1The best licensed music in games
While vinyl and silicon may not have much in common, when paired together, they can do wonderful things.
Today, plenty of games take advantage of already-existing music to help craft their desired experiences in games, though things weren’t always so simple.
The King of Pop’s very own game, Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, did its best to adapt the singer’s hits onto the Sega Genesis’ rudimentary sound chip, but as charming as they were, even they themselves were limited by the technology of the time. It wouldn’t be until the advent of CD-quality sound on home consoles and PCs that the potential for licensed music would be fully realised and, thankfully, the industry was quick to learn.
While gaming has countless examples of originally composed music that’s just as good as any top-100 billboard charting tune, there’s something licensed music can bring to an experience that you can’t get any other way. Hearing a song you already know well enough in a game brings with it its own memories that are unique to the player, helping shape the moment in the game beyond what the game can do on its own.
So, with that in mind, we decided to take a look at some of the best uses of licensed music in video games. Enjoy!
