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Funcom wants to feature your music in The Secret World
From suspenseful music to creepy background noises to the crackling of tunes on a radio, sound is a key element in the ambiance of The Secret World. And now, players have the chance to add their own music to the atmosphere of the game thanks to a new competition. Folks can get together with friends or record a piece solo and submit it for consideration to be included in TSW. Entries to this music contest will be accepted from today until February 19th, 2013. All submissions must be the entrant's own composition or sent with the consent of the creator. Simon Poole, Funcom's audio director, will evaluate all submissions and choose the winners. For full details on how to submit your musical piece, check out the official guidelines.
Jukebox Heroes: The Secret World's soundtrack
As a video game music collector and lover, I am frustrated by how very few MMO soundtracks ever make it to a proper release. Sure, I know it's a niche interest within a niche hobby, but it's still maddening to think of how many great games have no soundtracks out there whatsoever. Considering how going digital with sales makes it so much more easy (and cheap) these days, I say there's no excuse. So good on Funcom for getting The Secret World's soundtrack out there. Marc Canham (Far Cry 2) and Simon Poole (The Longest Journey) split the composer duty on this one, and it's probably a good thing that there are multiple perspectives on what is a game that marches to the beat of its own drummer. Contemporary, horror, and conspiracy together beg for a much different sound than grandiose fantasy fanfares. I actually ended up liking this more than Age of Conan's score (blasphemy among some of you, I know). There's still too many atmospheric dread pieces that don't lend themselves to listening on their own, but fortunately, there are enough notable tracks to make up for the rest.
The Secret World soundtrack available on iTunes [Updated]
If you're anxiously awaiting this Friday's early release period for The Secret World, you can add to that anticipation courtesy of the horror-fantasy title's soundtrack. Funcom has made the album available on iTunes starting today, and there are 20 tracks from composers Simon Poole and Marc Canham for your listening pleasure. The track titles give us a window into Funcom's mysterious lore thanks to names like Our Town, Through a Hollow Earth, and The Age is Ending. The Secret World's pre-order early access phase starts June 29th, with launch soon to follow on July 3rd. [Update: The soundtrack is also available on Amazon.]
