Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, which led me to Pennywise, Dropkick Murphys, and Social Distortion.

The stations were just MP3 files on the game disc. I burned them to an audio CD and had them in my car.

Space Harrier, arcade

720, arcade

Sega Arcade Soundtrack - After Burner 2 OST Track 06 - City 202 DSP Enhanced

Wipeout 2097(XL in the US) - PSX

SC 2 Heaven's Devils is also a certified banger

I think Shogun 2 Total War was an absolute vibe going into traditional Japanese style music. It's same guy that wrote the music for Medieval 2 and made thematic bangers.

My music awakening probably was Midnight Club 2 3 Dub Edition where the music was just a great collection. I used to play Ante Up by M.O.P. a lot, Nine inch nails hand that feeds and general exposure to a lot of good songs.

That and Gerudo Valley from Ocarina of Time.

Jet Set Radio (+Future) soundtrack goes hard. Most of the tracks are still on my favorites playlists

Three, very early on in my life:

1. Deus Ex (2000). Synthy classical/techno blend that’s hard to beat thanks largely to Alexander Brandon.

2. Road Rash 95. Loaded with grunge hits from Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and more. The bassy chip racing tracks were also awesome.

3. Monsters, Inc.: Scream Team. This one might be slightly cheating since I also watched the movie on loop but jazz/ska is just too damn fun to ignore.

The world ends with you is up there. I just started replaying it and the music is top fucking notch!

Queen Brahne was not impressed.

I feel this in my soul, friend. Plus it was my first experience of a true open-world and RPG game. I'll never forget the feeling I had when first booting the game up and hearing that main menu music.

That reminded me of Halo CE's vibe, too, which had a lasting impact on me.

The 8-bit kettledrums throughout that game were a goddamn joy.

Need for Speed 2.

All of the OST from The Last Guardian, espeically the ending of the game.

Omg, i have never cried so hard for a game until i went to the ending, that was an emotional roller coster for me.

Re/Volt & electronic music

need for speed underground for obvious reasons

Stubbs the zombie got me into indie rock

Although I still have Journey To Silius's OST burned into my head, there have been plenty of very influential games, in no particular order -

Super Mario RPG

Chrono Trigger

FFVII

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

Jet Set Radio (and Future)

Grand Theft Auto (Vice City and San Andreas, I only listened to talk radio in 3)

Stepmania

These days, I feel a little calcified but it's always nice when I turn on a game and see artists I know.

Adding a few more to my list.

Spyro (PS1) - Stewart Copeland's genius cannot he understated, and subsuqently got me into his original band The Police (I'm seennddinngg out an S O S)

Final Fantasy VII and IX both sound tracks I go back to frequently

Kingdom Hearts definitely started my love for JPop

Lots of songs from Tony Hawk (the PS1 era)

For me, it was a combination in middle school: replaying Sonic 2 on the Genesis, Extreme-G on N64, and re-affirmed with XGRA on Xbox.

I still listen to a lot of tracks I have only ever heard on the Burnout Paradise soundtrack.

I don't think I ever had a game introduced me to a genre. They e only reinforced what I already loved. Capcom had the Techno, House, and a lot of other electronic music in their fighting games. GTA always had popular music from every genre, but Vice City asserted my love for New Wave. Mir y games eventually went all DnB, so more electronic. Megaman X2 had a soundtrack that's basically Metal with the feel of Jazz and Funk. Those bass lines and drums were stupid incredible.

The only genre that I can think of that I heard first with video games would be Classical/orchestral music. Zelda was the main culprit, but even Star Fox had that drumline feel with a commanding execution of its trumpets. Those horns give me chills to this day.

100 nobles were impressed

I maintain that Pokemon XD has the most underrated soundtrack of all time.

Donkey Kong
FFVI (or IV if you're Japanese)

So many

Half life.

Thief 1/2

Wing Commander 3

I may have a sweet spot for industrial music.

Pretty much anything that took full advantage of the SID.

I always liked electronic music but Machinarium made me consciously realize how much I liked ambient music and how much could be done with it.

Paradise Killer: https://kaizengameworks.bandcamp.com/album/paradise-killer-original-soundtrack

Yeah, I didn't listen to a ton of music before Guitar Hero, it legitimately broadened my horizons

Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! and Final Fantasy VII.

Then later on you obviously have all of the Guitar Heros and Rock Bands (I'm so excited for Stage Tour)

Undertale and Celeste for me for sure

Hotline Miami.

And now the sequel has been announced!!

Whaaaaa? I searched the tubes and it's true. Amaaaazing!https://boingboing.net/2026/10/09/classic-puzzle-game-machinarium-is-getting-a-surprise-sequel.html

FFVI is what was originally known as FF3 in the US. FFIV is what was originally known as FF2 in the US.

Also, I'm intrigued by the concept of Donkey Kong Final Fantasy 6...

Yeah, I get the numbers mixed up. Meant 3. Lol

Portal 2. Absolute banger of a soundtrack that I have listened to over and over, and I absolutely loved Exile Vilify by The National, which frustratingly is not on Spotify.

SSX tricky for the PS2

Strangely, despite playing many games over the years, and enjoying tons of soundtracks and themes, I don't think any of them awakened any interest that weren't already there. Owing, I suppose, to a pretty diverse exposure in my youth which led to a lot of seeking new genres.

With perhaps this exception:

Civ 4's Warlords Expansion pack.

Al Nadda

The theme is a classic Lebanese folk song called 'Al Nadda', popularized by famed singer and actress Sabah.

It's a catchy little tune that sticks in your head. You can find many variations, including the original (roughly 1963ish), as well as instrumental versions, online. Sometimes it is reimagined in a modern style like this one:

Modern 'Al Nadda'

Gotta pick my first, FFX. To Zanarkand is still one of the best ways to open a game.

Symphony of the night of course, bust before that also games like streets of rage (1,2) and thunder force 4.

I don't know if it was necessarily an awakening, but I've had the music from Super Mario Brothers in my head for 40 years. It's so damn catchy.

I don't know if it shaped anything but definitely inspired increased listening. Tropico, any version. Those games always have excellent playlists. The music is so good, I could be board with the game and still play because the music drags you in.

Not an awakening per se but Splinter Cell Chaos Theory introduced me to Amon Tobin and the world of weird, experimental electronic music.

Need more power!

I'm a mechanical man

The Chris Huelsbeck soundtracks on the C64. Turricane, Giana Sisters, etc. They were a real game changer in a dimension you kids can't even imagine.

Came here to rave about those two as well! I remember whiling away my downtime at school reading Mat Uelman's liner notes on the old Battle.net website and finally waking up to how video games didn't need their soundtrack to fit in a neat little "box" of low-fidelity synth loops (though I still love that style)

One of the tracks had a comment from him about how he relishes any opportunity to break the rules of the genre he's composing for. The quote was something along the lines of "More lasers in Hell. Hell needs lasers!" It just stuck with me for decades since

Good choice!

Tony Hawks proskater.

Myst and Riven. Became homework music for a long time