Video games are often praised for innovatively combining play with visuals, but the best of them also build experiences to include your other senses.
The perfect video game soundtrack delights your ears and your imagination. Whether it's an essential mechanic of the game or an element for creating pivotal moments, music plays a crucial role in our play.
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These nine titles put just as much thought into the sounds of the game as the sights. Take a look and a listen to some favorites from all points of video game history.

Few games have theme songs as enduring and iconic as Tetris's. No matter your first exposure to this classic, the accompanying music and shuffling blocks are forever linked in our minds. You just can't have one without the other.
We all know and love the 8-bit version of the theme song from the Game Boy days, but the Tetris theme is just as noteworthy for the sheer number and variety of musical artists who have made it their own. From a cappella arrangements to theramin remixes, from euphonium trios to beatbox breakdowns, everyone can be a part of the Tetris legacy.

It's not often that a great soundtrack emerges from the gameplay itself. Sound Shapes presents a delightful idea: that a video game and a video game soundtrack can be one and the same.
This indie title from Sony's Santa Monica Studio incubator lets players put together a song bit by bit as they traverse a level. Each element in the world creates a sound. The goal of Sound Shapes is to play through the entire song. And if you get through the levels set to original tunes by Beck and deadmau5, for example, you can put your own compositional skills to the test. Create a level and song of your own, or check out the works of others on either the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita. The game will also be available on the PlayStation 4 at launch.

Myst deserves a nod for its brilliance in combining both music and sound effects. The haunting, driving soundtrack was a perfect match for the mystery-laden game. It's especially interesting that the game developers initially wanted no music in the game at all, thinking it would be a distraction to players. Testing revealed the opposite: The ambient background music actually strengthens the mood and atmosphere.
The game's sound effects also played a big part in Myst's appeal. The experience revolves around puzzles, slowly uncovering the secrets of each Age and seeking out the book pages to complete the story. As you interact with your surroundings in each world, the carefully constructed sound effects keep you engaged and might even spark an idea that leads to the solution.

Another indie game that pushed the power of music was 2012 hit Journey, also presented by the Santa Monica Studio incubator. Composer Austin Wintory has put the entire soundtrack on YouTube alongside insightful commentary about his creative process. It's a special look into his intentional choices when matching the music to the themes of the game.
Journey also received a Grammy nomination for its score, the first video game ever to receive that honor. Any soundtrack that gets the attention of the Academy is definitely worth a listen.

How could you pick just one top soundtrack within the Grand Theft Auto world? Rockstar Games has always broken the bank for this franchise, and no matter what your listening preferences are, you're sure to find something you like.
Every time you get in a car, you have access to the radio station of your choice. Over the years, Grand Theft Auto's musical selections have increasingly become a franchise hallmark. In Grand Theft Auto V, the team added an original score to the mix, and there were so many tunes in the game that buying the soundtrack actually involves a three-album box set.
All about the '80s? You'll love the bombast of Vice City's power ballads. Feeling like some old school, West Coast rap? No better soundtrack for cruising the GTA V Los Santos highways. Feeling like new age or Latin jazz or reggae or indie rock or heavy metal? There's a GTA game with the station for you.

Minecraft has the uncanny ability to completely destroy time. You say you'll only play for an hour, but in the blink of an eye, five hours fly past. Part of Minecraft's addictive spell comes from the soundtrack. It's the work of German artist and composer C418, who's managed to create a musical backdrop that matches the ethos of the game: deceptively simple and totally inspiring.
Take a listen to the clip above. You'll be hankering to build a new blocky creation by the end of it.

Over the lifespan of the Final Fantasy series, which has endured more than a decade, the Square Enix team has created themes heard even in its latest titles. The main theme has been in almost every game, and fans know and love it well.
As a whole, Final Fantasy VII gets the most love for its use of music (for good reason), but part of the appeal of this series is how the same themes frequently reappear across titles. For example, the jaunty Chocobo theme graces almost every soundtrack in the series. It gives a touch of familiarity to the sprawling stories uncovered by each game.

The Elder Scrolls has also riffed on different themes. Taking place across the regions of Cyrodiil, each installment has reenvisioned the same musical riffs to reflect the new setting.
Skyrim, the fifth and most recent in the series, takes place in a harsh, Nordic land where you use your voice to shout dragons out of the air. The theme is chanted with a military-like rigor and power. When you're in Morrowind, a wild and fantastical setting, the theme renders in a sweeping, orchestral setting with shades of The Lord of the Rings.

The Zelda games have a rabid fan following, and Ocarina of Time often earns nods as one of the best games in history. As you explore, Link will play different tunes on the ocarina, showcasing the game's iconic musical compositions. Each matches beautifully to the area of the map, but part of the appeal of this soundtrack is intangible. Especially for those of you who grew up with gaming, hearing these themes can still trigger a trip down memory lane.
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Image: Flickr, Inspire Kelly