PC Game Soundtracks?

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

I really love the soundtracks to some games. My favourites would have to be Tropico, which has a pretty good Caribbean soundtrack, Airblade which is pretty much funk and a bit of rap and The Sims which is absolutely wonderful and has a few pieces in each of a variety of styles (rock, classical, country, jazz, latin).

 

Do you guys have any favourites?

 

Has anyone here ever worked on a game soundtrack? How do you do it? Do you just write a bunch of songs or do they give you specific cues and so on?

[Gifthorse]

My favorite was the original Unreal 1 single player game from 98'.

[comacoda]

Ninja Gaiden for sure.... 8 bit video game music influenced my music in a big way. The game developers where very limited in what they could do but the melodies from some of those early carts... wow.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by flagshipmile:

My favorite was the original Unreal 1 single player game from 98'.

I should get it out and listen to it... I was too busy trying to stay alive and never really noticed the soundtrack!

[A String]

Tropico does have a good sound track. You should check out SimCity 3000. There are some fantastic tracks on there.

[LPCustom]

I'm partial to Bobby Prince's work on Doom. I have the CD he put out with "Doom Music". I don't think you can buy it anywhere. He took his MIDI music and played it through his general midi instruments and recorded it.

 

There's one track we used to play under our front porch on Halloween. It's called Suspense.

[Mass Effect]

http://www.toysnjoys.com/xbox/halo.jpg

http://redzuco.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/halo2.gif

[Mass Effect]

http://images-jp.amazon.com/images/P/B00009POY7.09.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[UnderTheGroove_dup2]

I really liked the most recent Sim City (3000?) soundtrack. I haven't done any music for games, but I did just do a short theme song for an animator: Gigantic Robot

 

If you want to learn more about creating audio for games, you could check out the Northern Sounds Game Audio Forum

[A String]

Originally posted by Haga:

http://images-jp.amazon.com/images/P/B00009POY7.09.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

 

Man I have a sickness when it comes to that game. I beat the game over a year ago but still play it almost daily. It reminds me of being back in the eighties.

 

If anyone wants a ticket back to the eighties, this is your way to get it.

[DC Ross]

Breaking Benjamin did a song for Halo 2 called "Blow Me Away"; what a jam!

[miroslav]

Boy...I guess radio musta hit rock bottom for you guys!

 

You're grooving on PC game music!

[Mass Effect]

Originally posted by A String of Lights:

Originally posted by Haga:

http://images-jp.amazon.com/images/P/B00009POY7.09.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

 

Man I have a sickness when it comes to that game. I beat the game over a year ago but still play it almost daily. It reminds me of being back in the eighties.

 

If anyone wants a ticket back to the eighties, this is your way to get it.

Few things are more fun than a drive by shooting of innocent people while listening to Flock of Seagulls. http://www.websmileys.com/sm/violent/sterb256.gif

[Gifthorse]

There was a game for sega genesis that I loved called Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure there was one blue colored level that was really cool.

 

I ended up loaning my Sega to a friend and never getting it back but I miss that game.

 

I wish I had it for PC, I know they made a version.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Originally posted by miroslav:

Boy...I guess radio musta hit rock bottom for you guys!

 

You're grooving on PC game music!

Well, if you think about it, it's not too different to grooving on film scores, really. It's music that's made to accompany action, set atmosphere and so on.

 

Sometimes, they are very specialized too and are a good way to introduce music to people. From what I've read, a game called "Raliroad Tycoon", for example, has a killer bluegrass soundtrack. Now tell me that a bunch of big city people (and their kids) are going to hear bluegrass in their homes any othe way

[janalon]

I love the work of Nobuo Uematsu, the composer of the scores in the Final Fantasy series. I can actually admit to owning the soundtracks to FF VI and FF X.

 

Additionally, there is a kick arse band called the MiniBosses (http://minibosses.com/). These guys are amazing- two guitar shredders that play dual lines note for note from the games as was. I saw them play live at the Unitarian Church in Philly, which is a uunique venue in its own.

[miroslav]

Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.:

Well, if you think about it, it's not too different to grooving on film scores, really. It's music that's made to accompany action, set atmosphere and so on.

Mmmmmm....ahhhhhh....only up to a point.

 

With games..."YOU"...are playing the game, "YOU" are part of the action. With a movie, you are being told a story, and the music soundtrack is there to support certain emotional cues.

 

I dunno'...whenever I've played any video games...even though I can hear the background music...it doesn't do much else for me than to break up the "BANG", "BOOM", "SWOOSH" noises that accompany the various moves/explosions/shots/etc.

 

Plus...after you play the game a couple of times...hearing the same music...over and over...gets on my nerves after awhile!

It's like...you know that in the next scene/move...that same "la, la, la, dum-de-dum" intro is going to play.

 

Usually...after the first pass....I turn OFF the music if possible, so I can concentrate on the game.

[LPCustom]

Doom is the first computer game I played where the music made any difference. Before that it was all pretty much "beep beep boop" crap.

 

The music Bobby Prince did for some levels adds a sense of foreboding that I'd never felt before in a computer game.

 

I think it finally came home when I got to E1M5 in Doom 1 and the track Suspense was playing. This is not "rock" music. It's double bass, cellos, violins and smattering of drum hits a little flute riff.

 

A lot of the other music is just rock music for running and gunning. But that track coupled with the gloom and the grunts of pinky demons that I could hear but not see just made shivers go up my back. This was something that I have not felt in another computer game since.

 

Even Doom 3 was a let down in that department. It was just too dark, the sound effects weren't very scary and there wasn't any real music that I can recall. There may have been some music, I but I don't remember any.

 

I think well crafted music can greatly enhance the experience of any computer game and helps impart what the level/game designer wants you to feel. Too often I think the game music is chosen by designers who just think the music is cool without considering the impact it will have on the player.

 

The game FarCry is another game where the game music adds something to the game play. I usually play it with the music off. But sometimes I play it with the music playing softly just for a kick.

 

John Romero said that people who go into combat don't go in with a radio or cd blaring and he's right. They don't unless they are insane. But the mood is set by the very real risks they are about to take.

 

For games like FarCry, I like to be able to hear everything going on around me. The music just gets in the way in that regard. It can severely hamper your situational awareness.

 

Even in RTS games I usually keep the music low or off. It just interferes with my concentration. There really isn't a "mood" with an RTS because you aren't submerged into it in first person like you are in an FPS.

 

I guess the philosophies of how to construct good game music varies for different types of games. I hadn't thought of that before now.

 

[EDIT] For those who are curious about this game's music Bobby Prince put out a CD with much of the game's music on it. He left out a track that I really like, though. For MP3s of the midis from the game you can go here and listen to them: http://www.sirgalahad.org/paul/doom. I especially like the ones for E1M3, E1M5 and E1M2. The music for E1M3 and E1M5 really add to the game's atmosphere.

[miroslav]

I love DOOM...!!!...but I shut the music off after I heard it a couple times.

 

After that, I always played it without music...only the FX sounds were on.

[Mass Effect]

The first Medal of Honor game had some good music in it. Usually only during cutscenes/load screens or scripted events,though. Xenosaga is another one but it's a bit repetitive after a while. Every battle uses the same music.

 

One thing that irritates me is that racing games always have this techno shit for music. I think GT4 had "Panama" but the rest of the soundtrack was teh sux. Forza Motorsport was even worse. http://www.websmileys.com/sm/obscene/eck06.gif

[comacoda]

As far as racing goes my personal fave, Red Asphalt, has a great rock and roll soundtrack. Great music and awesome fast combat racing. Wow, I miss playing it!