The 5 Best Video Games For Rock Fans

Arguably more than any other genre of music, rock ‘n’ roll has a way of seeping into all elements of pop culture and entertainment. It’s great in movies, on TV, in music videos, in sports highlight reels, etc.—and great in video games. Over the years we’ve seen a lot of games, both online and on the biggest and best console devices, making use of some of the biggest artists in rock. And I’m not just talking about games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band that are designed to help you play along to famous tunes.

Instead, I’m looking to showcase some less obvious games that are absolutely worth a look if you’re a rock fan. Playing these is like breaking out an old album for a fresh listen, only you’re gaming as you go.

5. God Of War (Series)

The God Of War series is an epic Playstation adventure saga about a mortal Spartan taking on the gods. There are a lot of metal elements present in the design and setup of the whole game, but the actual music is a heavy metal fan’s dream come true for a video game. Not only that but the soundtrack is entirely original, rather than built on licensed hits from actual music. It’s just an awesome celebration of the genre.

4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (series)

Buzzfeed threw in “Superman” by Goldfinger on Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater as one of the 15 best uses of licensed music ever in video games. It’s kind of a hard ranking to argue with, but in a broader sense, the entire Tony Hawk series has been absolutely awesome for punk and alt. rock. These games brought a lot of otherwise little-known artists to the mainstream, given the popularity of the games in the late-‘90s and early-‘00s. They were actually pretty important for that era of rock music.

3. The Guns N’ Roses Reel

In case you don’t pay much attention to online casinos and related sites, you may not realise that most of the games aren’t just designed to look like the ones you find in actual casinos. Most of the online games use popular films or characters to become more interesting to different potential players. And it just so happens that one such game, a themed slot machine, is all about Guns N’ Roses. Described at Lottoland as a game that will take you back to crazy summer nights of the ‘80s, it really does just that. Axl Rose and Slash are present as you spin the slot reel hoping for prizes, and a fantastic Guns N’ Roses soundtrack plays while you spin.

2. Omikron: The Nomad Soul

I’m reaching a little bit with this one, but I’d stand by it as one of the coolest games out there for music fans. The star of the game, in more ways than one, is David Bowie, and even if you consider him more pop star than rock artist, the term “rock star” definitely applies. This game, featured at Cracked’s list of “inexplicable” appearances by rock stars in games, came out in 1999 for Windows and 2000 for Dreamcast (and was re-released as a PC game in 2013). It was a bizarre, adventurous combat game that melded genres and playing styles throughout. But Bowie composed the entire soundtrack, helped write the story, and even modelled for multiple characters. Go figure. It’s a weirdly awesome game.

1. Brutal Legend

Without counting the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, there’s just no other option for number one. Leave it to Jack Black to help create a video game about a heavy metal hero saving the world through combat and music. That’s just what Brutal Legend is, and though it came out for major platforms back in 2009, it’s still incredibly fun to play. Basically you play Eddie Riggs (voiced by Black), armed with an axe, a magical guitar, and a hot rod as you try to navigate a fantasy world based heavily in rock ‘n’ roll. The soundtrack is out of this world, featuring dozens of licensed rock hits and roping in artists like Megadeth, Motorhead, Judas Priest, and Black Sabbath, to name just a few. Oh, and Lemmy Kilmister and Ozzy Osbourne voice characters. The whole thing is an absurd celebration of rock, spun into a video game.