I've always really enjoyed hearing a quality piece of music in a game. However, I often don't even realize how good a soundtrack is when I'm playing a game, though, due to all the sound effects and dialogue drowning out the music. I remember playing through Castlevania: LoS and enjoying the music but not thinking it was that great. Well, it turns out that the soundtrack for that game won "Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media" from the International Film Music Critics Association for 2010. Good one. That'll teach me to listen more carefully, I guess. I've been listening to the soundtrack on YouTube and I have to say it's pretty awesome. Here is my favorite piece from the game, along with a handful of my favorite songs/themes from games from my childhood and from more recently.
Belmont's Theme - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Mega Man 2: Dr. Wily Stage 1 - kind of a "Let's go!" vibe
Contra 3: The Alien Wars final bosses - you against the world
Final Fantasy VI Magitek factory - industrial and wacky at the same time. Unique.
Super Castlevania IV trifecta of bosses before Dracula
Halo 3 intro to the Ark stage
Gears of War 2: Armored Prayer - plays during the head honcho's speech to all the Gears as they're mobilizing to attack the Locust on their own turf. Awesome.
I'd like to know of anyone else's favorite game music. It can be from old school games, or current ones. Whatever. Post it up, I want to hear some good stuff.
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I would say Braid, but that was music from another artist that fit really well into the world. I love it. If I ever have trouble nodding off, I put that on... so peaceful.
ReplyDeleteAs far as original compositions, I'm gonna have to go Donkey Kong Country. The original DKC had some of the most catchy, fitting, and surprisingly deep tunes. Sometimes I would spend time in the levels just listening to music.
Another thing I really like is when music has game sensitive elements to it. I'm sure there are a lot of examples out there, but the one that comes immediately to mind is when you hop on Yoshi in Super Mario World. The music in that game is already some of the best stuff out there, but having a separate audio track that layers whenever a new character is introduced really adds a lot to the experience.
Music has some real power behind it. Filmmakers have known this forever, and do a really good job of manipulating the audiences feelings to elicit specific responses. I would imagine that the power behind music in games is even stronger, due to the high immersion factor from the way the story is being told anyway. I'm almost more curious to hear from us all, which music has affected us the most? I had a coworker who couldn't listen to the "drowning music" in Sonic the Hedgehog without feeling anxious himself. To this day, he still has the sensation of drowning when he hears those notes.
Forgot links. My bad.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPTm-8YqJfw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHDJFgfb7-Q
Excellent post! Music has a way of moving me far more than movies or games so this hits especially close to my heart. I do have 2 tattoos on my left arm related to music alone. One is artwork from Sigur Ros and the other is the autograph of Jonsi, my hero, and the lead singer of Sigur Ros.
ReplyDeleteSalad, I appreciate that you were able to pull out great songs and not just nostalgic ones, but am shocked that you left out the one you've spoken to me the most about, The Clocktower from Symphony of the Night.
There are a lot of songs I remember and love from games growing up, but there are a handful that truly stand out to me. Songs that actually exist on my computer and get listened to outside of the game.
Jesper Kyd has a special place in my heart for scoring the Hitman series. After delving into his history of music, after playing Hitman 2, it turns out he has scored many games. Even some of my favorite games from the past like MDK 2, one of the most difficult games I've played to this day.
He has a stronger history in a more "electric" vein of composition, but does rock out the orchestra now and again so here's a link to one of my favorites, but by far not his best. It was originally played in a trailer for Hitman 2, but is of course in the game. It's called "47 Makes a Decision" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZzK_mI3WvA
And the main theme to Hitman 2 is tits, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQTsj8c-RHM&feature=related
Kyd also scored the Assassin's Creed games as well as some of the Splinter Cell games. He's currently doing the score for Mass Effect 3.
Jeremy Soule is another one of the greats. He's scored The Elder Scrolls series for years and to this day I can't hear his music without feeling absolutely tranquil.
His music from Morrowind is my personal favorite and when I listen to this song in particular, no matter where I'm at, my eyes glaze over and I imagine myself running thru the woods or a dungeon on the hunt for loot or XP! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhaq4JP_t6o
A song from MDK. I can't find the one I really want, but this one always got me pumped. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBjBcBULTZc&feature=BFa&list=PLEFA9715058A0B756&index=13
No game song list would be complete for me without the music from the police station from Resident Evil 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7JECkVzuq0
And I shit you not, but the greatest music I've ever heard in any game ever (not just awesome sounding, but also epically genius) is from The Neverhood. Here's one sample! One! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrJtbnAVpHw
The Neverhood is still the funniest game I've ever played and the music, world, puzzles and characters mix into the most memorable game I've ever played.