10 Best Video Game Soundtracks Of 2016

Music in a video game is arguably more important than graphics, as though graphical quality can look dated and ugly in hindsight, music rarely loses its potency. Even now, decades on, the music from games like Super Mario Bros., Sonic The Hedgehog and The Legend Of Zelda is still deeply loved and frequently reused.

There's no denying that video music has changed a lot in the years - composers now have an enormous array of instruments at their disposal, as well as computers that can make sounds no real instrument ever could. But the core goal remains the same: To draw the player into the world of the game and to conjure some sort of emotion.

In this way, 2016 was a terrific game for video game music, with a huge amount of memorable tracks punctuating a host of strange, beautiful and dangerous locations.

Whether encapsulating a gorgeous, alien-like world beneath the ocean, the brutal, violent caverns of hell or whatever else lies in between, here are the ten greatest video game soundtracks of 2016

If you've not been keeping on top of the various Mario titles released over the years, you'd be forgiven for assuming that the moustached man's music amounts to little more than remixes of his main theme and the various iconic tracks that surround that it, like the underground theme.

The music from the Paper Mario series, however, is completely different than anything found in the likes of Mario Kart or Smash Bros, and Color Splash continues this trend of unique, deeply personable music.

Composed by Takeru Kanazaki, Shigemitsu Goto and Fumihiro Isobe, the game's music is jaunty as hell, all strings, acoustic guitars and drums.

The live orchestra gives the music a totally organic feel, drawing the player into the game's utterly charming world. And when remixes of classic themes do show up, they sound refreshing and new.