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I really don't like how video game music is no longer, well, video game music

C

Chao

Member
I think the first time I noticed this change of direction was probably with Ocarina of Time, probably was there before but that's when it hit me.

The game still has very memorable tunes, but felt pretty weird to me entering a dungeon and listening to weird ambient music, to the point that the only one I can remember at the moment is the forest temple because of those stupid "DOOT-DOOT, DOOT-DOOT"voices that got stuck in my head forever.

The more cinematic the games got, the more it shifted from short loops you can't stop whistling to movie-like sound that just stays in the background while some brown haired guy in his 30s talks gives a speech.

Just now some street fighter 2 tunes popped in my playlist and automatically started whistling every single note. On the other hand played a lot of Street Fighter 4 and I can't remember a single stage track - "indestructible" still won't go away, the one memorable track in that game because you hear it everywhere - .

Of course there are still games with memorable videogamey music, and I believe they're mostly from japanese developers. I guess it's more part of their design philosophy that it is of western developers?

The debate started again with Uncharted 4, some think the previous games had a more memorable soundtrack and I feel the same way. U4 sounds like a movie and does a very good job at it, but U1-3 had that kind of music you can instantly recognize by just hearing the first notes.

Now I'm worried about Zelda U, I know they're trying new things with the franchise, but getting that super memorable music back it's what I would love the most, and I know Nintendo can pull it but I'm not sure if they care about that.

TLDR: Do you miss the times when every single piece of video game music was a potential earworm or am I an old man yelling at cloud?
 
O

oni-link

Member
There is still a lot of good game music

I understand where you're coming from though, the ambient or cinematic music can add to the tone or atmosphere in game but it's not the kind of thing that works well on it's own
 
N

Nights Owl

Member
I agree 1000000% with this.

I love the new DooM. But uh, where's the kickin' tunes? Where's my jams? Only when some big fight breaks out there's music. But that makes makes the exploring really boring IMO.

And it's why I can't get into a lot of games. If there's no music, it feels SO empty to me. It's really lame.
 
G

Gu4n

Member
I don't know. The games I played -- mostly RPG's -- still have as much memorable tunes as they used to 20 years ago. There is a movement in the game industry that is aiming for a more cinematic experience such as Uncharted that go for the ambient music, but there's also a sea of smaller scaled games out there with absolutely superb music. Try to expand your horizon a little: really, it's still out there.
 
E

Earthpainting

Member
As video games got more cinematic, this was inevitable. In old games, music had to carry a lot in a scene. Nowadays we have voice acting, and elaborate choreography and direction. The music has to complement these elements now, rather than overpower or distract from them.

There are still plenty games out there that sound like video game-ass video games in the music department though. They are usually well-represented in our annual Soundtrack of the Year threads, so I recommend popping in some time in December to catch up and enjoy.
 
M

Milijango

Member
Uncharted 1-3 had good music? I remember the main theme and the bit that played in the desert. Are there any other examples that could be recognised "from the first few notes"?

I think there's a good balance to be had. Bloodborne has this phenomenal orchestral track that also happens to be a 70 second loop. You can only get away with that in a video game. Unfortunately, those are rarities and I don't know of any western examples.
 
M

Monty Mole

Member
Completely agree with this. Videogame music was a genre all in itself, and not just because of the hardware used. Really good videogame music can seriously elevate a game to a whole new level too - FEZ and Shatter come to mind.

AAA games just seem to go down the generic movie soundtrack style route now, and indie games often have a tendency to go with minimalistic beats and synths with no real stand-out themes. But there are exceptions, and those exceptions can be glorious... like FEZ.

Still you can't beat the C64 SID chip days or the Amiga MOD days. Amazing times.
 
H

Heartfyre

Member
Uncharted's music always struck me as the exception to the rule -- video game music is much more melodically-oriented when it comes from Japan. You imply that this is a recent change, but I would say it's been the case since the SNES era, if not perpetuity.

But it doesn't matter, since Japan is still pumping out incredible soundtracks. Dark Souls III's was the best in the series, and I'm LTTP through Heavensward's superb score at the moment. Frankly, I don't see any sea change to be concerned about -- it's the status quo maintaining itself.
 
O

oni-link

Member
dampflokfreund said:
Agreed. Its sad,I want short memoryable kickass tunes in my games back
Click to expand...

They didn't really leave

I think with last gen being dominated by western games we saw a lot more orchestral and cinematic soundtracks, but they suit those type of games

You can't have an Uncharted game with a chip tune soundtrack, it wouldn't thematically work, in the same way a Mega Man game with a orchestral soundtrack wouldn't work

If you look to indies or Japanese games from the last decade a lot have great music, it's just that we have a lot more games now and a lot of the bigger games suit atmospheric soundtracks and not catchy ones
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
Chao said:
The debate started again with Uncharted 4, some think the previous games had a more memorable soundtrack and I feel the same way. U4 sounds like a movie and does a very good job at it, but U1-3 had that kind of music you can instantly recognize by just hearing the first notes.
Click to expand...

The only track I ever hear people talking about from previous games is Nate's Theme. Those soundtracks as a whole are fairly unmemorable. U4 is really the first time after I completed an Uncharted that I actually remembered songs from it. For Better or Worse in particular is really great.
 
C

Crayolan

Member
There's still plenty of great video game music that isn't just ambient-style stuff. AAA cinematic games are not even close to all there is.

And I wouldn't worry about Zelda. Skyward Sword was probably the most "cinematic" game in the series and it had songs like this, this, and this.
 
T

Trigonometrize.

Member
A LOT of old video game music was trash, but it was also in-your-face trash, which makes it worse. I like melodic music as much as the next guy, but I'm also fine with composers making their scores something I can forget about in the background if they don't have the chops to make music I actually like in my games.

Stuff that is happening today one-ups a lot of the famous tracks from the good ol' days, like Persona 5 and Shovel Knight.
 
G

Golnei

Member
Gu4n said:
I don't know. The games I played -- mostly RPG's -- still have as much memorable tunes as they used to 20 years ago. There is a movement in the game industry that is aiming for a more cinematic experience such as Uncharted that go for the ambient music, but there's also a sea of smaller scaled games out there with absolutely superb music. Try to expand your horizon a little: really, it's still out there.
Click to expand...

I see it as more of a case of expansion too - the biggest and most mainstream examples of game music have shifted from what was most visible 25 years ago, but they're only one part of a landscape that's more diverse than it's ever been, and there's plenty of work still being produced that takes influence from the styles most common in earlier eras.
 
H

Heartfyre

Member
kromeo said:
Pharos Sirius, Ramuh fight <3

Apart from the hideous metal tunes in most of the primal fights that game is pretty much GOAT for music
Click to expand...

I start every play session in Ishgard and just listen to the night theme and walk around, taking in the atmosphere. I don't even like metal music, but I really got into the effect of the lyrics introducing themselves in the second phase of the Ravana fight.
 
V

vocab

Member
SFIV just has bad music.

There's no shortage of good music in games. AAA don't value it that much. RPG's/indies in general value it more than most.
 
O

OVDRobo

Member
I don't disagree with your problems, but it all comes down the style of game and who it is trying to appeal to.

As video games continue to evolve and become more diverse, you're going to come across different styles of graphics, music, story and character that don't fit exactly with what you think a video game should include.

Orchestral music isn't inherently bad, nor is ambient music, but I prefer melodic music that will stick in my head to scene-setting orchestral music most of the time. Some orchestral music goes above and beyond such Bloodborne, Uncharted etc. but it's rarely the type of music I'd like to listen to outside of the game.

As you say, some games are still using 'video-gamey' music and it definitely tends to be more common in Japanese soundtracks, for whatever reason. This track made me feel like I was playing a game from the 16-bit generation when I first heard it, for example.

I think Japanese games and Indie games will definitely be the main source of most video-game style music from now on, but that's not all that bad. It just means that games are continuing to evolve and orchestral soundtracks have more mass-market appeal.
 
Acquiescence

Acquiescence

Member
Music feels like it's trying to emulate movie soundtracks too much these days. Sweeping orchestra just isn't as memorable to me as the more dialed-down electronic sounds I grew up with, where catchy melodies were really pushed to the fore. I know I'm generalizing and expressing myself in broad strokes here, but that's honestly what it feels like to me. Not definitively, but for the most part.

I guess there's a reason why Vangelis' Blade Runner work is my favourite movie OST of all time.
 
M

MoonsaultSlayer

Member
Milijango said:
Uncharted 1-3 had good music? I remember the main theme and the bit that played in the desert. Are there any other examples that could be recognised "from the first few notes"?

I think there's a good balance to be had. Bloodborne has this phenomenal orchestral track that also happens to be a 70 second loop. You can only get away with that in a video game. Unfortunately, those are rarities and I don't know of any western examples.
Click to expand...

SolidSnakex said:
The only track I ever hear people talking about from previous games is Nate's Theme. Those soundtracks as a whole are fairly unmemorable. U4 is really the first time after I completed an Uncharted that I actually remembered songs from it. For Better or Worse in particular is really great.
Click to expand...

From the first half of the original alone, stuff like:

https://youtu.be/3Whh8USsn7w

https://youtu.be/mJtDHLUmGJQ

https://youtu.be/RhqWpAJz-7E

Were instantly memorable and recognizable.
 
T

Timedog

good credit (by proxy)
I agree completely. I don't completely dislike modern gaming music, it has it's place, but I want catchy up-front tunes that are almost as much a part of the game as the gameplay. I actually like getting beat in the head by the developer trying to convey the mood of the level through music.

Edit: Yeah, Shovel Knight is that hood shit.
 
B

BGBW

Maturity, bitches.
I agree on too much orchestration (read: classical), well more too much requesting for orchestration. There's a whole world of genres and instruments that can be explored, but no it's all epic pieces with choirs going AH HAA AH HAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA that you forget the moment it's finished.

The next Legend of Zelda should have a UK Garage soundtrack.

Saying that, there are good modern pieces. Mario Kart 8's OST is one of the best in the series.
 
A

Azoor

Member
Gaming music just became more diverse as technology allowed to put more diverse styles and tones into games. I love some 8 bit soundtracks and I like some modern orchestral soundtracks too.
 
F

Falk

that puzzling face
Earthpainting said:
As video games got more cinematic, this was inevitable. In old games, music had to carry a lot in a scene. Nowadays we have voice acting and elaborate choreography and direction. The music has to complement these elements now, rather than overpower or distract from them.
Click to expand...

Bingo.

There are still plenty games out there that sound like video game-ass video games in the music department. They usually well-represented in our annual Soundtrack of the Year threads, so I recommend popping in some time in December to catch up and enjoy.
Click to expand...

Double bingo.
 
M

MikeyB

Member
Was the music you liked used for anything other than games that had levels that took 3-5 minutes? Even old Doom levels were relatively short.

What about Warcraft 2? Civilization 2? Still video game music?

My guess is that the decline of the game music that you enjoyed was a result of improvements in technology and increase in game level length.

I mean, if you had to drive around a GTAV sized world with the soundtrack from Road Rash or play through Dark Souls with the tracks from Golden Axe you'd go insane or at least drive everyone else around you insane.
 
O

OrlanisWorks

Banned
Eh. I really love how far video game music has come along. It now encompasses a whole bunch of genres and other genres have adopted a lot of the old video game sounds and styles. Most of the best video game music I've heard has come out over the past 10 years. Short, repetitive loops... I'm glad they are in the past for the most part. I love music that evolves. Some of the cinematic music though, like a lot of tracks in Call of Duty games: strictly serviceable.

On the Uncharted comment: Nate's theme I can instantly recognize. Fantastic track, no doubt. Everything else in Uncharted 1-3, I personally can't recall. UC4 had a few fantastic tracks though that I gotta hear again. Those will stick with me.

Disasterpiece and Lifeformed kick ass, btw. /...rant?
 
S

Shep572

Neo Member
Aters said:
Disagree.
Too little orchestra and too much electronic is my complain.
Click to expand...

Yeah, completely agree.

Hate cheap synth soundtracks, feel like the zelda remasters should have had a full orchestral remaster as well, like what 343 did with Halo 2 Anniversary
 
J

Jonnax

Member
Yeah. Look at Ocremix. There's barely any remixes for new games.

Games have become very "filmic" in general where usually there's only one theme song and it plays either in the menu screen or the ending.
 
I

ichtyander

Member
There's a place for everything, but it's never a good thing when only one style dominates the AAA market, so yeah, I generally agree with you OP.

As in, there is a tangible quality in having a repeating, memorable tune looping in a level, one that creates a distinct feel to the game and said level/area. I don't think it should be limited to oldschool-style, indie pixel art games and the like, and game devs should experiment more with that in the larger titles.

There's also some wonderful orchestral stuff that has a distinct theme, and can still retain some atmospheric qualities, like Gothic 3's Vista Point or Oblivion's Wings of Kynareth.
 
C

CloudWolf

Member
Video game music is a confusing term for me. For instance, what would you call the old Fallout soundtracks? Are those not "video game music"? Going by the OP I'm guessing no. In that case, screw video game music.
 
A

Auto-Reply

Member
I'm with you 100%, I listen to classic tunes down to the C64 era regulary, also modern interpretations of them etc.

Big orchestra symphonies need more than just a wide range of instruments and sound quality, they need a hook, a melody that sticks. There are tons of movie soundtracks that can be considered very good and they are forgotten right after watching the movie because they lack these qualities aswell.

Composers should experiment more with other instruments that usually don't belong in a classical orchestra set up.

There is nothing more boring than high quality blandness.
 
D

Doc_Drop

Member
I disagree, music in video games are more diverse and all encompassing than ever. Of recent memory, FO4, Dragon Age Inquisition, Divinity Original Sin, and Pillars of Eternity all have great soundtracks. But then again, most RPGs have great soundtracks.
 
T

Timedog

good credit (by proxy)
I want a 2D AAA game that feels, in every respect, like what 90's developers would make if they were given modern computing power. Like a 2D Metroid with the best team and an insane budget. I think other people that aren't me might like that too.
 
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