For over the past decade, Rockstar games have tried to keep the "rock,” in, “Rockstar.” Originally, songs included on the soundtracks to their games were original, but they eventually branched out and included a mass of copyrighted content. Either way, here’s some of the top ways they’ve used music:
5: The Blue Room;L.A. Noire;
The Blue Room is, appropriately enough, a Blues club in the game where Detective Phelps goes to both work and relax, and to ogle his German love-interest in the game. The performances here go a long way in setting the atmosphere, and plot.
4: Love Fist; GTA: Vice City
Love Fist is the fictitious Hair-Metal band featured in several mission in Vice City that culminates in a concert performance. Eerily, the over-the-top group based loosely on Motley Crue and several others seems to foreshadow today’s retro Hair-Metal band Steel Panther with overt sexual references. All their songs are originals, and can be heard on the radio stations while driving, along with interviews with the band themselves, creating a more, “real,” feel.
3: Phil Collins, “In the Air Tonight;” GTA: Vice City Stories
Similar in its staging to the Love Fist concert above, the Phil Collins concert was an in-game reward, redeemed by cashing in huge chunk of money. The song itself is so overused today that it would likely be the fourth best use behind:
3: Miami Vice
2: The Hangover
1: American Psycho
Yes, I just put a list in a list. This is Inception.
2: “Compass;” Red Dead Redemption
The soundtrack for Red Dead Redemption is mostly instrumental period-pieces, but there’s several big moments in the game when it cuts into a song with vocals. The plot for the game is really about a man trying to reunite with his family, and this song comes in out of the blue just as you’re riding on your way to do that. Its a bold choice, as well, as the song sounds more Folksy than Country-Western. It was also included in the soundtrack that some people received as a pre-order bonus for the game.
1: Flock of Seagulls; “I Ran;” GTA: Vice City
Players would put GTA: Vice City into their disc trays, load it up and steal a car. Then they would drive around until this song came on the radio. It was featured in the popular trailer and became synonymous with everything the game was about. Nowadays, if I ever hear this song on the radio while I’m driving, I’ll immediately swerve to hit a hooker.
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