Final Fantasy Series I-IX
(Squaresoft) Playstation (among others)

Squaresoft's Final Fantasy is one of the most wildly popular role-playing series in video game history. The soundtracks for every installment, from episode I in 1985 to IX in 2000, were created by composer-god Nobuo Uematsu. Uematsu's approach focuses on simple, catchy melody, creating memorable masterpieces in every genre and mood. The soundtrack for Final Fantasy VII even hit No. 3 on Japan's pop charts!

Parappa the Rapper
(Sony Computer Entertainment) Playstation

Released in 1997, PaRappa the Rapper features some of the best party music to ever grace a video game. In fact, the music transforms the game from a boring Simon Says clone to a best-selling franchise, complete with stocking caps and lunch boxes. Our eponymous hero raps his way through the game, schooled by the likes of Chop Chop Master Onion and Instructor Mooselini, battling ill rhymes like "when I say boom boom boom, you say bam bam bam, no pause in between, come on, let's jam!" Word.

Jet Grind Radio
(Sega) Dreamcast

In an alternate-universe Tokyo, you and your gang of in-line skaters grind through the city tagging buildings while being shot at and pummeled by idiot cops and ruthless gangsters. And much like the movie Warriors, the denizens of Jet Grind are watched over by an omniscient DJ, spinning ass-shaking tracks from Japan's greatest turntablists. The only downside? For the American version they had to go and include a song by Rob Zombie--the bane of every serious gamer's existence.

Thrasher: Skate and Destroy
(Rockstar) Playstation

Thrasher: Skate and Destroy was released in 1999 several months after the groundbreaking Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. As a game, Tony Hawk wins hands down. As a soundtrack, Skate and Destroy is an ace in the hole, featuring a CD's worth of old-school hip-hop: Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines," Run-DMC's "King of Rock," Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock," Public Enemy's "Rebel Without A Pause," and more, including a bonus option of selecting your favorite tracks for maximum destruction.

Metal Gear Solid
(Konami) Playstation

Metal Gear Solid was one of the best action/strategy games--hell, one of the best games, period--of 1998. As the (perhaps) obscenely named hero Solid Snake, your mission was to silently defeat and incapacitate all enemies, living and otherwise, in your search for the all-powerful Metal Gear robot/weapon. Created by TAPPY and Rika Muranaka, the soundtrack to Metal Gear Solid is a perfect minimalist accompaniment to the game's subdued tension, transporting the player away from the screen and seamlessly into a world of battle-hardened nerve and violent action.

Shenmue
(Sega) Dreamcast

Shenmue: a $70 million revolutionary 3D adventure RPG with stellar graphics and play, set in modern Japan. The game features an environment in which every object can be manipulated, a real weather cycle for the geographical area, and a real-time clock that affects game play. With that 70-mil price tag, they didn't skimp on the sound, either. Composed by Yozo Koshiro, Shenmue features an epic soundtrack, from intense sweeping orchestrations to simple, plaintive piano solos, often with specific musical themes for individual characters.

Crazy Taxi
(Sega) Dreamcast

Usually, I'd rather sit on a screwdriver than listen to The Offspring--but dagnabbit! In this game, it works! Crazy Taxi tells the sensitive tale of four (apparently mentally deranged) cab drivers that pick up fares in San Fran, and then run over everyone and everything in sight at hilariously high speeds to get passengers to their destinations. And while The Offspring's by-the-book speed punk may annoy in the real world, here it provides the adrenaline needed to ram and flip over a bus full of people in the name of commerce.