The Sound of Music
'Next-gen'... a term we've all become familiar with since the Xbox 360's release back in late 2005. It seems to have become synonymous with a leap in visual fidelity, with most developers utilising the new technology by cramming more and more polygons onto your screen. Artificial Intelligence has seen a major improvement too, with enemies able to react almost as if they're real, living human beings. And let us not forget how much the online side of gaming has evolved these past 5 years. Only recently, MAG was released on the PS3, which let 256 people play simultaneously...a big feat of online engineering! But what about the music?
A game's soundtrack is, in my opinion, the thing that defines the game itself. Looking back to 16-bit gaming, where memory constraints were tight, music tended to be simple keyboard melodies, nothing more than an archaic 'ringtone' today. But as the size of storage mediums is increasing, soundtracks are becoming a much greater part in the overall feel of the game. No longer is it just title-screen music, but instead full blown, context sensitive ballads! The music ebbs and flows just as you do, complementing your experience brilliantly. Of course, not all games do it well, so I've decided to focus on my favourite soundtrack of all...
Halo. Say what you like about the game, story progression, graphics...it's a mixed bunch of reviews. But one common praise of Halo is it's music. The composer, Marty O'Donnell, is a complete genius! He has scored an epic masterpiece, and one which has evolved with each new game. Halo 1 was all about the classical side, with the strings and monks singing etc. This really went with the story, as the religious side was revealed. In Halo 2, the tone changed slightly...whilst the strings were still there, so too were the power riffs blasting from an electric guitar, alongside external contributions from the likes of Breaking Benjamin and Incubus. Gone were the monks, and although it didn't please everybody, being a metal fan myself I welcomed the new direction. Then Halo 3 came along...the end of the fight. Again, he changed the musical style, ditching the electric guitar in favour of heavier drums, a grand piano and...a return for the monks! All this, and it still managed to retain the original tune. If that seems a lot, that's because it is! It's rare that a game's musical adventure is almost as exciting and varied as the adventure itself...but that it was...and I for one feel priviliged to have laid ears on that soundtrack.
Also worth a mention is the Elder Scrolls series, most notably Morrowind and Oblivion. It creates a completely unique feel for the game, and goes so well with the sword/magic style gameplay. Oblivion in particular uses context-sensitive music to it's fullest. Get near an enemy and the music changes from a light, beautiful ditty to a dark, gritty and sombre piece. It can almost scare you at times!
Many games obviously throw in the music at the end of the mix, once the rest of the game is built and working, but Bungie (Halo developers) and Bethesda (Elder Scrolls) did it differently. The music was a big part of the process from the very beginning, and I think it really paid off. If more developers realised what a big part of gaming the music is, we would all notice for sure! Maybe it's just me who appreciates a decent soundtrack, I don't know...maybe I'm crazy? Feel free to let me know down below...
