Video Game Scores! Part 2
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As promises, here’s part 2 of our Video Game Scores special.
I’ve uploaded over 120 video game soundtrack videos on Soundtrack Fans so please go and listen to some more video game scores. Will there be a part 3? Hmm… maybe 
.
Video Game Scores! Part 1
Since I got my first computer, a Commodore 64 back in the 80s I’ve been enjoying games. Early on I got hooked by some of the great music in the 8-bit games. I remember Outrun had me going and I got an awesome remix for that as well. Composer Rob Hubbard quickly gained hero status with me, and even as I got more powerful computers, the music couldn’t match the stuff my Commodore 64 produced. Some midi stuff was great though as the music for the Star Wars games and Wing Commander. Then there was Monkey Island with it’s incredibly catchy Barbados-inspired music. The Leisure Suit Larry series also featured some great tunes. Myst had a unique calming style.
I would say 2001 was the year things really started happening in video game music, at least for me. The midi music started being replaced by actual sampled music, sometimes composed with real orchestras. They did appear before 2001, but I feel it was a significant year. I remember Max Payne by Peter Hajba impressed the hell out of me. Harry Gregson-Williams work on Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was also amazing.
The music we hear these days is comparable with the best of the film scores in my opinion. I’ve uploaded over 120 video game score videos to Soundtrack Fans and here’s the first batch of video game scores which are dear to my heart:
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(8 votes, average: 7.25 out of 10)
Loading ...Soundtrack Review: Knowing (2009)
This is a review of the motion picture score Knowing by Marco Beltrami.
“Like Max Payne I didn’t like it the first time I heard it, but I wonder if Marco Beltrami has a sneaky way of inserting good music so that I have to look, or rather listen to find it”
Knowing is one of those movies with lots of promise, loads of special effects, but ultimately fails to deliver the experience we deserve. It isn’t a bad movie, but could have been better. It’s all about doomsday and the choice of Marco Beltrami as a composer is an exciting one. I have been waiting for this since Max Payne last year. Naturally this has a different style, but I expected a dark score like Max Payne was and in that respect I got exactly what I expected. This time Marco Beltrami acts alone, at least for the official release and knowing Marco Beltrami, this could go either way for me.
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(5 votes, average: 9.40 out of 10) Loading ...Soundtrack Review: Edward Scissorhands (1990)
This is review of the motion picture Edward Scissorhands by Danny Elfman.
“The finest, most magical achievement of Elfman’s career”
Not many film scores can tell a complete story when separated from the film. A lot of modern albums can excite or entertain but few provide a consistently satisfying emotional payoff as one finishes the last track. It’s the scores that have such heft and impact that become among my most cherished purchases. After seeing the superb fairy tale Edward Scissorhands, I could tell right away that Danny Elfman’s classic soundtrack creation was one of those scores, and every listen has continued to prove me right.
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(8 votes, average: 5.13 out of 10) Loading ...Soundtrack Review: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009)
This is a review of the motion picture score The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 by Harry Gregson-Williams.
“This is simply great and entertaining material meshed in a tight little package consisting of great electronic sounds which conveys suspense and action in a thoughtful way”
It’s time for another remake. Is anyone getting tired already? Well there’s the prospect of new, updated movie music and then there’s the golden trio Tony Scott, Denzel Washington and Harry Gregson-Williams. The last time they got together was in 2006 for the movie Déjà Vu which in my opinion was a great movie and even better score. The original movie from 1974 starring Walter Matthau and score composed by David Shire was and is widely received as greatness. Having listened to the funky jazzy score by David Shire, I can’t disagree. Harry Gregson-Williams has big shoes to fill, but I have faith!
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