Dec 232015
 

Ep_108

A 90 minute look back at some of 2015’s best tracks, including songs from Ori and the Blind Forest, Bloodborne and Codename STEAM.

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TRACK LIST

0:00:00 – Main Theme (Rocket League)

0:07:31 – Title Screen (Fast Racing Neo)

0:14:07 – RC Pro Am museum theme (Rare Replay)

0:15:09 – Cobra Triangle museum theme (Rare Replay)

0:16:31 – Battletoads museum theme (Rare Replay)

0:23:29 – Deadly Dance II (Codename STEAM)

0:27:07 – Death’s Sweetness III (Codename STEAM)

0:28:19 – Steam Steel Strangers III (Codename STEAM)

0:31:09 – Showdown (Codename STEAM)

0:37:23 – CODENAMEZ (Xenoblade Chronicles X)

0:42:34 – Black Tar (Xenoblade Chronicles X)

0:50:07 – Hunter’s Dream (Bloodborne)

0:53:37 – Vicar Amelia (Bloodborne)

1:00:15 – Ancestral Trees (Ori and the Blind Forest)

1:02:03 – The Spirit Tree (Ori and the Blind Forest)

1:08:34 – Theme 2 (Life is Strange)

1:09:43 – Austin Strut (Life is Strange)

1:14:30 – Silver for Monsters (The Witcher III)

1:16:48 – Steel for Men (The Witcher III)

1:26:18 – The Finale (Horizon Chase)

  25 Responses to “VGMpire 108 – 2015 Year in Review”

  1. … Wait a minute. No Undertale? Brett, explain yourself.

    • If I had to guess, Undertale will probably be album of the year.

    • The best soundtrack of the year gets it’s own episode.

      Guess what game that’s going to be this year.

      • Speaking of which:

        Hopes & Dreams + SAVE The World
        ASGORE
        Megalovania

        Or I riot.

        • Don’t you DARE leave out the title track ‘Undertale’

          That song / moment is so…. UUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHH ALL MY FEELS!!

          • Definitely a great song, but it’s another version of a song that appears a lot throughout the game. And Hopes & Dreams is still the best version of that song(as well as Your Best Friend).

    • Ah, right. I caught what you said at the end of the show. Glad to hear Undertale gets it’s own episode.

      On a related note, while the Bloodborne soundtrack is good, it is far, FAR surpassed by the Alex Roe remix album:

      https://alexroe.bandcamp.com/album/bloodborne-remixes-2

      That first track on that album is so good it makes me cry. Holy hell. Seriously give it a go if you appreciate Souls / Bloodborne music.

  2. I’m certain there’s a full Undertale episode on the way.

  3. Pretty good stuff. Though I am sad the primordia theme from xenoblade x didn’t make it in.

  4. Really great episode, Looking forward to the Splatoon/Undertale episodes to come since they were some of my favorites this year. I really like Deadly Dance II, it reminds me of Blinded by Light the FF13 battle theme. Thanks for a great year and once again glad to have you onboard with Laser Time!

  5. I was waiting for some Axiom Verge!
    Surprised I didn’t get it 😉

    Here’s the OST on YouTube:
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k0kSc8hHzAM

    Great boss tracks with Trace Rising and Apocalypse.

    Cellular Skies is a terrific example of exploration music that syncs perfectly with the environment.

    Without Place is a great uptempo push in the last area of the game.

    And two great metro is-esque tracks that kick butt with Vital Tide and Otherworld.

    Great episode!

  6. Great episode guys! Here I thought you just left out Undertale but I’m glad it’s gonna get it’s own episode. I always love these end of the year tracks cause like Brett, I really only play about 3 new games a year now. So I get to hear what I missed out on. Specifically codename steam, I’ve seen it super cheap lately and with a soundtrack like that, I need to pick it up.

  7. Excellent episode and another excellent year! I would say my favorite soundtrack of the year is from Axiom Verge. I actually talked with Tom Happ (developer and musician) for about an hour about the music’s writing process. It was awesome.

  8. Although Hotline Miami 2 wasn’t included in this episode (I understand why :P) and despite all the amazing music in this episode, it’s still my Top #1 VGM soundtrack this year. It’s a little weird in how you can buy it: it’s only available as DLC for the Steam version, so you need to have the core game on PC in order to buy the soundtrack. But oh man is it so worth it. And it even blows Hotline Miami 1’s soundtrack out of the water by sheer quality and volume.

    “Hotline Theme” (Benny Smiles) http://music.bennysmiles.com/track/hotline-miami-theme – this is probably my favorite game tune of 2015. It’s simple, but the synths used here and the orchestral-like backing (kinda like Goldeneye 007 almost) was so uplifting for me, like a “everything’ll be okay” kind of feeling, even if in the game NOTHING is okay.

    “The Way Home” (Magic Sword) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3UU7bjPaFM – Another sort of “everything will be ok” sort of track for me.

    “Sexualizer” (Perturbator) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGy4dgtqfoo – I knew about this song being in HM2 since 2013. Still continues to blow me away.

    “Run” (iamthekidyouknowwhatimean) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICjD3f-8SXE – incredibly deranged, might not be everybody’s cup of tea but it’s such a sick track

    Le Perv (Carpenter Brut) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzuPI7tk9B8 – all the drops, all the build-up and epicness. I get chills every time I listen to it.

    All of those are just the tip of the iceberg though. SO many tracks! It really needs its own dedicated ep. 😉

    But yeah, The Witcher III is really up there for me, as it’s my GOTY 2015. I love the tracks that Marcin Przybyłowicz did with Polish folk band Percival (most of those female vocal ones were done with them). There’s a track not found on the soundtrack that continues to give me emotions. It’s an ambient track while you’re just exploring the beauty of Skellige and its big islands. At one point I just sort of stopped traveling, looked around the environment and just soaked it all in with the music. Really beautiful game.

    Marcin Przybyłowicz is pronounced: Mar-cheen Pshih-bih-whoa-veech. At least you spelt it out 😛

    Ambient track in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWbE5sgL8bc

    The Codename STEAM stuff is SO DAMN GOOD. Shamisen + heavy distorted guitars = YESSSSSS

    • Other quickie highlights for me:

      Bloodborne (especially Vicar Amelia and the music that plays in that really dark survival horror-esque area late in game with the brainsuckers) and “Hail the Nightmare” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuHzagjqOLU

      Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Val Habar music <3)
      OlliOlli2
      Ori and the Blind Forest
      Final Fantasy XV Episode Duscae (that Yoko Shimomura battle theme <3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TwhD8e1oZM
      Axiom Verge
      Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows
      Crypt of the Necrodancer
      Splatoon (Splattack! Is the most fun tune ever)
      Super Mario Maker (revamped Fly Swatting music!)
      The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

      Man, 2015 was a great year for VGM. Happy Holidays everybody!

      • You should guest on the show Klepeck. Big bombcast fan here and miss hearing your insightful commentary.

      • Yes, yes, yes to Crypt of the Necrodancer. Just for the idea of the singing shopkeeper alone. Danny Baranowsky is the man.

    • Agreed about HM2. didn’t hit quite as hard as the first imo, but still a load of standout tracks.

  9. When the Xenoblade Chronicles music started playing I froze and had to stop what I was doing. I was like, “Is that Sawano? That sounds so much like Sawano’s style!” Turns out it was! I know that guy from all the popular anime of 2013-15, he’s everywhere.

  10. […] just about ready to reveal our 2015 Album of the Year (those who listened to the Year in Review probably have a good idea what it’ll be) but before we do, we have a brief Q&A with the […]

  11. I’m glad Codename: STEAM got some love from someone else this year, even if only for the kickass soundtrack. It was my personal favorite underrated title of 2015.

  12. These Year-In-Review episodes are always great. I love hearing samples of music from all different kinds of games. I never checked out Code Name S.T.E.A.M, but I LOVED the tracks that you played. I’ll definitely check out that soundtrack. Xenoblade, too. JRPGs almost always have great soundtracks for doing work or cleaning the apartment.

    I REALLY hope that Undertale gets your album of the year. Judging from the hints you dropped, I think it will. I bought it on Steam two weeks ago on a whim after seeing it take GameFAQs by storm and loved it. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it (and listen to more of the music because it’s phenomenal).

  13. I haven’t been commenting lately but I’ve still been listening!
    I was really surprised by the music of Codemane S.T.E.A.M. I wasn’t planning to pick it up but after hearing that I may want to reconsider. Days of Ruin had some great music and I’d love more of that.

  14. LIFE IS STRANGE! Was my personal game of the year so I am delighted to see it get some love. Every time a new epsiode came out I would sit on the main menu for a few minutes listening to the music because it was so good but also so I could ready myself for the emotional ride I was about to go on.

    The game is getting a limited edition physical release at the end of January and it will come with the full soundtrack. I can’t wait!

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