Sometimes It Takes The Right Music To Get You In the Fighting Spirit

While certainly not as important as the gameplay and graphics, a game’s soundtrack can be the difference between a good game and an all-time great game. In my opinion, the best soundtracks don’t overwhelm the action on-screen but rather complement it. They set the mood for a game, add the necessary ambiance, and positively affect the emotions you should be feeling while playing it. For fighting games, the all-time best soundtracks should equally motivate and empower the player, while keeping them calm and composed. Music that is too soft and slow-paced might not do enough to keep the player hyped up, while music that is too frantic might make the player nervous or flustered, causing them to mess up and lose their match. The fighting game community helped me weigh in on these top fighting game soundtracks of all time.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

I think all but one response I received mentioned the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 soundtrack, and for very good reason. The Tekken series has always had great music, but something about Tekken Tag 2’s soundtrack always piqued my interest more so than any other game in the series. No matter what stage, what menu, or what game mode I was playing at the time, the music always seemed to fit perfectly. Even the customization theme was a real banger, and it needed to be, since I think I spent more than half of my time in that mode (and I’m sure I’m not the only one).

Killer Instinct (Yea, the original one)

The Killer Instinct soundtrack is one my friend Jayson, "Kusanagi765” Lamp called his, “go-to fighting game soundtrack.” It also topped Maximilian’s fighting game soundtrack list and is referred to as the ultimate fighting game of the 1990s. The main cut above is the best by far, but you’ll be sure to find some gems on that playlist. ArsTechnica’s Sam Machkovech calls a, “veritable soup of genres and sound samples,” as you’ll hear everything from thrash metal inspired riffs, to awesome 90s club bangers like the above. The soundtrack was so beloved, it even received a vinyl release in 2016.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike

For those of us who grew up in the northeast, the Third Strike soundtrack tugs at all of our heartstrings. From groovy, hip-hop-inspired cuts like the character select screen song (and the remixed version included in the re-mastered Online Edition for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3) and Jazzy NYC, to techno and trance tunes like The Beep and Circuit, Third Strike had a little something for every musical taste. The tunes were infectious, memorable, and fit the action on screen perfectly - and these songs still hold up today.

Street Fighter and hip-hop have had a long-standing history together that some may not even realize existed. Waypoint’s Stephen Kearse outlines the relationship, starting all the way back from Street Fighter II. What makes the music from 3rd Strike more amazing is that the artist, Infinite, had limited time to record his iconic tracks. “Infinite had a single afternoon to write his three songs, and he only had a single studio session with Third Strike's sound team, most of whom he couldn't even speak with, but the chemistry is there. Okugawa set out to make a hip-hop-infused score and he actually did it.”

Like YouTuber Mania said, “Hip hop and fighting games mix so well, why don't we have more of it?!” Truer words have never been spoken.

Soul Calibur series

Yeah, the entire series has amazing music. The Soul series is known for its grand, orchestral music, and the songs from Soul Calibur II stand out as the best in the series, as far as I’m concerned. Like Tekken, the songs always matched the situation perfectly (must be something about Bandai/Namco’s music guys, huh?) When speaking on Soul Calibur IV’s soundtrack, TVTropes.com said, “Halcyon Harbor [is] full of blasting brass and thumping wooden percussion, this filmic theme perfectly complements the Pirates of the Caribbean-style setting and is guaranteed to lend any fight an epic quality.”

Street Fighter II 

What an absolute classic! The most memorable fighting game music of all time has to be the Street Fighter II soundtrack. The music in this game is still the gold standard for fighting game music, to the point where Capcom even sells these themes in Street Fighter V. For obvious reasons I chose Ryu’s classic theme to represent the series, to which video game writer and fighting game enthusiast Aaron David Harris called, “Epic. Motivational. The standard for what a fighting game song should do.” But no matter whose theme you pick, their song is memorable. Whether you enjoy Guile’s “Murica” theme, Balrog’s finger-snapping casino cut, or Ken’s hard rock-inspired theme, Street Fighter II’s soundtrack is still the king of all video game soundtracks.

Honorable Mention #1 - Marvel vs. Capcom 2

I have to include MvC2 if not only for the character select theme. “I’m gonna take you for a ride” defined an era of fighting games and even if the other songs in the game weren’t exactly memorable, we all know this one and can’t help but sing along with it. Speaking about the song on his blog, Harris said, “Say what you want about the lyrics,but that cool sax and bass create a festive, party feel that can make any former player glow with nostalgia.”

Honorable mention #2 - Capcom vs. SNK 2

Okay, okay, I know - you’re all tired of hearing me wax poetic about CVS2 all the damn time. But come on, “True Love Makin’” is THE most memorable, quotable, and singable fighting game song of all time, no matter if you sing the lyrics properly or not (This is tuna with bacon, this is tuna with bacon and apple pie!)

You know you’re gonna listen to the whole hour of that song. You might be doing other things, but you’re gonna listen to it.

Still haven’t had your fix of fighting game fury? Check out the latest Low-Tier Hero or some awesome Daigo Umehara gameplay featuring Ryu!