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You can't top live symphonic suites!

Video game music has come a long way in the last 30 years. Why, at the very beginning games didn't even have music! As games evolved, so did the music; from chiptunes to midi themes to impressive synthesized instruments and even real orchestral music. Today, it's not uncommon to have a real orchestra play the in-game music for a AAA title.

But we're not going to listen to in-game orchestra music today, but symphonic songs which were recorded separately from the game (for a concert or just because someone wanted to). There's a lot of great symphonic VG music out there! Narrowing this down to eight songs was difficult, but here they are. All of these songs were performed by real symphonies and they sound amazing! So get ready to hear some of your favorite VG themes come alive like never before!

Filmore (Actraiser: Symphonic Suite)

Actraiser is a great game with great music (from Yuzo Koshiro no less!), and here we have Filmore, the first stage in the game, orchestrated beautifully using nothing but strings. Possibly the best theme in the game, Filmore gives off a sense of urgency, and these strings convey that perfectly. It's beautiful and awesome at the same time.

Original Medley (Super Smash Bros. Melee--Smashing Live!)

I remember getting the Smashing Live! CD in the mail with Nintendo Power, and it was amazing! Many of the great themes in Melee were arranged and performed live in Japan, and the result is some of the best Symphonic Nintendo songs you'll ever hear. This particular song is the original medley from Melee, a theme that you can still hear played in the new Smash Bros. It starts off low-key and builds to epic proportions. Love it!

Final Fantasy I-III Medley (Final Fantasy Distant Worlds)

Distant Worlds is amazing, bringing FF music to life like never before. FF music is probably the best VG music to orchestrate as it's styles are so perfect for it. This song is a medley from FF1, 2, and 3 (games which often get overlooked, but still have great music). There's tons of great themes in this piece, from main themes to the chocobo theme to beautiful love themes, and it's all done very masterfully.

Hikari (Kingdom Hearts Orchestra)

I had to include this one, which is one of the most amazing VG themes ever! This orchestration is emotional and inspirational all at the same time. I'm blown away every time I hear this one, and you should be too. Kingdom Hearts has amazing music, but nothing that can ever top this! If you're down, listening to this will surely raise your spirits. It builds to an awesome climax.

Star Fox--Space Suite (Symphonic Legends)

Symphonic Legends: Music from Nintendo is an amazing tribute to Nintendo's best series, including Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, Metroid, F-Zero, and others. The Star Fox Space Suite is my favorite because of it's amazing arrangement, which is reminiscient of John Williams' music. The voices really make this piece sound like it belongs to a movie, and that's an impressive feat indeed!

Gerudo Valley (The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony)

All of the songs from the Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony are incredible, but my favorite is the Gerudo Valley arrangement, which is intense and fun. The song never misses a beat, constantly moving, but changing throughout so it never becomes repetitive, and ends with a dramatic exit. Everything about this one is perfect, and I never get tired of hearing it.

Phoenix Wright Court Suite (Phoenix Wright Orchestra)

I was surprised and overjoyed when I found this several years ago. I love the Phoenix Wright series and its music, and listening to those themes performed by a live orchestra is awesome! The songs have a wide variety of different themes from the first three games. This song here is a medley from the first game, arranged by Noriyuki Iwadare (the man behind the Grandia series music), who has gone on to become the sole music composer for the series. His style is sharp, distinctive, and nothing short of amazing.

One-Winged Angel (Orchestra Version)

I couldn't leave out this one. While the original One-Winged Angel is classic, it hasn't aged well and sounds a little cheesy now. This amazing orchestral version of the famous final boss theme is the definitive version of the song. The awesome instruments and intense voices combine to give you one of the greatest themes known to mankind. The only thing that could top this would be an orchestrated version of Dancing Mad!

What are some of your favorite VG symphonic/orchestrated songs? Share below!