Legendary video game music composer Nobuo Uematsu says he doesn’t think some modern video game soundtracks are as interesting as those in older games.
Legendary video game music composer Nobuo Uematsu says he doesn’t think some modern video game soundtracks are as interesting as those in older games.
He’s not wrong. Old school Nintendo and super Nintendo and Sega Genesis songs gets stuck in my head all the time. Same can’t be said of modern-day AAA games.
Yeah, take Jeremy Soule, for example. He’s talented, experienced, and composing all of these broad symphonic soundtracks for Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, and Harry Potter games.
But, what’s the soundtrack of his that sticks out in my mind? Secret of Evermore. Underrated as fuck soundtrack for an underrated as fuck game. Back when he was forced to compose for a game with limited hardware and instrumentation, where he had to use distinct melodies to achieve a sound that sticks in everybody’s minds.
Every Frame a Painting did a good video on this subject, as it pertains to the Marvel movies.
I think music has a very important place in games, and the thing about music in The Elder Scrolls is that it’s always been an afterthought.
I mean, sure, Jeremy Soule composed some great tracks (though really, they were always a bit repetitive, and it only got worse since Oblivion). But no effort was made at all to get them to fit the game.
Of course it’s not an easy task with the open-world design. But already in Morrowind, after a while the soundtrack was getting on my nerves. It was always there, with that overwhelming orchestration blaring when nothing much happened in game, or that melancholic theme starting in the middle of a gruesome underground dungeon. Everywhere sounds the same, until one enemy spots you and then it abruptly stops for another overused track. No matter if it’s a greater Daedra or a freaking mudcrab.
That theme, you know the one because it’s become the Elder Scrolls theme, from Morrowind’s title screen to Oblivion’s to The DragonBorn Comes, I used to like it. Except after a few dozen hours being used without rhyme or reason in Morrowind, I already couldn’t stand it anymore.
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Secret of Evermore.
Every Frame a Painting did a good video
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Yeah, games used to have bitchin soundtracks. I remember when we started putting in licensed music into it’s racing games with it’s “EA games trax”. It was terrible. I liked the bespoke music they used to put in need for speed games, or even the older burnout games.
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Thats because the game only had 6 songs, and they played on repeat for 20 hours straight
Butthurt modern gamer? Lol
FF6 OST has 61 tracks.
COD Modern Warfare 3 OST has 20 tracks.
I could be wrong since I’m going off of what YouTube Music has, but you’re way off base.
1
FF6 is a SNES game
He must’ve thought it was a PlayStation release or something. That’s how good some of the SNES soundtracks were! Lol
I would gladly listen to the streets of rage 2 soundtrack on repeat for hours.
Dee dee do do do do
Do dah dee dee dee dee