Poll:
https://linkto.run/p/0XRGRJZO

Home computers only, no other platforms.

Consider creativity, sound chip limitations and technical achievement, composition (melody or hook, progression, complexity), dynamics (range between quiet and loud, soft/diminuendo and hard/crescendo), pitch range, punch, instrument and instrument envelope variety and quality, how well the music fits the game, and so on. We're going by original release dates.

Try to say something about your favorite(s), it's more fun to read!

Music links (multiplatform list - if a game you want to vote for isn't in the poll list then do a search here with ctrl+f, it's probably included and not forgotten about. If I did completely miss an OST though then please mention it in the thread). Note that I haven't researched cd audio OSTs from 1996 onwards so I went with mobygames' list and my earlier tier list template for those:
https://minirevver.weebly.com/vgm-1998.html

Previous winners:
1987: Ys 1 followed by The Last Ninja 1
1988: Last Ninja 2 and Ys 2 followed by IK+
1989: Ys 3 followed by Quest for Glory
1990: Secret of Monkey Island followed by Lost Patrol
1991: MI2 followed by Turrican 2
1992: Ultima VII followed by Monkey Island (CD ver.)
1993: Doom followed by Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
1994: Beneath a Steel Sky & Colonization (tie) followed by Warcraft 1
1995: Crusader: No Remorse and Warcraft II (tie) followed by Transport Tycoon Deluxe, Tyrian, C&C and DreamWeb CD ver. (tie)
1996: C&C: Red Alert followed by Quake

Fallout had excellent gameplay but its soundtracks are mostly ambient, same with Half-Life (HL2 changed that), and since Unreal has that tracker music, no game can match those. That kind of atmosphere the ost creates are unmatched.

But then again, StarCraft had some epic tunes. Hmmm.

EDIT: Yeah, no, Blizzard was kinda lazy with OST on their games. Again, for pure creativity et cet, and another OST/game made by Alexander Brandon et al, I choose Unreal.

Yeah listed it twice by mistake. Just vote for the first entry.

I pick Unreal; this era wasn't exactly stellar for music since it was during the upswing of Licensed Music OSTs.

Oh, and also what's that "DirectX" listing about?

Yeah, Unreal takes this easily. Groundbreaking game in many regards, music included.

About a game for the X68000 PC which is literally called that.

Starcraft
https://youtu.be/pNt0iVG2VOA

I never played Starcraft, is it good ?

There was an X68000 game released in 1998?! I thought that system was discontinued around 1992...

Unreal all the way.. it remains one of my favorites (both the game and the soundtrack)

Apparently so. I believe they are indie/doujin games.

Is the best RTS of all time.

Starcraft for me. Not a FPS fan so I've never played Unreal which seems to be winning here

I'll go with Age of Empires: Rise of Rome.

Hard to choose between Starcraft and Baldur's Gate... but I guess I choose Starcraft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oonc9gAyi74

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhvUuEtiQtQ&list=PLDC2AC611405A5646&index=4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5xyTZTlrXM&list=PLDC2AC611405A5646&index=10