week 18

Sounds in games, now this is what really makes or breaks a game to me you just need to look at the halo series, the music and ambience surrounding the entire game was phenomenal it just would not be the same without it. I frequently listen to the music from halo just because even stand alone listening to it reminds you of the very first time you picked up the pad and automatically clicked, everything felt in the right place and perfectly timed. I also remember first playing tomb raider one and loved the music and was amazed when I found if you put the cd into a cdplayer you got over 40 tracks of music from the game.

“Good times” was a very influential recording mainly for its addictive bass line, deemed as being a rappers best friend, and deep within the funk culture. I think what’s most relevant about this beat is how it easily draws you in like you know what’s coming next and that’s why you love it. I think this is a lesson yet to be learned in many games that you need to have relevant and compelling music and sounds to add to atmosphere, I long to feel how I did when playing halo again, where your senses are overrun by everything going on, and then you press pause and realize that what was once 6 in the evening has now changed to 6 in the morning and you didn’t even see the sun go down.

To me one of my favorite games music composers has to be Steve Vai because of his work on the halo series that part which the electric guitar just after you’ve stuck the disc in just makes you go “dam this is going to be good” its like an instant draw in.