Poll: music or visuals in games

[Confidingtripod]

Music is a tie to our mind, sounds can enduce calm or stress, add to tension or action and is very much a core piece in stting up an atmosphere, whether gentle strokes on a harp or sudden beats of a drum it sends a message.

However we're also very visual animals, many phobias can be triggered by visual conformation and sight is a main asset of the average person, the inability to see can cause panic or sudden jumps can give us the same jump, both of these are used heavily to build an atmosphere, but which do you feel effects you more?

To give an example: "american mcgee's alice" had an amazing soundtrack to add to the varying emotions wonderland presents:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsRxLyXEJiE

while the sequel used more of a visual striking, with things like ruin and oragami ants and this :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7_fsdtGZy0

while both have great visual and audio styles,I'd personally say the first used music to pick up slack the graphic limitations had, while the sequel was much more aimed at being a feast for the eyes.

but those are just examples, which do you think is the stronger influence (if either) and do you have any personal examples of either or both?

 

[BeeGeenie]

Really tough question. I voted music (or maybe just sound in general), because I think it conveys emotion more than visuals, and it's a bit more subtle. When visuals want to set a tone they can be very effective, but they can also be pretty obvious.

On further reflection, they may be equally good at conveying different kinds of atmosphere.

 

[GoaThief]

Disagree with you there, think Madness Returns has better music;


As for building the best atmosphere, depends on the application I guess.

 

[Scrustle]

That's a tough one. They're both obviously really important and I often talk about how music is really important in games, even though we don't often realise it. But choosing between them is hard. I wouldn't want a game with crappy visuals just as much as I wouldn't want one with crappy/no music.

For example I was recently playing NFS World for the first time in ages, and there was a huge update. Car classes had been completely re-structured and something has happened to the availability of races, that I'm yet to work out. But one thing that stood out to me is that they've addded loads more music. That's something that was one of my biggest complaints about the game. Although the music that was in it was great, you hardly ever got to hear it. The only stuff they really had was one atmospheric track that sometimes played when you were driving around in free roam, and other equally mellow tracks that played while you were in the safehouse. There were one or two tracks that played in the police chase events, but they were all completely forgettable and ripped straight from previous NFS games too. But the original compositions were brilliant. Kind of like a cross between music from Deus Ex: HR and Mirror's Edge.

But playing it now there seems to be music in the background all the time. It's all a similar kind of style as to the pre-existing tracks, so it fits well, but there's a decent range in pacing between different tracks to suit different situations. It's made the game feel so much more alive. Before the silence made the game feel really lonely, despite it being an MMO, but now it's completely different and much more exciting. It's made a huge difference. That, and the car class revamp, has made it feel like a whole new game.

But if I were to play a game with really ugly graphics, but great music, I know I would complain. The ugly visuals would pull me out and affect my immersion. I don't know how much it would compared to music, and it would vary depending on the visual style, but it would be a problem.

I can't pick between the two. Perhaps this calls for some practical research.

 

[Confidingtripod]

both i feel unless its completely needed, they shouldn't be separated

I would have provided an option for both but then the poll would have been redundant as its supposed to be a "six of one, half-dozen of the other" situation, both are very important

Disagree with you there, think Madness Returns has better music;

(music link)

As for building the best atmosphere, depends on the application I guess.

both games do have great music and visuals, I used the two as examples for that reason, as for better and worse: I gave examples in terms of use rather than quality, both are great.

Also, deliberate lack of music can classify too, those eery moments when things are too quiet, I'd say the visual equivelant would be things going black on white?

 

[Goofguy]

I try to think of what either would be like without the other and I think both would equally fail. Music without visuals would provide no context and visuals without music would create no atmosphere.

 

[Wayneguard]

Games with great atmosphere typically excel in both areas. Case in point: Shadow of the Colossus. However, if you were going to force me to choose between the two, I'd say that audio has the greater marginal effect on atmosphere. Morrowind and the original Resident Evils have comparatively shitty graphics but their audio just sucks you into the world.

 

[ninjagregory]

music, take ff6 for example great graphics (at least back then) but better music it really gave a great mood to the game

 

[Punch You]

I didn't think music was that important until I played Street Fighter Alpha 3. They completely threw out every good piece of music from Alpha 1 and 2, then replaced it with utter garbage.

I consider Alpha 2 better than three even though it has a smaller roster, because at least the music in two isn't the most offensive thing my ears have ever heard.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Music. As for my examples of this decision, I give you Secret of Mana OST samples:

 

[CannibalCorpses]

Music every time. Visuals show you what is going on but music lets you feel it. Music is more about possibilities and interpretation rather than 'this is how it is'.