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On The Quality Of Licensed Game Soundtracks
Thanks to GameSpot for their 'GameSpotting' editorial discussing the correct blend of licensed music for videogame soundtracks. The writer argues that "there isn't anything inherently bad" in using licensed music, but suggests: "Whether you produce your own music or use existing music for your soundtrack, thematic consistency is of the utmost importance." He then picks Wipeout XL ("[changed] how people perceived music in video games") and the more recent True Crime ("a well-made licensed soundtrack") as good examples of this, before singling out the EA Sports Trax program, as used in Madden 2004 and others, as "destined to fail - 'cus you can't make a good soundtrack out of singles." Do you have a favorite licensed soundtrack, or is the whole concept a concern to you?
I don't understand how this article doesn't mention Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. That is probably the single best video game soundtrack ever.
For those of you who haven't played it, Grand Theft Auto has you running into and out of various cars. Each car has a radio, and you can choose from maybe a dozen stations. Vice City was set in the 80s, and all of the songs on the radio were actual radio hits from the 80s.
This was really a genius move. It added such a level of authenticity to the game, and since these songs were already a couple of decades old, it won't feel stale and dated a few years from now (like a soundtrack made of current hit singles might).
I sincerely believe in original soundtracks (if done well). The best example is Grand Theft Auto III. Since what I was being immersed in was a fictitious city, with fictitious ads, I felt the fictitious, but realistic, radio stations really added alot to that feeling of immersion. I felt like I was in "Liberty City", a realistic but still wholey unique and fictitious world.
Before anyone goes and nay-says me, saying that GTA3 had some licensed tracks, they were for the most part obscure enough to count as original in my book. They were not big name singles like in GTA Vice City. And personally I didn't recognize anything but the classical/opera tracks.
Which brings me to a great example of why I feel original works better than licensed: GTA Vice City brought us a bunch of memorable 80's tunes. I (We) already have real-world memories associated with those songs. We've seen videos, we've seen the artists, and we've heard them on the radio or in other media for that matter. So it's hard to feel that we're in a unique new city. Instead, it feels more like I'm playing a virtual Miami Vice.
What further broke the entire coherence of the immersion in a virtual world through its sound and music was the addition of voice-ver work for the player's own character. In GTA III your player never said a word. That's because you WERE that character. Whatever you thought in your head in reaction to what you saw and heard in the game, was your own. It helped immerse yourself in the game's world.
But in Vice City, suddenly you hear "yourself" saying things. To me, half the time I don't even realize it's my player character talking. I first think it's just more banter from the pedestrians in the game, and then when I understand the context of the phrase uttered I realize it's my player character saying it. It just doesn't work as well as keeping him silent. If the cops are honking and I'm standing in their way... let ME tell them to fuck off. It works better than making that decision, that "impulse" for me.
Do you have a favorite licensed soundtrack, or is the whole concept a concern to you?
Not sure about how things were licensed and whatnot, but my favourite soundtrack was probably Trent Reznor's (NIN) score for Quake. Creepy ambient music, perfect for blasting zombies. The soundtrack to the sequel sounded too cheesy-90s-action-flick.
For some reason midi died. I blame consoles but I blame them for anything. More likely just to many cheapo soundcards came out that did not properly support midi. Instead some games. Tombraider comes to mind played music from the cd. Not file from the CD. Actual cd music. In fact speech was played from the cd as well. This more then anything else is my reason for hating consoles. Anyone who played it on a pc would probably agree.
Anyway. Nowadays music is most often an MP3 or even more recent an OGG or somthing like that. And I noticed something. Almost always switching the music off will improve not only speed but stability as well. The speed issue has dropped a bit since Command & Conquer days but the stability still seems to be there for me. Over several new pc's I always noticed that if a game reguarly freezes switching the music off will help.
That and the fact that most music is crap and even more crappily mixed. Soft music during heavy combat then swelling up as people start to talk.
So leave the music out eh? Or least keep it to the movies. I can play my own cd's thank you very much. My tastes are probably different anyway. Worst example of that was playing Kotor and finding a techno beat in some places. Ewh.
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This series, for me at least, has offered the best blend of different genres in terms of licensed music. If you like rap/hip-hop...you're covered. If you like rock...you're covered. If you like punk...you've more than covered. Before these games, I had a tendency to turn the music off (volume down), leave the ambient noises on and put on some cd or another. I do hope that future iterations on PS2 will utilize the HDD and allow people to play music of their own choice, though...because one Strike Anywhere song only makes me want to hear a bunch of Strike Anywhere songs.
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'nuff said
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