Face The Muzak -
October 25, 2001 - Brooke Bolander
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed
within this column are those of the participants and the
moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the
GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive
material afoot. In Heaven, everything is fine. Don't say we didn't warn you.
The topic - game music.
...What? You want me to say something about it? Alrighty. Game music can be very, very good (Chrono Cross) or it can be very bad (LOD) or it can be non-existant, as with ICO. And...erm, well, that's what the rest of the column is about. Yes.
You're still up here?! READ!
| Farting Ducks Living Dangerously. |
| The reason I haven't jumped out of a swing lately is they've now taken out the big old swingsets and jungle gyms and replaced them with little plastic ones. The swings nowadays have grip texture on them - It's almost as if the designers don't want kids flinging themselves across the gravel and into the sandbox. Why, when I was a kid we had cool wood and metal jungle gyms that were about two stories high, and in the winter they were slippery and there was ice beneath them. I remember at least one time that I personally fell off the top level and landed on my head. I'm not sure what my point is.
Anyways, having actual musical instruments involved in game soundtracks has to be a good thing, ultimately. Nothing against 8-bit bleeps and bloops - I love the soundtrack of Mega Man 2, for instance - but more options are always preferable. Fully electronic soundtracks are rare outside of games, and it's because traditionally performed music generally sounds richer, sweeter, and more emotional. Look at it this way; when Ramza and Delita make music with blades of grass in FFTactics, it sounds like ducks farting, pretty much killing what could have been a beautiful scene.
-Sanagi
May the vib ribbon rise up to meet you.
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Well that just sucks. How are kids supposed to scare themselves witless if they can't jump out of swings every once in awhile? I tell ya, parents don't want their kids doing anything nowadays. They can't play games because the horrible violence might scar them for life, and they can't go outside and leap dangerously out of rickety swings because they might knock out a tooth or something. What are kids supposed to do, stare at the wall all afternoon?
...The topic, the topic, right. Sound effects that actually sound like the instruments in question could really enhance things. Just think, flutes that actually sound like flutes and not waterfowl battling gastric distress! What a wonderful world we live in.
Oh, and I believe those were reed flutes, not grass blades. I could be wrong though; it sounded like dying crickets, one way or the other.
| ...That wasn't live? |
| Brookie-chan,
Arranged scores are good. No, wait, arranged scores are VERY good. Well get kick-ASS songs from arranged soundtracks. Final Fantasy VII gave us "One-Winged Angel," Final Fantasy VIII gave us "Liberi Fatali," Chrono Cross gave us "Scars of Time" and "Radical Dreamers ~Unstolen Jewel~," and Chrono Trigger PSX gave us those super-nifty arrangements of those tunes that I have loved to a thousands deaths. We also get those cool little J-Pop tunes that a lot of quirkier RPGs (Tales of Phantasia, Lunar, etc.) have for ending themes.
Live scores aren't really necessary, however. The Chrono Cross soundtrack was all synthesized, but the sample quality in the game was so good you couldn't tell in a lot of cases (not to mention Yasunori Mitsuda's attention to detail: listen to "Home Arni Village," and notice the sound of a finger running across a guitar string during chord changes). On the other hand (or is it back to the first hand?), Mitsuda is at his best with live music. I've already mentioned "Scars of Time" and "Radical Dreamers," but listening to some of the songs from the Xenosaga soundtrack (warning: incoming classical music reference), "The Miracle" sounds a lot like the stuff out of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. I cannot stress the following fact enough: Mitsuda. Is. God.
Now, on the other hand, live video game music has also given us Eyes on Me. God, I hate that song.
- An'Desha, who wanted to kill himself when he saw a letter to GameCritics.com that said "Dragoon is better than Chrono Cross."
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The Chrono Cross soundtrack is utterly amazing for just the reasons you gave - I couldn't even tell it wasn't a live score until someone told me. The fact that Mitsuda got such an amazing sound out of it without using a live orchestra or musicians is jaw-dropping. And Scars of Time...well, it's Scars of Time. Anyone who thinks it would sound better in MIDI format is just asking to get laughed off-stage.
I'm not particularly fond of live video game music when it sounds like Eyes on Me, though. Luna's Boat Song in Lunar was great (oh god, here come the other punks to beat sense into the strayed sheep) but Eyes on Me - gah. Too...much...sugar...killing..me...
| Booooo, real music suX0rz! |
| BB,
It's a good thing . . . if orchestrated music jives well enough with the
overall tone of the game. Xenosaga has been dubbed as an epic space drama,
so epic space drama music would be fine. Other games need other music.
Chrono Cross fit the bill with its Celtic/Island music, and FF7 matched its
gritty techno-steam punk world with synthesized chords. I think the style of
music is just about as important as the actual songs in conveying a
particular mood for the game.
I dunno, maybe the step up to orchestration is just what game music needs to
finally bust out into the mainstream public and receive the recognition it
so rightfully deserves.
-Red Raven
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The only problem with game music bursting into the public conciousness is...well, classical soundtracks for films don't sell as great as mainstream pop chart-toppers anyway. They are a niche, something that people buy, but not in mass quantities. Can you imagine some kid buying a soundtrack filled with choral movements and violins, then trying to play it at school? Other people would laugh and beat the snot out of him, because for whatever reason it's just not as acceptable to listen to classical as it is to bring in the new Limp Bizkit CD. God knows why.
So basically game music would be taking the leap from one niche market to another. More people would buy the fully orchestrated stuff, but it still wouldn't be a popular, 'mainstream' thing. We just can't win.
| Give synths a chance. |
| Ms. Bolander,
I think that games will never break out of the perception of being a vapid
diversion until it gets out of this synth music rut. We've broken the
childish graphics barrier, we've sort of broken the silly story barrier (our
stories are at least now more than "save the princess"), we've even broken
through the "blip" as an acceptable sound effect barrier. But for some
reason companies (as a whole) still insist on handing us music that's stuck
2 hardware generations ago. Granted it's getting better, but for every
"Otherworld" or "Time's Scar" there's a "Auron Theme's" or "Seymour's
Theme". Having majored in music, I'm a firm believer in music altering the
perception of an event. The procession of witches in FFVIII wouldn't have
been nearly as cool without the vocal track. Synth is holding gaming back.
Mistuda is so well regarded because his music is so evocative, full of
colors and tones. So it's no surprise that he's going with the London
Philharmonic, in many ways an orchestra affords the largest number of colors
and tones available to a composer. Instruments evoke feelings, a note sounds
sweeter on a flute than on a synth trying to sound like a flute. I liked
synth music on my SNES because it was the best available, now we're capable
of so much more, but 70% of the FFX soundtrack sounds like something from a
SNES Final Fantasy. 30% isn't enough 2 generations later.
A full orchestra shouldn't be compulsory for all games. FFIX's soundtrack
which drew so heavily from the Spanish renaissance would've rocked with just
a renaissance ensemble. Devil May Cry could've done with just a small choir,
Legend of Mana a classical guitar and piano. But with an orchestra you have
so many more options, which is why you see Konami trying to move in that
direction (MGS2, Xenosaga). Just like movies went from an organ to an
orchestra the change for game soundtracks to employ a full orchestra (or at
least real instruments) is inevitable and badly needed. Sure it costs more,
but more and more synth just doesn't cut it anymore.
- Mr. Cruz
True quote from work today: "There's applet #3 and applet #5. But where's
applet #4?! There is no applet #4, bwa ha ha ha!!!"
|
I still think there's a time and a place for synth soundtracks, if done correctly. As was mentioned before, Chrono Cross's entire soundtrack was synthesized, but damn if it didn't sound just as good as any live orchestra you could hire. It all depends on what you do with what you've got, I guess. And the Lunar soundtrack was great, despite the lack of 50 oboes and a tambourine player - synth isn't what's holding game music back, it's people not knowing what to do with it.
| The weird, the weird, and the weirdest. |
| I just wanted to let you know that Pepsiman was actually a Sega game released
on the Japanese Saturn. I'm not quite sure, but I think he is a secret
character in the American version of Fighting Vipers. Just another example
proving that Sega and quirky games is synonymous.
Anyway, when I think of RPGs, I think of full orchestrated music. If the
game is supposed to be epic, well shouldn't the music be epic as well. I
don't think we'll see the death of arranged soundtracks, though. Especially
in non-RPG's. If I ever hear an orchestrated version of the Mario theme,
I'll cringe.
- Jonezy63
|
Dammit, the Japanese Saturn strikes again. You know how yesterday I said the Game Cube would probably come out on top with the most weird games? I was wrong; it's already been beaten to the punch by our old friend Saturn. Mr. Bones? Check. Pepsiman? Check. Sexy Parodius? Check. No wonder these babies go for so much on Ebay...
The very mention of Mario's theme done as a fully orchestrated James Horner/John Williams/Yasunori Mitsuda spectac-u-laaar should make anyone and everyone cringe. There's a lot to be said for good old-fashioned 8-bit power, when everything is said and done. In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Please, for the love of GOD, don't fix it.
| Um, yeah. |
| Hey Brooke,
Orchestras are great, but only for certain scenes. Like an epiphany of a
character or just a special scene. However, a game shouldn't only rely on
it. Hire small bands that are cheaper and could be just as good.
And don't only put orchestra style music in it! I'm tired of hearing
melodies that sounds the exact same in every game. I heard FFX uses rock,
and I'm glad to hear it(is it really though?).
p-air
|
Sweetie, if you think orchestra-style scores in games make everything sound the same, you need to listen a leeetle bit harder. Saying that all RPG music sounds the same just because it's done with instruments (or sounds that way) is like saying...I dunno, that Mudhoney and Creed sound alike or something. Sheesh. Soon you'll be saying that all the scores that use rock sound the same...
| Silence is the only sound you'll hear. |
| The Feisty One,
I must say that it'll be refreshing when I see more orchestral
soundtracks. Because maybe, just MAYBE, the local games magazine,
HYPER>>, will stop complaining about the MIDI soundtracks that Square
seems to love so much.
Really, though, what are we going to do with a full orchestra playing
music that you'll hear _so_ often, _so_ many times over, and almost
never know the name of the track? They're great for film soundtracks;
they absolutely kick ass when they're playing to a packed opera house,
conservatorium, bowl, etc.; but how do you react when you hear that
string section start up again, playing that sequence again, while you
wander around on the map trying to dodge the random battles?
It could ruin a perectly good idea if it gets too repetitive. And,
sadly, the world of games is repetitive. Like all things in life, it
all becomes repetitive. Just like this paragraph in this piece of
mail, it all gets repetitive. And then you snap and BREAK SOMETHING.
Or just turn the volume down and put on your favourite CDs, because
"No, they're not repetitive! You haven't been playing this CD for two
months straight!"
Ahem. Memories of gaming sessions at the houses of others.
As repetition can ruin good ideas, there could be a number of
solutions:
* Every gamer employs an orchestra to stand in their living room and
play a live score, like the silent movie era. Poor gamers (who spent
all their money on an X-box so they could both play games and live
inside a large black-and-iridescent-green box) could give a three year
old some pots and pans and a spoon.
* All games are released with no soundtrack, just ambient noise. Voice
actors get paid at least twice as much, as they have to come up with
original speech and noise to fill gaps.
* We all get hard-wired into the great gaming consciousness, and we
collaborate on the soundtrack, eliminating the need for an orchestra.
And then Xerxes gets that freaky bit of Shodan installed, and we all
become puppets of MEAT.
* We shut up, let the designers and developers get the orchestra in,
and try to enjoy the result, no matter what it is. Even if it means
that all you people out there who could afford ICO and Silent Hill 2
can now no longer afford them. Ahem.
* ...there was another one, but I forget.
And I can't believe I missed the "Fun" topic! I still have fun! Games
can still be fun in this day and age... although, I find the older
games (read: 16 bit) a lot more fun at the moment. I'm throwing
bubbles at other bubbles and they pop, how cool is that? Pretty
colours, a bit of a brain and reflex workout. Or maybe I'm wandering
around as some funky hip-hop alien. I don't know anymore. My gaming
history is riddled with holes...
- Kyo Misfire, running from the conductor
|
The ambient noise suggestion reminded me of ICO again. The game only has music at key cutscenes; for the most part the only sound effects you'll hear are the whistle of the wind through the castle and the seabirds nesting off the ocean cliffs squawking away. And it works! There's no scary music to blare out and make you wet your pants, no repetitive looped soundtrack, just the sound of your own heart leaping up into your throat as a shadow monster drags Yorda away. If more games could get that level of atmosphere down without resorting to music, it might be a nice change.
Of course, that doesn't mean you should be giving up your game MP3s any time soon. Ambience is nice, but sometimes you've just gotta hear people chanting in Latin for a change, even if you can't tell what the heck they're saying.
| Maybe, maybe not. |
| Usually it doesn't matter what tool you use, as much as how you use it, but I am tired of hearing orchestrated music in my games. I know that it gives a fuller sound, but its over used! its like the medieval-save-the-world-storyline crap that most RPGs regurgitate every time. I suspect this trend of using classical music for RPGs is actually a case of following the leader. Its laziness.
Listen to Bjork's new album, Verspertine, or something by God Speed You Black Emperor!. That is what RPG music should sound like! Games aren't movies, so they should sound like movies. I think an orchestra/techno hybrid would be the best. Techno and pop music are more agile and versatile styles than classical, and speed and fluidity are what videogames are all about, right? Couldn't you imagine Radiohead or Massive Attack doing a game soundtrack? Sweetness!
Besides, the London Philharmonic can't be cheap, and that's good money that could go to development, or a quicker release schedule. Its overkill. Nobuo Uematsu doesn't use a full orchestra, so why should anyone else think they need to?
Blah blah blah...
Tokyoneon
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It all depends on the game, the game's premise, location, etc. Somehow I really don't think Bjork would have fit in with the lonely atmosphere of, say, ICO, or the medieval bend of Final Fantasy Tactics. Now there are some scenarios I can see this working in - FF8 was just screaming for a Smashing Pumpkins song in some places, after all - but for all RPGs? No. Sticking popular music in just because it's popular and sounds cool at the cost of the game's atmosphere wouldn't be right.
The Pixies and FF7 do go quite well together, though; don't ask me how I know that.
| Soft n' fluffy. |
| "So who knows if today's gamers will still be playing twenty years down the
line? It's really easy to say you will be, but when that special someone
shows up in your life, the games take a backseat."
Nope.
I can say this, because one of the qualities in my "special someone" will
be that he loves to play games too, with me or without me. Oh, yeah. I
said "he." That's because I'm a girl gamer. I want someone who'll accept
that I am fond of games. I want someone who's my equal, who'll challenge
me both in and outside of video games. But I haven't found him yet.
Perhaps I set my standards too high. ^_^ Anyway, Brooke, I just thought
you needed another girl's opinion on this. I mean, there's no reason to
compromise on the important things in life.
Sincerely,
Alastor
|
I understand what you mean (Brookie found hers, and no you can't have him, he's mine,) I just meant that once you've found your other half, games don't seem half as important as they once did. Still fun and enjoyable, yes, but if it came down to choosing between the games or the guy, which would you pick? Most of the time it would be the walking, talking human aspect of your life. You can't snuggle up to that copy of Valkyrie Profile on a cold winter's night, after all.
...Well you could, but it would be mighty uncomfortable.
Closing Comments:
Tomorrow is Friday, and you know what that means. No, not being depressed that you have nowhere to go and no friends to hang out with on those lonely Friday nights - it's free day! Write in about any topic you might have missed over the past week or so, and if you really need a topic, let me know if games have ever actually gotten you a date. Games and social lives, two great tastes that go great together - write me!
-Brooke Bolander, all played out.
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