Your "feels" VGM

[kitty]

Hello all. I'm doing a bit of musical and personal exploration and I need your help!

Throughout my life, I have bounced back and forth on determining what moves me. What has been constant, however, is music. The very reason why I like VGM and VGM remixes so much is because there is always a story or a feeling attached to each song. I want to see how songs can convey the emotions of those stories or even tell a story all on their own.

That leads to the purpose of this thread: I want to know which VGM songs really resonate with you. The songs don't have to make you cry, but rather make you feel a certain emotion and/or give you a very vivid image in your mind. When you suggest a song, please let me know briefly what it makes you feel or see. I'll be listening to each song that you suggest here with the exception of angry-ish/aggressive songs. For now I want to focus on happy, sad, nostalgic, and the like. If someone's already posted your suggestion, please second (or third!) it.

[Tex]

When I hear this I picture the desperate struggle of a person trying to breathe.

[NyxTheShield]

There are 2 that hits me in this moment

First, Aquatic Ambiance, because i will always remember the image of playing DKC 1 in winter with my family, with the rain falling outside. with this track playing in the BG. Pretty nostalgic for me.

Also, a more recent one, Innocent Sea of Seiken Densetsu 3, because it made me awake the same feeling of my childhood, the feeling of pausing a game just to hear the background music. Haunting melody.

[timaeus222]

For me this creates a sense of horror and unease, and an anticipation of something wicked to come. Later on it feels like that evil thing is in essence rampaging (this should be pretty clear to identify; it's the part that acts as the looped portion).

It's not exactly nostalgic per se since I've never played the game, but this resonates in the sense that I get that clear view of what it portrays.

[YoshiBlade]

Ya know....I DO miss writing assignments from school!!!...hmm I guess my choice would have to be "Frog's Theme" from Chrono Trigger. I clearly remember this being one of the first VGM pieces that made the breakthrough from background music to independently listenable track. Something about the marching structure to beat, the climbing horns that seem to rise and fall but eventually reach their apex only to start over at the top as if to say "Onward! Upwards!" the flute that seems to guide you nearer and nearer to the top, a small thin instrument yet it keeps you on pace towards your goal! If the song were one sentence..." Like an arrow, time moves forward to its mark, so must you!"

[DrumUltimA]

People Seized with Life from Chrono Cross, a hundred times over. I even did a remix of it here for the sake of feels!

[Nabeel Ansari]

To Zanarkand from FFX is it for me. I never actually played the game, however I learned how to play it in Winter term of my Freshman year of college. I was going through a lot of drama stuff and that song was always around me because I was playing it so often, so listening to it or playing it will bring back sort of the vivid emotions of my mentally turbulent recent past.

[Kenogu Labz]

Huh.

I hadn't really thought of this before, but of all artists, Yoko Shimomura may be one of the best at conveying emotion effectively to me, even if only in select songs.

• (Kingdom Hearts) - I haven't played these games, but this track just resounds with... I think the best way to describe it is 'loss'. Never fails to move me.
  
• (Legend of Mana) - I HAVE played Legend of Mana, and for very similar reasons to the previous one, this track emanates loss. Having the story's context for this one really brings it home, though.
  
• Going Through the Flame (Legend of Mana) - Another one from Legend of Mana, tied to another storyline from the game. This one's less directly about loss, but more along the lines of a tragedy (in the traditional sense).
  

Yasunori Mitsuda definitely gets added to this list. Doug nailed one with 'People Seized with Life'; one of the most moving songs he's ever written. Also excellent from him:

• (Xenosaga I) - Another tragedy-centric song. Actually feels very similar to a lot of Shimomura's work.
  
• (Xenogears) - This one feels more specifically like grieving, not just a general sadness.
  

And for a few miscellaneous other songs:

• and
  (Etrian Odyssey IV) - The vast unknown; a wild, unexplored land. Kicks in a thirst for exploration. Many of this game's overworld and dungeon themes have similar impact.
  
• ,
  and
  (Fez) - This game and this soundtrack. Never have I been more surprised in my life. These tracks in particular channel intense nostalgia, but the soundtrack as a whole encompasses an incredible breadth of emotion. It's always a journey to listen to.
  
• Ending Theme (Final Fantasy VIII) - This was the first Final Fantasy game I ever finished, and the ending sticks with me to this day, leading from tension and despair to relief, triumph, and tenderness. (See also:
  )
  
• ,
  , and
  (Frozen Synapse) - These songs actually tend to lead to detachment, cold and critical action. Immediately puts me in mind of highly technical or mechanical operations.
  
• (Jamestown) - This track moves from intensity to sadness, pushing on to anger, and finally to full-on despair or terror. The effectiveness of the transitions between these emotions really makes this one shine.
  
• and
  (World of Goo) - The same motif, first used with near-horror connotations, then moving to the resolution of that horror into grief.
  

Edited February 20, 2015 by Kenogu Labz

[Jakos]

from FF7.

It makes me feel like finally I'm on the home straight, you just need to make your last effort to defeat Sephiroth finally.

It makes you feel like the all the things that you have done along the game are nothing compared to this, and you have the enough strength to keep pushing until the end. No one can defeat your determination right now.

So basically, this song makes me feel determined to something, and gives me strength to make things when I'm off. Sometimes I even listen to it on the gym.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Jakos

[Cecilff2]

from X3.

One of the few sectors of the game I'll just hang around in for the calming music.

from LISA: The Painful RPG (Warning video contains a spoiler image, but it's the only one out there that has the in game version of it)

This is a very recent one for me. The line spoken before the tune starts sums it up well. "Today is the day I live."

from FFIX.

This track is really nostalgic for me, and I love the whole thing. This is possibly my favorite track from FFIX, even over the popular Protecting my Devotion and You Are Not Alone!

[ProjectSpam]

'Dream of the Shore Near Another World' (Chrono Cross) by Yasunori Mitsuda. Even to this day, this track knocks me senseless -- it brings me back to a simpler day, when videogames were my life. This transports me to another world. Still one of the most beautiful things I know of.

[Native Jovian]

For some reason, the songs that tend to stick with me most are ones that combine different, seemingly opposed emotions. The Boss Battle music from Final Fantasy IX is a good example of that -- it combines a sense of dread and fear with a feeling of excitement and anticipation. It's like, yeah, something bad is here and it's trying to kill you, but you're ready to fight back and do what you need to kill it instead.

Another example one that I ran into recently was Living With Determination ~Iwatodai Dormitory Arrange~ from Persona 3. It takes the generic "sad music" that plays earlier in the game (Living with Determination) and remixes it over a hip-hop percussion beat, which gives it a feeling of... well, determination. It has a sense of experiencing loss, but working through it to keep moving toward your goals, rather than giving up and wallowing in self-pity over the things that have happened.

[Kenogu Labz]

You bring up an excellent point, Native Jovian. Some of the most impactful songs emotionally are those that take previously constructed motifs and reinterpret them in a different emotional context.

[kitty]

Thanks guys! I'm in the process of listening to ALL of the suggestions, even ones I'm familiar with. And thank you for the write-ups. This really REALLY does help me out with my exploration! Once I'm done with listening through these, I'll be posting responses to each suggestion individually.

[Trev]

The Music of Majora's Mask has some of the heartfelt music I've ever come across in a video game. Three examples:

I kid you not, I visited the observatory just to listen to the music when I first got the game back in 2000. It's a wonderful theme that connects the 'celestial other' of the crashing moon and the melancholy of the world below. Actually - look up the movie "Melancholia' by Lars Von Trier. It has elements of MM in film format. It has a wonderful baroque/Bach feel with the harpsichord too. I'm totally covering this on violin at some point.

This Clock Town variation is brilliant. It very clearly convey desperate denial in the face an impending end of times. A very human tendency it seems! Listen for the dissonance in the bass, where the line has absolutely nothing to do with the original key and rips any comfortable sense of tonality apart. In game this theme is incredible, and it riffs off of Native Jovian's post below.

The midnight theme scared me to death when I first played the game. Those watery, wavering, ghostly string patches!! The sound design makes this theme just as much as the composition. A fine example of where overtly synthetic strings might have been an even better choice than 'real' ones. Note the shimmery texture that comes in right away. I still have no idea how that was done. For utter hopelessness, loss and despair you need look no further.

Sorry to ramble a bit. I really love this game and it's music.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Trev

[kitty]

When I hear this I picture the desperate struggle of a person trying to breathe.

I can see that. The track definitely conveys tension.

For me this creates a sense of horror and unease, and an anticipation of something wicked to come. Later on it feels like that evil thing is in essence rampaging (this should be pretty clear to identify; it's the part that acts as the looped portion).

It's not exactly nostalgic per se since I've never played the game, but this resonates in the sense that I get that clear view of what it portrays.

The instrumentation reminds me of Bowser's Theme from Mario 64. I like the growth in the track. I definitely felt the same emotions as you here.

Ya know....I DO miss writing assignments from school!!!...hmm I guess my choice would have to be "Frog's Theme" from Chrono Trigger. I clearly remember this being one of the first VGM pieces that made the breakthrough from background music to independently listenable track. Something about the marching structure to beat, the climbing horns that seem to rise and fall but eventually reach their apex only to start over at the top as if to say "Onward! Upwards!" the flute that seems to guide you nearer and nearer to the top, a small thin instrument yet it keeps you on pace towards your goal! If the song were one sentence..." Like an arrow, time moves forward to its mark, so must you!"

For me, there's a definite positive vibe from this track. Very energetic and slightly inspiring to me. Despite having played Chrono Cross and loving it, I haven't played through Trigger yet (let the stoning commence). That said, I think I would need to play Trigger to get a fuller emotional impact from this track. It seems to be a fan favorite and the story probably makes it so.

People Seized with Life from Chrono Cross, a hundred times over. I even did a remix of it here for the sake of feels!

I even reviewed that mix! Not an in-depth review but still one nonetheless!

I remember playing CC as a kid and getting to the part with Miguel. I didn't understand why we had to fight him, but I knew from the music that it was something that the party had to do but they didn't want to. This track is way up on my list for having that expressive quality to it.

To Zanarkand from FFX is it for me. I never actually played the game, however I learned how to play it in Winter term of my Freshman year of college. I was going through a lot of drama stuff and that song was always around me because I was playing it so often, so listening to it or playing it will bring back sort of the vivid emotions of my mentally turbulent recent past.

This is a personal favorite of mine. The song is so bittersweet, because of FFX's story. But it's such a beautiful song nonetheless.

[kitty]

Wow. Amazing. The strings in this song are really powerful. And the growth of the song just adds on top of that grieving feeling. This conveys a very specific type of loss to me. One that isn't understood all that well, if at all. When the dynamics get louder and the tempo increases, all that questioning swells up. Really thinking I've done myself a disservice when I was younger by passing up on KH now.

Like you, this song makes me feel loss. It's a very general feeling of loss and one not as powerful as "The Other Promise" to me. Still, I enjoyed the track very much.

Going Through the Flame (Legend of Mana)

It's hard for me to know exactly where one tracks ends and the other begins here. But I have a pretty good idea. It's interesting I couldn't find a separate game version of the track on Youtube. I also enjoyed this track. I liked the multitude of emotions it was conveying. However, because it's a medley those emotions just seemed to come one by one rather than add to a singular cohesive meaning.

I'm actually having a hard time focusing on this song and honing in on the emotion. Basically I understand that the song is conveying a sadness of some sort but I'm just not "connecting" with it. I'd probably have to play the game to get the full effect here.

Again, I can see the emotions trying to be conveyed in this song, but I'm not quite connecting.

and

(Etrian Odyssey IV)

"The Land Beyond the Clouds" is quite epic. It gave me chills at parts. So I feel more like I'm departing on an epic quest/journey rather something that's more humble (IMO) like exploring. I can see the exploration aspect of the song though. "The Red Stone Forest" conveys tension to me, like you don't know what to expect. But then the image changes to something spectacular as it's slowly revealed.

,

and

(Fez)

These are all quite atmospheric. I think I'd need to play the game to get a better idea of what's going on.

Ending Theme (Final Fantasy VIII)(See also:

)

FFVIII is my favorite Final Fantasy as well. Out of the FF series, it's the one that truly focuses on love, even beating out FFX. "Eyes On Me" is such a powerful song for me. The ending cinematic is just so good. Unfortunately, I never finished FFVI because I accidentally lost Shadow (wasn't using a guide) and he was a main party member in my playthrough. Pretty much never went back.

,

, and

(Frozen Synapse)

FS has got such a great soundtrack, too bad I couldn't get into the game. "Schism" makes me think a lot of spies sneaking into places. Like Solid Snake or something. "My Beautiful Escape" almost has a smug feel to it. The way the bass pulses in the beginning. The beat makes me think of the "cool guy pose" where a guy is leaning back against a wall with his arms crossed though throw in a bobbing head or a tapping foot to go along with it.

Hmm I don't follow this one like you do. I think I lost you around the anger -> despair/terror transition.

and

(World of Goo)

I'm not sure what I feel from "Burning Man". It's got that creepy vibe from it but I'm not sure what it leads to. "Are You Coming Home, Love MOM" gives me a sense of dread and tension. The title is particularly interesting to me. I feel like if I played the game I would understand the track more.

[Kenogu Labz]

Hmm I don't follow this one like you do. I think I lost you around the anger -> despair/terror transition.

The despair enters in at around the last minute of the song; a repeat of the motif with a suspenseful and abrupt finality. The closest thing it brings to mind is someone so desperate that they walk into a trap; that section would be the despair closing in as they realize what they've done.

I'm not sure what I feel from "Burning Man". It's got that creepy vibe from it but I'm not sure what it leads to. "Are You Coming Home, Love MOM" gives me a sense of dread and tension. The title is particularly interesting to me. I feel like if I played the game I would understand the track more.

Trust me, that game probably won't help you understand it much, either, hahah.

[kitty]

from X3.

One of the few sectors of the game I'll just hang around in for the calming music.

from LISA: The Painful RPG (Warning video contains a spoiler image, but it's the only one out there that has the in game version of it)

This is a very recent one for me. The line spoken before the tune starts sums it up well. "Today is the day I live."

from FFIX.

This track is really nostalgic for me, and I love the whole thing. This is possibly my favorite track from FFIX, even over the popular Protecting my Devotion and You Are Not Alone!

"Kingdom End" is between calming and "looking ahead" to me. I imagine the pilot arriving here needing a badly needed reprieve but at the same time wanting to get back to traveling.

I could see how "Goodbye Baby" is a go-get-em song. I think there's probably a lot I'm missing to fully appreciate this track though.

Ahh yes...Dali. This is also a favorite of mine. So peaceful. Very good song that doesn't need any background to it to be fully enjoyed.

[kitty]

For some reason, the songs that tend to stick with me most are ones that combine different, seemingly opposed emotions. The Boss Battle music from Final Fantasy IX is a good example of that -- it combines a sense of dread and fear with a feeling of excitement and anticipation. It's like, yeah, something bad is here and it's trying to kill you, but you're ready to fight back and do what you need to kill it instead.

Another example one that I ran into recently was Living With Determination ~Iwatodai Dormitory Arrange~ from Persona 3. It takes the generic "sad music" that plays earlier in the game (Living with Determination) and remixes it over a hip-hop percussion beat, which gives it a feeling of... well, determination. It has a sense of experiencing loss, but working through it to keep moving toward your goals, rather than giving up and wallowing in self-pity over the things that have happened.

This is what OCR is all about maaaan. Though I do personally prefer remixes to share the same general feeling as the original, some of my favorite ReMixes are vastly different from their originals.

FFIX's boss theme took a while to grow on me. But I would say that it fits the dire situations of the game very well if you're not overleveled. That's one of those things about video games: if they're too easy it can also ruin the mood being set by the music.

I think that video games or movies facilitate the kind of "emotional progression" that happens in your Persona 3 example.

[Bejack]

This song makes me feel like a lot has been accomplished (first half of the song) but i need to forget about all of that right now because what is coming next will be serious, epic and awesome (second half).

This one simply makes me feel good. The worst is behind me and i am looking at exciting and cheerful days tomorrow and every other day. Back in the days i used to play this game on my SNES and leave the game running after i beat it for 10-15 minutes maybe more i don`t remember. All i remember is that i loved this song and still do today.

This one is a classic. This one is just a big bag of emotions from good and happy to sad. Reliving the story of the hero Ark and all he has been through. This song eases my mind because i stop thinking about the world and simply focus on the beauty of the melodies, composition etc. It relaxes me.

This one again feels so calming and relaxing but i can`t really describe it...

[Melbu Frahma]

from FF7.

It makes me feel like finally I'm on the home straight, you just need to make your last effort to defeat Sephiroth finally.

It makes you feel like the all the things that you have done along the game are nothing compared to this, and you have the enough strength to keep pushing until the end. No one can defeat your determination right now.

So basically, this song makes me feel determined to something, and gives me strength to make things when I'm off. Sometimes I even listen to it on the gym.

^ Gotta second most of this. When I first heard that song, I felt this realization of everything coming together, and a strong determination to take my people down there and end Sephiroth, no matter what came or how many we lost. (I got my ass kicked, incidentally, and had to come back 30ish game hours later with a much stronger team.)

While we're on FF7,

and

are also hugely moving songs for me. Every time I hear Aerith's Theme, I see the first time I saw her die again, when I was so upset and horrified (and angry) that I spent the entire battle afterward cursing Sephiroth and wanting to leap through the t.v. screen and strangle him. It's an incredibly sad song, but with a hopeful, almost brave, tinge to it, which is how The Great Warrior affects me too; I remember feeling Red's pain and his loss when he realizes the sacrifice his father made. But it's a good sadness, almost a proud sadness, on Red's behalf.

FF9's

is one that's similar to Judgement Day for me; it's definitely one that makes me feel inspired and ready to take on anything that comes my way.

of FFT fame is a harder one to pin down as to the emotional content for me, on the other hand, because it's used for so many epic and important scenes that it really has a widely varied array of emotions that it can call to mind; sorrow, hope, courage.

I could go on longer about other songs - Suicide Mission of ME2, Build That Wall & Mother, I'm Here from Bastion, Everything's Alright of To The Moon, basically the entire first two generations of Pokemon music, the music of Sapiens (a Win 95-era PC game), and several others, buuuut unfortunately I have to go shovel snow. Yaaaaay winter.

[Koriantor]

Mass Effect has had a profound impact on my life, and the music played a big part of that.

makes me feel like a small part of a grand civilization. The militaristic style of the melody reminds me of how complex the governments/politics in the Mass Effect universe are... and those synth choices!

In the game,

is an icy cold corporate planet. Corporations establish themselves there to avoid government regulations and prying eyes. Naturally there's an abundance of dark corporate secrets. Whenever I listen to this I imagine walking through the facilities on Noveria with snow storms raging outside. I'm safe from the weather, but it's just as tumultuous in the corporations as it is outside. I don't know, it's hard to describe this feeling. It feels like there's intrigue behind the scenes you don't know about. It feels like you're on a strange foreign planet. It feels like you're in the future. It feels like you're only a small part of the world. Well whatever it feels like, Noveria's theme captures the planet very well.

Then there's a song on the planet

. At this point in the game you're landing on a planet no one has visited before that contains troves of ruins from an ancient civilization while urgently chasing down the villain. The urgent nature of the situation doesn't allow you to stop and wonder about the immaculate ruins, and I think the track reflects that feeling very well. This place has a unique identity, and there's no time to explore it. It feels like a mystery.

...and then there's

. Anyone who's played Mass Effect understands this one.

***SPOILERS FOR MASS EFFECT 1***

Mass Effect introduced the Reapers as intimidating foes. They're basically Eldritch Abominations with sights set on kill all of modern civilization and they carry out a cycle of genocide every 50 thousand years. The Reapers are smarter, stronger, and more powerful in every way than the galaxy's civilization. There's a lot to fear from a Reaper invasion... and then at the end of Mass Effect 1 you talk with Vigil. Vigil is an old virtual intelligence from the previous civilization that was harvested by the Reapers. In one of the final scenes in the game Vigil speaks with your crew and the song Vigil plays. In the face of an expanse of darkness and fear, you see a ray of hope in the form of Vigil.

***END SPOILERS***

Vigil is also used in the

and

for Mass Effect 1. Sitting on the start screen is a majestic feeling, and I've sat there for 20 minutes before to revel in the feeling. Then you get to the main menu and it fades images of characters you interact with throughout the game. When you've played through the game before, you feel like you're looking at life long friends.

Vigil makes you feel connected both with individuals on a local scale and to breathe in the complexity and beauty of the universe on a larger scale. Vigil, heck the whole game, was what opened my eyes to the beauty of the universe and the profoundness of existence.

I've more, but I think this is enough for now. Might post again later.

[ArmadonRK]

from Dust: An Elysian Tail

Probably one of my all time favorites. It's currently sitting as my most listened to track for all of 2014, according to WinAmp. Dust is littered with haunting and beautiful pieces. Falana, Gone Home, but most of all:

.

The guitar solo is just so jam-packed with feeling, sometimes I just listen to it over and over again.

from Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Adventure 2 does some wonderful work with recurring themes and motifs, most notably the Main Riff from the game's intro, which goes through a few iterations during the games cutscenes, then resolves in the vocal track Live & Learn during the final boss battle.

However! I am partial to a secondary riff, the "teamwork" motif that also gets its fair share of time throughout the game, culminating in Cooperation, when the Hero and Dark campaigns intersect and *SPOILER* the game's heroes and villains have to work together to succeed. *END SPOILER*

Following up on Native Jovian's point, my favorite scores come from the repetition and variation of themes. The theme or piece that evolves is the most powerful. (Oh, did I mention that Everdawn Basin's guitar solo is a take on a melody from Cirromon Caverns, an earlier track in the game? Yeah, I have a thing for recurring motifs...)

On that note:

(Halo: Combat Evolved)

(Halo 2)

(Halo 3)

(Halo: Reach)

When Another Walk kicks in at the end of Released, with the drums and the chorus... :'(

It's certainly not the only such case of recurring themes and motifs in the Halo franchise, but I think this one, being as mellow as it is, is among the most under-appreciated.

But I could spend thousands of words and many, many hours on this topic, so I'm going to shift to a couple of my favorite stand-alone pieces.

from Sonic Adventure

It's mostly very chill and relaxing, but as you will have noticed, I love an emotional guitar solo.

from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

When it gets to the end of the day, and this comes on, it really forces me to think about all the people of Clock Town, and I can really feel the tragedy of their story.

from Mother

If this cover from the soundtrack release is "cheating", let me just say that every single version of this piece is beautiful.

Edited February 21, 2015 by ArmadonRK

[kitty]

This song makes me feel like a lot has been accomplished (first half of the song) but i need to forget about all of that right now because what is coming next will be serious, epic and awesome (second half).

Hmm this one makes me feel like something big is coming, probably because of the bell tolling.

This one simply makes me feel good. The worst is behind me and i am looking at exciting and cheerful days tomorrow and every other day. Back in the days i used to play this game on my SNES and leave the game running after i beat it for 10-15 minutes maybe more i don`t remember. All i remember is that i loved this song and still do today.

This is definitely a positive uplifting song. I immediately got the sense of looking forward to adventure.

This one is a classic. This one is just a big bag of emotions from good and happy to sad. Reliving the story of the hero Ark and all he has been through. This song eases my mind because i stop thinking about the world and simply focus on the beauty of the melodies, composition etc. It relaxes me.

This gives me a happily ever after feel to it, but specifically like a few years down the line. The image I'm getting is a man raising children, but thinking back to his time as an adventurer.

This one again feels so calming and relaxing but i can`t really describe it...

This makes me think of everyday life in a small town. I imagine a man coming home after a day's work and relaxing but still thinking about the future and how to reach his goals.

In response to Melbu Frahma:

Aeris dying surprisingly didn't upset me too much. If I used her more, I think I would have been a bit more pissed. Also I don't think it helped that I saw her die before I even started playing because I watched my older sister play through that. Regardless, her theme is very pretty and the cinematic that plays at the same time has a powerful yet simple symbol. I would say that the music really elevated the emotional impact for me. Which is kind of exactly the type of music I'm trying to explore here. Is it the story that enhances the music, the music enhancing the story, or both?

Red XIII's moment when he sees his father had much bigger impact on me. The story and the music work really well together, though each stands on its own.

"You're Not Alone" is such a great song but I failed to empathize with Zidane. This was also probably because I watched my sister play the game so I never really got the full background of why he felt the way he did. I felt that the whole sequence of despair to recovery happened WAY too fast for me to have an appropriate emotional response.

"Antipyretic" sounds like a call to arms to me, at least in the beginning. The song does convey many different feelings in it. Actually what I'm seeing in my head is the entire sequence of a battle. The call to arms and then the calm before the storm. Then the mad rush at the start of a battle and the victorious and triumphant end.

In response to Koriantor:

Mass Effect was such a fun game. Too bad my Xbox pooped out on me before I could play ME2. Ended up not playing 2 or 3 since I wanted my renegade femshep. Both the Main Theme (around 1:00) and Noveria give off feeling that something is "out there" / unknown. The Main Theme foreshadows that realization at the end that there really IS something out there. Noveria makes me feel like something is hiding or that there is something suspicious happening, but I just can't place my finger on what that suspicious activity is. Ilos too manages that feeling, though more tense, than curious. Listening to these again and thinking about the story let me appreciate how well the soundtrack goes with the story.

Edited February 22, 2015 by kitty