchise statement rather than a specific soundtrack, like Combat Evolved. I get the soundtrack is already listed, just pointing this out. Carlinal (talk) 02:19, 20 August 2024 (UTC)

Yeah that seems to also be the case with Xenoblade Chronicles and Kingdom Hearts. It's not a big deal, though. λ NegativeMP1 02:40, 20 August 2024 (UTC)