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Top Scores: Video Game Music

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Top Scores: Video Game Music

#21

Post by billfruit »

I think many PC strategy games has excellent music: Age Of Empires, Home World, Sins of the Solar Empire, Total War and Civilization over its many iterations. I do find the music from these games have a different texture than music from other games.

For example: This song based upon the Epitaph of Siekelos, which plays if you play the Greeks in civ 5: https://youtu.be/YEKRE2uamyg

I think Civ 5 music was recorded with a real orchestra.

Even sometimes poetry; From Silent Hunter 4; https://youtu.be/8FrTuZxpD0k

Re: Top Scores: Video Game Music

#22

Post by milchek »

I grew up with a C64 and a big part of the charm, for me, was the sound chip and the noises/music it made. I can understand why that chip has such a cult following.

Back then, when we had nowhere near the fidelity in graphics that we have today, these basic sound chips were used to add a lot of character to those early games.

Today you have high profile composers like Hans Zimmer doing work for video games and everything in a AAA title is generally very well produced, but I still find myself firing up some of the oldies every now and then. Nostalgia, I guess.

Re: Top Scores: Video Game Music

#23

Post by muse900 »

b3b0p wrote: post #17

I found this article nigh impossible to get through with it's weird scrolling and transitions. I had to give up. I listen to Video Game music while I work. Mostly via rainwave.cc [0] or OCRemix Albums [1]. It's pretty much the only non-vocal music I can tolerate for longer periods of time that don't bore me, but help me maintain focus and block out externalities. The Final Fantasy soundtracks and their similar epic A…

completely agree, this would have been much nicer if it was simpler.

The scrolling and transitions makes it kinda impossible to follow through for me too.

Re: Top Scores: Video Game Music

#24

Post by bouncycastle »

milchek wrote: post #22

I grew up with a C64 and a big part of the charm, for me, was the sound chip and the noises/music it made. I can understand why that chip has such a cult following. Back then, when we had nowhere near the fidelity in graphics that we have today, these basic sound chips were used to add a lot of character to those early games. Today you have high profile composers like Hans Zimmer doing work for video games and everyt…

When I was a kid, I would load up many of the C64 games just for the title screens & leave the music playing. Favourite ones were: turbo outrun, the last ninja. Good old times!

LOAD "*",8,1

Re: Top Scores: Video Game Music

#26

Post by ehnto »

cableshaft wrote: post #19

Best video game soundtracks, I feel: Persona 3/4/5, Nier Automata, Jet Set Radio Future, Katamari Damacy, Final Fantasy Tactics / Radiant Silvergun (same composer, very similar). I listen to several others but I keep coming back to these. Really surprised Nier didn't get a mention, as they do some cool experimental stuff with it.

To pile on: LA Noire, Deus Ex (whole series), Red Strings Club, Minecraft's full release album by C148, Myst/Obduction (thanks Robyn Miller), pre-emptively Star Citizen (what has been released already is excellent)

But also, so many indie games. We are in a golden age for game soundtracks.

Re: Top Scores: Video Game Music

#28

Post by jancsika »

Are there any AAA games that use voice-stealing for their music?

Old games would drop voices-- like the melody or rhythm track-- when there were lots of sprites on screen.

I think it would be great if a Hans Zimmer score cross-faded to an arrangement with just low brass or something when the action starts to ramp up.

Re: Top Scores: Video Game Music

#29

Post by rdtsc »

billfruit wrote: post #21

I think many PC strategy games has excellent music: Age Of Empires, Home World, Sins of the Solar Empire, Total War and Civilization over its many iterations. I do find the music from these games have a different texture than music from other games. For example: This song based upon the Epitaph of Siekelos, which plays if you play the Greeks in civ 5: https://youtu.be/YEKRE2uamyg I think Civ 5 music was recorded with…

I particularly like the Medieval Total War soundtrack by Jeff van Dyck. I still remember many of the songs, very haunting, just so well done, the intensity of the music going along with what happened on the battlefield, with small elements like environmental sounds for various seasons...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWhbVYre9uk

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