Top Ten Video Game Theme Song Remakes

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Since the conception of electronic and hip-hop music, video game soundtracks have been highly-sought for resources by producers. It’s a trend that has not been played out yet because the music is not limited to a single genre or style and video games are still enjoyed by individuals from all age groups and social backgrounds, all over the world.

The art of sampling video game music has been ensuing for several decades: earlier examples include DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s “Human Video Game” (1988), which takes from “Donkey Kong Start” from Donkey Kong Arcade, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “Eternal” (1995), which samples Eternal Champion‘s character biography music. Newer records like Childish Gambino’s “Eat Your Vegetables,” Joey Bada$$’s “FromdaTomb$” and Wiz Khalifa’s “Never Been” (both parts one and two) sample Donkey Kong Country‘s “Aquatic Ambiance,” L.A. Noire‘s “Main Theme,” and Chrono Trigger‘s “Schala’s Theme” and “Secret of the Forest” respectively. Even Lil B’s infamously benevolent track “I Love You” borrows from Final Fantasy X‘s sentimental ballad “Besaid Island.”

These are just a few of the many exemplifications of video game music sampling in production culture. In the past several years, producers and musicians have taken their affinity for such music to another level. On top of utilizing them in samples, they honor the pieces by remixing or recreating them entirely, remodelled with their own instrumentation and artistic touch. For the music-loving gamer, these remixes usually evoke a strong feeling of nostalgia. The trend became especially rampant during the rise electronic dance music in pop culture, and many successful producers like Zedd, Camo & Krooked and RAC had initiated their careers with such tributes. The latter has even created a two-part EP series titled Nintendo Vs Sega, which showcase remakes of the collective’s favorite video game jams from the two platforms.

With that said, we’ve compiled our ten favorite remixes/remakes of video game songs. We tried to gather a stylistically diverse selection ranging from instrumental hip-hop to electro house, from trap to dubstep. In case you’re not familiar with the tracks, we’ve also paired up the originals with the remakes for your reference. Let us know which one your favorite is and if you agree with the list. If not, let us know which one’s we’re missing.

CHRONO TRIGGER