As the topic implies, the discussion was about "favourite music in games." The original post requests forumites to share their top-5 or alternatively top-10 lists of music in games that they've liked, and to give detail on the selected pieces.
Here's my take on the subject:
As per usual, I have to share my 2 cents on this topic in my own way, with total disregard for the set of principles set by the OP. In fact I'll go as far as tell you why - Don't take this as trying to belittle the idea of discussing such matters, for that is not my intent at all, it's merely a thought among others.
For quite a while I've found top-this-and-that lists pointless, simply because if I, or you for that matter, have enjoyed something, how exactly do you quantify that on a level that's comprehendable by anyone who hasn't had the experience? You can't, so why would you want to do it by assigning some sort of an order to your experiences? is it a cultural thing, or some sort of an inherent flaw in our makeup as weird animals with nerd qualities is an interesting thing to consider, but also wildly off-topic so I'll not go there. Not now anyway.
So instead I'll just call this "my way of doing the list" and tell you why I've chosen the songs I'm about to menion to the best of my ability. I know, it doesn't quite have the same kick as "The best **** in the universe", but that's how I /roll.
There's a few melodies in the gaming space that are so distinctively different from anything else that after you've heard them in the context of the game first, you're instantly reminded of the experience as a whole upon hearing these melodies/themes - in most cases with a lot of gold lining to go with it as time has already passed those games by, but you're still holding onto how you remember it.
This of course is all thanks to the amazing talent of game music composers. They're so often overlooked by gamers, and yet they play such a pivotal role in making games as immersive as they can be as a medium, at their best.
The remedy of Payne
One of those themes for me is from Max Payne. As you're likely to note the link is actually to the version from the sequel, mainly because it takes the tones even further and as such is more tangible even if you haven't played the games yourself. The effect of hearing this theme is still the same as when I heard it the first time in the first game.
For me it reminds me of the then-awesome feel of Max Payne - as I've always been a Film Noir fan, Payne really struck a cord with me - with it's dark and to the point style of storytelling more than just the gameplay mechanics. I should also add that the first and the second Payne have great music in general. (Unfortunately the third Payne looks like it's completely giving up on it's roots. Too bad, but then again that's what the game industry does, milks the cow untill it's dead, so I suppose you'd have to be really naive to be surprised by it anymore.)
Snakes on your plate
Another one in the similar theme of...well, themes I suppose, and already mentioned, is the Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater theme. Now, the song itself, while very James Bondish isn't that spectacular in itself, but it does describe the game in all it's agent clichés quite well.
Naturally if you haven't played this game, it will be somewhat difficult to grasp the whole impact of the song. Even more so due to the very clever usage of the song in other parts of the game than just the beginning trailer. In fact I'd wager there isn't a single game prior to Snake Eater - or after for that matter, at least none come to mind - that has such brilliant use of an original in game song, that isn't just ambience.
For anyone who wants to experience it in the appropriate way, say in the soon to be released HD versions for PS3 and Xbox360, I won't spoil it by explaining anything further. Needless to say it's one fantastic-agent-adventure-stealth-recon-tactical-SNAKE!
Demons demons everywhere...
On a very different level, there's the music in Diablo. Having spent ages playing the original Diablo, I'm still in awe of the music in this game. It's not at all in your face - well maybe the town theme is a bit -, but it works fantastically in creating the mood for your hack'n'slash adventure towards carpal tunnel syndrome.
It's difficult to pick anything spesific in the game as all of it is really effective at taking you on the journey, and over time it somewhat blurrs into this big composition of repeated themes, but the Catacombs background music is something I've always felt most strongly about. Can you see the goatmen coming for you?
Portal Police, pull over
Moving onward with it, on a wholly different level again, along comes Portal Still Alive. Need I say more? Never played Portal? Go play it! - all the way - before listening/watching! Seriously DO NOT WATCH before you've played it! Major major impact on the effect of Portal as a whole if you know of the song beforehand.
Granted I do not know how on earth you could've managed to not hear it by now, whether you played it or not, but I digress. If there'd be a single song that represents the gaming world, I'd say this one is a pretty good candidate for the job. It's smart, funny, easy to remember and very unlike anything else out there.
Retro-auditive
And then we visit the past, I suppose many have already forgotten, but in it's prime Ski or Die was quite stunning and a very widely spread - this analogy goes to interesting places if you ignore it's about a game for a second - piece of gaming software (though back then I doubt if it actually sold that much rather than was just copied a lot). This is one of the most memorable older game-themes I can still recall.
Another worth mentioning on the same note is none other than Jack the Jazzrabbit. Memories of this caliber are difficult to beat. Oh, and speaking of which, did I mention Skyroads? I did! Such a powerful tune for it's time. Check out all the music for the tracks, tasty! It's freeware now too, hurrah
A whole world of it...
For the finale of my individual song choices, since this is originally a post for a World of Warcraft related forum, naturally I had to pick something from WoW as well. The choice wasn't that difficult actually; Wrath of the Lich King login music.
If you've heard the progression from Classic to The Burning Crusade to Wrath of the Lich King, you'll most likely get the idea why I picked this one. It has such a wide array of atmospheres mixed in, like it should for a game that has already so much history. I'd describe it as the shortest and most imaginative way of telling "what has transpired" for me.
I still get shivers down my spine from listening to it now. That doesn't mean I dislike the current one, it's very moody and works well with the overall tone of Cataclysm, it's just that for me personally the WotLK one struck a cord in a different way. Just for the sake of interest for those wanting to compare the themes, I'll link all the login/expansion themes below, in chronolical order for those who might not be familiar with the timeline of events:
World of Warcraft themes:
As those of us familiar with World of Warcraft know, the game has some fantastic orchestral composition. Unfortunately it's often lost in the heat of battle or simply because people have music turned off. I simply couldn't resist linking a few more that I've really enjoyed listening to; - The Black Temple theme,very fitting music for it, brutal and gloomy. Loved it in the context.
- The Descent Into Madness, first time I heard this as I started the descent into the room of General Vezax I was blown away. The place and this music = perfection. If you've not been here, it's ok to not get the idea.
- Tempest Keep theme, a rather quirky piece of music I have to say, lots of different themes, but quite unique none the less.
For those whose interest I may have stimulated with this post, there's a very nice interview with Russell Brower, the composer from Blizzard responsible for WoW, on Blizzcast episode 4 discussing about the music in WoW back in the WotLK release times. Too bad the Blizzcasts have become rarer and rarer as time goes by.
Now that I've gotten through digging up some of these individual pieces of musical euphoria in games, I've come up with the theme for the follow up post, which shall be about entire games, their sound design and musical genious.
Until then,
.S
