The videogame music thread

[ratsoalbion]

I just put this out on Twitter, but of course it is also an open offer/opportunity to our faithful community here:

OK who has a decent mic and isn't shy about using it to talk about videogame music? Who'd like to join me for a Sound of Play (no promises)?

[thegreenflea]

Sound of is simply a treat for me whenever I listen to it. I do a lot of driving for work (~12 hours a week) and hearing stories about video games' music both familiar and new is a delight. Leon is my favorite, probably because he has his fingers in so may pies (and it shows) and I've unknowingly shared a convergent evolution toward his gaming style/philosophy. "I buy many games. Play few. Complete even fewer."

Anyway, every time I listen I feel like/wish I could be a member selecting tracks and explaining the reasoning. I'm going to offer a few here, but what I'm really suggesting is you invite me on one of the shows, regardless of my lack of qualifications.

1) Rocket Knight Adventures - Across the Sea ( Stage 1 - Act 2)

-Playing this game for the first time in my 31st year, this song really resonates with me. You fly over the ocean from one part of the stage to the other as part of a mid-stage break and this songs is so upbeat that you almost feel as you're flying to. The exact image in my head is leaving the dock on one a large boat powered only by sails, being in the crow's nest as you depart picking up speed and seeing nothing but the ocean's waves tossing across one another. It puts me in a grand mood making me feel positive and hopeful about all things.

2) Blue Dragon - Eternity (Boss Battle Theme)

-Blue Dragon is a interesting game, if anything can be said about it. A JRPG with an interesting dynamic as each character has a sort of soul in the form or a dragon that will come out and perform attacks. I enjoyed the game play a lot but the story and characters were at their best vanilla and more often then not, grating and annoying. This is the first game by Mistwalker and Nobuo Uemastsu (one of my favorite composers up there with John Williams and Danny Elfman) did the music. The best part of my experience was when you reached a boss battle and you got this genre shifting music that songs nothing like any other Uemastsu song I heard before this; the lyrics are ridiculous and barely make sense. However, probably because of all of that, it sticks in your head and amps you up for the fight. I will still occasionally send the YouTube link to friends who are familiar with it just because it pops in my head. I thoroughly enjoy this song even though I may never play the game again.

3) Red Alert C&C Soundtrack - Hell March

-When I was in grade school, my friend got Command & Conquer for his PC and invited me to play. Once I got a small tastes, I was hooked. The alternate reality where Albert Einstein goes back in time and kills Adolf Hitler but WWII still occurs with Allies vs. Axis but with Joseph Stalin leading the war this time was an enthralling concept to me. You got to choose either to be one the Allies or Axis at the beginning, and being the good guy I hope to be in all things, I choose Allies. The mission briefings were the best part with good acting and a great story besides the battles. After I finished the game, I needed more and immediately replayed as the Axis which mission briefings were even better! Much more drama, intrigue, internal power struggles, sexual suggestions... When that was done, I played the expansion packs (nowadays DLC I suppose) which weren't nearly as good but a welcomed addition, like a man in a desert given a glass of water. There was even a secret mode in the Counterstrike pack that allowed you to do a whole campaign where you fought giant ants like in the movie "Them". As for the song, the whole score was composed by Frank Klepacki and it fits the game perfectly. This is the only game I remember playing that allowed you to choose the songs you wanted to play as you played the game and I always choose to play "Hell March". I imagine the opening of the song as a german soldier shouting directions to a marching platoon (although I can't be sure on either account) and then roars like a lion and basically never stops. I still play the soundtrack on it's own every now and then because it is simply that good.

[ratsoalbion]

Thanks for the kind words!

I think I may have given the wrong impression about how much different stuff I play and complete however - although you're definitely right about how much I buy (or acquire)!

[MauricioMM]

Now that I see some people talking about Undertale’s soundtrack, I’ll take my turn now to talk about one of my favorite tracks from this game: Here We Are.



I choose this one not only because of its amazingly moody and mysterious vibe but also because it plays in a certain plot point were both my love for this game’s story and my admiration for its creator’s musical talent were elevated and, let’s say, amalgamated I mean, I already liked almost everything about the game up to that point but, when the true face of a previously known location was revealed —along with all the backstory that’s unfolded there and, of course, the music—, my mind was blown

Plus, the fact that it’s a creepy remix of a lore-related track made it even more amazing.

[Flabyo]

I just put this out on Twitter, but of course it is also an open offer/opportunity to our faithful community here:

OK who has a decent mic and isn't shy about using it to talk about videogame music? Who'd like to join me for a Sound of Play (no promises)?

I've already been on my fair share of times, and I don't think I've got the hang of being on mic anyway yet, but if you get around to a special on Final Fantasy then I'll have quite a number of obscurities to suggest (Theathrythm! Dissidia! Chocobo Kart Racer!)

[ratsoalbion]

Final Fantasy, Castlevania and Silent Hill are all potential themed specials (among many others), I reckon.

[Craig]

Maybe it'd be nice to have some specials based around composers? Obvious picks would be Kondo and Uematsu, but I'm sure there are a lot of unsung heroes. There's so much music we don't really associate with specific people so it'd be cool to highlight "Oh wow! You mean the person who did X also did Y? That makes so much sense!"

This may be a bit more difficult with the way games have been credited, especially in the early days, but I think it'd be worth it.

EDIT: Just remembered you've already done this a few times when you've had composers from indie games on. Showcasing a bit of their work, a bit of an interview and a few of their choices. For what it's worth, I love these episodes.

[FollowMyRuin]

I've been playing through Tearaway Unfolded for the first time, I'm a little embarrassed it took this long.

Tearaway is one of few games that have caused me to radiate happiness and in some cases belly laugh, not just through gimmickry, but in it's music too. Kenneth C M Young Brian D'Oliveira were nominated for a Best Original Music" BAFTA for their work here.

Renaissance Hop is my favourite. It hilariously sets the Wub Wub of dubstep against the bladdering whine of a shortpipe. Within the game, you are able to speed up or slow down the music by rotating the vinyl, it's yet another example of Media Molecule using great level and sound design to engage the player.

[seansthomas]

So grab your knife, have a bad time, and get dunked on to the fantastically unhinged Megalovania.

This track is awesome!

[seansthomas]

Alien 3 was a game I played to death on my Master System, but when I think of it I don't really recall clearing much more than the first level. I actually have fonder memories of the video that came with Mean Machines of the SNES port and this piece of music, but reckon the Master System version has aged better:





Sonic was another Master System game I adored, and managed to beat. Many of my school friends had Mega Drives and raved about their version being more hardcore because it looked better; a trait that still seems true of today's gamers! But having played both now, the Master System titles were a real challenge in comparison and stood on their own two feet as great experiences, trying something different and more testing.

I'm sure you could do an amazing SOP just on the tunes from that series, but the early MS game scores still sound pretty good now I think.

[Alex79]

Apologies if this has been featured before, but I must confess, I don't listen to Sound Of Play every week as I do the main podcast

But I'd like to nominate the end credits theme from Flashback on the Sega Megadrive. It's a brilliant theme, the opening of which just reminds me of 80's sci-fi movies, before exploding in to a fantastically uplifting and catchy tune (I've had it stuck in my head for over 20 years).

Love the game, love the soundtrack. This particular piece might be a bit long for the podcast at 6ish minutes, so could probably do with editing or something, but totally understand if that's extra work being created that would already eat in to a tight release schedule!

[Suits]

Alien 3 was a game I played to death on my Master System, but when I think of it I don't really recall clearing much more than the first level. I actually have fonder memories of the video that came with Mean Machines of the SNES port and this piece of music, but reckon the Master System version has aged better:

Man. I so agree with this.

There was something about the Alien 3 soundtrack on the Mega Drive (I know you say MS but your link is the Mega Drive) that has stuck with me today as much as the legendary SoR2 intro tune.

I think my love for the film franchise and my instinct for deep bassy sounds makes this such a great soundtrack.

The first level, coupled with the sound of the grenade launcher is still something now that I cling too in terms of 16-bit nostalgia.

Regards the actual game, I wasn't too keen on the 'time attack save the prisoners' style as I was the SNES version but I still love it. Namely for the soundtrack.

Good shout this.

[graffitisky]

Of all of the fantastic music from Final Fantasy 11, I think I have to say that Sanctuary of Zi'Tah stands above the rest. It's one of the most relaxing tracks in the game and, much like the zone it plays in, is dripping with atmosphere. The zone itself is a foresty area, where it rains for most of the time with stone and purple crystal ruins scattered about the area, being reclaimed by nature. I have countless memories of then to-be wife and I running around this zone grinding for items, talking about our days, and generally unwinding listening to this amazing music.

[wisheewashee]

.

[Jobobonobo]

If there is going to be a Halloween special then this tune would be highly recommended for it. If not, play it whenever ye find the time

The song I want to recommend is Misty Menace composed by David Wise for Donkey Kong Country. This is one of the most creepy tunes I have ever heard and I honestly find it to be one of Wise's greatest work. The level this plays in, Stop and Go Station, is a dingy cave with a thick fog and enemies called Rockkrocs which rapidly pace back and forth and only stay still when you hit a barrel with STOP written on it. Then they curl up into a ball and now you can run past them but you need to be quick before the barrel goes from STOP to GO and they will rush into you. Their glowing red eyes add to their malevolent appearance and only appear in this level. Accompanying this is some of the most genuinely unsettling music I have heard in a video game. It is oppressive, bleak, and beautiful in the atmosphere of hopelessness it engenders in you. This belongs in a Silent Hill title not a silly game about monkeys getting their bananas back from crocodile people. While some may not think the graphics of DKC are as impressive as they once were, many would agree that the music has aged wonderfully. This piece in particular is still as spine tingling as it was when I first played this over 15 years ago.

[Flabyo]

Can we have a two hour episode that's just the soundtrack from Virginia? Crikey it's good.

[DomsBeard]

Can we have a two hour episode that's just the soundtrack from Virginia? Crikey it's good.

I just posted in the Virginia thread about that and was going to post it here

Not currently on Youtube or Spotify

[KSubzero1000]

Okay, so:

I recently finished Yakuza 2 and was very positively surprised by the quality of the track during the final boss fight. It reminded me a lot of Gwyn, Lord of Cinder from Dark Souls, in that it was motivating yet melancholic at the same time. (Spoiler, I suppose.)



The evolution of Resident Evil's save room music throughout the series might be worth looking into. Here's a compilation:


And not enough Fire Emblem! It's like a trend here.
Every game in the series has its own recruitment theme which plays whenever you manage to add a new ally to your ranks. Similar to the Resident Evil example, I think it's very interesting to hear so many different variations of a theme which always denotes the same event. Here's another compilation. Although I figure most people would probably associate some of these tracks with Smash Bros.


I see you've already covered Metroid Prime's main theme. Yay! But I must mention Phendrana Drifts:

As well as the main themes of Metroid Prime 2 and 3, which are both fantastic in their own right:



Last but not least, I often feel like the popular appreciation of a game's soundtrack is inherently tied to the quality of its narrative. Which is a shame, because a lot of great tracks which were originally composed for games that are usually not remembered for their stories tend to fall under everyone's radar. A good example of that would be the Ninja Gaiden Black main theme. The game is hardly a storytelling powerhouse, but I find this track highly atmospheric and energetic.

Bonus tracks:

[joetkacz]

Hello all, I have been a listener of Cane and Rinse (And more recently Sound of Play) for about 3 years now. During my often grueling work schedule, I constantly find myself tuned in for Leon and the gang. I thank them for getting me through many difficult times, and always appreciate them making the work week far more bearable. I have interviewed many composers through the years in an effort to support them and make sure they get the recognition in which they deserve. One of my favorites of course is George Sanger. This track from one of the most incredible NES soundtracks (and games!) of all time, is one of my favorites off of Maniac Mansion. It's worth noting that David Warhol also did much of the music, but I have it straight from the horses mouth that George wrote and composed this one. Would love to be a guest on Sound of Play sometime soon! Thanks for all and hope to talk more on the forums.

[ratsoalbion]

Hi Joe, thanks for listening and for signing up.
Got your messages, will be in touch about a SoP at some point.