Tommy, let me just say that you are about the only American composer who didn't make muddy crap using the Genesis chip; instead there was a clarity that seemingly only existed with the Japanese folks doing it. Props for that.

Ah yes! Forgot the LucasArts boys. Pure genius. Thanks Mr. X & Denicalis.

T.T.



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Additional Spam:
Thanks for the kind words. I definitely loved working on the Genesis. One of my favorite consoles to compose for (and play).

Yuzo Koshiro's Streets of Rage is still one of my favorites (Enigma FTW!)

;)

T.T.

Games are becoming more cinematic, so this applies to the music as well. It's almost a natural process how genres blend together, so what should the composers do? Some games include more cutscene music than in-game music..
What I think is a shame is that most western VGM soundtracks nowadays contain one major theme (the main theme) and the rest of the soundtrack is variations thereof and ambience.

Back in the day games had full songs and not music that turned itself up when something was happening on screen and quiets down when the action was over. I think the focus nowadays is more about how the BGM is used to fit the situation rather than how the BGM is composed, which for those playing the game practically makes no difference.

For a casual gamer like me who's more interested in the music it sucks :(

Here's a few of my favorite soundtracks from the last 5 years:

That list isn't definitive either. Probably missing some big ones, and there's still a lot I have not yet heard!

If we're tossing out favorite very recent soundtracks, most definitely I would include:

- Musashiden II (the OST to Samurai Legend Musashi)
- Pixeljunk Eden
- Within a Deep Forest
- Opoona (hear hear, Kaleb)
- Persona 4
- Sigma Harmonics

While we're giving love to 'western' composers, I just wanna throw out Terry Scott Taylor's name. y'know, the composer for that bitchin' claymation game, The Neverhood? No? Well GO FIND IT. Another of Doug TenNapel's babies, so you know it's awesome (and has sweet music; exhibit A, Tallarico). Shit's underrated as fuck.

(pretty sure Rimo gave the soundtrack some much-needed exposure on his website)

Trackers aren't used in VGM creation anymore so the answer to this thread is yes.

I'm pretty sure there's an artist that goes by the name MOD that still does it. It's in one of Rimo's interviews I think.

What games does he compose for? Indie developers, e.g Nifflas, still use tracker music now and again but they're few and far between.

Video Game Music isn't a musical genre, just like Film Music isn't one.

If anything among the wide array of music used for video games is kinda specific to them, it's indeed chiptune music. This is the one and only truly innovating form of VGM.

As such, I'd say there was indeed some kind of golden age, and it's long gone. With technology improving, music used in video games has lost it's particularity and now sounds like any film soundtrack could sound. Wether it's a good thing or not is up to everyone's judgment.

Personally, I strongly believe in the fact that the more you limit an artist's possibilities, the more he'll have to push his creativity. This is how I explain the huge amount of awesomely catchy melodies the chiptune era produced. This is why 80% of my preferred stuff is from that era, but I can also enjoy some of the recent stuff as well, just not in the same spirit.

Ducktales - The Moon. You jerks know what I'm talkin' about :megaman:

That said, plenty of my favorites are, unfortunately, retired or burnt out. The lady that did the music for the first two Suikodens (from what I read) got hitched and stopped composing. The goon who did music for Albert Odyssey completely vanished after that eargasm. Mitsuda and Uematsu definitely had their moments. However, nowadays all Uematsu songs are pretty "meh" and Mitsuda just seems to be stuck in a certain "feel" or "sound". All of his music nowadays just sounds identical.

We aren't past a golden age or anything of the sort (if you could possibly pick one out). Presently, though, I don't have many composers that I'd tack an "awesome" by the name of.

PS: niki outta nowhere sup mang

While to me Mitsuda's only true moment of brilliance ultimately is Chrono Trigger, I'd say Uematsu actually is an exception. His recent stuff is pretty cool, and some of it even is pretty awesome. Sure, he doesn't deliver as much memorable themes as he used to, but there is something in the development of his powerful choir powered rock tunes that just seems "in the line" of all he ever did. I mean, I don't think I can find a similar example of someone who enhanced his sound quality so much and could keep such a recognizable style.

ps sup sup ~

I've gotta agree about portions of Uematsu's recent output, especially when it comes to him stretching his prog muscle. I mean, holy crap Revival of the Ancients from Blue Dragon. I mean, the man's classic stuff will always have a place in my heart, but some of his new stuff completely surpasses his old goodness.

I want Motoi to go back to writing chiptunes. And skipping the "original" part and going to use the arrange versions of songs as the actual ones on the OST.




WHERE'S MY MOTOI ARRANGED "BIRTH OF A GOD", HUH?