Have you ever watched a trailer for a movie or game and thought, Wow, that's a really cool song. I wonder where I can listen to it? Chances are, you either discovered the magic that is Shazam or forgot about the song altogether. But for me, I get right on songs that catch my attention, and usually buy them right away. Now here are seven songs that I have attained from watching trailers and playing games that are totally worth your time. You may have even already listened to some or all of these, who knows...
1. "Nuclear" by Mike Oldfield
Featured in: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain E3 2014 Trailer
If you know anything about video games, you probably watch E3 religiously every year. It's basically Christmas for gamers, with each new game reveal a fresh, exciting present to unwrap. The biggest reveal of this year's E3 was, of course, the release date for Fallout 4, but one of my other most anticipated games this year is actually Hideo Kojima's (yes, not Konami's) finale to his own flagship series. My excitement for this game basically reached its pinnacle when Kojima released this epic trailer at last year's E3 conference. I loved the trailer itself so much that I made my own cut of it with a different song. But I don't want you to think that I'm trying to overshadow the original trailer, in fact I find it to be far superior to my feeble cut. But really, who's gonna top Kojima anyways? If you haven't heard this before, it's on Spotify and iTunes. It's quite catchy.
2. "Beast" by Nico Vega
Featured in: Bioshock Infinite Trailer
Ken Levine's third installment in his flagship series is arguably, and in my opinion, the best one yet. It takes the traditional gameplay and puts a new 1920's spin on things, with a classic, pseudo-futuristic feel that the first two games had. I honestly wasn't entirely interested in this game to begin with, but when they released this trailer. I couldn't stop watching it, and I ended up with one of the best and most original shooters I've played in a long time. The lyrics are uniquely progressive, with a rebel vibe in their tone, and the beat is one of the catchiest I've heard in a long time. I always love coming back to the song itself from time to time just to remember how awesome it is. You can listen to the full song here:
3. "I'd Love to Change the World" by Jetta
Featured in: Nightcrawler and Terminator: Genisys Trailers
Let's face it, had this song not been in the trailer for Nightcrawler, I wouldn't have found it nearly as appealing as I did. What surprised me most, however, was the fact that this was actually a cover of a song from 1971 by a band named "Ten Years After." Of course, after hearing Jetta's cover, I didn't find the original version as entrancing as the remix- in fact, it's a little duller to me. But, taste is taste, and other people more than likely love the original version better than the remix. Still, I'm posting them both here for comparison:
4. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Lorde
Featured in: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Dracula Untold, Assassins Creed Unity Trailer
This is another song that I was surprised to discover to be a remix. Actually, it turned out that I had heard the original version sometime a while back, and of course, I prefer the epic remix used in this trailer and other ones, including a compilation of my own. It's actually been quite overused in a lot of trailers as of late, and hearing the song now it's no question as to why. Lorde took the original boppy 80's tune and painted it with a deep, slow melody that builds and builds until the final crescendo, where it all explodes into a gorgeous melody of epic proportions. The song is featured in the soundtrack to Catching Fire, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you where the song appears in the film, although it's quite possible that it plays during the end credits, or just added onto the soundtrack for publicity. Either way, it's an amazing song that always keeps my attention.
The original 1985 version.
Lorde's remix.
5. "Doomsday" by Nero
Featured in: Borderlands 2 Trailer
Word of warning to the readers: the last three songs here all come from Borderlands games, so if you're turned off to those games feel free to stop here. Now that all the haters have departed, I can say that it's no secret the Borderlands trailers are some of the best and most creative in the gaming industry. Combining awesome techno and rock music with its signature witty humor makes for a truly awesome collection of trailers. When 2K and Gearbox released this trailer of Borderlands 2 just before it launched, I had it on repeat until the game was released. I could watch Claptrap dance the Wub-Wub for hours without getting sick of it. It's an epic dubstep dance that belongs in the core of Borderlands songs.
6. "Ain't no Rest for the Wicked" by Cage the Elephant
Featured in: Borderlands
The original Borderlands game was certainly flawed and not without its faults, but for some reason I couldn't stop playing it. I was far more addicted to its sequel, and have been playing nonstop ever since The Handsome Collection was released. However, one thing that always sticks in my mind about Borderlands games are the songs, namely the ones that appear in the opening cinematic scenes. Both the original Borderlands and its sequel (more on that in a second) feature folksy rock songs that fit excellently in the post-apocalyptic alien environment that is the planet of Pandora. Although the Pre-Sequel seemed to go a little backwards towards the problems that the first game had, I still immensely enjoy playing any and all Borderlands games, to one extent or another, if not just to hear the epic songs featured in the trailers and prologues.
7. "Short Change Hero" by The Heavy
Featured in Borderlands 2
The first of two songs by The Heavy featured in a Borderlands game (the second was "How you Like me Now" in the trailer for The Handsome Collection), "Short Change Hero," often misquoted as "This Ain't no Place for No Hero" was prominently featured in the opening cinematic for Borderlands 2, just like Ain't no Rest for the Wicked in its predecessor. I don't like playing favorites when it comes to these two songs, I like them both equally. However, I will say that the opening cinematic in Borderlands 2 was much more well-done, possibly because of a bigger budget and a more coherent story. Whereas the first Borderlands game felt like a slightly rushed independent game, the sequel feels much more polished and refined, with the perfect humor and an epic storyline and voice actors. This opening song seemed to solidify that 2K and Gearbox were taking the series in a wonderful new direction, and there was no turning back.
Any other songs that you hear frequently in trailers or games that I missed? Let me know of any in the comments section!