Sound for games.

Oh boy, sound! Music in games has always been a favourite of mine, and I have a few favourites to show you! You can never underestimate the power of sound, man. A game with stellar visuals is all well and good, but if things don't sound good you're not going to want to be there for long. Memorable music can of course leave you thinking and feeling about a game way after you've put down the controller, and certainly helps to create a more memorable experience. When a game has a good soundtrack, it can be enjoyed separate from the game experience itself, and therefore you spend more time in the world of the game than you otherwise would have. But beyond the music of a game, sound has a massive impact on other elements of the game. From sound effects to voice acting, everything has to come together to make a truly solid experience.

You can almost hear it now...

F.E.A.R (monolith, 2006) is a game that doesn't do many things well, but still stands as a well-received favorite of shooter and horror fans alike. There are 2 reasons for this, and both have a lot to do with sound. Firstly, the soundtrack is stellar. Incorporating eerie soundscapes with indian throat singing, F.E.A.Rs music paints a bleak picture of otherworldly pain that is almost wasted on the game itself. Almost. The other reason that F.E.A.R can make so many mistakes and still offer up one of the best gameplay experiences of the past decade is its gunplay. The shooting mechanics of the game are incredibly solid, every weapon feels like a violent machine of fury in your hands, and this is down in no small part to the way they sound. Every gunshot resonates through your body, and the sound designers have clearly created every punchy bullet sound, every ricocheting casing tingle with a lot of love and attention.

But, back to soundtracks, heres one I want to show you now. Its my personal favorite, not least because it was written by someone with relatively little experience in the field and yet turned out so, so good. Its heartfelt, its varied, its memorable, and it tells a story in a game that doesn't really have much of a story to tell. World Of Goo is a success in many regards, but a large part of that has to be its music. Its about as visual as music can get, entire scenarios reduced to audio-waves. Do have a listen to it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

 http://drh1.img.digitalriver.com/DRHM/Storefront/Company/ubi/images/screenshots/wb/fear_screenshot_1.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTmNJUGqKL4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_music

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2D_Boy