All Aboard! – The Top 10 Songs of Game Fest 2022

Welcome back, everyone! It has been quite the year in terms of gaming, and of course, the fuel that powers this hype train comes in the form of media events, bringing endless news, previews, and trailers for upcoming games. After a game-changing string of audience-free directs during this post-COVID era, game announcements have continued to arrive via smaller showcases, packed to the brim with shiny new first looks. But what’s my favorite part of these trailers, you ask? The music, of course! So, let’s dive in – as we do each and every year – to an, albeit late, Top 10 list of my favorite songs of E3 2022, Gamescom 2022, and beyond!

“A Few Screws Loose” by Tee Lopes –
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Casey Jones Trailer

This song immediately made my ears perk up, as its dedication to the traditional chiptunes of old is absolutely immaculate. Having now played quite a bit of Shredder’s Revenge, I can say this whole soundtrack is a real love letter to old-school arcade games, and I highly recommend this whole album. The music makes the feel of the game blend so perfectly, creating a nearly flawless entity that harkens back to the good old days of party games. If you’ve been sleeping on Shredder’s Revenge, get on it! Don’t forget to close your eyes at points and take in the tunes, either!

“2 3 Clear” by Senser –
Outriders Worldslayer Official Trailer

Are there still people playing Outriders? There has to be someone who was excited by this trailer, announcing an official expansion for the rather lackluster MMO shooter. The game’s not bad, I just don’t hear a lot of people talking about it these days! But I digress. The heavy rock song in this felt like something out of a ’90s garage party. Think of The Prodigy or Rage Against the Machine – just a full-on assault of the senses. It’s a damn good vibe for a trailer like this, full of bullets flying and some evil witch lady taking control of the darkness. Kinda makes me want to pick up the game again… Nah. Cool song, though.

“Final Form” by Sampa the Great –
Riders Republic: Freestylin’ Season 4 Trailer

Just to be clear, we still are not giving Ubisoft any praise here at VGU. Until y’all clean up your act and truly prove there has been a significant positive change, I just cannot find it in my heart to talk about your products. That being said, I will talk about the awesome song used in this trailer. While it may have flown under Emmett’s radar for quite some time, I was able to successfully hunt it down, much to his delight. While the video’s description calls it “Who’s Your Daddy” from the game’s original soundtrack, it’s actually an awesome banger by Zambian singer Sampa the Great, and it’s bursting with vibrancy and a non-conformist attitude. I fell in love with it instantly, and you will too.

“The World Ended on a Sunny Day” by Mina Špiler –
Highwater Reveal Trailer

Highwater blew me away when it was first revealed during the Summer Games Fest. Combining the dystopian art style of Inside with the exploration elements and similar setting of Submerged, Highwater serves as a message about climate change and the effects it can (and will) have on humanity and the world around us. Accompanying this powerful game trailer is a haunting tune performed by Slovenian singer Mina Špiler, seen here sounding like a post-apocalyptic Lana Del Rey. This song definitely left an impact on me and helped move this game high up on my most anticipated list.

“The Wolf” by The Delta Bombers –
The Quarry Official Launch Trailer

God, this song, man! I thought the last one was my favorite, but seriously this might be. From the moment I saw this trailer, I couldn’t get it out of my head. It was truly the first time I saw the story of The Quarry being laid out, complete with playable characters, a look at the action sequences, and even glimpses of the monsters! Looking back on it now that I’ve finished the game, it’s the perfect little “just spoiler enough” look at the game to get your blood pumping, and it certainly got me chomping at the bit to play it! Finally, the song melds it all together with a nice little bow on top. I wonder why it’s called “The Wolf,” though…

“A Brand New Day” by Zac Zinger, Buku –
Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium Announce Trailer

Remember when I was talking about Shredder’s Revenge, and I mentioned the nostalgic feel that music evoked? Well, “A Brand New Day” gets me choked up in a similar manner. There’s something about watching a montage of old-school video games flash across the screen while Daft Punk-esque vocals and electronic sounds are blaring in the background. This song has a funky beat and a melody that very nearly sucks you into the screen of an arcade cabinet, only to get you lost in Wreck-It Ralph’s cyber world. But why would you want to leave that, anyway? This song is a bop!

“Captains of Adventure” –
Official Sea of Thieves Season Seven Trailer

Some may say I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Sea of Thieves on this list. I know I did last year with their Pirates of the Caribbean collaboration, and I’m sure I have included this game before then, too! But isn’t it so Rare for Rare to always include some jaunty memorable music in their trailers? This time around, they’ve written a sea shanty literally breaking down the upcoming expansion and its contents! This is nothing but an advertisement, but it’s so damn fun because of this song! It’s a commercial I would happily watch again and again! Look, explaining it here doesn’t do it justice. Just watch the video and enjoy yourself.

“Black and White” by Kombi –
The Alters | Announcement Trailer

Okay, this one is out there. If you remember the trailer for The Alters at all, you’ll probably remember scratching your head – as I did – and not knowing what you just watched. The game claims to be an adventure game about “life-changing moments,” though that doesn’t clear much up. All I know is I’m playing a guy surrounded by other versions of himself in the middle of nowhere. Oh, and the music kicks ass! Yeah, this song is by Polish pop band Kombi, and its lyrics include lines like “we are the same,” which subtly hints at the supposed gist of the game. Get it? It’s a metaphor! But it’s also a total jam!

“Get Up and Go” by Kali J –
Fall Guys Free for All: Live Action Trailer

These little bean blobs got lucky this time! I was initially going to include the cover of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” from the As Dusk Falls trailer, and seeing as I love that game now, it had a guaranteed slot. But alas, I already included another rendition of the same song for Evil West last year, and it just didn’t feel right. That being said, check out the aforementioned cover by Matthew Barnes and Barns Courtney when you get a chance. In the meantime, Fall Guys came back with a vengeance, in the form of a live-action trailer, a free-to-play announcement, and a booty-bumpin’ party song. Now, I will definitely return to it.

“Start a Riot” by Duckwrth, Shaboozey –
Redfall Official Gameplay Reveal

We end where all great stories begin, my home of Massachusetts. Redfall takes place on a fictional island off the coast, where civilization has gone to hell, literally, and “everyone’s either a vampire, a cultist trying to become a vampire, or dead.” Redfall is the next big Arkane creation, and while I was already excited for some multiplayer vampire-slaying chaos, the music in this extended-look trailer sold it for me. Loud and in your face as the bullets flew, it was everything that makes for a memorable gameplay reveal. I went home satisfied – and fearful of vampires in my closet.

RUNNERS-UP
(Featuring The Game Awards 2022)

“Wanted Dead or Alive” by Empara Mi, Dreamchild –
Transformers Reactivate Official Announce Trailer

I think I speak for everyone when I say this game caught us all off guard. What made it even more misleading was the lack of any robotic visuals as far as we could tell. Images of animal-like monsters attacking a city flashed on the screen, intermingled with clips of young kids trying to reactivate… something. Little did we know, this was a Transformers game! Not much is known still about this title, but if this haunting rendition of Bon Jovi’s hit is anything to go off of, it’s bound to be a darker, more emotional tone than the typical Autobot vs. Decepticon shooting spree. I hope Megatron enters to “Blaze of Glory.”

“Leave Her Johnny” –
Judas Official Reveal Trailer

Judas will go down in history as my favorite surprise of The Game Awards 2022. In the new title from Ghost Story Games – led by the profound Ken Levine – this cyberpunk future has everything from robot dogs you can ride in, to weapons hidden in your hands, to… horse people? Yeah, it’s an absolute nightmare. So, what better way to set the tone than with a nightmarish rendition of the classic sea shanty, “Leave Her Johnny?” Apparently, no one has found out who performed this cover as of yet, but I hope it shows up somewhere in game alongside even more outlandish tunes like this one.

“Rust” –
Replaced Official Trailer 2

Moving on now to another song with no clear singer, the latest trailer for Replaced brings us a second tune from its original soundtrack. I must say, this soundtrack is shaping up to be one of the best in gaming, considering Replaced made this list last year with its reveal trailer. That song got so popular that they released it on its own, so I’m expecting them to do the same with “Rust” before too long. The song is absolutely chilling, sung with an accent that delivers an eerie feel to this bright, immersive world. I cannot wait for more from Replaced, as every trailer brings a surprise!

“Dead Man Walking” by Lauren Babic –
Remnant II Official Announcement Trailer

Apparently, Remnant: From the Ashes is a fantastic game with a heavily devoted fanbase. I have seen the discourse online in the past week, and they couldn’t be more excited for more Remnant. Personally, I was just happy to hear this song, as it instantly found a spot in my playlist and on this list. What a banger! It seems this is a cover of as song by WAR*HALL, but Lauren Babic has yet to officially release it on any platform. This is probably due to her partnership with the game company, and maybe they will end up releasing it someday. Until then, I’ll have to just keep enjoying the trailer… and maybe try out Remnant soon?

“Used to the Darkness” by Des Rocs –
Destiny 2: Lightfall Official Trailer

If you know me at all, you’ll know I’m not the biggest fan of Destiny 2. In fact, I tend to skip trailers for the game whenever they appear in games showcases. I’m thankful that they have a healthy, welcoming community it seems, but the game and its content never really interest me. The song that accompanied this trailer, however, caught my attention quickly, and it became a favorite of mine in a matter of minutes. It perfectly fit the tone of this trailer, and it kind of got me pumped up to play Destiny 2? While that may seem crazy, isn’t that what a trailer is for? I guess I’ll be seeing you in Lightfall!

Well, there we have it! There were a lot of trailers this year, and a lot of music that I genuinely enjoyed! While these may have been my Top 15 favorites, I must say a big shoutout to all the game developers and video editors who work hard to keep the aforementioned hype train chugging along! Big ups to the composers who make original music, too! There are always songs I can’t include because they simply don’t exist on a soundtrack… yet. But I look forward to hearing all those sweet OSTs in the coming months and years! Music is powerful, and when combined with video games? It’s unstoppable! Thank you for reading, and I will see you all next year!