What I miss from amiga games: The Music

[runequester]

One thing I really miss from amiga games, as well as other oldies, compared to current games... the music

1: I liked that the music sounded unlike anything you'd get anywhere else. You couldn't turn on the radio and hear something like the intro to Alien Breed.

2: In-game music. Yeah, a lot of games try to be ambient, but it'd be nice to have the option more often rather than just background noise.

3: A lot of games have extremely generic music. Epic sounding movie music for the intro, often very interchangeable. There's no mistaking say, the music of Chaos Engine with that of Turrican.


Obviously there's exceptions but this is something I really miss.

[valeru]

partially agree, but for me it is the gameplay. Those were games which held me for hours at end.

Instantly the following GREAT games spring to mind.

Virus (Zarch)
Elite
Carrier Command
The Sentinel

Virus in particular still holds me, I do every so often launch WinUAE to play it. And that is a 23 year old game !!!

As for the Music, wanted to ask is there a single repository of game mods? It would be nice to have them.

[runequester]

oh, don't get me wrong, I love a lot of the gameplay in those old games too

[Linde]

Yeah, I agree with you on the "epic sounding movie music" sentiment -- everyone wants to be Hans Zimmer and it ends up sounding bland and boring. Sometimes I wish games still had looping background music, but then I think that it wouldn't fit most modern games.

EDIT: Then there are some games which pull off the orchestral music perfectly! Outcast, for example, has nice music if I remember correctly.

[commodorejohn]

Yeah, I agree with you on the "epic sounding movie music" sentiment -- everyone wants to be Hans Zimmer and it ends up sounding bland and boring.

This. Some games work perfectly with a "cinematic orchestra" type soundtrack, but just like 3D, open-world gameplay, RPG elements, and every other innovation in the industry, it's been me-tooed to the point of nausea. That was one thing I particularily liked about Portal - not only was it its own unique game in pretty much every other aspect, it wasn't afraid to sound different.

I'm still waiting for the game that has a soundtrack done in the style of classic progressive rock, but I think I may have to write that one myself

[SamuraiCrow]

I'm still waiting for the game that has a soundtrack done in the style of classic progressive rock, but I think I may have to write that one myself

Let me know if you need any help!  

[djrikki]

I assume you mean 'I miss amiga-like music in modern games'.  In that case yes, but tbh I'd find it hard to give an opinion.

After the death of Commodore and generally growing up, starting college, getting a gf, losing a gf, finding myself an Uncle I never really needed to buy one of these silly consoles.

Fifa 10, Assault Cube, Neverball, Dofus (played it for 4+ years!) are, but are a few games I have played in recents years.   Games aren't what they used to be anymore - that old 'they don't make them like they used to' line.  Give me a controller with one perhaps two buttons max and some quality gameplay, graphics come second in my mind.

Yeah sadly you turn on any game these days and its a proper quality soundtrack by some dance act or indie artist no-one has ever heard of.  Which I guess that's something in itself, but you can't beat the sound of an '80s or early '90s protracker/mod.

If I want to listen to Amiga music all over again there is plenty available on YouTube to indulge myself.

[runequester]

Yeah, I agree with you on the "epic sounding movie music" sentiment -- everyone wants to be Hans Zimmer and it ends up sounding bland and boring. Sometimes I wish games still had looping background music, but then I think that it wouldn't fit most modern games.

EDIT: Then there are some games which pull off the orchestral music perfectly! Outcast, for example, has nice music if I remember correctly.

yeah, a lot of games want to be ambient. THe thing is.. give us the damn option

I'd have enjoyed Doom 3 more if it had some metal tracks to blast monsters by, like the original had (albeit in midi)


An indie game I picked up recently is Osmos, which has great, interesting music that really adds to the gameplay feeling

[coldfish]

Music in games from that era always had the potential to impress, eg: like the first time I heard Cannon Fodder's intro track on my A500.
These days game music is so "realistic" its almost unoticable unless its something really different.  Same goes for graphics to some degree.

[Franko]

I know this might sound daft to folk today, but to me one of the all time greatest tunes for any computer game is the music in the old C64 game Forbidden Forest, at that time apart from the size of the characters in the game no-one had even heard such music coming from a home computer, totally blew me away that one did...

(PS:Loco on the C64 was also another brilliant piece of work...

On the Amiga side I'd have to say the music in The Faery Tale Adventure and the theme tune from UBI Softs ILyad are me all time faves...

[commodorejohn]

Let me know if you need any help!  

Gotta get Roger Dean to do the cover art so we cover both the "progressive rock" and "Amiga" bases

[Mulle]

Oh I love amiga soundtracks, music and sounds. Not every new game would fit with retro bit music but there is somekind lost, those real games that was hardcore to play, you could hate them and at the same time love them cause they really challenge you are almost extinct.Today the market has change, most new games is stupified to sell better for casual gamers and thats also because developing games is risky and cost a lot if it should sell in AAA titles. If hunting for games that is more like our old once i would look in the big pond of indy games, theyre have more possibillites then bigger companies to succeede with innovative games.
 
By the way, i miss Amiga sound and music's, nothing new can sound like my old Amiga. I also recommend to look at Globalgamejam.org for crazy game ideas. I was in the Switch team this year with the game Switch, check it out at www.globalgamejam.org/2010/switch

[Einstein]

I must say I prefer the music in a higher number of amiga games than I do any other system, be it modern, or classic.

[runequester]

I must say I prefer the music in a higher number of amiga games than I do any other system, be it modern, or classic.

It does have a certain unique sound to it

[ElPolloDiabl]

GTA, it's got all your classic 80s music.