video game karaoke that absolutely rips

There's nothing like good video game music. There's also nothing like amateur karaoke nights. Here's some certified video game classics to belt out at karaoke.

Baka Mitai (Shun Akiyama) - Yakuza 5

Dame da ne...

Starting off with an all-time classic. Even if you're not familiar with the Yakuza franchise, if you're remotely interested in video games, the chances are you've definitely heard about the famous karaoke mini-game. Whenever a new Yakuza game came out, I would make a beeline for the karaoke bar as soon as I could, spending hours perfecting the songs.

When a song is easy to sing along to, even when it's a language you're not fluent in - that's a telltale sign of good songwriting. I'd honestly compare the brilliance of Baka Mitai to something like Feliz Navidad, for instance. It's catchy, memorable, and a lot of people can sing along to it.

I'm aware this is quite a meme on social media, so I'd imagine a lot of folks are more familiar with Kiryu's soulful baritone. I'm recommending Akiyama's deeply emotional rendition. He sings this ballad like he was born for this moment!

Snake Eater - Metal Gear Solid 3

What a thrill...

Ah yes, the iconic ladder climb. As good as any James Bond theme. Honestly, need I say more? It would be wrong to leave this song out. Now, I cannot hit any of these notes, but it's not karaoke night without a soulful, off-key performance.

The Heritors of Arcadia - Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

The seasons, they turn...

I love a ballad. I really do. Much like Snake Eater, I can't hit these notes either, but that's okay. Shadows of Valentia is a remake of Fire Emblem: Gaiden, and was quite the unexpected reveal when it was announced. It's an absolute stunning game, with Hidari's gorgeous artwork and a memorable soundtrack. This is quite the breath-taking end credits song, and very fitting for the lore of the game too!

Devil Trigger - Devil May Cry 5

Gotta let it out!

You gotta have some edge lord tracks up your sleeve. This song plays during the opening credits for Devil May Cry 5, and they still make me chuckle without fail. Creative, witty, over-the-top. I sank a ridiculous amount of hours into this game and the soundtrack pulls no punches. Really love the blend of industrial and drum n bass throughout. Very fun for kicking demon ass, as they say.

I'm not much of a Resident Evil person, so I sure hope we get a glimpse of Devil May Cry 6 in the future...

Fiend - Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward

Another edge lord track.

Even though my days of playing Final Fantasy XIV, are long gone, there are some songs which are so memorable that I can't help but listen to every now and then. Fiend is like if Dante from the Devil May Cry series was in a Nine Inch Nails cover band, and this is him giving his best Trent Reznor impression: not good but he has heart.

I've always found FFXIV's soundtrack to be a little bit of a mixed bag for me. I often copped some good-natured flack from my fellow guild members who couldn't comprehend why I always muted the music in favour of my own music library. Regardless, the game has an extensive soundtrack pulls from every genre under the sun, so you're guaranteed to find something you like in it.

To this day, Fiend is one of the most distinct songs they've ever made for a trial boss. It's a bold, in-your-face type of song - extremely fitting for Sephirot. He's a big guy. Getting this fight during the late night daily grind back in the day always made me perk up in my chair.

Scream - Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

SAY GOODNIGHT!

I can't believe I almost published this list without including this song because I was hesitant to do back to back recommendations from the same game. My old guild leader did a fantasy cover of this at a karaoke bar in Melbourne - huge shout out to my darling friend James, or "Dio" as we affectionately call him. It'd be a disservice to him not to mention this one.

Scream is very Lacuna Coil/Evanescence sounding. Hell, a fan even made a mashup with Going Under. The two previous expansions, Shadowbringers and Endwalker, ventured into some prog metal and gothic rock territory, which is awesome. Personally would love some visual kei...what is Gackt up to these days?

Into Free ~ Dangan by B'z from Dragon's Dogma.

The wind is pushing me!

To quote the French, "oh, le banger." In fact, this very song here is why I made this post in the first place. It should come as no surprise to anybody that knows me, that Dragon's Dogma is one of my favourite video games of all time. Nothing else screams, "yeah, this is a medieval fantasy rpg from the developers of Devil May Cry" more than this Into Free. Much like the game itself, Into Free doesn't sound like something you'd write home about, at first. But when things get going? They get going in a big way.

Sadly, due to licensing, you'll only hear this song if you're playing the original version on console. I discovered this travesty when I picked up the Switch port last year, only to be met with some generic fantasy title music. Which, you know, is not the end of the world but it's also not Into Free ~ Dangan levels of hype.

If you're ever planning on picking up Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen on PC, I highly recommend you install the mod that restores this beautiful menu music to the game, and let this banger play through til' the end for your very first run. It's a special experience.

I sadly don't play video games much anymore. It's quite an expensive hobby these days, both in terms of financial cost and time investment. That said, I've had a surprisingly good run with them this year, though. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Clair Obscur and of course, Hollow Knight: Silksong - all have absolutely phenomenal soundtracks. So much so, the audio mixing in Clair Obscur wanted to defean me no matter how much I lowered the music toggle (bless!).

If anyone has some tracks they'd like to recommend, drop a comment. I'd love to hear them!

Til next time!