by EIC Brandon Sheffield
Most game music these days is boring. I'm sorry, but it's true.
Music is one of the more pervasive arts. It's integrated into almost all our visual entertainment media, played in stores, supports our advertising, and obnoxiously decorates our social networking pages.
Rare is the person who does not listen to music. So with all this music interaction out there, why is so much video game music so consistently generic?
Music, of course, is very subjective. It may even polarize peoples interests more than other traditional arts do, given that listening to music has far more universal appeal than does going to a museum, leafing through an art book, or for many, even watching movies.
Further, it's easy for people to be opinionated about music because all the artists names are very visible, and much easier to recognize than the names of most traditional artists, and sharing an entire song with someone else is often as simple as downloading it or finding it on YouTube. Knowledge about music is easy to come by, and so too are informed opinions.
There are so many hungry musicians out there looking to get into games at cut rates, and yet I keep hearing the same flaccid John Williams-inspired scores, uninspired breakbeats, and generic guitar solos.
The fact is, these days it's quite difficult to identify one game soundtrack from another, and it didn't used to be so. Every video game fan recognizes the Super Mario Bros. tunes, the stage music from Mega Man 2, the main theme of Monkey Island, or the sweeping tones of Road Rash. Why have we moved away from that?
This quote was tailor-made for Motoi Sakuraba.speedpop said:The biggest problem I think is a case of being burnt out. These composers have to do so much in a single game, just imagine what they go through for a series.
I think you're misunderstanding me. MGS and Halo themes are very recognizable and they're awesome. But fashioning your game soundtracks almost exclusively in the vein of movie scores kills the fantastic variety we've seen in the medium previously.Vinci said:Pretty sure Halo is recognizable. I don't ever confuse it with anything else, that's for sure.
He's probably the main offender.SabinFigaro said:This quote was tailor-made for Motoi Sakuraba.
speedpop said:It's the old changing of the guard as well. Kondo did a handful of tracks in Super Mario Galaxy; Egg Planet and Rosa's Observatory which was the hub. Whilst he didn't do much, he still affected a lot of it through overseeing and providing a guiding hand.
Everything else was done by a "kid" called Mahito Yokota, and I felt that Nintendo made the right choice. It's time to loosen the shackle of Kondo (and I'm sure Mr Tingle himself would love it) and I think every company has to go through this.
The fact is, these days it's quite difficult to identify one game soundtrack from another, and it didn't used to be so.
Somnid said:Those 2 tracks were perhaps some of the best in the game.
But it's a lot about attitude. Kondo wanted the music to be an entity in the game, not just background noise, or a soundtrack. Even listening to the soundtrack doesn't give you the same sense as playing the game because the sound was nice and dynamic.
I couldn't agree more with this, and I've been saying the same thing for at least a few years now. With better technology also comes an excuse for lack of creativity. Melodic tunes are no longer a necessity when it comes to game composition; these days, you can simply rely on your 37-piece orchestras or techno drum loop mixes as a crutch. It's been getting more and more frequent, and it seems that most gamers really just don't care.biggkidd32 said:The article continues at http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=23401
But the author makes a good point. While I do love the great orchestral scores found in the Metal Gear Solid series and Halo, for example. I do miss the older melodic tunes from the previous generations and how sound designers were able to push limited hardware to great results, such as, Mega Man 2, Ninja Gaiden, Metroid, Sonic the Hedgehog, and on and on.
Any thoughts?
Amir0x said:Answer: You are no longer eight years old
timetokill said:It's generally true. There are some standouts, like Super Mario Galaxy or Metal Gear Solid or Halo or something, but to a large extent it's just generic "orchestral" filler.
_Alkaline_ said:What's wrong with game music? Amir0x.
Amir0x said:Answer: You are no longer eight years old
Sub-Answer: Shadow of the Colossus, for example, has a soundtrack infinitely superior to the game music of old, you just don't have your nostalgic jollies to back it up. So does Super Mario Galaxy.
Counter-counterpoint: Mega Man 9 soundtrack with the reorchestrations, which are better than the tunes as they are in MM9.Iam Canadian said:Counterpoint: Mega Man 9. Brand new soundtrack that can stand proudly with the NES series in terms of catchiness because it's composed with the same mindset as the classics, the same emphasis on melodic songs over technology.
SabinFigaro said:This quote was tailor-made for Motoi Sakuraba.
That's the sound/audio engineers job though. Most, if not all, composers work in a traditional method in front of a piano or keyboard and write scores which is then translated onto the sound engine in-game.Iam Canadian said:Counterpoint: Mega Man 9. Brand new soundtrack that can stand proudly with the NES series in terms of catchiness because it's composed with the same mindset as the classics, the same emphasis on melodic songs over technology.
Ah the good old rose tinted glasses counterpoint. Like I said earlier there's still great soundtracks out there. I'm talking about variety. That's why I appreciate Q games and their approach. Most of their game soundtracks are so out there, in a good way.Amir0x said:Answer: You are no longer eight years old
Sub-Answer: Shadow of the Colossus, for example, has a soundtrack infinitely superior to the game music of old, you just don't have your nostalgic jollies to back it up. So does Super Mario Galaxy.
Amir0x said:I'm not sure how I am responsible for you aging.
biggkidd32 said:Ah the good old rose tinted glasses counterpoint. Like I said earlier there's still great soundtracks out there. I'm talking about variety. That's why I appreciate Q games and their approach. Most of their game soundtracks are so out there, in a good way.
_Alkaline_ said:Back then composers were very, very limited with what they had to work with. Producing good music demanded absolute creativity, otherwise it would always sound like ass. Composers thought outside the box to produce the classic tunes that we know so well today.
Who said I was talking about the 8bit generation only?Amir0x said:I absolutely guarantee you there is a hundred trillion times more variety in game music today than there was EVER in the NES age.
I am probably underestimating it, for fuck's sake.
biggkidd32 said:Who said I was talking about the 8bit generation only?
Iam Canadian said:the same emphasis on melodic songs over technology.
Bu-bu-bu-but sitar in Mario 64!!!Amir0x said:Probably throw in 64bit 'cause, really, N64?
_Alkaline_ said:It's nothing to do with age.
Back then composers were very, very limited with what they had to work with. Producing good music demanded absolute creativity, otherwise it would always sound like ass. Composers thought outside the box to produce the classic tunes that we know so well today.
These tunes still hold up and best many of today's efforts. For instance, Mega Man III > Bioshock.
And it's not nostalgia talking either. Only recently did I play a little game called Journey to Silius. Blew me away. This a 1990 game we are talking about. No rose-coloured glasses here. Just amazing music.
Just because something's old doesn't mean it becomes futile in the modern world. The strive for quality orchestration in today's gaming has meant that composition often gets overshadowed. I'm not saying modern music sucks - Galaxy, Collosus, Halo, etc are all amazing musical achievements - but these efforts are becoming rarer and rarer.
Amir0x said:I absolutely guarantee you there is a hundred trillion times more variety in game music today than there was EVER in the NES age.
I am probably underestimating it, for fuck's sake.
It doesn't surprise me Wii fans are espousing the factually bullshit "LIMITATIONS HELP CREATIVITY" line, but real artists know when it is appropriate to limit themselves, and when it is not. They also know having the widest pallet possible is always best to achieving their goals, even if they choose not to use some elements of "advanced" music or whatever the fuck technology you guys are damning. What is appropriate for the time may not be appropriate for later. There was just as many shitty tracks in the NES era, if not more, as "modern era." The only difference is you are no longer eight, and these "gaming moments" are no longer intertwined with your calming, developmental memories of "no responsibility" and all day gaming.
HK-47 said:IMO, no.
I'll take atmosphere over catchiness.
What, you think everyone has your opinion?
I AM JOHN! said:Bu-bu-bu-but sitar in Mario 64!!!
Here's a perfect example of how the lack of limitations can make something better:
Here's Windy and Co. from Conker's Bad Fur Day, probably one of my favorite game tracks of all time. Compare this to Windy and Co. from Live and Reloaded and try and tell me that the N64 version is better.