SynthR wrote on 05/09/20 at 06:19:05:
Although, I will say that the Mighty Mighty Bosstones in the first level of Rogue Trip really sets the tone for the game.
Agree. If it weren't for Paint it Black I might have voted for Bosstones in Rogue Trip.
Rogue Trip Vacation had an interesting soundtrack. By design the game is both post-apocalyptic and anti-apocalyptic in its themes. The game introduces the world in the year 2012 as being desolate and a true dystopia yet the focus of the game is on vacationing in America, which has become a blood sport, for the sake of money and taking snapshots of landmarks that haven't been destroyed, yet. For the soundtrack to be so cheerful and optimistic sounding is perfect - it shows how desensitized the people of the Rogue Trip universe are to the horrors of their world. They are escapists, and a song like Rascal King by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones was a perfect way to establish the mood. I also like how a live version of the song was used, as hearing live versions of songs in video games is a rare thing.
https://youtu.be/lPwmfYpmVsA As for the topic of TMIII and TM4... I agree most of those licensed popular songs were shoe horned in. There were a few exceptions where I felt it worked;
-the North Pole/Christmas themed Rob Zombie remix of More Human Than Human (White Zombie) featuring Lance Lenhart on guitar.
-the Carnival use of White Zombie - Grease Paint and Monkey Brains
With those 2 cases I felt the music actually fit the levels thematically. I guess a case can be made with Cypress Hills being used on TM4's LA Freeway, which was the first instance of rap music in TM, but there are better Cypress Hills songs than Lightning Strikes.