In case you missed it, part one of the first ‘Five of the Best’ feature can be found here.
Metal Gear Solid 3 OST – Harry Gregson-Williams
Perhaps the greatest sign of how William’s music for the Metal Gear Solid games has proven his talent is that he is now composing scores for blockbuster films, including Kingdom of Heaven and The Chronicles of Narnia. His music has become synonymous with the Metal Gear franchise, so much so that when it was rumoured that he would not be scoring the soundtrack for the third game on the PS2, fans were up in arms and he was drafted back into the fold.
Unlike the more electronic influenced atmosphere of MGS2, William’s takes a great deal of inspiration from the jungle setting of Snake Eater (the codename of the third game, if you will) using instrumentation that conjures up startling imagery of the dense forests and enclosing you into the claustrophobic atmosphere that dominates the cat and mouse nature of the game.
There’s some wonderful tracks, including the MGS3 version of the Metal Gear theme. Here he relies on his knowledge of computer tricks to create a track that builds up into a blisteringly fast take on the now familiar tune that introduces Solid Snake’s adventures.
Currently Williams has returned to Konami to work on the soundtrack for the fourth game in the series, Guns of the Patriots. With the additional capabilities of the PS3 and the more action orientated focus of the next game many fans are eagerly anticipating what is in store.
Halo Original Soundtrack – Marty O’Donnell
Despite never buying into the hype that surrounded Halo’s seemingly holy coming onto the Xbox, I remained intrigued once all the initial fuss had died down as to what was so outrageously spectacular about this apparently by the numbers first person shooter. Alien weapons? Check. Silent protagonist? Check. Ridiculous sci-fi story? Check. Bombastic orchestral score that rises a run of the mill videogame to epic levels that demand attention – check.
As players fought the hard slogged battle of Halo, with the now legendary Master Chief, Marty O’Donnel was behind them every step of the way, creating a soundtrack that imbued the whole game with the feel of a Hollywood science fiction film, a score that rose and fell at all the right moments, and a collection of music that represented not only the sheer quality of game making on offer from Bungie studios, but the first real combination of big budget movie production values and video games, a mixture that now more than ever the majority of gamers take for granted.
Final Fantasy 9 OST – Nobuo Uematsu
Ok, ok so there is a certain element of flak I’m open to in choosing two Final Fantasy soundtracks out of five. But as much as I tried to find an alternative collection to close this first edition of ‘Five of the Best’ off, the more I kept on thinking about this fantastic behemoth of work that was to be Uematsu’s last composition for a series of games that owes just as much to him for it’s success as it does the game play and script writers.
FF9 seemed to get a lot of mixed reactions when it came out, with critics falling over themselves to give it exceptionally high ratings, whereas a lot of fans were left in two minds as to whether it was good or not. I won’t go into details, as personally I regard the game as one of the best in the series, but there was one thing that remained unequivocally great – the soundtrack.
Once again Uematsu proved himself a deft master at creating songs that immersed themselves into the somewhat medieval atmosphere of FF9’s world. What he has always been talented at is the way he makes the music hold the same personality of the towns and villages you visit throughout the game, sounding so detailed as to give even a blind person an impression of the places. Qu’s Marsh, a boggy land where you find Quina Quen is introduced with grand drumming and some bizarre voices, and when you see the frogs bouncing about the place you almost can’t help but imagine them singing, Budweiser advert style. The theme to the regal city of Lindblum is laid back and cool, aligning perfectly with the bohemian lives of it’s inhabitants.
Finally, the theme of this game, the beautifully titled ‘The Place I’ll Return To Someday’ is one that has haunted me since I first put the game into my Playstation all those years ago. The simple melody climbs up and down, a musical representation of the struggles ahead and the traditional instrumentation immediately succeeds in introducing you to the world of Final Fantasy 9.
So there it is, five of the best video game soundtracks in my humble opinion. Ludicrously geeky I know, but I like to think that with the sudden acceptance of video games as a valid form of art comparable to films, that the composers of video game music begin to receive more recognition and respect for their work. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment, I’ll be more than happy to hear from you!
If you’re interested in checking some of this music out, then you can download a vast array of OST’s from Blue Laguna and Galbadia Hotel, two wonderful resources.
