Video Game 'Tunes' - Where? - What's 'Working' for You?

[AlbertKatraz]

I totally agree with you.

Technology is running the show it seems.

And the number of those missing the point here shows how seductive supporting soundscapes have become. But to me, they're Jackson Pollock with sample libraries instead of color.

I miss the 'Songs Without Words'.

[ThetaReactor]

Ah. Gotcha.

Yes, the bleepity-bloopity chiptune sounds of old are mostly gone, except for those games which are intentionally retro:



I think you're being a bit shortsighted in dismissing the more complex stuff of modern games, though. Yes, much of it is atmospheric in nature. It's a score, not a song. And while the Mario theme brings certain images to my mind, it's mostly a function of nostalgia. That Mass Effect piece, while being weaker as a standalone track, exhibits more synergy with the relevant section of the game. It's the music for the galaxy map, and it manages to evoke a sense of wonder and exploration that the minimal graphics and text descriptions of the game can't do alone. Newer games have music that ties more closely to the game itself, at the expense of being less memorable on its own. There are exceptions, obviously, like the Portal and MGS songs mentioned.

Compromise, then. Demoscene guy given newer hardware? Yeah, that works:

[Chuffmeister]

The music to the PS3 title 'Journey' left me stunned.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... _KrjxD8djo

[AlbertKatraz]

I'm not suggesting that cinematic games should have music like Puzzle Bobble.

Just that games like Puzzle Bobble should have music like Puzzle Bobble.

I've just had a listen to some current chart music ( so sue me ) and it's pretty clear that there's talent out there when it comes to penning decent 'tunes'.

Very little of it seems to be finding its way into the games industry though.

[Chuffmeister]

I reckon the standard of composition, production and implementation of music in games has never been better than it is now.

Theres a lot more games around these days - so, like your chart music analogy, the throughput is rapid.. theres a lot of chaff with the wheat.

But the grasp of how to write music, how to work with textures and form is just getting broader - more accessible now as we communicate and enjoy more powerful authoring tools.

[venusian]

Flicking through Develop magazine today, I see that the chap who did the music for the new Tomb Raider game described himself as using "micro-compositions". That not something Beethoven would have been doing; there's a whole new discipline being built from the ground up.

[AlbertKatraz]

chuffmeister:

Again, I'm not disrespecting what's out there.
I wouldn't want to listen to 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' all the way through a Michael Bay Movie for example.

Let me in some way build a bridge then, as so many people appear to be referencing soundtracks, let's go with movies, let's pick on John Williams and his penchant for the leitmotif.
I bet most of us hear exactly what I'm talking about when I call out,

Star Wars
Superman
Raiders of the Lost Arc
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Jurassic Park

They have themes that you can readily identify with, but yes, the last one of those is nearly 20 years old, and to be honest, JW hasn't really been quite so obvious in recent years.

I dunno, perhaps melodies have fallen out of fashion in the movies. We still like them, because we sill like 'songs' but it would appear that unless there's words strapped on, we don't really care for such stuff any more?

venusian:

I've got it in front of me.

Doesn't 'Micro-Scoring' just mean making little bits of music instead of big bits of music?

In any case, I've just been on his web site, listened to to some stuff and while impressive in a soundtrack context, it's not really what I was talking about in the OP.

There's nothing there you could whistle while walking round Sainsbury's.

[Darkflame]

Nonsense. We still love lots of great movie themes - with or without lyrics.
Pirates of the Caribbean had some especially memorable work. (Zimmer somewhat replacing Wiliams these days).

Things are somewhat less hummable, maybe, due to instrument styles I think. Certainly applies to, say, Daft Punk Tron rather then Wendy Carlos Tron.
But they are supplying just as much, if not more, enjoyment then ever.

If your looking for simple hummable tunes there still around too - tv shows. I mention "Dexter" and that theme will be instantly be playing in some heads that read this.

[Muttley]

One of my favourite instrumental tunes in a game from recent years:


Jesper Kyd did some amazing work on the Assassin's Creed games:


Unfortunately they've now started using Lorne Balfe for the more recent games and I find his stuff horribly generic and dull.

[rowan]

OK another I was just reminded of: *Everything* in Grim Fandango. Probably everything Peter McConnell's done actually, but Grim Fandango was really stand-out for me.

[AlbertKatraz]

Darkflame

Oh TV Show themes are 'proper good'. No mistake.
Althought some sit better with me in the context of what we're talking about than others.

Take 'Game of Thrones' for example.

Absolutely brilliant. Perfect. Fantastic orchestration and a really hummable tune.

'Rome' on the other hand was a bit more a slow burner for me.
Sonically speaking, it's an interesting piece but the melody is utterly fucking banal.
I still like it though because I heard it lots.

Dexter is great, although that intro is way too long.
'Justified' and 'Damages' are also favourites but they're songs with words so don't really count.
etc.

But none of these are games. If more games had intros like TV shows, perhaps I'd STFU.

[Marius]

I also miss the more "hummable" tunes of the 8- and 16-bit era, most game music these days is quite forgettable. But I'd also like the mention the Metroid Prime-series...quite wonderful music in those games And Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver for the PS1 has what I'd most likely consider to be the most "moody" soundtrack I have heard in a video game.




(the main tune starts at the one minute mark. From the C64-game Spellbound)

[Ollie]

If your looking for simple hummable tunes there still around too - tv shows. I mention "Dexter" and that theme will be instantly be playing in some heads that read this.

Yeah, but for every "Dexter" there's a dozen shows that I can't call the tune to mind for (or that don't have one - it's fashionable these days to have just a brief animated title card with a short snatch of non-melodic instrumental sound, isn't it?). OTOH I can probably remember the theme tunes of 90% of the shows that I watched regularly in the 70s and 80s.

[AlbertKatraz]

I agree Ollie.

And I have no idea why except to propose that writing good melodies is a skill that's not in every musicians bag of tricks - a bag of tricks that became more easy to fill with the crutch of technology rather than just using it to take what we already had to another level.

But not everyone is Trevor Horn are they?

[(o)(o)]

And I have no idea why except to propose that writing good melodies is a skill that's not in every musicians bag of tricks

It's much easier to write simple melodies than it is to write a sophisticated score.

The sort of thing you're hankering after is just not in as much demand these days.

But not everyone is Trevor Horn are they?

Interesting example. The Buggles version wasn't the first version by the way :




....but notably it's a lot more complex than it sounds.