Game music of the day: the most HATED tracks

Welcome to GamesRadar's daily blast of all things pertaining to the ever-growing field of game music. Each post will introduce new sounds, games, composers and fan-made remixes of gaming's greatest aural achievements


March 26, 2010

Game: Sonic Spinball

Song: Options screen

Composer: Howard Drossin


Above: Options screen from Sonic Spinball

The purpose of this daily feature to share classic game tunes that you've very likely missed. However, it being Week of Hate and all, I felt it was appropriate to end this week's blast of songs with some of my most loathed musics.

Chief among them is this ear-shattering garbage from Sonic Spinball. How this ever, EVER made it through QA is beyond me, with its piercing shrieks and mechanical wails that sound more like a dying robot cat than anything resembling music. Paradoxically, the rest of the Spinball soundtrack kicks ass, but again, it's Week of Hate and I can't end things on a positive note.

Still cherish your N64 now? Cruis'n USA was one of system's first draws, gaining popularity in arcades since 1994 and finally releasing in the fall of 1996. While you may be able to argue the quality of the gameplay (it's shit) you can't deny the music is the dumbest shit ever committed to cartridge. Not necessarily the worst, just the dumbest. Please listen to the whole thing.

And why not, here's a third video. It's from Freaky Flyers, as featured in my 2008 articleThe cheesiest videogame songs EVER. We discuss this article in the classicTalkRadar 20, so if you've never listened, stop being a bitch and do so.

Back to beautiful new music on Monday!


Mind's Eye by Howe, Lindsay, Saville, Hodgson


Control Station by Norgate, Kirkhope, Beanland


Hear the games that dared to be more than noise

Brett Elston

A fomer Executive Editor at GamesRadar, Brett also contributed content to many other Future gaming publications including Nintendo Power, PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine. Brett has worked at Capcom in several senior roles, is an experienced podcaster, and now works as a Senior Manager of Content Communications at PlayStation SIE.