Summary
Music is an often overlooked yet vitally important part of any gaming experience. Most of the time, soundtracks exist in the background, allowing the developers to carefully curate what track plays at which moment in the game. Some titles offer a lot more agency, though, allowing you to choose which song best fits the moment.
Being able to select your music can be the perfect way to make a moment stand out. Or maybe you’d rather just have a relaxing background beat while you grind. Either way, these games let you be the DJ.
Part of the reason that Fallout has remained so iconic is its1950s American aesthetic. A blend of retro and futuristic technology, the weapons, gear, and environments are all immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with the franchise. However, standing above the rest in terms of iconography is the pip-boy.
The pip-boy has a lot of functions, allowing you easy access to your inventory and quest log, but one of its most notable features is allowing you to tune into one of Fallout 4’s Commonwealth radio stations. Nothing quite beats the atmosphere of wandering around some ruins all on your own with some catchy 50s jingles to keep your spirits high.
The Saints Row series has always emphasized player expression. With extensive character customization and wardrobe selection, it’s easy to make one slick-looking gangster. Or, just as likely, some terrifying monstrosity looking to wreak havoc on the streets of Steelport. Saints Row 4 added even more freedom through the use of superpowers, making it all the easier to explore the city by dashing around at ridiculous speeds.
Thankfully, getting around on foot doesn’t mean sacrificing being able to listen to the game’s suite of licensed tracks. Booting up the mixtape app through the pause menu even allows you to create a custom playlist, so you can enjoy the songs in whatever order you like. All the while using a mixture of powers and guns to dominate the simulated Steeleport.
Cyberpunk 2077 has seen several updates since its release that continue to tweak things, which makes for an even more enjoyable experience. The biggest of which is the Phantom Liberty 2.0 update, which radically changed the experience system, combat, and cybernetics function. Subsequent updates continued to add highly requested features, including the ability to wander the streets of Night City while listening to your favorite jams.
The portable radio allows you to do exactly that. Night City is already a vibrant setting with tons of personality. But throwing in banging music from stations like Body Heat Radio, Growl FM, and Pacific Dreams can change the vibe to be exactly what you’re looking for.
WHERE TO PLAY
Road 96 is a unique narrative experience that occupies a few different genres. Containing elements of everything from puzzle games to roguelikes, it’s all in the service of telling an engaging story about a suffering nation politically divided. The game utilizes a few different characters and environmental elements in service of aiding its themes, one of the most prominent being music.
Narratively, music acts as a bridge connecting the many different youths attempting to flee the country in this time of crisis. Mechanically, different cassette tapes can be uncovered through exploration, which can then be played at any time. Aside from their importance to the story, these tracks can be a nice way to just relax and enjoy the many pretty sights the game has to offer.
Watch Dogs in Ubisoft’s open-world series, which focuses on the dangers of exploiting advanced technology. The first game in the series drew some criticism for its main protagonist, Aiden Pearce, being too much of a downer, which contrasted with the explosive fun that came from his hacking abilities. Watch Dogs 2 sought to fix this through Marcus Holloway, who is much more lively.
One of Marcus’s personality manifests itself through his music. Through the in-game media player, Marcus can pop in his earbuds and listen to a selection of songs while going about his hacking routine. A small detail, it still assists in building a connection between the player and Marcus by having an in-universe way of you and the protagonist enjoying the same songs.
The Forest is an intense survival-horror experience built around crashing down in the middle of a cannibal-ridden forest, wherein one such cannibal kidnaps the main character’s son. To save the child and escape the island, you’ll have to use whatever advantage you can get your hands on, whether it be crafted items or gear you can find by those left behind who have been trapped in the forest.
One such piece of equipment is a cassette player, which can be combined with a variety of music tracks you can find while exploring the island. Aside from being a nice change of pace, the cassette tapes can also help in keeping your energy high. Be warned, though, that the music can also be dangerous as the sound attracts nearby cannibals and other enemies, making jamming out a decisive risk.
At its core, Minecraft is a very relaxing game that allows you to enjoy it at your leisure. Part of that relaxation comes from its now iconic soundtrack. The peaceful chimes and melodies are perfect for lulling you into a rhythm while you explore, gather resources, and build to your heart’s content. But for those who would rather add some new beats to the mix, Minecraft’s music discs have you covered.
Once a jukebox is constructed, players can plug in whatever music disc they have on hand. Getting these discs can be a bit of a challenge as well, coming from dangerous locations like strongholds or rare events like a Skeleton shooting a Creeper with its bow. The tracks themselves can range quite a lot, too, from playful tunes like Cat to creepy tracks like 13.
Final Fantasy 15
Final Fantasy 15 took the series in a new direction through a whole host of different mechanics. Alongside all these new features, though, the core of what makes the series so enjoyable remains. The feeling of going on an adventure and the places that such a journey will take you. Throughout most of this journey, you’ll have a car to take you around, which has a radio built in, but if you’re looking to, you’ll need to shell out the gil for an MP3 player.
This handy device lets you listen to the songs you purchase from auto shops on the go. What’s more, is that updates have since added new songs to greatly expand the available roster. Aside from including tunes from previous Final Fantasy games and spin-offs, there are some crossovers with other franchises as well, like Tomb Raider and Nier.
Few stealth games offer the level of freedom in how to approach a situation that Metal Gear Solid 5 does. By unlocking new kinds of equipment, you’ll gain the opportunity to overcome some truly difficult challenges. Clearing out outposts creates an enjoyable feedback loop, allowing you to unlock even more impressive gear, which, in turn, makes it even easier to complete missions.
Aside from just new weapons and equipment, completing missions also awards you with different songs. A few of these tracks are original, but there is also some licensed 80s music as well to fit with the game’s setting. These include iconic hits from the era like Dead or Alive’s ‘You Spin Me Right Round’ and Hall and Oates’s ‘Maneater,’ all of which can be listened to whenever you like.
