How Important Is Music To You In A Game?

[JamesCoote]

Interestingly, no one has really mentionned non-story / non-linear games (thinking non-fps here). Sometimes the battle music from a game will get so deeply burned into my memory [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxj7Gw9lgOs] that I'll spend considerable time tracking down the piece of music. However, I can't recall any of the ambient / background music from games like civ or sim city, where I wasn't subjected to the same track over and over till I won the damn battle.

Roller coaster tycoon didn't have any music as I recall until you built the carouselle, and then you only got blue danube waltzing out of it when you were near it.

The one that really gets me though is that the Christmas I got the original Half-Life complete boxset, the central heating in our house broke down and I will forever remember that game whenever I smell gas heaters like the ones we hired to keep us warm till repairs were made

 

[Duffeknol]

I know there's a lot of hate surrounding CoD, but the Modern Warfare series has amazing music. It's one thing CoD never fails at.

No.

I haven't got any beef with CoD, but no, absolutely no. CoD's soundtracks are the incarnation of the 'adequate' soundtracks. There's fast music for action parts and slow music for sad parts. No where, not once in any of the Modern Warfare games did the music add anything else to the experience save for 'this is now happening on the screen'. It doesn't add depth, emotion or any other possible layer to the gaming experience. Some individual songs aren't that bad to listen to and some themes are kinda catchy, so you might even call it good music but that doesn't make it a good soundtrack.

I disagree. Modern Warfare 2's soundtrack was stunningly emotional on some parts. It had dark and sad tunes. It had fast-paced drumming and adrenaline-rushing music. It had all kinds. Drums and lutes in the Favela mission, combination of a violin and guitar in the Boneyard, the last song playing as Price struggles with Shepherd and you're pulling out the knife out of your chest gave me the feeling of desperation and hopelessness. And then... Boom.

Hmmm, it is quite a while ago since I last played and heard it. I'll give it another chance. If I still don't like it then we just have a difference of opinion

 

[Callate]

I thought Skyrim turning the rather somber and ethereal theme we heard in Morrowind and Oblivion into a hot-blooded war chant was masterful. It was one of the first things that got me genuinely interested about the game, really.

I love a good soundtrack. I still listen to ones from games like Heroes of Might and Magic II and the Command and Conquer series by themselves on occasion.

 

[Kemea]

A game with apropriate music will give you chills down your spine. It will make you live into the game more and for example the skyrim trailer, when the dragonborn does his shout thingy against the dragon, the music starts being very intense and that gives a very powerful 'epicness' feel.

Things like that make gaming, trailers and movies just THAT much better than without

 

[AbstractStream]

To be honest, I do place music above graphics. The soundtrack to a game is pretty important to me. The music adds intensity or sadness to the moments where it's needed.

Imagine if Silent Hill 2 had no music. A lot of the fear would go away, no?

Definitely! The majority of the time that I was creeped out was because of the music.

 

[Duffeknol]

I thought Skyrim turning the rather somber and ethereal theme we heard in Morrowind and Oblivion into a hot-blooded war chant was masterful. It was one of the first things that got me genuinely interested about the game, really.

Personally, I've never been that into Soule's work, but he did an incredible job with Skyrim. I played it already (early release in my country) and the stuff I didn't like before, his ambient themes, his orchestral bombast has always been great, are now absolutely excellent. They're really subtle, magical and enchanting. They're even pretty interesting musically.

 

[dark-mortality]

As a wise man once said: A game is an experience, a game with music that increases the atmosphere is a whole new world. (If you are wondering, that wise man is me )

Yes, music is pretty important to me, really increases the awesomeness if it fits. I... can't really name any games on the top of my head that has great music sadly enough >_>

 

[Episode42]

It depends what game i'm playing. If it's the Silent Hill games, it's a huge part of the tension building and adds to the creepy atmosphere of the whole game.
Child Of Eden is literally built around music and combining it with the gameplay.

Whereas Fallout 3/New Vegas, i turned off all the music (except the radio) because the lack of music added to the lonely atmosphere of the wasteland. Especially when you're walking around encountering nothing but ruins and destroyed property.

 

[OrokuSaki]

I don't know. It's one of those things that I don't notice unless it's very good or very bad. My friend sent me a few tunes from the Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack and I though "Hey, these are damn good, why didn't I hear them during the game?" They were there, I just wasn't paying attention.

That said the one exception is those in-game songs like Portal and The Bard's Tale. In that circumstance however, it's very important.

 

[The Wykydtron]

A good soundtrack can make all the difference in the world, I mean, where would Persona 4 be without Reach Out to the Truth for example?

I absolutely despise half arsed soundtracks though, the CoD games for example, it's like they just play stock "dramatic" "tragic" "sadface" "win" etc songs to try to up the emotion, whereas i just notice it and say no.

Good soundtracks usually have an ongoing theme that keeps them unique yet part of the same soundtrack, take Persona 4 (again) for example, every theme in the game is different but they all share subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) traits

The final boss music ends with an orchestral version of the battle theme, the post boss battle theme is a trumpet/piano version of the boss battle theme and so on and so forth

To answer the question, yes, very important XD

TLNR

Ongoing themes r gd

 

[Blemontea]

Its pretty much officially decided that music in a game is really important for setting a mood, creating atmosphere and making sure some parts don't stay dull

Here ill give some examples in order of how i sadi them

Spoiler: Bastion

For setting the mood The slow start at the beginning that leads into a sudden ruckus to show the choas that this game has in store
For Atmosphere The scenes for which this play in would not hold nearly as much wait without this song.
For keeping things interesting It keeps the idea of one safe haven from the clalmity mysterious and like a nirvana dream

Spoiler: Shadow of the Colossus

This song works great for both Atmosphere and Setting the mood for keeping things interesting Its short but when i first heard my reaction was "wow.. what a nice tune HOLY CRAP AN ELECTRIC SNAKE!"

Spoiler: Nier

MoodThe feeling of a snowy day comes to mind, which fits the context its used and also feels like its giving a premonition towards the games mysterious story.
For Atmosphere This song plays for the cold steel mountain city that dangles high above a bottomless pit.
for keeping things interesting This is played during a long reading sequence for when you enter a mans dream, FIT SO WELL!

 

[shadyh8er]

Very important to me. So much atmosphere, emotion can be carried through music. Music makes everything better when the music is just right

I am in full agreement. Some further examples of that statement in bold:

Spoiler: Desperation

Really gives a sense of desperation.

Spoiler: Fear

Spoiler: Determination

And finally...

 

[Erttheking]

To me it's what really sets the mood, that's why I still listen to the Metroid Prime soundtrack from time to time.

 

[hoboman29]

I'm not the first to say this but the soundtrack is what can make a game completely forgettable or make it a game that everyone will remember. I'd say its slightly less important than gameplay and aesthetic but more important than graphics.

 

[Semudara]

I would put it above graphics, though certainly not above gameplay.

In many games, it is music that really creates the emotional engagement with the game's story, which is an essential part of the Zelda series and most of my other favorite games. Although, a few games are actually stronger for their lack of music; it really depends.

 

[ZephyrFireStrom]

You people are forgetting The Darkness. The music while fighting in that game made anyone feel badass.

 

[DesertMummy]

I personally place it far, far above graphics. Music helps to set a mood, a tone, and can really help to drive the importance of a specific plot moment or line of dialogue home. Graphics are just how many useless polygons are in character models, whoopdy-fuckin'-doo.

 

[Aircross]

Music is part of the multimedia package of games, and it helps set the mood of the many situations there are in a game.

It is an integral part that should not be neglected.

 

[GameMaNiAC]

I know there's a lot of hate surrounding CoD, but the Modern Warfare series has amazing music. It's one thing CoD never fails at.

No.

I haven't got any beef with CoD, but no, absolutely no. CoD's soundtracks are the incarnation of the 'adequate' soundtracks. There's fast music for action parts and slow music for sad parts. No where, not once in any of the Modern Warfare games did the music add anything else to the experience save for 'this is now happening on the screen'. It doesn't add depth, emotion or any other possible layer to the gaming experience. Some individual songs aren't that bad to listen to and some themes are kinda catchy, so you might even call it good music but that doesn't make it a good soundtrack.

I disagree. Modern Warfare 2's soundtrack was stunningly emotional on some parts. It had dark and sad tunes. It had fast-paced drumming and adrenaline-rushing music. It had all kinds. Drums and lutes in the Favela mission, combination of a violin and guitar in the Boneyard, the last song playing as Price struggles with Shepherd and you're pulling out the knife out of your chest gave me the feeling of desperation and hopelessness. And then... Boom.

Hmmm, it is quite a while ago since I last played and heard it. I'll give it another chance. If I still don't like it then we just have a difference of opinion

I'm glad you're giving it another shot. It's really an amazing soundtrack. Though be patient with some of the songs, they take a while to really kick in. My personal favorites are Contingency Launch (epic), Contingency Action (epic kick in), Boneyard Intro (darker tone), Boneyard Flyby (a faster paced version of Boneyard Intro) and Takedown Intro.

And if you still don't like it. Well, then yes, we'll just have to agree to disagree.

 

[LittleBlondeGoth]

A games' soundtrack makes such a difference to it.

It's the sort of thing that when you get a great score you almost don't notice it, because it effortlessly entwines itself with your gaming experience. But a bad soundtrack just ends up jarring.

It may be something of a cliche, but to me, Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy soundtracks are some of the most beautiful game music I've heard. Watching the intro credits to VI, as the Magiteks walk into Narshe and Terra's Theme starts playing... Chills down my spine, right there.

Mass Effect and Dragon Age both have very well done scores, suitably epic for saving the world / universe as we know it. And the original Silent Hill. My God, that terrified me back in the day. So discordant and combined with the radio static, it really did its' job.