A guy at our studio was the sound designer for that. It sounds like such an amazing project but i don't know what's happened to it, i guess they've had difficulty getting it signed... Publishers get scared off by new I.P. nowadays which is (imo) killing originality in the industry. A shame :(

One thing I have to add which I'm not sure someone has said before is if the music is the same or similar in lots of different games then to me it makes then feel the same and me less wanting to play them. For instance Neverwinter nights, Oblivion, Baldurs Gate, Dungeon Siege, Guild Wars all have the same music, for me it just ruins the atmosphere when I play a game and I have heard the music before, and it seems to me that they havent even bothered to try something different.

I think music can really set the flavour of a game if matched well or can even completely change its feel. I just wished they'd stop using the same damn music in lots of these games.

Quote: Original post by Torquemeda
One thing I have to add which I'm not sure someone has said before is if the music is the same or similar in lots of different games then to me it makes then feel the same and me less wanting to play them. For instance Neverwinter nights, Oblivion, Baldurs Gate, Dungeon Siege, Guild Wars all have the same music, for me it just ruins the atmosphere when I play a game and I have heard the music before, and it seems to me that they havent even bothered to try something different.

I think music can really set the flavour of a game if matched well or can even completely change its feel. I just wished they'd stop using the same damn music in lots of these games.

Well, those games are different stories :p Three of those games, (Im not sure of Baldurs Gate) were scored by Jeremy Soule, and he is notorious for never changing a thing in his music. However, his music for Prey was different, albeit not as good as his normal work. I also heard a number of loops in that soundtrack.

Quote: Original post by Sean R Beeson

Quote: Original post by Torquemeda
One thing I have to add which I'm not sure someone has said before is if the music is the same or similar in lots of different games then to me it makes then feel the same and me less wanting to play them. For instance Neverwinter nights, Oblivion, Baldurs Gate, Dungeon Siege, Guild Wars all have the same music, for me it just ruins the atmosphere when I play a game and I have heard the music before, and it seems to me that they havent even bothered to try something different.

I think music can really set the flavour of a game if matched well or can even completely change its feel. I just wished they'd stop using the same damn music in lots of these games.

Well, those games are different stories :p Three of those games, (Im not sure of Baldurs Gate) were scored by Jeremy Soule, and he is notorious for never changing a thing in his music. However, his music for Prey was different, albeit not as good as his normal work. I also heard a number of loops in that soundtrack.

I guess sometimes if under time pressure they don't bother make a single change in their music(understandable, business first :) ). I don't have Oblivion but I think the score for Morrowind is excellent and I guess it's fair to say that it ruins the atmosphere when playing the game hearing the same music for different titles especially in sequel.

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I think it is terrible for a composer to do that. I guess the companies didn't mind- but my point is that is your sole job: produce music for games. If I'm working several projects that are the same genre- I try my hardest to make each track distinct and individual to each game. Infact- I try to do that on every project I'm on...so I don't duplicate myself. I know that to a certain extent we all have our own "sound" or method...but a good composer in this industry should try and avoid stamping things out that sound exactly the same.

I'm actually speaking out of turn though- because I haven't played any of those games and haven't heard the music. But if it is the same- and especially if he is resorting to using loops commonly in his scores...well the guy sounds like a hack to me. I might (key word might) use a loop for a drum pattern...but even then it is a last resort and I try to avoid it at all costs. I'd rather write all of my material.

Just my 43 cents worth.

:)

Oblivion and Baldurs Gate most certainly do not have the same music! Perhaps you could argue they are similar, in a few places, but I think that would be like complaining that the Star Wars theme is the same as the Superman theme (not that it stopped others suggesting that).

As for sequels, I think it's almost mandatory to repeat some of the musical tracks or at least leitmotifs from the earlier games, to evoke some of the atmosphere and link them as a series.

Like I said in my post- I haven't heard the music or played the games...so I was just reacting to what others had posted. But I had never heard about the Superman and Star Wars themes being compared to each other. Wow... that is a stretch. Musically, they are very different but have that John Williams sound.

If these people were comparing sequels to each other- then I agree with Kylotan. Sequels have always had carry over...which helps them have continuity. Some old- some new. This happens not just with the music but with the plot, game design and artwork.

Maybe I should go rent-buy these games and try them out.

Quote: Original post by Kylotan
Oblivion and Baldurs Gate most certainly do not have the same music! Perhaps you could argue they are similar, in a few places, but I think that would be like complaining that the Star Wars theme is the same as the Superman theme (not that it stopped others suggesting that).

As for sequels, I think it's almost mandatory to repeat some of the musical tracks or at least leitmotifs from the earlier games, to evoke some of the atmosphere and link them as a series.

I haven't heard the music from Baldur's Gate. Did Soule write it? He has a lot of great music from other games too, however I am sure that none of us can really gauge what producers ask of him. Perhaps they pay him for that sound, and he has to deliver it. It is different in every game, just the same mood.

Which I agree, also to note, is great. He is also a superb orchestrator.

I'm not really saying they have the exact same sounding music, just that to to my untrained ears they sound similar enough. But I guess it does make sense seeings as they are set in kind of similar worlds, but it would be nice too see someone have a different take on the genre.

Just to mention a few positive games for music, MDK on the playstation one had music which went above and beyond what game music generally was. Japanese RPGS usually pay alot of attention to the music Dragon Quest 8 for one. With these its like you get a whole package when they have really good music, you have a distinct sound which you can associate with it, which brings you more into the game.