Music and gaming often seem like a match made in heaven – and it’s true that many of the most iconic games only achieved their vaunted status with the help of some iconic soundtrack design.
And while typically music is integrated into games in the same way it is with films and TV, the unique peculiarities in the medium offer an altogether different experience.
We are of course referring to the notion of music games. These come in all shapes and sizes, and are among the most surprising, innovative, and memorable titles in the history of the industry.
If you’ve ever wanted what the greatest music games ever made were, look no further than our comprehensive breakdown here.
Rez
Part art, part game, Rez is the brainchild of one-of-a-kind game designer, Tetsuya Mizuguchi. This deceptively short game was developed in collaboration with electronic producers including Ken Ishii and Adam Freeland, and features a pulsing, rhythmic techno soundtrack that reacts, builds and complexifies in relationship to your gameplay. Put another way, the better you play, the more immersive the music becomes.
This is a wholly unique experience, and one of the best integrations of music and gaming you’re likely to ever have the chance to experience.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
The idea of tying in some of the biggest rock bands of the 20th century with top-tier gaming is nothing new. In fact, there are examples of such collaborations all over the place. Take, for example, the many and varied worlds of online slots, such as those provided by PokerStars Casino. There, among the hundreds of compelling one-armed-bandits to explore, can be found tie-ins with some of the biggest bands in history, including ZZ Top, Guns N Roses and Motorhead.
And while slots enjoy consistent popularity thanks to their iconic design and accessible gameplay, what they don’t achieve – nor set out to do, to be fair – is impart a realistic sense of shredding a guitar solo yourself. The same can not be said for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, the crowning achievement of the super popular guitar hero series.
These games took the dance-a-long format innovated by Dance Dance Revolution and threw in a custom guitar peripheral fit to let anybody live out their power fantasies of rocking out.
PaRappa the Rapper
Fondly remembered as one of the very best games to come out on the original PlayStation, PaRappa the Rapper is a quirky rhythm like no other which sees you take control of PaRappa, a rapping dog that must battle his way through six levels that challenges him to lay down fire bars before an eager audience.
This game helped cement the PlayStation’s reputation as the home of alternative and indie-derived games, pitching it toward an older audience than was commonly marketed to in the games industry of the 90s.
Dance Dance Revolution
As a game, DDR is more prolific than most imagine. In fact, if you’ve been to an arcade at any point in the last 20 years you’ve no doubt played one of its many variations. That’s because DDR is the original rhythm-based dancing game, with its iconic multi-directional dancing pad a familiar site in neon-lit gaming rooms.
Originally released in 1998 in Japan, DDR has developed an ardent and committed fanbase over the intervening years. What’s unique about DDR, for a video game, is how aerobic it is. High difficulty levels are almost guaranteed to cause you to break into a sweat, and the speed with which the cascading arrows can come at you has to be seen to be believed.
Nowadays, DDR even enjoys a rich global esports circuit of dancing pros who go toe to toe for large cash prizes in what is generally considered the greatest music/gaming crossover of all time. The latest arcade version of the series, Dance Dance Revolution A3, was released in 2022 and is the 18th instalment to date.
