Impressive Video Game Music By Year
Pre-1980s VGM and Chiptunes (WIP)
1930s:
Russian chiptunes pre-computers ("drawn sound"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXkEL-X3zXs&app=desktop - broken link, removed?
1930s Variophone music (non-game): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r4WqAf-X8Y
1975:
Gun Fight (ARC, Netlist Sound Device)(jingle - Fryderyk Chopin's Funeral March)
This game introduced players to music in video games, with a single voice square wave jingle based on "The Funeral March" by Fryderyk Chopin. Great way to start the party. This also started a (relatively short-lived) period of relying on cover music in games, probably as a result of there not really being any dedicated music composers in video game development yet.
1976:
Man T.T./Moto-Cross/Fonz or The Fonz (ARC) - find footage w/ sound (according to youtuber who uploaded footage there is no music in it...), Sega game
Amazing Maze (ARC, Discrete Sound)
In 1976, Amazing Maze would introduce continuous VGM (video game music) during gameplay. While the song/jingle is very short and simplistic, being made up of a single voice producing staccato notes, this was another step towards proper music in games.
1977:
Boot Hill/Boothill (ARC)(jingle - Frédéric Chopin's Funeral March)
Circus (ARC)(jingles - also features the funeral march ditty)
1978:
Space Invaders (ARC, analog circuitry+SN76477 (for SFX))(Tomohiro Nishikado)
The first example of adaptive music in that it features a smooth transition within an in-game music track based on player action. As the player destroys the alien ships, the descending four note bassline that makes up the music will gradually speed up while the movement of the enemies does as well. This contributes to an added sense of urgency and some would say is key to making the game an experience that people still remember to this day. The game uses discrete analog circuitry for its audio (music only?) hardware. The music is made up of square waves passed through a lowpass filter, making them sound more like a sawtooth wave here.
Clowns (ARC)(jingles) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCtXm3Ftxmo&t=51s
Dead Eye (ARC)(jingles) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8qXpYeNc-g&t=43s
Extra Inning (ARC)(jingles)
Skydiver/Sky Diver (ARC)(jingles)
1979:
Sheriff (ARC)(jingle - Hans Christian Lumbye's Champagne Galop?, single channel in-game loop)
Hangman (TI-99/4A, TMS9919/SN94624 (same chip as in the Sega Master System))(Funeral March of a Marionette cover)
This video game adaption of the classic guessing game features a polyphonic musical jingle at the title screen, and a single voice jingle when dying. Polyphony is characterized by multiple notes or voices with separate melodic lines and/or rhythms, so here we have multiple harmonies playing at the same time and they're not all playing chords or octaves. I'm not sure if these are originals or not.
Asteroids (ARC) - short single channel loop which speeds up as gameplay intensifies
Basketball Atari (ARC)(jingles)
Monaco GP (ARC)(jingles)
Galaxian (ARC)(start jingle)
Superman (A2600)(short end jingle)
Back to the main Retro Game Music Tribute page
