Ever since the greats of rock, Journey, and arcade game giants of the 80s, Bally Midway, got together to create a video game named after the band, the genres of music and gaming have become almost the perfect bedfellows.
Giants of rock like Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith have since followed suit, inspired by Journey before them, with the latter releasing their video gaming collaboration with the iconic Guitar Hero brand to great acclaim.
These are just two examples of how rock music and its image are used to enhance one of the most consumed genres of modern popular culture. Nowadays, rock music is often linked with video games, across mobile as well as consoles. Rhythm games, such as Guitar Hero, can be found on Android, whilst the themes are also found in other game genres. There are some rock-themed slots from Coral that also trade on music’s imagery; Rock the Reels Megaways and Gods of Rock both feature graphics associated with live rock gigs. They’re not the only titles with music themes without putting a guitar in your hand; Cytus is also available on iOS and Android. These games prove rock music is a popular game theme, whether playing an instrument or spinning a reel.
So, with the combination of the two entertainment industries going back decades, let’s take a look at some of the best video games for rock music fans.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series
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While the Tony Hawk games were released to great acclaim by gamers, they are also known as having one of the most influential rock soundtracks to any game. Rage Against The Machine rose to prominence with their track, Guerrilla Radio, featured on the game. At the same time, Superman by Goldfinger was said to be one of the best uses of licensed music ever in video gaming history, according to Buzzfeed.
Brutal Legend
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This game was created by Jack Black was and still is fantastic, even though it’s over a decade old now. Black takes the lead in the game voicing the main character, Eddie Riggs, who plots a course through a world of fantasy based on the world of rock and roll. But while the inclusion of a rock-loving movie star is notable in itself, when combined with music from Megadeth, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath, it’s even better.
Prince of Persia – Warrior Within
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Stuart Chatwood, the bassist and keyboard player with The Tea Party, collaborated with renowned video game musician Inon Zur on the soundtrack to the game set in the Middle East, and all we can say is, wow. Not only does this have some fantastic original sounds created for titles made for the game itself, but Godsmack also has some of their music featured too.
Doom Eternal
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Ever since the release of the first version of the gritty shooter back in 1993, it’s become synonymous with both frantic, first-person shooting action and its thumping soundtrack. So, when the announcement came of Doom Eternal, fans of the game were not only looking forward to the game itself, they were just as excited to hear what composer Mick Gordon would come up with this time? Could he match his previous efforts? Oh, absolutely, the highlight is the track The Only Thing They Fear is You.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
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This futuristic take on the popular game franchise of underworld fantasy stealth and espionage has an audio style to match, with heavy industrial rock and metal riffs from John Bush, formerly of Anthrax, and ex-Machine Head guitarist, Logan Mader. Konami, who produced the title, loved the music so much they published it on their official store. It was good value, too, for around $25; there were 29 tracks on an album that would whisk you into the audio world of Raiden, the katana-wielding cyborg.