Image: Pixabay
No strangers to game OSTs, Hospital raised the bar last month with their soundtrack to Forza Horizon 4. Having previously supplied the Microsoft racing game with existing releases for their in game radio station since Forza Horizon 2, for the new game they did a few laps of honour with a massive 20 track album of exclusives made exclusively for the game.
All Hozzy heavyweights are present and correct: S.P.Y’s on board with his currently unavoidable Rock Da House, Etherwood will keep rage quits at bay with his sublime Haltija, Lakeway will have you raising your XP quicker than all previous Forza editions put together with the iced stepping Stomp Your Soul. Then there’s Logististics Let The Senses Clear Your Mind. If there’s a more unifying vibe to play while you’re linking up with drivers on the new Forazthon Live function, we’ve yet to hear it…
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The full album can be hear or on Forza Horizon 4 itself. We asked a bunch of Hospital artists for their favourite game to celebrate both releases…
Hugh Hardie: Mario Kart
I’ve lived in a few households over the years that have played Mario Kart pretty religiously. We used to play tournaments to decide who did which cleaning jobs in a house in Melbourne: first place had to just tidy the living room and last place tackling the entire bath room. I’m constantly discovering new subtleties to the gameplay and there truly is no other satisfaction like a good triple boosted Mario Kart drift. It’s a timeless classic and I don’t think I’ll ever stop playing it.
Urbandawn: Counterstrike
What first drawn my attention into Counterstrike was the chance to play with multiple friends at the same time in a LAN Gaming Center. There was this huge wave of gaming centers in São Paulo in the early 2000s and Couterstrike was a new way of having fun after school.
Mitekiss: Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2
Me and my friend Danny used to play THPS2 religiously, every single day. We were obsessed with it. We learnt every single line you could take to get the best combos, learnt all the specials for each skater too. The reason I chose THPS2 over THPS 1 is because you could link tricks with manuals which meant you could loop lines and get ridiculous high scores. It also had a great soundtrack, with tracks like Guerrilla Radio (Rage Against the Machine) and Bring the Noise (Public Enemy). Not quite THPS1 levels, but decent none the less. What I loved most, though, was the escapism, it’s a game you can spend hours and hours on mucking about. Just a final note, I want to give a cheeky nod to the more recent Skate series. I painfully admit that it’s a better game and I’m really gutted there’s no Skate 4.
Fred V: Roller Coaster Tycoon
This game triggered a huge obsession with roller coasters that I still have. I remember many 8+ hour sessions on it. As you can imagine, my rides are fucking sick.
Keeno: Crash Team Racing
I played a bit of CTR when I was younger with my brother – we both grew up coming home on Sundays and playing after roast dinners on one of those ginormous cathode ray tube TVs. He always won ☹.
Whiney: SSX 3
I’ve never snowboarded but it always seemed the cooler of the two main downslope sports. And being able to sit in front of the tv mashing buttons and making a guy do eight backflips, spin the board round his neck and stick the landing seemed even cooler. Plus the soundtrack was absolutely banging – Basement Jaxx, Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, N.E.R.D – it was so diverse and energy-filled throughout, and was one of many that helped sculpt my music taste growing up.
Nu:Tone: Tekken 3
Tekken 3 was the only fighting game I ever really got engrossed in, I even got as nerdy as 10-string combos for some of the characters. Forrest Law and Lei Wulong were my fighters of choice, potentially King or Panda if I wanted to really annoy my opponent.
Degs – Fifa (any and all)
I used to play football at quite a high level so when my pro football career dream died I sought solace in the Fifa series. Winning the Champions League four seasons in a row with my beloved Newcastle (with Shola Ameobi netting regularly) soon made me forget my struggles.
London Elektricity – Hogs Of War
Everything about the game: Rick Mayall doing the voice, the non PC script, the difficult to master bazookas and mortars which were really rewarding, the nerve gas that sends the enemy pigs crazy and make them jump into minefields…. I love it all.
Danny Byrd: Duck Hunt
I’ve never been a big gamer! I made a computer game in 1991 called Duck Hunt on my home computer… Then discovered rave music and channelled energy that way.
Channel your own energy: Forza Horizon 4 Hospital Soundtrack is out now
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