2 ms·

Tracker music and 1990s video game music needs to make a comeback in general. Why is game music so boring and same-sounding nowadays? That damn wannabe-Hollywo

Tracker music and 1990s video game music needs to make a comeback in general. Why is game music so boring and same-sounding nowadays? That damn wannabe-Hollywood-bug with the faux-orchestras and shit. Just listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA95o7RNjqA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA95o7RNjqA That's for a freakin SHOP scene, a single screen of static UI. And THIS!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGe3gP9VY9A&list=PL8FB3519874861B25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGe3gP9VY9A&list=PL8FB351987... What's the last memorable game OST you can recall? I can only think of Elden Ring.

montag 3mo ago
I agree. The limitations forced composers to be economical and creative. As for modern OSTs, I like VA-11Hall-A. Never played it though
- otabdeveloper4 3mo ago
  PCs and consoles back in the day used to have actual hardware synthesizers to play music. (Wild!) Synthesizers are real musical instruments, so game designers actually had to compose and arrange musical pieces for them! Today it's just pre-recorded sounds, nobody needs to actually craft special game music. P.S. Having a dedicated synthesizer instrument isn't a limitation. It was a cost-saving measure back at the time, but it's a special separate custom chip that we don't get to have anymore.
metroholografix 3mo ago
There are some great remixes to Kenny Chow's legendary intro to the amazing "One Must Fall 2097" that manage to retain and enhance the tracker feel: - Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixf_NfKjXkA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixf_NfKjXkA - Chow's own remix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvlVaQl7kEk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvlVaQl7kEk - SIDNIFY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Jf4i4jG4U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Jf4i4jG4U The original Deus Ex also had some great tracker music.
egypturnash 3mo ago
Oh darling. Stop playing AAA games, start playing real games from teams small enough to make unsafe choices. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD6ujQ0tHAv2qLS5FKH6B8MjtfEg1kwsn https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD6ujQ0tHAv2qLS5FKH6B... - chopped beats, glitched words, everything you would expect in a love letter to Jet Set Radio https://halberball.bandcamp.com/album/fragrance-point-soundtrack https://halberball.bandcamp.com/album/fragrance-point-soundt... - absolutely perfect noises for a game that looks like a 90s rave flier https://supergiantgames.bandcamp.com/album/hades-original-soundtrack https://supergiantgames.bandcamp.com/album/hades-original-so..., https://supergiantgames.bandcamp.com/album/hades-ii-original-soundtrack https://supergiantgames.bandcamp.com/album/hades-ii-original... - hades and its sequel shifts seamlessly between lutey-flutey strumming, hard rock, ballads, and sets the heck out of its mood https://momojams.bandcamp.com/album/flipwitch-original-game-soundtrack https://momojams.bandcamp.com/album/flipwitch-original-game-... - this horny metroidvania can fit so many electro-swing bangers in it https://blackpantsgamestudio.bandcamp.com/album/tiny-big-soundtrack https://blackpantsgamestudio.bandcamp.com/album/tiny-big-sou... - sideways grooves and gloriously self-indulgent prog https://polybius-ost.bandcamp.com/album/polybius-the-original-soundtrack https://polybius-ost.bandcamp.com/album/polybius-the-origina... - so much blissful techno to stare fixedly at blinking lights to, while the Welsh wizard who wrote it repeatedly insists that you are not being programmed by this experience in any way
- vintermann 3mo ago
  Another great indie soundtrack is Death Road to Canada's. I see you put Hades, haven't played it but I can attest that Supergiant's first game Bastion also has a pretty good soundtrack. I love the minimalistic soundtrack of Baba is You, made by the developer. Almost all filtered saw waves so it sounds "chippy", but I dare anyone to port it to the C64. FTL is an indie game which does cinematic soundtracks right, in my opinion. The chip elements are there, it's definitively not chip or tracker-style but it's still very good. But there are bad indie game soundtracks too. Honestly, Slay the Spire, while a great game, has exactly the terrible cheap wannabe cinematic orchestral soundtrack OP complains about. It's at least slightly better for StS 2.

montag 3mo ago

I agree. The limitations forced composers to be economical and creative. As for modern OSTs, I like VA-11Hall-A. Never played it though

otabdeveloper4 3mo ago
PCs and consoles back in the day used to have actual hardware synthesizers to play music. (Wild!) Synthesizers are real musical instruments, so game designers actually had to compose and arrange musical pieces for them! Today it's just pre-recorded sounds, nobody needs to actually craft special game music. P.S. Having a dedicated synthesizer instrument isn't a limitation. It was a cost-saving measure back at the time, but it's a special separate custom chip that we don't get to have anymore.

metroholografix 3mo ago

There are some great remixes to Kenny Chow's legendary intro to the amazing "One Must Fall 2097" that manage to retain and enhance the tracker feel: - Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixf_NfKjXkA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixf_NfKjXkA - Chow's own remix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvlVaQl7kEk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvlVaQl7kEk - SIDNIFY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Jf4i4jG4U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3Jf4i4jG4U The original Deus Ex also had some great tracker music.

egypturnash 3mo ago

Oh darling. Stop playing AAA games, start playing real games from teams small enough to make unsafe choices. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD6ujQ0tHAv2qLS5FKH6B8MjtfEg1kwsn https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD6ujQ0tHAv2qLS5FKH6B... - chopped beats, glitched words, everything you would expect in a love letter to Jet Set Radio https://halberball.bandcamp.com/album/fragrance-point-soundtrack https://halberball.bandcamp.com/album/fragrance-point-soundt... - absolutely perfect noises for a game that looks like a 90s rave flier https://supergiantgames.bandcamp.com/album/hades-original-soundtrack https://supergiantgames.bandcamp.com/album/hades-original-so..., https://supergiantgames.bandcamp.com/album/hades-ii-original-soundtrack https://supergiantgames.bandcamp.com/album/hades-ii-original... - hades and its sequel shifts seamlessly between lutey-flutey strumming, hard rock, ballads, and sets the heck out of its mood https://momojams.bandcamp.com/album/flipwitch-original-game-soundtrack https://momojams.bandcamp.com/album/flipwitch-original-game-... - this horny metroidvania can fit so many electro-swing bangers in it https://blackpantsgamestudio.bandcamp.com/album/tiny-big-soundtrack https://blackpantsgamestudio.bandcamp.com/album/tiny-big-sou... - sideways grooves and gloriously self-indulgent prog https://polybius-ost.bandcamp.com/album/polybius-the-original-soundtrack https://polybius-ost.bandcamp.com/album/polybius-the-origina... - so much blissful techno to stare fixedly at blinking lights to, while the Welsh wizard who wrote it repeatedly insists that you are not being programmed by this experience in any way

vintermann 3mo ago
Another great indie soundtrack is Death Road to Canada's. I see you put Hades, haven't played it but I can attest that Supergiant's first game Bastion also has a pretty good soundtrack. I love the minimalistic soundtrack of Baba is You, made by the developer. Almost all filtered saw waves so it sounds "chippy", but I dare anyone to port it to the C64. FTL is an indie game which does cinematic soundtracks right, in my opinion. The chip elements are there, it's definitively not chip or tracker-style but it's still very good. But there are bad indie game soundtracks too. Honestly, Slay the Spire, while a great game, has exactly the terrible cheap wannabe cinematic orchestral soundtrack OP complains about. It's at least slightly better for StS 2.