The 10 Best Video Game Songs of All Time (Other Than Your 10 Favorite)

As much as we love simulated drive-by shootings, building amusement parks from scratch, or trying endless button combinations to see if the "nude glitch" in Tomb Raider 3 is real ( . . . it isn't), video games just aren't as memorable without a solid soundtrack to amp up the fun. Two weeks ago Julia Mullen Gordon wrote an article about the best movie trailer songs, which got me thinking--what about video games? Small children in remote jungle villages can probably hum the Mario theme song from memory, and I'm still recovering from a childhood spent playing Kirby's Dream land for Game Boy.

From ridiculously fast plastic-guitar strumming to an entire orchestra playing a Playstation staple, here are the top-10 best video-game songs (in no particular order--I'm not about to pit PS2 people against Xbox people . . . or that blue Nintendo thing with the Happy Meal discs.)

1. Crazy Taxi: Sega Dreamcast (2000)
"All I Want" by The Offspring.

There's nothing like launching over a hill in a pimped-out taxi while the adrenaline rushing "Ya ya ya ya ya!" kicks off in the background. The Offspring's carefree punk-rock attitude and Huntington Beach, Calif., origin complemented the San Fran-inspired landscape and curb-jumping antics of Crazy Taxi. At 1:55 long, the single is also the shortest to be released by the band.

2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3: All systems (2001)
"Blitzkrieg Bop" by the Ramones.

Let's be honest, anyone who was playing this game between doing middle-school math homework and watching Pokemon reruns had zero idea what Joey Ramone was actually singing. My best bet was "Let's get pop." The 1976 song has since been featured in numerous video games, such as NHL 2K9 and MLB 08: The Show, but it'll always go best with spine-cracking falls off of half pipes and street ledges.

3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City: Playstation 2 (2002)
"I Ran (So Far Away)" by Flock of Seagulls.

The game that finally made it cool to decapitate prostitutes after sleeping with them in stolen cars, Vice City tells the story of Tommy Vercetti, an ex-Mafia hitman who just happens to have all the knowledge and know-how necessary to operate and use rocket launchers, helicopters, tanks, boats . . . and every firearm under the sun. Featured on the in-game radio station Wave 103, which played a lot of pop-rock and dance, "I Ran" is synonymous with the '80s look and feel of Vice City. The soundtrack is stellar, as it features REO Speedwagon, Toto, Michael Jackson, INXS, Yes, and many more.