This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
Like many of you, I'm playing Borderlands 2 right now (and hey, look, I'm writing about it! You should, too!). And while the action's great and the loot is addictive, what I really love about the game is its space-Western vibe.
The first Borderlands title was the same way. Despite all the high-tech trappings and ridiculous guns, Borderlands retains a certain grounding in the real world. And its country-style characters and music are big reasons for that.
The Western genre is underused in games, both thematically and musically, but those who choose to focus on it often come up with some unique, memorable experiences. Here are five musical examples I've chosen in that vein; feel free to add yours in the comments.
Red Dead Redemption — Born Unto Trouble
This is the most on-the-nose example; you'd expect to find plenty of great Western music in the best Western-themed game since…well, ever. The whistle-driven melody sets the atmosphere for New Austin perfectly, accentuated by brief responses on fiddle. But it's the echoing, reverberating piano chords in the background that really get me. A gunslinger's life is a lonely one, after all.
Borderlands — Fortune Hunters
This track is a perfect example of Borderlands' mix of Western and weird — you've got the traditional open-fifth chords strummed on the guitars and mandolins, but they're set off by a hefty dose of non-traditional percussion and sliding string and synth chords in the background. The kicker, of course, is the throat singing — it's the linchpin that holds this strange space-cowboy contraption together.
Bastion — In Case Of Trouble
Lots of folks (including myself) have written about Bastion's unique brand of "acoustic frontier trip-hop," as composer Darren Korb calls it. I love the way this piece begins; for the first minute, it's simply a beautifully strummed steel-string guitar, showcasing the game's Western roots. Then the beat kicks in at 1:02, with an aggressive counter-melody in the string section, and you know you're not home on the range any more.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — Gerudo Valley
Does this count? It totally counts. While nothing about the Zelda series is Western-themed, this piece is pure Mexican mariachi: flamenco guitar, a staccato percussion beat, and of course, lots of trumpets. And yeah, the Nintendo 64's synthesized sound doesn't really do the composition justice…but that's what YouTube remixes are for.
Wild Arms — Into The Wilderness
As early PlayStation-era RPGs go, Wild Arms is just OK. As intro music goes, it's amazing, especially the first minute. A solo acoustic guitar soon gives way to that classic, Sergio Leone-esque whistle, a reference almost unheard of in games at the time, and certainly not in a role-playing title from Japan. The gameplay might not be that memorable, but the music and setting definitely are.
(Edit: My friend John pointed out that I neglected to mention Shadow's theme from Final Fantasy 6, which evokes a similar vibe. My bad.)