Captain Untouchable
Nov 12th, 2011, 04:28:02 PM
The game that I think deserves an honourable mention is Mass Effect - quelle surprise, huh? ;)
The reason I bring it up isn't because of the "while you're playing" music. There are lots of games that have fantastic music that plays through the levels - like Droo's example - that is wonderfully atmospheric, and amps up the suspense or helps to make the situation you're in more severe.
Mass Effect does that too, but what it also does is create a really good theme which is used as a touchstone to tie everything together. If it was a Star Wars game or a Star Trek game, that'd be when we'd get a few bars of the Imperial March, or the Next Generation theme, or something like that: something that reminds you that you're not just playing any old scifi game, but specifically one of that franchise.
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It's a really simple technique - I guess it's where the term 'recurring theme' comes from - but it really works. Whether it's the "Fuck Yeah!" arrangement from when you get made a Spectre, the Normandy theme from Mass Effect 2, the climactic ending once you've saved the day... it's there, it's instantly recognisable, and it's simple enough that it's easy to hum along to while you're playing.
I'm not the only one that joins in with game soundtracks, right? :uhoh