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Perhaps we should ask ourselves why (almost) no-one makes those nice melodic theme's anymore...

Well, because tons of n00bs enter the music scene these days. I consider writing proper melodies as an artform, outside producing/playing. How many ppl are able to write melodies on paper these days?

But besides this pov, without any limits, you don't have to be creative anymore these days. As I said, with 3 channels featuring a block wave, you *have* to focus on themes, and counterpoint. Take the game-over music of sd-snatcher.. it's great counterpoint music. It sounds like a lot, but in essence it's 3 channel music! Writing in such a way became somewhat extinct these days.

I tend to agree heavily with MrRudi Konami is great, they still are... I enjoyed all parts of the series (including the gameboy ones and nes). The fact all is now 3D is just evolution, it doesn't break down the game really... Also about the FMV, some FMV is nice and i like to play a game like a movie. I like to be totally immersed into a game (that's why i like RPGs so much)... I know movie games are usually not about gameplay but i tend to disagree here when it comes to metal gear. Metal gear wasn't a movie before the game and they implemented movie style camera angles and FMVs in such a degree that it's different from 'movie'-games. Hideo is a true artist.

On this really off-topic point of the music... Back in the days with the block-waves and 3 channels offcourse U HAD TO experiment to get MORE out of that PSG or SCC. This was usually done by in-house music artists who had a lot of skills with 3 channels block-waves. I know a lot of music was inspired from orchestral J-shit but this doesn't mean u can't be creative...in fact U HAVE to be with 3 channels. Today they just master the orchastral parts and put them as wav files (mp3)? So an important creative step from bringing it from Orchastra's to 3 channels computerchip is now missing.. Maybe this explains the 'lame' music these days... it sounds like a real orchastra!

Give me my 3 channels back!

I'd rather see less FMV, especially since games are NOT movies and if they pretend to be, they're always less than an average B-movie. That's also why nowadays' videogame music seems to lack that touch of magic, that sheer class of eardrum shagging, an overall character... It's just flim music! Videogames and films are completely different kind of arts and they shouldn't share too many elements.

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they're always less than an average B-movie.

Hey what's wrong with B-movies!?

I agree with u, Thom, that commercialism killed the cat too

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>>Perhaps we should ask ourselves why (almost) no-one makes those nice melodic theme's anymore...<< Well, because tons of n00bs enter the music scene these days.

Well I wouldn't call Harry Gregson-Williams a n00b really and some 'classic' people are still active such as Chris Hülsbeck and Allister Brimble.

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I consider writing proper melodies as an artform, outside producing/playing. How many ppl are able to write melodies on paper these days?

paper? what's that? But seriously, any musician should be able to write melodies, some are better at it than others but that's mere natural. It would be interesting to see what the new members of JDK come up with in Ys 6. I think it is more a matter of what publishers think the people want to hear, or what the Producer wants him/herself.

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On this really off-topic point of the music... Back in the days with the block-waves and 3 channels offcourse U HAD TO experiment to get MORE out of that PSG or SCC. This was usually done by in-house music artists who had a lot of skills with 3 channels block-waves. I know a lot of music was inspired from orchestral J-shit but this doesn't mean u can't be creative...in fact U HAVE to be with 3 channels. Today they just master the orchastral parts and put them as wav files (mp3)? So an important creative step from bringing it from Orchastra's to 3 channels computerchip is now missing.. Maybe this explains the 'lame' music these days... it sounds like a real orchastra! Give me my 3 channels back!

Hey I like orchestral music...really, I wouldn't wanna go back to the FM based orchestral wannabe's of earlier Final Fantasies compared to the full orchestral versions of later installments of the series.

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I'd rather see less FMV, especially since games are NOT movies and if they pretend to be, they're always less than an average B-movie. That's also why nowadays' videogame music seems to lack that touch of magic, that sheer class of eardrum shagging, an overall character... It's just flim music! Videogames and films are completely different kind of arts and they shouldn't share too many elements.

Nah...when FMV sequences (or scripted cutscenes as in MGS) are used to tell the story and not just as a show-off I am all for it. Sure, you could that in-game with a text balloon but there is a lot less to see that way. The face expressions for one add a lot to any scene. The 'Comrade' scene in MGS2 just after Emma dies is brilliantly crafted and gives me goosebumps everytime I see it.

I did like Shenmue I & II a lot, though! And these games also used a lot of FMV, however these (mostly interactive) cut-scenes were made by the in-game engine (although you can see the difference as the cut-scenes use a lot more polygons, due to its pre-recorded nature).

Some people think Shenmue is like watching drying paint however. That's their loss.

MGS(2) scripted cutscenes were done with the in-game engine as well. Both methods have something I think...everytime Final Fantasy games switch to hi-res rendered FMV I hold my breath since they are so beautiful!

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MGS(2) scripted cutscenes were done with the in-game engine as well. Both methods have something I think...everytime Final Fantasy games switch to hi-res rendered FMV I hold my breath since they are so beautiful!

Haha, well it's always about the enjoyment in the end, isn't it?
Have you ever seen the cut-scenes in Super Monkey Ball 2? An utterly superfluous addition to an otherwise excellent game (Boy, did I enjoy Monkey Ball! One of the best games of the last decade in my opinion)

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Well I wouldn't call Harry Gregson-Williams a n00b really

yeah, I know him.. and I know his mgs2 music, which is rather good, tho it misses some strong themes. Of all the half-orchestral/half-electronical filmmusic that was made in the last decade, Crimson Tide by Hans Zimmer is still the best one.

But, now you name one.. there are thousends of games out there all with rather big budgets, and all with average music... The only PC game music that I liked in the past few years was Warcraft 2, Diablo2/exp. and the usual Lucasarts stuff ..

..that's just few composers in a wealth of companies!

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It's perfectly possible to create movie-style music with the appealing 80's and early 90's themes. But for some odd reason, may 80's artists didn't survive the 90's.

As Konami theirselves have prooven time and again with the original Vampire Killer/Castlevania theme in all kinds of new Castlevania games...

And for me, Castlevania:Symphony of the Night on PSX has music which does quit resemble the music of the great 80s/early 90s computergames...

There are always exceptions
I bet there are some MSX1 games with movie-like music too

The point is good melody based music is close to inexistant nowadays. But that goes hand in hand with the overall terrible quality of at least 75% of games nowadays.

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There are always exceptions I bet there are some MSX1 games with movie-like music too The point is good melody based music is close to inexistant nowadays. But that goes hand in hand with the overall terrible quality of at least 75% of games nowadays.

And 75% of the music

(not only the ones in games)

What about MG Twin Snakes? Read HERE for a review. MSX is mentioned.

hind-sight my ass!
these guys just don't get it, do they...

*sigh*

Another thing to complain about: MGS:TTS is still not available in any of the toystores in my town!! (DAMNIT where is this smiley gone off to?!)

maybe this one should do the trick?

edit: apparently not