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H1Z1's audio is a key part of its immersion
When done right, you hardly ever consciously acknowledge a game's sound, but when it's missing or done poorly, it can jar a player out of desired immersion. In a dev diary posted today, H1Z1 Technical Architect Greg Spence talks about the sound of the game and demonstrates a few tests. "So much goes into making these sounds seem realistic beyond just choosing an audio file to play," Spence explains. "Taking into account your surroundings, whether you are inside or outside, what type of ground you are on, time of day, and even weather can play a big part in the final thing you hear." Spence discusses sound effects, environment sounds, and, of course, music. You can check out the audio test videos after the break!
Jukebox Heroes: ArcheAge's soundtrack
ArcheAge is well-known for being one of the more beautiful MMO game worlds out there, but does its music stack up in comparison? The answer to that is a little yes and a little no. I got ahold of it several months ago, well before I was even paying attention to this game or its strong following. I felt that it was decent: pretty in spots, but short and not significantly better or worse than a lot of fantasy scores out there. It's certainly an Asian-style soundtrack with similarities to the Final Fantasy series and TERA. The score was composed by Music Director DaMeAte and reportedly garnered a few awards over in Korea. Good for it, I say! Let me present to you six of the best offerings from this album and let you make up your own mind as to whether they exceed or disappoint expectations.
Bandcamp houses complete Banjo-Kazooie soundtrack
There's probably no amount of reminiscing that can return the Banjo-Kazooie series back to its 3D platforming glory at this point, but at least now you can give kudos to the man behind the series' musical beginnings. Grant Kirkhope, composer of Banjo-Kazooie's soundtrack and longtime contributor to Rare's portfolio, is offering the sounds that backed the bird and bear's debut to those willing to name their own price. The exhaustive 164-file collection includes tracks, sound bites and a few unused beta tracks, all of which take us right back to searching for notes, Jiggles and Jinjos in the 1998 platformer. As a general Bandcamp reminder, you can take a thorough dose of nostalgia in MP3, FLAC or other formats, and those that pay will earn unlimited streaming through the Bandcamp app. If sampling the tracks has made you miss exploring themed worlds and Kazooie's general disdain for every other character, ports of both Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie are still on Xbox Live Arcade for $14.99 each. We imagine those ports will retain their usefulness to collectathon fans in the coming years, considering the cancelation of the series' spiritual successor. [Image: Microsoft]
Destiny's soundtrack out now on iTunes
If you can't get enough of the otherworldly music featured in Bungie's MMO-styled FPS Destiny, you can now carry its soundtrack with you wherever you go. Destiny's compositions are now up for purchase at iTunes as individual tracks or as a full album. The 44-track album features compositions by C. Paul Johnson, Michael Salvatori, Marty O'Donnell and Sir Paul McCartney, and covers the game's full soundscape from start to finish. If you plan on picking up more than a few tracks, a full album purchase is the way to go, as the 44-track bundle is priced at $9.99. [Image: Bungie]
Jukebox Heroes: Chatting with Neverwinter's Kevin Manthei
This week on Jukebox Heroes, we're sitting down with Cryptic Studios Composer Kevin Manthei to talk about his work on the studio's most recent title, Neverwinter. So Kevin, Can you introduce yourself and give us a little background on you and your history with the company? Kevin Manthei: Hi! I am Kevin Manthei, a Minnesota-born, California-living composer. I write music for film, TV and games. I have been doing this for over 20 years and have worked with most of the big publishers in the gaming world and have scored music on feature and indie films, television shows, and animated projects. Currently I just finished scoring the Guardians of the Galaxy section of Disney's Infinity 2 video game and am in the middle of scoring Season 3 of the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series for Marvel/Disney XD. I also recently started work on the animated series Transformers: Robots In Disguise for Hasbro/The Hub network. I have been working with Cryptic on music for its games since City of Villains. I have scored music for City of Villains, Champions Online, Star Trek Online and Neverwinter. Each project I worked on for more than a year, and each game has about 100 minutes of music I scored.
Final Fantasy XIV Q&A teases future content and pacing
Final Fantasy XIV has been a little pokey in rolling out major new systems. Will this be the case going forward? Not so much, according to a new producer's letter Q&A, in which the team says that future updates should be coming more frequently. "Due to scheduling issues and circumstances surrounding implementation, we've been prioritizing the implementation of party-based challenges utilizing the duty finder whenever possible," the letter states. "As a result, we were a step behind in implementing systems that make use of the open world, or those that require time but can be completed at one's own pace. With the introduction of zodiac weapons followed shortly after by the Hunt, it may seem as though we're shifting focus toward time-consuming systems, but rest assured this is not the case, and we plan to strike a balance with party-based activities as we move forward." Other topics of discussion include the upcoming Rogue class and Ninja job, the approximate release window for Patch 2.38 (about a month), word of a new expansion release, and hints about the expansion and new race.
Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-'s Limited Edition detailed
North American Guilty Gear fans can spend anywhere from $50 to $80 on the incoming Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- (pronunciation help here), depending on how many real-world trinkets they'd like and the console they intend to drain life meters on. As preorder pages from Amazon dictate, a Standard Edition copy of Xrd -SIGN- on PS3 will go for $50, with its PS4 counterpart running for $60. Xrd -SIGN-'s North American-exclusive Limited Edition will follow the same pattern, with the PS3 version costing $70 and the PS4 build pulling off an $80 combo on wallets. As for what makes the Limited Edition so special, a press release from publisher Aksys notes the bonuses of an outer box styled after the series' Backyard, complete with "gears and high-quality binding," a soundtrack arranged by series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari, and a roster-encompassing art book that also includes work for Gear XX Accent Core Plus and Guilty Gear 2 Overture. A keychain replica of Sol's belt buckle with the word "Free" carved in rounds out the offering. Though preorders are live, the press release only offers up a holiday season launch window, so we'll have to wait a little longer to learn when exactly it'll be time to rock. Regardless of which version you purchase however, Xrd -SIGN-'s crossplay compatibility means PS3 and PS4 owners will eventually all be fighting in the same community. [Image: Aksys Games]
Paul McCartney didn't receive a check for his Destiny work
Paul McCartney contributed to Destiny's soundtrack, but he didn't do it for the money – because there was none, Bungie Community Manager Eric Osbourne told Vulture. "There was no check involved, big or otherwise," Osbourne said. "He's in it for the creativity. He got a wonderful opportunity to reach an audience that wouldn't typically be immersed in Paul McCartney. They might hear the name – of course he's everywhere, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics, obviously he's touring and recording nonstop – but he sees it as a way to reach a new audience that might not otherwise hear his music." McCartney contributed orchestral elements to Destiny's soundtrack and he wrote the single that plays over the credits, though a team of composers scored the game and they "put in a lot of work," Osbourne said. Osbourne also touched on Activision CEO Bobby Kotick's claim that the company is "making a $500 million" bet on Destiny. "None of that is true," Osbourne said. "You really have to get a quote from Bobby to fully understand it, but I suppose what he was getting at was what Activision was willing to invest in the project and the IP over its life. There's no P&L statement anywhere where all these numbers add up to $500 million. It's not even close at this point, for development and marketing." As we noted when that number first emerged, Activision has a 10-year plan for Destiny and the company is proficient at cultivating long-standing franchises. [Image: Activision]
Jukebox Heroes: LEGO Universe's soundtrack
I'm still incensed that nobody had the courtesy of informing me that LEGO Universe had such a great soundtrack until well after the title was shuttered. I guess it doesn't make a big difference -- at least I know now -- although I might have mourned its passing more. Composed by Brian Tyler and Michael Jason Corder, the LEGO Universe score was never released, although it looks as though there were once plans to do so. This is an incredible shame because the wider listening audience is missing out on one of the most diverse, cheeky, and fun soundtracks from online gaming. The one word that kept popping into my mind while listening to this was "personality" -- as in, it has so much of it. At so many points I kept thinking that I was hearing the score to a well-done kids movie and not a "mere" video game. I'm limited to six picks (and a bonus feature!) in this space, but I highly recommend that you use this column as a jumping point to listening to the LEGO Universe soundtrack in its entirety. If you do, I think you'll agree with me that this score is simply a triumph.
Hear snippets of Chance Thomas' Dota 2 score
Composer Chance Thomas has revealed his latest project: creating a Compendium score for Dota 2. In a new behind-the-scenes video, you can see Thomas conducting a choir and orchestra as they perform snippets of various tracks for the popular MOBA. Thomas previously worked on MMOs such as Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online. You can watch the Dota 2 soundtrack video after the jump!
Buy Smash Bros. 3DS, Wii U, earn epic public entrances
After Super Smash Bros. launches on 3DS, you can walk along to your personal anthem from its soundtrack. If you're lucky enough, your song might land on the dual-disc sampling offered to Club Nintendo members, which would ensure you'd have a copy to lend audio personnel whenever a triumphant public entrance is needed. In order to get the soundtrack selection seen above, fans in North America and Europe will need to register codes from both the 3DS and Wii U versions of Smash on their Club Nintendo account. A track list and estimated release date are currently unknown, but the NA Club Nintendo page fittingly teases that further details are still coming. [Image: Nintendo]
Fantasia's full set list includes Gaga, Jimi Hendrix, Flaming Lips
You won't know exactly what Fantasia: Music Evolved's set list will sound like once you put your own twist on it, but at least now you know what you'll be working with: Harmonix shared the remainder of Fantasia's tracks at PAX Prime today, with the final portion including Jimi Hendrix's "Fire," Lady Gaga's "Applause," The Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1" and contributions from Imagine Dragons, J.S. Bach, New Order, Liszt, Inon Zur and Missy Elliot. Yup, the sampling is still all over the place. You can remind yourself of Fantasia's previously-announced songs with a full bulletpoint set list after the break, but if you want more than the base offering, placing a pre-order will earn you three more songs: OneRepublic's "Counting Stars," Demi Lovato's take on Frozen's "Let It Go" and Avicii's "Lay Me Down." [Image: Harmonix]
Jukebox Heroes: The music of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Cataclysm was the first World of Warcraft expansion that I was not there to experience. While I initially applauded the idea of the devs changing the world and bringing the new tech to old spots, that fundamental change in the land that I used to know so well ended up causing me pain. Nobody likes to think of something beloved changed and lost forever. So I stayed away and missed what is probably the worst-reviewed expansion to date. As such, it was the first WoW expansion score that I listened to outside of the game. To my ears, it was substantially darker than previous efforts, although there contained moments of beauty and excitement. Due to the nature of the expansion, the soundtrack is all over the place thematically, occasionally rewriting old zone music (alas). The one thing that really pops out at me from this album is how the composers extensively used various background sound effects and noises to suppliment the tunes. I'm not sure if these were added for the album or if these exist in-game, but they certainly add more in terms of atmosphere. Interestingly enough, one of my all-time favorite World of Warcraft tracks came from this expansion, so it certainly wasn't a wasted effort.
Jukebox Heroes: Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer's soundtrack
Fans (or ex-fans?) of this column might recall that I went against the grain of popular opinion by pronouncing Age of Conan's soundtrack "adequate" rather than an "outstanding masterpiece." I think that I can extend an olive branch to the player army that's been chasing me since then, however, as I hold the expansion soundtrack in much higher regard. Composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen returned for Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer, creating a 22-track journey through all new barbaric lands. Unlike his first score for this MMO, this one latches onto the Asian themes of the expansion and takes the score in a decidedly Chinese direction. It's well-done across the board and aided by a full orchestra. Really, my biggest complaint is that it's not easy to purchase here in the states for some reason. You can listen to and even download a few samples from the official soundtrack site, which still remains in operation. So let's head to the far east for this week's exploration of MMO soundtracks, looking at the highlights from Rise of the Godslayer!
RuneScape releases its 1,000th music track
For those who are into MMO soundtracks, RuneScape's score is something of a legend due to its sheer size. This past week, Jagex added its 1,000th music track into the game called "The Book of a Thousand Songs." The song, a ballad, was created and performed by the audio team and developers. Players will unlock the track when they log into the game to use in their in-game music player. You can hear the new track after the break and see how it was made! RuneScape announced its first-ever expansion, Lost City of the Elves, earlier today.
Paul McCartney assists with Destiny's soundtrack
Destiny will have another prestigous feather in its cap when it launches on September 9th: ex-Beatles musician Paul McCartney as one of the composers. McCartney joined the project in 2010, joining Composer Marty O'Donnell in creating the score for the game. He claimed to be intrigued by the challenge of writing music for this type of game and met with O'Donnell at London's Abbey Road Studios to work on it. In fact, the theme song for Destiny is a Paul McCartney original and will be released as a single following the game's launch. The title of the theme song has not been revealed, but its theme is about "hope."
Mega Man Soundtrack volumes on iTunes, Amazon, more soon
Tired of humming songs from the NES Mega Man games to yourself? If a particular tune from Mega Man 1-5 won't stop knocking around your skull, you can now jam away to the real deal by grabbing volumes of the Mega Man Soundtrack, available via iTunes for $9.99 - 10.99 and Amazon from $7.99 - 8.99. And hey, at least this way your neighbors will be hearing the full song. These volumes offer both NES and PS1 versions of some tracks, though not all are included in both styles. If your preferred Mega Man tracks do not fall in the above spectrum, there's still hope: Capcom Unity's Brelston notes that music from numerical games up to Mega Man 10 are planned to arrive "through the end of the year." [Image: Capcom]
Listen to Supergiant's extended Transistor soundtrack here
If you were enchanted by the music featured in Supergiant's Bastion follow-up Transistor, you'll definitely want to check out an extended soundtrack released this week from composer Darren Korb. A digital version of Transistor's soundtrack is available via Supergiant's store for $9.99, and a CD version will set you back $14.99. Korb's tracks are also available from Steam and the PlayStation Store. To mark the soundtrack's launch, Supergiant is running a sale on the PC Transistor this weekend. Through August 4, you can pick up a Steam copy of Transistor for only $13.39. [Video: Darren Korb / Supergiant]
Gods can be listening to the Gods Will Be Watching soundtrack
The soundtrack to Deconstructeam's Gods Will Be Watching is available on creator fingerspit's Bandcamp page for your listening pleasure, publisher Devolver Digital recently announced on Twitter. We've taken a few looks at the point-and-click PC game over the course of its development, up to and beyond its July 24 release date. It ain't exactly sunshine and rainbows as you make decisions regarding who lives and who dies as you and your team travel across the galaxy. But then, you could probably have guessed that, with tracks like "The Face of Genocide" and "Suicide Mission to Save the World" on the game's soundtrack. Heck, the very first track is titled "Self-Justified Sacrifices." But while the music may not be particularly cheery, we can't deny its quality. Have a listen and give your day a dose of drama. [Image: Devolver Digital]
Jukebox Heroes: Lord of the Rings Online's housing music
One of the interesting features (but by no means unique) of Lord of the Rings Online's housing system is the option to slot a music box item so that visitors can enjoy your favorite tunes while they check out your pad. Like the rest of the housing system, music boxes haven't been added to or expanded much over the years, but I still think they're pretty keen. Most of the music boxes contain a medley of three or so similarly themed tracks. Most of these are pulled from all over the game, but some are rarely heard outside of houses, so I thought these deserved another look. Plus, the original music for LotRO is quite gorgeous in spots and holds up very well over the years. For those looking for a buyer's guide to these ambient themes, may I point you to CSTM? For the rest of us, I have six favorite music boxes waiting for you after the jump.
