I love music in games, and the more I have played a game, the more the music has become engraved in my mind.
The early Playstation era was a unique time for music in games, as the introduction of a CD based medium allowed for a substantial increase in the sound quality of music compared to the MIDI tunes of previous console generations. Some of my favourite soundtracks of all time came from this era, many of which I still listen to today.
Here’s a selection a tunes from games available during the launch period of Playstation in 1995, including Ridge Racer, Tekken, Wipeout, Destruction Derby, Warhawk, and Twisted Metal. One of my favourites is Stalk n Roll from Twisted Metal. A full track list is below.
Note: Some songs from Ridge Racer are labelled differently in the game than on the game CD and soundtrack CD themselves, which causes confusion. Other songs listed here came from games which never got an official soundtrack release, and as such lack official names.
RIDGE RACER
- Welcome Racer [Opening Song] – by Shinji Hosoe
- Ridge Racer – by Shinji Hosoe
- Speedster (I Like A.T. Mix) – by Shinji Hosoe
- Rhythm Shift (Full Throttle Mix) – by Shinji Hosoe / Remixed by Lennie De Ice & Armstrong Crew
- Speedster (Infinity Mix) [Ending Credits Song] – by Shinji Hosoe / Remixed by Sampling Masters A
TEKKEN
- Kyoto, Japan – by Yoshie Arakawa
- Angkor Wat, Cambodia – by Yoshie Arakawa
- Szechwan, China – by Yoshie Takayanagi
- Windmere, U.K. – by Yoshie Arakawa
WIPEOUT
- Tentative – by CoLD SToRAGE
- Chemical Beats – by The Chemical Brothers
- Afro Ride – by Leftfield
- P.E.T.R.O.L. (Wipeout Mix) – by Orbital
DESTRUCTION DERBY – by Tim Swan & Eliot Sumner
- Track 1
- Track 2
WARHAWK – by Chuck E Meyers, Lance Lenhart, and Tom Hopkins
- Desert Zone 1
- Desert Zone 2
- Canyon Zone
- Airship Zone 2
TWISTED METAL – by Chuck E Meyers, Lance Lenhart, and Tom Hopkins
- Theme Song
- Stalk n Roll
- Rooftop Battle