I recently had the pleasure of reviewing Best of the Best: A Tribute to Game Music, a CD of video game-inspired tracks from various composers. To review the CD, I invited a friend to listen with me as we played the disc on an Xbox 360 several times. The 360′s visualization system allows up to four players to manipulate the display during playback, a feature that fit the songs on the CD to a “T.” Some tracks, like the Silent Hill Theme, turned the screen into a jagged red and black dance of mayhem that evoked scenes of undead twitching to the music, as if the 360 and CD were in cahoots.

Most of the tracks are solid, competent entries that hint at something great. The Super Metroid-inspired track is a decent affair that is overshadowed by a lead guitar that tries too hard to be heard above the rest of the soundscape. Legend of Zelda is, in some places, a stirring number, yet it fails to go anywhere, leaving listeners somewhat let down. Go Mario! — Super Mario Bros by Winifred Phillips cleverly mixes a cappella voices with sound effects from the games, which never fails to elicit smiles from listeners. Medal of Honor Improvisation by Chance Thomas is a subtle and brilliantly evocative piece that calls forth feelings much deeper than one would expect a piece of music to be when inspired by a series of pixels.

A number of tracks fail to stand out from the crowd. The Hunt by Inon Zur and The Vengeful Spartan — God of War by Mark Griskey appear to have been lifted straight from your typical fantasy action flick. They would be at home in the music score of a game or movie as songs designed to carry the momentum of the drama. Alone on the CD, they lack the accompanying action, and end up feeling pale to their more creative counterparts. Other tracks push the creative envelope too far, such as A Premonition and Chrono Trigger by Gerard Marino, whose vocal instruments representing the original beeps and boops is difficult to take seriously. Some hardcore Chrono Trigger fans might even be offended.

The CD did manage to pump out a handful of really enjoyable tracks appropriate for racing, shooting and rocking. Zanarkand — Final Fantasy X by Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves, Retro Bitz 2070 by Daniel Sadowski and Grabbag — Duke Nukem by Lennie Moore have all found a home on my Xbox 360′s hard drive for adding to my own in-game soundtracks. My personal favorite, Around the World by Atlas Plug, isn’t directly attributed to any game or series, and ends up feeling the most inspired on the disc.

Overall, the CD is difficult to classify. Much of the material is best appreciated with an understanding of its origins, and might be difficult to consume without a history in video games. Other than a small bit of profanity in Invertebrate Retreat by Tommy Tallarico and Daniel Baranowsky, the CD is otherwise family friendly. The disc makes a fun distraction from which a few gems can be unearthed, but must be separated from some rather unimpressive tracks that pale in comparison to their original source.

G. Scott Taulbee

You can purchase Best of the Best: A Tribute to Game Music and hear portions of the CD at gamemusiccentral.com.