Recommended game and music combinations (Part 1)

The Extreme Electronic Experience can be achieved in countless different forms. It can be intense, frantic, chilling, dark, minimalist, technical, or brutal. The list could go on.

There are a number of ways I could have written this article. One method could have been recommending a range of games for specific music and another could have been recommending specific games to specific music. However I decided the best way to deliver the combinations was to recommend a range of music for specific games, as there is probably only one good shooter for every 100 good electronic music albums, and this way the variation on show is strongest. Each game has recommendations for accompanying genres and artists and an example track.

Single-player

Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex is the best game ever, and Deus Ex: Invisible War is a great follow-up that was unfortunately somewhat diluted by the restrictions a multi-format release created. The games mix shooter elements with RPG elements into a blend that is dark, technological and downright phenomenal.

Genres - Game soundtrack, ambient techno, ambient house, ambient, electro, IDM.

Artist walkthrough (Deus Ex)
Liberty Island – Biosphere, B12, Higher Intelligence Agency
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Hell’s Kitchen
NSF Airfield - Drexciya, Arpanet, Radioactive Man, Urban Tribe, Aux 88
Majestic 12 - Keith Fullerton Whitman, Tim Hecker
Hong Kong – The Field, Norken, Kaito, Triola, early Aphex Twin, early Autechre
Naval Shipyards – See ‘NSF Airfield’
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Paris – See ‘Hong Kong’
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Vandenberg – See ‘NSF Airfield’
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Area 51

Also see 'Memorable experience 2'



Half-Life and Half-Life 2 + Episodes
The Half-Life series is the most critically acclaimed PC game series ever. The staggering action and interactivity that both games bought to the palette on release were boundary pushing and remain pretty much unrivalled in the shooter world.

Genres - IDM, experimental electronic, acid techno.

Artist walkthrough (Half-Life 2)
Point Insertion – Plastikman, Richie Hawtin
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Route Kanal
Water Hazard - AFX/Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Venetian Snares
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We Don’t Go To Ravenholm - Luke Vibert, Ceephax Acid Crew, Gescom
Highway 17 - AFX/Aphex Twin, Squarepusher
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Nova Prospekt - AFX/Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Autechre, Luke Vibert, Ceephax Acid Crew
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Follow Freeman
Our Benefactors – Gescom, Autechre, Luke Vibert, Ceephax Acid Crew
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Dark Energy



System Shock 2 and Bioshock
Bioshock is the spiritual successor to the immense System Shock 2, which was released ten years ago. These are the only games that truly challenge Deus Ex for the crown of the thinking-mans shooter, with similarly ingenious RPG elements to significantly enhance the experience over a standard shooter.

Genres - Ambient, drone, minimal techno, electro, experimental electronic.

Artist walkthrough (Bioshock)
Welcome to Rapture - William Basinski, Stars of The Lid, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Tim Hecker, Max Richter, Gas, Biosphere, Colleen
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Smugglers Hideout
Arcadia - Autechre, Gescom, Arpanet, Urban Tribe, Plastikman, Monolake, Cristian Vogel
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Proving Grounds
Fontaine – Venetian Snares