Wow. It’s maybe my favorite track of all by Soule. Though a couple from Morrowind are close.
I mean we’re still talking a very strong 4/5 for me on it. I’m just nuts for bombastic brass out the ass.
Must be my Celtic blood. The pipes, the pipes are callin’…
Once I listened a bit more I caught that bit was probably something that played out over time, which makes it quite interesting.
The Stellaris track really got me though. For a brief minute I was thinking it was the newer blade runner soundtrack. It meanders but it is very well done.
My thought exactly. A boring and predictable CK2 remix of Mass Effect over a concentrated, evocative piece of wonder?
I’ll laugh as not to cry.
I’ve noticed that most of the fantasy games that have been nominated go for a big orchestral score, but often end up with very boring progressions on strings and little else–maybe a flute melody. Few of them use the whole orchestra, or have much dynamism. (Painting with a very broad brush here.) So I was pleasantly surprised by Icewind Dale.
Stellaris was great. Like Outcast at the beginning and Vangelis at the end. I just didn’t hear a lot tying the two together, but otherwise, very good.
Deus Ex was the one that sounded the flattest to me. I mean, I appreciate the build, and all the instrumental elements, but it was just so samey getting there. That vocal style felt like a totally new thing when Freedom Fighters did it; a lot less so when DX does it.
Demon’s Souls was SO evocative and chilling! Great pick. Too bad it doesn’t have the fireworks to stand out.
Group L
@ArmandoPenblade: Mass Effect - Main Theme (by Sam Hulick and Jack Wall)
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@rossbob: Final Fantasy XIV - A Light in the Storm (by Masayoshi Soken)
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@Otagan: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - It Has To Be This Way (by Logan Mader & Jamie Christopherson (the song is dynamic in-game but this is soundtrack version is as close as can be))
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@CraigM: Final Fantasy VI - Terra’s Theme (Nobuo Uematsu)
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Group L: where we find out who appreciates Terra’s Theme, and who is wrong.
It’s Qt3, get ready for a lot of wrong. Luckily it’s not up against any old PC games in this group.
Other way around, afaik. FFVI was released as FFIII in the US.
Final Fantasy 2, 3, and 5 came out in Japan but weren’t released in the US until much later. They released 4 as 2 and 6 as 3 in the US rather than invite questions about the missing games. With 7, they re-aligned and started using the same numbers across all regions, and the Japanese 2, 3, and 5 have subsequently been translated and released on various platforms. Most people have adapted to using the Japanese numbering to avoid ambiguity.
Yeah, I agree with most of your post! I’ve found quite a few of the orchestral pieces a bit lacking. They’re well produced but don’t have the sort of dynamism or, yeah, progression, as I’d like to hear. The Outcast theme so far has been a firm favourite in this regard, it was just lush.
I said in the last thunderdome that while Soule’s work might have the sort of surface qualities of your typical fantasy fare, I think he’s got an ear for composition and quiet movement. I didn’t catch his name attached to the Icewind Dale track until after I’d rated it so it was a good unintentional blind test, but I enjoyed it, despite its length! I also liked the Stellaris track a lot.
It’s funny, I’ve listened to the Human Revolution soundtrack several times in the past after loving it in-game, but directly it just sort of washes over me. It’s the spacious ambient tracks that really stand out to me, which is funny because I was going to drop in Home or LIMB Clinic instead of Maiden in Black which would have been an amusing match up here.
Hahah, well spotted. I got a good laugh out of this.
I’m used to the Grand Finale version which is sublime, but it still holds up for me on the SNES. Beautiful piece.
Group K Results
- Deus Ex: 3.87
- Stellaris: 3.86
- Icewind Dale: 3.81
- Demon’s Souls: 3.05
Wow! .06 separating the top 3!!
It’s nice and all, but geez, sometimes I wonder about the chiptune tastes around here…
I agree. Clearly the low score for Metroid is due to people having terrible taste in chip tunes.
Also FF VI has some of the best music in a JRPG ever, and Terra’s Theme is one of the best of several strong contenders.
For a main theme Mass Effect sounded more like Diminutive Fizzle to me! Every time it sounded like it was going somewhere it changed before finally clapping out. Very surprised given the strength of Vigil.
The Realm Reborn track was alright and I’m grateful for the rockier sound of the Metal Gear: Revengeance song breaking up what feels like several rounds of similarly epic orchestral and choral stuff. It’s exhausting and I’m hoping we get more variety soon!
I forgot to say that I only played FFVI around… 2009 maybe(?), on GBA using my DS, and while I wasn’t that wild about the game overall (it had its moments), I loved the soundtrack.
At its best moments the Mass Effect soundtrack reminds me of Into the Electric Castle. The tone and pacing of a proper space opera soundtrack. But it doesn’t have quite the standalone quality. I like it, but it deliberately is secondary. Set tone, but don’t stand out too much.
Which is a valid composition goal for a video game soundtrack! But also one why I’ve long maintained that there are very few truly great soundtracks that I would listen to on their own.
Which is why Terra’s Theme is an exception for me. The point where that crops up in the game is over theopening credits, and it is designed to do more work for that reason.
Terra’s theme is the best of the group for sure. Working that SNES sound chip to its most.