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The Video Game Music Thread

Bruticis

Guest
I've been listening to the Lazarus Soundtrack quite a bit lately and it's pretty damn good considering the resources and talent they had available to them.


I think the Shadowlords is my favorite track of the bunch but I'm not finding it on youtube, so here's a direct link:
http://lazarus.thehawkonline.com/music/Shadowlords.mp3
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2010
Messages
3,524
Agree with this choice.

But just one thing. With me forcing myself through Morrowind recently, I just can't help but feel like I have heard the entire track before. Jeremy Soule sounds the exact same in some of his games, and the resemblance between parts of the NWN soundtrack and the Morrowind soundtrack is stunning. I swear, I once double-checked several tracks of Soule until I found two tracks from different games that sounded almost exactly the same.

I did this also. Keep in mind, the biggest similarities can be found between the Dungeon Siege, Morrowind and Neverwinter Nights soundtracks, with their release dates being 5th April, 1st May & 18th June respectively, all in 2002. So we have 3 sword & sorcery fantasy games all released within a couple of months by different studios using the same composer. Some of it actually uses the exact same underlying sequence, and it doesn't help that he continually reuses the same instruments in the same instrument libraries again and again. Under the circumstances I am hardly surprised that it turned out that way, but there is never an excuse for that sort of thing in the final product. It is a matter of either accepting the money and taking on the extra responsibility and difficulty or turning something down and maintaining the standard as a composer. Even though I like all three of the soundtracks, and he obviously worked under great pressure at the time, I don't think a self-respecting composer should make decisions like that.
 

Nomask Alt

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 19, 2012
Messages
920
Agree with this choice.

But just one thing. With me forcing myself through Morrowind recently, I just can't help but feel like I have heard the entire track before. Jeremy Soule sounds the exact same in some of his games, and the resemblance between parts of the NWN soundtrack and the Morrowind soundtrack is stunning. I swear, I once double-checked several tracks of Soule until I found two tracks from different games that sounded almost exactly the same.

I did this also. Keep in mind, the biggest similarities can be found between the Dungeon Siege, Morrowind and Neverwinter Nights soundtracks, with their release dates being 5th April, 1st May & 18th June respectively, all in 2002. So we have 3 sword & sorcery fantasy games all released within a couple of months by different studios using the same composer. Some of it actually uses the exact same underlying sequence, and it doesn't help that he continually reuses the same instruments in the same instrument libraries again and again. Under the circumstances I am hardly surprised that it turned out that way, but there is never an excuse for that sort of thing in the final product. It is a matter of either accepting the money and taking on the extra responsibility and difficulty or turning something down and maintaining the standard as a composer. Even though I like all three of the soundtracks, and he obviously worked under great pressure at the time, I don't think a self-respecting composer should make decisions like that.
But Soule is a genius. All of that is like complaining that Mozart composed too much, accepted the money on too many occasions. Well, maybe he needed the money; and he still composed great music regardless of any pressure or similarities.

You don't like the similarities? So don't listen to them all then. The result is as if he hadn't composed them.
 

SCO

Arcane
In My Safe Space
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
16,320
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
most of Stephane picq is pretty good in a surreal manner. He did the kgb music above and:


lost eden


It's also a crime that turrican 2 (Chris Hülsbeck) wasn't mentioned yet:


and this

(Kenny Chou - minor talent. Good tune though)
 

circ

Arcane
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
11,470
Location
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Picq is indeed great. Especially his Dune stuff and Lost Eden. And I think he did some good stuff for Captain Blood too? I forget. Sadly I think I read about him pretty much giving up music because it wasn't a very consistent paycheck or something like that.
 

Carrion

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Messages
3,648
Location
Lost in Necropolis
Brütal Legend had ANGEL WITCH, ANVIL, BLACK SABBATH, BROCAS HELM, CANDLEMASS, CLOVEN HOOF, CORONER, DIAMOND HEAD, JUDAS PRIEST, KING DIAMOND, MANOWAR, MOTÖRHEAD, OMEN, OSTROGOTH, RIOT, RUNNING WILD, SCORPIONS and SLAYER among others, and especially early stuff from those bands instead of their wimpy and tired 90's/2000's songs. I haven't even played the game but in terms of quantity of awesome songs that soundtrack is pretty much unbeatable. Doom and Doom 2 also tastefully ripped off Slayer and Venom among others and were overall just awesome.

When it comes to original game music, Torment probably has the most solid soundtrack out there (not sure how much Morgan ripped off someone else here). The first NOLF was also great.
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
Patron
Joined
May 13, 2009
Messages
27,088
Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
Song from Gothic 1

Star Control 2 called, the Dnyarri wants its theme back.

Speaking of Star Control 2, I'd say just about every track from that game deserves a mention here, but I'll only add one:



System Shock 2 music

I have one problem with the soundtrack in System Shock 2. It's good, but it just doesn't fit the game AT ALL. I still don't understand why so many people like it. It's pretty much the only thing I turn OFF whenever I play SS2. ("Silence the discord" ;-) )

The only memorable thing for me from Clive Barker's Undying (besides the painting showin in the video):



And then there's this:

 

Deleted member 7219

Guest


Jesper Kyd's work on Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is excellent.
 

Deleted member 7219

Guest
Also:



From Dear Esther.

Yes, I like string instruments.

Something a bit more Codex:

 

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