A good soundtrack can absolutely transform a game. That's not a particularly controversial statement, but it is easy to take for granted. Thankfully, I was reminded just the other day when, in the process of trying to make Far Cry 3 work, Hotline Miami stopped working (typical). Specifically, Hotline Miami was stripped of its intoxicatingly cool soundtrack; where before its electro pulse egged me along my killing spree, now I just feel… dreadfully unclean.

By contrast, DEFCON's nuclear war could have easily come off as overly clinical were it not graced with the haunting strings and distant sobs of its soundtrack. As an avid Introversion fan, I went so far as to buy the DEFCON soundtrack on CD. I never listen to it. Its jewel case gathers dust for the same reason I always skip David Bowie's 'A Sense of Doubt' – because I don't want to spend my days shivering in the foetal position. Which brings me to my selection method for this list, essentially I've opted to focus on music I actually enjoy listening to. Which is not to say that I'm disregarding what these soundtracks brought to their respective games, merely that I have treated this a secondary concern.

System Shock 2

For me the appeal of System Shock 2′s soundtrack boils down to a love affair with synths. As you tentatively explore the perverse innards of the spaceship Rickenbacker, System Shock 2 delivers some particularly delicious arrangements. Brooding synth pads are layered with driving synth loops… and then torn apart by exhilarating break-beats. To be honest, if you're not in the right mood this can come off as slightly crass, slightly jarring, but then so can The Prodigy. Of course the key difference is that The Prodigy never intended their music to feature in a horror game.

Still, my memories of System Shock 2 are inexorably bound with its terrific soundtrack which, like System Shock 2, survives as a much loved and equally fascinating artefact. Even upon its 1999 release the soundtrack channelled a distinctly retro brand of electronica, pointing to the drum and bass of the mid-nineties. As a testament to System Shock 2's cult status, Josh Randall, “the guy who did the electro bits of the System Shock 2 soundtrack”, even posted his original multi-track recordings as recently as this October.

The Standout: Josh Randall's favourite is 'Operations', I'm happy to defer to him on this.

Team Fortress 2

I like to think that if you forced the man on the Clapham omnibus to listen to the Team Fortress 2 Soundtrack and then envisage the associated game, he would describe a kitsch experience of war and subterfuge not that far off my experiences as spy (if I was any good) before insisting that he definitely needed to get off at the next stop. Like everything else in Valve's multiplayer master-stroke, TF2′s soundtrack betrays characterful, ridiculous fun.

The Standout: It'd have to be the 'Main Theme', I mean it is heralded with the ticking of a clock which is evidently strapped to some dynamite. The brass sections literally explode, there's some deliciously sleazy work on the cymbals and to top it off we are treated to a couple of cheeky false-stops only for those rip-roaring trumpets to be brought back with knowing smirk from the conductor.

Machinarium

If I was tasked with making a soundtrack to Machinarium I wouldn't know where to start. How could one possibly convey the same intrigue embedded in its glorious artwork? Tomas Dvorak knows how, and it doesn't sound like he strained any brain cells in the process. Washed out synthscapes are embellished with all manner of interesting instruments, and yet as your robotic protagonist makes his way through the city, everything sounds totally natural.

The Standout:'Pipe Wrench Dubstep' – don't be scared off by the D word, this is a lovely little bouncy track and Josef the robot knows it, he's busy getting his groove on to the sound of steel drums.

Bioshock

Yes, Bioshock's iconic 'Beyond the Sea' trailer was awesome but I'm not here to talk about that. You may recall that Bioshock also had a fantastic original score to its name – not your typical soundtrack, but an actual orchestral score – the sort of score that opened my eyes to the fact that video games really are bigger than cinema, and then screamed in my face “Deal with it!”

Do you remember as we plunged towards the heart of that underwater city? Encapsulated in our tiny submersible we gazed out towards Rapture as whales swam in between the skyscrapers (surface-scrapers?). Of course you remember, 'cause it was bloody memorable. Moreover,it was memorable because that sense of anxious wonder was captured perfectly by the excitable strings of 'Welcome to Rapture'.

The Standout:Without a doubt, 'Cohen's Masterpiece'. As one YouTube commenter aptly noted, Cohen has got to be the best fictional musician ever. Considering his unstable temperament, it's unsurprising that 'Cohen's Masterpiece' should be so dramatic, so deranged. Pianists better than I can even give the free sheet music* a whirl. Good luck.

*may induce insanity

Darwinia

For a while the Darwinia soundtrack convinced me that I was a fan of 'chiptune' or, in common parlance, music that is emitted by a Gameboy. Rookie error, since it turns out that chiptune has greater capacity to irritate than most genres out there. Darwinia'smusic on the other hand is beautiful, and all the more affecting because it is used sparingly, emphasising the trials and tribulations your Darwinians have had to endure.

The Standout: 'Pain Fade Down' – stark in the sense that it's easy to grab hold of its constituent parts, and everything is in its right place. The fidgety drums and brashness of 8-bit lead the balance perfectly with the mellow tones of the piano; as 'Pain Fade Down' makes its gentle progression I invariably find myself infected.

Bastion

The best game soundtrack I've ever bought… except I've only bought three, so I'm going to up that statement to: My Favourite. I love how the first track is a monologue from Bastion's gruff-voiced narrator: “Sure we've got some songs on the ol' Gramophone, but try and imagine what they sounded like, playin' to a room of fine people… Those were the days”. And then Bastion's signature acoustic guitar sets off along its journey, an incredibly varied journey of uptempo breakbeats, oriental curiosities and slide-guitar grooves. But most significantly, Bastion'ssoundtrack is elevated by the fact that it isn't a wholly instrumental affair.

The Standout:'Setting Sail, Coming Home (End Theme)' marks Bastion's conclusion as utterly epic. Musically, it's nothing short of genius: It acts as a reprise for the earlier acoustic songs 'Mother, I'm Here' and 'Build That Wall', both of which feature vocals. That's right, it rolls two gorgeous songs into one and they overlap brilliantly. Shivers, lots of them, good stuff.