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Intro to Ripper once again reminded me to ask - What are some of your favorite music moments in games, whether it’s a full song, jingle or a melody snippet? This may or may not correspond to your favorite game soundtracks, but should be more of a specific game part that you feel music went brilliantly in accompanying it.
NOTE: Please don’t watch the videos below if you still haven’t played the game!
I can’t not to think of Full Throttle with brilliant intro while Malcolm is peeking outside the window with the guitar distortion playing. Of course, I could name couple more from the same game, like the ballad Drop The Hammer while riding into the sunset, or a hilarious redneck’s song that came out of nowhere.
More from LucasArts/Monkey Island and one really can’t miss to mention “Pirate I Was Meant To Be” or Skeleton Dance. Then, I’m not sure why, but I’ve always loved the background music in Escape from Monkey Island while at the boulder machinery. So relaxing.
Then, I’ve found “William Tell Overture” to go brilliantly with the cheery Toonstruck scenery. And who can forget Phantasmagoria‘s main theme which gave half the scare? 
Recently finished: Four Last Things 4/5, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout 5/5, Chains of Satinav 3,95/5, A Vampyre Story 88, Sam Peters 3/5, Broken Sword 1 4,5/5, Broken Sword 2 4,3/5, Broken Sword 3 85, Broken Sword 5 81, Gray Matter 4/5\nCurrently playing: Broken Sword 4, Keepsake (Let\‘s Play), Callahan\‘s Crosstime Saloon (post-Community Playthrough)\nLooking forward to: A Playwright’s Tale
An adventure game is nothing more than a good story set with engaging puzzles that fit seamlessly in with the story and the characters, and looks and sounds beautiful.
Roberta Williams
I always thought old 2d games have music that creates more atmosphere. And some of them fit so perfectly…
BS 1 opening theme
BS 2 ketch’s landing
All MI 3 soundtrack along with Monkey in my pocket and Pirate song.
MI 1 opening
Loom opening
GK 1 bookstore
The dig soundtrack
Legend of kyrandia 2 soundtrack
and…
The longest journey all Arcadia
Syberia soundtrack
And songs:
Blackwell Convergence, Sammy Allen See into forever
Farenheit, Toad Santa Monica
(Sometimes, I get the *.ogg, wavs, midis or other from the game folder, or record them while in-game , cut them and use them as windows events: start, exit, minimize,and make desktop themes of my favorite games. 
)
I am baaaaaaaack!
I love so many soundtracks especially those for the GK series but if I had to single out something that was memorable & fitted in with the mood of the location this is one that immediately sprang to mind:Moment of Silence
My most memorable “music” moment in gaming has to be from GK1 when you meet Wolfgang.
It was at that moment my young self thought, “Am I actually playing this? Is this amazing game real?” Totally overtook me. The music during that whole sequence was just unreal and totally captivating.
The El Dorado part of Journeyman Project 3. It’s very atmospheric but powerful with the South American sounding drums and futuristic synth. Gets you in the mood for exploring an ancient mountain city.
I could not justify my avatar if I went past mentioning Zifnab’s appearance in Death Gate. The tune has a whimsical, almost mischievous melody which is perfect for the effect of the scene.
Another little tune I couldn’t find on youtube is the one that plays in all the Carol Reed games when you’re in your apartment. A very simple tune, very pleasant and relaxing. It feels like home 
Also the Simon the Sorcerer Intro theme. Very nostalgic and it goes so well with the intro where Simon introduces himself!
The hospital scene from ‘Dreamfall’ stands out as the most evocative game music piece for me, though I think GK1 has my favourite overall soundtrack.
Best song? ‘I want to marry an archaelogist…’ 
And a more recent one I really like is ‘Chill and Rigor’ from the soundtrack of ‘999’ that plays when you get that creepy Clover axe ending.
For adventure games we have the obvious Gabriel Knight 1. I often think about/hum/whistle the bookstore theme, and of course the opening theme is great.
Leisure Suit Larry 3’s general island theme also holds a special place in my heart. It’s kinda melancholy, and the game itself I played in the very beginning of my adventure game explosion. I wasn’t familiar with all of the adventure game puzzle tropes yet, so I spent quite a long time wandering around that island trying to figure things out (it might be dozens of hours just in that first section). PC speaker sound all the way!
In non-adventure games, a moment in Dragon Warrior III for the NES was amazing. Skip this paragraph if for some reason you ever plan on playing this, but it’s not quite worth putting spoiler tags on. There is a part where you land on a new continent, and suddenly the music changes. Previously you’d been listening to more complex late-NES music, but it changes to the simple bleeps and bloops heard in games like Dragon Warrior I. Soon you start to recognize the geography and realize you are in fact on the same land that DW1 took place on, with the original music playing! Very emotional. 
My most memorable “music” moment in gaming has to be from GK1 when you meet Wolfgang.
It was at that moment my young self thought, “Am I actually playing this? Is this amazing game real?” Totally overtook me. The music during that whole sequence was just unreal and totally captivating.
I’m sorry for borrowing your words, but that statement describes my most intense encounter with music in a game better than I could probably describe it myself. Will never forget that scene and the impact the music had in it.
Aside of GK, the soundtrack of Heavy Rain really went deep under my skin. Main theme of Heavy Rain
And then there’s the score for Tex Murphy Overseer by Matt Heider.
Obviously, Overseer was the most emotional and dramatic Tex Murphy game and the soundtrack underlined those elements perfectly. How could I ever forget about the music that plays during the final encounter with J. Saint Gideon? One of the most moving scenes I ever saw in an adventure game. Still watch it on Youtube a few times a year and the acting of Michael York and Chris Jones in combination with the music is still giving me goosebumps 15 years after the release of the game. Scene starts around 4:25
EDIT: How was I able to forget The Dig? Not only one of the most underrated adventure games from the golden era (from my point of view), but also one of the games with one of the most memorable scores. Mission to the Android (The Dig)
Now playing: GreedFall, Control
Recently finished: Telling Lies, The Sinking City
Already mentioned:
- All of The Gone Jackals’ songs in Full Throttle, whenever they played. Especially ‘Legacy’ during the intro. A superb soundtrack!
- ‘A Pirate I Was Meant to Be’ from The Curse of Monkey Island - still one of the funniest songs of all time. And to avoid scurvy we should all eat an orange… 
- ‘The Skeleton Dance’ from Monkey Island 2. Because it’s very catchy, and because the hipbone’s connected to the… headbone! The headbone’s connected to the… etc. 
- The ‘O Fortuna’-like intro song from Phantasmagoria. Great for setting the mood!
Partly mentioned:
- The soundtrack from The Dig was already mentioned, but I’d like to point out one specific point in the intro: where Boston Low says “We have exactly one chance. We’ve got to do it right. Let all your prayers be with us!” and the music gets more dramatic, and we have the sun appearing from behind the asteroid (complete with lens flare). A real goosebumps moment!
Not yet mentioned:
- The intro song and video from Time Hollow. A great song and great video, imo. Note: the link is to a longer version of the song, so the video loops after a while.
- ‘The Ride of the Bunnies Valkyries’ in Full Throttle!
- Any time ‘For River’ plays in To the Moon, especially the ending version. It’s just hauntingly beautiful!
Doesn’t really count:
- I love the Indiana Jones theme from the movies, and I still get excited when it starts playing in the intro of Fate of Atlantis...
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
A funny catchy intro song is always welcome for me:
And Quantic Dream should get David Bowie again for the next game.
Oh yeah, good one!
Freddy Pharkas often gets overlooked. Great song, funny game!
Then, I’ve found “William Tell Overture” to go brilliantly with the cheery Toonstruck scenery.
Funny, I was thinking of mentioning the ‘William Tell Overture’s Call to the Cows’-gone-sour from the intro of Day of the Tentacle…
The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka
I’m not Deponia’s biggest fan (but still a fan) but the intro song is very good. I don’t know how it appears in German (any Germans here?) but in English it’s a nice funny parody of those self-indulgent rock bands from the 70s.
German:
English:
All of my favorite stuff has already been mention, but to point out my absolute favorite it has to be the new info/revelation music that comes up in BS1/2, whenever George is making progress.
Jim Walls’s theme in Police Quest 3 by Jan Hammer.
It’s odd to have the game’s designer introduce the game directly with music that sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack to Twin Peaks. I have never forgotten that weird moment ever since.
These are all great.. I may have to go with Loom (MIDI version) as being the one that sticks out in my mind. More recently, Heavy Rain definitely has some great music moments and some great themes.
On the non-adventure front, I would have to throw up the original Legend of Zelda on the NES.
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