You know that feeling you get when you're driving down a highway at sunset, and the perfect song comes on the radio? All of a sudden, it feels like you're in a music video, or that bit at the start of a '90s teen movie, where everything is sparkling and perfect. The music becomes a soundtrack, and your life becomes a story.
There are a few brilliant moments like this in media, too — ones that deploy the right song at the right moment for a perfect synergy of feelings. Think of how Edgar Wright uses licensed music in his films to underline tense, snappy moments and add comedy, or the use of Don't You (Forget About Me) at the end of The Breakfast Club, or the Imogen Heap-scored season 2 finale of The O.C., which became so iconic that it got its own SNL skit.
Just like movies and TV, video games have been slowly, but surely learning to marry music and mechanics to create something greater than the sum of its parts. It's not that widespread of a practice, admittedly — the cost of licensing music in perpetuity is prohibitively expensive even for the more moneyed studios — but when they get it right, they get it right.
So, here's our list of some of the best uses of licensed music in video games. Imagine the satisfying ka-chunk of a Walkman play button as we begin, and make sure to fast-forward down to the bottom of page two to have your say in our polls...
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (Switch)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was instrumental (pun intended) in shaping the musical tastes of teens and tweens across the world, as well as in introducing the idea of music promotion through games — but special mention has to go to Goldfinger's Superman, a song so closely entwined with the skater series that the band has credited Tony Hawk with the song becoming their greatest hit. It wasn't even a radio single!
BioShock: The Collection (Switch)
If we can't have Fallout on this list, at least we can have Bioshock, a series that was happy to incorporate both time-period-appropriate and entirely anachronistic music into its scenes. While it could be argued that 'Beyond the Sea' is a little lyrically on-the-nose when it comes to Bioshock's themes and setting, it doesn't really matter too much in this case, because the combination of the loungey '50s vibe and the oddly melancholy tone of this song are enough to pull it out of being too much. It's just perfect.
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Bayonetta (Switch)
This super-poppy remix of Fly Me To The Moon sounds like it should be in a Dance Dance Revolution game, but no! It's the soundtrack to Bayonetta kicking angel butt, and it serves as a gorgeously upbeat, goofy cover that makes you want to roundhouse Metatron right in his stupid face with your ludicrously long legs. The moon theme was continued in Bayonetta 2 with Moon River, and Moonlight Serenade in Bayo 3, but let's be honest: this was the best one.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition (Switch)
GTA's radio is not like many other games on this list. Instead of deploying one perfect song at the perfect moment, instead the radio soundtracks all the terrible decisions you make while you drive through the trilogy's many locations. That means that every player's experience is different — perhaps your most memorable moment was set to Kim Wilde's 'Kids in America', or maybe you have fond memories of crashing into pedestrians to Heart's 'Barracuda'. Either way, plenty of bops to be found here.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cloud Version (Switch eShop)
Peter Quill's whole thing is his Walkman. Well, that and his cool-guy refusal to follow rules. So, it makes sense that the Guardians of the Galaxy game would take that theme and run with it. Composer Richard Jacques replaced the '70s songs on Quill's mixtape for '80s bangers, and deployed them carefully and sparingly at exactly the right moments to make you feel like a powerful superhero who chooses his own soundtrack. We've picked the Huddle moment here, which requires players to execute a pep-talk perfectly if they want the music to hit just right.
Fuser (Switch)
Is it cheating to have a music game on here? No. We make the rules. But the reason Fuser is here, and not any other rhythm games, is because it lets the player dictate how the music sounds. A rhythm game usually asks you to play a song exactly right; Fuser puts the control in the hands of the DJ, providing you only with a catalogue of songs to add into the mix, and asking you to hit the beats. You are the one that makes it good, and like in the example above, you can make it really good. Fuser provides a lot of power with its tools, and then leaves the execution up to you.
Burnout Paradise Remastered (Switch)
Don't you just get tingles when you hear the first few Slash-strummed notes of Paradise City? What a song to introduce the sun-scorched world of Burnout Paradise that goes by the same name (don't tell anyone, but it's just a fictionalised mish-mash of Californian towns). Alongside Guns 'N' Roses, Burnout Paradise also pulled from the soundtrack stylings of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, putting names like Faith No More and Jane's Addiction on playlists once more.
Comments 43
Borderlands music and sound scheme are very special and very immersive experience.
@Dom_31
It's cloud only on the Switch, but I played through it with little to no issue
Off the top of my head, the one that really blindsided me the most was the intro to Saints Row IV when you're climbing the missile after its launched, and Aerosmith starts playing.
Honorable mention goes to any of the games using Debussy's Clair de Lune, even though TECHNICALLY its now in public domain, so its not quite "licensed music". Over a century later, and its still a banger. Always enjoy when it pops up in games.
not on here (and somehow NintnedoLife NEVER REVIEWED) but Road96's soundtrack is absolutely awesome. i had to look up thse artists it was that good
@Desrever hell yeah, those radio stations in SR4 were dope.......too bad i barely jacked cars since you didnt really need to in that game
@KateGray This article must have taken a while to put together!!
Came here to check if Hotline Miami was included, it was. Leaves satisfied 👍
As a content creator I’m torn on this one. Streaming/uploading games like GTA3 and LEGO Skywalker Saga can be a nightmare with the music, but when it adds to the overall experience it really can be a worthwhile addition!
I'm tempted to say Fuser just because mashing up licensed music with other licensed music as the basis of the gameplay is an idea that sounds like it won't work well, but ends up working marvelously.
@Desrever It's the opening song in Sayonara Wild Hearts and it's an very exhilarating rendition. Strongest recommendation.
You include the terrible GTA trilogy, but not either of the Saints Row games? WTH?
Don't think you can extend, just comprehend
Insane in the Membrane in Saints Row IV.
Depeche Mode’s “The Darkest Star” during the credits for The Writer DLC on Alan Wake is another great pick for that game
Saints Row when they start playing Aerosmith whilst you're taking out a rocket Armageddon style!
I was hoping to see borderlands 1 on this list! Ain’t no rest for the wicked became one of my favourite songs thanks to that opening!
Tales from the borderlands was also a great pick. One of my favourite things in that game was waiting in each episode for their borderlands style intro!
Burnout Paradise is another obvious one.
Rayman Legends I surprisingly didn’t think off. That’s a good shout.
It's the only game I've played from this list but the music levels in Rayman Legends are the best part of the game. It's so satisfying jumping over chasms and punching skeletons to the beat of a kazoo rendition of Eye of the Tiger.
@Dom_31 My thoughts exactly. Guardians of the Galaxy might have the greatest use of licensed music in any game. Just a shame it’s only a cloud version for Switch.
Off Switch, tearing down the roads to Buck Rogers by Feeder on Gran Turismo III was just perfect. And I don’t even particularly like driving games.
GTA Vice City has a great soundtrack. One of the reasons why it is my favourite GTA.
"GTA's radio is not like many other games on this list. Instead of deploying one perfect song at the perfect moment, instead the radio soundtracks all the terrible decisions you make while you drive through the trilogy's many locations. That means that every player's experience is different"
This isn't true; The Soundtracks plays on a two-round loop.
Trust me; I've stopped to listen to them.
Dragon Ball FighterZ should be here. You get songs from the show in the game too such as Chala-Head-Chala and We Gotta Power.
I think it's San Andreas that has Guns n Roses - Welcome To The Jungle. That was pretty sweet hearing the guitar intro come on just after getting in the car!
Not on Switch, but Roni Size - Bite The Bullet on FIFA Street was great too.
@Dom_31 ehh i think the game is decent but not fantastic...while its entertaining and funny and exploring is fun but the gameplay is pretty tedious, combat is underwhelming, and not being able to be the other guardians is a missed opportunity... But the story is worth playing for...which sadly lot of games recently don't have worthwhile stories
@Dom_31 You are 100% right. I'm playing it on Game Pass right now, it's awesome.
Blazing Chrome ending “cd track”, The Danger by KRISTINE. It fits so well with the game and is such a treat to hear when you beat the game.
A pity Saints Row 3 and 4 don't get a mention in this talking point. Hearing Paula Abdul in 4 was a blast.
Just checking my brain power. Mad World was for a Gears of War commercial, right? (Obviously not s Switch game)
Sounds like BioShock would be right for this album
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Empty_Bliss_Beyond_This_World
Talking Point: What's The Best Use Of Licensed Music In A Switch Game?
Me : None of them. The only best licensed musics for me are from Dance Dance Revolution 3rd Mix Arcade / PS1.
I remember being blown away towards the beginning in Saints Row 3 when the Boss and Pierce are driving and start singing along to Sublime. It felt sooo immersive. Then, in the final mission, racing to save Shaundi to 'I Need A Hero' had me pumped.
Definitely was teary eyed at the end of Life Is Strange when Max and Chloe were driving out of town to 'Obstacles' by Syd Matters (in the TRUE ENDING... don't @ me, I will die on that hill).
It's not a Switch game, but "Poor Wayfairing Stranger" in The Last of Us: Part 2 undid me. It was absolutely perfect.
Just Dance. The unlimited subscription is an awful idea for a game that already costs 60$ but it's so fun
SSX 3's use of licensed music was pretty cool. It is difficult to explain what it does if you haven't played the game, but the music sort of changes depending on how you are doing. Like for example if you keep crashing into things it takes away parts of the song, but then if you do a trick and get a lot of points it all comes back when you land
The ending credits Song from The Shining and Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree playing in BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea. Nothing tops the classic soundtracks from Fallout 3 / 4 and New Vegas though!
I was like why can’t Fallout be on this list?!? (Took me a while)
Saints Row 4 with Haddaway’s “What is Love”. Something about escaping alien captors with this song blasting in the space ship makes me giggle snort.
One more vote for Saints Row, the funny & great scripted moments with Aerosmith and Haddaway, plus inspiring moments of radio station serendipity—one of my favorite video game memories is OutKast’s B.O.B. starting up exactly when I unlocked glide and better jump ability. Hurling myself around the city to that all time jam was ace!
NFS: Underground, Lil John and the Eastside Boys brings good memories. But the music levels in Rayman Legends... Epic.
GotG for sure. One of the best games I've played in the last few years.
Nothing really springs out at me. I guess Burnout Paradise and NFS: Hot Pursuit contain licensed music, and it's good enough for what they're going for, but they generally do not contain music to my taste.
The FIFA games also have some decent choices that complement them well, but nothing in particular that I felt I must add to my playlist.
I remember some DS games with memorable songs, including the atrocious The Sims 2: Pets (the music was great though!) and Need For Speed: ProStreet.
I was also really pleased that the Digimon Adventure and Sailor Moon theme songs were included in Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival.
I'll never forget crossing into Mexico in the original Red Dead Redemption and Jose Gonzalez's "Far Away" started playing so naturally.
"Step in front of a runaway train..just to feel alive again". Gave me chills and made me a fan of his music from that moment in one of the most memorable moments of my gaming history.
Also that old Playstation 1 light gun game, Revolution X that was all about Aerosmith. That game was pretty sweet for it's time.
Brutal legend had the best soundtrack of any game I've ever played. Period
The Avicii game is pretty awesome as long as you like his music... Stages can be a tiny bit long though.
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