Sound Problems
In this blog, we will find examples in video games where sound could be improved.
One of my favourite things about video games is the music choices. Usually game developers are very good at using music to set the scene or situation. Usually to tell people it's the same situation, they'll re-use music. For example, in Super Mario 64, they used the racing and sky theme for the clock stage to set in players' minds that you can still expect the same chaos as in the sky stages or racing. As a result of that I wasn't particularly impressed when in Mario Kart 64, they used the same music for Wario Stadium as they did for the Raceway tracks. This means that a quarter of the stages in that game use the Raceway music. I get the similarities that like the Raceways, Wario Stadium is somewhere you'd actually have a race but they're basic kart racing whereas the stadium's more of a dirt bike track. Personally, I think that Nintendo could have looked at inspiration from one of their Excitebike games for what the song should sound like. Thankfully, they came up with a brilliant song for the dirt bike track that followed in Mario Kart: Double Dash and Mario Kart DS, which along with the inappropriate song mentioned above, I will also attach below.
Listen to the 3rd sound in this video:
That is meant to be heard when you kill a man, usually the really weak men who get killed after one punch, but does it sound like someone dying their last breath? Not at all. I asked for another opinion on whether it sounds like a death, and they said it sounds more like they got their finger trapped in a door. There are a lot of recorded sounds made for when the men just get punched in this game that make them sound absolutely pathetic. Personally, I think that they should have used that sound for that as it would add to the collection of looking pathetic very nicely.
One of the best video game soundtracks of all time is the one from Bully. The reason for that is because they put some really brilliant dramatic music together for the last missions where you have to fight all the cliques one last time and then face the final boss (who is probably the worst choice for a final boss in history as it's only Gary, the average student you made friends with at the start of the game but then turned on you after the first chapter and disappeared). Even when you're not in missions, there's still some brilliant choices, like the fighting music for each clique. Out of all of them, as I feel they suit their background and culture, my favourite ones are the ones for the Preppies, Greasers and Townies, which I mentioned previously but didn't attach them. Here they are:
Despite these brilliant tracks, Rockstar made one little error. When you've completed all the go-kart races, you unlock your very own go-kart which you can pick up from the school garage at any time and get to further out places like New Coventry and Blue Skies quicker rather than just running or using the skateboard. Since they came up with some brilliant music to suit riding on bikes and mopeds (for some reason known officially as Running (High) despite the fact it never plays on foot), you'd think they came up with something even better and cooler, but they didn't. The normal theme from when you roam around on foot just plays instead, and since you're travelling a lot faster, it doesn't flow very well.
I think they could have made up a hardcore rock beat sound for the go-kart since Jimmy's driving his own vehicle, he's 15 and hardcore music the only music crazy drivers like Jimmy tend to listen to if it's not gangster rap. I think something like this Dead Sara song from Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2012.
One of my favourite things about video games is the music choices. Usually game developers are very good at using music to set the scene or situation. Usually to tell people it's the same situation, they'll re-use music. For example, in Super Mario 64, they used the racing and sky theme for the clock stage to set in players' minds that you can still expect the same chaos as in the sky stages or racing. As a result of that I wasn't particularly impressed when in Mario Kart 64, they used the same music for Wario Stadium as they did for the Raceway tracks. This means that a quarter of the stages in that game use the Raceway music. I get the similarities that like the Raceways, Wario Stadium is somewhere you'd actually have a race but they're basic kart racing whereas the stadium's more of a dirt bike track. Personally, I think that Nintendo could have looked at inspiration from one of their Excitebike games for what the song should sound like. Thankfully, they came up with a brilliant song for the dirt bike track that followed in Mario Kart: Double Dash and Mario Kart DS, which along with the inappropriate song mentioned above, I will also attach below.
Listen to the 3rd sound in this video:
One of the best video game soundtracks of all time is the one from Bully. The reason for that is because they put some really brilliant dramatic music together for the last missions where you have to fight all the cliques one last time and then face the final boss (who is probably the worst choice for a final boss in history as it's only Gary, the average student you made friends with at the start of the game but then turned on you after the first chapter and disappeared). Even when you're not in missions, there's still some brilliant choices, like the fighting music for each clique. Out of all of them, as I feel they suit their background and culture, my favourite ones are the ones for the Preppies, Greasers and Townies, which I mentioned previously but didn't attach them. Here they are:
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