Greetings and felicitations
Yesterday evening I was in the bathroom having my evening toilet trip before bed, and a familiar piece of music cropped up on the television downstairs.
This piece of music was on the Russell Howard's Good News Show or whatever it's called but that is not the first place I've heard this music. The first place I had heard this music was in fact within a little known (yeah right!) multiplayer game called...
Little Big Planet
This is a fun filled game (aimed at children may I add) that helps you while away the hours playing as the main character, Sackboy. |
| Here he is, in his naked and cute glory. |
This game is by no means normal. In fact because it is so strange is what attracted me to it in the first place. It has bizarre world through which you have to navigate whilst doing problem solving tasks, and you are greeted by some strange looking and sounding characters.
But the thing that struck me the most about this particular children's game, was the music. It filled me full of glee and made my heart flutter because although in essence it was made with simple pan pipes and pizzicato, along with some fun lyrics added in in places; it was so deliciously joyous. The different levels that you work your way through all had different styles of music which I thought was great too, and these styles really reflected what was going on. No matter how irritating the game got - usually down to me not being very dexterous - it was the music that kept me playing. If you've never heard music from the game I'm talking about, please watch this video.
Now, I'm not exactly a seasoned gamer - but I have played quite a few different games in my time - usually because they are brightly coloured and had caught my eye. But this next game (which I really would like some nice person to buy me the soundtrack for; my birthday is 20th December FYI), is a game which I would normally have glazed over as it looked a bit complicated for my liking. But due to a mess-up by Tesco I managed to get this game for £30 instead of £50 where everwhere else was selling it - score!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Now to cut a long story short(ish) here is how things go down in good ol' Skyrim.
You are the Dovahkiin (Dragon Born) and you are on your own most of the time (occasionally with a helper / hindrance depending on who you end up with) and you travel around the province of Skyrim slaying various beasties; fulfilling large and small tasks - which also involves joining different groups of people.
I really enjoyed playing Skyrim - I seem to have mislaid the disc so that is why I am talking in the past tense! I played almost 300 hours of this game and didn't even get halfway through it as there was so much to explore (if you have a lot of free time, give it a whirl).
I digress, as usual.
The music from this game is outstanding. It was nominated for a couple of awards, but sadly lost out (boo!) However the game's main theme Dragonborn, won the Game Audio Network Guild's Best Original Vocal (Choral) Award. The only way to describe it is a mixture of some sort of macabre choral arrangement, to what can only be described as 'adventure music' - which when you're traversing over mountains chasing down sabre cats gets your heart beat going! There is what I would call 'boss music' when dragons and meanies are coming to get you, which not only lets you know that something is coming - it also gives you a chance to get your weapons out. Which in my case, would be some sort of bow as I like to think of myself as an archer...
Anyway, you came here to see the Video Game Gems that I like - so please see this video of the music that won the award. I like the 'HU-ARGH!' bit.
It's very raw isn't it? I love it. Probably the only home screen that doesn't so your head in if you leave it on while you go and make a cup of tea. Unlike Call of Duty Black Ops...
I wanted to share with you three different games that have really made an impact on me musically. The final one is the very first game I was ever bought.
It's like a secret portal to 20 years ago to listen to that music. I will always hum and whistle along nonchalantly as if it were second nature.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you liked my first 'real' blog. please leave comments below as to what your favourite game music is and why.
'What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great efforts?' - Paarthurnax (Skyrim)
You are the Dovahkiin (Dragon Born) and you are on your own most of the time (occasionally with a helper / hindrance depending on who you end up with) and you travel around the province of Skyrim slaying various beasties; fulfilling large and small tasks - which also involves joining different groups of people.
 |
| This is a female Dovahkiin. Fus Roh Dah! |
I really enjoyed playing Skyrim - I seem to have mislaid the disc so that is why I am talking in the past tense! I played almost 300 hours of this game and didn't even get halfway through it as there was so much to explore (if you have a lot of free time, give it a whirl).
I digress, as usual.
The music from this game is outstanding. It was nominated for a couple of awards, but sadly lost out (boo!) However the game's main theme Dragonborn, won the Game Audio Network Guild's Best Original Vocal (Choral) Award. The only way to describe it is a mixture of some sort of macabre choral arrangement, to what can only be described as 'adventure music' - which when you're traversing over mountains chasing down sabre cats gets your heart beat going! There is what I would call 'boss music' when dragons and meanies are coming to get you, which not only lets you know that something is coming - it also gives you a chance to get your weapons out. Which in my case, would be some sort of bow as I like to think of myself as an archer...
Anyway, you came here to see the Video Game Gems that I like - so please see this video of the music that won the award. I like the 'HU-ARGH!' bit.
I wanted to share with you three different games that have really made an impact on me musically. The final one is the very first game I was ever bought.
Sonic The Hedgehog
Seems you were either a Mario kid or a Sonic kid when I was about 5. I remember that I was a Sonic kid and I used to go around to my friend's house two doors down who was a Mario kid. I remember that we would spend afternoons in my bedroom playing on Sonic and when I would go around to my friend's house we would have to share the SNES with her two brothers and most of the time we didn't get a look in!
My (late) dad bought me my Mega Drive - my parents were divorced and I must admit he did spoil me when it came to electronic items. Not without my gratitude though, my mum is great, but when it comes to technology, she stalls.
I remember every week my dad would come to see me and we would always go to the same shopping precinct, we would go and have a McDonald's and we would go to Currys and Dixons (now amalgamated) and look at the new games for the Mega Drive.
I loved it.
I had (and still have as I couldn't bear to let them go) quite a few games for this new-fangled electronic object, that provided me with colourful creatures that I could control on the screen. And no matter how many games I got for it, I would always come back to Sonic the Hedgehog. Not Sonic and Tails, or Sonic Three. The original. With no spin dash and no other players. I didn't even mind sharing the controller because I enjoyed watching other people who were better at this game get to new levels!
Even then, as a child of the age of about 5-6 the music affected me. I mean, it was almost definitely designed to, but even now any composition that is similar has the same effect on me. I get hot and sweaty, and my heart rate rises - it feels like its going to pump right out of my chest. You got it - it's the Labyrinth Zone death music.
Just so you know, this music still made me panic. Even the music for the game level panicked me because I knew the person wouldn't get the bubble quick enough! Wow. old habits die hard clearly!
On a nicer note though - I had the Green Hill Zone theme tune as my ringtone for a while because it really made me smile (and unfortunately inadvertently ignore the poor soul who actually called).
It's like a secret portal to 20 years ago to listen to that music. I will always hum and whistle along nonchalantly as if it were second nature.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you liked my first 'real' blog. please leave comments below as to what your favourite game music is and why.
'What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great efforts?' - Paarthurnax (Skyrim)
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