Music is adored throughout the world and lends itself to an array of different entertainment options, be it film and television, but also video game soundtracks. A variety of creations are remembered purely for the soundtrack or some of the music featured throughout a show or a television series. The same applies to video games, with numerous iconic soundtracks recorded over the years.
Video game music can play its part in the success or failure of a video game. Back in the day, computer games had limited audio ability, with most games offering the odd strange noise or weird beeping sound. Now, whether you’re playing the Nintendo Switch or visiting the home of the best casino games in the UK – slotsheaven.com, games are filled with an array of sound effects and theme music which helps elevate the all-round gaming experience dramatically. Soundtracks for games have certainly evolved over the last few decades. Some video game soundtracks are memorable, while others aren’t.
With several iconic video game soundtracks over the years, here’s a look back at some of the most memorable tracks.
Streets Of Rage 2
The Streets of Rage games are truly iconic in their own right, but so too is the soundtrack behind the games. Available on the Sega Genesis, the soundtrack for Streets Of Rage 2 features techno and breakbeat-influenced compositions from Yuzo Koshiro, which truly serves as the perfect accompaniment to what is a classic game. When people think of Streets of Rage 2, the soundtrack certainly springs to mind also.
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Doom
Another classic game with a dedicated and loyal community of followers, the music in Doom isn’t bad either, although we aren’t sure if it would make this 75-year-old DJ’s playlist. Robert Prince’s soundtrack for Doom is said to have shaped video game soundtracks of the future. The heavy metal and punk styled track went beautifully well with the chaos of Doom and helped give the game the additional aggression and rage that was needed. Without the soundtrack, Doom wouldn’t be the same.
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The Last Of Us
Released in 2013 on the PS3, The Last Of Us was a post-apocalyptic zombie classic, featuring a soundtrack that took to it to an even higher level. Thanks to composer Gustavo Santaolalla, the game’s mood and emotional developments go perfectly with the subtle yet highly effective musical subtlety in this truly memorable game.
You can tell composer Akira Yamaoka was clearly a huge fan of British electro-pop and German industrial music if you’ve ever played Silent Hill. The survival horror was a truly epic game to play at the time of its release in 1999, with the music being a key cog in the game’s horrifying and spooky wheel. It’s a brilliant game with a stunning soundtrack.
Final Fantasy VI
The Final Fantasy franchise has a dedicated and loyal following after registering tremendous success since its inception. The music on the games has been well received too, with the soundtrack for Final Fantasy VI regarded as being one of the best. The music throughout is fantastic in truth, with opera classics and dramatic beats as you fight bosses, all contributing towards what is a memorable game.
Journey
Journey is the first-ever video game to have its soundtrack nominated for a Grammy Award so that we couldn’t leave it out really, could we? Composed by Austin Wintory, the music in Journey perfectly matches the game as players immerse themselves in a truly unique gaming experience. The music actually took three years to be made too, which sums up just how much importance was placed on it.
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Royal Mail fined £21m by Ofcom failing to meet its delivery targets
Emily Sergeant
Ofcom has fined Royal Mail a whopping £21 million for failing to meet its delivery targets in the last financial year.
Each year, it’s the watchdog’s job to look at and measure Royal Mail’s delivery performance against nationwide annual delivery targets, and for the 2024/25 season, the company was required to deliver 93% of First Class mail within one working day of collection, and 98.5% of Second Class mail within three working days.
If Royal Mail misses its annual targets, Ofcom will first consider evidence of any ‘exceptional circumstances’ beyond the company’s control, and whether it would have achieved its targets had those events not occurred.
However, even after accounting for extreme weather events, Royal Mail was still found to have fallen short of its targets… and this time, they’ve been fined their highest sum so far.
We have fined Royal Mail £21m for missing its 2024/25 delivery targets, without justification.
The company must now urgently publish, and deliver, a credible improvement plan.
This is the third time in a row that Ofcom has found the company to be in breach of its regulatory obligations, after it was first fined a substantial £5.6m in November 2023, and then a further £10.5m in December 2024.
Royal Mail only delivered 77% of First Class mail and 92.5% of Second Class mail on time between April 2024 and March 2025.
Ofcom says it has therefore decided that the company breached its obligations by failing to provide ‘an acceptable level of service’ without justification, and took ‘insufficient and ineffective’ steps to try and prevent this failure.
“Hiding behind the pandemic as a driving factor in failures at Royal Mail does not cut it.”
Royal Mail has been fined £21m by Ofcom failing to meet its delivery targets / Credit: Royal Mail
The watchdog says this is likely to have impacted millions of customers who did not get the service they paid for.
“Millions of important letters are arriving late, and people aren’t getting what they pay for when they buy a stamp,” explained Ian Strawhorne, who is the Director of Enforcement at Ofcom.
“These persistent failures are unacceptable, and customers expect and deserve better.
“Royal Mail must rebuild consumers’ confidence as a matter of urgency, and that means making actual significant improvements, not more empty promises.
“We’ve told the company to publicly set out how it’s going to deliver this change, and we expect to start seeing meaningful progress soon. If this doesn’t happen, fines are likely to continue.”
Featured Image – Royal Mail
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Thousands of elderly and disabled people to get free 24-hour bus travel across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled people in Greater Manchester are set to benefit from round-the-clock bus travel for free.
Currently, as part on an ongoing pilot scheme, people with a Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)-issued concessionary travel pass have free unlimited travel on Bee Network buses between 9.30am and midnight during the week, and all day on weekends and public holidays.
The rule was lifted in August on a trial basis for a month, meaning older and disabled residents in Greater Manchester had access to unlimited free bus travel any time between the allocated hours.
During the August trial, more than 100,000 journeys were made by older and disabled people – with up to 6,000 people a day making use of the pilot.
But now, after proving to be a huge success, the pilot is being extended even further, so that 400,000 eligible residents will now get free bus travel 24-hours a day, seven days a week, starting from 1 November.
If you travel with a TfGM-issued concessionary travel pass, from 1 November you’ll be able to use it on #BeeNetwork buses before 9.30am as part of a second month-long trial.
As well as free early-morning bus travel, during the trial starting in November, eligible residents will be able to board the Bee Network’s night buses for free too.
TfGM says allowing concessionary pass holders to travel at any time will ‘better connect’ them to healthcare, leisure, and retail opportunities.
“The last trial in August was a brilliant success, which saw more than 100,000 journeys made by our older and disabled people before 9.30am,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
“We are now carrying out this second trial, at a busier time of year, to see whether we can safely remove the restriction permanently and help our older and disabled people to get to work, go shopping, and get to medical appointments.
“We want the Bee Network to be the best public transport system possible and this means it needs to support all of our residents and communities to make the journeys they need to make and use the bus more.”
Andy Kinsey -
17th February 2021 
