There are very few things that computers can't do these days, but one of the things it can do that still astounds me is the introduction of high-definition video games. Lifelike versions of your favorite athletes are now a video game away, leaving my parents speechless with how far the entertainment industry has come in such a short time. However, once you get past how great video game graphics are, you actually have to play the game. Thankfully, the world of sports' video games has become a canvas to create the perfect playlist. Countless times I've found myself waiting anxiously for the Madden soundtrack to be announced, because it seems every year I end up finding a great song or two from a band I've never heard before to add to my iTunes. You'd be surprised at how many times this has happened, so let me prove it to you: this week, I'm sharing the Top 10 instances in which I discovered a band I still listen to to this day that I first heard in a video game:
10. The Sleeping- "Don't Hold Back"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2007)
From the moment the hypnotic guitars kick on "Don't Hold Back," I was immediately hooked on The Sleeping as I was drafting my team in Madden 07. This choice cut from the band's debut full-length Questions and Answers introduced me to the entire album, and I've been a supporter of The Sleeping ever since.
9. Finch- "Ink"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2006 and Burnout: Revenge)
I'm not sure which game I heard "Ink" in first, but I do know that while I was attempting to rule the road in Burnout: Revenge, it was one of the best songs to help me put the pedal to the metal. The aggression Finch showed on "Ink" is kind of forgotten due to the poor reception Say Hello to Sunshine received, but "Ink" was plenty to keep me playing, while it also introduced me to the new, more aggressive side of Finch.
8. AFI- "The Leaving Song, Pt. 2"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2004)
Building slowly into a sudden outburst of emotion, AFI blazed the soundtrack of Madden 04, and served as the first seed planted in my introduction to emo. The song's guitar work, adding perfectly to Davy Havoc's shouts and crooning vocals created something I'd never heard before (especially the Spanish bridge before each chorus).
7. Motion City Soundtrack- "My Favorite Accident"
(Featured on Burnout 3: Takedown)
While it was "Everything is Alright" that really introduced me to the wonder of Motion City Soundtrack, I'll always remember hearing Tony Thaxton's frenetic drumming providing the perfect backdrop for the chaotic races I had in Burnout: Revenge. There was certainly an interest built from all of this commotion and catchyness that "My Favorite Accident" offered, and it certainly helped me segue into enjoying the quirky hooks and lyrics of Motion City Soundtrack.
6. Amber Pacific- "Always You (Good Times)"
(Featured on Burnout 3: Takedown)
Looking back, I don't think Amber Pacific's blend of bubble-gum pop-punk belonged on a game based on aggression, but I'm all the more thankful "Always You" was featured in Buronout 3: Takedown, because shortly after, Amber Pacific became one of my favorite bands. While the band has faded into obscurity, I'll always remember them for two things: one, they were my first concert, and two, they were one of the first bands I truly enjoyed that I first discovered on a video game.
5. The Von Bondies- "C'Mon C'Mon"
(Featured on MVP Baseball 2004 and Burnout 3: Takedown)
Short, sweet, and to the point: The Von Bondies should have taken the world by storm with "C'Mon C'Mon," but it never materialized the way I had pictured it would have. Granted, I've heard the song on countless ads for new TV shows or movies, but given how often I listened to it on MVP 04 and Burnout 3, I'll forever play this song and plug it to friends who haven't heard it before.
4. Rise Against- "Drones"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2007)
It seems like every year, Madden puts out a song that ends up being one of my favorites, but in 2006, "Drones" took the cake as my favorite song ever to be put on Madden. Before "Drones" I was introduced to Rise Against with the very small dose of "Swing Life Away," and the aggression I heard in "Drones" introduced me to the band's punk roots, which I was immediately drawn into. This led me to discovering the no-filler classic The Sufferer and the Witness, which is still in high rotation on my iTunes today, and I owe it all to Madden's inclusion of Drones.
3. Midtown- "Give It Up"
(Featured on Madden NFL 2005 and Burnout 3: Takedown)
How Midtown never got big off of this song will forever puzzle me, or why Gabe Saporta formed Cobra Starship in the wake of Midtown's demise, but at least I'll have "Give It Up" to always remind me how good things used to be, and how good they could have been. As sad as it is to say this, "Give It Up" is actually one of two Midtown songs I've ever listened to, but with how often I've spun "Give It Up," I'm assuming it won't get much better than this.
2. Funeral for a Friend- "Streetcar," "All the Rage"
("Streetcar" featured on Madden NFL 2006, "All the Rage" featured on Burnout: Revenge)
In two consecutive video game purchases, I heard two tracks from FFAF's album Hours, and the rest is history: Hours is still one of my all-time favorite albums, and I owe it all to video games for my discovery of its greatness. After hearing the chilling interlude of "Streetcar" in Madden, I was given the aggression of "All the Rage," one of the best songs ever to be featured in the Burnout series and the depth and variety showed between the two songs sparked my interest in Hours.
1. Chronic Future- "Time and Time Again"
(Featured on MVP Baseball 2004 and Burnout 3: Takedown)
Chronic Future likely aren't a band many people know about, but for a brief time, they were about to burst onto the scene with their stellar release Lines in My Face. While the band were unable to sustain that same talent and passion as seen on Lines..., it was "Time and Time Again" that was thrust upon my ears on two occasions, and while I still go back to listen to Lines in My Face to this day, its "Time and Time Again" that has withstood the test of time as the best song I've ever been introduced to on a video game, making me want to play the games the song was on more so I could hear it again, and ultimately making me an instant fan of Chronic Future.
Now its your turn, but let's throw a wrench in this: what are your favorite video games? What do you think is next in the world of video games, and do you think there will ever be an opportunity to break new ground? What songs have you discovered through playing video games? Leave it in the comments, and have a great day!
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