Is video game music good enough to standalone?

Posted by death on Feb. 12, 2013, 2:08 p.m.

The past couple months i have been spending all my music time listening to game soundtracks. Now i'm a member of the Escapist and on the forums a thread was started about how video game music is generic and can't stand on it's own. (the OP went as far as saying that video games would be better with pop music being used instead, like in a lot of shitty teen movies)

Now of course i disagreed with a massive size post but it did make me curious about whether or not VGM OST's could really sell as well as mainstream music.

I listen to a lot of OST's, some of my favorites being from:

-Ys Seven

-Star Ocean: Till The End of Time

-Chrono Cross

-Vomitron (cover band)

and of course tons of chiptunes as well.

So my question is, how often do gamers listen to VGM when not playing games? And would you be willing to pay money for VGM OSTs? Or go to a kickass concert like this?

Comments

JID 11 years, 9 months ago

Some of my fav soundtracks:

Bioshock

Max Payne 3

Crysis 2

Halo Reach

JuurianChi 11 years, 9 months ago

The older sonic games were heavily influenced by pop.

Touhou is a very good example because albums for that come out nearly every six months and do very well in other countries. Considering the indie value.

It's just a matter of preference.

Soundtracks would probably sell more if they featured popular music, which is what led EA to introduce EA-TRAX (which is a incredibly retarded name.) and then eventually just started adding the pop and junk by default.

JID 11 years, 9 months ago

thank you sirXemic, for reminding me of the Jazz Jackrabbit soundtrack, so much nostalgia

Quietus 11 years, 9 months ago

mk question. where would the Kingdom Hearts theme song fall in this spectrum? it's a "video game song" technically, but it's also a pop/dance remix.

Chi makes a good point, even Sonic 3 had music written by Michael Jackson. you can recognize all kinds of MJ riffs in Sonic 3's soundtrack. game music isn't like, on its own island or something, separate from pop music.

the important thing i think is just to have good music. we're not in the chiptune era anymore - there's a lot that can be done with music and games.

colseed 11 years, 9 months ago

Quote:
Luna Dial. You're trying to show people Touhou music and you show them Luna Dial. Shame.

You could have mentioned Last Remote, or Native Faith, or Captain Murasa, or Fires of Hokkai. True Administrator, Hartmann's Youkai Girl, Heian Alien, Rural Makai City Esoteria? Cinderella Cage, Voyage 1969, Candid Friend, Cemetery of Onbashira, Beloved Tomboyish Daughter, Phantom Ensemble, Ultimate Truth?
I've only been around this stuff for a month or two man, cut me a break - I barely know half of those :(

and maybe I've just spent too much time dodging knives to Luna Dial, but some of those middle parts that sound like clockwork ticking have a tenseness to them that makes me happy ._.

here are these better

PoFV Mystia Lorelei's theme - Deaf to all but the song

SWR Suika's theme - Broken Moon

Complete Darkness - Mima's theme

TD Miko's Theme: Shoutoku Legend ~ True Administrator

IN Marisa's theme - Love-Coloured Master Spark

Then again, the song that really started me into Touhou music was this, so maybe I'm just approaching it from a weird angle

edit2: JID, that Crysis 2 music…how could I have forgotten to mention it, I remember when I couldn't stop listening to that vid lol

JuurianChi 11 years, 9 months ago

A topic featuring youtube videos?

The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

Skyrim

Kingdom Hearts 3D Dream Drop Distance

Sonic Adventure (Overly pop as fuck.)

Bioshock

L.A. Noire

A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda

ParappaTheRapper2

Bastion

Bit Trip Runner

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Black mesa

Team Fortress 2

Final Fantasy VII

Valkyria Chronicles

Dark Souls

JID 11 years, 9 months ago

Quote:
edit2: JID, that Crysis 2 music…how could I have forgotten to mention it, I remember when I couldn't stop listening to that vid lol
yeah, i almost forgot about it too, but then i remembered i made a blog a while back with some of my fav soundtracks. I got lazy and just copy-pasted :p

Charlie Carlo 11 years, 9 months ago

You would listen to Parappa Rappa?

Kunedon 11 years, 9 months ago

I'd listen to UmJammer Lammy.

Quietus 11 years, 9 months ago

Charlie's comment should end with a period, not a question mark.