The one thing many lasting MMOs have in common is their amazing soundtracks, so we're giving a thumbs up to some of the best game composers around

If one were to challenge gamers to list the best qualities of their favorite MMORPGs, a virtual smorgasbord of answers would await. Be it the polished game play, the intense graphics or the competitive PvP, most MMO players would quickly focus on… well… the gaming aspect of their favorite games.

Obviously.

What's interesting, however, is that for many players who take a break from their favorite MMORPGs, one of the more common things that lures them right back is, of all things, the music. Sure, you can try to get someone all nostalgic over a hated monster or a unique combat system, but many players will tell you that nothing yanks on those nostalgia chords harder than hearing the long-forgotten notes of a familiar theme song.

It's sad, however, that, as gamers get more and more "involved" in their MMOs, one of the first things they do is turn down that in-game music track that they've heard a million times over and they crank up their own top 40 music for their leveling sessions. This has the unfortunate side effect of leaving the music composers who put their blood, sweat and tears into their creations alone in the dark when it comes to appreciating the core aspects of what makes an MMORPG truly great.

Thus, in tribute to the recent passing of Jun Seba (also known internationally as "Nujabes," which was his first name and last name reversed and put together), one of Japan's most influential hip-hop music artists and producers, here at ZAM, we've decided to highlight some of our favorite MMOs with the music that makes you remember the good times, even after years of staying away.

Ragnarok Online / Sword of the New World

It's difficult to think of music in the MMORPG genre without first thinking of Ragnarok Online and its experimental music composers, SoundTeMP. Ragnarok Online's approach to music was quite interesting as they moved away from the "epic" orchestral renditions commonly found in high fantasy MMORPGs; instead, they utilized some very uncommon genres normally not found in "high fantasy MMOs." In particular, SoundTeMP experimented with trance, techno and jazz music throughout Ragnarok Online's various dungeons, and adventurers could while away hours and hours slaying monsters while rocking out to RO's fast-paced techno music.

Perhaps the most nostalgic and well-known songs of Ragnarok Online would be things like Prontera's Theme Song or, for the dungeon dwelling players, the theme song of the Comodo Beach Dungeon may remind many players of the times they spent in this sprite-based game.

Later on, a founding member of SoundTeMP, Kim Junsung, would move away from the company to form a new group, dubbed "S.F.A.," otherwise known as "Sound Fashion Advisor." S.F.A.'s first big project was the multi-unit MMORPG, Sword of the New World (known as Grenado Espada in the world outside of North America), where players could see that S.F.A. was a company that took its MMO music seriously. Ranging from the haunting theme song of Grenado Espada to the funky violin-based battle music "Beyond Hope," almost all fans of Grenado Espada will agree that, regardless of the game play itself, the music of this game was truly stellar.