PixlBit

What makes a song epic? I can't really say; it just has that epic feel. It evokes that sense of "Wow, this is epic!" You know what I mean, right? Here are a handful of my favorite epic themes in video gaming. There are so many more, so feel free to share your favorites too. If you haven't heard these ones, be sure to give them a listen, and get ready for epic!

Under the Star of Destiny from Soul Calibur II (GCN,PS2,Xbox)/Composed by Junichi Nakatsuru, Yoshihito Yano, Asuka Sakai, Rio Hamamoto, Ryuichi Takada, and Junichi Takagi

This is the introduction theme of the game, so I've posted the video of the cinematic introduction, not just the music. It begins right away on a grand scale; you know you're in for something exciting. After the Spanish part, it builds again and sounds like an action movie! The best part is definitely at the end when you see Nightmare, and the theme takes off to a final climax. Dude, that's EPIC! 

Thunder Cloud Temple from Kid Icarus Uprising (3DS)/Composed by Motoi Sakuraba, Yuzo Koshiro, Masafumi Takada, Noriyuki Iwadare, Takahiro Nishi, and Yasunori Mitsuda

The soundtrack to this game is amazing because not one, but several legendary game composers were involved in the soundtrack. Not only that, but they used a real orchestra! This particular song is very exciting and has that adventurous feel to it. It gives a sense of urgency, but also a sense of hope. Again, it sounds like it was pulled from a movie. Epic!

Master Hand Battle from Super Smash Bros. Brawl/Composed by Shogo Sakai, Taizo Takemoto, Oriko Takahashi, and Ken Nishikiori

This incredible boss theme is a remix of the main theme of SSBB, which was composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu. SSBB has the most amazing soundtrack of any game, with over 30 video game composers contributing masterful arrangements of themes we've all heard and love. This song utilizes voices and strings to perfection; it sounds dark and foreboding at first, but then rises to a more hopeful note. I love the constant striking of the strings throughout the song. It's epic! 

Final Palace from Double Dragon Neon (Xbox Live)/Composed by Jake Kaufman

I haven't played this game, but I've heard good things about it (I want to play it 'cause I love beat 'em ups). The soundtrack is pretty amazing, giving off that 80s feel, which is really cool. This song in particular grabbed my attention. The main theme is great; it's epic! Everything fits together so well and gives that feel of "Let's kick butt!" That's what I get anyways. 

True Heroes from Viewtiful Joe 2 (GCN,PS2)/Composed by Sayaka Morita and Masami Ueda

The Viewtiful Joe games are some of my favorite games ever (they're so fun!). But the music really stands out to me. This theme is the final boss of VJ2, and it is so epic! When I made it to this guy and heard the music, I was so excited; final boss themes SHOULD be epic. The theme portays a sense of hope while being exhilerating and fun. I love the organ too; nothing says final boss like an organ. Believe me, this final boss is tough, so you might hear the theme several times, but it never gets old. More than anything, it pushes you to keep moving and beat the game, 'cause it's epic! 

Solaris Phase 2 from Sonic the Hedgehod (Xbox)/Composed by Tomoya Ohtani, Mariko Nanba, Hideaki Kobayashi, Taihei Sato, Jun Senoue, and Takahito Eguchi

This was a terrible game, but even terrible games can sometimes have good music. This is once again the final boss theme, and it is even more epic than VJ2's final boss theme. It begins very calmly, but quickly takes off at super sonic speed with the electric guitar. Talk about exhilerating! I absolutely love the use of the strings (similar to how they were used in the Master Hand Battle theme); that's how you do epic!