Albums you need to play the game first before enjoying it?
 

Just a light discussion.

Most of the time I could enjoy any vgm album despite not playing the game first. As long as the music suits my taste, I will eventually like it. But I guess there are times when I need to play the game first before enjoying the music.

Just very recently I also finally begin to appreciate Shin Megami Tensei III album because I just start playing it for last few weeks. Prior before it, I dont really enjoy the album, but I guess I could enjoy the music now (In contrary, no matter how many Fire Emblem games I play, I never like the score, except Path of Radiance >_>)

Anyway guys, anyone have experience like me? Is there any albums you need to play the game first before you finally enjoy it? Share your thoughts here.

I have found the Phoenix Wright albums need that. Save for a tune or two, most of them don't stick out unless I think of the background with the music.

IMO, no album's like that, but I'm admittedly not much of a gamer to begin with.

I always find that playing the game first and then buying (or downloading) the soundtrack afterwards always makes for a better experience. It's when you listen to the themes it brings back the storyline of the game and so much more emotion.
I think I always prefer to play the game first and get a 'feel' for the soundtrack! :)

My VGM listening habits are most of the time motivated by nostalgia of games I played or/and by the video game era and composer generation surrounding it. By extension, it makes that I listen to quite a few games I actually never played, but which remain in a certain fashion relative to the ones I did play.

I had a hard time getting into Baten Kaitos before playing it. Afterwards, it's one of my favourites to date.

Ditto. Context and familiarization beforehand adds immensely to my enjoyment.

Of course, my gaming has totally fallen off, so it's been nigh impossible to follow through on that.

Ha, yeah. Finding the time to game can be hard.
Especially when you get addicted to completing Final Fantasy X over and over and over...

I definitely need to do this with a lot of music. Even if I enjoy it without playing, I'll enjoy music from games I have played so much more. VGM's as much a visual experience as it is an auditory experience, at least for me. I like to have some sort of context to imagine while the song's playing.

There's some games that have such incredible music that I'm just awestruck by it and I've never even played them. Makes me wonder how much more I'd enjoy it if I ever get around to playing them =/.

Ganon's final boss theme from OOT isn't anywhere so meaningful unless you've got that sense of epic doom from actually playing the game :). Terra's theme not quite so grand unless you've got the emotions experienced from literally over that entire game.

Some games gain more from context association and some gain less. However, since many of the best scores are among the best because of how well they mesh with and enhance the game experience, I think that playing the game is always a plus.

It's likely that some of the more ambient game scores more often lend themselves to the "play the game first before enjoying it" line of thinking. SMT3 is one of those. Except for the battle themes, a lot of the music is moody and seemingly understated. However, when you play the game, it becomes apparent how well the music fits the experience, and fitting the experience is what soundtracks are all about. Some soundtracks are easy to enjoy right away due to their obvious musicality (Symphony of the Night and Chrono Cross come to mind), but others may need to be heard in context to be appreciated, like perhaps Castlevania IV (my favorite Castlevania soundtrack) or Super Metroid. Of course, once you know how the music works, it's easy enough to enjoy it on its own by drawing upon memories of the experience. My view has always been that listening to the music of a soundtrack without having played the game only gives you part of the picture. Experiencing it in context completes the whole of what a particular soundtrack is about. Of course, experience and such can make things be understood well enough beforehand sometimes that playing the game doesn't add anything unexpected, but you never know. I cherish those moments when a track becomes more than the sum of its musical parts. Such tracks serve to inspire my imagination and carry me off to some locale or circumstance. It's the very reason that I enjoy soundtrack music in general more than other music.

Of course, the best tracks do have to be musically interesting and/or enjoyable as well in addition to serving their purpose as score material. I just don't subscribe to the notion that "music is music" and therefore the game context is irrelevant. Some folks who import soundtracks to games they've never played like to claim that it's part of some sort of superior open-mindedness, but that's baloney. I've enjoyed soundtracks without having played the games but I'd never downplay the importance of context in a soundtrack. These are soundtracks. Not stand alone works. The context association is part of what defines the music.

Planescape Torment definitely. Some pieces of music in that soundtrack just require the actual gaming experience to fully appreciate. Otherwise it may sound like "nice" music. A seasoned OST-listener would also feel that the music requires something else to be 'complete'.