Video Game Music: From bleeps and bloops to scores of symphonic serenity

This was written for Maglomaniac on October 15th, 2013

(credit goes to all the companies aforementioned and their content)

 

I love video games.  I’m sure there’s no denying or disputing that claim, based on what I’ve written here or spoken about with friends.  I love games with great art styles, good gameplay, lots of replay value and such.  But, if there’s one thing that can make or break a game’s appeal, it’s the music.  Video game music has become one of the most talked about aspects of gaming for the past 20 years or so.  Sound in video games has come a long way since just your standard bloops, bleeps, and blurps.  When the graphical output improved, so did the presentation of sound.  From generation to generation, the music we relate to video games has touched our lives on various occasions.  It would make us cheer, make us cry, fire us up, and make us laugh. Video game music has had such a great impact on the lives of gamers that people have gone the extra mile to show their appreciation.  There have been live concerts held by bands that primarily play songs from various video games they have played over the years.  Bands and musicians have remixed classic to current video game scores for the listening pleasure of the fans.  Actual video game composers have had live concerts of the music they have for fans of all ages.  In fact, every January, a convention is held in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States called MAGFest (Music and Games Fest, formerly the Mid-Atlantic Games Fest).  At this convention, people come from all over to hang out with fellow gamers in order to listen to video game music in concert form, take part in video game playing, buy nice merchandise, listen to panels about various video game topics, and unwind for 4 days.  If you have never gone to this convention, make it a point to go at least once in your life.  The gamer in you will appreciate it.    Now that we got that out of the way, it’s time for a list.  Yea, you knew it was coming.  I was going to rattle off the companies that, to me, have given the best musical compositions in the history of gaming.  These are the companies that have made some of the most memorable forms of music in gaming history.  I feel they deserve the most praise for all of their hard work.  Here we go, in no particular order:

 

Nintendo

Let’s start off with the masterminds from Redmond, Washington to Tokyo, Japan.  Nintendo has made up some of the catchiest tunes in gaming history.  Who can forget the first time they heard the entire Super Mario Brothers theme?  How awesome was it to hear that triumphant music when you finished a stage in Super Mario Brothers?  In all honesty, I get goose bumps when I hear the opening song played in the opening story crawl for The Legend of Zelda.  These guys helped open the door for musical innovation for the various gaming companies that looked to raise the bar.  Once the Super Nintendo became a reality, they put the basic sounds in as accouterments to a more digital, much better orchestrated sound.  You can thank Sony for that as they helped create an upgraded sound system for Nintendo to play with.  Since they parted ways, Nintendo still remained efficient in producing memorable musical scores.  This can be attributed to Nintendo’s musical mastermind: Koji Kondo.  Kondo created virtually all of the musical scores for all of Nintendo’s first party games.  If not, he had a definitive role in their production as a consulting body.  When you think of video game music, one way or another, a Nintendo game will end up in your thoughts.  Just don’t be surprised if the song comes from a Nintendo game itself. 

 

Capcom

As much as I gushed over Nintendo’s musical excellence, I’d be hard-pressed to ignore that most games on Nintendo systems had good music despite being a third party game.  When it comes to third party game companies, if you are looking for great music from top to bottom and front to back, Capcom is the way to go.  The NES may have had great songs from Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda, but gamers from that era will tell you that Capcom hit with all cylinders when it came to music.  Mega Man 2 stands as one of the most prolific games in the series for the challenge and for the music.  Since then, Mega Man and great music went hand-in-hand.  However, Capcom didn’t stop there.  We have the Street Fighter series and the amazing tracks that go into the games.  Lately, I’ve been hearing how Guile’s theme goes with any situation.  Once you hear it, you’d probably agree.   Be it Ghouls ‘n Ghosts, Final Fight, or even U.N. Squadron, Capcom made it a point to give you a great musical experience.  This even includes games made by Capcom for various franchises outside of video games.  If you don’t believe me, then you haven’t heard the amount of love given to The Moon theme from DuckTales. 

 

Konami

Konami’s musical exploits do a great job of capturing the atmosphere the game is placed in.  I find myself humming the Solid Snake theme on a number of occasions.  It encapsulates the game’s mood and atmosphere perfectly with its urgency, aura, and presence.  Castlevania’s themes always range in tempo and style symbolizing the type of stage that you are in.  Yes, it’s a horror game with an eerie mood.  But even in its eeriness, the stages differ in their style.  The music accommodates this very well adding depth to the game on a grand scale.  As for a game like Contra, you’re running and gunning down aliens at an alarming rate.  The music is intense, fast-paced, and powerful.    Konami has earned its place as one of the few companies that makes amazing music. 

  

SEGA

Personally, when it comes to sound design on Sega systems, I don’t really like the outcome.  It always sounds like the music has too many off-putting sounds to make it likable.  This really holds true for whatever ports are made for the systems in question.  Also, at times, I feel that the sound takes a hit based on the system’s limitations.  However, if you were to take an actual game created by Sega and not ported to a Sega system, take some time to listen to what is put out there, and let it sink in, you get an awesome experience.  The foremost proof of this lies with Sonic the Hedgehog.  The staunchest rumor I have heard about the first set of games on the Genesis was that the music was composed by Michael Jackson.  This was probably put together as an agreement with Jackson who allowed Sega to create the Moonwalker video game as a movie tie-in.  Whether this is true or false, the music from the initial Sonic games on the Genesis were outstanding.  Every song is catchy, resonant, and fitting for the stages, screens, etc. they represent.  That’s not to say there aren’t any other classics that have great musical scores.  Streets of Rage has some stand-out tunes, along with the original arcade classics, Altered Beast and Golden Axe.  When the graphics moved up a notch, the music for Sega games did the same.  The House of the Dead had some haunting scores.  Samba De Amigo made for one great experience as a dance game.  Space Channel 5 had some pretty groovy beats, and Nights’ music was also a step in the right direction.  Sega might not have won the console war, but it won a place in the hearts of millions of gamers with their musical compositions.

 

Square/Enix

Square and Enix have had their fair share of great games, specifically RPGs.  Enix had the expansive yet challenging series, Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest.  Not only was the first of the RPGs in video game form, but its following is immense and impressive over these many years.  SquareSoft didn’t really have its footing and was about to close as a company until they released their ground-breaking first rpg, Final Fantasy.  Years later, it spawned up to 13 different sequels, a slew of different spin-offs, and a following rivaling to surpassing that of Dragon Warrior.  As time passed, both were competing for the same audience of RPG fans with their products.  However, as fate would have it, Enix would end up forming a partnership with Square, bringing all of their games under one roof.   But, what about the music, you ask?  These games take full advantage of any system’s limits and try to give an expansive approach to the music they compose.  As video games advanced, so too did their efforts.  You would now be privy to music done by semi to full orchestras.  It would be like hearing a symphony in the background during an amazing cutscene or an epic battle.  I believe this approach lent the inspiration to have orchestras hold concerts for music that was not previously orchestrated, though I could be wrong.  Regardless, these two companies made it possible to hear an actual orchestra in the game.  The experience couldn’t have been any better.

Honorable mentions

Grant Kirkhope: The master musician behind Yooka-Laylee and Banjo-Kazooie

Activision, Electronic Arts, Rare: these companies have been able to put together some amazing soundtracks with the teams that they have.  However, Activision’s biggest strength, like E.A., is their use of licensed music, and not so much their composition of original tracks.  As for Rare, their music for their top titles have been phenomenal.  Yet, for me, they still seem like products of the eras they came out in.  I rarely hear any songs from Rare games being utilized in concerts or referred to, more so than usual.  Regardless, the musical pieces are still stellar.

In closing, video game music is as much a part of the success of a video game as the graphics, the controls, and even the extras.  A game with a good soundtrack is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.  It could have some of the catchiest tunes you’ve ever heard, or enough musical variety to accentuate the game’s other positives….or hide its negatives.  So, don’t be afraid to pop in your favorite game and listen to a tune or two.  Or, if you really interested in going one step beyond, search out the game’s soundtrack and get your groove on.  From bloops and bleeps to stunning scores, video games have come a long way over the years when sound and music comes to mind.