Custom Music in Games

Professor Snugglesworth

One of the features I was immediately looking forward to using on the Xbox 360 is the ability to replace the in-game music with whatever song you prefer from a playlist, CD, Ipod, and whatnot.

So I'd like to use this thread to get everyone's opinions of what kind of music they like to use during their favorite games. Post the game, the songs of choice you like to use (provide artist or soundtrack that it derives from), and which part of the game you like to use it in, when applicable.

So far, I feel "For Whom the Bell Tolls" from the Donnie Darko soundtrack works pretty well at some of the indoor parts of Gears of War.

And please don't flood the thread with "The Benny Hill Theme". I'm aware of the comedic implications, and plan to use it quite often.

And on the subject, I wonder if you can help me with my media sharing problem. I've tried using WMP11 to have the 360 search for my PC. It can find the PC, and even the playlist folders I made, but none of the actual songs I've put in it. I tried downloading Zune and enabled sharing with the system, but it won't even read anything there. The only things that have worked for me are a USB drive and a CD.

Nickle

I used to do this back before we had fancy hard drives on our consoles. I still can't play FFT without hearing Tool in my head. I'd just play that game for hours with the album on repeat. It's like a sickness. It just feels wrong playing the game without the music, and I don't know why, really.

I still like to play music while I play games, if they don't have great music already, and no important audio narrative. It helps me 'get in the zone', so to speak. Music is really important, to me, and it can really help drive the atmosphere of the game, if it's selected properly.

Evil_Pig

I have a deal with my girlfriend.

I can play FFXI all I want, as long as HER music is playing.

So it's mostly Evanescence, Seether, Nirvana, Korn, System of a Down, Slipknot, Stone sour and Tool.

So it's never really game related. Only time I ever did game related was when I played Condemned.

That was fun...

urahonky

Evil_Pig wrote: »

I have a deal with my girlfriend.

I can play FFXI all I want, as long as HER music is playing.

So it's mostly Evanescence, Seether, Nirvana, Korn, System of a Down, Slipknot, Stone sour and Tool.

So it's never really game related. Only time I ever did game related was when I played Condemned.

That was fun...

Wow. Introduce her to some newer music.

OT: It depends on what game you're playing, but techno seems to work in a variety of games.

I used to listen to a lot of Senses Fail while playing Gears of War, doesn't exactly fit... But now everytime I think of Gears of War I think of Senses Fail. Which is a very good thing.

Killswitch Engage, and Bleeding Through work well on some fighting/wrecking games.

Hmm... That reminds me, I need to get to playing some ExciteTruck before I go to class!

Professor Snugglesworth

Finally got Zune to work. I guess I just had to restart the PC, but now all my songs are available.

At random, I picked "Dark Heart Dawning" (sorry, author unknown) while playing an online match in Gears. It fit surprisingly well, despite the lyrics referring to love (but it also refers to "taking cover", heh). Very nice feature, though I wish there was a way to randomly play your songs without having to open the Slider every time.

More suggestions please.

Stupornaut

I'm gonna cram a 4GB flash drive full of high-BPM jungle/drum'n'bass for purposes of playing Stranglehold. And for racing games I can go on just about anything uptempo and intense -- metal, punk rock, funk, techno, house, whatever -- though I wonder if I'd do better times if I did like the Stig on Top Gear and ran laps listening to books on tape to calm my nerves.

Unfortunately I haven't been doing much custom music action on my 360 lately because, well, BioShock already has the perfect sonic atmosphere. Though I've got a lot of period stuff that'd be incredible (Sinatra's Only the Lonely, the Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes for You" and a few other doo-wop ballads, maybe some Thelonious Monk just to enhance the jumpiness.)

Hotlead Junkie

Stranglehold - 'Don't stop me now' by Queen, completley justifies the system purchase alone

Professor Snugglesworth

You know, I only tried this for the first time ever yesterday, but whoever came up with it the first time was a genius: the Benny Hill theme works so very well with Dead Rising.

One of my favorite songs frequently used for Gears of War is "Industrial Heist" from the Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker soundtrack.

Pretty much every song from Donnie Darko works as well.

ZackSchilling

It's not the 360, but Sevendust and Breaking Benjamin are the soundtrack to Excite Truck. Mindless, varied, generally angry hard rock. Most of it is just the right pace to sync properly with gameplay too. Since I don't listen to those artists much anywhere else, I've begun to associate them more strongly with the game than anything else. I should be careful to not listen to them when driving.

Bendery It Like Beckham

I listen to nightwish while playing dog fighting games.

I dunno why...

Ranced

I listen to the New Pornographers while playing Dead Rising.

It just seems so much more zany that way.

Nocren

I had Alice Cooper's Classicks play on a loop while completing Illusion of Gaia back in the day. Now I can't hear Stolen Prayer or House of Fire without thinking of that kid with the flute or Freedan.

Dhalphir

Combichrist and its ilk (the Aggrotech genre) when I'm playing anything violent, and Scooter and other techno music when I'm playing racing/driving games, like Forza 2 or NFS Carbon.

redstormpopcorn

Professor Snugglesworth wrote: »

At random, I picked "Dark Heart Dawning" (sorry, author unknown)

BT.

And my blend of DragonForce, Guilty Gear tracks, and Led Zeppelin absolutely kicks the shit out of the Burnout games' standard soundtracks. :V

desperaterobots

Podcasts + Live Arcade games (ie Geometry Wars) = Excellent way to pass some time.

Arrath

I was playing Area 51 for the Xbox and listening to my friend's mp3 player at the same time. Disturbed's Down with the Sickness started right as I was infected with the alien mutant powers and proceeded to destroy a bunch of usually freakishly hard black ops troops by gutting them. Set the tone quite well.

Beck

Evil_Pig wrote: »

I have a deal with my girlfriend.

I can play FFXI all I want, as long as HER music is playing.

So it's mostly Evanescence, Seether, Nirvana, Korn, System of a Down, Slipknot, Stone sour and Tool.

So it's never really game related. Only time I ever did game related was when I played Condemned.

That was fun...

Ugh. Your girlfriend is mean. At that point, I would probably never play FFXI again.

I like a blend of Arcade Fire (Black Wave/Bad Vibrations), , The Decemberists, Depeche Mode, Eluvium, Joanna Newsom, Mastodon, Minibosses, Of Montreal, Radiohead, Wolf Parade, and a ton of others. Some don't seem to make sense at first (Like Joanna Newsom), but when you're tearing shit up in Gears of War, it can actually be kind of haunting.

Mastodon fits right in there, though.

Hoz

Killing For Love by Jose Gonzalez works well with game where you're, you know, killing. I also like The Good Soldier by NIN, It's A Fire by Portishead, and The Birth And Death Of The Day by Explosions In The Sky (basically everything by them but this one especially).

ben0207

I always listen to Hammerfall when playing Oblivion

FreddyD

Cocteau Twins Pandora and Geometry Wars. I don't know why it works but it does. The calming effect of the music puts me in the zone instantly.

Mr Bubbles

Gogol Bordello during Burnout is so much fun it should be illegal