Ooh, I'm quite pleased to see UNATCO and Roller Mobster already mentioned here. Excellent! I'm probably over-contributing here, but I wanted to get a good collection up.
Sonic Spinball - Toxic Caves - Spinball's darker, and honestly, overall creepier style brought with it some heavy grunge to the musical stylings of the Sonic games. My family has many fond memories of this one.
Sonic R - Back In Time - This one is especially fitting when looking back on this nostalgically, or playing it as escapism nowadays... I gotta say, when it came in out of nowhere for the first time in
Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed, I nearly cried.
Daytona USA - The King of Speed - Obligatory.
Daytona USA - Sky High - Also.
Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge - I Can Do It - Not as obligatory, but a fine track. Comes in
classic flavor, too.
L.A. Noire - driving music - I used to keep this on my phone and listen to it on my commute. Really nails the feeling of having your work cut out for you, chasing the next lead.
GRID - Vintage Warmer - Gosh, this super-soothing main menu music is much of what made this game such a genuinely pleasant experience. It made the garage feel like home. I booted up the game just to listen to this sometimes.
GRID 2 - Eliminator - On the less relaxing side, the contested sequel to GRID brought an elimination mode with 20-second timers between each elimination, and the music was perfectly timed to fit it. One of my only complaints with Autosport is replacing this with a tamer, electronic variant.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005) - The Heat - There's many variations on the game's police pursuit music, but an absolutely stellar assortment of bits and pieces lead to a dynamic soundtrack I still have yet to see rivaled in action.
Tomb Raider: Legend - Peru Bike Ride - This high-octane mix of the game's main theme accompanies one of the most ridiculously fun moments of the game... once you get the motorbike controls figured out. It'd be more apt to say it makes the first eight times you drive face-first into a rock tolerable.
Tomb Raider: Legend - Kazakhstan Train Chase - Another Ducati ride, another awesome anthem for it.
Deus Ex - Main Theme - It's hard not to keep humming or whistling this one. I can't blame that guy in Detroit during Human Revolution.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Secunda - A gorgeous, peaceful tune that mostly tells me it's time to go to bed.
Animal Crossing - Nook's Cranny - Feel free to browse, but try not to carouse! Ho ho ho! (I'm angling to staff someone's Artist's Alley booth again expressly so I can play this on my phone while I do so.)
Batman: Arkham Asylum - Stealthy Bat - It's easy to forget that the original Arkham Asylum was more along the lines of survival horror in tone. It's not easy to forget that while you're playing it, though. For reference's sake, this is what the music sounds like when you
do have the upper hand.
PAYDAY: The Heist - See You at the Safe House - Being the 'level clear' theme, this is usually accompanied with a huge sigh of relief and congratulations among teammates.
PAYDAY 2 - Armed to the Teeth - No other song in this game so perfectly encapsulates the feeling that you're playing the bad guys.
PAYDAY 2 - Evil Eye - Simon Viklund always puts out amazing work, and this is no exception. This is for the Hotline Miami heist, and as such, takes a great deal of influence from the game it's named and themed after. Nowadays, I've played this level so many times that the majority of my difficulty with it comes from trying to see where I'm going while headbanging.
PAYDAY 2 - Ode All'Avidita - Yes, for the Big Bank trailer, Viklund went ahead and composed an opera...
PAYDAY 2 - Ode to Greed - ...expressly to use a remixed version of it for the level proper. I think deserves a slot if only for Holy Shizz Quotient alone.
PAYDAY 2 - Fully Loaded Epic Win - This is one of the few tracks in the game not composed by Viklund, with Le Castle Vania instead taking the helm. I'd say it gives me a John Wick vibe and that's a very good thing, but it's to be expected since he was on
that soundtrack as well.
PAYDAY: The Heist - Gun Metal Grey - It's easy to hit a 'first level wins' mentality when it comes to memorable music and scenery, but First World Bank is generally the starter level in the first Payday, and this drum-heavy track with a little inspiration from Heat serves it quite well.
PAYDAY 2 - Gun Metal Grey 2015 - Between the remixed music and the return of a classic level remixed for newer gameplay, the initial release of First World Bank for PD2 reminded me a good deal of Sonic Generations. It's pretty impressive hearing a classic leitmotif come roaring back in a series that only did it exactly once before. (Unless you count I Will Give You My All being snuck into the background constantly.)
Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus - Super Duper Masochism - Inherent humor of the title aside, it's very tricky to nail the niche of "ballerina hardcore-masochist shinobi with dual-pistols", and somehow this character theme for Ryona fits her just right. It's inherently badass, and makes clear the other end of the deal; either you give her a sound thrashing this very second or you're not gonna like what happens.
Jet Set Radio Future - The Concept of Love - This should have been here already.
Daytona USA - G-A-M-E O-V-E-R - And you thought only Sega Rally was so happy about it.
