Let’s Talk is a mixed audio and written series about talking — that much is clear. I talk about specific games, the impact a game can have on the community, about recent events, or how past events have shaped what is now. Read the article first or watch the video — it’s up to you, but without further ado, Let’s Talk about:
Music in games, and the times it’s been awesome
Music and games. These two things don’t often go together in the collective minds of gamers. But is that because the music fades so well into the background that you don’t notice it? It subconsciously sets the scene, and fills your brain with emotions. When you do notice the music, is this because it doesn’t fit with the scene? In this Let’s Talk, we explore the awesome musical moments in game, and sometimes in-game radio.
The Oblivion opening cinematic is incredible at setting the scene — it sets the tone of the game, while also making you ready for adventuring. I can also hear some moments, towards the end, which must have influenced the Skyrim music.
Far Cry 3, and dubstep done well
We all remember that moment of burning the weed farm in Far Cry 3. While it did borrow from a similar mission in GTA: San Andreas, it did one major thing very differently — it was one of the few times where dubstep worked as video game music. And boy does it work — everything fits in place perfectly!
It’s a lot like the 2012 first person shooter remake of the RTS classic, Syndicate. While the game didn’t dazzle anyone with the gameplay, I feel it did a really good job with the music, it worked with the setting and wasn’t annoying, which is nice.
Atmosphere, and radios
While it’s not strictly music, having a radio station in a game which reports on the news is a really good world building technique. In, GTA IV, and GTA V, as well as Fallout 4, your actions would create a new broadcast. These very often would interrupt the music which was currently playing, as breaking news is breaking right? If only in real life there was an option to enforce Traffic Information to be permanently off forever, in every car as default.
Being able to pick a radio station is a thing you can do in real life, so being able to do that in a game makes you feel like the world is somewhat real and alive. Especially in Fallout, where all the stations have a very 40s feel to them, making you feel grounded in a world which is pretty crazy.
What are some awesome moments have you have with music in games? Do you even care about the music? Let me know in the comments below.
