There are a couple of reasons why music does not take such a huge part in discussions around videogames. First off, technologically sound is already 100% realistic. Not like graphics and control, which continues to not mimic life very well. So there is really no arms race to produce the best sound, because it's already lifelike. There was such a race once, but game no longer stands out on sound quality.
This means that the only distinction one can make in music these days is artistic. Imagine if all games were photorealistic. There wouldn't be much point arguing about which game has the best graphics, since that would be a completely subjective opinion.
So while technological perfection is the first reason I point to, the second reason has more to do with human nature. We tend to experience things with our eyes first and only after comes our other senses. We live our days spending time and effort to making our surrounding beautiful, but very seldom spend much effort on our audio surroundings. In short, sight is our primary sense. That means graphics > audio.
This said, I find music to be a key to how much I enjoy a game. Good music sets the mood and makes the difference between a mediocre game and a classic. Max Payne without music is a horrible experience.
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