generic bedroom studio drum and bass kicking in for 60 secs during some action scenes = music of the year?
how they figure that one out ? it was ok yeh, but instantly forgettable.
I liked the music in HL2 too. It wasn’t that generic since I can’t recall another game last year that made me listen to the soundtrack seperate from playing the game (aside from GTA:SA, which doesn’t count).
Awarding best music to Half-Life is like awarding best graphics to Zork.
Yeah, that’s a pretty poor choice (not that it’s bad music). Sound design I could agree with, but music? Nope. Here are the choices the audio pros made - http://www.audiogang.org/storyviewer.do?id=public&story=2859
Well, first of all, unlike certain other editors-in-chief (hi Steve!) I do not allow crack smoking on the CGW premises. That’s what the alley off 2nd street is for.
About the music award: Well, I dunno. I guess maybe it might have been more appropriately named “Sound Design.” Because I was one of the editors who agreed with the award, regardless of how retarded y’all think it is. Whereas most game music tends to be forgettable, pointless, and, most important, overdone, I found Half-Life 2’s use of music to just be brilliant in its judicious application. The very fact that they only kicked it in at certain key moments was a creative decision that I thought served the game very well–making it stand out all the more when it was there. Yes, other games had great music this year (I would totally agree with Pirates and WoW as other top contenders), but, to me, it was HL2 that used music (and yes, what little of it there was) the best. But, ya know, I’ve been wrong before, as has been pointed out now and then.
Regarding Painkiller winning: Well, it was a vote amongst the editors, and this was by far the most contentious category. We actually had to do the vote multiple times, and at one point even tried to do weighted votes, to break the ridiculous tie between HL 2, Doom 3 and Painkiller–but even weighted it came out a 3-way tie. Ultimately, the tie-breaking vote, after much angst, went to Painkiller. I personally voted for HL2 (and anyone who read my review knows that–other than Steam–I liked the game a lot), but others felt differently, and, ya know, Painkiller was a very good game that has lots of ardent supporters, including some on this board.
Anyway, we’ve started to receive the expected bag o’ mail about the awards, and it seems to be running 50/50–as always–between people who agree with us and people who think we’re retards.
Same as it ever was.
Wow, spoken like someone that treats music as “forgettable, pointless, and, most important, overdone”. Please tell me how most game music falls into these categories? Oh, and do you actually have a seperate sound design award or do you just lump music/VO/sound together under music?
I don’t know what’s more shocking… Half-Life 2 winning best music or that Doom 3 was actually TIED for best first person shooter at some point.
Oooo… Half-Life 2 music kicks in at key moments… didn’t LucasArts perfect that around, oh, Monkey Island days?
Lot’s of games do that. All of BioWare’s RPGs used systems where music would play at times during exploration, certain important chracters had their own themes and battle tracks would kick in during combat.
OFP2? No, certainly not this year.
Hey, it’s cold in Vermont. Steve has to let everyone smoke crack in the offices.
Agreed that HL2 is a terrible, terrible choice for “best music.” Best sound design, well that’s a whole other category entirely. That’s the kind of thing one could nominate Thief 3 for - another game that could never win Best Music.
I have a hard time thinking of a 2004 game I loved that DIDN’T have better music than HL2.
Sorry, Jeff but that’s pretty lame in the sound award department. You called it best “music award” nothing else. And despite Half-Life 2’s music kicking in a key points, as others have mentioned - this is nothing new. They created an untterly forgetable soundtrack.
There has been little that can compare to the engaging/driving musical score the Rome Total War musician(s) created. I’m sure ALLl the composers for the other excellent games mentioned above who read your magazine are going, “WTF?!” After all, I didn’t really see anything in your award that said, “Best Music Award, NOTE: the creativity and power of a brilliant musical score doesn’t matter, just the timing when it’s implemented in the game”.
At any rate, I’m hoping to have you comment on the wargames. What happened there?!
So… it looks like the audio pros agree with CGW.
MUSIC OF THE YEAR
Halo 2
Myst IV: Revelation
Everquest 2
Headhunter : Redemption
Van Helsing
King Arthur
You mean like this? ;-)
I thought HL2’s music was OK, and I was glad it was used judiciously, but I think it was kind of a weak year overall for original scores in PC games. There were some standouts – like Rome: Total War, World of Warcraft, and MOHPA – but they seemed to be the exception instead of the rule.
You mean like this? ;-)
I thought HL2’s music was OK, and I was glad it was used judiciously, but I think it was kind of a weak year overall for original scores in PC games. There were some standouts – like Rome: Total War, World of Warcraft, and MOHPA – but they seemed to be the exception instead of the rule.[/quote]
Yea, that’s the right way to do it :wink:
So… it looks like the audio pros agree with CGW.
MUSIC OF THE YEAR
Halo 2
Myst IV: Revelation
Everquest 2
Headhunter : Redemption
Van Helsing
King Arthur[/quote]
Haven’t seen the article, but how does that list relate to Half Life 2 getting music of the year?
I think it’s interesting that in the same awards issue, all of the CGW editors had a personal Top 5 of the Year list, and not a single one of them listed Half-Life 2 anywhere in their Top 5.
So… it looks like the audio pros agree with CGW.
MUSIC OF THE YEAR
Halo 2
Myst IV: Revelation
Everquest 2
Headhunter : Redemption
Van Helsing
King Arthur[/quote]
Haven’t seen the article, but how does that list relate to Half Life 2 getting music of the year?[/quote]
Whoops… it only relates in that I’m apparantly illiterate. Sorry! I read Halo as Half-life… knew it was one of those 2’s.
I missed that. Maybe a little anti-Valve/Steam rhetoric in the office? Of everything I played this year (which is a ton of games as usual) - what’s my most “memorable” memory? “Dog” in HL2. Valve helped you to care about a giant robot contraption. That’s pretty darn brilliant in a game… Playing catch with Dog is by far one of my favorite memories (and surprises) of any game this past year…
Elfannun that’s funny… Thought you had some bizarre angle on this I just couldn’t see.
<— I missed that. Maybe a little anti-Valve/Steam rhetoric in the office? Of everything I played this year (which is a ton of games as usual), what’s my most “memorable” memory? “Dog” in HL2 - Valve helped you to care about a giant robot contraption. That’s pretty darn brilliant in a game… Playing catch with Dog is by far one of my favorite memories (and surprises) of any game this past year…[/quote]
I think it’s safe to say that last year there wasn’t an FPS that matched HL2 in the overall gameplay department. The art was also extremely well done and tight. The overall world was cohesive and consistent. I loved HL2 and am looking forward to any expansions they have in the works.
I caught my roommate’s cat humping my sheets last night. Do I smell like a chick or something?