It's no big secret that the Castlevania series is home to some of the best music in video game history. I'm not necessarily referring to the quality of the compositions, however, although Castlevania certainly has its share of beautifully-composed masterpieces. Rather, I'm referring to just how effective some of this series' music is at getting you totally pumped up to beat some vampire ass. I'll start with my top ten list. Sure, it's missing some classics, but bear in mind that these are my own personal faves. These are the songs that REALLY get me into their respective games, and it's not uncommon for me to find myself humming them while I'm out and about.

01) New Messiah (Adventure ReBirth)
02) Bloody Tears (Judgment)
03) Crucifix Held Close (Portrait of Ruin)
04) Darkness of Fear (Judgment)
05) Into the Dark Night (Dawn of Sorrow)
06) Victorian Fear (Portrait of Ruin)
07) Beginning (Nocturne in the Moonlight)
08) An Empty Tome (Order of Ecclesia)
09) Iron Blue Intention (Portrait of Ruin)
10) Cemetery (Dracula X)

Now, I'm sure that some of you are wondering where a lot of Symphony of the Night's music is. (My favorite version of Beginning, for the record, is from the Saturn version, which I've labelled as Nocturne in the Moonlight.) While I won't dispute how amazing Symphony of the Night's music is, I can't say that many of the tracks rank among my absolute favorites. As for older versions of the tracks, sure, they're listenable, but it's hard to deny that some of these tracks just get better and better with each new iteration. And yes, I do prefer the SNES rendition of Cemetery to that of the PC Engine. :P

It's no big secret that the Castlevania series is home to some of the best music in video game history. I'm not necessarily referring to the quality of the compositions, however, although Castlevania certainly has its share of beautifully-composed masterpieces. Rather, I'm referring to just how effective some of this series' music is at getting you totally pumped up to beat some vampire ass. I'll start with my top ten list. Sure, it's missing some classics, but bear in mind that these are my own personal faves. These are the songs that REALLY get me into their respective games, and it's not uncommon for me to find myself humming them while I'm out and about.

01) New Messiah (Adventure ReBirth)
02) Bloody Tears (Judgment)
03) Crucifix Held Close (Portrait of Ruin)
04) Darkness of Fear (Judgment)
05) Into the Dark Night (Dawn of Sorrow)
06) Victorian Fear (Portrait of Ruin)
07) Beginning (Nocturne in the Moonlight)
08) An Empty Tome (Order of Ecclesia)
09) Iron Blue Intention (Portrait of Ruin)
10) Cemetery (Dracula X)

Now, I'm sure that some of you are wondering where a lot of Symphony of the Night's music is. (My favorite version of Beginning, for the record, is from the Saturn version, which I've labelled as Nocturne in the Moonlight.) While I won't dispute how amazing Symphony of the Night's music is, I can't say that many of the tracks rank among my absolute favorites. As for older versions of the tracks, sure, they're listenable, but it's hard to deny that some of these tracks just get better and better with each new iteration. And yes, I do prefer the SNES rendition of Cemetery to that of the PC Engine. :P