Before the days of Spotify, game developers and publishers sought to get some merchandise pushed out to capitalize on the success and popularity of a franchise, and this often included CDs and albums made up of tracks by a whole mix of bands that listeners could probably imagine themselves jamming along to while playing a popular game.
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While it’s not exactly easy to track down such compilation albums, there are plenty out there that are most certainly worth giving a listen, be they dance-filled tracks that sound like a perfect listen for a speedy blue hedgehog, or head-banging tunes befitting for a bubblegum-chewing king.
Exclusive to the Netherlands were some officialSonic The Hedgehogdance party albums, and there were some catchy dance and rave tracks from the nineties that wound up on these. Tunes from The Prodigy, Scooter, Coolio, and Scatman John were some of the artists who appeared on these releases. The tunes were partially mixed for a smoother, seamless play from start to finish.
There were quite a handful of entries in this series of albums, and even if some might consider them a cash-grab on SEGA’s part, they’re an interesting musical snapshot from the decadethat fit Sonic’s cocky, rebellious attitude perfectly.
The title for this release features some interesting word choices. It’s not the original soundtrack fromWing Commander: Prophecyitself, but an original soundtrack inspired by it. The actual soundtrack featured orchestral songs, but what was released on this CD will still please avid listeners, whether fans of the series or not.
It features European artists like Rammstein, Junkie XL, and KMFDM, along with Industrial Metal titans Fear Factory. Two high-tempo Industrial-EDM songs by Cobalt 60 appear here as well, and they supposedly do feature in the game in a remixed, instrumental form. Nonetheless, there are enough tracks on here to make any Metal-head or rave-enthusiast happy whenexploring the deepest reaches of space.
After the success of the1995Mortal Kombatmovie, and its respective Industrial Metal/Dance soundtrack reaching platinum in the charts, TVT Records pushed out a follow-up album calledMortal Kombat: More Kombat. This wasn’t tied into any specific release but was more like a mixtape of fight songs inspired by the film and the games.
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Techno tracks like ‘It Has Begun’ by Psykosonik and ‘Fatality’ and Loaded feature samples from the film in the former, and soundbytes of Scorpion and Shao Kahn from the games in the latter. Alongside these were tunes by Juno Reactor, Sepultura, Killing Joke, God Lives Underwater, and others. Plenty of infectious tunes can be found here, which makes for excellent fight music.
Duke Nukem may as well have been a bit of a video game celebrity in the nineties, especially after the smash-hit success ofDuke Nukem 3D. The publishing company, GT Interactive, was keen on getting more and more merchandise pushed out to the masses, and this included a Duke-themed album.
Running With Scissors has been, well, running for well over 25 years now. In 2006, they teamed up with a group of indie artists to contribute to aPOSTAL-themed album, while a follow-up was released to coincide withPOSTAL 4.
The indie developers released the albums online for free in 2020 and 2022, respectively. Sludgy riffs from Jesus Loves Junkies’ ‘Escape From Paradise’ mix well with the frantic breakbeat ‘Run With This‘ by Crazy. Meanwhile, A Fall To Break delivers meaty riffs and vocals in ‘Pick Up The Pieces’, while ‘NO USE’ by RΛRE contains infectious beats to chill to whilecausing havoc in-game.
The German release of theCommand & Conquer: Red Alertsoundtrack received an extra treat for fans of the iconic real-time strategy game: an additional CD with a variety of tracks by numerous artists, mostly European. Again, it’s likely they were compiled together withcommanding troops and destroying enemy armies in mind.
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Cobalt 60 offers an EDM remix of ‘Crush’ (a track from the game’s soundtrack) with their own lyrics, while Industrial Metal tracks by Laibach and Project Pitchfork sit side-by-side with Electronica tunes from the likes of The Prodigy and Violent Vision. Plenty of deep cuts are available in this release.
The soundtrack for thefuturistic racing gameWipeoutwas a bit of a last-minute inclusion. The British rave scene was proving increasingly popular, so an EDM-centric soundtrack was composed, along with a few tracks by big-name artists like The Chemical Brothers and Orbital. This proved to be exceptionally popular, so Sony went one step further with an official tie-in album.
Along with a few songs featured on the game,Wipeout - The Musiccontained bass-filled beats and remixes that didn’t, but served as a befitting companion piece. Tracks by Leftfield and Age of Love made the cut. A follow-up album contained some tunes fromWipeout 2097, alongside new tracks and alternate mixes by Daft Punk and Fluke.
To coincide with the release of the 2011 reboot ofMortal Kombat, a compilation album was released that same year. Taking inspiration from a similar concept by The Immortals with their 1994 albumMortal Kombat: The Album, the albumMortal Kombat: Songs Inspired By The Warriorscontained even heavier and modern Electronica tracks.
Artists like Tokimonsta and JFK of MSTRKRFT all contributed a selection of original songs that served asofficial themes to many of the game’s fighters, with ‘Reptile’s Theme’ by Skrillex used in adverts for the game. It’s safe to say it was a highly influential album, with DJs creating similar-sounding tunes for future entries, and aMortal Kombat-themed dance group busting moves to such songs.
