Is having a good soundtrack as important for a game as it used to be?

[Soleron]

Yes. Absolutely.

Game music is nothing like pop music. For me, it has to have a strong melody and fit the environment or scene it plays with.

I didn't buy Pokémon HG/SS solely based on the poor remixes of the music. I had it pre-ordered and was set to buy it until I heard the soundtrack.

I'd rate the soundtrack above graphics, features, online play, replay value but below content/gameplay in terms of importance.